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If you’re new to the wonderful world of crafting — or even if you consider yourself to be more of a “basic” crafter — then Cricut’s brand new machine is just for you! This nifty new machine is called the Cricut Explore One™ and it’s perfect for crafing beginners and basic crafters because it offers a simplified design-and-cut system that is incredibly user-friendly. The Explore One™ actually offers most of the same features as Cricut’s other Explore machines, it’s just priced lower!

 
In addition to its affordable price, here are a few other things about the Cricut Explore One™ that you’re sure to love:

• It can cut over 60 different materials, from the most delicate materials like vellum to thicker things like leather. It can also cut cardstock, vinyl, fabric, balsa wood, leather, and more…without complicated settings.
• You’ll have free access to Cricut’s Design Space™ online software and iPad® app so you’ll able to design on your computer or your Pad®. You’ll also be able to use a Bluetooth® adapter for wireless cutting.
• The Explore One allows you to cut a wide range of shapes and sizes with exceptional precision, from ¼” tall up to 11½” wide x 23½” tall. You just select the material that you’re using on the Smart Set® dial. From there, the machine’s Cut Smart® technology will deliver a clean, professional cut.
• You can upload your own images and use your own fonts — for free!
• Each machine comes with over 25 free 1-click projects and 50+ free images to get them started right away.
• If you want to use the machine to write or score, you can easily swap out the cutting cartridge with the Cricut Explore One™ Accessory Adapter and Pen.

The Cricut Explore One™ makes it easy, fast, and affordable for you to explore your creativity and delight your loved ones with personal handmade projects and gifts! And if you purchase your very own Cricut Explore One™ before the end of May – you’ll get free shipping when you use code MAYSHIP!

With two very hungry Chihuahuas to care for, I’m always on the lookout for top-notch pet products. Recently, I heard about Addiction, an amazing pet food company based out of New Zealand. Addiction prides itself on offering eco-friendly food and treats, made from wholesome, natural ingredients. They have innovated the concept of using hypoallergenic premium proteins that contain no by-products, fillers or preservatives to prevent allergies and promote wellness and long-term health in pets. They also pioneered the use of low-temperature processing to retain valuable nutrients, co-factors and enzymes in their foods.

When they generously offered me the chance for a review, I was super excited, knowing how much Oscar and Charlie would love it!

We started by sampling some dehydrated goodies.

Perfect Summer Brushtail

I had no idea what Brushtail was, but my dogs really loved the gamey flavor! Brushtail is a marsupial found in large numbers in New Zealand and eats only the best berries and foliage. Unlike farmed animals, Brushtail is free from antibiotics and artificial hormones. The recipe combines this exotic Brushtail meat with nutrient rich Sunflower Seeds, Papayas, Spinach and Potatoes. This is an ideal novel protein source for dogs sensitive to chicken, beef and lamb. 

You can feed their raw dehydrated foods dry or add water to re-hydrate. The dry version is very crumbly and my dogs struggled to eat the powdery meal, so I simply added water to the next variety we tried for a more oatmeal-like consistency.

Steakhouse Beef Zucchini Entree

So, after I added the water to this one, the dogs went crazy, in a good way. They were both crying as I mixed the liquid in. The best part about this was Charlie, my senior chihuahua, was able to wolf this down without any issues. He has had most of his teeth extracted, so he cannot eat hard dog food. These dehydrated meals absorb water almost instantly! It’s made with over 50% chunky beef pieces of free-range New Zealand cattle. The third listed ingredient is canola oil, and I would have liked to see a different oil (like flax or coconut), but otherwise I was very happy and so were the pups! Of all the samples we tried, this was our favorite!

After that, we moved on to dry food.

Wishbone Ocean

Made with New Zealand King Salmon, this grain-free recipe includes with blueberries, cranberries, papayas, mangoes and granny smith apples. The pieces are wide and thin, which made them easy to crunch for my bigger dog. My chihuahua was unable to eat the pieces whole, but I had no trouble cutting it up with scissors for him and soaking in a bit of water. It wasn’t stinky which was a bonus for a salmon-based food. Chamomile is an interesting ingredient I have not seen in other dog foods.

Wishbone Pasture

Both of my dogs really enjoyed the lamb in this one! Overall Wishbone was a big hit in both flavors my dogs tried. I added a bit of chicken broth to soften the pieces. They love fresh blueberries, so I knew they would like Wishbone Pasture, which also includes cranberries, papayas and summer mangoes.

Viva La Venison

I was really surprised that both my dogs hesitated to eat this awesome recipe made with free-range New Zealand venison! It has hard, round pieces which my bigger dog finally fell in love with after he spit a few pieces on the ground. Formulated without grains, this variety is ideal for sensitive dogs of all lifestages. Venison is great for dogs because it’s much lower in cholesterol and fat than most meats. I was happy to see kelp and dried organic eggs also included in this recipe. 

Salmon Bleu

Featuring Pacific Salmon, Addiction’s Salmon Bleu is a hypoallergenic diet with an optimal balance of essential nutrients. It is high in Omega 3 fatty acids and natural antioxidants and grain-free as with all Addiction foods. The dogs liked this one equally to the other salmon variety they tried, Wishbone Ocean, but Salmon Bleu included flax seed. I feed flax seed oil daily to my dogs, so this will saved me a few supplement capsules. 

“Two years, Tons of tears, still #BostonStrong.”

This remarkable phrase was written on a sign being held by a Boston Marathon spectator today. I think it pretty much sums up what everyone in New England—possibly the world—feels.

Two years ago, terrorists invaded. They caused massive disruption and destruction. They maimed many, killed 4, and broke the hearts of millions (mine included). Even now, it’s hard for me to process what happened.

On that fateful day, I was working fulltime as a Realtor. I was just wrapping up a client meeting and heading back to my office as the news broke. A large group of my fellow agents were huddled around the reception desk. A few ladies were crying. Unaware, I was confused. Words like “bombing,” “Marathon,” and “mass casualties” were whispered. I couldn’t help but gasp, utterly shocked and horrified. Another agent we worked with was in the race!

We didn’t know if he was dead or alive…

Our office didn’t have a TV, but everyone had Smartphones and/or laptops, and we watched the coverage on those, hoping for an update about our co-worker. Details in the beginning were very sketchy and fatalities were grossly over-estimated, so we were fearing the worst. About an hour later, a call came in, reassuring everyone he was ok. I can’t even begin to describe the relief we all felt!

Shortly after, most of us decided to leave early and go home. I spent the drive listening to AM radio, praying and crying, so afraid for everyone at the scene, wondering why this was happening. Why would anyone want to target the Boston Marathon, an event that represents everything that’s good in society, where every race, religion, and nationality is welcomed, working their hardest to achieve a common goal.

I didn’t have an answer then and I don’t have one now. I will never understand why bad things happen to good people. I will never understand why evil flourishes in every corner of this planet.

As that day wore on into night, 3 confirmed deaths were announced, including a young American lady, a little boy, and a Chinese exchange student. Oh, how my heart ached for their families and friends! It was so painful for me just to watch, and I wasn’t involved. Their suffering must’ve been beyond bearable. More tears, more anguish, many questions. Why did my co-worker live when they died? How would Boston, as a city and a People, manage?

Manage they did, by treating the wounded, burying the dead, catching and trying a killer, and truly coming together. #BostonStrong isn’t just a catchy phrase, it’s a hardcore belief for those of us who live in the Boston area, and those around the world that love this great city. Obviously, the terrorists underestimated how fiercely loyal Bostonians are to their city. Nobody is going to dare disrupt it without consequence.

Hearts are still heavy, two years later, but a recovery is slowly starting to emerge. Willing to battle the cold, wind, and rain, runners and supporters turned out in full force, bringing hope to millions. God willing, runners will be cheered on for another 100 marathons to come, inspired by thousands of good men and women—truly amazing people like marathon legends Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father and son team that have been participating since 1977! (For those who don’t know them, Rick is wheelchair-bound due to Cerebral Palsy and Dick pushes him while running.)

Most touching of all were the folks running in honor of the victims. “Never Forgotten” and “Always in our Hearts” may be overused phrases, but in this case, I think it’s truly justified. I never met any of the victims, but they’ve greatly influenced me and numerous others. They were beautiful people with promising lives ahead of them who will be missed forever.

In Memory of Krystle Campbell, Martin Richard, Lingzi Lu, and Sean Collier.