Changing Up Snack Time with IFS Bulk

Toffee Cashews Peanuts CranberriesIt’s the beginning of a new year, and although I really do refrain from making resolutions because I tend to break them, I did actually resolve to improve the way I snack.  By coincidence, I was given the opportunity to review some fantastic snack foods that are on the healthier side, and are just as tasty as any donuts or cupcakes (although I may not give those up entirely).  I had friends and family sample these great items from International FoodSource, one of the largest suppliers of snack items in the Northeast of goodies such as nuts, dried fruit and snack mixes.

Immediately after opening the package, my mother stole the Toffee Cashews and kept them all to herself because they were so delicious.  Me, my husband and our friend Anthony tried the rest and although all of it was great, a crowd favorite was the Caramel Apple Crunch which satisfied my need for something sweet and salty.  If all of my future snack foods taste this great, I think I can finally keep one of my New Year’s resolutions!

Caramel Apple CrunchFTC Disclosure:  I received product and was asked to review the product in return.  Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Any Second Now 2014 in Review

Happy New Year’s Eve!

I’ve had a bit of a busy week, so I’ll end 2014 with a “Year in Review” post, courtesy of WordPress.  I want to thank all of my followers for continuing to keep up with me, and any new readers for checking out the wonderful happenings in my hectic little life!

According to the WordPress Annual Report for 2014 (click here to see the complete report), the busiest day on my blog was December 4th 2014, a couple of days after I posted “Lovely Las Vegas: Swingin’ With Matt Goss“!  I definitely have to thank Matt Goss himself, due to the fantastic Tweet he sent to his followers that same day.  The next popular post for 2014 was “TOPSHOP/TOPMAN Grand Opening & Launch Party Recap“.  Another big thank you goes to Fashion Valley for re-Tweeting it and then posting it on their Facebook page.  I’m humbled by the support for my blog!

Matt Goss any2ndnow TweetFashion Valley Topshop Post any2ndnow Facebook

“Some of your most popular posts were written before 2014. Your writing has staying power!” – WordPress

It’s amazing to see that some of my past blog posts are still getting read!  My most viewed post this year was from 2012, “Another Great Whole30 Homemade Treat“, which contains the most popular of the pictures to be “pinned” from my blog on Pinterest!

Picture 003Finally, I became an Event Contributor for San Diego Style Bloggers this year.  These bloggers are amazing and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this wonderful network next year!

Thanks again to all of you who take the time to read Any Second Now.  Here’s to a spectacular 2015, cheers!

SD Style Bloggers Contributor from site

Merry Christmas 2014!

Santa Picture 2014

Merry Christmas to all!  I’m so glad Deon and I have been having Dominic take these Santa pictures each year because it helps us see just how much he has grown over the years.  The slide show below includes a picture I have note posted yet, which was his very first Christmas picture back in 2009.

Hope you all had a wonderful & blessed holiday with your loved ones.  Cheers!

From Dominic's Holiday Reading List: "My Twins' First Christmas"


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This is quite a fun year for Dominic because he’s really starting to enjoy books.  We read a book every night, and this is his newest addition to his reading list.  My Twins’ First Christmas is from the “My Friend Paris” book series by Jackie Singer.  In this holiday tale, Paris has new twin sisters, Liberty and Victoria, and she shares their adventures learning about the different ways people can celebrate Christmas.  Dominic said he really enjoyed this book and loved the colorful pictures.  His favorite parts of the book were when Paris and her family donated their extra cookies to charity and when their mommy read them a bedtime story because it’s like when we read him stories at bedtime.  Dominic said that although he loves it when I read books to him, he’s excited to learn to read about Paris and her Christmas adventures on his own next year!

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

San Diego's Premier Salons Partner with SEVEN Luxury Haircare to Give Back

shampoo conThe holidays should be a time of thinking of family and friends, and also about what you can do for others who are in need.  I’m happy to spread some good cheer through SEVEN luxury haircare and some premier San Diego salons as they team up to give back to our local community through Becky’s House.

This holiday season, SEVEN luxury haircare and premier salons in the San Diego area are teaming up to give back to the local community with a Season to Give campaign. For every SEVEN shampoo and conditioner set purchased, SEVEN will donate a full-sized haircare product to Becky’s House, an organization committed to protecting women and children from domestic violence by providing refuge and supportive services to achieve independence. The promotion will run through the end of the year. As we talked to various women’s organizations, we learned that one of the most common needs is full-sized haircare products. SEVEN along with our partner salons wanted to do something to give back and help these women look and feel their best as they work to achieve a violence-free life.

Below are the participating salons, including one I’ve been to recently (post here on Hairdrezzers on Fire).  I love sharing great causes like this because as a fashion/lifestyle blogger, sometimes it’s those little things like caring for yourself that can help you feel your best that count towards your overall well-being.  Cheers!

SEVEN luxury haircare | San Diego partner salons

Hairdrezzers on Fire

Disconnected

The Swank Studio

Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide!

Fashion Valley Christmas Image with text

If you’re like me, you’ve waited until the absolute last-minute to get your gift list together for the Christmas Holiday.  I do it every year, and I don’t know if I’ll ever learn to be proactive and do it earlier.

So what I’ve done is found some really cool gift ideas that are a bit outside of the norm, and only one requires actual gift wrap.  Cheers and happy shopping!

 Caffeine Crawl 2015 Tickets

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The Caffeine Crawl takes place January 23-24 2015, and showcases 16 different coffee houses in San Diego.  Tickets range from $23-30 per route, but it looks like you get some goodies along with your tickets.  This is a great gift for the coffee lover in your life!

Tickets include an event packet with Crawl goodies and souvenirs, admittance to all stops on your selected route which includes a drink or chocolate sample provided and determined by each shop, and short, educational presentation.

 Afternoon Tea at Mary’s English Kitchen

Marys English Kitchen from YelpI had such a wonderful time during my own afternoon tea experience at Harrods (original post here), so I have been looking for another experience to match it.  When Katie from the blog La Jolla Mom mentioned Mary’s English Kitchen in La Jolla, I thought about getting that as a gift for me and my girlfriends as a great afternoon out.  If you want to do the same, you can call them at (858) 263-4614 to inquire about gift certificates or to make a reservation.

(Photo courtesy of Yelp!)

ClassPass Gift Cards

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Recently, I was able to take part in a month membership to ClassPass (post here), where one month’s membership gets you unlimited access to participating exercise studios in the San Diego area.  If you have someone in your life who would like to do the same, gift cards are available for one class, a one month membership or three-month membership.  Click on the link for details! ClassPass Gifting

 Duty Free City Gift Certificates

IMG_3506 (2) (1280x1280)After I won my Furla bag from Duty Free City and attended their grand opening (posts here and here), I truly feel it’s a wonderful place to spend a day with family or friends because it’s not just about the shopping, but the experience.  Gift certificates are available to give that experience to someone you love by calling (619) 621-2600.

The Sand Cloud Beach Towel

DSC04225 (2) (1280x1280)Finally, the only gift in my little gift guide that may need actual wrapping paper: The Sand Cloud beach towel.  When I first posted about this fantastic little beach blanket/towel (post here), it was merely a start-up.  Now they have a full-blown shop where you can purchase one for $32.50 and they come in six cool colors.  I have two of them myself: one in Ocean Blue and the Mint Green one pictured above.  Stay tuned…I may have a surprise in the new year for you regarding Sand Cloud!

Doing Good, Does You Good: The LookmaticGood Partnership Program

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As a blogger, I love to partner with brands that have the same passion and drive that I do.  Within that passion and drive, there is also the desire to do well and feel good about it.  I love the way a well put together outfit feels on me and I make sure everything is cohesive, top to bottom, from my glasses down to my shoes.  And if this inspires someone out there to do the same to make themselves feel good, then I feel I’ve gotten my message through.

Lookmatic brings the concept of feeling good to their “LookmaticGOOD Partnership Program.”  I bought my first pair of Lookmatic glasses earlier this year (Tippi, pictured above), and they have been my “go to” pair because of the flattering cat eye style, feeling both modern and retro at the same time.  Since I’ve received numerous compliments while wearing them, why shouldn’t I share where I got them with anyone that asks so that they can find that perfect pair that fits them as well?

In the LookmaticGOOD Partnership Program, you can be rewarded for doing simply what feels good and sharing it with people you know (and even those you don’t know).  In the program as a GOOD Ambassador, not only would you be an advocate for Lookmatic’s products and services and help them to create a stronger presence online and offline in your region by sharing content on your existing social media networks and blog, but you can actively do more with Lookmatic by providing product feedback and insight directly to them, get advanced notice of new style releases and earn money as a result of your efforts!

I’m already a part of this wonderful program, so I’ll continue to share more information in upcoming posts.  If you would like to join, you can register at http://good.lookmatic.com/partnership/. Cheers!

FTC Disclosure:  I received product as compensation for this post.  Although I did receive compensation, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Sparkle & Shine in Chanel from Chairish

Sparkle & Shine in Chanel from Chairish
Since it’s that time of year for holiday posts, I’ve got a few fun ones coming up, including this one I did for the site Chairish.  Chairish is a curated site for design lovers to buy and sell vintage items such as furniture, decor, and even jewelry and accessories.  They’ve asked a few bloggers to come up with a style board featuring items from their jewelry section under the themes of “Sparkle and Shine”, “Silver and Gold” or “Old and New”.  Since I’ve recently purchased a vintage Chanel necklace, I created a style board focusing on how I would style some of their beautiful Chanel pieces for a night out under the theme “Sparkle and Shine”.  My outfit would be simple and all black, but with texture.  The dress is black, but with a subtle pattern, the shoes are patent leather, then I topped it off with a faux fur stole for a more luxurious feel.  This will allow any of the pieces pictured to shine.  Although a black Chanel bag is classic, a pink or cream one are great style alternatives.  Thank you Chairish for this fun challenge!

Issa circle skirt
stylebop.com

Christian Louboutin high heel pumps
$665 – net-a-porter.com

Chanel bag
chairish.com

Chanel jewelry
chairish.com

Chanel pendant
chairish.com

Chanel earrings
chairish.com

Chanel chain brooch
chairish.com

Ariella black shawl
$65 – johnlewis.com

See Santa by Appointment at The Simon Photo Experience at Fashion Valley!

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Over the weekend, my hubby and I took Dominic to the Fashion Valley Mall to have lunch, make a stop at the Lego store (we always go there first), and to take in the sites of the season.  It’s that time of year when places like Fashion Valley Mall are completely decked out in their holiday finest and seeing such gorgeous seasonal décor makes for a lovely shopping experience.  There’s so much to look at and I know Dominic loves it as much as we do.

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As we made our way to have Dominic’s traditional Christmas photo taken with Santa, we found the line had grown!  I guess we took a little too long enjoying the walk around the mall.  Thank goodness there is a new feature at the Simon® Santa Photo Experience where you can now make an appointment and avoid the line.  Click on http://simon.noerrsanta.com, and you can reserve your magical moment with St. Nick (I set our new appointment for Dominic for this coming Saturday)!  I’ll be sure to post our boy’s picture with Santa later this month.

Check out another fun feature through Noerr Programs:

The Noerr Programs, providers of the Simon Santa Photo Experience, will be sharing the heart of Santa online this holiday season through  “BeMerrySanta®”, where families can keep up with Santa’s daily musings on his Facebook page at facebook.com/BeMerrySanta, on Twitter @BeMerrySanta or Instagram at BeMerrySanta. Parents can also share their child’s good deed with Santa by going to his Magical Badge Generator at simon.bemerrysanta.com. After their child creates their badge, they can show Santa on a mobile device or print out their child’s customized badge. He will merrily reward each child for their kind act with a very special chocolate treat from Lindt, while supplies last.

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Want to make a date with Santa for your little one?  Here are the remaining dates and times for Santa’s appearances at Fashion Valley.  Keep in mind, Santa does take occasional breaks throughout his stay:

12/10/2014, 10:00am – 8:30pm

12/11/2014, 10:00am – 8:30pm

12/12/2014, 10:00am – 9:00pm

12/13/2014, 10:00am – 9:00pm

12/14/2014, 11:00am – 8:00pm

12/15/2014, 10:00am – 9:00pm

12/16/2014, 10:00am – 9:00pm

12/17/2014, 10:00am – 9:00pm

12/18/2014, 10:00am – 9:00pm

12/19/2014, 9:00am – 9:00pm

12/20/2014, 9:00am – 9:00pm

12/21/2014, 9:00 – 8:00pm

12/22/2014, 9:00am – 9:00pm

12/23/2014, 9:00am – 9:00pm

12/24/2014, 8:00am – 6:00pm

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For your shopping convenience, here are the special holiday hours for Fashion Valley:

12/08 – 12/13/2014:  10am – 10pm (Holiday Hours)

12/14/2014:  11am – 8pm (Holiday Hours)

12/15 – 12/23/2014:  8am – 10pm (Holiday Hours)

12/24/2014:  8am – 6pm (Christmas Eve)

12/25/2014:  Closed (Christmas Day)

12/26/2014:  8am – 9pm (Holiday Hours)

12/31/2014:  10am – 6pm (New Year’s Eve)

FTC Disclosure:  I received a gift card as a courtesy to enjoy the Simon® Santa Photo Experience, but not as compensation for this post.  Although I did receive a gift card, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Fashion Valley Helps Shoppers Pay It Forward by "Spreading The Love"

Spread Love

This is so exciting, and feel good at the same time!  On Saturday December 6, head over to Fashion Valley Mall where the “Simon Spreads Love” campaign will take flight. Fashion Valley management teams will be surprising randomly selected shoppers with gift cards: one card to keep, and one card to give away to a fellow shopper!  What a wonderful way to start off this season of giving, cheers!