The magic began in 1975 when Dufflet Rosenberg began baking from her home for the Cow Café. In 1982 Dufflet opened her first pastry café on the trendy Queen Street West strip – today a Toronto institution and destination for the city’s finest pastries and divine desserts. In 2002 Dufflet launched her second pastry + flower café on Yonge Street – truly a Mecca of small indulgences.
In addition to Dufflet’s retail shops, Dufflet Pastries supplies over 500 restaurants and cafes, specialty food shops, upscale supermarkets, hotels and caterers with more than 100 unique, entirely natural products – including the city’s most talked about wedding cakes – everything lovingly hand-crafted!
Our Thoughts
Like many other women I love chocolates. But it can’t be the plain old boring bar with nothing added to it. I like some bite to my chocolate something different whether its a crunch or a fruit or a different taste. I found all that and more in Dufflet Chocolates. I got to try the Dufflet Bittersweet Chocolate Almond Crackle. Let me tell you it is beyond delicious. The chocolate covered raspberries weren’t exactly my taste though. The hazelnut chocolates were delicious and better tasting than that other hazelnut candy and less expensive too. But the Toasted Almond Crackle did me in. The one box that was sent to us was gone within 2 days. I had to go on the hunt. Unfortunately Dufflet Chocolates are not available in stores in the US at the moment but they are available for purchase online. Amazon had a pretty good price and since I had a gift certificate I ordered. I found for my tastes freezing the chocolate made it taste better but also kept little fingers out of it.
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You can purchase your Dufflet Chocolates online or in stores throughout Candada.
I was sent a sample of this product to review. All opinions are my own and are not swayed by the company.
Like a hug for the heart, Blooming Buddies is sure to spark your child’s imagination and trigger conversations between generations. Perfect for reading aloud, early readers, and the young at heart of all ages.
By: Deborah Donner and Wendy Peterson
8″ x 10″ hard bound with dust cover, 32 pps
Our Thoughts
Our kids love to read. Unfortunately because Charlie is older most of the books around the house are geared towards boys. It was nice to find a book geared towards girls that doesn’t promote an unhealthy body image. Blooming Buddies features verses relating human qualities to flowers. These flowers are magnificently illustrated in rich pastel hues. Just looking at the pictures was enough to keep Rachael entertained.
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You can purchase your Blooming Buddies book online or in stores nationwide.
I was sent a sample of this product to review. All opinions are my own and are not swayed by the company.
Originally based on a series of best-selling Japanese children’s books, Lazoo has since evolved into a comprehensive lifestyle children’s brand and media property emphasizing novel design, individual expression, creativity, and above all, FUN!
Our Thoughts
Finding high quality clothing for kids is hard to do. It’s either too expensive or not well made. I found the perfect combination of quality and washability in Lazoo’s Children wear. The entire line of merchandise exudes fun. Rachael received the Ballerina set with comfy/warm hoodie and the matching pants. The best part of this outfit was because of the fleece I was able to place a plain pink onesie underneath Rachael’s hoodie and she didn’t need a coat. One less thing for mommy to hassle with.
Lazoo was nice enough to also send a matching set in the Monkey line that we gave to my nephew. Because of his special needs we have to have clothing that is easy to maneuver on and off. The generous fit of the outfit also allowed us to buy his normal size 4T but it was roomy enough to fit over his braces. Making it the perfect outfit for going to and from school and therapy.
But clothing isn’t all. Lazoo also offers accessories (hats, mittens, tights) and books. The kids are in love with the Incredible Stickers book. It’s been fun to read with them and place stickers throughout the book. Rachael has also been reading the Colors board book. The vibrancy is unmatched by any other book I’ve found.
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You can purchase your Lazoo Children products online or in stores nationwide.
I was sent a sample of this product to review. All opinions are my own and are not swayed by the company.
In The Perfect Love Song, Callahan Henry tells the story of Jimmy Sullivan, who has been living on the road with his brother, Jack, and their band The Unknown Souls. The road is Jimmy’s only home and music his only savior until he falls in love with a beautiful girl, Charlotte Carrington. Spending time with Charlotte inspires Jimmy to write a love song for her, which becomes an overnight sensation and is dubbed “The Perfect Love Song.”
As Jimmy finds himself caught up in the desire for fame and fortune, the genuine lyrics of the song are overshadowed by his career ambitions. He begins to lose touch with Charlotte and makes a decision to miss his brother’s wedding in Ireland for a chance to put on a show in New York City.
But on Christmas Eve Jimmy comes to a crossroads: Will he finally get the chance to perform on one of the biggest stages of his career?—or will he find his way back to his family, to Ireland…and to the love of his life, Charlotte?
Our Thoughts
I’m a sucker for a good love story. Combine it with a love song and I’m a goner. The Perfect Love Song gives readers just that the perfect combination of a love story with all its twists and turns. The characters are well written and developed. Ms. Henry has delved into this love story and shares all the insights as we watch the Jimmy fall in love and take the steps to decide what’s most important in his life.
With the push of a button, the doors of the vault open in a wash of light and Star Wars sound effects. The inner platform rises, revealing this exclusive edition of The Jedi Path.
This ancient training manual, crafted by early Jedi Masters, has educated and enlightened generations of Jedi. It explains the history and hierarchy of the Jedi Order, and what Jedi must know to take their place as defenders of the peace in the galaxy—from mastery of the Force to the nuances of lightsaber combat.
Passed down from Master to Padawan, the pages of this venerable text have been annotated by those who have held it, studied it, and lived its secrets. From Yoda and Luke Skywalker to Count Dooku and Darth Sidious, they have shaped the content of the book by leaving mementos tucked within the pages, tearing out pages, and adding their personal experiences as tangible reminders of the lessons they’ve learned.
Through wars and rebellion, only a single copy of this manual has survived. It is now passed on to you.
Our Thoughts
Steve loves Star Wars/StarTrek anything sci-fi. So I was excited to learn about The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force. I knew immediately it would make for a fantastic present this year.
Steve’s Thoughts: For all those Younglings and Padawans out there the ultimate resource has finally arrived. Out of the fires of the Jedi Temple, one copy of The Jedi Path survived in the hands of Anakin Skywalker. Originally passed down by Master Yoda himself to his first Padawan in 115 bby, it traces the wonderful history of the Star Wars universe through margin comments by your favorite Jedi including Yoda, Obi Wan and even a few snide comments from the Emperor himself. You too can no learn the ancient ways of the Jedi and if a few secrets of the minds of your favorite Jedis.
This wonderful book comes in the ultimate vault that includes working mechanisms as seen in the video below. This book is a wonderful resource and story in and of itself of the wonderful Star Wars universe and helped me fill in a few gaps of items I didn’t remember from the movies and also parts of the mythology that Lucas didn’t put in the movies. I didn’t know that Anakin actually had a Padawan at one time before turning to the Dark Side until I had read this book. This book is a must have for any real Star Wars Fan.
Zip, zoom, turn and even flip — this CHUCK’S STUNT PARK playset lets you perform all of these cool stunts and more with your CHUCK THE DUMP TRUCK vehicle! Press the TONKA plate to activate your vehicles motor and send him racing all over this playset. Send him down the mountain to make him do his flip flop stunt or set him up for his daring two-wheeled hanging stunt. This little daredevil just loves to show off with you. And, since he can “drive” on or off the track, you can also bring him with you to sit down and read from his storybook — and plan your next big daring feat!
Our Thoughts
Charlie and our nephew Billy love Chuck. We have two of the original Chuck the Talking Fire Truck toys at my moms. We had to search and scour to find the second one as the boys would fight over the one. This year Hasbro has expanded the Chuck line even more. Since Tonka is one of our household’s favorite toys we were excited to have the opportunity to review the Tonka Chuck & Friends Stunt Park.
You can rearrange the parts so that Chuck does different stunts which makes the toy more versatile. Charlie had a blast moving the track in different locations and seeing what new adventure he could describe for Chuck.
Who better to explore the world with than someone who’s new to it? This ALPHIE robot is on a “field trip” from his home planet and, with a kooky grin and funny faces, it’s his “mission” to explore the world! There’s practically nothing this little dynamo doesn’t want to “talk about” — from letter sounds and shape sorting to patterns, cause and effect, vocabulary development and much more, your ALPHIE robot is like a classroom in one little portable robot buddy. Educational fun on-the-go is as easy as can be, too, with this little guy’s handled noggin and storage spot for his cards in his backpack. There’s a whole lot to discover when you’re a preschooler and this ALPHIE figure shares one of the most important lessons, too: learning can be tons of fun!
Our Thoughts
As a kid we all had that toy. That one toy we always wanted but never got. Alphie was that toy for me. My sister had one and I got to play with hers but its not the same right? I was so excited to see Alphie was back on the market. Even with a few upgrades Alphie still has the same basic look after all this time and I love it.
Charlie was over the moon to see he had a robot. Mommy was excited that the robot wasn’t just a “toy” but also an educational item. I showed Charlie how to insert a card and off we went. Every day Rachael takes a nap and every day Charlie has to practice his letters, numbers, colors. While he gets a good dose of this in PreK, I need some quiet time to get work done and this is the time. Alphie comes with 30 cards and you can purchase additional cards. The cards that are included cover the entire alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes and even music. The music card is one of Charlie’s favorites. You can actually compose a song on Alphie!
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You can purchase your Alphie online or in stores nationwide.
I was sent a sample of this product to review. All opinions are my own and are not swayed by the company.
Whee! When your WEEBLES figures want to play, where can you send them? Let them have tons of teetering, tottering fun in their very own playhouse, this WEEBLES Musical Treehouse playset! There are all kinds of levels of wobbly fun for you and your two friendly-faced WEEBLES figures to explore. Let them look around “far and wide” and send your topsy-turvy little figures up to the treetop by turning the crank. Then, send them gliding back down again on the curvy slide. Up and down — and still more fun is coming! Is it the 4 songs or 8 different sound this playset plays that have your WEEBLES figures rocking? No, it’s the lilting and tilting of the fun wobbly deck! Make some of your wobbly friends play hide and seek, but it’s hard for them to stay hidden for long — they always end up wobbling around and giving up their spot! It’s a busy day for your little friends, but even when they “want a rest”, they never stay down for long!
Our Thoughts
We love Weebles. I have a friend who to this date loves Weebles. It’s our inside joke. The kids have enjoyed the Weebles as well. When Charlie was younger we had a treehouse set for him. Now Rachael has her own set. Playskool has gone back to the more original design of the Weebles which I love. Charlie’s were chunkier and took up more space.
We pulled out the Treehouse and got it all set up. I thought since we had the older version the kids wouldn’t be as interested but you add in the music and different characters and they were all for it. I know they sat for a good 30 minutes turning the crank and watching the Weebles flow down the slide. I can’t wait to buy a few more Weebles to add to our collection for Christmas.
Find Playskool on Facebook and Twitter
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You can purchase your Playskool Weebles Musical Treehouse online or in stores nationwide.
I was sent a sample of this product to review. All opinions are my own and are not swayed by the company.
Your BOUNCIN’ BABBLES doll is so happy to spend time with you that you can see it in everything she does! Hold your little one’s hands and she’ll bounce up and down, just like a real baby. But this bouncing bundle of joy wants to “tell” you how excited she is, too — as she bounces she’ll make happy baby sounds! Let your baby doll bounce to her heart’s delight and then cuddle her close with lots of love!
Our Thoughts
Like many little girls Rachael loves baby dolls. We have enough in the house to have a whole nursery going. But there is always a new, better, more active doll around the corner right. The Baby Alive Bouncin’ Babbles doll is one doll that Rachael has been eyeing in the stores for some time. With the bright eyes and laughing smile this doll is sure to make anyone smile. Turn her on and watch the fun even more as she bounces up and down and giggles. As the baby does a ton of actions and without prompting (motion activated) we have had to replace the batteries already. I also found that the baby has a hard time standing after you take her out of the box. I’m hoping it’s just a situation of a crinkle in her PJs causing her to not stand straight.
In 1982, Ray Berry and his wife, Beverly, opened a small store dedicated to providing quality foods in a friendly atmosphere. Over the past 25 years, The Fresh Market has grown because of our dedication to our customers who enjoy the same high quality and amiable service we do. With a growing national market, we continue to focus on stellar customer service and strive to keep the specialty neighborhood grocer feeling that our customers have grown to love.
Our Thoughts
Our basket arrived and was stunning. The basket was wrapped in heavy plastic with a huge bow on the front. Inside the basket the items were artfully arranged to provide a good view of all the items while being eye-catching. Our basket came with Brent & Sams Cookies, TFM Original Cheddar Cheese Straws, TFM Blend Coffee, Lindt Milk Chocolate Truffles, Bahlsen Hit Cookies, Twinings English Breakfast Tea, Peanuts, Soft Peppermint Sticks. The kids immediately asked for cookies. The Bahlsen Hit Cookies were just that a hit. The package was gone by the end of the day. Meanwhile I settled into the couch with a nice cup of the Twinings English Breakfast Tea and the peanuts. I know sounds like an odd combination but it was just what I needed. The next day the kids enjoyed some of the Cheese straws with their lunch. It was nice to give them something different than just the chips or pretzels.
Welcome to Santa's Wish List! We hope you find the gifts you are looking for this holiday season. We are covering all ages so check out our For Him, For Her, For the Family, For the Children and For the Foodie categories. Many of our reviews are also offering a giveaway so make sure you check to see how you can win too.
. I knew immediately it would make for a fantastic present this year. 
