Holinox Millennium Falcon Decal

It is no secret that I love Star Wars, so when I saw the Millennium Falcon Decal from Holinox, I had to have it! This sticker is 7" high by 5" wide and fit perfectly on my iPad Mini. Since my laptop is black, I opted for my tablet and I think it is a perfect size for it!

This decal is wonderfully detailed and super easy to apply. First, I cleaned my iPad with an alcohol wipe. After it dried, I positioned and applied the decal. Before you stick it down well, you can reposition it but be careful because once this adheres, it isn't going anywhere!

After getting the positioning down, I easily got rid of any bubbles by running a credit card over them. I love how it looks on my tablet! It's like it was sized perfectly for it. I think it would look great on a laptop or car window as well!

This decal from Holinox is awesome and the Star Wars lover in your life is sure to love it! The price is even awesome as well! You can pick this up on Amazon, where it is currently 42% off!


Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

DKnight MagicBox Bluetooth Speaker

My boyfriend is constantly listening to music. Unfortunately, since he runs a big machine at work, it isn't safe for him to wear headphones while there. When I was offered the chance to try out the DKnight MagicBox, I knew it would be perfect for him! This speaker charges with a Micro USB and only takes 2-3 hours to fully charge. Once fully charged it can run for around 5-10 hours, depending on the volume level used.

Connecting your phone via Bluetooth is super easy with this and it even has a phone button for answering calls! If your device doesn't have Bluetooth, you can connect via AUX cord which is really nice. You can even use a micro SD card to listen to music! This little guy is awesome! It can be surprisingly loud which is good since he is using this at work, in a loud factory. I have also used this at home while cleaning and I can easily hear it in the next room!

If you need a good quality Bluetooth speaker with some awesome features, check out the DKnight MagicBox! You can learn more about it and pick up one for yourself on Amazon, where it is currently on sale for 70% off! This is a total steal for how great this speaker is!


Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

ImiKas 3 Setting Electric Pencil Sharpener

We go through some pencils in this house! My boyfriend is an artist so he is always sketching something and when those sketches are done and inked in, I take them and add in the color with colored pencils. Usually we use little handheld pencil sharpeners, but when ImiKas offered me the chance to review their 3 Setting Electric Pencil Sharpener, I couldn't refuse! I despise those little handheld sharpeners!

This sharpener comes with the ability to run off of 4 AA batteries, a USB cable, or an AC plug-in. I really like the versatility and it has come in handy quite a few times! The sharpener looks sleek, and is compact and lightweight, so it won't take up much room on your desk, or in your bag. Though it is not completely silent, it is not very loud and sharpens your pencils in just a few seconds. I also really like that it stops once the pencil is fully sharpened, so you can't over-sharpen and break off the tip.

Grey - sharp, Brown - medium, Green - blunt

There are 3 different settings for sharpness, and though there are slight differences in each, I don't see it making a huge difference. Either way, I love how perfectly sharp this gets your pencils! I don't know why I never thought of getting an electric pencil sharpener, but I am spoiled now and not looking back! If you would like to try this sharpener for yourself, you can purchase it on Amazon where it is currently 40% off! It also has a lifetime guarantee, so you can buy with confidence!


Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Epson Expression Premium XP-620

I am sure you guys remember Diana talking about her awesome Epson printers and I have to admit, I was pretty intrigued myself! After reading about how much she liked them, I knew I had to try one for myself. I got the chance to try the Epson Expression Premium XP-620 and I absolutely love this little printer! It can do so much and has some really awesome features that has completely sold me on Epson printers!

This little guy can do a lot! It helps you save time and paper by using auto 2-sided printing, you can print borderless photos up to 8" x 10", and it can print 4" x 6" photos in as fast as 20 seconds. It also has wireless features allowing you to print from devices like your phone and tablet and there is also built in memory card slots for PC-free printing. You can also scan directly to Facebook and the Cloud for easy photo sharing. 

This printer uses the Claria 5-ink system which means you can replace only the color you need to and not waste any ink. I love this ink. It is such good quality and produces vivid pictures and crystal clear text. You can also print on all different kinds of paper and multiple sizes of paper. You can even print onto CDs and DVDs! I think it is really awesome to be able to print lab quality 4" x 6" photos at home that are smudge, scratch, water, and fade resistant!

The Epson Expression Premium XP-620 also has a 2.7" color, LCD screen for easy navigation and dedicated photo and CD/DVD trays. This printer can do almost anything you need it to do. In fact, it has been able to do everything I have needed it to do and so much more. Exploring all of the features is so much fun and I love seeing all of the beautiful photos and documents that I can create with it!

I think that the Epson Expression Premium XP-620, or any printer in the Expression Premium series would be a great gift for the holidays. Be sure to check out Epson's website and see all of the great products that they offer. Also, follow them on Facebook and Twitter to never miss any news!

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

I Dream of Jeannie Seasons 1 & 2 from Mill Creek Entertainment

I think I may have mentioned a time or two that I watch a lot of television.  I especially love the older shows. They remind me of a simpler time and they are just good clean fun. Mill Creek Entertainment has an awesome selection of older television shows to pick from. All of my old favorites!

I was so happy to see when they released I Dream of Jeannie: Seasons 1 & 2! I loved this show so much as a kid and I just knew it was going to be an awesome trip down memory lane to watch it again.  I am sure you know it stars the lovely Barbara Eden and charmingly hilarious Larry Hagman.

The collection has a running time of over 25 hours - that is a lot of laughs.  I Dream of Jeannie aired from 1965 to 1970 and had 139 total episodes during its five season run. The series centered on Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson, an astronaut, who stumbles upon a unique bottle when his one-man capsule lands in the South Pacific. When he opens the bottle and a 2,000-year-old genie, Jeannie pops out. For most of the amusing episodes Major Nelson, along with his pal Major Healey, spend a lot of time covering up what trouble Jeannie has gotten herself into, in fear that NASA would learn that she is a genie.

At awesome Mill Creek prices, there is no reason not to take this fun trip down memory lane with Jeannie and Tony! Make sure you head over to browse the full selection of titles from Mill Creek Entertainment on their website. You will find everything from family and classics, to horror and sci-fi! Make sure you stay connected with them on Facebook and Twitter too so that you never miss a new release.

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Epson Expression All In One Printer XP-410

You may recall last year we fell in love with our new Epson WorkForce home office printer. So this year when it came time to get a smaller home printer, I knew I wanted it to be an Epson. We were looking for particular features, especially when it came to photo printing and found just what we needed in the Epson family.

The Expression Home XP-410 has all that we needed, wanted and some great features we hadn't even considered. First, I want to say that it was really easy to set up and I was ready print in no time at all, without needing to call in Andrew to help set things up. In fact, I was able to get all of the computers on the network ready to print wirelessly without needing any help.



Let's talk features. One really neat feature is that you can print from your iPad, iPhone, tablet or smartphone. Plus, it supports Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print. The Expression Home XP-410 even offers individual ink cartridges so you can replace only the color that you need. A huge bonus is that it is quiet and you don't have to listen to a printer wiring on.

Of the printing features, that I think the biggest selling point for me, was that it has built-in card slots, a 2.5" LCD and convenient touch panel that you can use to print borderless, customized photos in various layouts, PC-free. When you’re in a rush, you can grab your prints and go, thanks to DURABrite Ultra instant-dry ink. The special ink makes the pictures dry faster and they are smudge, fade and water resistant.  How awesome is that? You can print your pictures in a flash without even having to turn on the computer!

It also has a copy feature as well as a scanner. When it comes time to replace the ink you only have to replace the color you need and I love that! It has a sleek design and is relatively small so you can set it up pretty much anywhere, which I needed because plugs are in short supply in my office. With the WiFi it doesn't have to be right next to the computers or hubs.

We are thrilled to have another Epson in our home and continue to be impressed with the quality and performance of both of our printers. When you get ready for your next printer browse the Epson site and see which of their great printers offers all of the features that will make your home or office work load easier! You can also connect with Epson on Twitter for great offers.

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.

Karma Kiss

As we all know, gifts can sometimes be hard to pick out. With endless options, finding a starting place can be hard. I recently found a solution to that problem and that is Karma Kiss. Karma Kiss is a website were all gifty things are imagined! Seriously, they have all sorts of items that are sure to please anyone on your gift-giving list. 

Off of the Karma Kiss site, I was sent the Toadstool Chalkboard to try. First off, how adorable is this? I love that it is a cute decoration that also has a practical use! I have it in my living room, next to the kitchen and use it to leave reminders for myself and my husband. Also, once my daughter is a little older, it will be adorable to hang in her room for her to draw and practice her schoolwork on. 

The chalkboard itself is 23.25”H x 13.5”L. It is big enough to leave notes and draw on but not too big that it is hard to find a place for. It hangs by the string that is attached to the top and it is really lightweight so you don't have to worry about it falling off of the wall. The chalkboard wipes clean easily with a damp cloth as well, making it super easy to care for!

I love the item I received from Karma Kiss! After browsing more, my wishlist for myself and others is quite extensive! I know anyone can find something they want! Head on over to Karma Kiss and see all the awesome stuff they offer for yourself. Also, be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Come on back though because it is giveaway time. One lucky reader will win a $15 electronic gift card to Karma Kiss. Open to US residents, 18 years and older. Enter using the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers. My Empty Nest is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Holiday Gift Guide - For Him/Her - Best Buy Has All Your Holiday Shopping Needs

While I do like to start my holiday shopping early I always like to wait until the season is in full swing before searching for the hot holiday items. What I don't like is the crowds of people, who like me, are still looking for the beast deals. One of the main places I look for great deals is Best Buy. Best Buy is my main destination for all the people on my list with technology and appliance product gifting needs.


One reason is that the selection is amazing. There are more than 100 products sold only at Best Buy this Holiday! They offer a market-leading selection of the hottest tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles and titles, wearable technology, health and fitness gear, mobile accessories and much more.

As a bargain hunter I love their Low Price Guarantee. It guarantees I am getting the most competitive prices possible on all my purchases. Plus we all know the Blue Shirts and Geek Squad Agents are passionate, highly trained, knowledgeable and impartial so they can help ensure you get the perfect gifts for your family and friends. 

Technology is evolving quickly and becoming increasingly complex- Best Buy is here to help make it easy for your to choose the products and services that work best for you. Between bestbuy.com and their 1,400 stores you get the ultimate showroom to touch, test, try and buy the latest technology. 

Here is a list of products and services you can get great deals on during the holidays:

Phones: At Best Buy you can see and try all of the phones, carriers, plans and accessories under one roof with industry-leading trade-in options.

Tablets: Best Buy is the only place in America where customers can see all of the latest and greatest tablets.

Computing: Best Buy features the best selection, advise, services and support in computing. They help set the market by working with the industry's tech leaders to develop a highly specialized and innovative assortment of laptops, many of which are only available at Best Buy.

Mobile Accessories: Best Buy has one of the largest selections of accessories and wearables this holiday. Bluetooth speakers, smartwatches, health & fitness gear and headphones will truly rule holiday. 

Home Theater: Best Buy offers the world's newest technology, best assortment and service in home theater.

Appliances: Best Buy is better positioned than ever to bring the latest small appliances and special deals to you.

Gaming: Best Buy is THE destination for gaming this holiday. Not only dodo they have the latest Xbox and PlayStation consoles, but the hottest game releases and everything else you need for a great gaming experience.

Music/Movies/Musical Instruments: Best Buy offers terrific deals on the best entertainment stocking stuffers.

Digital Imaging: Best Buy features the newest selection of cameras, accessories and advise so you can find the perfect gift or capture your own holiday memories.

Tech Services: Best Buy is home of the Geek Squad for help installing, repairing, troubleshooting, optimizing and offering all sorts of technical advice from every Best Buy store, in-home, online and by phone.

If you are like me and have children on your list Best Buy has everything they out on their wishlist! I know my grand daughter would love the Barbie Digital Makeover Kit. And my grandson would have a blast with the Fisher Price Little People Apptivity Barnyard.

I know for me this year I am hoping someone remembers I want a new activity tracker! I should hint that they can find the Misfit Shine, FitBit activity tracker, & Jawbone Up band all at Best Buy. While I'm grabbing stuff for the kids (and myself) I wil also be able to get some things on my husband's list like headphones, speakers, and they them in Logitech Head Phones & Speakers!

If that is not enough to get you excited, December 1st and running through to January 18 you can score  15% off  Health & Fitness, Fisher Price and Mattel Toys and 10% off   Headphones & Portable Speakers (excludes beats, bose and Sony).

Did you know that Best Buy always offers a low price guarantee and FREE  in store pick up? Whether you are shopping online or in store, Best Buy has you covered. They have more choices, more savings, and the Right Gift for the Right Price. Tech gifts, gift cards, toys, gaming consoles, phones, televisions- OH MY! What are you waiting for? Get to Best Buy and get your shopping done today!

Disclosure: This reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card .

AblePlanet Musician’s Choice Noise Cancellation Headphones Review

I usually listen to music when I write, which means I listen to music everyday. Until last week I had a pretty sad pair of headphones. They were the kind that just rest on your ears, and the problem with that is you hear a lot of things in addition to your music- the dogs playing and the tapping of my nails on the keyboard for example. 

When I use my new Musician’s Choice noise cancellation neon headphones from AblePlanet all I hear is music. When you want my attention you will actually have to come tap me on the shoulder! There are some really awesome features on these headphones. 

To start with just look at them! Aren't they pretty on? They come in a huge selection of awesome colors, so that everyone can get the pair that says something about who they are. I bet you all wouldn't have to think too much to guess it didn't take me any time at all to settle on the neon pink. 

In addition to looking cute on, they feel great on! The have padding on the top, which I've never seen before and the actual ear muffs are padded around the edges to make them comfy yet fit snugly enough to block out sounds. 

When you aren’t wearing them they fold up easily and come with a little bag to store or carry them in. The folded size makes them perfect for travel and they even come with two adapters, one for a home stereo and one for airplanes. 

In order to use the noise canceling feature you will need to put a battery in. They come with the battery, and the battery compartment is super easy to open. I have never used noise canceling headphones before so I wasn't sure what to expect. When you flip the on switch, you get a steady hum of white noise, which you don‘t notice at all when you are listening to something.

It also has InWire volume control so that you can easily adjust your volume level. The cord is plenty long too, which I love. I actually have an extension that I needed to use with my old ones but I don’t need it with these…. unless I want to walk around and dance!

I think what is most important and impressive is just how wonderful the sound quality is. I really truly notice a difference now when listening to movies and music. The difference goes beyond the fact that there are no outside noises, which is awesome, and really speaks to the quality of the design. 

The wonderful people at Able Planet have offered one My Empty Nest reader the chance to win their own set of  Musician’s Choice noise cancellation headphones in a color of their choice! To enter please use the rafflecopter below. Open to US residents 18 and older. Winners have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is drawn.

*For some reason rafflecopter won't display the winner!
Congrats to Lisa G.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers. My Empty Nest is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

TuneUp Utilities 2013 Review

I spend a lot of time on my computer, a lot of time. Unfortunately if something doesn't work the way it should I have no idea how to even start to go about finding out why or how to fix it. While my husband is much more computer savvy I like to be able to do things for myself.

My computer has been running very slowly and I really had no idea why. I do weekly defrags like I hear you are supposed too and even have some program that dumps things I don’t need from time to time, but things were still running very slow. An example of how slow… you know when you right click on your desktop to refresh or create a new folder etc. Well my computer needed a minute to think about that before showing the menu!

This is what comes up after you install the program.

I was so excited to be given the chance to review TuneUp Utilities 2013! I was even more pleased that it was so user friendly I could use it without my husband’s help! It was a really fast download and then I ran the install which was also really intuitive. Nothing for me to think about or mess up- I like that.

Just look at all the issues!

Once it was installed it ran a check and told me about all of the issues on my computer that might be slowing it down. Check out the screen shot! No wonder it was so slow. It fixed everything for me with just the click of a button. In my un-technological terms what that means is it was super easy to have my computer running fast and so easy to use that even someone like me with little computer know how can do it for themselves.

Easy user interface

In tech-talk from the TuneUp Utilities 2013 site it contains new disk and browser cleaning tools that can eliminate files and temporary data from more than 150 programs, 25 Windows features and 25 Web browsers. This helps protect against PC performance problems caused from system residue.

It also found lots of junk

Plus, TuneUp's enhanced Live Optimization feature helps users keep even the latest operating systems like Windows 8 and the most modern PCs such as ultrabooks running in tip-top shape because it easily detects and safely turns off resource-hungry applications when they are not needed.

If you want to learn more about TuneUp Utilities 2013 more details are available here.

Three lucky My Empty Nest readers are going to have the chance to win TuneUp Utilities 2013. The giveaway is open to US residents 18 and older. Please use the rafflecopter below to enter. Winners have 48 hours to respond before another winner is drawn.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers. My Empty Nest is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

My Office Workhorse the Epson WorkForce WF-3540

Isn't it a beauty?

Having a home office means you have unique needs when it comes to office equipment. You need reliable top quality equipment that you can have faith will get the job done in a way that will let you shine. When I found myself in need of a new printer one name came to mind - Epson.

The Epson WorkForce WF-3540 is so much more than just a printer. In fact when we were looking over the features my husband aptly called it the boss printer.  In addition to replacing my broken printer it allowed me to replace my scanner and fax as well - it truly earns it‘s space in the office.

Everything about the Epson WF-3540 has been fantastic. To start with it is so very easy to install. I’m not super tech savvy and usually leave the setting up of new things to my husband but I was able to set this printer up all by myself and with ease. The easy to follow instructions and front display guided me through each step of the set-up process.

Easy set-up on the touch screen

One thing you will notice when you are setting it up is that the ink cartridges are separate. I can’t tell you how much I love the fact that when one color runs out I only have to replace that one color!  I always felt like it was so wasteful to replace a whole color cartridge because one of the colors ran out. Don’t worry, even thought they are separate they are still super easy to install as well. It only takes a gentle shake and light push and then you are all done.

I’m a huge fan of touch screens and how simple they make things to operate. The 3.5 touch screen that made set-up so easy continues to make daily use easy for me as well by making the menu navigation easy and intuitive. Also for your ease it has two paper trays and a place in the back to feed things like envelopes.

Easy to install ink cartridges

Another thing to love is that it is super fast. In fact it has the worlds fastest two-side print speeds. Having two siding printing in itself it already a huge step up for me and a feature I've put to a lot of use. I love that I can save so much paper and with a 30-page duplex auto document feeder I can so quickly copy, scan and even fax stacks of 1 or 2 sided originals.

If you have more than one person who needs to use the printer or more than one device you use that you would like to be able to print from it is so easy because it can be connected to both a wired or wireless network with it‘s built in Wi-Fi and Ethernet capabilities.  Epson Connect makes it easy to print and scan from anywhere using Apple iPads, iPones, smartphone or tablets.

Features and awesome print quality

You know I also like to be eco-friendly when at all possible which is why I love the ‘Eco Mode’ with auto two sided printing and it has a sleep timer which you can adjust to meet you own needs.

What all of this technical talk boils down to is that you will get fast and high quality printing, super easy scanning and faxing and all of it in a super user friendly intuitively designed machine that even the most technically challenged can be using like a pro from the start.

Please browse the Epson site and see which of their great printers offers all of the features that will make your home office work load easier!

Disclosure: I was given the products I reviewed and no other compensation was received. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours.