Product Review: All Yarned Up

One of the big trends lately in nailpolish is the “Fuzzy Coat” by Sally Hansen.  I thought it looked super cute when I saw it online (and oh so close to Mets colors!) so I figured I would check it out.  It is a bit on the expensive side (I think it cost me about $8 but I don’t remember exactly now. D’oh, not like the price isn’t important in a product review!)  The first thing I will say is that a lot of people seem creeped out that it is actually going to be fuzzy.  It’s not. It is basically just like the glitter polishes that are out there but the glitter pieces are rectangular so a bit longer than what you are expecting.  It comes in a clear coat so I put it over my new blue polish from the Sinful Shine line.

It looks super cute. It lasted a long time (although a piece of “yarn” did pop up here and there and poke me which wasn’t really all that pleasant at all) but I will be perfectly honest and say it is beyond a bitch to get off.  I had a feeling it would be because glitter polish is usually nothing short of a pain in the ass, but I feel like this was worse.  It was actually so bad that even though I had 8 of my 10 nails done I actually had to take 2 evenings to remove all the polish because I just could not take it.

So, I will probably not be using the polish again – until I forget how awful it was to take it off.  OR if I do use it, it will be to accent just one or two nails so that the removal process will not be too traumatic.

I purchased this item for myself and decided to share about it with my readers. I was not asked to write about this product nor was I compensated for this post, it is just something I thought my readers would enjoy.

Washi Tape!

 

Every now and then I get in to a scrapbook supply obsession.  Currently, it is Washi Tape.  It has kind of evolved – first it was ribbon, but that can be difficult to stick to pages.  (There is a nice product out there that is an adhesive “line” which actually works great for ribbon, but I didn’t have this until more recently)  Then in 2009 I was importing decorative tapes on Etsy… and now I’m on a Washi Tape kick.

I keep getting asked – what is washi tape? And my answer is “it’s… tape”   It’s kind of like masking tape but it’s got all sorts of fantastic and wonderful designs on it, or it can be a solid color.  Just way nicer than masking tape.  It is made of paper, but it isn’t delicate. I’ve read that some washi tapes are actually stronger than duct tape!  In my research I came across that Washi is Wa – meaning Japanese and Shi – meaning paper. Makes sense.

Recently I dropped about $50 on tape on Etsy… I try to only buy tapes that I know I will get some use out of – so look for it in my Disney scrapbook pages, One Direction pages (Office Depot is actually selling sets of One Direction Washi Tape in the stores!) and Recycled Percussion – just to name a few that I have ideas for in my head with the tapes that I recently bought.  It looks like the craft stores are starting to carry more and more washi tape as well, but I have found I can find the best tape for my ideas online (for now. Michael’s was a bust when I went last week.)

Most washi tapes are also acid-free which means they are safe for scrapbooks.  I’m really not sure how to know for sure though, so I’ll have to be careful if using any directly on a photo but for borders and stripes, they work great!  (Some of my Christmas show scrapbook pages featured some holiday themed washi tape I had gotten a while back.)

I am trying to get back in to scrapbooking as well as blogging a bit more about my crafting… so this was my first attempt at that – hopefully I can come up with more topics and stick with it 🙂

 

and here’s a sneak peek at a future Washi Tape post – hmm washi tape and library pockets.  What will I come up with?

Book Review: Letters to Katie

Letters to Katie is about an Amish girl named Katherine (Katie), who is getting to be a bit older and all of her friends are pairing off and having babies and she isn’t.  She has had a crush on local boy Johnny for years but she’s not sure that he likes her back.  Is it time to move on from him and find someone else? Or will he finally confess he has feelings for her too?  She ends up meeting an out of towner named Isaac at the restaurant where she works.  He likes her, but is going away with his father for a bit to look at alpaca farms.  He asks if it is ok for him to write letters while he is away and she agrees.

Meanwhile, Johnny asks Katherine to make a meal for guests that he is having over about a business proposal.  After Katherine makes the meal and cleans his house, he kicks her out because he didn’t want to have to explain who she was (ie, not his girlfriend) to the guests. Katherine is upset and ends up getting very ill with a headache in the days following.  Johnny shows up at the house unannounced and wants to talk to Katherine about things.  She ends up passing out and ends up in the hospital with meningitis.

Katie has memory loss – she can’t remember the past 3 weeks or so and has no idea why Johnny was at her house.  She also has no idea who this Isaac person is that keeps sending her letters.  Both of the guys are into Katie but who will she end up with? If either of them?

This was a good story, with a few twists and turns along the way.  You couldn’t help but feel for Katie and hope that Johnny would love her back.  Or maybe that she’d move on with Isaac once he showed up.  But then after she got sick everything changed and  then you weren’t sure how things would end up. But I am happy with how it ended and how everything turned out and I think you will be too if you check out the book 🙂

About the Book

Everything changed between them the first time he called her Katie.

Katherine Yoder has loved Johnny Mullet since they were children, but he never actively returned her affections. Like so many things in their world, he assumes Katherine will always be there. Once his horse farm is a success, then he will court her in earnest.

For several weeks, Katherine has been plagued by severe headaches and dizziness. While resting at home, Johnny unexpectedly visits, but when dizziness strikes, she loses consciousness. She awakens hours later in a hospital bed, unable to remember how she got there.

Seeing Katherine injured and vulnerable stirs something in Johnny, and his guilt compels him to spend time with her while she heals. Soon his heart begins to stir with questions: Does she even remember why he’d come to her house that day?

As Katherine struggles to recall recent memories of Johnny, a surprise visitor arrives in her already unsteady world—a man named Isaac who claims they had been writing letters to each other, even considering marriage, before her illness.

With two men vying for her attention and her memory still elusive, Katherine has never felt so divided. The answer may lie behind a door she never considered opening.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Goodies Box August

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It’s that time again the August Goodies box has come and gone… here are my thoughts:

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Poplets – Sea Salt & Butter

 

They are basically corn kernels.  I prefered the ones that were kind of popped to the ones that weren’t at all – these are the things I avoid at the bottom of the popcorn bag.  My mom on the other hand loved the few I let her try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMAG0148Cafe Blues

by Barnie’s Coffee

Enjoy the taste of coffee with caramel, pecan and cinnamon notes. Mix into water and coffee is ready– pronto.
This was easy to make and smelled SO good.  The black coffee was super strong but once you put in milk and sugar (or however you take your coffee) it was great! Not sure how practical of an item it is (I don’t think it would travel well in a purse, for instance) but great for home use
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Mango Blackcurrant

by Ojo Nectar

Just wait until you see how good this stuff is. It’s tropical fruit juice that’s sweet, refreshing and helps protect and preserve eye health.
This was a lot better than I was expecting, a really strong mango flavor.
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Wild Fruit

by Morris National Inc.

This rainbow-colored, tart and chewy candy has a sugary coating that restores balance to your puckered palateI am not a fan of sour candy by any means (I’ll usually try it, make all sorts of crazy faces and then that is it for me) However I did not think that these were sour or tart in any way.  They were good and I had no problem eating the whole bag without any silly faces! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Veggie Chips

by Snyder’s

These delicious chips put a healthy spin on a traditionally not-so-healthy snack. Crisp & crunchy, you’ll find yourself craving your veggies.I didn’t have a chance to try these before my mom snagged them!  She said that they were good and not salty like other chips so she liked them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hidden Valley Ranch Sunflower Seeds

by Thanasi

Huge sunflower seed get plump and meaty in their shell as they roast. Tossed in tangy buttermilk ranch, they’re powerfully flavorful and fun to munch.Another item that was snagged, but I did try it.  I’m not a huge ranch fan but I found that the flavoring was just powerful enough without making it too much for me as a non-ranch fan. Love sunflower seeds though – especially at ball games!

Book Review: Facing the Music

Facing the Music And Living To Talk About It is Nick Carter’s autobiography.  If you don’t know, Nick is the youngest member of the Backstreet Boys and had some struggles with addiction a few years back.  After his sister died of a drug overdose, Nick decided to write this book and mentioned that he wished he could have written it before she passed so that it could have maybe helped her.  Nick’s family is a bit dysfunctional and he talks about how his parents used to always fight and sometimes his dad would shoot a gun out the window when he was angry.  They’d often threaten to divorce and Nick felt it was his job as the oldest to try and protect his younger siblings.  His parents finally divorced when he was 26 years old.

The book focuses a bit more on his addictions than his time in the band, though he does mention how the band formed and that he had been offered to be on MMC but instead chose to go with Lou Pearlman and join the Backstreet Boys instead.  I was bracing for the worst with the chapter on Lou because I’ve heard some terrible things about him but the mentions were brief and mostly what I had already known about him.

While BSB was working on a new album, Nick was spiraling out of control – drinking all night and capping the night off with heavy drug use.  He mentions how he was often worried  that children or fans would recognize him in his zombie like state but that wasn’t enough to get him to seek help.  Finally though, he did realize that he was slowly killing himself and needed to do something to turn his life around.  And not only did he manage to do that, he is now sharing what helped him with others in hopes that they can help themselves as well. (There are several disclaimers that Nick isn’t a medical professional etc. but it’s more of just a what worked for him may work for you too or how to seek out the help you need.)

The book made me really proud of Nick – I am glad that he found help not only for himself but for all the BSB fans as well.  And that he is able to share all that he went through in hopes of helping other too.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

This book is Nick Carter’s autobiography and self-help hybrid in which he chronicles his struggles with a dysfunctional family and the unimaginable rigors of becoming an internationally successful pop-star at the age of 12. From his battle with addiction to serious health complications and the pain of his younger sister’s tragic death, Nick leaves nothing to the imagination and offers true and heartfelt advice to help readers overcome obstacles in their own lives.

Product Review: Plugfones

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Plugfones are a cool new hybrid earphone / earplug gadget.  The earphone part looks very much so like the ear plugs I wear to concerts – which makes sense because it is indeed a REAL earplug on the end.  They are designed to stay put, even if you are doing rigorous exercise so you can block out the noise around you while listening to the music you want to hear for 10-12 hours at a time!

Great for factory work, lawn care, motorsports, air travel or to block out that obnoxious coworker who is a little bit too loud on his speaker phone calls every day!

Plugfones have undergone rigorous testing according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifications, by EPA approved testing facilities and have received a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 25 dB giving you the benefit of listening to your music while benefiting from certified hearing loss prevention when used as directed.

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You don’t have to blast the music super loud to drown out the background noises going on because the earplugs will do that for you.  So you can listen to your music at an appropriate level all while protecting your hearing so you won’t suffer from hearing loss due to the music being cranked up way too loud.

I gave the earplugs a try at work.  While it did seem to magnify the sound of the air conditioner when it kicked in (scaring me a few times!) It blocked out my coworkers talking no problem and I was able to hear the videos and music I was watching without really having to turn the volume up very much at all!  I certainly recommend these and if you stash them in your purse you could probably use them as earplugs at a show without a problem as well! (I haven’t tried that yet – but they are in my purse with my concert earplugs!)DSC04547

 

I am happy to let you know that I am able to offer 10% off any purchase at plugfones.com just for reading my review! The promotional code is: earplugsthatsing

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.

Book Review: Aesop’s Fables

Aesop’s Fables is a book of the fables as they are retold by Ann McGovern. There are more than 60 stories in the book and it is released by Scholastic.  The cover features the tortoise and the hair which is probably one of the more popular fables.  Before reading the book I couldn’t really think of any of the other fables, though I am sure that I had learned about them in school – though that was a long time ago!  It is nice to have them all together in one compilation with some wonderful illustrations as well.

The book starts with a little bit about who Aesop is. He never actually wrote down his fables and they were all carried on through word of mouth and nothing was actually written down until 200 years after he died!

Each fable is a couple of pages (or less) with the fable as well as the lesson that the fable teaches highlighted at the end of the story.  This would be a great way to teach your children – read them the fable and see if they are able to figure out what the lesson is or not.  You’ll also see that a lot of the fables became phrases that we use in every day life! Which ones can you pick out after reading the book?

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

Aesop’s fables are retold in kid-friendly text with black-and-white illustrations throughout!

This 80-page edition of AESOP’S FABLES introduces young readers to Aesop’s classic fables in a fun and accessible way. Ann McGovern retells the classic fables using kid-friendly language, and there are striking black-and-white illustrations throughout.

Book Review: Unexpected

Unexpected is another book by Faith Sullivan.  I was a bit hesitant to agree to read this one at first because her other series made me so nuts… but I do love her writing style so I figured I would give it a go. I am happy to report that there was no urge to snap my Nook in half after reading this one 😉

Unexpected is about a girl named Michelle who is from PA and is currently living in NYC starting her first semester at NYU.  The book takes place in 2001, so you know what the day that forever changes her destiny is – September 11th.  Michelle is in her apartment for 3 days following the attack with no contact with anyone else as she doesn’t yet know anyone else in the city.  She tries to stick it out at NYU but ultimately ends up dropping out and moving back home to PA.

On New Years Eve she meets Connor, a native New Yorker who invites her to be a waitress at his bar and lets her live in the apartment upstairs.  They both seem to be in to each other but then there is also the fact that Connor is her boss.  Michelle sees him leaving with girls all the time so she thinks that he is a bit of a player and tries to keep their relationship professional but at the same time she wants to know more about him.  As she finds out more about Connor’s pass she wants to help him, but does he want the help?

Frustrated, Michelle ends up running off and leaving seemingly without a trace. (At least as far as Connor knows)  Will he go after her? Is she better off without him?

With Michelle gone – Connor realizes it is her that he really wants.

But what happens next? It’s quite unexpected.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a rather quick read and I became really invested in the two main characters very quickly.  There was a lot of tension between them and I couldn’t help but hope that they would end up together – somehow.  Although I wasn’t sure if that would end up happening or not because both of them are a bit stubborn!  I don’t want to give away too much of what ends up happening – you’ll have to see for yourself!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

One day forever changes the destiny of college overachiever, Michelle Rhodes.
Shattered, confused and alone, no one understands the trauma consuming her until she meets Connor Donnelly.
A native New Yorker, he believes he can aid in getting her life back on track. But what if he’s even more broken inside?
Offering her a chance at a fresh start, Connor convinces Michelle to move in with him. Hiring her to waitress at his bar, their mutual attraction only complicates matters.
As more details surrounding Connor’s past emerge, Michelle uncovers the full magnitude of the loss he’s trying to hide. Refusing to let her feelings for him hinder his recovery, she makes a decision that winds up hurting them both.
By sacrificing her heart, Michelle thinks she is helping Connor come to terms with his grief. Little does she know, Connor is gambling everything for the sake of having a future with her.
What happens is truly unexpected.

Book Review: The Downing of TWA Flight 800

I remember all about TWA Flight 800. It happened by Long Island, so relatively close to me and a couple of days before my birthday.  It was all over the news for the longest time and I even thought about writing a book about it.  (I don’t remember all the details but I think it was going to be fictional and loosely based off of the events.)

The Downing of TWA Flight 800 puts forward some evidence that the plane was not taken out by a fuel tank explosion, but rather it was shot down by a missile.  There are a lot of different details in the book and I’m not sure what I believe but the book certainly made me think.

What do you think? Check out the book and let me know!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

NOT THEORY—FACT!
A MISSLE SHOT DOWN FLIGHT 800!

On July 17, 1996, minutes after take-off, TWA Flight 800 was blown out of the sky, killing all 230 people on board.

What happened?

It took federal investigators nearly and year and millions of tax dollars to point to a fuel tank explosion. But the investigation was riddled with questionable procedures. Was the government hiding a huge military embarrassment? Was the plane shot down by a missile?

The Indisputable Evidence. . .

Reddish residue from missile fuel on passenger seats
Clean entry and exit hole in forward cabin
34 certified eyewitnesses to airborne projectile not allowed to testify
FAA radar tapes or projectile in path with Flight 800
Government documents confirm Naval testing in area that night
And more!

Who launched the missile? How much did the government know and when? Was it simple bureaucratic incompetence or the most massive cover-up in U.S. history? Ex-cop turned acclaimed investigative reporter Jim Sanders exposed the shocking truth in 1997. Despite unremitting threats to his life, he has recovered even more evidence the FBI tried to suppress about the true history of TWA Flight 800.

Include explosive photos!

 

Jim Sanders, an investigative journalist, is a retired Seal Beach, California, police investigator who specialized in crash scene investigations and forensic investigations. He retired after an on-the-job injury. He became an investigator specializing specifically in missing US military personnel, POW/MIAs from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and his research resulted in two co-authored books: Soldiers of Misfortune and The Men We Left Behind. Sanders was also part of the investigation into the savings and loan financial collapse in the 1980s and ’90s. He was working on a third book when the crash of TWA Flight 800 completely changed his life.

70,000 Words

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