Sunday Post
Katie 
Oh My! (feat BOB)
“I just picture myself in a James Bond flick.. slinking around every corner with some heavy shades on. Haha! I love the swampy sound it has. Connot wait to make this music video.. Oh my!”
August 2014
Book Review: The Life and Career of David Beckham
I’ve been trying to cut back on what books I am reviewing lately (although it may not look it since I’ve been pretty steadily doing 3-4 books per ‘Book Nook Friday’) and have tried to limit myself to more music related books and less everything else. Of course, a book about David Beckham *could* be justified as music because he is married to Victoria – aka Posh Spice. AND to justify it even further, there is even a chapter dedicated to her and her rise to fame as a Spice Girl.
I liked this book because it doesn’t focus on just the sports aspect of David’s life, but focuses also on him being a cultural icon. There is more than just what he has done playing soccer (football). And, always a favorite, there is a section of photos in the middle of 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
David Beckham is an English soccer player whose popularity extends beyond the field and into international celebrity. He has played for some of the best clubs in the world, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and AC Milan, and is known worldwide for his free kick expertise and spectacular long-range shots. His singular dedication to becoming a renowned soccer player has been an inspiration to teammates and fans alike.
In The Life and Career of David Beckham: Football Legend, Cultural Icon, Tracey Savell Reavis delivers an up-to-date and refreshing look at one of soccer’s most-recognized athletes. Drawing on extensive research and in-depth interviews, Reavis brings an outside perspective to Beckham’s life in order to reveal his profound impact on the sport in the United States and worldwide. From his birth in Leytonstone, London and his celebrated playing career to his role in bringing the 2012 Olympic Games to London and his retirement from soccer in 2013, Reavis examines the influences that shaped Beckham into the legend he is today.
Featuring photographs and original interviews, this book illuminates Beckham’s status as a soccer star, husband, father, fashion icon, and cultural phenomenon. The first biography since his retirement, The Life and Career of David Beckham will not only appeal to soccer fans, but also to anyone who wants to know more about this international icon.
Tracey Savell Reavis is a journalist and sports historian who has worked as a reporter for Sports Illustrated magazine, staff writer for the National Basketball Association, and National Football League writer for CBS Sports. Reavis is a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians.
Book Review: Bring on The Heat
Before I review this book, I feel like I need to say that I don’t understand why authors make up fake baseball teams and then put them in a world with real baseball teams. I feel like you should either be in reality (just use MLB teams and fake players) or an alternate reality (all your teams are made up.) The baseball player in this book played for a team in New Jersey but there were references to the Mets pitcher Harvey and the Phillies pitcher Hamels. I guess if I ever write my own baseball romance book I’ll stick to what I want and they’ll stick to theirs? Anyway…
The book begins with Darcy who is house sitting for socialite Lydia Logan while she jet sets off to Dubai. Lydia knows that Darcy is a fan of the New Jersey Sonics and tells her that she can take her invitation and go to a benefit that they are hosting. She tells her to borrow something from her closet but to make sure to get it cleaned once the event is done. When she arrives, she forgot to bring her invitation to the invitation only event but when she mentions Lydia Logan, everyone assumes she is her and lets her in. Star pitcher Chase Westbrook takes a liking to “Lydia” and the two begin flirting. Darcy had had too much to drink and ends up back at his place once the night is through.
When Darcy wakes up and realizes what had happened – she sneaks out of his place and back home- only to realize that the earrings she had borrowed from Lydia were left at Chase’s! She decides to meet up with him for another data as Lydia – in order to get these earrings back. When Chase gives her fake earrings instead – she realizes that she’s going to have to keep this lie going – even though she might be falling for Chase and keeps wanting to tell the truth but is never able to find the right time.
Meanwhile, the tabloids start talking about Chase and Lydia’s relationship and since Lydia doesn’t want anyone to know where she really is – even her grandfather believes it and wants Chase to continue to date her. In return – maybe he’ll put in a good word with the Yankees since that is the team Chase most wants to play for.
Lydia ends up catching on to the fact that someone is impersonating her and comes back home to find out what is going on. Will Lydia get to Chase before Darcy can tell the truth? And then what happens?
Despite the fake ballclub, I did enjoy this book. I really couldn’t wait to finish it because I had to see what would happen once the truth came out. Was Chase in love with Darcy or was he in love with the Lydia he thought he was dating and her lifestyle and trust fund? Would he ditch Darcy for Lydia once she came back to town or was it Darcy and her charm and girl next door vibe that he had fallen for? The book is only about 200 pages so I had no problem reading it quickly in one sitting to find out what happened! This is from the boys of summer series so I will certainly keep my eye out for future books from this series and Katie Rose.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
In Katie Rose’s irresistible battle of wits, a case of mistaken identity lands a female fan in bed with a sexy superstar—and in major-league trouble.
House-sitting for a rich and famous friend has its perks, and Darcy Hamel isn’t shy about enjoying them. Especially when it means scoring a ticket to an exclusive fashion show hosted by the New Jersey Sonics. An avid baseball fan, Darcy has always dreamed of meeting the team—especially the starting pitcher whose body is as hot as his fastball. But there’s a catch. The gala is by invitation only. To get behind the velvet rope, mild-mannered Darcy will have to pose as party girl Lydia Logan.
Schmoozing is one of the downsides of fame, but Chase Westbrook knows how to liven up even the dullest event. And nothing spices a night up more than a beautiful socialite with a naughty reputation. What Chase doesn’t expect is a hint of sweetness beneath her sultry façade. Flirtation turns to seduction and leaves him aching for more. Chase just doesn’t know who the real Lydia is: the spoiled tease crying foul over some missing diamonds or the alluring woman making a play for his heart.
Book Review: Superstars of History
Superstars of History – the Good, the Bad and the Brainy is a children’s book by Jacob Field with illustrations by Simon Basher. It is broken down in to 4 sections – The Ancient World, The Middle Ages, Revolution and the Enlightenment and The Modern Era. I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy history books geared towards children because they are more fun and I otherwise can’t keep interested in History. This book is great and has a time line for each of the areas with a brief mention of each of the superstars that have a bio to follow. Then there is a page with an illustration of the superstar and a quote from them. The next page has pretty much everything you’d like to know about the person broken down into a cool little flow chart of sorts. Their legacy is in the middle, there is also a time line and other information that changes based on who it is you are reading about.
I absolutely love the layout of the book – the illustrations are wonderful as well. It has all the information broken up in to smaller pieces which I think makes it more fun to read as it breaks things up a bit and you’re not just reading on and on and getting bored. (A problem I often have when reading history material!) Great for a child who is wanting to know more about historical figures or for an adult who just doesn’t seem to “get” history and retain information. (That would be me. But I’m sure there’s others out there!)
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
Discover fun facts about the greatest figures from history through Basher’s fresh and unique illustration style.
History doesn’t just happen; it was created by a crazy crew of characters from way back when. Find out why Archimedes said “Eureka!” in the bathtub, how Henry Ford changed the world, and whether or not Einstein’s brain was bigger than an ordinary guy’s. Discover what Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela did that made them famous for being so good, and what Attila the Hun, Hitler, and Stalin did that made them infamous for being so bad. Learn about great leaders like Charlemagne and George Washington and bold ones like Caesar and William the Conqueror. Superstars of History will feature fun text, loads of facts, and Basher’s cool illustrations to bring history’s greatest characters to life for 8 to12 year olds.
Book Review: The Messy Baker
The Messy Baker book says “never trust someone with a clean kitchen” The book also begins with the basics with different types of ingredients you can use as well as some “Can’t-do-without items” and “nice-to-have items”. Just by reading this chapter on the basics I feel a lot more prepared to bake anything than I have after reading any other sort of cook book!
The book has some easy to follow instructions and everything is numbered out to make it super easy. (This is the type of stuff I need) and there are a lot of great photos to go along with all the recipes as well. I also really need to learn to not look at cook books when hungry. I kind of wanted to eat every page.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
Since when did every cookie on the plate have to be just like the next? Or each layer of cake exactly the same height? Each piecrust an impeccable work of art and encircled by stunningly perfect pastry leaves? To the uninitiated, all that fastidious, spotless baking is intimidating, not to mention exhausting. The Messy Baker celebrates baking as it happens in the real world—sweet, messy, fun, not always gorgeous, but a way to show love. Which doesn’t make it any less delicious; to the contrary, Charmian Christie’s flavor combinations rise far above the ordinary. Why have a raspberry galette when you can enjoy a raspberry-rhubarb galette with drippy, unctuous walnut frangipane? Or how about a Brie and walnut whiskey tart? It’s all yours without the rigid perfectionism or complicated instructions of other gourmet cookbooks.
Christie’s warm, irreverent voice brings the fun back into baking at a time when home cooks—pulled from pillar to post by jobs and errands—need to have fun. The Messy Baker is a full-service book that not only guides the reader through simple, delicious recipes but is also there to help out when things go wrong. For anyone who gave in frustration when that cake collapsed or the frosting smeared, Christie’s practical advice is here to rescue even the worst disaster and inspire the baker to try the next recipe.
Throwback Thursday: Hanson in Maine
The final stop on our tour was Portland, ME, but we had another off day thrown in. We went to Montreal – were worried we would run out of gas in the middle of Quebec and and didn’t know how to speak French. Fortunately we found a police station that was able to direct us to a gas station. (Everything on the side of the highway was CORN FIELDS!) And the guys at customs when we were leaving Canada wanted to know what we bought- Teddy bears and t-shirts? A glimpse of all the hard rock cafe bags in the back of Erin’s car are included.
We also made a pit stop in New Hampshire at my uncle’s house before heading to Maine the next day.
For this show we had stools in the handicapped area that spun around. We were beyond sick of the song “Penny and Me” so I remember us spinning around on them “in protest” during the song. Tyler Hilton had opened and I had gotten a promo CD of his at one of the other concerts I went to that year so I brought it to have him sign it and he seemed really impressed that I thought enough to bring it to the show with me. (Little did he know I was carrying it all around Canada too!)
We thought that Taylor may have been sick for this show because there seemed to be a bit more Ike/Zac leads than usual.
I am realizing that photos from concerts REALLY help jog my memory a lot – sorry for the lack of details for these shows. I’m sure if I pull up my old livejournal I’ll have more details – but it will probably also make me cringe – so I’ll just go based on what I remember 😉
Rock n roll Razorblade
Dancin’ in the Wind
Minute Without You
You Never Know
Deeper
Every Word I Say
Look At You
Need You Now – Zac solo
Being Me – Isaac solo
Underneath
Love Song
Hand In Hand
Where’s the Love
Long Way To The Top
Crazy Beautiful
Penny and Me
Mmmbop
Man From Milwaukee
Lost Without Each Other
In The City
Encore:
Hey
I have tickets to a concert 13 months from now
5 seconds of summer first got known in the USA when they opened for One Direction last summer. I saw them (or heard them, rather, I didn’t bother to stand to see them) at the show at Jones Beach. They then did a mini tour in the US – and surprise! One of the dates was in Connecticut. I really wanted to cover the show and get a better look at them – but the show at “The Dome at Oakdale” which is a GA venue in the lobby of the Oakdale Theater. I have never been there and asked for handicapped assistance – but I figured I’d give it a go. Except that all the tickets sold out during presale and I didn’t get one. Since the show was so popular – they moved it to the main theater and put the GA crowd in the front as a “pit”. This was awesome because then I could go and actually have a seat! Except… I couldn’t get tickets for that either. (And I am picky about my seats – I will admit to that – but I could not get even a ticket to throw back to come up!)
Then they announced a summer/fall tour in the US! In… 2015. They were coming to CT on September 5th – which is a Saturday so what the heck I figured I’d try my luck again. Livenation’s website was the worst I’d ever seen it with wait times of “15 minutes” that seemed to bounce down and up in time and nothing came up for half an hour at a time even though it said 15 minutes. There were 3 ticket options – Artist presale, Sound check package ($90 more) and Citi card presale. I was still being picky about the venue (wanted one of the front sections, preferably center) and got a seat way off to the side in the back and put it back. What seemed like years later I pulled up 7th row in the center section (though I think on the aisle). Somehow LiveNation didn’t crap out on me and the sale processed, but I kept looking for another 2 hours with not much other luck. The sound check packages were coming up but the side section and the platinum seats that livenation sells for a premium were further back than my ticket.
So I’m pretty happy with what I ended up with – but it’s kind of crazy that it is like 300+ days away. Will I still care? Will I even live in CT anymore? Who knows! I feel like I have more plans for 2015 than 2014 at this point! (It’s not true, but it feels like it is!)
Product Review: NightFood Nutrition Bars
If you’re anything like me – you get night time cravings almost every night. If you’re like me, you’re trying to watch your weight but end up eating something like cookies or ice cream and deal with the weight gain, guilt and disrupted sleep. Or maybe you try to be healthy and eat something like rice cakes and go to bed unfulfilled. Well – I have a new and better option for you! NightFood. NightFood is forumulated to satisfy cravings on fewer calories and a healthier profile, while supporting better sleep. Feel satisfied without the guilt and massive amounts of extra calories.
I recently got to try out the “Cookies And Dreams” flavor of the bars and I have to say that I loved them. They left me feeling full, tasted great and are only 140 calories per bar. I think I can safely say there is nothing else that tastes good in my pantry that has less calories than that! Now I can step away from the poptarts and ice cream every night and feel better about myself and my diet.
NightFood is running a trial offer, if you’d like to check them out! To get a free trial box (6 bars – you pay $4.95 shipping & handling) sign up for the automatic shipment program. With the automatic shipment program you’ll actually get a free box every month (buy 3 get the 4th free!) You have 14 days for the trial. If you cancel within the 14 days the auto-ship will be canceled. If you love them after the trial period you can continue with the auto-ship!
You can’t find NightFood in stores yet – but be sure to like them on Facebook (facebook.com/nightfood) to be kept up to date on any future announcements!
Right now the only flavor is Cookies & Dreams (and is it good!) but they are working on a second flavor that should be out any day now called “Midnight Chocolate Crunch”.
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.
Love With Food Box July
July’s Love with Food box was themed “Happy Camper” – It’s July – the mountains, woods, and lakes are calling. Pack up your snacks and strike out for adventure. This month Love with Food partnered with 2 Degrees to double your donations to hungry children across the U.S. So while you’re dining around the campfire, TWO kids in need are also enjoying a meal – because of you.
Bar by 2 Degrees
Not only is this delicious bar packed with fruit, grains, and more, but 2 Degrees promises “One Bar = One Meal” to feed hungry children.
Mom tried this bar. She enjoyed it.
Sea Salt Lentil Crackers by Mediterranean Snacks
Baked with protein rich lentils and naturally gluten free, these lentil crackers will help you live a balanced life at home or in the wilderness.
As of writing, these were not yet tried.
South Asian Snacks by Zouq
Trail mix goes international with this savory gluten-free snack
Mom tried this one as well. She said she liked it but didn’t read the package and assumed it was like any other trail mix but it was SPICY.
Kids’ Organic Mixed Berry Chews by Honey Stinger
Snackers of all ages will get a skip in their step from the Vitamin C, potassium, fiber and protein in these delicious chews.
These were very good, though a bit gooey.
Dutch Cocoa by Somersaults
Seeds are the new nut! These little nuggets are both packed with protein and will satisfy your sweet tooth.
I wasn’t a fan of these – the seeds got all stuck in my teeth – but if seeds are your ting, I think that you will enjoy these
Chocolate Chip Fluff by Madyson’s Marshmallows
Roast this gluten-free, gourmet, chocolate chip marshmallow over a campfire for the ultimate s’mores experience.
I didn’t roast this, I just ate it, but it was definitely perfect for a smore with the chocolate right in the marshmallow
White Cheddar Puffs by Beanitos
With 5 grams of protein these preservative free White Cheddar Puffs are bound to keep you energized during your next excursion.
These were not quite what I was expecting but they were good.
Music Monday: Ed Sheeran X
One
I’m a Mess
Sing
Don’t
Nina
Photograph
Bloodstream
Tenerife Sea
Runaway
The Man
Thinking Out Loud
Afire Love
Take It Back
Shirtsleeves
Even My Dad Does Sometimes
I See Fire
Ed Sheeran’s X (Multiply) is probably one of my most favorite new albums in a long time. In fact, I was listening to a bunch of CDs to work on Music Monday posts and loved his so much after the first go round that I played it again instead of moving on to the next CD on the list! It’s very catchy, you’ll find yourself tapping your food or bopping your head around. (I could go w/o the drug references, but I guess that’s Ed) A few of the songs remind me a bit of Matt Wertz – which for me is certainly a good thing. If you like what you’ve heard of Ed on the radio (especially with Sing) then I think you will enjoy the full album. I know I did!