Mama Monday - Feb 28

1. What piece of motherly advice did your own mum give you, that you put to use now on a daily basis?

To remember that as long as Mikey gets vitamins and some protein, not to worry too much about whether he eats. He will eat eventually. He still won't chew anything, but he is much better at putting food in his mouth and sucking on it. But I make sure he gets a milkshake most mornings with banana, crushed up vitamin, yogurt, protein poweder and milk. So he is getting more vitamins and nutriences than some kids who do eat.

2. When you get time to yourself, what are YOUR hobbies and interests?

Reading and blogging. And combining the two. I have this blog for personal things, and my book blog for my book reviews. I am thoroughly enjoying both.

3. What is your fail safe family meal?

Tacos. We do more of a deconstructed taco though. My husband mixes his taco hamburger with cheese and sour cream and puts it in a wrap. I mix my taco hamburger with tomatos, cheese and salsa, and eat it with nacho chips. Yum! I think we will need to make it this week now.

Last week's task - wear makeup every day.
Check. For weekdays anyway. I always wear a bit to work. But I wore none all weekend.

This week's task - Do your nails.
This might be hard. I don't even own nail polish. Maybe I should check out what the nail salon in mall beside my work charges. This is pay week, so I have $20 "allowance" to spend on anything I want.

Mama Monday is hosted by Toddler Awesome. Click the logo to be taken to her blog to link up and see what other Mamas are saying.

Friday night leftovers Feb 25

- We still don't have an apartment yet. But there are 2 options that we want to look at. Hopefully one of them will be The One.

- Mikey has been hilarious lately. Two stories from last night/this morning:

1.  He has pooped in a few days. Nothing unusual for him, but it means he sleeps not so good. Last night he went to bed okay. Woke up an hour later. Then an hour later. The second wake-up, he went wandering out to the livinig where my husband was playing video games. I was in bed, but heard everything. When Mike asked him what he was doing up, Mikey said "I pooped". This is his favourite phrase, and says it all the time, regardless of whether anything actually happened.

But when Mike went to pick him up, I heard "Phew, you did poop". "I pooped!" They rounded up the necessary tools, and started diaper changing. I heard the diaper open, then Mikey go "Pee-you" and my husband start laughing. Apparently he had his timing just right.

2. This morning, Mikey got me up to get a drink. We stumbled to the kitchen and I grabbed a sippy cup and the two top pieces. I fumbled, and an extra top piece went sailing into the garbage. Way down in the garbage where it was not coming out. I sighed quite loudly, and refrained from comment. Good thing, because 2 seconds later, the same sigh came from beside me. Mikey copied me perfectly, which causes laughs all around.

- Tonight is date night. We plan to have dinner, taking Mikey to my sister's, go to the movies, and then out for appetizers and a drink. So much adult fun! I'm excited. Just wish I had more sleep last night because I know I'm going to be wiped by 9:30.

Join in the fun and empty your brain of all your leftovers. Click the button to be taken to Danifred's blog. She started the trend.

Toddler Thursday Feb 24

This week was busy. We went to the bouncy castle awesome-ness on Monday (see post from Tuesday).

Going backwards, the weather was beautiful on Sunday. We had a few amazing days, and most of the snow melted. So we decided to go to the park, and see if we could use our wagon. We got the wagon at Christmas, put it in the trunk of the car to bring home, and then couldn't get it out. Since it was snowy and we have no place to store it, we just left it.

Well we decided it needed to come out. A quick look confirmed it was too big to go out through the back seats. It is about half an inch too big to get out of the trunk. It took some work, but we found out that if one person pushed down on the trunk edge and the other person pulled really hard, it was possible to get it out. Quite a bit of work!

On the plus side, Mikey loves the wagon. We walked all over the place, and not once did he try to climb out. In fact, when we got back to the car and took him out, he immediately got upset and tried to climb back in. There was quite a little tantrum when I tried to strap him in the car.

I am guessing that the wagon will be used quite a bit this summer.

Yes, those are cheesies. His favourite snack!

Date night this weekend

I love having my sister live nearby. She has graciously agreed to take Mikey overnight on Friday. So I have a date with my husband. We are planning to go to the movies. I haven't been to the movies in forever. I'm so excited. Also to be able to sleep all night without getting up. Sweet!

Mind you, Mikey has been sleeping better. He's only been getting up twice a night, and he is sleeping in until 7 am. That is so much better than 4 wakeups, and getting up at 6 am. He is also starting to come in and snuggle in my bed with me for a few minutes, which is much nicer than dragging myself out because he is screaming.

Yesterday was Family Day here in Canada, which is a new holiday. We celebrated by taking Mikey, and my sister and her kids, to a play day at a local sports complex. They transformed their sports field into bouncy castle heaven. There were 10-12 different bouncy castles there. Everything imaginable. It was awesome!

Mikey really enjoyed the bouncy slide. He wanted to enjoy the castles, but they were too bouncy. He couldn't stay standing, and started to freak out. I tried to get him to go in the little kid castle, which was sturdier and less bouncy, but by the time we made it to the front of the line, Mikey was done, and ready to go home.

Family was quite fun, and I definitely enjoyed having a day off from work.

Mama Monday Feb 21

1. How did you come to have a 'mommy blog'?I don't really have a \mommy' blog, I have a 'me' blog. But I just decided out of the blue one day to start, and I've been doing a pretty steady job at posting. 2. What do you do?  Do you WAH or homeschool etc?I work full-time. I respect SAH and WAH moms, but it is definitely not for me. I love working. 3. Have you read any parenting books or do you 'go it alone'?I read the "usual" suspects, like What to Expect. I have read a few others, mainly in my efforts to get Mikey to sleep and eat. Both of which are still slowly becoming better.
Last week's task - have a luxury bath.I didn't get to this. Mikey had a few rough nights with very little sleeping, and I mostly just collapsed into bed. I thought about it over the weekend, but instead chose ice cream and a good book. I'm not really a bath person.
This week's task - wear makeup every day.Not a problem. I wear makeup to work, because otherwise everyone asks if I'm sick because I'm too pale without my bronzer. Not that I wear much, just bronzer, eye shadow and mascara.

Friday night leftovers Feb 18

It has been a long week. A LONG week. If I thought it would get better this week, I'd look forward to the weekend. But I don't anticipate any change, and that makes me sad. I usually love weekends.

- There is something up with Mikey. He has barely slept all week. When he does sleep, it is for less than an hour at a time, and is accompanied by tons of sweat, and thrashing about, and crying. And yet he doesn't seem overally tired at all. I am hoping it is something simple like growing pains, because I want it to stop. Any ideas what it is?

- Work is ridiculous. I don't really want to say anything else. The company change happened last week, and it's an organized mess around here.

- Still on the hunt for an apartment. We found the perfect one last weekend, but we didn't get it. The landlord decided to choose an elderly couple over us. Apparently he doesn't want to live under a young family with a toddler. Go figure. We have an appointment to look at a place tonight. Hopefully it is acceptable.

New blog coming - some changes here

I have noticed (and so have a few others) that my blog is really 2 blogs in one - I have my personal posts, and my book review posts. I have decided to split these two apart. This blog will remain as it started: my personal blog. I have created a new blog, and am currently copying all my book reviews to it. Once that is finished, I will delete those posts from here.

If you enjoy my reviews, I strongly encourage, and hope, that you will check out the new blog and follow there as well as here.

My new blog info: Workaday Reads

Totally Toddler Thursday - Feb 17

I received a very cute Valentine from my little man this week. Daddy and Mikey did some crafting and creating a man for me to keep at work.

Daddy did most of the work, but Mikey did all the gluing. Apparently he really likes gluing. So it's probably a good thing I bought a bunch of craft supplies for him to play with.

Mikey has not been having a good week so far. He got quite a few cat scratches at the babysitter's on Tuesday. That night he started running a fever around 103. Needless to say, neither of us slept much. And there wasn't much sleep happening yesterday during the day either. His fever broke around suppertime. He went to sleep fine, but woke up around midnight with the fever back.

Apparently he and Daddy played from 1-3 am since neither were asleep. I was definitely a sleep and heard nothing. They both woke up this morning only minutes before I left for work. Hopefully today is a better day.

Book review: Dance Lessons: A Novel

Dance Lessons: A Novel by Aine Greaney will be published in March 2011. It follows Ellen as she travels to Ireland to find her deceased husband's mother. Ellen has only just discovered she exists when she bumps into a woman who knew her husband growing up. He's always told her he was an orphan.

This book was very sentimental, and had a misty quality to it. It's light and airy, yet still has a great deal of emotion. I found it delightful, sweet, and very sad.

There are a few spots where the story seems to switch narrators and time frames rather abruptly, but overall it flows quite well.

It ends a little abruptly, without any kind of closing. But the idea of the ending is there, I just wish there were a few sentences that tied it up and signalled the end. When I read the last page, I tried to flip to the next to read the final paragraph.

Overall, this is a beautiful, poignant story.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Review copy from Net Galley

Book review: The New Read-aloud Handbook

The New Read-aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease is comprised of two parts. The first is information and research about why reading-aloud to children should be done. The second part is an extensive list of books to choose.

I understand the need and reasons to read-aloud to children. We do some reading to our son, and after reading this, we will expand to include it more on a regular basis. Books are always big in our house, and our son loves them.

I had intended to skim through the first portion, but found myself continually pulled in and reading large chunks. There are plenty of ancedotes to go along with the research, and it was quite entertaining.

The best part of the book is definitely the lists of books to choose. They are broken down by book type - picture book, short novel, novel. Each main entry states the ages it would be most appropriate for, a synapsis of the book, and other titles that are similar. The ages run from Pre-toddler (1-2 years) up to grade 8 and beyond.

I made a list of books to check out for our son's current age. I can definitely see myself checking this book out to get more ideas as he ages and is ready for longer, more involved books.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Local library

Vacuum maintenance

Have you ever changed the belt in your vacuum? I did last night, and let me tell you, the vacuum is the most disgustingly dirty appliance ever! I totally needed a shower afterward.

I also changed the filter, which is a whole story onto itself. Not the actual changing, that takes 5 seconds. But getting the filter? Here's my adventure:

I have a Dirt Devil upright. Good, solid machine. Takes an F1 filter. Which really needed to be changed, because it was starting to stink really bad whenever I vacuumed. So I checked at Walmart, but the filter cost $50! I am not spending that much on a vacuum filter. I only spent $75 on the vacuum in the first place!

So I started looking online. First stop was the Dirt Devil website. It's only $20! Much better. But look a little closer, and they don't ship to Canada. So no good.

So I started looking at Canadian sites. Staples has it for $25. Still good. Until you factor in the $15 shipping charge. Plus taxes still brings it to $50. Grr...

This lead to Amazon, where the .ca still let me down. The .com though, I found it for just under $30, shipping included. Much better. I only had to wait 3 weeks. But to save $20, I can wait. And I did. And it was great.

For comparison, the belts cost $4 for two, picked up at any hardware store. What makes the filters so special?

Book review: Before Cain Strikes

Before Cain Strikes by Joshua Corin will be published in March 2011. It is about FBI agent Esme Stuart, and her pursuit of a serial killer teacher who is encouraging his "class" to go killing sprees.

I found this book very graphic and gory. Too much so. There were too many killing scenes that were overly detailed. Toning back the detail would have made a much nicer read.

The actual plot was interesting. But I found it overshadowed by the gore.

I had a hard time believing the character for Esme. Yes, her workaholic nature seemed real, but she dismissed the rest of her life too easily. The rest of the characters were cookie cutter cardboard.

I wanted to like this book. But I couldn't. There just wasn't enough there to grab my attention and hold it.

Rating: 1/5
Source: Review copy from Net Galley 

Mama Monday - Feb 14

1. Introduce yourself!
My name is Sarah, and I'm 28 (about to be 29 in April), and I'm mom to Mikey, who will be 2 in May. My "husband" Mike and I have been common-law spouses for almost 3 years. We live in southern Ontario, Canada.

2. How did you meet your other half?
Mike and I met online. When we first met, that was still something you didn't really announce, so we used to just gloss over the answer. Now it's not such a big deal.

3. How long were you together before you had the baby talk?
Totally not long enough. Lets just say that they date the doctor used to start counting my pregnancy from was our first date. But I know my actual conceive date, and it was a full 2 weeks later. I guess you could say we jumped into things. We are also having baby talks now about a second child.

This week's task: Have a PROPER, UNINTERRUPTED luxury bath!
That would be divine. I will definitely do this one evening after Mikey is in bed. I rarely ever take baths, usually just grab showers.

Book review: Desserts 4 Today

Desserts 4 Today by Abigail Johnson Dodge is a dessert cookbook filled with recipes that use only four ingredients.

I can describe this book in one word: YUM. Reading through it, I found myself planning a quick run to the store to get the ingredients I need to try a few recipes. The recipes seem very simple to follow, and the desserts sound delicious.

My only complaint is that there aren't pictures for every dessert. I am very visual when it comes to food, and I tend to pick recipes based on the photos. The photos that were there look amazing. I would be more inclined to try more recipes, if I could see what the end result would be.

This is definitely a must-read for anyone who loves desserts. And I bet quite a few recipes would be easy and fun to make with kids.

Rating: 4/5
Source: Review copy from Net Galley

Daybook entry Feb 10

This has been a crazy week so far. I haven't been near my computer much, so it's a good thing I had a bunch of book reviews scheduled for posting, otherwise my blog would have seemed deserted. Today I thought I'd do a Simple Woman's daybook entry, which is something I haven't done in a while. Why don't you join in?

FOR TODAY - Feb 10


Outside my window... it is cold. It looks beautiful and sunny, but it's misleading.

I am thinking... that this has been a crazy week. We've been looking at apartments. The sale of my work closed this week. Everything seems hectic.

I am thankful for... not having any migraines for almost a month!

From the kitchen... my healthy lunch of salad and chocolate milk will soon be coming. They are chilling in the fridge waiting for me.

I am wearing... grey dress pants, black t-shirt and a fancy purple flower overshirt. Hard to describe, but I think it's snazzy.

I am creating... some lists of activities to do with my son at home.

I am going... to be niece's birthday party tomorrow evening. Should be lots of fun. I can't believe she's going to be six already!

I am reading... oh, I never did Whatcha Reading Wed this week. I am still reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I am also reading Before Cain Strikes, and I'm listening to Pandora's Daughter.

I am hoping... we get an apartment this week.

I am hearing... the usual office sounds.

Around the house... I'm sure there is lots of playing. Or maybe sleeping, since my son didn't do much of that last night.

One of my favorite things... is sleeping in. It's been a while since I did that though.

A few plans for the rest of the week: birthday party tomorrow, hopefully arrange for a new apartment.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

My favouite flower and scent: lilacs - Picture source

Kid book review: Manny's Toolbox

Manny's Toolbox is a Disney book that comes with 7 small tool-shaped books that fit into the pages.

My husband gave home with this gem that he found in a local store for cheap. Handy Manny is a huge hit in our house, with both my son, and his parents.

The pages are foam, covered in cardboard. Each page features one of Manny's 7 tools. The tool itself is a small book that pops out of the page. It tells a little about that tool.

As soon as my son opened the book, he started saying "Anny Manny" over and over. Then popped out each book and piled them up. I can see this book getting lots of use here.

The idea for the book is very creative, and it is well executed. We will see how long the small tool books last, but for now, this is a great book. My only complaint is that when you pop the tools out, there is just a blank white spot. If there was a picture of the tool, then it won't be such a big deal when the little books are lost or destroyed. Without them, the main book is rather blank.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Bought for our son

Kid book review: Animal Babies Peek a Boo!

Animal Babies Peek a Boo! by Tim Bugbird is the second book in the Peek A Boo! series that we've read. This version was a definite hit.

My son is rapidly learning what sounds animals make, and their names. He can easily identify most of the animals in this book. When we find the kitten, he meows. When we find the puppy, he woofs. When we find the ducklings, he points to each one and says duck.

This is a lift-the-flap book, with some textures. Like the first one we read, I find the full page sized flaps too big, but they fit the book. The textured bits are too small, but they work.

Overall, this is a good book that could be better, but it's still a success in my house.

Rating: 4/5
Source: Local library

Book review: Shades of Grey

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde was my latest audiobook. It's very much a fantasy story set really far in the future, when humans have changed to only see mainly one colour. The story follows Eddie Russett, who sees red.

While listening to this, I kept thinking this was very fanatisical. It is very much a fantasy story, and it is very well done. It starts with Eddie, the main character, stating that he is being eaten by a plant, and that it was Jane's fault. The story then backs up four days, and you don't get back to the scene in the beginning until right near the end.

I found the story very easy to follow, and very enjoyable. It definitely made my commute seem quick. Almost too quick, I didn't want to stop listening. If I had been reading the story, it definitely would have been one that kept me up way too late because I couldn't put it down.

Being an audiobook, I had the added bonus of the narrator. My version was narrated by John Lee. He was a great narrator. With the added bonus of an English accent. Very enjoyable. When I was checking it out from the library, the librarian mentioned that I would enjoy it, and that the narrator was very soothing and great to listen to. And she wasw definitely right.


Rating: 5/5
Source: Local library

Money check-up Feb 7

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on groceries. But even that was less than normal, so yea!

2. Today I feel impatient towards money. We need to get a new apartment, and that means paying last month's rent. Which we won't have until the end of the month, so I guess I will have to get a cash advance on my credit card. Grr..

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free/inexpensive thing I did last week that made me happy was bowling through work. So much fun!

4. I will consider this week a success if I find an apartment we like, and complete a rental application.

5. For the Super Bowl, I did nothing. Football is not popular in our house, hockey and baseball are. So the Superbowl doesn't affect us.

Weekly Money Check-Up is a fill-in-the blank post once a week. The first four questions are always the same each week and the fifth is always different. Care to participate? Visit My Pretty Pennies to link up.

Giveaway winners

The Handmade with Love Giveaway was a huge success! I had 185 entries on my blog alone! Thank you everyone for entering. If you chose to follow my blog, I hope you will stick around now that the giveaway is over.

The winners were:

Necklace and bracelet set  - Melanie (entry 169)

Necklace and earring set - Jenn (entry 2)

Earrings - Allie Clark (entry 173)

Necklace - Shannon Baas (entry 57)

All winners have been notified by email, and have 48 hours to reply with their mailing address. If someone does not reply, a new winner will be chosen. Thanks again!

Book review: 1001 Facts

1001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You by Cary McNeal. With the subtitle, The Ultimate Bathroom Reader.

As the title suggests, this is a collection of facts. They cover all topics, from food and drink, to the human body, to the weather and insects. Each fact has at least one source given, so you know the author isn't making them up.

But the unique thing about this book is that each fact is followed by a humourous comment from the author. The comment is often sarcastic, or reads like it should be delivered in a serious, dry tone.

Example from the front cover: Of the people who use personal ads for dating, thirty-five percent are married. Hey, we all forget things sometimes.

Being surrounded by people with this type of humour, I found the comments quite amusing. It was like my brother was sitting with me, adding his own bit to each fact. They definitely made the book more than just a dry read.

Rating: 4/5
Source: Local library

Book review: Before I Go to Sleep

Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson is a novel scheduled to be released in June 2011. The story is about Christine, who has had an accident and is unable to form new memories. In addition to this, she has forgotten most of her adult life, and wakes up every day as a stranger in her own home.

Reading this story, I felt sadness and frustration. Both for Christine, and her husband Ben. I can't even imagine how horrible it would be to wake up every day and have no idea who you are, or what has happen during the past few decades. I think it would be equally as horrible to live with a person like that. To have to explain who you are, and who they are every day. I don't think I would have the patience.

I found Christine's character to be very real. She felt a gamut of emotions, and it seemed like you were privy to her version of life, feeling and living right along side her.

I didn't really believe the character of Dr Nash though. He seemed very cardboard-like, and just there. Not the professional you would think, or even like an obsessive researcher, which is how I think he is supposed to come off.

Overall, I was very impressed. I didn't guess the twist until right near the end, when everything started to come together. This was a very interesting, and at times, emotional read. Definitely worth checking out.


Rating: 5/5
Source: Review copy from Net Galley

Bowling

Yesterday was a fun day at work; we went bowling in the afternoon. We occasionally do social activities, and this was one of them. There were 20 of us who went to a local bowling alley for 3 games of 10 pin bowling. I have never been 10 pin bowling with the big balls, I have only done 5 pin with the little balls.

It was a lot of fun. Lots of laughs for sure. Although I probably could have done with just 2 games. Those balls are heavy! My arm and wrist are still hurting this morning.

But I was super proud: I got a few strikes! My first score was 75, then 108, then 86.

Definitely lots of fun. I'm so glad that my work likes to do these types of events. I hope they continue once the new owners take over later this month.

Book review: Future Files

Future Files: A Brief History of the Next 50 Years by Richard Watson. As the title would indicate, this is a book about predictions for the next 50 years.

Normally I love to read prediction books. I am always intrigued about what people think will happen. But this book couldn't hold my attention. There was just too much crammed in the book.

The book starts with a description of the 5 most important trends. I think that if the book had taken those 5 and simply expanded on them, it would have been easier to read, and more interesting. Instead, the book goes into 11 different areas with 5 top trends each, and many more details.

The book ends with a list of 5 things that wouldn't change over the next 50 years. This list was also interesting, however very little time was spent on it.

Overall, I found the book had too great a range. There was just too much information to able to absorb much of anything.

Rating: 2/5
Source: Review copy from Net Galley

Book review: These Things Hidden

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf is about Allison, who was sent to prison for commiting a heinous crime, and her sister Brynne, who carrys the burden of the crime. Allison has been released on parole to a halfway house, and wants to make amends with Brynne, who wants nothing to do with her.


Based on the fact that Allison's crime is kept a mystery in the synapsis, I was surprised to find it revealed within the first 100 pages. But of course, it is more complicated that first given.

The story is told through the eyes of four different women, with each chapter being told by a specific person. It seemed like there were two completely unrelated stories being told until right near the end, but they did tie in together. The author did a very good job making each narrator unique. You didn't usually need to read the chapter title to know who's chapter it was.

I found this a very emotional read. There was one thing that I had trouble believing, but I can't say what it is without giving away the entire story. But even with that, the story was amazing.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Review copy from Net Galley

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Feb 2

Once again, the books I'm currently reading are completely different from last week.

Shade of Grey by Jasper Fforde is my current audiobook. I am almost done this, only 2 more CDs to go. I think it's a little hard to describe what it's about. It's very much a fantasy story set really far in the future, when humans have changed to only see mainly one colour. The story follows Eddie Russett, who sees red.

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf is my current ebook. The story is about Allison, who was sent to prison for commiting a heinous crime, and her sister Brynne, who carrys the burden of the crime. Allison has been released on parole to a halfway house, and wants to make amends with Brynne, who wants nothing to do with her.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is my current lunch-time book. I am definitely not the first to read this book, by a long shot. Mikael Blomkvist, a discredited journalist, is hired to investigate the disppearance of Harriet Vanger. She disappeared from an island forty years ago, and her uncle is convinced a family member killed her.

What are you reading? See what others are reading by joining the fun at Unexplained X2.

Handmade with Love Giveaway

Welcome to Workaday Ramblings and the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway. 

Hundreds of blogs are participating in the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway Hop!  Each one is offering a themed giveaway - all the prizes are handmade treasures or gift certificates to shops that sell handmade items. There is a linky at the end of this post. After you've entered here, hop on over to the next blog on the list and keep going as long as you'd like! The more you enter, the more likely you are to win. Good luck!

I used to make my own jewellry, and at one point even sold some online. I no longer do that, but I still have a large selection that has never found an owner. I am offering 4 prize packs: one necklace/bracelet set, one necklace/earring set, one pair of earrings, and one necklace.

The Prizes

Prize 1: Necklace and bracelet set

This necklace and bracelet set are made of mulitple strands of pastel beads on flexible wire strands. The overall look is girly and light. The necklace closes with a toggle clasp, while the bracelet has a clip clasp.

Prize 2: Necklace and earring set

This necklace and earring set are made with alternating glass hearts and multicolour tiny beads. The hearts on the necklace are frosted, while the earrings have clear glass hearts. The colours show a little dark in the picture, but they are actually a medium burgundy colour. The necklace closes with a toggle clasp, and the earrings have simple hooks.

Prize 3: One pair of earrings

These are "barbed wire" earrings. They are swirls of silver wire, covered with smaller red wire, creating a barbed wire effect. They attach with simple hooks.

Prize 4:  One necklace

This necklace is a simple pattern of green glass beads, with pink and white filler beads. It features a woven bead flower pendant. The necklace closes with a clip clasp.

How to Enter:

Fill out the form below with your name and email address.
Bonus entries (as listed on the form) are available for following my blog on Google Friend Connect or adding me as a friend on Goodreads.

Eligibility:

This giveaway is open to residents of the US or Canada. Entries will be accepted between 12:01 am Feb 2 and 11:59 pm Feb 6 (EST). There will be one winner chosen for each prize. Winners will be selected using Random.org and will be contacted by email. They will have 48 hr to respond and confirm their mailing address, or a new winner will be selected.


** Form removed as giveaway is closed **

Here is the linky for more Handmade With Love Winter Hop blogs:

Book review: The Confession

The Confession by John Grisham. An innocent man is sitting on death row, about to be executed while the real killer is on parole for a different crime. When the real killer has a conscience attack, it's a race against time to save the innocent.

I have read almost every John Grisham novel ever written, and find his work to be fast paced, and gripping. He writes crime and legal thrillers that make the law very exciting, even though most of the action surrounds mundate procedures.

I found the characters to be a little one-dimensional. The good were good and the bad were bad. But the character of Keith Schroeder was very well developed. His internal struggles and thoughts were portrayed in a very real way.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. And while the summary of what happens to everyone at the end may not go over with everyone, I liked it. It helped tie everything up, and there were no loose ends leftover.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Local library

Jan weight loss summary

My January weigth loss summary is basically nothing.

I did get my exercise DVDs in the middle of the month, but only did 2 days before I got really sick and had to take a break. I have started again as of Jan 31.

I don't actually own a scale, but I doubt I lost any weight. I have been trying to eat healthy. I have cut back on the number of snacks I eat, and when we eat out, I try to choose a healthy option. I did keep a jug of juice at work, and had a glass at lunch. I need to make an effort to drink more than one glass a day though.

Overall, January wasn't a success in any way, except that I did start to do a few things, and I do have a plan to follow for February.

My plan for February is to work out at least every weekday. I expect that I will skip a few weekend days, but we'll see. I will continue to keep juice at work, and will try to keep a glass at my desk all day. I have been doing good at choosing healthy lunches, and plan to continue this. Lots of fruits and veggies are the key.