Holiday Greetings from Me and Mr. Cheddar! :-)

We are busy promoting Cheddie's new eBook right now so will be taking a break from blogging until the New Year.

We Wish You a Very Merry Christmas and a Furrbulous New Year ;-)

Mr. Cheddar's Meowsings! Kibbles of Wisdom from a Wise and Witty Feline

Mr. Cheddar is now a published feline!!! ;-)

You can read all about his new ebook here. 

Happy Reading and Week from me and (feline author): Mr. C!!!

Andalou Naturals Sunflower & Citrus Styling Gel

This is the best hair gel I've tried to date! :-)

A superior ingredient list, reasonably priced and it really works with thick unruly hair, like I have. 

You can read my full review here.

Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5

A Holiday Poem AND My Gift Suggestion List For 2015 (10 Under $20) :-)

The

first of

December

brought thoughts

of Christmas magic.

The Day, so soon to arrive.

Our expectations ran high.

Through snow days and blizzards.

Making a list and checking it twice.

Santa’s letter printed and ready to mail.

Christmas baking: heady, wonderful aromas.

Pageants at school, with costumes of many colors.

The tall lush evergreen, centerpiece of the season.

We decorated so carefully; each bough lovingly adorned.

With some old, some new, every one used and none forgotten.

The long days of dark December. Finally, homework complete.

Sitting in the darkened living room; time alone to drift away.

Marvelling at the masterpiece of lights and shining ornaments.

Gazing far beyond to the bliss to follow. Hurry, hurry, hurry!

Christmas eve: midnight mass and carolling.Treats aplenty!

Then the long awaited, special treasures.

The secrets of shining boxes and ribbons.

Finally revealed and always worth the wait.

Off to sleep, to dream of a perfect snowy Christmas Day.

Now content, to still remember these childhood memories.

On

this

November day.

**CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THE POST HERE**

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND SHOPPING!

Badger Sleep Balm

This stuff really works! :-)

BADGER SLEEP BALM

If you have trouble getting (or staying) asleep (like I often do) you can read my full review here.

Sweet Dreams! 

Overall rating for this product: Excellent. 5 out of 5.

TCM: Hitchcock Thrillers

This truly is: "Hitch" at his finest! :-)

I LOVED 3 of these movies, :-) the 4th one, not much :-(. 

You can read my full review here.

Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5

A Body at Bunco (Myrtle Clover cozy mystery series, book 8 )

A BODY AT BUNCO 

When I noted this cozy mystery by Elizabeth Spann Craig (click to visit her site/blog) at Amazon recently, it was the word "bunco" in the title that caught my attention first.  

Many years ago, my mom hosted bunco parties. 
At that time, I was a little girl, sneaking out of bed to see what was going on with all these ladies moving around our living room and porch, the tables, the treats...what a nice memory it brought to mind. :-)

And In case you haven't heard of BUNCO, it's a dice party game that is apparently still quite popular now.

A Body at Bunco was a real treat and Myrtle Clover is my kind of main character.

 Myrtle is spunky, sassy, opinionated (in a good way) and lives life on her own terms. 

And In spite of being in her 80s, she is not portrayed as some achy, whining older woman (which has all too often been the case in other books I've read), who is past doing anything constructive or exciting, Myrtle is still living life full-tilt and making the most of every day! ;-)

The story has LOTS of twists and turns and red herrings left along the way. Had me guessing who the real killer(s) was too, I like that. I don't like stories with obvious finales almost right from the start, that are too obvious.

Another plus with this series, the stories can be read in any order. Too often books in a series don't make sense, unless they are read in order from book 1...I appreciate that. 

I will definitely be reading more from the Myrtle Clover series! :-) Just delightful.  

Overall rating for this book: Very Good. 4 out of 5

Splendor Garden ORGANIC Herbs and Spices

I've been looking for an organic alternative to Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend for a LONG time.

Happily, I recently found out about the Splendor Garden organic herb and spice company. 

And yes, they do have a perfect ORGANIC blend to substitute for Mrs. Dash. 

Check out my full review here.

HAPPY HEALTHY AND ORGANIC COOKING! :-)


Overall rating for these herb/spice products: Very Good. 4 out of 5

Taming the Hour of the Wolf by H. R. Warren

A unique, helpful and interesting book. 

If you suffer with many or even just occasional sleepless nights, check out my full review of this book:

TAMING THE HOUR OF THE WOLF

Have a great day and sweet dreams! :-)

Overall rating for this book: Excellent. 5 out of 5

Weleda Age-Revitalizing Evening Primrose Collection

I am LOVING this new facial and body care collection from Weleda!

You can read my full review here.

Have a wonderful day!!

Overall rating for this product line: Excellent. 5 out of 5. 

ShaSha Co. Organic Buckwheat Snack(s)

ShaSha Co. Organic Buckwheat Snack(s) are tasty, organic and healthy. I recently tried them for the first time and just LOVE them!!! Crunchy, not too sweet and kind of addictive too. ;-) Love the cocoa kick these have too. 

You can read my full review here.

Have a wonderful weekend and week to come.

HAPPY SNACKING! :-)

Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5.

Have a Beautiful, Memorable Summer! :-)

I'm taking a blog break for the next few weeks, at all of my blogs. 

I will still be writing a few reviews at Amazon.ca and Amazon.com during that time, so if you have a book or product you'd like me to consider for review, you can send me an email with your proposal. (See the top of the home page here for more info. about submitting review proposals.)

I'm going to be spending more time outside, enjoying the sunshine and working on a few projects too. 

I'll be back before autumn, with more reviews and hopefully some new contests too. Hope to see you then.

In the meantime, have a safe and happy summer. I hope it's your best one ever! :-)

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy

This really WAS one of the best $1's I've ever spent, for this kindle book. ;-)

An amazing book, from start to finish. Life-changing!!!

Read my full review here.

Happy Reading! :-)

Overall rating for this book: Excellent. 5 out of 5. 

Suncoat Peelable Nail Polish

With the arrival of "sandal season" I thought this was a good time to share one of my new, fav nail care products. 

Suncoat Peelable Nail Polish really does help to make my toes/feet summer-ready and looking their best! 

I gave up using mainstream nail polish several years ago, as I had a lot of concerns about the toxicity of the ingredients that are used in them. 

Suncoat Peelable Nail Polish is a good alternative, with much less toxic ingredients (and a lot fewer) than mainstream nail polish brands. And it's definitely NOT just for kids.

I first tried the Princess Pink (included in one of their kits, a lovely medium pink) on my toenails, then a couple of decals added (which were a bit hard to peel off from the sheet but I managed) and followed this with the top coat. It worked so well.

Yes, it is a bit thinner than regular nail polish but with 3 coats and the top coat, my toenails look just as good as they would have with a regular pedicure.

Removing this polish is easy too! I soaked my feet in warm water for about 5 minutes and then EASILY peeled the polish off. Worked great!

If you are looking for a less toxic way to have sandal/summer-ready tootsies! Check this product out. 

The polish/kits come in a wide range of colors. :-) I want the Mermaid Blue polish too! 

You can read more about the ingredients in this polish at the Suncoat website.

Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5.

PDQ Women's Sport Sandals

If you are looking for a comfortable, affordable and nice-looking sport sandal, you might want to check these one out.

I'm really happy with mine and not just because of the great price at Amazon. 

You can read my full review here.

Happy Walking and Week! :-)


Overall rating for this product: Excellent. 5 out of 5. 

Murder & Moonflowers by Leslie Leigh

Woohooo...my 1000 Amazon review, posted today! :-)

Murder & Moonflowers by Leslie Leigh  (click to read full review)

A fun cozy mystery with a delightful twist. 

Happy Reading and Weekend, G


Overall rating for this book: Excellent. 5 out of 5. 

Street Magic by William Hammett

This is one of the best novels that I've read in a LONG time! 

And even better, this story was written by a long-time, talented blog pal of mine: Billy Hammett.

Read my full review here.

Happy Reading!

Overall rating for this book: Excellent. 5 out of 5.

Never Too Late to Go Vegan

A very interesting and informative vegan guide; focusing on becoming a vegan, over 40. 

Read my full review here.

Overall rating for this book: Excellent. 5 out of 5

Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders

This is a fabulous book! 

It's now one of my all-time fav knitting books. 

Perfect if you have stash sock yarns you need to use up (like I do, always!)

Read my full review here.

Happy Crafting! 

Overall rating for this book: Excellent: 5 out of 5

The Groovy Green Kitchen II: Simply, Super, Supper Soups

The Groovy Green Kitchen II: Simply, Super, Supper Soups

(click for Amazon.com product page)

I have FINALLY finished this cookbook! 

I am doing a happy dance today. :-)

So much work, so much time invested in this project...but I'm very pleased with the finished results.

I hope you'll check it out soon, now available in Kindle and print versions at:

Amazon.com, .ca, UK, IT....

Happy Cooking and Reading!

Cookbook Countdown!!!

I've made the end of February, my deadline for completing my newest cookbook.

You can read all the details here, including an upcoming free Kindle book promo and sample recipe.

Wish me luck! :-) 

Happy Cooking and Weekend. 

The Power of Reiki by Tanmaya Honervogt

I really enjoyed this book! :-)

It has piqued my interest to pursue Reiki in more depth.

You can read my full review here.

Overall rating for this book: Excellent. 5 out of 5

Believe by Louise

I just love this little eBook! 

I re-read it several times a week, on my Kindle Fire HD. 

A quick pick-me-up that always makes me smile! :-)

Read my full review here.

Overall rating for this eBook: Excellent. 5 out of 5

Seven Year Pen Update: It's Still Going Strong! ;-)

The Seven Year Pen: available in an array of colors and fun designs!!!

It's been almost 4 years since I bought my first 7 Year Pen, and it's still going strong!

You can read more here, including the link to the original review and numerous comments and where to buy your own 7 Year Pen.

This pen is a keeper! :-)

Bubbies Sauerkraut

I've always loved sauerkraut and over the years, I've tried a lot of brands. 

Bubbies is the best sauerkraut I've ever tasted! 

I know that for a lot of people, sauerkraut is not all that appealing but that's certainly not the case for everyone, based on the stats, over at the Bubbies site. 

Americans annually consume a whooping  387 million pounds of sauerkraut, or about 1.5 pounds per person per year. 

Bubbies Sauerkraut is a very simple food with only 3 ingredients:

cabbage, water and salt

But all sauerkraut is NOT created equal and when it comes to flavor, Bubbies is superior to any other ones I've tried. And with no chemicals or preservatives, like some other brands have added to the mix. 

Health-wise, sauerkraut has a lot going for it too:

-Sauerkraut is fat free and low in calories. 

-Good source of Vitamin C and contains other important nutrients including iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, thiamin, riboflavin, fiber, and niacin.

-Health experts recommend eating several servings of cruciferous vegetables each week to reduce the risk of cancer of the colon. Sauerkraut, like cabbage, is cruciferous.

The only thing that would make Bubbies Sauerkraut even better is, you guessed it....an organic option. Hopefully something they will add to their product line soon. 

If you've never tried sauerkraut before, or have and just didn't like it, Bubbies just might be the brand to change your mind. 

And if you are in need of some recipe inspiration to give Bubbies a try, stop by Veggies, Yarns & Tails, for my Slow Cooker German Sauerkraut Feast recipe. 

Happy 'kraut ;-) Cooking!!

Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5

Italissima Organic Fruit Spread

If you love toast, jam and all things organic (like I do) you'll want to check out my new review of:

 Italissima Organic Fruit Spread. 

This jam is a keeper and for so many reasons! 

Have a great weekend and week :-)