Once In a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge Review

A few weeks ago, I was given the chance to read Eileen Goudge's new book " Once In A Blue Moon".
This was my very first read for one of Eileen's books, but she definitely has a long list of loyal fans with some of her previous books, which include; Domestic Affairs, Garden of Lies, The Diary, Thorns of Truth and many many more.
I have to honestly say, when I was first given the book I was a bit apprehensive, because I had it set in my brain that this was a straight up romance book, something I've never really been a big fan of. Why I made that assumption is completely beyond me now lol, because although there's romance in the book, it is so much more. When I first finally picked the book up to start reading it, I found it really hard to put down. And don't never tell anyone lol, but you know if you have a hard time keeping dry eyes throughout the prologue, than you're probably in for a good read. It's not that the book is that sad, it's just really touching. The story line draws you right in, and before long you'll feel like you're part of the book. Without giving too much away here is what the book is about:

Sisters Lindsay and Kerrie Ann have known hardship from an early age. Without guidance from their neglectful mother, their only aid came from an unlikely source, a retired exotic dancer by the name of Miss Honi Love. When the girls’ mother was sent to prison, Miss Honi tried unsuccessfully to save them from being separated and sent into foster care.

Thirty years later, Lindsay is still trying to reconnect with her sister. The owner of a bookstore in the sleepy California seaside town of Blue Moon Bay, she was lucky enough to have been adopted by a loving couple. Unbeknownst to her, Kerrie Ann has suffered a very different life. Bounced from one foster home to the next, she ran away as a teenager before becoming a drug-addicted single mother. Now, newly sober, Kerrie Ann is fighting to regain custody of the little girl who was taken from her.

Neither sister’s expectations are met when they’re finally reunited. But as the two sisters engage in the fiercest battles of their lives, they are at last drawn together despite their differences, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family.

Hopefully this didn't give too much away for some of you planning on reading this book. I definitely enjoyed this book and found it to be a good read. And want to make sure everyone that's like me, and assumes this is just another romance book, it's not lol! Maybe it was the cover that convinced me of that lol ;)

Disclosure: I was given this book for free to review, this however did not change my opinion about it in any way. What you read here, is nothing more than my own personal and honest thoughts about this book.

Joshua Bell - At Home With Friends CD Review

Recently I was given a new CD of violinist Joshua Bell's new CD, "At Home With Friends". The CD was just released on September 29th. Joshua is also the artist who performed the music in the movie "The Red Violin" (Samuel L. Jackson)
I actually really liked this movie, so I was pretty excited to be doing this review.

Here's a little about the CD:

From the producers of the album:
At Home With Friends represents the Grammy Award-winning violinist's life-long dream of recording an album of instrumental and vocal duets with an amazing roster of musicians and friends and includes collaborations with Regina Spektor, Josh Groban, Sting, Kristin Chenoweth, Chris Botti, and more!

The album covers all of the genres, from classical to pop, bluegrass to Broadway, jazz and ethnic World Music. There are even a couple of seasonal tracks in there, just in time to celebrate the holidays.

Album Track listing:

I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
Come Again featuring Sting, vocals
Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals
Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various
My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano
Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano
Left Hand featuring Regina Spektor, vocals


What I thought:

I absolutely love this album and I'm sure that seasoned as well as new fans of Joshua Bell will feel the same about it! I've actually always been more of a fan of artists that play the piano, like George Winston, but hearing Joshua play the violin, is almost like being transported to a completely different place. At home with friends is so relaxing and calming, an absolute must to music lovers cd collections. Since he covers so many genres in this album, there will be at least one and I'm sure many more songs on this album that you will just fall in love with!

Disclosure: I received this CD for free to review it, but did not get any monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Yoplait Less Sugar, More Fun review and prize pack giveaway

MyBlogSpark has given me another great opportunity to test or well better yet "taste" more Yoplait Yogurt. This time it was for the Yoplait Kids Cups Yogurt. If you've read my previous review of Yoplait Yogurt, then you already know all about the great benefits that you can get from eating it. With all the Vitamin D and Calcium that you get in each serving.
Yoplait Kids Cups truly are quite yummy! And you would never believe that they have 25% less sugar than the leading kids yogurt. (I promise I wasn't able to taste that it has less lol) It also contains no artificial flavors, which I know makes us all feel better about serving it to kids ;)
While doing this BlogSpark I actually learned some interesting things, for one, did you know that according to two new studies, millions of U.S. children have disturbingly low vitamin D levels, which possibly increases their risk for a variety of health concerns, including bone problems?
I think with odds like that showing in this study, every little bit helps. So having a yummy snack that most kids truly enjoy and you know is benefiting them healthwise, well, I don't know where you could go wrong there.
Now of course, as before, MyBlogSpark didn't want me to be the only one, able to try out Yoplait Yogurt for kids. They've also got two gift packs for me to giveaway, just like before ;)


Here's what you'll get in your Yoplait Less Sugar, More Fun prize pack:

• A coupon for a Yoplait Kids yogurt pack*
• a travel cooler (to take your yogurt on-the-go)
• a fun spoon that changes colors in warm water
• a reusable place mat with games to keep the kids happy while snacking
• and a fuzzy tangle puzzle for some after-snack fun

To Enter:
Since my last giveaway seems to have been a big hit with the google form, all you have to do is follow Crazy With Pets via the link on the sidebar and fill out this simple form. Only fields with * are required. You can only enter once per person/email.

As always just remember to have fun. And if you do want to leave a comment, please feel free to do so.


*This coupon offer for a free six pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt is not valid in some states, including Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.

This giveaway will end on Wednesday October the 21st, @ 11:59pm CT.
I will contact the winner via email (make sure to add giveaways@crazywithpets.com to your safe list, so my email wont get lost in spam.)and post the winning name on this blog.
The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or the prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.
This giveaway is open to the US 18+ only.
Your info will only be used for this giveaway, it will not be SOLD or anything of the likes. As soon as this giveaway is over, all of your info will be DELETED.

Disclosure: As clearly stated I received products from MyBlogSpark for this review in order to review them. This however did not influence how I feel about the product that I tested. I always give my own personal opinion about products, and what you read here, is nothing more than personal opinions.

Harry Connick, JR - Your Songs

As of yesterday, Sep. 22nd Harry Connick, Jr new Album "Your Songs" went on sell.
For those of you that don't know who Harry Connick, Jr. is, he is a Singer, Actor (P.S. I Love You, Bug and many more), Composer, Pianist, Philanthropist, husband and father. Harry performs classic songs by some of the greatest musicians of all time, (i.e. Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Elvis) with a full Jazz big band and string orchestra.
Though I'm actually not a fan of big bands, I definitely enjoy listening to Harry Connick, Jr. One of his biggest strengths is in his composing. At times it really seems like he can take one of your all time favorite oldies and magically transform it into a completely new song. Although I'm sure some wouldn't agree, I actually think "Your Songs" is even better than "Only You", one of his older Cd's.
The track listing for Your Songs is :

Album Tracklisting (Originally performed by)

All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho
The Way You Look Tonight
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

If I had no choice and had to pick a single favorite out of all these, it would probably be Your Song, although it really is hard just to pick a single favorite lol.
If you're a fan of big bands, jazz or of some of these oldies but goodies, than you should definitely check out Harry's new CD.

You'll also be able to catch Harry on TV over these next few days, here are some of his appearances:

9/25 – Oprah “Live Friday”
9/28 – Today Show
9/29 – The View
9/30 – Imus in the Morning
9/30 – Letterman
10/1 – Today Show
Week of 10/5 – Rachael Ray

Your Songs Deluxe Limited Edition CD/DVD package is only available HERE and features 14 standard album tracks PLUS 2 exclusive bonus tracks, "Who's Sorry Now" and "Answer Me My Love." It also includes rare behind-the-scenes footage of Harry on the road with his band and the music video for "(They Long To Be) Close To You."

And before I forget, Harry also has a facebook page where you can check him out, here.

BIA Cordon Bleu Mortar and Pestle Review

A few days ago, I decided to search for a Mortar and Pestle set, to help me do something with the abundance of Chiltepin peppers that I have this year.
While looking on Amazon I found the BIA Cordon Bleu 8-Ounce Mortar and Pestle Set, White
I figured at $8.49 for the set, I really couldn't loose out!


This Mortar and Pestle set is made from white porcelain and holds 8 ounces, it measures 4-1/2 inches in diameter. Has a textured surface on the bowl interior as well as on the pestle base to help with the grinding. It is also vitrified and nonporous, which mean that the set won't stain, absorb odors, or crack. My favorite fact is that it's safe in the oven, microwave, dishwasher and the freezer!
Here are some of the pictures I took today while using it. This is what the BIA Mortar and Pestle looked like with my dried Chiltepins.


The peppers after, well a few minutes of grinding lol The mortar and pestle truly worked like a charm, as long as you don't mind using a little bit of elbow and wrist grease lol.


Here is the not so clean Mortar and pestle after it's first use. Definitely note all the color from the Tepins.


And finally here you can see what it looked like after a quick wash in the sink. I really am amazed by, how well it cleaned up.


Last but not least, my finished "SPICY" Chiltepin powder and seeds.


Yes, I am definitely still in the process of clearing out my sinuses! All I can say, the next time I do this, I will definitely have to use a face mask lol ;)
Would I recommend this product to anyone?
Oh yes! For the price, you really can't go wrong here. If you're looking for a Mortar and Pestle set, that does it's job, is sturdy, wont get discolored and wont break your bank, than you should definitely give the BIA Cordon Bleu 8-Ounce Mortar and Pestle Set, White a try!

Yoplait Core and Nancy O'Dell Review and Giveaway OVER!!

MyBlogspark recently gave me the opportunity to taste some truly yummy Yoplait Yogurt. Yoplait Yogurt is the only leading brand of yogurt that contains both, calcium and vitamin D in every serving (that's 10-20% of your daily value of vitamin D).

Aside from that, Yoplait offers a large variety of great tasting flavors, this way even some of your pickiest eaters find the right tasting yogurt, and therefor hopefully meet their daily vitamin D and Calcium needs.

Did you know that 76% of population falls short of getting enough vitamin D; and 72% are not getting enough calcium in their diets?

Getting the right amount of calcium and vitamin D, paired with exercise is extremely important to help build and maintain strong, healthy bones, especialy in adolescence.

Did you know that consuming calcium and vitamin D during childhood can help reduce the risk of fractures in adulthood?

Yoplait has partnered with Nancy O'Dell the entertainment news reporter and celebrity mom, who understands the importance of incorporating calcium and Vitamin D into her diet, while also maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here is what Nancy O'Dell has to say




MyBlogspark sent me a coupon to try out the Yoplait Yogurt. I chose the Yoplait Light Red Raspberry, and omg it was absolutely scrumptious! I am definitely going back for more lol! ;)

As a fun bonus the very generous people at MyBlogSpark have offered to let me giveaway not one but two complimentary gift bags, to give to two of my readers!

Each winner will receive:

• One Free Coupon for one Yoplait Yogurt
• An autographed copy of Nancy's new book, "Full of Life" (Mom-to-Mom Tips I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Pregnant)
  
• And one Yoga mat with a carrybag

To Enter:
Real simple this time ;)
Just leave me a comment answering this question "Do you think you get enough Vitamin D and Calcium in your daily diet?"

This is for your first entry, after that you can come back each day and just say "I really need more Vitamin D and Calcium!"

There is no need to leave your email in the comment field!
If you have problems with the comment form or anything else, please email me at giveaways@crazywithpets.com

This giveaway will end on Saturday September 28th, @ 11:59pm CT.
The winner will be choosen via random.org on the following day.
I will contact the winner via email (make sure to add giveaways@crazywithpets.com to your safe list, so my email wont get lost in spam.)and post the winning name on this blog.
The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or the prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.
This giveaway is open to the Continental US, 18+ only.
Please note: the free coupon is not valid within the following states: ID, LA, ND, NJ, NV and TN .

Sodastream Review & Giveaway OVER!!

As some of you know, I am a huge soda lover. One soda in particular, Red Bull lol. Yes, I absolutely love the taste as well as the boost that it gives me. Which brings me to the fact, that I definitely spend way too much money on the one previous mentioned soda lol. We all know soda as well as seltzer water can get expensive, but when you're talking about energy drinks, that brings it to a whole new level lol.

Recently I was given the opportunity to test out a Sodastream Fountain Jet! When I first opened the package I have to say I was a little intimitated by the 110 Liter Carbonator.
The picture doesn't really quite do it the justice it needs lol. It looks a lot bigger in person :)
It only took me a couple of seconds though, to be completely comfortable as well as knowledgeable about the way it works. During the initial set-up all you have to do is remove the valve seal and cap from the Carbonator bottle and screw it tightly (but without tools!) into the back of the Fountain Jet. That's it! The unit is ready to go! No electricity or anything, I'm not sure why in the world I was so sure I would need to clear off counter space for the Fountain Jet, to get it close to one of my electrical outlets, but yeah, no need for that! This of course brings me to the fact of just how green the Fountain Jet is. By not using electricity you're already helping with reducing the carbon footprint! The fact of how many cans you'd keep from using as well as having to carry them home from the store, which is a big plus in my eyes lol.
All you need now is your water, be that tap water or filtered water that you keep in the fridge, and some flavor!

I was lucky enough to be able to try quite an array of the Sodastream flavors, they have over 25 regular, diet, energy and caffeine-free flavors.
Each of their 500ml soda mixes makes the equivalent of 12 liters of soda!
Also all of their regular soda mixes contain no high fructose syrup and their diet soda mixes are aspartame free!
They also have natural MyWater flavor essences which are unsweetened and contain no calories.
I would tell you now to go ahead and guess which flavor I tried first, but if you've been reading along than you probably already know what my first choice was lol. You guessed right, my first flavor trial was the Energy, which you can compare with Red Bull. (Well I would compare it to that, because that has been my energy drink choice for years) The first thing you would do, is add some water to the provided carbonating bottle, (I used chilled water from the fridge) screw it into the Fountain Jet, and push the button on the top until you hear the buzz. Once you're done with that, you remove the bottle add a cap-full of your desired flavor, screw the bottle shut tight and shake it up to distribute the flavor. I have to honestly say, I was pretty happy with the flavor! I do have to also say, there's a little tweaking of the flavor as well as the carbonation involved. I actually ended up using a little less of the flavor, but a little more on the carbonation, and that made it just perfect for me! Which thinking about that, I think that right there makes the Fountain Jet even better to me. This means you can prepare your soda to your liking! Maybe you want some carbonation but not as much as some of the store bought soda, or maybe you like way more lol, same when it comes to the strength of the flavors.

The sodastream website has several different starter kits that they offer up for sale. Starter Kits range from $99.95 to $199.95. As well as Value Packs, that range from $129.95 to $249.95.
You'll be able to order these online at their website, and in some areas, you can buy the units as well as the soda mixes, carbonators and other accessories at stores in your area. Sodastream has a very convenient store locator on their site. I definitely think that the Sodastream Soda Makers will pay for themselves, if you calculate out, how much money you spend in a year on soda!

All in all, I think the Sodastream Fountain Jet is a winner in my eyes!
My pros are:

• You're using reusable carbonating bottles, which keeps you from buying soda cans or bottles, therefor keeping them from going to the landfill. Being Green :)
  
• The Sodastream Soda Makers don't use electricity. More Green :)
  
• There is a large amount of flavor choices available, and the flavors are definitely comparable to name brand sodas.
• You don't have to lug countless numbers of sodas from the store to your house!
• The Soda Makers are extremely easy to use.
• It is absolutely portable, use it in your house, camp, garage, on your boat, while out camping or any other place you think you would like a fresh soda!
  

My cons are:

• The only con that I can come up with is that the particular carbonating bottles that came with my soda fountain are not Dishwasher safe. (so yes, I would suggest to invest in a bottle cleaning brush, going to get me one soon lol)

Now for the fun part!
The great people at Sodastream have decided to let me host a giveaway sponsored by them, for:

A fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit (ARV $ 100)!!!

This includes your choice of Black/Silver, Red/Silver or White Fountain Jet.

CO2 to make over 100 Liters of soda

2 reusable carbonating bottles

A sample pack of flavors

3 Full sized flavors of your choice!

TO ENTER:

1. Visit Sodastream and tell me which 3 flavors and which Fountain Jet color option you would choose if you were chosen as the winner. (This is mandatory, all extra entries will not be counted if you do not do this.)

To earn additional entries you can do one, some or all of the following.

1. Follow this blog. (it's on the right side bar. Make sure you leave the name your using to follow with.) (1 entry)
2. Follow me on twitter (leave your twitter id) (1 entry)
   
3. Tweet about this giveaway (leave the link to your tweet)Feel free to tweet this msg. "Win a Sodastream Soda Lover's Start Up Kit and make your own soda @prplrush http://bit.ly/r5PbC" (1 entry daily)
4. Add my button to your blog or website (leave a link) (2 entries)
5. Blog about this giveaway (leave a link) (2 entries)
   

Make sure to leave an extra comment for each extra entry.

This giveaway will end on Saturday September 19th, @ 11:59am CT.
The winner will be choosen via random.org on the following day.
I will contact the winner via email (make sure to add giveaways@crazywithpets.com to your safe list, so my email wont get lost in spam.)and post the winning name on this blog.
The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or the prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.
This giveaway is open to the Continental US and Canada. 18+ only.

Now most of all, just have fun!!!
If you have any questions about this giveaway, please feel free to contact me via the contact email button on the right sidebar.

HP Touchsmart Review

As some of my faithful readers already know, my one love, aside from of course my dear hubby and the hoard of dogs and our cat lol, is electronics! No matter how small or big the electronics are, I absolutely love them, and have to try them out ;)

A few months ago, Billy got me my most loved new toy lol. The HP Touchsmart PC IQ 504!
Wow, what a wonderful invention! I've always loved playing Mahjong on those little touchscreens that you find in some places, so of course that was one of the very first things I tried on the Touchsmart. Luckily it's one of the many games that comes pre-installed on it!
Here are the well not so formal specs of my HP Touchsmart:

The next-generation touch-enabled PC combines a 22" hi-def widescreen display with a powerful, energy-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 processor in a single, integrated design. Includes HP Touchsmart software, wireless keyboard & mouse, 4096MB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, HP ambient light feature, slot-loading SuperMulti DVD Burner, 802.11 b/g/n WLAN & Integrated Bluetooth, Integrated Webcam & Mic, Media card reader, Premium stereo speakers, Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OS

One of the first things I also noticed, which somehow completely had bypassed me, and I never did see in any of the reviews lol is the ambient light feature. This I absolutely love, sitting in the living room with Billy, whom loves to keep the room completely in the dark, save the Tv, this is an absolute must! And so much better than a desk lamp. On the left side of my screen there's a button that you push, and as soon as you do, there's a light under the screen that turns on, and if you have your keyboard right there, it completely illuminates it! It has three settings, dim, medium and bright. Once you have something like that, you will never want to give it up again lol.
Another feature that i truly love, is that you can connect the touchsmart to the internet wireless like you would do a laptop. This of course, comes in really handy, if your modem or router is on the opposite side of the room, which is the case here ;)
The programs that come pre-installed on the Touchsmart, like the Touchsmart home, are an absolute must! Of course it has a great media center, and you're able to use a remote with it, if it came with yours, or if you choose to buy one.
Another great feature which I use quite often is that you can link the HP Touchsmart, with your XBox 360! This enables you to watch pictures, videos, listen to music and so much more, on your TV. BTW, you can also get a connection cable that connects your PC straight to your TV, something you should definitely give a try, especially if you have a flat screen hdtv.

All in all, the only cons, that I have come across over these few months, with this particular model of the Touchsmart has been, for one the fact that it runs Windows Vista (I am dying for Windows 7 to come out, and the features that it will seriously embellish on this particular PC. And the only other con I could find would be that at times the touchscreen is a bit sensitive. This isn't really a bad thing most of the times, as it truly makes for a great response time, but, should you get a fly or anything like that on your screen while you have it turned on, it can become quite irritating lol. There's nothing like shooing a fly off your screen, while it steadily opens program after program, deletes a couple of things and such lol.
Truly though, if you're looking into buying a new PC, definitely give the HP Touchsmart series a try. At this point if you were to buy one, at the very least they now offer free upgrades to Windows 7 once it comes on the market!
I'm sure I haven't "touched" on all the great features this computer has, so if you have any questions about it, feel free to comment and ask me!
You can buy your own, right here:

Harajuku Lovers G

For starters today, just wanted to let everyone know, that as of this morning, Diago is back to his usual rambunctious self! It's like nothing ever happened. Other then the fact that he's a bit mad at Billy and I, because we wont kick his ball outside right now, and he doesn't get to chase it. Of course, he's oblivious as to the reasoning of us not letting him chase a ball wildly across the yard. Who would've thought lol.



On with what I wanted to tell everyone about!
Today I got a nice little package through Fed-Ex and within it was this little, tiny but very cute bottle of Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers G that I had ordered.
Let me just tell you it smells absolutely fabulous, I think the best description I could give it is, truly yummy! Of course I tried it out the second that I received it, and made Billy smell it as well lol (he better be glad I didn't actually spray him with it as well) he loved it! On me anyways, I don't think he would've liked it as much on him ;)
I actually went online to check on their site, just what all exactly is in this eau de toilette spray, because all that kept coming to my mind was Pina Colada lol. Not quite as sweet as one, but really really close! Hmmm so yummy!!
This is what I did find about this particular scent:
Harajuku Lovers ‘G’ perfume is a food lover’s fragrance with mandarin, coconut, apple, freesia and sandalwood
I think that description is right on, I must be more of a food lover than I thought!
So now, even hours later I constantly find myself smelling my wrists lol, which is the first place on me that I tried the spray out earlier. I guess as long as I don't start chewing on myself due to the yummy smell, I'll be ok!
If you're looking for a new, unique and absolutely yummy scent, than I would definitely recommend you give one of the Gwen Stefani Lover collection perfumes a try!



I bought this product on my own, it was not send for a review, this is simply my own honest opinion about it!