Zen Doodle Dreamscapes by Carolyn Scrace

 

Dreams can tell you a lot about a person, typically, certain imagery pops up into our dreams if we have strong feelings about a certain part of our life. Most people brush off the imagery that you find in these dreams as "just a dream", but some people notice them, and they tend to stick with you until you pay attention to them, and face them. A few people chose to use art as their outlet for their dreams, a lot of times when I feel compelled to draw, its because an image sticks with me after viewing it. It doesn't always come to me in a dream, but that same feeling, of the image almost hovering over you, is felt in both instances. If you are prone to an artistic outlet, you might have trouble knowing exactly how to express these feeling and dreams. Barron's books has a book that can help you read into your dream and portray it in the way you want. Zen Doodle Dreamscapes by Carolyn Scrace.

Zen Doodle Dreamscapes will help you unlock your unconscious feelings and express yourself in a relaxing way that might teach you a little bit about yourself along the way. The book features eight chapters and begins with the easy stuff, the tools you will need, and some art insight like how colors that clash and colors that are harmonious, and how both are a good thing. The book will also teach you about how artists typically use each color, for example, the color red is typically used to express love and passion, but may also symbolize anger, and violence. The book goes on to touch on all of the typical dreams one will have, and the ways to express each. The flying dream, dreams of falling, and dreams of chasing. The book gives you common color schemes of each type of dream and shows you different imagery that is used for them. 

 

Zen Doodle Dreamscapes by Carolyn Scrace will help you unlock your dreams, and might even teach you a few new art tricks along the way!

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Painting the World Red

Books have long been used as a form of entertainment for people in their down time. I myself enjoy many different kinds of books ranging from novels to puzzle books. Offshoot and Offshoot Kids are fresh and whimsical publishers that create original and innovative books that aim to help adults and children alike. Offshoot was kind enough to send me some of their newest books for review!

Offshoot caters to those adults who are tired of the typical run-of-the-will books. They offer adult activity and coloring books, as well as notebooks and planners. All which feature a flair that you cant find in the usual American market. Books such as "Painting the World Red" and "Shop-o-holic".

•  "Painting the World Red" is a renewal of the hidden picture books we remember as kids. You are given a fun story to follow along with and many challenging scenes to find images from. Some of the images were particularly challenging, I even had to ask my nine year old for assistance at times. Which he found hilarious by the way. 

• "Shop-o-holic" is primarily a coloring book, but strewn about the coloring pages are short and fun activities to keep you engaged. The books ticks to the theme on the cover and takes you through different shopping scenarios. The book is full of coloring pages and has an impressive range of patterns and difficulty levels within the images.
  
  

  

  
  Books like those from Offshoot are great entertainment options for road trips or even down time at home. The books offer fun and engaging imagery as well as images to color that will bring out your creativity. The best part about Offshoot is that this is a small peek into the books they offer, they have many more titles that are a fit for every person!

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The Amazing Emoji Puzzle Book

As much as I love learning, and teaching my two sons about everything school and world related, I know that learning can get boring for active and fun-seeking children. In todays world there are so many things that kids would rather be doing, between video games, cell phones, and computers it is easy to see why even the youngest are drawn away from academics. Barron's has done a wonderful job of bringing learning and fun together in a series of books that allow children to learn (sometimes without even knowing it) while still having fun. They do this, by playing on children's interests, pulling the things they love into books and filling those books with creative ways that children learn. 

 

In The Amazing Emoji Puzzle Book, children will get page after page of fun puzzles, quizzes, games, and mazes that feature all of their favorite emoji. The book includes 200 emoji stickers, most of which go with each different puzzle, plus a few extra for added fun. There are puzzles involving patterns and spot the difference, counting, and mirror image, all to help test the mind while at the same time keeping your children engaged. Children will love that the book is full of recognizable emoji characters they see on fun toys, and will recognize from those phones that they just so happened to have taken their eyes off of long enough to enjoy this book!

 

If your children, or even you are dreaming of a break from all of the technology that surrounds us nowadays, Barron's has a book that will give you that break, The Amazing Emoji Puzzle Book will offer you that refreshing silent moment from phones and computers and give your family a fun brain teasing break from all of the buzzing and notifications.

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The COLD HARD Truth to Penguin Problems

Since the seasons are changing and the weather is getting cooler, it's a good time for you to be educated in the life of a certain type of animal that deals with the cold all of the time. Penguin Problems by Jory John & Lane Smith is an adorable book that offers you a peek into the life of those birds, and you might find it's not all it's cracked up to be.

The life of a penguin isn't all snowflakes and cute fluffy feathers. I know it looks like that from the outside but the COLD, HARD truth is that it is stressful. Penguins are cold, freezing in fact, all of the time. Many of them, don't even really like snow... That's right! Don't. Like. Snow. This book, and your adorable little tour guide show you all the hardships that penguins face every day. Beaks, frozen, day in and day out, constant squawking from the rest of the group, and the sun!!! Oh the blazing sun just reflecting off of all of that white! Penguins have it rough, just imagine getting lost and trying to find your mommy in a huuuuuge crowd of identical penguins!! This hilarious story of one penguins day will inform you and your family of all of the Penguin Problems.

A story that is too cute to miss and way too funny to pass up, Penguin Problems is exactly what you need to kick off the cooler seasons. It will have the little ones laughing as well as maybe showing them to stop and appreciate the little things, no matter how many problems you find yourself facing during the long cold winter days.

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They Thought For Themselves

Putting truth behind the saying "Follow Your Dreams", Sid Roth's, "They Thought for Themselves" is exactly one of those dreams. He was instructed in a dream to write a book about ten amazing Jewish people. His book now has well over 2 million copies in print and most were distributed to Jewish people around the world. Why is this a book that you need to experience? Well, Sid believes that if you follow the advice given by these ten Jewish people, you will find yourself with the tools needed to achieve greatness as they have.

The book covers the experiences of ten people fro widely different backgrounds, including a concert pianist, a media executive, and a Ph. D. Their religious upbringings range from Atheist to Orthodox and all of them have broke through the mold of their previous experiences and have defied the odds to achieve their destiny. People like Rose Price, a Holocaust survivor who worked through inner turmoil to eventually learn forgiveness for those who had wronged her at Bergen-Belsen and Dachau. She prayed for forgiveness with Ex-Nazis and even with those whose very own families had taken part in putting her in those horrible concentration camps. She battled the norm and learned that you have to give up the hate to move on and to grow. For her, when she could not find the strength, she turned to the Lord and the Lord gave her strength.

Sid Roth wants you to reach your supernatural destiny, few seldom do, and the advice and experiences of those featured in "They Thought for Themselves" will help you get there.

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The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter

Wizards and witches will be able to relax now that there is a guide full of magical things to do while awaiting the next film that will give us our Hogwarts fix. Keep your wand hands occupied with The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter by Jamie Harrington, a book full of fun and fantastic projects so easy even a muggle could make them!

The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter features Potterific projects like Butterbeer Lip Balm, a Monster Book of Monsters (Remember!! Caress the spine!), Remembrall Rings, Homemade Pygmy Puff Bath Fizzies, and even a Golden Snitch Necklace. You can show your house pride with the House Colors Tie-Dye Shirt and then relax after the Quidditch match with a relaxing soak featuring your House Colors Sugar Scrub. The book lists all supplies needed and shows you step-by-step how to get the desired results. No magic needed!!

 Don't stop with just these though, the book features projects from all different categories and many would work for a rainy day spent in the company of fellow fans. You can use The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter to create your own personal Potterverse, and I know that I will be using this book to keep a couple of little fans busy this summer.

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Christmas Undercover by Hope White

I received this sample in the hopes I would share my honest opinions.

The last of my fall/winter must reads this year is Christmas Undercover by Hope White,  In this book FBI agent Sara Vaughn believes a group of pharmaceutical businessmen are engineering drugs with deadly results. Her boss won’t approve a sting operation, so she goes rogue and follows the suspects on a hike in the Cascade Mountains to record evidence. But when Sara witnesses them murder one of their own, she is revealed and becomes the target. Saved by a handsome volunteer mountain rescue worker, Sara at first suspects Will Rankin is another bad guy hunting her. But when the widowed father of two risks everything to save her, she knows that Will is all that’s standing between her and seeing Christmas morning. 

One thing I often wonder is what goes through the authors mind when writing.  I was surprised to discover that Hope White created not only a playlist but also visualized who would play the leading roles if Christmas Undercover would ever be made into a file.  

Playlist for “Christmas Undercover” includes:

When the Right One Comes Alone (Nashville TV show)
Let Down Your Guard, JJ Heller
Need You More, Darius Rucker
All for Love, Lady Antebellum
Slow and Steady, Of Monsters and Men
Your Love, Brandon Heath
Learn to Live, Darius Rucker
Breathless, The Corrs
Shatter Me, Lindsey Stirling
All I Want for Christmas is You, Olivia Olson (Love Actually)

After seeing this list of Movie Star Cast I am considering bumping this title to the top of my list.

Leading roles are played by stars of the TV show, Castle:Nathan Fillion as Will Rankin, Stana Katic as Sara Vaughn, Henry Cavill as Detective (soon to be chief!) Nate Walsh, Taylor Swift as Cassie McBride and David Paetkau as Aiden McBride 

I can not wait to have a snow day leaving me with time to read Christmas Undercover.

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COLORADO AS A SETTING By Elle James

I received this sample in the hopes I would share my honest opinions.

As I mentioned yesterday one of the things I look forward to most this time of year is being at home more and able to enjoy a passion of mine, reading.  One of the titles on my fall/winter reading list is High Country Hideout by Elle James.

More about this Harlequin Intrigue title:

Ranching was Angus Ketchum’s first love - until his last tour of duty shattered that dream. The wounded ex-soldier gets his second chance when he’s recruited to go undercover to protect a widowed ranch owner. But from the moment he meets Reggie Davis, Angus can tell holding onto her land and keeping her young son safe is taking its toll. Especially when someone threatens her livelihood and her life. As the attacks escalate, Angus must rely on his combat skills to keep Reggie and her boy alive. And he must rely on his commitment to the mission to keep their powerful attraction in check.

Have you ever wondered what goes through an authors mind when they chose a location for a book?  Elle James took the time to share with us how she chose Colorado.

I chose Colorado as a setting for HIGH COUNTRY HIDEOUT because I love Colorado and think it’s as rugged as some of my heroes. I also chose it because my hero needed to learn he could do the work, even in such a challenging environment. The Rockies can be beautiful and dangerous, especially for a man who has lost a leg in battle. Angus learns he can still ride a horse, climb hills and be the man he needs to be.

My husband, daughter and I love to visit Colorado to take our ATVs out on the old mining trails. We see some of the most beautiful scenery from 13,000 feet up in the mountains. I wanted my hero to experience some of that beauty to remind him his life is worth living and he can still contribute greatly to the running of a ranch in the mountains. I hope you learn to love Angus as he learns to love himself again.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul Touched by at Angel

 

**I received this sample in the hopes that I would share my honest opinion of this product, no compensation was received. Review by Michelle**

Do you believe in angels? I most definitely do. I love hearing how people encounter their angels too. Chicken Soup for the Soul Touched by an Angel never let's us down.

  Touched by an Angel:
Seen or unseen, angels are all around us. In this collection of 101 miraculous stories of faith, divine intervention, and answered prayers, real people share their incredible experiences with angels and the many ways they touch our lives.

You only have to look to find the angels in your life. These divine guides, guardian angels, and heavenly messengers help and guide us when we need it most. You will be awed and inspired by these true personal stories from religious and non-religious, about hope, healing, and help from angels.

I am sure in my life I have encountered Angels, maybe I just didn't know it at the time. I do believe that angels look over us each and everyday. I just think they are disguised. Maybe they are nurses or a person in uniform and their wings are covered up. I think this is an amazing gift for someone who loves angels, believes in angels. Someone who loves to read. This is a great gift for Christmas for your child's Sunday school teacher.

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The American Plate a Culinary History in 100 Bites

I received this sample in the hopes that I would share my honest opinion of this product, no compensation was received. Review by Michelle**

As many of you know I like to cook, not bake and most of my children will not eat anything I make but that's besides the point. I also enjoy reading. So what better book for me to read than The American Plate- a culinary history in 100 bites.
Here is a little synopsis of this book:

From the chief historian at HISTORY comes a rich chronicle of the evolution of American cuisine and culture, from before Columbus's arrival to today.

Did you know that the first graham crackers were designed to reduce sexual desire? Or that Americans have tried fad diets for almost two hundred years? Why do we say things like "buck" for a dollar and "living high on the hog"? How have economics, technology, and social movements changed our tastes? Uncover these and other fascinating aspects of American food traditions in The American Plate.

Dr. Libby H. O'Connell takes readers on a mouth-watering journey through America's culinary evolution into the vibrant array of foods we savor today. In 100 tantalizing bites, ranging from blueberries and bagels to peanut butter, hard cider, and Cracker Jack, O'Connell reveals the astonishing ways that cultures and individuals have shaped our national diet and continue to influence how we cook and eat.

Peppered throughout with recipes, photos, and tidbits on dozens of foods, from the surprising origins of Hershey Bars to the strange delicacies our ancestors enjoyed, such as roast turtle and grilled beaver tail. Inspiring and intensely satisfying, The American Plate shows how we can use the tastes of our shared past to transform our future.

 Who doesn't want to learn about the history of American food. I mean isn't eating everyone's favorite pastime? Don't we use food for comfort, for pain, to make us feel better. We use food for everything pretty much. Here is what others had to say about this amazing book:

It's one of those agreeable books that works just as well if you dive in at random or read every bite in sequence; either way, it is full of treats. Libby O'Connell imparts a great deal of information about changing American foodways with humor and pithiness. She considers such questions as how beavertail and eel - once popular American delicacies - didn't pass the test of time, while maple syrup and blueberries are still enjoyed, just as they were by American Indians. Oh, and read on to find out the secret ingredient in Brunswick stew."

This would be a great book for me to receive as well as my mom. My mom is an avid reader as well. I think this would make a great gift for my aunt as well. You can never go wrong with books.

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Plant Power by Nava Atlas

**I received this sample in the hopes that I would share my honest opinion of this product, no compensation was received. review by Michelle**

Let's start of with some trivia, did you know that according to Google Trends, the interest in vegan and plant-based eating is at an all-time high. Celebrities, athletes, and once-avowed carnivores are embracing the health, beauty, environmental, and ethical benefits of a plant-centered diet. Eating vegan today doesn't equate to sacrifice and substitutions, rather is centered on delicious, seasonal, healthy recipes that can be easily adopted into any lifestyle.

How would you like to transform your kitchen, plate and life with mire that 150 fresh and flavorful vegan recipes? Well now you can with Plant Power.

Here is a synopsis of the book:

Acclaimed and bestselling vegan author, cook, and creator of VegKitchen.com, Nava Atlas, delivers a beautiful must-have guide to transform your plate, your kitchen and your life with the best nature has to offer, including 125 delicious and versatile plant-based recipes for every day of the year.

Eating vegan doesn’t have to be about sacrifice and substitutions. With Plant Power, Nava Atlas celebrates the bounty of natural foods and teaches everyone—from committed vegans to those who just want more plants in their diet—how to implement a plant-based approach to their lives—easily, practically, and joyfully, every day.

Illustrated with 75 gorgeous color photographs throughout, Plant Power focuses on the basics, from setting up a plant-powered pantry and fridge to choosing the best fresh foods for each season and streamlining daily meal preparation. Whether it’s a stir-fry using leftover veggies in the crisper, a fajita dinner to please different taste buds, yummy hummus wraps, or a pot of chili to savor on a cold winter evening, Plant Power takes the challenge out of meal-planning and makes it fun. Each of the fresh and flavor-packed recipes is easy to make and customizable, with tips on variations from turning up the heat and mixing up ingredients, to kid-friendly, gluten-free, and seasonal options.

“By savoring and being grateful for the abundance of whole foods, a powerful message is conveyed," Nava writes. “This is what we choose to eat; this is sustainable. And best of all, eating this way makes the world a better and more compassionate place.”

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Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers

**I received this sample in the hopes that I would share my honest opinion of this product, no compensation was received. Review by Michelle**

I enjoy reading and I have to admit I haven't read a really good book until recently. I mean a book that makes you cringe with hatred & cry with happiness. Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers did just that for me.

Randy Susan Meyers is no stranger to writing amazing books, she has enthralled us all with The Comfort of Lies and The Murderer's Daughters also. Here is a synopsis of the book:
From the bestselling author of The Comfort of Lies, an engrossing look at the darker side of a marriage—and at how an ordinary family responds to an extraordinary crisis.

Maddy is a social worker trying to balance her career and three children. Years ago, she fell in love with Ben, a public defender, drawn to his fiery passion, but now he’s lashing out at her during his periodic verbal furies. She vacillates between tiptoeing around him and asserting herself for the sake of their kids—which works to keep a fragile peace—until the rainy day when they’re together in the car and Ben’s volatile temper gets the best of him, leaving Maddy in the hospital fighting for her life.

Randy Susan Meyers takes us inside the hearts and minds of her characters, alternating among the perspectives of Maddy, Ben, and their fourteen-year-old daughter. Accidents of Marriage is a provocative and stunning novel that will resonate deeply with women from all walks of life, ultimately revealing the challenges of family, faith, and forgiveness.

This is one of those books that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I will re gift this book I felt that it was that good. Excellent book for Christmas for the avid book reader.

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Cooking with Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce

 

**I received this sample in the hopes that I would share my honest opinion of this product, no compensation was received. review by Michelle**

There's a few people in my house that would definitely say everything tastes better with Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce. Don't get me wrong I like Frank's RedHot Sauce, it truly is all I use in my hot chicken wing dip. I also mix it with Ranch dressing for my chicken bites. Well now Cooking with Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce-Delicious Recipes that Bring the Heat has brought a whole new meaning to Frank's Hot Sauce!

Here is a sneek peak into this amazing cookbook:
TURN UP THE HEAT WITH FRANK’S!

You know everything tastes better with Frank’s RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce. Pour it on pizza, drizzle it on nachos or douse it over your hot wings. Now discover how delicious it tastes cooked into your food with 65 sizzling recipes, including:

• Cinnamon Cayenne Buns
• Fiery Breakfast Sausage
• Atomic Wings
• Buffalo Fried Oysters
• Spiced Party Mix
• Smoky Hot Bacon Mac & Cheese
• Piquant Bison Chili Dogs
• Sizzling Sesame Noodles
• Zesty Cobb Salad
• Tangy Pineapple Pulled Pork
• Sugar & Spice Peach Crumble

I have to say, some of these recipes sound really appealing and others not so appealing. I guess for me it's kinda like nuts in food. I like nuts in desserts not my food. I like hot sauce in some things but no so much on cinnamon buns. I do however think this is an amazing gift for the person that can not live without Frank's hot sauce. My son has a friend and when he comes to our lake house he brings his own bottle that's how much he likes it. I may need to wrap this and give it to him for Christmas.

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