Cindy

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway/ Put Me In The Story’s Holiday Personalized Book

Posted on November 15, 2015November 19, 2015 by Cindy

Today I am lucky once again to be part of another Put Me In The Story blog tour. This time its the Put Me In The Story’s Holiday Personalized Book Tour + Giveaway.

You might recall that I recently took part in the Celebrating Personalized Peanuts Books blog tour and I loved the books and you can click on the bold font to take you directly to that review.

With Christmas just around the corner I was thrilled to have been asked again to take part in another one of their book tours this time its for their holiday books. Today I am going to be show casing three books. Two will be a mini spotlight and the third is a review for a book that I did receive. If you are interested in any of these books I invite you to check out Put Me In The Story and order your very own copy.

Bring the magic of Christmas Eve to life with your favorite furry friends—Cookie Monster, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and everyone on Sesame Street!

It’s the night before Christmas and Cookie Monster is nestled all snug in his bed, while visions of cookies dance in his head. When, all of a sudden, he’s certain he hears Santa outside! There’s only one problem: he’s already eaten all of Santa’s cookies! If only he had an elf helper or two…

Come help save Santa’s cookies with Cookie Monster and the rest of his Sesame Street friends in a Christmas adventure!

Make a cherished keepsake when you personalize this all-new Sesame Street story with your child’s name, photo, and a special dedication page with a message from you.

I was graciously provide with a code that I could redeem to get the following book for free. They retail for $29.99 US each. As you can see they are personalized so you just follow the easy instructions on the page and that is is within 5 minutes I had the in my cart and ready to go. Shipping was super fast and I had the book within a week of ordering it.

The book is beautifully bound like a regular hard cover picture book and it arrived in perfect condition.

This was the one I chose and trust me it was a hard decision to make. I do have to say that I am beyond thrilled with my selection. This book is perfect in my opinion.

I was looking for something that was cute but not to young for him because he is 12 going on 13 in a few months so I wanted something that I think he will treasure now and always and will want to share with his own kids one day.

When I got the book I opened it right away and I was reading the story and it made me cry. The story is beautiful.

Michael, you twinkle, glow and shine so bright.

The illustrations are bright and colorful and I think this could attract readers of all ages. The story line is easy and simple and its just great words kids should hear from their parents. I truly love this book and I am sure Michael will to once he reads it. Thanks to Put Me In The Story and Sourcebooks for sending Michael, Out Little Deer and allowing us to be a part of the Put Me In The Story’s Holiday Personalized Book Tour + Giveaway. Enter to win the Personalized Christmas Book Bundle from Put Me In The Story! Dates: Oct. 15 at 12:00 a.m. – Nov. 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST Enter for a chance to win the Personalized Christmas Book Budle Giveaway, including personalized copies of: · Santa Is Coming To My House · ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas on Sesame Street · Our Little Deer by Sandra Magsamen a Rafflecopter giveaway

2015 Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on November 15, 2015November 19, 2015 by Cindy

Christmas is quickly approaching and its hard to believe there is roughly 5 weeks left. Are you ready? I am not ready by any means apart from having our advent calendars.

This year I thought I would try something different and I hope you guys will like it. I am going to be offering a gift guide this year. Over the last month or two I have been contacted by several outlets asking to be included in a gift guide so I thought I would put one together.

I always find it hard to find just the right gifts and I know I am not the only one so I thought perhaps seeing some new ideas might give you the inspiration that you need for those hard to get people on your Christmas list.

Check back daily for roughly the next three weeks to get some new and exciting ideas.

Updated Lampe Berger Review

Posted on November 13, 2015November 12, 2015 by Cindy

Roughly about this time last year I was provided with a limited edition Lampe Berger Paris in Red Apple and I have to say it goes very well with my decor year round and especially during the holiday season. The scent I have been burning is Orange Cinnamon. I am actually almost done with the orange cinnamon and its last me about a year and that’s because I didn’t use it every day. I need to refill asap.

Did you know that as Canadians we spend roughly 90% of our time indoors? Did you know that a majority of us are unaware of the effects poor that poor indoor air quality can have on our health? As the colder weather creeps up on us we are staying indoors and breathing in what is in our houses.

In the past I have tried to keep my windows open for a bit just to let the air circulate in the house but over time you could tell the air wasn’t that great. I have gone the route of plants but I would eventually kill them all and then we got two potted trees thinking that would clean up the air but nope.

I have tried everything and then I guess we just figured we would need to accept it because air fresheners and candles weren’t cutting it and then it was like the God’s were shining down on us because that was about the time I was contacted to review this and I figured what did I have to lose right?

Did you know that we spend roughly $300 to $500 a year on air fresheners? I was one of those people and now I am happy to say that I no longer purchase air fresheners, I just use my Lampe Berger.

Lampe Berger not only purifies the air but it will destroy odors and leave a lingering scent behind. I have noticed the difference in the air of our home since using the Lampe Berger. It feels cleaner and I have to say that as soon as anyone of us start sniffling I light the lamp and it seems to clear what ever is in the air which is good because we are a busy house hold.

If your looking for something that will purify the air in your home and destroy any lingering odor I highly recommend the Lampe Berger. It might seem like a lot but in the long run you will appreciate it and get a lot of use out of it.

Library Loot… November #1

Posted on November 12, 2015November 10, 2015 by Cindy

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

I have decided that I think I am going to make an attempt to get back into going to my local library on a weekly bases. I know I should have continued this when September rolled around and the weather was still nicer and I honestly think once the snow comes it might not happen as much.

I realized that apart from my coffee dates with Jennifer and my monthly breakfast dates with Tina that I am pretty much in all day apart from going to get the mail at the community box on my own I should say I do get out with hockey, errands and groceries etc.. I hope you know what I mean, do you?

Anyways for now I did go to the library and walked around and I managed to pick up:

This is Josh Groban’s newest cd and I was thrilled to see that my library had it on hand so I picked it up to listen too.
I also spotted One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington in the new YA section so I also picked this up to read. I have it for 3 weeks so I am hoping to get to this within that time frame.
In the 7 day borrow section I spotted Second Life by S.J Watson. I have been anxiously waiting to get this one and numerous times I have picked it up at chapters but always put it back so I am happy to get this and I have seven days to read this before I have to bring it back.

Do you borrow books from the library? What about music? What do you like to borrow from your library?

Remembrance Day

Posted on November 11, 2015November 11, 2015 by Cindy

Meme/Waiting on Wednesday Secret Santa Edition #2

Posted on November 11, 2015November 4, 2015 by Cindy

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine and its spotlights upcoming books that we are eagerly waiting for. I plan on including upcoming releases and books that are already released.

This week I am featuring another 5 books and they are:

The Boy With The Hidden Name by Skylar Dorset
Hardwired by Lindsey Currie & Trisha Leaver
Sweet Madness by Lindsey Currie & Trisha Leaver
Unraveled by Gennifer Albin
Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Review/ Myles and the Monster Outside

Posted on November 10, 2015November 9, 2015 by Cindy

Myles and the Monster Outside Series: Weird Stories Gone Wrong #2

by Philippa Dowding
Format: ARC
Published by Dundurn on September 19th 2015
Pages: 128
Goodreads
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, Monsters, Young Adult

Book Summary:

The second instalment in a series of scary tall tales from acclaimed children’s novelist Philippa Dowding. I will never leave this car, the back seat reeks of everything my little brother has ever eaten, and that thing is still out there ... Myles and his family have been driving for four days. It’s their final night on the road, but Myles knows they will never arrive at their new house. It will never stop raining. And even if they do get there (which is doubtful), he knows he will never have friends again. He also knows that something is following them in the dark, rainy fields outside their car. Something monstrous. Once the monster arrives, things go very wrong. Myles and his family get lost, their car keeps breaking down, and a strange old man and his dog turn up, again and again. Then things get really weird. Myles is pretty sure it’s all his fault: he’s the only one who can see the monster. He’s the only one who can hear the monster. And hardest of all? He’s the only one who can make it go away.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I should begin this review by saying yes this is the second book in the Weird Stories Gone Wrong series but they are totally stand alones meaning you don’t need to read the previous one to know what is happening. The first book is called Jake and the Giant Hand and it came out last year.

One of the great things about getting to work with Dundurn Press is being exposed to some great and talented Canadian authors which I truly need to read more of.

Reading Myles and the Monster Outside brought me back to when I was a child and leaving my grandparents house in Montreal to return to Bathurst (NB) during summer vacations and driving at night along some pretty dark and scary roads so reading this I instantly remember that I was exactly like Myles and thinking there was monsters outside my window because you always saw something that would look like something scary.

Myles is a twelve year old boy who is traveling with his mother, sister and baby brother to their new home. Its a long four days of traveling for the family. Myles is excited to see his dad who is relocating the family to a new city for his job.

Myles can’t wait to get out of the car because its beginning to stink of everything imaginable because the family has practically been living in the car since they left their old house.

The trip is going good until they take a ferry ride on a cold stormy day and Myles see’s something looming near by. In the mist he sees what looks like a monster shaped like a man with red eyes and you know that this is the beginning of the tension and suspense that is about to happen. Myles doesn’t say anything to anyone because at first he doesn’t believe it but gradually he begins to think that is real.

Once off the ferry they are back on the road and its seems like they are headed for diaster because if its not one thing its another and this basically has Myles freaked out and I think had I been in that same situation I would have been the same way.

Finally with all these things happening Myles decides to speak up and of course no one believes him and there were telling it like it was and not playing along with Myles. Finally after a weird encounter with a old man in the middle of the night in the rain wandering around has the family believing him.

Philippa Dowding did an amazing job telling the story. She was very descriptive with the book and I think most people probably has experienced the same things as Myles did in the book in their real lives. Granted mine was never like Myles’s but I did think there were monsters or something chasing us.