Time Gangsters Blog Tour

Welcome to the last stop in the Time Gangsters Blog Tour!

Time Gangsters
by Berin L Stephens
Paperback, 296 pages
Expected Publication- February 8, 2012
by Cedar Fort, Inc
ISBN-1599559668
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5 stars


When Billy discovers a hidden cache of ancient coins, it isn't long before a gang of thugs swipes them right from under Billy. Plotting to use the magical properties of the coins to seize power in the past, these power-hungry gangsters will do anything to reach their goal. Their future threatened, Billy and Danny must race through time to steal back the coins---before history is changed forever!

This time traveling adventure takes a pair of cousins (Billy and Danny-who's name is actually Danielle) and Billy's friend Wheezy (a nick-name given to him because of his constant Asthma related wheezing) on an adventure between modern day Colorado and 1927 New York. Egyptian medallions that give the bearer magical powers are being sought by a prohibition era mobster for his bid to take over the country.

While the story is cute, with fun characters that the intended audience (middle grade readers) will enjoy, I struggle a bit with time travel based books. There are so many issues that arise when you are dealing with time travel, and my much too logical brain struggles with the loose ends that are usually left at the conclusion of a time travel story.

Having said that, the story has a good pace, and is well written. I enjoyed the almost brother/sister relationship between cousins Billy and Danny. All in all this is a cute book that I would recommend to others!



You can visit the rest of the stops along the blog tour by clicking the link below:

 You can learn more about the book by visiting the book website timegangstersbook.com. You can also connect with the author on facebook or via his blog.

(I received a free e-copy of this book in order to participate in this blog tour)

Aaaand We're Back!

Sorry for the drop off. The Christmas Holiday was crazy this year (good, but crazy) and I just didn't have time to blog. Right after Christmas a stomach flu hit our house with a vengeance and made its way through everyone except Joelle. Right after the flu, we finished our Winter Break with a great visit from Jared's brother and his family.  Below you will see a few photos of what I didn't blog:

The Tree on Christmas Morning

Right after Church Christmas Morning. Joelle did an amazing job singing with me in church that morning in-front of a large group!

Waiting to go downstairs at Grandma's house to open presents.

A crochet project I completed over the break! Showing our team spirit!

A photo from our visit with Jared's brother. We took a trip down to temple square (it was a first visit to temple square for my nieces and nephew). This is a picture with the missionaries who took us for  a tour.

I hope that you are all doing well. Look for more posting soon (including a book review post tomorrow!)

Choose the Right: A Year of Family Night Lessons to Help Your Children Choose the Right by Kimiko Christensen Hammari Blog Tour

Choose the Right: A Year of Family Night Lessons to Help Your Children Choose the Right
by Kimiko Christensen Hammari
Paperback, 160 Pages
Published November 1, 2011
by Cedar Fort, Incorporated
ISBN 1599559412
Source: Publisher
Rating:4 stars


Here is a synopsis from the publisher:
Crazy days mean no time to plan family nights. With Choose the Right, all of your Family Home Evening lessons are done for a whole year, complete with activities, games, scriptures, songs, challenges, and a CD-Rom with printable handouts! Not only are the lessons fantastic but they correlate with the 2012 Primary topics and lessons. Spend quality time with your children as you make family night the best night!


If you struggle with Family Home Evening because you aren't sure what to teach each night, this book is for you! Filled with lessons for each week of the year (A couple months have you extend one lesson over two weeks) that follow the 2012 Primary theme, you can be certain to have a simple lesson ready to go each week. The lessons are simple to prepare and teach. The CD that comes with the book contains printable image files for each of the lessons, including activities.

One of my favorite features of this book is the resources list at the beginning of each lesson. You do not need to read through the entire lesson, scanning for the items you will need. You can look at this quick summary and easily grab the books or images that you will need to successfully prepare each lesson.

This little book that retails for only $14.99 is certain to be a big help this year as you prepare your Family Home Evening lessons!

See more of the Cedar Fort blog tour for this book by clicking on the image below:

Old Navy Bundle-Up Bash

Thanks to Crowdtap and Old Navy, I was able to invite three friends to join me for a Bundle-Up Bash at our local Old Navy store. To say we had fun, would be an understatement! We thought we would be there for about an hour trying on clothes and then going home with a brand new outfit...well the trying on clothes and going home with a new outfit was true but the hour wasn't! We were there for two and a half hours, try on clothes, laughing and generally having fun! Here are some photos from our in-store adventure:

Me modeling my first look

Lisa rocking the yellow stripes

Having Fun with the Super Modelquins

Posing with scarves and hats in the background

Fabulous, helpful employees!

Deciding which hat looks best

2.5 hours later leaving with our goodies!

Happy to be going home with a brand new outfit from Old Navy

A couple of my friends admitted that, while they often shopped at Old Navy for their children, they hadn't thought to purchase their own clothes there. They were surprised at the cute styles and great prices available at Old Navy. There were so many diffrerent styles of pants, sweaters and more. Everyone found several items that they would have loved to take home with them! Ironically, while we all loved several styles of jeans, three of the four of us ended up purchasing the darling trouser jeans!

All four of us left with a pair of pants, a sweater and an accessory (scarf, hat or gloves). I chose the following items:

and a scarf that doesn't seem to be on their website. I absolutely love each of these items. I wore the whole outfit to a holiday party last night and it was the perfect dressed-up casual look! The green in the sweater is even more gorgeous in person!

It was so much fun to laugh together and enjoy trying on clothes. We all said that it reminded us of when we were young and would go out with friends and shop together. We decided that we definitely needed to arrange another shopping day.

Disclosure: My friends and I each received a free pair of pants, sweater and accessory in exchange for having and in store party and my submitting photos and a report back to Crowdtap. I also receive a small amount of monetary compensation for my time filling out the report.

Texting Through Time: Trek With Brigham Young by Christy Monson Blog Tour

Texting Through Time: A Trek with Brigham Young
by Christy Monson
Paperback 128 pages
Published: November 8, 2011
by Cedar Fort, Inc
My rating: 3.75 stars


I am thrilled to be a part of the Cedar Fort Book Tour for the fun new Middle Grade book: Texting Through Time: A Trek With Brigham Young. Here is a synopsis for you (from the publisher):

When 12-year-old Micah “borrows” his father’s experimental time-travel phone, his hopes for seeing the future are dashed as he and his sister, Alicia, end up trapped in the past at Brigham Young’s boyhood home. This book is a fun way to discover Church history and learn that no matter what time period you are in, God is still aware of you.


The concept of this book is definitely a fun one for Middle Grade readers. Micah and Alicia are playing with their dad's un-tested time-travel phone and wind up an the past, arriving on Brigham Young's 11th birthday. This begins an adventure for both Micah and Alicia, as they try to make their way back to the present. They learn much from the life of Brigham Young, popping in to his life at different times.

Through this all they learn that they really have it pretty easy, and they grow to rely on the Lord through their trials. In order to progress through time, they have to text their experience, thoughts, and feelings to their own phones. When they finally return home, they find their texted journals and can revisit what they learned along the way.

This book would be great for younger readers. I will definitely be passing it on to my daughter to read (she turns 12 in February). I like how it puts a fun spin on the technology that kids know today while teaching them about the past.

To see more of this blog tour click the image below for the schedule and link to the blogs participating in the tour:

Disclosure: I received an ebook copy of Texting Through Time in order to write this honest review. No further compensation was received. Cover image from Goodreads.

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop

Welcome Hoppers! I am so excited to be participating in my first blog hop :) Over 200 blogs are participating in the Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop (sponsored by I Am A Reader Not a Writer and Kid Lit Frenzy)and I am thrilled to be one of them.  Each blogger is giving away something that a book lover would love, and really, what to book lovers love more than books? So I am giving away a copy of one of my favorite books! I discovered the Rhea Jensen series by Sheralynn Pratt late last year and have since read each book. For my giveaway you will be receiving the first book in the series: City of Angels.

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Rhea Jensen is your typical twenty-something single girl-if by "typical" you mean a private investigator who studies ways to escape from handcuffs while waiting to take down another serial sleaze. But when a seemingly open-and-closed embezzlement case goes awry, her on-again-off-again boyfriend starts fooling around behind her back, and some Mormon missionaries stop her on the street during a stakeout, Rhea realizes her life is anything but typical-even by her standards. 


You are sure to love this fantastic series, and I am going to help one of you by getting you started with the first one! Winner will also receive a bonus homemade item (a surprise :) ) with their book. I promise it is good!

Here are the rules: Enter in the rafflecopter form below. Following is not required, but does get you an additional entry :) Begins now and runs through 12:01 AM EST on the 7th of December. Only one entry per household, US entrants only. Winner chosen at random and notified by email (also will appear in the rafflecopter form in this post when winner has been selected). Winner will then have 72 hours to respond to winning email or a new winner will be chosen.

 
disclosure: I purchased the book featured above in this giveaway myself. I was not given a free copy nor was I compensated in any other way.

Now hop along and check out the rest of the blogs in the hop:

It's the Holiday Season!

Don't you just love this time of year? The radio is playing Christmas music; the streets are lined with wreaths and lights. There is just something in the air that changes after the Turkey and Cranberry of Thanksgiving has been packed away as leftovers in the refrigerator. I think it really starts with Thanksgiving day, all of that gratitude changing hearts just a little.

There is just a different feeling for that month that spans from Thanksgiving to Christmas. (And I don't mean the commercial, crazy feeling that we sometimes encounter). Hearts are just a little softer. We think of family and friends. Memories come rushing back as we unpack the ornaments and hang them on the tree. As family gathers, they share stories of Christmases past. Donations make their way to food closets; pocket change clinks along in harmony with the bells rung outside store entrances.

And the smells! Don't even get me started on the smells. I can't get enough of the smell of pine and cinnamon, cookies baking, hot chocolate steaming. It is all so delicious.

But the best part of all is that for a little while we focus on what matters, family, friends and Jesus Christ. We remember his birth and celebrate his life! I love turning on the radio station and hearing his name coming over the airwaves. In a time where religion is being swept under the rug more and more, this month of remembrance is almost a miracle in itself.

I hope that you experiencing that change as well. I hope you are feeling that love and feeling of joy this month as we prepare for Christmas.

Whew, Do You Ever Feel that You Need a Vacation to Recover from Your Vacation?

We recently returned from a fabulous vacation to Disneyland with my parents and my sister (with her family.). We had such a wonderful time. The lines were short, the weather gorgeous, the company great, and we stayed in a fabulous hotel.  The only problem was exhaustion. Seriously, my legs and feet were screaming by the end of the day (and we stayed until the last moment possible every night).

The kids were all at great ages to take to Disneyland. Lucas was just tall enough that he could ride all but the scariest of rides (and a few of the rides he insisted on riding freaked him out a bit, but he was determined to ride them all). Dane was even tall enough for Indiana Jones, and surprisingly, really enjoyed it. The older three enjoyed California Screaming (we rode it several times, since the wait time was never more than 15 minutes). Jared, Liam, Max and I LOVED Hollywood Tower of Terror (Joelle rode it, but wasn't a big fan). I think the family favorite ride had to be Toy Story Midway Mania, where we all donned 3-D glasses and enjoyed a Midway game experience. Nobody could beat Jared's high score, but we all sure gave it a good try.

The last several days have been filled with recovery from our vacation. I came home exhausted and needing to do laundry.

Here are a few photos from our trip for you to enjoy: