She's So Cold - A True Story About A Murder Case That Focuses On WHY Miranda Rights Are So Important

She's So Cold: Murder, Accusations and the System that Devastated a Family (June 2019; https://donaldmcinnis.com) — a gripping true story of California’s Crowe Murder Case.

When 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe was found stabbed to death on her bedroom floor on Jan. 21, 1998, the Crowe family’s nightmare had only just begun. In the weeks to follow, her brother, then 14, and two of his friends were charged with her brutal murder. Two of the boys confessed following hours of psychological manipulation. 

The 411:

WOW! Wow! Wow! This book took me 2 weeks to read and I was never so angry. So unjust. Such a piss me off. Not because of the writing or because the book was a disappointment. Completely the opposite. The tactics used by law enforcement and attorneys to get a conviction can devastate a family and I pray many read this. We should all know our rights although hopefully we will never be in a situation like this it is good to be aware.

This murder mystery is fact! It happened. A young girl was murdered in her own home. 3 boys were questioned including her own brother. Families were split up and torn apart, friendships questioned and the boys were left to question their own saneness. All of this to close a case in what law officials thought was an open and shut case.

Without giving too much away the book is fascinating. Reading the questioning chapters angered me and made me feel so sorry for the boys who are so young themselves.

If you enjoy mysteries you will love this. If you want to see why we need more people like Donald McInnis working for us, you will enjoy this.

Thankfully the book doesn't spend much time on the devastating loss of the young girl and focuses on the boys or this would have been a harder read. Mr. McInnis does a wonderful job of laying out the facts without prejudice. He simply states what happened.

Fascinating read!

Starting Our Back To School Clothes Shopping For My New High Schooler

My daughter graduated 8th grade this past week. She is not as excited as some are to go to high school because she is smart enough to know it is the fly by years and before you know it you need to go to college, get a job and things change. I am also smart enough to know that I need to prepare myself for the dreaded back to school shopping necessary at the end of the summer. Since I take the summer off I am starting little by little and so far we have two pairs of socks. Yeah, I know it is a small thing but she wears socks daily and you have to start somewhere. 

We got two pairs of Ozone Design socks. They are socks but they are art too and since she is an artist this was the way to go. Ozone Design - The Art of Socks is woman owned/run and includes sheers, knee highs, over the knees, novelty, mens, dress and florals among others. Our eclectic styles have been in editorial spreads for Vogue, NYLON, Interview and worn on magazine covers by the likes of Gigi Hadid.

We share many articles of clothing so I am excited to eventually wear these socks to work. My preschoolers are going to love them. 

How cute are they? 

She really loves the barbed wire socks.

Ozone Socks are pretty spectacular and they have something for everyone. There novelty socks are definitely eye catching but their flower socks are OMG..stunning.

The socks are well made and very comfortable. BUT so eye catching that I would love them even if they weren't.

Follow Ozone Socks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date. 

Dumbo Done Tim Burton Style

The 411:

Disney's Dumbo done by one of my favorites Tim Burton is definitely different than what I grew up on. I loved it but I know a few who were bored by it however I think they are also the few who aren't in love with Mr. Burton's adaptation of Willy Wonka as well which I LOVED as much as the original. 


This live-action adventure while different than what we remember in the cartoon vision is great in it's own right. Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns from the war after his wife passed away sans one arm. How can he be the star of the failing circus? Danny Devito as circus owner Max Medici and a ragtag of circus performers are the heart of the movie but OMG baby Dumbo. CUTE!  

For me the movie isn't about a flying elephant but a family trying to regroup after loss and the newborn elephant that helps them. 

If you are worried it will be too dark for kids it won't be and HOW could you not love that Beetlejuice/Batman himself (Michael Keaton) also stars in this movie. 

The movie has heart and I loved the colors of the movie. It is dark without being gloomy. Bright without being garish. 

Have You Watched Netflix The Perfection? Loved it? Own It! Bid Until 6/28 On Screenbid.com

The 411:

My husband and I watched it and usually the TV is on as background noise but we both closed our laptops and really paid attention, totally invested in this original movie from Netflix.  It has been a while since we found something worthy of our attention. 

When I thought I had it figured out, I didn't. Love movies like that. We watch a lot of horror; it is our favorite genre and found this to be pretty decent. I call myself the amateur review because honestly I think most reviewers take themselves and the films too seriously. The movie is basically a rape revenge movie. While it doesn't hit trigger any uncomfortable levels of abuse the movie is about a man who uses his power to abuse young girls. I have read some other reviews and man they read so much into the movie. For us it was two girls who meet as young girls, fall in love after meeting later, go on a trip, one becomes ill and the movie takes a turn from there.  I don't want to spoil it but it was weird, strange, odd and at times I thought wait...what? There wasn't another way to handle this situation? But with that said, we were entertained. I do know this movie has a fan following so I am sharing the above. 

Cinderella Reimagined: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

The 411:

I am in love with this book! Great re-telling. This book takes place after the ball. The prince is seeking the girl who wore the glass slipper and Isabelle's mother will make damn sure one of her daughters will be the future queen. 

Well written, wonderful characters and seeing things from the other side was definitely a fun ride. I loved everything about it especially Fate and Chance. Fate and her sisters map out everyone's life so they go in a certain direction. Chance thinks that mortals should have free will and not follow one distinct path so he always steals the maps to change the fate of some mortals. 

These step-sisters weren't mean, they are just a product of a narcissistic mother.  Something I always say as a teacher and parent. There aren't bad kids there is however bad parenting. Making your child cut off her toes to fit into a glass slipper is a bad parent!

Isabelle is a warrior, my kind of princess.

Today is National Jerky Day And I Have Eaten My Weight In Jerky!

Today is National Jerky Day and  T.O.P Chop Jerky sent me four different flavors to try:
Original, Teriyaki, Sweet & Spice and Red Chili Pepper. 

I am a huge fan of Jerky and will eat it whenever I am out and feel like I need some protein. As a kid I grew up on Slim Jims but as an adult I am way pickier with my dried meats.  I prefer the kind that is easy to bite through. T.O.P Chop Jerky is marinated overnight, sweetened with dried plum juice which is rich in antioxidants, fiber and healthy acids no artificial ingredients and doesn't use too much salt.  

Jerky is really the perfect snack. It is all natural, gluten free and a great source of protein.

The Teriyaki is made with soy sauce, pineapple juice, and a hint of brown sugar. 

If you like your meat a little spicy, go for my favorite the Red Chili Pepper flavor. So good. I loved it! It is spicy and sweet!

The Sweet and Spicy has a little kick at the end due to the Tabasco sauce. It is pretty good too.

The Original flavor was perfect for my son who just likes Jerky. Nothing too fancy. 
Lean pieces of meat with that smokey flavor Jerky lovers enjoy.

Father's Day Gift Ideas From Gourmet Gift Baskets + Video Review

Just last month I did a Mother' Day review of two Gourmet Gift Basket Gift Ideas. Man how time flies. Father's Day is just around the corner and GourmetGiftBaskets.com has many great items that will bring a smile to any Dad's face. To see the entire selection featuring dozens of great gifts, go here. Meanwhile, the top online gifting company is offering many brand new gifts, including these three very popular items: 

This weekend we received two packages from Gourmet Gift Baskets to try and show you. I have ordered from Gourmet Gift Baskets for years. Whenever I need to send something to my Dad, Grandparents or my Uncle Gourmet Gift Baskets was my go to.  It was easy to find exactly the gift I wanted that would make my family know I was thinking of them and know what they like. 

Dad will love these gifts as much as I did. I am putting everything into a gift basket for my husband for Father's Day. He loves trying IPAs and nuts are his go to snack. So I know he will be over excited to receive it. 

The Dad's Survival Kit definitely will be eaten by my son and I. My husband was not raised on Jerky and doesn't eat anything but chicken so I am kinda excited because we will not have to share. 

We were impressed with the various kinds of Jerky. There were 8 that we have never tried before. So far we have tried the Peppered Beef Jerky by Divine Bovine which smells and tastes to me like the Beef Stick I get from my neighborhood Chinese restaurant. It is delicious. My son loved the Craft Maple Pork Jerky by Big Fork he said it smells and tastes like bacon. 

The Cold One Beer Tower is definitely my pick for dad's. WOW. I don't know anyone who wouldn't love this gift. It comes with 3 boxes each one perfect.

The boxes are adorable and we will be using them to organize markers, pens and sketch pencils on my daughter's desk but you can use them for anything.  The tower was stacked and wrapped with a big white bow and I really felt bad dismantling it before Father's Day but how could I show you guys. 

The smallest box had roasted nuts and salty pretzel, goldfish, etc., treat
The middle box had jerky and 2 cans of IPA 
The large box had pistachios, jerky and a 6 pack of various IPAs.

I cannot wait for my husband to try the ale's and I am totally going to hide the almonds. He will never share those.

Watch the unboxing here

The Cold One Beer Tower is the ultimate beer gift. Your recipient will sit back and enjoy their adventurous side with eight beer choices selected for each of their unique flavors. Paired with six delicious snacks chosen for how perfectly they complement the brew selections along with snacks that include two roasted & salted nuts, three meat jerky favorites (taste tested and approved by our flavor connoisseurs), and a snack mix that could rival any award winner. You can't go wrong choosing this three tiered tower!

We Finally Watched How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World And My Daughter Thought It Was The Best Yet!

If you haven't watched all the How To Train Your Dragon movies yet; I highly suggest it. This is the final chapter of the saga. 

What is so great about these movies is the imagery. It really is a beautiful film full of high quality animation, stunning, colorful visuals and great characters. One of the thing I love most is how the characters are all growing up. The reason my daughter loved it so much was because Toothless (the Night Fury Dragon) is not the last of his dragon species. There is a beautiful, dragon (Light Fury) who my daughter has been obsessed with. Who wouldn't love to hide among the clouds? She has always had a dragon thing.

We enjoyed Toothless' awkwardness toward Light Fury.  We also enjoyed watching Astrid and Hiccups progression. The battles were great and good always winning against evil can never be overdone when it comes to kids movies. We think families will enjoy this movie as much as the others. We have watched it three times and I watched it the first time without the kids in my truck waiting for them to come out of school.  I laughed and cried. You never know...maybe it isn't the end. Maybe..just maybe we will see future generations starring in future movies. We can hope, can't we?!