Junk Gypsies!

Junk Gypsy: Designing a Life at the Crossroads of Wander and Wonder by Amie Sikes and Jolie Sikes (ISBN 978-1-5011-3568-2)

Amie and Jolie Sikes are sisters with an addiction to flea markets and a talent for turning those side-of-the-road finds into beautiful décor. They have been featured in countless newspapers, magazine, and television shows, including the Today show, Country Living, Southern Living,  Fortune Small Business, and their own HGTV shows, and have designed for famous fans like Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Marcus Luttrell. Full of gorgeous full-color photos, this book is part DIY projects, part road trip travelogue, part testimonial and all inspiring.

The 411:

LOVED THIS! Great color photos and you get to see inside some celebrity buses decked out by the sisters. All who love HGTV, DIY and Anterior Design will love this book.

To Purchase:

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary product for my honest opinion from Touchstone/Simon And Schuster. My reviews are 100% honest and true based on my personal opinion not on a company’s description or request. I am not employed by any company I review for. No monetary compensation was received.

Life Works Itself Out And then You Nap

Life Works Itself Out (and then you nap) by Keiya Mizuno and Naoki Naganuma

A runaway bestseller in Japan, now available in English for the first time, Life Works Itself Out is an unforgettable collection of adorable cat photos and sage life advice that will appeal to fans of Texts from Mittens, I Could Pee on This, and Grumpy Cat.

Humans could learn a thing or two from cats—and Life Works Itself Out is here to relay all of kittendom’s accumulated wisdom to mankind, one loveable photo and wise aphorism at a time.

The 411: 

Life does have a way of working itself out so we should all take a chill pill. This book is full of cute, colorful pics of cats and inspirations quotes. 

To Purchase: 

SING Is In Theaters Everywhere!

I can't wait to see SING. The commercials are hysterical. My kids and I now sing "Oh my God, look at her butt" about 50 times a day. Until we can get to the theater we keep ourselves busy with these videos.

Laurie Hernandez Supermarket Dance

Gold medal Olympic gymnast & Dancing with the Stars winner Laurie Hernandez reunited with her ballroom partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy to recreate one of her favorite numbers from the film.

A Monster Calls By Patrick Ness - Special Collector's Edition and The Novel

The 411:

I loved this book and NEED to see the movie. Conor is 13 years old, dealing with a very adult thing. The sickness of a parent. The book is at times heartbreaking as someone who lost her mother to cancer I completely relate with a child growing up with a sick parent. It is not an easy pill to swallow.

This monster is NOT the one Conor has been expecting from his dreams. He is scary big, and wants something from Conor. He wants the truth.

I thought the book was thought provoking and deep. I had so many emotions all at once including being thoroughly entertained while feeling the heartbreak of losing my mother.

This a now a movie I need to catch.

World's Best Ice Scraper!

 
If you're tired of scraping your windows the old fashioned way, then join the Scrape-A-Round movement. You will secure your family's safety, access new gift ideas and scrape your windows cleaner in half the time with the world's best windshield ice scraper.

My TRUCK looks amazing. Wish I could use it on my driver. I almost fell on my butt!

 The 411:

At first I couldn't understand why this would be so much better than my trusty brush but now since I was able to use it yesterday to clear 6 inches of snow and ice off my truck I know

The shape fits easily in my hand and once I removed the snow it was easy to scrap that ice off. I love it AND you get 3 different sizes so my kids can help. They even have a small one for my daughter.

This is going to be great! I spend so much time chipping ice off my windows in the morning. It is a daily thing in my neck during this time of year and the best part....it can serve as a funnel or as my daughter stated a dunce hat.


I love the way it feels in my hand. I felt like I had total control unlike my long brush that mostly feels clumsy.

Don't be a peep hole driver. Scrape that ice of your cars and give someone you love the Scrap-A-Round this holiday.

The Last Descent - A True Story AND A Must See

The details of the passing of John Jones in Nutty Putty Cave have been well documented, but his story did not end there. Witness the power of love and family in this critically acclaimed film that shows that family bonds extend beyond this life.

The Trailer:

The 411: Last night the family and I watched The Last Descent a true story of John Jones who while cave crawling in Nutty Putty Cave in Utah gets himself in a jam and needs a miracle.

While watching the movie I felt this was a must see. Obviously the writers take creative liberties with the story but after researching afterward and checking into the details of this real event I feel it is important to watch this movie for so many reasons but mostly for the hopefulness we all crave at the end of our days.

The movie is very well done and the actors do a great job. We see John's life story in a series of flashbacks as he talks to the many rescuers who tried to help him. In the movie the main rescuer is named Aaron. Aaron and John's conversations make up most of the movie and I was completely engrossed and praying for the best although I already knew the ending.

John was 26 with a small child and another on the way. It is the way the movie focuses on that unborn baby that gives me chills even now.

The cave has since been sealed up and I pray for John and his family and hope they have found peace. 

This is a must see!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary product for my honest opinion.  My reviews are 100% honest and true based on my personal opinion not on a company’s description or request. I am not employed by any company I review for. No monetary compensation was received.

Blue Orange Games ROCK Or In This Case Kaboom REVIEW

Blue Orange has become a favorite name of ours. 

The 411:

In Kaboom you have 30 seconds to build as many of the towers on the cards that you can while your opponent tries to knock them down with catapults that fling white blocks. If they knock down your tower, you can still build another from a different card but you cannot use any of the blocks that were used in the now knocked down tower. Each card has a value so if you can keep your tower the entire 30 seconds you get that card and that plays into who the winner will be. There is however one card that doesn't have a value and if you happen to manage building that one you are the winner no matter how many cards your opponent has.

 

We had so much fun. It was really stressful to build while my daughter was flinging blocks at my tower and to watch the timer but we love it and have played often.

Crunchies - Perfect for Snacking Or Using In Your Favorite Recipes

My dream is to have a huge kitchen and spend all of December with my daughter baking and laughing but alas this can't happen in this house. There is ZERO room or setting up trays or rolling out dough but I recently found something called Crunchies!  Crunchies are freeze-dried fruit snacks that taste amazing and can add a touch of sweet to your favorite recipes – without doubling the calories.

My plan was of course to use these in not only this chocolate berry bark recipe above but in my oatmeal that I make almost everyday. However...I was unable to make it in anything because my daughter too a bag to lunch every day until they were all gone! Grrrr

I love that she loves them and this just tells me I need to get more. Fortunately unlike so many other things I can't find in my little town. Crunchies are in the CVS only about 10 minutes away. Hooray! So I guess I need to buy for her and hide my own stash.