29 Things to Know About Catholicism by Sue Marquette Poremba

Catholicism is not often understood by outsiders. 29 Things to Know About Catholicism by Sue Marquette Poremba helps to clarify what Catholicism is really all about.


Book Description
“The Pope. The Holy Eucharist. The Blessed Virgin Mary. The Seven Sacraments. Catholicism is filled with great mysteries, so you’ve 
probably been confused about this 2,000-year-old religion at one time or another. In 29 Things To Know About Catholicism, the Catholic Church’s beliefs are explored in easy-to-understand terms for the devout Catholic and the curious non-Catholic alike.

This quick go-to guide helps answer these questions:

• Was the Catholic Church the first Christian church?

• Do Catholics worship Mary and pray to saints?

• How do I know what to do in Mass with all its Latin chants and prayers, kneeling, holy water, confession, and communion?

• Does the communion bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ?

• Can the priest—a human—forgive sins?” – 29 Things to Know About Catholicism


My Thoughts
I was baptized and raised Catholic. I’m pretty familiar with everything that goes on in a Catholic Mass and also know quite a bit about the church as a whole. Those Sunday CCD classes really helped with that, even though to be quite honest, most of the time I was really just more interested in the art projects we did.

I don’t go to church regularly though, so 29 Things to Know About Catholicism did help me to remember what I had forgotten from those early Sunday morning teachings. Even though I was raised Catholic, I did learn new things about Catholicism from this book. Now that I live in a heavily populated area of Southern Baptists, I see that they do not understand Catholicism at all – most even think Catholics are “bad” or other negative things. Personally, I would never participate in a religion that puts another one down and preaches to you by yelling, but to each their own I guess. This book would help those confused about Catholicism immensely.

29 Things to Know About Catholicism is the go-to book for those seeking more information in an easy to read format about Catholicism. I recommend it for all those wanting to learn more about the religion, or even for those just wanting to brush up on the basics, like I did.




* Thank you to the publisher of 29 Things to Know About Catholicism, Turner Publishing for providing me with a review copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Dover - Fairy Fashion Review

Fairy Fashion is a beautiful coloring book for the more grown up girl. It has a magical mixture of winged fairies to enchant you while you color. The fairies are dressed exquisitely and are stunningly illustrated.

I love just looking at all the fairies in this book. They are really fabulous and each seems to have a life of their own just waiting for you to color in some way.

This coloring book is great for scanning and then printing out to do whatever you wish with. This helps save the image for you to reuse again and again! Of course you could also color in the images in your coloring book with crayons, markers, paint or anything you want too.




Here is what my fairy looks like after I scanned, printed and then colored in with markers:



Fairy Fashion is a really fantastic coloring book for Kindergarteners and up. I think anyone that loves fairies would very much like this coloring book to add new fairies to their projects or to simply color-in.


Dover offers free samples sent directly to you each week – sign up!



Thank you to Dover Publications for providing me with Fairy Fashions for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Giveaway + Review – Pillsbury Sweet Moments

Chocolate and spa products are a great way to relax and have some “me” time. We all need it, and probably don’t get it often as we may need/want it. Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark are trying to help us have some more quality time to enjoy ourselves.

Pillsbury’s new Sweet Moments Bite-Size and Molten Lava Brownies are absolutely heaven! They are easy to make and only have 60 calories per brownie, which makes it totally worth indulging in (even if on a diet). They are layered in rich caramel or fudge and chocolaty coating that satisfy my sweet tooth, and probably yours too. I just wish they were gluten-free so I could eat them without getting ill. My Mom however loved them more than she could say, and plans on buying them each week (perhaps to torture me, or I mean enjoy herself).


Sweet Moments Prize Pack Giveaway:
I have one prize pack available to win from Pillsbury provided by MyBlogSpark which includes a VIP coupon for one of the new Pillsbury Sweet Moments and a chocolate spa kit.



To enter please leave a separate comment for each entry, if you do not have a viewable e-mail in your Blogger profile, please include that in your entries:


One comment – Follow my Blog publicly. In your comment, share when the best time of day for you to use this prize pack for a sweet moment for yourself.

One comment – Blog about my giveaway (linking to this post). Leave URL of the post in your comment.

One comment – Follow me on Twitter and tweet about my giveaway (linking to this post). Leave URL on here. http://twitter.com/sherinewton


Contest will end on August 30, 2010
Good luck!




Thank you to MyBlogSpark and Pillsbury for allowing me to review and giveaway this prize pack. The products, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to me from Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

Neighborhood Watch by Cammie McGovern

Neighborhood Watch by Cammie McGovern is a story that takes you behind the reality of suburban life. Betsy Treading was a librarian and married, but everything turns upside down when she is sent to prison for the murder of her neighbor!


Book Description
“A riveting and frightening tale of false accusation from the author of Eye Contact

Twelve years ago librarian Betsy Treading was convicted of murdering her neighbor, the bohemian loner Linda Sue. After DNA testing finally exonerates Betsy, she returns to her suburban community determined to salvage her life and find the true killer. As she begins to pick apart the web of secrets, lies, and love affairs uncovered in the wake of her trial, Betsy suspects that her tight-lipped neighbors may know something that she has denied even to herself.

In Neighborhood Watch, Cammie McGovern captures the nail-biting electricity of the best literary thrillers and zeros in on the subterranean tension abuzz in a town whose dark secrets threaten to obliterate the glossy façade of a perfect life. It is also the story of a woman coming into her own, finding her strength, and taking control of her life. It asks readers, what sort of price would you pay for the sake of your reputation? Intricately woven, psychologically astute, and filled with complex and surprising characters, Neighborhood Watch marks a significant step in the career of this talented author.” – Neighborhood Watch


My Thoughts
Neighborhood Watch is a story that really brings together Desperate Housewives, CSI and perhaps a little bit of soap opera drama at its best.

The story of Betsy’s life is quite sad and as a reader you feel very sympathetic with everything she has endured in her life – and not just the prison sentence she was never guilty for. I actually quite liked the portions where she explains how prison life was really like and the people she met in there.

There are so many colorful characters that lived on Juniper Lane when the murder happened that it could be anybody who really killed Linda Sue. As soon as Betsey is released, she is on a mission to figure out who the real killer was. This brings on a series of events that not even I would have guessed. No spoilers here, you have to read it to be shocked and amazed yourself!

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a good murder mystery and suspense book. It is easily read in a few afternoons (at most) and is very enjoyable. I do caution though that once you start, you’ll want to keep reading!



* Thank you to the publisher of Neighborhood Watch, Viking for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Academagia Review

Academagia: The Making of Mages is a role playing video game that takes place at a magic academy in Mineta. You choose your character’s starting stats and background, which depending on how you want to play can vary greatly. You arrive as a First Year student at the Academy of Magic where you’ll attend class, learn magic, make friends (and enemies), train a familiar and embark on adventures and explore your new surroundings.

Features:

• Interact with over 80 Students
• Maneuver through more than 800 possible Random Events
• Set out upon any of over 100 Adventures
• Explore hundreds of Skills
• Cast Spells from the five Pillars of Magic, or learn the Forbidden Arts
• Add new effects to existing Spells as you master the vocabulary of Magic
• Discover and visit mysterious castles, ruins, shops and secret hide-outs
• Teach, train and adventure with a Familiar from one of dozens of species
• Enjoy nearly endless replayability and scope


My Thoughts
This is a video game that is text based. There are some beautiful images but it is not an animated style of video game most are probably used to these days. This is more reminiscent of a video game from the 80s with a Harry Potter style magic academy. This helps with the low game size and equally low system settings. Also allows it to load extremely fast and wasn’t ever laggy for me at all.

The character creation is quite limited. The background offers many choices, but doesn’t allow you to pick very many of those choices, probably so your character isn’t too advanced to start with.

The tutorial comes in the form of a letter left on your bed from the student who used to inhabit your bedroom. Funny and explains the basics in the game rather well.

I enjoyed playing the game and advancing my character in the studies I chose. However, it gets very repetitive. Attending class, studying, training, etc. becomes a bit dull. After I finally completed my first year at the Academy of Magic, I was sad and annoyed to see that not much of anything exciting happened and the credits rolled concluding The End of the game. I wanted to go on to the next years after I spent so much time learning the skills!

Overall, it was fun while I played and I did enjoy the storyline (which seems to be a lost art among many games these days). However, how it ends and the repetitiveness of finishing even the one year makes me not really want to play it again. It is fun enough to give it a go for the first time around.

I hope you enjoyed my Academagia review. I have more video game reviews coming soon!






* Thank you to the publisher of Academagia, Black Chicken Studios and Gamers Gate for providing me a digital copy of this game and allowing me to review it.

True Blood Rolling Stone Cover

I love Tue Blood and I subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine. I was pretty excited when I saw this True Blood Rolling Stone cover in my mailbox.


I saw it on our local morning talk show on ABC a few days before I received it. I live in Alabama so they obviously did not have the same reaction of it being “hot” as I did. They were blowing it way out of proportion.

Sure, True Blood nakedness is not anything new, if you watch the show… and Rolling Stone certainly has had much riskier covers. So really what is the big deal?

Have you seen this Rolling Stone cover before now? What do you think?

Dover Coloring Box – Fairies

The Dover Coloring Box Fairy boxset is a perfect gift for the girl or boy that you know that loves fairies, or perhaps the best way to feel like a kid again yourself.

Set Includes:
• Colorable Box
• Fairyland Hidden Pictures: 24 ready to color hidden pictures
• Garden Fairy Alphabet Coloring Book: fairies and flowers for each letter of the alphabet
• 11x16 two-sided color your own poster
• Crayons

Fairies are one of my favorite magical creatures and being able to color them in really makes me feel like a kid again. I loved coloring when I was young and actually won quite a few coloring contests (and some really great prizes from it too). Coloring was one of the favorite things my Mom and I would do together.

Who would have thought that years later I’d be asking her to color some fairies with me? Well, I did and we colored in some beautiful fairies from this collection and made some new refrigerator art, which is something I haven’t done for many years!



It was a fun afternoon to spend reminiscing about stories from when I was a kid and learning how cute I was. This time though we had “adult drinks” and I think I colored much better (I used some colored pencils I had already). :)

Dover is so fantastic that they even offer sample pages for this set that you can check out, download and print out and color yourself. If you like free samples, then sign up to get new ones each week, too!

I highly recommend this boxset from Dover. It would make a fun gift for a kid, or for yourself – so really you can’t go wrong there! I would however suggest purchasing a bigger set of crayons or colored pencils to go with it to make it that much more fantastic.


Thank you to Dover Publications for providing me with this set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Giveaway + Review – Nature Valley – National Parks Project

Nature Valley is a fantastic company with some equally fabulous granola bars. What makes me love them even more now though is that they are helping to preserve our National Parks. Companies that give back in a great way make me smile and also want to help out.

Nature Valley granola bars are one of the top granola bars and snacks my family enjoys. It is healthy and gives good nutrition, which is something that isn’t always so easy to find. The prize pack that was sent me to me has so many fun goodies in it (besides the yummy granola). I really enjoyed flipping through the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and seeing which ones I’ve been to already and where I want to go before I die. Love it!


About the National Parks Project
Since the dedication of Yellowstone as the world’s first national park in 1872, America’s parks have been visited by hundreds of millions of people who marveled at their beauty, found peace in their wildness and shared their experience with others.

However, these national treasures need care and support to help them flourish. Years of underfunding and environmental problems such as pollution and climate change are threatening our National Park system. To help preserve our national parks and ensure their existence for generations to come, join Nature Valley® and Patricia Shultz, internationally best-selling author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and travel industry leader, to help support the National Parks Project. This year, the National Parks Project will focus on restorative work at Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Biscayne National Parks.

To get involved, simply purchase a box of specially marked Nature Valley Bars and mail in your wrappers to the address below:

National Parks Project
PO Box 450328
El Paso, TX 88545-0328

Nature Valley will not only recycle the wrappers, but will also contribute $0.10 to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) for every wrapper received (up to $600,000 in total). To learn more about the National Parks Project and how you can make a difference, check out PreservetheParks.com today. And don’t forget to visit Nature Valley on Facebook or Nature Valley on Twitter to “Like” or “Follow” the brand. Facebook fans can enter to win a trip, as well as share photos and videos of their summer vacations. All of these sites will also feature updates on the restoration projects, as well as videos and pictures from “National Parks Project” volunteers.


Nature Valley Prize Pack Giveaway:
I have one prize pack available to win from Nature Valley provided by MyBlogSpark which includes a mini backpack; a military grade compass; a solar-powered, key chain flash light; a reusable water bottle and a copy of Patricia Shultz’s 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List.



To enter please leave a separate comment for each entry, if you do not have a viewable e-mail in your Blogger profile, please include that in your entries:


One comment – Follow my Blog publicly. In your comment, share an experience with me about visiting a National Park, or tell me which one you would love to visit one day with your family.

One comment – Blog about my giveaway (linking to this post). Leave URL of the post in your comment.

One comment – Follow me on Twitter and tweet about my giveaway (linking to this post). Leave URL on here. http://twitter.com/sherinewton



Contest will end on August 26, 2010
Good luck!



Thank you to MyBlogSpark and Nature Valley for allowing me to review and giveaway this prize pack. The products, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to me from Nature Valley through MyBlogSpark.

Do It Gorgeously by Sophie Uliano

How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle is something more people are striving towards. When one first starts moving in the green direction though, it can seem a bit overwhelming. Do it Gorgeously by Sophie Uliano teaches in this book how easy it can be while still being gorgeous.

Book Description
“It’s official: In these tough times, clueless is out—and crafty is in. For both financial and environmental reasons, life is all about doing well with what you have. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still be fabulous. Do It Gorgeously shows you how to make nearly everything you would otherwise purchase: From the kitchen to the nursery, from your medicine cabinet to your makeup drawer, you’ll be astounded by how easy and inexpensive it is to make safe and eco-friendly products for your family. You deserve to have it all—and now you can do it yourself!” - Do It Gorgeously


My Thoughts
Eco-friendly products can be very expensive. However, Uliano suggests grabbing some friends and sharing the expense of some of the essential oils and other ingredients needed in her beauty recipes to then make and share. I think this is a fabulous idea! Not only can you have a girls night making fun beauty products, you then get to use them and feel gorgeous!

Uliano writes in a fun, friendly way. She doesn’t make any of the projects seem like they are too hard or complicated for anyone to accomplish. In fact, she makes it fun and seem like you’d want to do them all.

Some of the beauty products and other eco-friendly products I tried include: Spicy Holiday Sugar Scrub, yogurt, computer screen cleaner, flea spray for my dog and a few more. I have to say that out of the ones I tried, I loved the Spicy Holiday Sugar Scrub the most. It is really a great exfoliator and really easy to make. My dog perhaps liked the flea spray but she rolled around for at least 5 minutes after applying it (she doesn’t like sprays very much).

Some of the ones I will be trying in the near future include the bookcase, milk paint, gardening and composting ideas, beeswax candles, and some of the so cute sewing projects like an apron, dresses, skirt and yoga pants out of a men’s t-shirt. Uliano has so many great ideas that I will be trying these projects out for a long time.

I highly recommend Do It Gorgeously by Sophie Uliano for everyone wanting to be more eco-friendly and live a more healthy green lifestyle.


* Thank you to the publisher of Do It Gorgeously, Hyperion for providing me with a copy for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

34 Things to Know About Wine by Paul Kreider

34 Things to Know About Wine by Paul Kreider is a part of Turner Publishing’s Good Things to Know series. Kreider is an expert at wine. He has been making it since 1974 and opened his own winery in 1987 in Marin County, California. Reading through this book is like taking a tour through his winery while being fully educated about the joy of wine.

Book Description
“Cabernet, pinot noir, tannins, residual sugar. The language of wine is foreign to many of us, and wine itself is a topic that can also seem foreign—and snobbish. An unpretentious presentation of the essentials of wine, 34 Things To Know About Wine is an easy way to gain straightforward information about a simple yet complex subject. This book, presented in an easy-to-understand, entertaining format, will allow you to better:

Enjoy wine in all its complexity
Be at ease in the wine environment
Save money by making choices that suit your palate
Understand the language of wine
Choose wines to complement meals” - 34 Things to Know About Wine


My Thoughts
I have to admit that I just recently (past couple years) even started drinking wine. It is not something most college parties offer, which isn’t really so shocking is it? So my taste in liquor until I gave wine a try was really limited to just shots of rum or beer.

This book gave me a huge understanding about wine. Learning about red wine versus white wine and the sweetness factor really shocked me. I thought that was just how they are, but apparently “red is red and white isn’t.” I also learned about “dry” wine. I was curious about this detail before too, how can something wet be considered dry? As Kreider explans, “dry” is the opposite of “sweet” in the wine world. Which, if you think about it, it makes sense.

One of the tips Kreider gives is how wine can be murdered – by heat. I never really considered this before, but it is quite true. If wine is left for too long in a hot environment (car, by a radiator, stove, etc.) it will ruin and not be nearly as good as it once was. Out of everything I discovered in this book, I think I’ll remember this the best – and utilize this knowledge each time I buy wine.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and learned more about wine than I ever thought I’d know. If you enjoy wine or are perhaps looking to know more about the subject, I highly suggest picking this book up and discovering the joys of wine for yourself.


* Thank you to the publisher of 34 Things to Know About Wine, Turner Publishing for providing me with a review copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.