You Tube Fun

Who doesn’t love youtube.com at least a little? I’m not one who visits everyday for hours by any means. I’m more of an occasional video surfer for particular things I want to see.

While browsing it this month I came across some cool and funny things I’d like to share with you all. Enjoy!


Dog Saves another Dog in Traffic in Santiago, Chile
This is just amazing! Who says dogs aren’t caring animals?



The Twilight before Christmas
You know I love my Twilight and parodies so why not add the two together for a Christmas themed one? Love it!



So You Think You Can Dance – Ashleigh and Jakob dance to “Whatchya Say”
I can’t believe I forgot to add this routine to my favorites of the season…



So You Think You Can Dance – Russel and Kathryn dance to “I Can Transform Ya”
Congratulations to the winner, Russel – he is an amazing hip hop dancer!



Swine Flu + Justin Bieber Parody of “One Time”
It isn’t the best, but it is pretty funny.



HBO 2010
Looks like HBO’s series are going to be great in 2010… I can’t wait for True Blood though. More Eric Northman please!

Christmas, Life, Games and More!

Sorry for the lack of updates this month. Looking at my posting from this year (which went up drastically), I noticed I really haven’t posted much this month and I am sorry for that. Life, health, work, etc really drained me this month.

I’ll use this post to do a little catch-up on what is going on with me and my thoughts on some recent events.

Christmas
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you are all having a great holiday season. Mine has been okay so far. We had a family gathering here last weekend with my brothers, sister and their kids (well most of them and notice I don’t say “half” brothers or “half” sister – wtf is a half person anyways?). It was nice. I don’t want to post pictures of my family because of privacy reasons, so here is a picture of our tiny tree this year.



We just didn’t feel like getting the huge tree out this year. Plus, with the small one it allows for more room in the living room for people to talk and sit down while visiting.

Tomorrow for Christmas we’re going over to my aunt and uncle’s house for their traditional Christmas breakfast/brunch and present opening.


Wintersday
Guild Wars Wintersday is in full swing. When not busy, working or ill, I’ve been on here doing their quests and trying to get some of their holiday items. What is really cool about this Wintersday though is the “costume” feature they came out with. I gave in and bought it since I love the Dwayna costume and for only $3 more I got the package that has Grenth’s as well. I probably won’t wear it though, but who knows?



The festival hats don’t come out until January 1st, so I’ll make a more in-depth post after those come out. I hope they are good this year.


Wii Fun
I never played on a Wii until earlier this week. My nephews have one that they got for Christmas last year and they have basically everything you can want for it. Well, I went over to their house this week and spent some time with them and played some games on the Wii with them. The first game I played was the basketball point one on the Wii Sports Resort and I scored 23 points – highest out of any of them and my brother. That score is probably beaten by now, but still it made me feel awesome. I gradually got worse as the day went on though. How does that happen? Wii is awesome though and it sadly made me want one even more.


Twilight: New Moon
I did go and see New Moon – and I loved it! Taylor Lautner even made me hate Jacob a little less. I’m still Team Edward all the way though so don’t worry. I can’t wait for this movie to be out on DVD.


Health
I’m getting used to my new glasses, but I think I need to get them adjusted because they slide down my nose a lot.

I have one more dentist appointment this year, so after that my teeth should be good. Next year I *hope* I will get invisalign.

Still unsure if I have celiac disease or not, but I am going to go with most likely. I have a doctor’s appointment in January and hopefully they’ll test me for it soon.


Nursing?
I’m seriously considering going back to school at a 2 yr place to become a RN. I have some classes that I won’t need to take, so it shouldn’t take me 2 yrs. I know it’ll be really hard, but I think I can do it – and they make a lot of money so that is a pretty good driving force.


Facebook
I stayed off Facebook for a long time. I knew it would be addicting… Yet somehow I fell into the trap. It all started with an invite from my nephews on Farmville. Now I have Farmville, Café World, Sorority Life, Mafia Wars, Fairyland, Fishville, etc. Help!

I opened all my 100+ presents on Farmville last night and my farm looks like Santa threw up on it. My farm is just not big enough for all the animals, trees, farm stuff and now Christmas themed items. It’ll take forever just to make it look decent again. All in all though, I do like the presents I received from it.



Sorority Life didn’t spend much effort on their Christmas items though. Not sure about Mafia Wars yet since I can’t open those up yet.

Addicted to Facebook too? Add me! Just do a search for Sheri Newton and you shall find me.

From Peanuts to the Pressbox: Insider Sports Stories from a Life Behind the Mic

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program I was able to review the book From Peanuts to the Pressbox: Insider Sports Stories from a Life Behind the Mic
by Eli Gold.

I chose to review this book because my family is big Alabama football fans and Eli Gold is known as the voice of the Crimson Tide.

Personally though, I’m not a huge sports fan. That however didn’t lower my enjoyment of reading this autobiography by Gold. It is told in a personable manner that captivates his audience into wanting to read more of his story.

I found this book to be enjoyable. However, maybe due to subject matter it wasn’t a real page turner that made me finish it in one day. It is a good book to read a few chapters a day and then come back to it when you can.

Book Description

In this behind-the-scenes look at sports broadcasting Eli Gold tells how a kid from Brooklyn, New York, went from selling peanuts at Madison Square Garden to being one of the most recognizable voices in all of radio sports broadcasting.

From Peanuts to the Pressbox is an intimate walk down memory lane, reliving some of the greatest moments in Alabama sports (basketball and football) and NASCAR. Gold also shares stories from his early days with Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen and Red Barber and other broadcasting greats, such as Bob Costas, Tom Hammond, Verne Lundquist, Kevin Harlan, Ron Franklin, and Mike Tirico.

Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura

“You won’t believe what you don’t know.”

Tru TV has a new show out called Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura. It is about what it says – conspiracy theories.

“Jesse Ventura and a team of expert investigators are on a mission to examine some of the most frightening and mysterious conspiracy allegations of our time. They examine available evidence as well as talking to experts and eyewitnesses to learn more about such topics as global warming, possible 9/11 cover-ups, secret government weapons and apocalyptic prophecies. "This is my personal journey," Ventura says, "to prove that there is more to these stories than you know about."

So far only three episodes have aired. The first I saw was about the 9/11 cover up. It really brought up some strong points, questions and concerns about the attacks. I don’t know what really happened, but something fishy definitely went on with it all. The episode that aired last night was about global warming. I consider myself “green” so thinking that all of global warming is a scam is hard for me to believe. However, I do think that governments, companies and people are profiting off of it in an absurd way. Future episodes are about big brother, secret societies, Manchurian candidate and the apocalypse.

This doesn’t seem like something I’d generally be interested in, but I am! My Aunt actually got me interested in wanting to know more about conspiracy theories. I’ve always been a believer in some unconventional things (ghosts, ufos, etc) so really it shouldn’t be a big surprise I’d want to know more about other things too.

I’m not saying that everyone is out to get us and to build a bomb shelter and horde food, toilet paper, guns, gold, etc. I don’t even agree with everything featured on the show. I am however saying just to think and not blindly accept things as the government and companies tell us.

Remember the billions of dollars the USA gave to banks to help our economy? Where did that go? Why didn’t they just give it to the people to help “stimulate” the economy? Question things. Use your mind and the power of free speech (while we still have it).

Any comments about any of this? I’d love to hear it whether you agree or don’t.

Exhausted

I’m so exhausted. I’m surprised I’m getting this post in even. I hope it all makes sense and I don’t fall asleep while typing it.

I’ve been working from open until rush was over pretty much all week so far and I only get one day off this week and it isn’t until Sunday. Only two people work during the day (manager and me, the driver) so we get to do everything. Fun stuff let me tell you.

What makes it really worse than anything though is that I’m not just exhausted. I have severe stomach pain (and all the lovely things that go with that), joint pain, and other things I don’t really want to get into.

Basically, I’ve had stomach issues for a few years and my old doctor couldn’t figure out what it was even with an endoscopy and look at my stomach from the inside. I’ve been told I have acid reflux, anemia, IBS, etc. Medication for it didn’t work so obviously that is not it.

With some help and with Dr. Oz’s show on celiac disease, I think I may have that. I have most of the symptoms for it. I’m going to get the blood test for it hopefully soon. If I have it, it would be nice to know. It will also be really hard to deal with because it means I can’t have gluten. In other words, no bread or pasta and many other things that contain gluten in it. No treatment or pill I can take either, only “treatment” for it is – not having gluten.

Oh, and to top it all off I have a headlight out and my other one that was messed up from the deer accident a few years ago still isn’t working right. Hopefully it can all be fixed tomorrow. If not well I’ll be even more irritated and exhausted than I am right now.

Faerie Wisdom Book and Card Set

The Faerie Wisdom Book and Card Set by Gillian Kemp is as it says, “A Faerie-sent Book of Wisdom.”

The set contains 52 magical message cards with a book which explains about faeries, shows how to lay the cards and give a reading and then how to interpret the cards.

“Faeries teach the principles of right and good conduct and help humans to make the best decision at moments of change, in just the same way that faeries themselves choose to be in the human world. Faeries are both revered and feared, but only the pure of heart can see them. All peoples throughout the world, from Europe to Australia have believed in the legend of these supernatural creatures.”

The cards each contain a faerie message from all aspects of faerie lore “from the troll who lives under the earth to the healing roots of the trees to the mischief-making imps and pixies.” The cards are beautifully illustrated and when used properly can help you make decisions or answer questions you have about your life. Even though it is for “entertainment purposes only” it really is fun and helpful to use. I used the cards to ask some personal questions in my life. I did get some very relevant answers and hopefully the outcomes do indeed come true.

The author of this set, Gillian Kemp is an internationally acclaimed author of magic books and is also a clairvoyant and medium. She uses astrology, tarot cards, a crystal ball, and tea leaves. She really knows what she is talking about and this set is an amazing source to faerie land.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the Faerie Wisdom Book and Card Set. The book was especially informative of faeries and was a fantastic resource for using the card set. It also had many different layouts of cards that I’ve never seen before, so I loved that! The card set was so beautifully illustrated that I had fun even just looking through all of the pictures of the faeries.

* Thank you to CICO Books and Ryland Peters & Small for providing me a copy to review.

So You Think You Can Dance

Have you been watching this season of So You Think You Can Dance? I love it! Not sure which season is my favorite though. I love so many of the routines the show has had. Here are a couple of my favorites so far from this season.


Ashleigh and Jakob performing to Relax


Russell, Kevin and Legacy performing to a hip hop routine

My favorite dancers are Legacy and Ashleigh. I was so relieved that Ashleigh wasn’t voted off because she couldn’t dance last week due to an injury. However, Legacy somehow was voted out and won’t make it to the finale. At least this gives us a chance to see Ashleigh and her hubby Ryan dance together!

Are you watching this season? Any favorite routines or dancers?

The Sims 3 Review

You’ve seen the commercials, ads and even some videos or screenshots of The Sims 3 by now, right? It isn’t an unknown or obscure video game franchise by any means. Why should you play it though, or perhaps give it to someone as a present?

I’ve been playing The Sims since it first came out and then all of the expansion packs to add to it. I hopped on board for The Sims 2 games too. It is one of my favorite video games to play and I can get lost in my own Sim-world for hours on end. It never really gets boring and you can’t really run out of new ideas to play around with either. The Sims 3 though brings the gaming experience to another level.

The graphics are so much better than The Sims and The Sims 2! That is to be expected, but it is amazing!

Character customization is fantastic! You can create a Sim that you want to look like, a funny looking one, or even one of yourself. Check me out as a Sim. You can even give them favorites and character traits. I gave mine: Bookworm, Artistic, Charismatic, Computer Whiz and Lucky.

I also downloaded the Toyota Prius (free download) from The Sims 3 Store online. It looks sort of like the Toyota Celica I have, so I had to get it for her too!



The lessons at the beginning really help in explaining how to play The Sims 3. It is different from The Sims and The Sims 2 as it goes into much more detail and allows you to fully move around your town as your Sim.

After you moved your Sim into a house or lot you wish to build a house on, you can get started playing as your selected Sim. The biggest thing to watch for is the “needs” tab which monitors how your Sim is feeling. You have to make sure your Sim eats, uses the bathroom, goes to sleep, is social, bathes and is having a fun time. If you don’t want to monitor your Sim at all times, you can go into the Game Options and give your Sims “high free will” and even extend their lifetime so they don’t age or age slowly.

Your Sim also needs a job to make money and fulfill career wishes and goals. I started my Sim out as a part-time worker at the bookstore. She started writing novels on the side and started earning so much money in royalties each week that she quit the job at the bookstore.



I would have had her delivering pizza in there too, but I couldn’t find that as a part-time career option. Maybe they’ll offer that in future expansions. You can however order pizza still.



I love how they setup the novel writing feature because you can learn new styles of writing and even name the novels you write. Same goes for paintings your Sim creates. I also really like how the “Skills” tab which keeps track of all of your Sim’s learned skills also shows your statistics of each skill and further challenges to master that skill even further.

Your Sim’s social interactions are much more advanced than previous versions of The Sims too. You can interact with other Sims (depending on your Sim’s characteristics) in an amusing, funny, flirty, charismatic and romantic ways.

I didn’t focus on too many relationships right away. I played in the anti-aging mode (too bad that mode isn’t available in real life) and focused on my writing, painting, gardening and cooking skills. I did however find a perfect Sim to interact with from the Sims Exchange, a Robert Pattinson Sim!

Needless to say, it was love at first sight!

Your Sim has immediate wishes and lifetime wishes too. When fulfilling these wishes, you get “lifetime happiness” which gives you points to purchase rewards like being “extra creative.”

Some other big changes that I really enjoy include: being able to garden and harvest food, the bookshelves contain books and fill up as you buy more, the refrigerator is able to store food and meals you already prepared, your Sim has an inventory including a cell phone and you can put items into your inventory, being able to jog around town, I also love the Sims exchange and store which has great items available for easy download to your game (some do have a fee though).

I highly encourage any gamer to check out this video game. If you’ve played The Sims in the past, or are new to The Sims, you don’t want to miss out on The Sims 3. This is also a perfect gift for a gamer on your list for the holidays, their birthday or just as a fun present in-between.

You all know how much I love the Twilight Saga, so check out a funny parody of New Moon made with The Sims 3.



Before playing The Sims 3, make sure your computer is up to par with the system requirements or it may not work or run poorly. System Requirements can be viewed at http://www.thesims3.com/game/systemreq

Thank you to the publisher of The Sims 3, Electronic Arts and Gamers Gate for providing me a digital copy of The Sims 3 and allowing me to review one of my favorite games of all time.

Guild Wars 2 Trailer: The Races of Tyria

Check out the new trailer to Guild Wars 2. In this one you can see more of the game and the races that you can play in it. In the original Guild Wars game you can only play as a human. So, I'm looking forward to playing as a Sylvari. If you play (or want to), which do you want to try out?



Amazing that they still won't be making you pay to play each month huh?

A Vampyre Story: Video Game Review

A Vampyre Story is a point and click adventure game in a 2D world where you play as Mona De Lafitte – a vampire who doesn’t quite believe she is a vampire. She thinks she drinks wine, not blood!

The story is that the vampire that turned Mona into a vampire, Baron Shrowdy Von Kiefer is keeping her at Castle Warg in Draxsylvania surrounded by water (and Inky – a lake monster) and has somehow cursed her so that she can’t turn into a bat and just fly away. He loves her, but she can’t stand him.

Mona wants to leave the castle with her bat friend Froderick so that she can return to Paris, France and resume her singing career. We won’t know the ending to that until more chapters of this story come out though.

The characters and world are much like a humorous cartoon filled with clichés that are quite funny – at first. After awhile though, it seems a bit overplayed. I also found Mona to be irritatingly funny.

The gameplay itself is easy to move around in the 2D world. However, not being able to move around freely wasn’t very freeing. It was too structured for my liking, but once I figured out how to move around quicker (right click on the arrow to immediately change rooms) and see everything that is interactable (press Tab) it wasn’t so bad.

Graphics for the game are fun and the best cartoon vampires I’ve seen. The voice acting was also spot on from the main characters to the smaller parts like the “rat pack.”

Overall, I found A Vampyre Story to be a cute gothic humorous story fun and well worth playing.



System requirements
• Windows XP / Windows Vista
• CPU 1,6 GHz
• 512 MB RAM
• 256 MB Graphics Card GeForce FX- Generation or ATI Radeon 9500
• 3 GB hard drive space
• DirectX 9.0 compatible
• DirectX 9.0 compatible Soundcard


* Big thanks to the publisher of A Vampyre Story, Crimson Cow and Gamers Gate for providing the download for me to review this fangtastic game.

Sculpting Mythical Creatures out of Polymer Clay

Sculpting Mythical Creatures out of Polymer Clay by Dinko and Boris Tilov is a magnificently beautiful how to book that teaches you how to make gnomes, pixies, Halflings, fairies, mermaids, gorgons, vampires, griffins, sphinxes, unicorns, centaurs, leviathans and dragons out of polymer clay.

This book is an excellent source for learning how to create the mythical creatures in this book because it was written by internationally known clay sculpting experts. The projects outlined in this book are done so that each project gets more difficult as you progress through the book.

Gnomes are the first project, and while it isn’t my favorite – they actually end up being quite cute in an odd sort of way. It is also shown step by step (as in all sections) on how to do it as well as variations on the project if you want to make something a bit different.

The fairies chapter is my favorite section, even if it is a bit more difficult. The braided hair, fairy wings and clothing looks quite difficult but it gives an enchanting effect. I love too that they show that the wings could easily be made into a butterfly – quite easily too.

The vampire section is also another favorite of mine; my only suggestion was that the vampires should have been made out of white clay (not green). If I ever get really good at making these, I could make variations of the Cullens from Twilight.

The characters are all great for inspiration and the knowledge on making these mythical creatures could be used to make other mythical creatures - or real creatures as well.

The resource page in the back of the book is also a fantastic addition for this book. It is really helpful for those that want to learn more about sculpting, polymer clay, mythical creatures and more.

Overall, I think that Sculpting Mythical Creatures out of Polymer Clay is an extraordinary book that really is able to help everyone from beginners to experts on sculpting these mythical creatures out of polymer clay. I highly recommend it to anyone that is looking for a whimsical creative journey into a mythical world of fun.

New Glasses and a New Look

Last week I had my first real eye exam and found out that I do indeed need glasses. The doctor said it is a small prescription for them, and I don’t have to wear them all the time. I waited until Saturday to get them because of Thanksgiving I had to wait an extra day.

So, here I am in my new Burberry glasses. Cute huh? Not the best picture, but it isn’t easy to do with a regular digital camera while holding it yourself okay?

This is my most expensive “accessory” I’ve ever owned. They really get you on everything they can when you buy glasses. Frames, lenses, special extras like anti-glare and scratch and whatever really adds up! Luckily I was able to go with their “buy one get one free” special so I also got sunglasses. Unfortunately, they aren’t Burberry, but they are cute!

I remember in high school I wanted to get some fake glasses to wear to work so I’d look smart. People don’t always take women seriously, and add being blonde to that and well you get the picture.

Now though, I have to wear them to work. Driving (especially at night) I really need to wear them. Plus, I like being able to see trees as trees and not something like from a Monet painting.

Do you have any glasses stories you’d like to share with me? I’d love to hear it!

Criminal Minds “The Performer” featuring a vampire Gavin Rossdale

While going through some old shows I had on my DVR today, I started watching Criminal Minds. It is one of my favorite FBI-type shows. They also have had some awesome guest actors like Jackson Rathbone (Jasper from Twilight) last year.

While watching the episode “The Performer” I noticed that the character of a singer named Dante who dresses up and acts like a vampire was actually being played by Gavin Rossdale!

Remember him? Lead singer from Bush (before they split up), was in a band called Institute, is a solo artist now… was Balthazar in the movie Constantine… oh and is married to Gwen Stefani? I have had a huge celeb-crush on him since I was 13! I’m 26… so that’d be half my life… wow I feel old.

Anyways, the episode is great and brings my love for vampires with Gavin Rossdale… if you missed it I suggest watching it online somewhere or catching it the next time it is on. It is great!

A New Job, GPS and Glasses

I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t been posting as much as usual, sorry! I will try to remedy that after Thanksgiving. Scratch that, after Black Friday because I have to work that day too.

My new job has had me working everyday. Not long hours, which is fine with me but I’ve been busy. For those curious, the job is as a pizza delivery girl. I’m not saying which company, but the outfit is much less hot than this one pictured here. I don’t remember if I mentioned it on here, but I used to work for a pizza company as a delivery girl back when I was in college. I made really good tips because it was a college town and I’m pretty nice.

I’m grateful to have found a job around here because I’ve been looking for a very long time for one. It seems to be all about “who you know” rather than “what you know.” Apparently having a Bachelor’s degree from an actual university means little unless you’re related to someone hiring or knows someone really well to whom is hiring. Quite sad and unfair but it is reality.

Obviously it isn’t my dream job. I want to write professionally for a living, but that is hard to do. I’m going to continue to write as a freelancer and on Associated Content and ghost writing for the company I’m with for that. I also plan to start writing my novel again when I can.

The area I’m delivering in is pretty nice. The people who work there are cool and helpful. The only thing I really dislike is the AWFUL street sign placements (if they are up even) in Alabama. It is terrible. The signs don’t go like logical street signs would be placed. No, it is backwards and confusing and I just can’t seem to get used to it.

I resorted to buying a GPS before Black Friday. I plan on returning it anyways since 2/3 orders I went to last night weren’t even listed on the map on the GPS. Thanks for nothing Garmin! Hopefully I can buy one cheap online on Friday. I really don’t have the time to go early in the morning anywhere (though it may still happen).

Tomorrow I have off, but I have to go get an eye exam and I’m 99% sure I will need glasses. I’ve never had a real eye exam. So, I’m a little scared. Things are kind of blurry far away and it is hard for me to read some things far away too. I just hope that if I do need glasses (which I do) I’ll find some frames that look good on me where I’m going.

After the exam, I’m going to see New Moon – finally! I’m excited. I’ll post more on that tomorrow!

1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse by Garth Johnson

1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse by Garth Johnson is a fantastic reference and idea resource book for “creative reuse, remake, restyle, recycle and renew.”

I originally thought that this book was more of a “how-to” style book. It isn’t and I really didn’t mind after looking through all of the 1,000 images. Each image is numbered and lists the artist’s name and country. If you look at the back of the book though, you can lookup in the “Image Directory” what the picture is of and what materials were used. This makes for a fun game while browsing through the book.

Here are some of my favorites in each of the sections:

Paper, Collage & Assemblage – paper teddy bear, many beautiful magazine collages, re-used books and even wearable jewelry.

Couture & Soft Goods – this was my favorite section because it concerned fashion. It has some really cool reconstructed fashion and even some that would be very wearable. Some were just for photos like the couture cardboard and plastic dresses. There were some cute accessories too like the measuring tape purse and an old Victoria’s Secret bag reused as a sturdier and reusable bag.

Jewelry & Adornments – this section also sparked many ideas for me. It has beautiful ideas for reconstructed jewelry of all types. There were also some very interesting steampunk fashionables. There were some photos in here that were rather odd or scary featuring jewelry made with many Barbie doll parts.

Geek & Man Craft – this section has some really fun things related to computers, jewelry and robot-like things. All very unique!

Housewares & Furnishings – this section features some fascinating ideas for reusing items for furniture like a chair made out of a shopping cart, a sofa made out of an old bathtub, candles out of old wine bottles and a beautiful light fixture made with many glass bottles all around it.

Art, Interiors & Installations – there is beautiful artwork featured in this section from ordinary things like credit cards to laundry detergent bottles and artwork made out of clothing.

The resources found in the back of the book are fabulous. The “Image Directory” does a great job explaining further what the pictures are of and what was used. The “Directory of Contributors” is an even better way to find more information on the ideas featured and even ways to purchase some of them.

Overall, I found this book to be an excellent eco-friendly book that gives great ideas and inspiration on reusing things you may consider junk and turn it into something beautiful.

Dentist Fun, Shopping and Survivor – oh my!

Today I went in for a new patient exam, x-ray and cleaning at the dentist. I had a huge issue with some teeth back in June that I had fixed but since I figured it was time I went in for real, I made an appointment and was able to get in pretty quickly.

Going to the dentist with no insurance is not cheap. So I was waiting for when I had some more cashflow coming in before I could go back. I was hired for a job (not one I really want as a career) but a job that gives me cash (tips) and an hourly wage. I’ll talk more about this (maybe) later when I’m working there longer.

The exam and x-rays and cleaning were extensive. It took 3 hours and was really quite interesting. It was much more high tech than my last dentist (granted that was like 4 years ago). It was kinda cool even and usually I quite dislike going to the dentist because pain is involved.

Well, I have a pretty bad cavity on the upper right I need to get filled and one next to it. So, I’m getting 3 filled on the right side ASAP. Then I have 3 more minor ones to do at another time (soonish) after that. Not cheap but it really needs to be done before those turn into big problems too.

I’ve decided even if I don’t have dental insurance, I really need to go 2 times a year for checkups so these issues don’t happen anymore. I don’t like the pain of it and I need to take better care of my teeth.

Next year I also hope to get invisilgn. This is also not cheap. It is braces, sorta. My teeth aren’t the worst but they make me really insecure about myself. Plus, it’ll help fix some of my other dental issues. So, that is my plan for next year. Hopefully it’ll happen.

After the dentist I went to the mall.

Free Victoria’s Secret panties card/coupon I just had to redeem ya know? I Can’t let that go to waste!

I stopped by the book store (usual stop while at the mall) and found a “last chance” section where all books were only $1. Seriously, did I just leave the dentist’s office and walk into a little piece of heaven at the local mall? Free panties, $1 books…. Chik-fil-a…



To make it even better, I found a nice pair of jeans on sale that fit perfect. Again… heaven! Plus some really cute zebra print flannel PJ bottoms. I know what you’re thinking… cute, lame, funny, rawr, etc., but I love them!

Pretty good day and then Survivor made it even better. Tonight’s episode was true Survivor blindside when someone’s dream of winning $1 million was smashed by someone using a secret hidden immunity idol that he didn’t even have a clue to know where to find it (again)! I don’t like Russell as a person, but he is a great player in the game of Survivor. Plus, also in this episode Natalie killed and ate a rat! I get that they are hungry, really hungry… but now she is forever going to known as “rat girl” – worth it or not? I think not!

Fun Christmas Gifts from Everything But Flowers

It isn’t even Thanksgiving yet and people are already shopping for Christmas presents and decorating their houses for the Christmas season. Getting prepared with all the presents ready and no last minute shopping is the ideal thing to do after all.

Everything But Flowers is an online store that has some fun and fabulous Christmas Gifts for friends and family. They can also do customizing on some items for a truly unique present.

I’d love to get any of the Crabtree & Evelyn gift sets, wine, perfume or luxe candles. If I could afford it, I’d give the Glamourflage Goddess Collection to all my female friends and family members. So cute!

Have you started doing your Christmas shopping yet? Are you a last minute shopper?

The Perfect Meme

Wow. I’ve had this meme stored for a rainy day. It is even raining (quite a bit) today, so I figured I’d go ahead and post this now. I found it over at Andhari’s blog a long, long time ago. Go ahead and participate too, even if it is a bit late…

Since I’m really wanting to watch Bridget Jones Diary and can’t find it on TV and don’t have it on DVD (I don’t know why either, I love it), and because people have told me I look like Renee Zellweger (when she isn’t super skinny – so maybe when she was Bridget Jones) I’m going to add in pictures from the movie and of her. Enjoy!


• The perfect outfit : Depends on the event! My favorite outfit though is always a nice pair of jeans (dark colored but not too dark blue) that look great and a nice fashionable top with cute shoes and a great purse. Accessories would include studded earrings on the top hole and dangle gemstone ones on the bottom (I have 2 earring holes in each ear), 2 or three rings that go with the outfit and an awesome necklace.

• The perfect meal : Oh gosh, probably something Italian. I love Italian restaurants. Start with a nice salad, fried calamari, chicken parmagana with either risotto or some pasta and if there is room for dessert I’d try something new they specialize in.

• The perfect road trip : My recent New Orleans trip with my Mom was pretty awesome. We drove down there and had a great time!

• The perfect facial feature : Eyes. You can tell a lot by looking into someone’s eyes.

• The perfect drink : Non-alcoholic – water. Alcoholic – daiquiris.

• The perfect hangover cure : Lots of water, if I can eat then maybe grilled cheese?



• The perfect song : I love too many to pick just one!

• The perfect sign of affection : Hugs.

• The perfect afternoon : Going shopping, out to dinner and then to a movie.

• The perfect vacation : A LONG tour of Europe. I would love love love to go tour Europe.

• The perfect type of wedding : A wedding with only close family and friends and on both sides at a beautiful castle in England or Ireland.

• The perfect album : I absolutely loved the Twilight soundtrack.

• The perfect accent : English – British. Swoon!

• The perfect date : Something awesome Bachelor/ette style. Just kidding that isn’t real life, not that I’d object to such dates….

• The perfect weather : I love the rain, cold and snow. Not all at once though.

• The perfect party : Great friends, music, food, drinks, etc.

• The perfect sport : I used to love playing softball. I like to watch basketball games though if I am there. Not so much on the TV though.

• The perfect thing to say : I love you.

• The perfect day of the week : All days of the weekend!





XOXO – Sheri Rene
(yes, that is my real middle name even… weird huh?)

Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Paul Meier, MD and David L. Henderson MD

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program I was able to review the book Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Paul Meier, MD and David Livingstone Henderson, MD.

I chose to review this book because everyone needs a little help with finding the purpose to our pain sometimes, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

I do however have to admit that this book was hard for me to get through. Not because it is hard for me to look at myself and see the purpose of pain, but because of all of the scriptures in the bible. For some people it may be very comforting, but for me it isn’t. I liked reading some of it, but for most I’ll pass.

The book does contain some really great stories about people who suffered through various losses and rejections and dealt with them, but nothing really spoke to me.

I am glad that I read it and some of it was worth reading, and I’ll hang onto it for the future where I may enjoy reading it more. For now though, it is going onto a bookshelf in a non-prominent spot.


Book Description
A revolutionary approach to dealing with life's challenges that guides readers in how to face them and to recognize them as gifts from God.

At one time or another everyone finds themselves questioning, "Does God still love me? Is there a purpose for all this pain?" Drs. Meier and Henderson teach readers how to face painful struggles head-on in a way that allows them to grow and mature emotionally and spiritually. In this timely book they explore the seven most common life challenges:

* Injustice
* Rejection
* Loneliness
* Loss
* Discipline
* Failure
* Death

In addition they offer the three reasons we often miss the gifts these challenges can be. This unique approach to an age-old problem will encourage and challenge readers to grow through their struggles instead of wasting energy trying to avoid them altogether.

Goddess, Guide Me! by Amy Zerner & Monte Farber

Goddess, Guide Me is a delightfully created and designed enchanted oracle by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber. It is completely interactive and allows you to easily use the oracle even if you are brand new to using such oracles.

“Award-winning artist Amy Zerner has created symbol-filled tapestry portraits of twelve multicultural goddesses from our world's rich herstory. Each three-part portrait and its accompanying text by her husband, best-selling self-help author Monte Farber, offer timeless advice that addresses and attunes three aspects of your life—head, heart, and home. When your logical side and your emotional, intuitive side are working together, you will naturally manifest your dreams and talents.

Call upon the archetypal wisdom of each goddess and her specialty to help you to symbolically weave the tapestry of your life: Aphrodite for love, Hekat for making magic, Lakshmi for wealth, Artemis for healing, Brigit for communicating, Atlantia for excitement, Freyja for direction, Romi Kumu for willpower, Diviana for nurturing, T'ai Yuan for partnership, Eurzulie for intuition, and Pasowee for endurance.” – Goddess, Guide Me!

The guidebook included is really great with explaining how to correctly center yourself before asking questions for the oracle to help you with. Each of the die corresponds to either the head, heart or home. That number then is used to make up a unique portrait of a Goddess to give you a unique picture and reading to go with your question.

The questions I asked did actually give me readings that went with the question I asked on a personal level. The portraits also seemed to reveal certain things that I was able to associate with the question/answer as well. I’m quite surprised and happy by the outcome of the readings.

I didn’t use any of the rituals with the Goddesses also included in the book, but they look quite interesting. My Goddess (associated with Leos) is Freyja and her’s is “Stand Out and Sine!” which I plan on trying out in the future.

Overall, I really enjoyed Goddess, Guide Me! and would highly recommend it to those who are in need of some assistance from the Goddess and those who like new age products too.

Contains: A wire-bound book with 12 mix-and-match goddesses portrayed in Amy Zerner's NEA award-winning fabric-collage tapestry style, a 60-page instructional guidebook, and 3 color-coded 12-sided oracle dice.

Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim - Review

Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim is the official sequel to the best-selling game Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim of 2000.

It is a video game on the PC where you play as the ruler of Ardania. Your advisor in the game guides you along in the campaign which includes 16 missions, divided into 4 chapters. There are also single missions and online playing with multiple players.

You decide where buildings are built, but the heroes and peasants have a mind of their own and do as they wish in the game. If they want to explore, fight or defend it is up to them. This makes for very interesting game play. You can encourage them to do your wishes by placing monetary rewards on the action you wish to be carried out.

The tutorial at the beginning of the campaign missions is easy to play and understand – even for new video game players. The advisor explains how to move the angles, build buildings for heroes, commerce, fight monsters, etc. The voice for the advisor sounds like Sean Connery, which was really quite a fun spin on the video game.



The missions after the tutorial weren’t as easy, but that should be expected. I was stuck on “The Royal Feat” mission for quite a few tries. The dragon was really hard to defeat! The game is so addictive though that I didn’t mind failing missions and restarting because it is fun and overall that gives me more game time to play it with.

The graphics in Majesty 2 are the best I’ve ever played in a strategy game and the fantasy element of it really won me over. It beats just building a city with no real objective that is for sure!

There were a few problems I had with the game though, but nothing I wouldn’t stop playing it for. It does take a long time to save a game, and it did crash out on me a few times for unknown reasons (even with updated drivers and the patch).



There are also a few things I wish you could do in Majesty 2 that aren’t available. It would be nice if you could destroy a building yourself (and maybe get some gold back too). A freestyle map option would also be fun for those not wanting to do a mission, and just play and build a city for fun too.

Overall, I think that Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim is a must play game for anyone who likes a good strategy game or likes fantasy games. You won’t be sorry if you give this game a chance!

Inspiring Hope Giveaway Winner Is…

The Inspiring Hope Giveaway from MyBlogSpark and PinkTogether.com has ended and the winner has been randomly chosen from randomizer.org and the winner is Beth!

Congratulations, I hope you enjoy the basket from PinkTogether! I’m e-mailing you right now to let you know you won and to get the information needed to send this awesome package to you.

Guild Wars: Halloween 2009

Guild Wars is one of the games I play semi-regularly. I’ve played it off and on since a few weeks after it was released in 2005. I like that it is FREE to play each month (no pesky charges is a major plus for me). Plus, they have fun holiday content.

This year I also had some fun in the Costume Brawl which I never participated in before. I didn’t get enough party points and candy to get the maxed title on that yet, but I’ll get it one day.

Here are some fun pictures from Halloween on Guild Wars this year…



Here is one I took in-game today when the Mad King was giving us treats and killing his disobedient servants (and those who were AFK).



Here is one of my character after I got the Skeleton Mask given out this year.



Happy Halloween!

Flashback Friday – Halloween Pictures!

In the spirit of it being the Eve of Halloween, today’s Flashback Friday will be short and sweet featuring a few fun Halloween pictures of yours truly.

This was me on Halloween in 1990 before I went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood I lived in. I was a Fairy Godmother and pretty darn cute if I must say. I don't remember how much candy I took home or what my friends dressed up as that year, but I am positive I had a fun Halloween (I almost always do).

I loved this costume because I also wore the pink dress when I was a flower girl in a cousin’s wedding. I was an eco-friendly and fairy loving kid even then!

Even though I didn’t post this early today, I hope that those that do see this will join in the fun and post a picture or two of them from Halloween’s Past to share with all of us. If you do please comment so I will be sure to not miss it!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween tomorrow!

XOXO
Sheri - Your Fairy Godmother



P.S. – Don’t forget to enter my giveaway from PinkTogether!

Jack Daniel’s Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program I was able to review the new Jack Daniel’s Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook by Lynne Tolley and Pat Mitchamore.

I chose to review this book because I’m a novice chef and learning to cook and read recipes I want to learn to cook is fun for me. Jack Daniel’s is also a Southern favorite, so it was only natural for me to want to read this cookbook.

Jack Daniel’s Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook reveals the rich tradition of country cooking, the distinctive taste of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, and the heritage of rural America are all elegantly captured in Jack Daniel's The Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook. Included are more than 350 recipes, stunning full-color photographs, and stories of the people, places, and traditions of Middle Tennessee. Illustrated and indexed.

I enjoyed reading through this cookbook and found quite a few recipes for food and drinks that I will be making in the future. The stories and photographs featured throughout the cookbook gave a warm feel of the people of Tennessee and bring the traditions to life. My favorite story was about men whittling pieces of wood because I’ve seen this tradition numerous times while visiting Southern states.

My favorite drinks featured in the cookbook are: Chocolate Jack, Champagne Punch and Jack Sour.

The food recipes all sounded delicious, but these are my favorites: Pecan Chicken Salad, Spinach Tarts, Hot Weather Herbed Tomato Soup, Spiked Cherry Salad, Broccoli and Rice Casserole, Georgia Peach Muffins, Hushpuppies, Banana Fritters, Banana Raisin Bread, Miss Mary’s Famous Chicken with Pastry, Intoxicated Chicken, Tennessee Curled Cookies and Jack Daniel’s Brownies and Glaze.

With the help of this cookbook, I’ll be able to make some favorite Southern home cooked meals!

Giveaway - Inspiring Hope Gift Basket

I have another amazing giveaway for you guys to enter thanks to MyBlogSpark and PinkTogether.com.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and PinkTogether.com is an online community on MySpace.com that has support, comfort and encourages those touched by breast cancer and allows them to connect to one another.

About PinkTogether.com
On PinkTogether.com everyone can share hope by posting and reading inspiring stories of breast cancer survivors and supporters within the community.

The site is part of Pink Together®, a national campaign to support those impacted by breast cancer and to help raise awareness of the disease. To support Pink Together, General Mills is donating $2 million to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and is turning the packaging pink in October on an assortment of its most beloved brands. General Mills will also donate $1, up to $20,000, each time you post a comment of encouragement, send a virtual flower bouquet or share a story on PinkTogether.com in October.

Giveaway – Inspiring Hope Gift Basket
I am able to give one winner in the USA (sorry international readers!) the inspiring hope gift basket which includes: a sleeved travel mug, running ribbon charm bracelet, pink leather strap keychain, pink cinch bag, and a set of inspirational note cards. Gift basket is valued at almost $60.

All of the gift basket items are from ShopKomen.com where 25% of the merchandise purchase price benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in the fight against breast cancer.



If you would like to enter to win, please leave a comment for each entry so the randomizer works as it is supposed to.


1 Entry – Visit PinkTogether.com and let me know you did so by commenting here.
1 Entry – Follow my Blog.
3 Entries – Blog about my giveaway on your Blog.


Entries accepted until Midnight EST on November 1, 2009. Good luck!

Jonathan Jackson Returns to General Hospital as Lucky Spencer

General Hospital has been the one and only real daytime soap opera I have watched since I was a kid. My mom watched it and then it was on after I got home from school, so I continued watching it and needless to say, I haven’t stopped.

One of my childhood crushes was on General Hospital – Lucky Spencer. The original Lucky was played by Jonathan Jackson and he was close to my age, so it was great. I even sent him fan mail and got a (probably reproduced) autographed picture even. Ahhh childhood crushes on celebrities that never go away.

When Jonathan Jackson stopped playing Lucky Spencer, I was crushed. Actors Jacob Young and Greg Vaughan resumed as Lucky but they were never really Lucky too me.

Today’s episode of General Hospital brought back Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer and I was so excited! I usually TiVo GH, but today I watched it with commercials and all so I wouldn’t miss it (in case the power went out or TiVo screwed up ya know?)!

I really hope that they keep him as Lucky and that he will want to keep the role for awhile (forever). Nobody can play Lucky like Jonathan!

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters Giveaway Winner Is…

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters "Snack Pack" prize pack Giveaway from MyBlogSpark has ended and the winner has been chosen....

I used the randomizer.org to come up with a winner by random and the winner is... Yaya!

Congratulations, I hope you enjoy the prize package as much as I do! I’m e-mailing you right now to let you know you won and to get the information needed to send this awesome package to you.

If you didn’t win, I have more contests coming so check back soon for those!

New Super Mario Bros Wii – Plays for You!

I remember back when I was a kid I actually had to play the video games to beat it. It took dedication and talent. Now the New Super Mario Bros for Wii will go into a “Kind Code” (::cough:: cheat) if you die numerous times and allow the game to play itself if you wish so you can get past levels. WTF?!?

I get that they are claiming this game is super hard, but really? Is it not enough the kids don’t want to even play on the Wii Fit now they can be so lazy they don’t even have to have the skills required to beat a game anymore?

The game does look fun (watch video below) and if I ever had a Wii and played it, I would never use this cheat mode. If I failed at the game so badly and I couldn’t beat it myself (which I doubt), I’d give up (which also wouldn’t happen).

Read more about it in this article: Mysteries of the New Super Mario Bros. Wii "Kind Code" Revealed

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters Review + Giveaway

Thanks to MyBlogSpark I was able to review the new Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters in Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew and Honey Roasted Peanut. I was really excited when I got this package in the mail because I love doing reviews and giveaways and this one is very eco-friendly (which I love even more).

New Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters come in four easy-to-crave flavors: Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew and Honey Roasted Peanut. My favorite was the Roasted Cashew, but they all taste really good. I also love the fact that they are re-sealable so they won't go stale and are easily re-opened later. This is definitely something I will be buying in the future.


Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters Info
Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters are a bite size blend of 100% natural ingredients that include select roasted nuts, whole grain oats and a touch of honey - a wholesome and delicious pick-me-up any time of the day. If you love nuts, you´ll enjoy this flavorful little snack featuring the perfect combination of sweet & salty flavors paired with a crunchy texture that you can see and taste. And with the first unique cluster-shaped granola packaged in a handy re-sealable pouch, it´s perfect for sharing on the trails or in your living room!


Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters "Snack Pack" prize pack
I am able to give one winner in the USA (sorry international readers!) a prize pack that includes all four (4) varieties of the Granola Nut Clusters along with a sling backpack, stainless steel water bottle, flashlight and binoculars!


If you would like to enter to win, please leave a comment for each entry so the randomizer works as it is supposed to.


1 Entry – Tell me what your favorite elements of nature are.
1 Entry – Follow my Blog.
3 Entries – Blog about my giveaway on your Blog.


Entries accepted until Midnight on October 26, 2009. Good luck!

Bunny Accessories Kit Winner Is...

The Bunny Accessories Kit Giveaway from Lingerie Diva has ended and the winner has been chosen....

I used the randomizer.org to come up with a winner by random and the winner is... Karen!

Congratulations on winning the costume - I hope you love it! I'm going to contact you right now to find out where to send it. Enjoy!

If you didn't win, you can still go to their website and buy one or something else you'd like. They have great costumes and lingerie!

Plus, these costumes are 25% off until Sunday!

The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville

Thanks to Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program I was able to review The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville. Best selling author and journalist Deborah Norville researches for this book the importance of respect in our daily lives and in society as a whole.

I selected this book because respect seems to be a lost value in our society with the younger generations (my generation included) and thought it would be a great resource in achieving success of my own.

The book cites scientific studies and uses stories based on her personal interviews about the power of respect. Norville reveals the importance and benefits of respect in areas of our lives such as: personally and with others, marriage and parenting, classrooms and education, business and leadership.

The Power of Respect is a great book that the reader can really learn quite a bit from. Respecting others as well as yourself is a key element to success – and this book tells you all about it. The ways to develop your own self respect as outlined by Norville really can help others achieve their own successes in life.

Norville did an amazing job with this book. It is an excellent book that people from all generations can appreciate.

Moon Swept by Rebecca York

Moon Swept includes two complete novels: Witching Moon and Crimson Moon written by Ruth Glick writing as Rebecca York.

I bought this in the bargain section a month or so ago at a book store. I’m not usually into werewolf books (I prefer vampires), but I thought I’d give this one a try. I mean for just under $4 it had two books in one.

Witching Moon is the paranormal love story of Adam Marshal (werewolf) and Sara Weston (witch). Their supernatural powers are enhanced by the swamp by where they live and bad witches have moved back to town to get revenge on those who forced their families to move out many years ago.

It sounds like it could be an okay read, right? So wrong. It took me forever to get through this book and usually I read really fast (if it is something I enjoy reading). This was worse than assigned readings in high school.

The author way overused the word “probably” and changed the point of view not just each chapter but throughout the chapter too. I was so annoyed reading it I almost just tossed the book in the trash halfway through.

I didn’t even bother reading the second novel Crimson Moon included in this catastrophe of a paranormal romance book.

Anyone know of any GOOD paranormal romance books to check out?