Peace in the Present Moment

Peace in the Present Moment includes photographs by Michele Penn, foreword by Stephen Mitchell, and select quotations from A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and A Thousand Names for Joy by Bryon Katie.


Book Description
“With selected quotations from A New Earth and A Thousand Names for Joy, this stunning gift book combines selected wisdom from Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie with vibrant photos of nature’s most colorful gift, the flower.

Conceived by award-winning photographer Michele Penn, this volume contains over forty full-color photos of flowers, linked to the core teachings of Tolle and Katie. Each flower and corresponding quotation provide valuable insight into such key concepts as living in the moment, gratitude, nurturing the soul, and much more. There is also an insightful and witty foreword by Stephen Mitchell.

This is a gift book that will be treasured by those who have been touched by the teachings of both of these authors.” – Peace in the Present Moment


My Thoughts
Peace in the Present Moment is an easy and beautiful read. However, if you want to fully grasp the teachings provided by Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie, you will probably want to just read one at a time and savor the present moment with each quote you read.


This is really a perfect gift for those who want to be awakened and in the present moment. Even if you or someone you want to gift this to has read either of the books the quotes were taken from, this is still a very enjoyable book to read and experience. The photographs included with each quote are stunning and really give you something beautiful to look at with each inspirational and invigorating quote.

The quotes selected for the book are perfect and will help to awaken your life. Even if you just want to read one a day, or all in one day, this is really a book worth purchasing. I highly recommend it.



* Thank you to the publisher of Peace in the Present Moment, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Progresso Souper You Giveaway - Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Progresso Souper You Giveaway. I used randomizer to come up with one lucky winner, and the winner is... Shawn! Congratulations, I will e-mail you right now to find out where to send this prize package.

Fairy Necklaces –Perfect Fairy Gifts for Adults!

Looking for the perfect fairy gifts for adults? Well, you are in luck because this fairy lover has some fantastic ideas for you to purchase for gifts (or for yourself). This is the first post in many that I plan on featuring some spectacular fairy artists and beautiful fairy gifts you can purchase.

I love fairies, but aside from Tinkerbell it can be rather difficult finding fairy gifts for adults in regular stores. Tinkerbell gifts for adults? No, thank you! Sure, those are fine if you really love Disney and have a little girl too. However, adults really need something better, but, as I said, it isn’t always easy to find.

The New Age store closest to where I live is an hour away, and it just recently closed down. They didn’t usually have many fairy items, but it was my main hope when I walked into the store. A few years ago though, I gave up hope on “local” stores for fairy items and started purchasing my fairy gifts online, which is where you will be able to also find all of the items I will feature right here on my Blog.

One of my favorite online fairy stores I found is called FairiesandFantasy.com. It features a huge range of fairy and fantasy related items that really do make the perfect fairy gifts for adults.

Fairy jewelry is perhaps my favorite gift because you get to wear fairy artwork. Art prints are of course beautiful ways to show fairies off in your home, but when you wear jewelry with the artwork featured, you get to show it off to the world!

Fairy artwork in a pendant is a really beautiful way to showcase that you love fairies and also have a unique and fun style. There are a wide range of art pendants by Selina Fenech available on the Fairies and Fantasy website. Below are two that I got to try out…


Art Pendant – Dragon Skies by Selina Fenech

This beautiful pendant is made with a lead free pewter setting with an archival print of Selina Fenech’s “Dragon Skies” artwork set under glass. It is 30x50mm in size and can come with either a black beaded necklace or with a Victorian ribbon.

I tried this one with the black beaded necklace. It looks absolutely stunning with the black beads! I wore this with a simple outfit – jeans and a black tee. The only thing special to the outfit was the necklace, and I got tons of compliments with it! It is really a conversation starter and will send other fairy lovers your way to admire the beautiful artwork.


Art Pendant – Roses and Thorns by Selina Fenech

This beautiful pendant is made with a lead free pewter setting with an archival print of Selina Fenech’s “Roses and Thorns” artwork set under glass. It is 30x50mm in size and can come with either a black beaded necklace or with a Victorian ribbon.

I tried this lovely fairy necklace with the pink Victorian ribbon. The pink ribbon complimented this fairy pendant beautifully. It looks great with a pink or white top, but could also really go nicely with black or gray too. It isn’t supposed to attract love, but I like to wear it in hopes that it will.

Both of these necklaces are of fine quality, didn’t ever get caught in my hair, make me itch, or turn my skin green. They are really a great deal and perhaps the best fairy jewelry gifts for adults!

If you are looking for more perfect fairy gifts for adults, you should also check out the fairy mirror compacts, earrings, fairy tarot cards, shoulder bags, figurines and more Fairy and Fantasy Art and Gifts at FairiesandFantasy.com.





* Thank you very much to Fairies and Fantasy for sending me samples of the necklaces for review purposes. All opinions and magical experiences are my own.

The G Free Diet by Elisabeth Hasselbeck

The G Free Diet by Elisabeth Hasselbeck is about her journey to discover she has celiac disease and how she dealt with it. If you or someone you know has this disease or are gluten intolerant, this is really a book you should buy to learn more about it.

Book Description
“For years, Elisabeth Hasselbeck couldn't figure out what was making her sick. She asked doctors and consulted nutritionists, but no one seemed to have any answers. It wasn't until spending time in the Australian Outback, living off the land on the grueling Survivor TV show, that, ironically, her symptoms vanished. Returning home, she pinpointed the food that made her sick -- gluten, the binding element in wheat. By simply eliminating it from her diet, she was able to enjoy a completely normal, healthy life. But that wasn't all. Hasselbeck discovered the myriad benefits that anyone can enjoy from a gluten-free diet: from weight loss and increased energy to even the alleviation of the conditions of autism.

In this all-inclusive book, Hasselbeck shares her hard-earned wisdom on living life without gluten and loving it. She gives you everything you need to know to start living a gluten-free life, from defining gluten - where to find it, how to read food labels - to targeting gluten-free products, creating G-Free shopping lists, sharing recipes, and managing G-Free living with family and friends.” – The G Free Diet


My Thoughts
The G Free Diet is a book that I’ve wanted to read for over a year. I actually saw The View one day when Elisabeth was talking about celiac disease. At the time, I was going through my own battle with my digestive system and when I heard more about celiac disease from her, I decided to do some research about it too. Turns out, she and I are quite similar and I self-diagnosed myself too.

Doctors in our country don’t want to diagnose it, and I wasn’t ever sure why they wouldn’t even run the tests for it (even when I had great insurance). Apparently, there is no money to be made for it by the pharmaceutical company, so they instead tell us we have IBS. I knew that was BS long ago too because not one of those medicines helped me. It just hurt me – and my wallet. So, I suffered for years without knowing why. Luckily, I saw that show on The View to start the push to figure out what was wrong with me. Aren’t shows like that just great?

Elisabeth explains 1 out of 133 people in our country have it, or about 1% of the population. Chances of having it also go up if someone in your family has it (even if they aren’t showing symptoms). Yet, doctors think it is extremely rare. Something really should be done about this because the dangers of continuing to eat gluten if you have celiac disease are not something to take lightly. It could lead to cancer and other autoimmune diseases too.

The G Free Diet helps to explain some of the symptoms of celiac disease and also which tests to ask for when going to the doctor if you are experiencing these symptoms. She also explains what gluten is, and what to avoid when buying at the grocery store, and even what to do or say when going to a restaurant or at a party (which is perhaps the most stressful part of eating when you have celiac disease).


As part of Elisabeth’s job, she has to wear many beauty products, and yes, gluten can show up even in lipstick and hairspray. I found this out years ago about the lipstick, and have avoided wearing any at all and stuck with lip balm. However, Elisabeth gives lists of where to buy gluten free makeup and other beauty products too.

Overall, The G Free Diet by Elisabeth Hasselbeck is really a must buy book if you have celiac disease or if you know someone who does. It will help you to get a better understanding of the disease, what gluten is, what cross contamination can do, and much more. I highly recommend this book.



* Thank you to the publisher of The G Free Diet, Center Street, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Progresso Souper You Giveaway

I love eating soup when on a diet because it is filling, and usually pretty low in calories. I love the Progresso soups because there are a wide range of flavors and are about 100 calories (or less) per serving!

Progresso is having a contest until March 16th where you can enter to win a full makeover in New York City. All you have to do is enter to win at Progresso on Facebook and submit a 200 character or less essay explaining why you love their soup and why you want to win the prize. You also need to submit a picture that shows the theme of your essay.

Unfortunantly, I can’t give away amazing prizes like that, but Progresso is offering a contest for you right on my Blog thanks to MyBlogSpark.


Progresso Souper You Debut Gift Pack
The gift pack you can win right here includes 1 can of Progresso Soup, a yoga mat, water bottle, a set of aerobic bands, sport headband and two sport wristbands.


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 (required) – Follow my Blog publicly and tell me which Progresso Soup is your favorite.

Two Comments – 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 February 21, 2011

Good luck!


Thank you to MyBlogSpark and Progresso 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 Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

Winner of the $25 Publix Gift Card Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered the $25 Publix Gift Card Giveaway. I used randomizer to come up with one lucky winner, and the winner is... Allison! Congratulations, I will e-mail you right now to find out where to send this prize package.

A Post I Wouldn’t Wish Upon Anyone to Have to Write

I’ve generally stayed away from writing too many things about my personal life on my Blog. I don’t use Twitter or Facebook to post things about my life constantly, and I don’t really want to. I have mainly only mentioned small things about myself in “personal” posts because I’m quite honestly a private person.

Since the beginning of last month, pretty much after my family just got back home from our Christmas vacation, one of my brothers went to the hospital.

Carey is a “half-brother” of mine, the oldest out of us, but at only 43 years young. As a note, I never mention the “half” towards any of my siblings in normal conversation, only to explain because I didn’t grow up near them. We’re not half people. Though, perhaps they may not feel that way, as I’m not a “whole sibling” to anyone. I’ve always wanted to be.

As I said, I’m not one to give big details on my personal life, so I won’t share what he went through, but, my brother Carey went to the hospital, and after a long fight, he didn’t make it. The services took place about two weeks ago, and everyone that was even a small part of his life will greatly miss him. He was a fun guy to be around, a great big brother, father, husband, son, friend, cop, etc.

L-R: Dad, Carey, and his granddaughter

We will love you forever and miss you greatly!

The Sims 3 Outdoor Living Stuff Pack Review

The latest addition to The Sims 3 series is a stuff pack for the best of outdoor living. The Sims 3: Outdoor Living Stuff Pack will allow you to create an amazing backyard oasis to throw some really wild parties at. Find out more about it and if it is worth buying with this review.

Game Features
For the first time ever, your Sims can get the best in outdoor luxury for their homes. Whether they’re decorating the perfect patio, setting the mood with a cool new hot tub, or firing up a state-of-the-art grill for the ultimate BBQ, your Sims’ outdoor decor is getting a boost. Give your Sims everything they need for a stylish and comfortable outdoor living space with The Sims 3 Outdoor Living!

• Build the perfect al fresco setting for your Sims with stylish furnishings, outdoor electronics, and cozy fire pits and fireplaces.
• Give your Sims several uniquely styled hot tubs where they can relax with friends or get romantic with someone special.
• Turn up the heat with an all-new built-in countertop grill as part of your Sims’ outdoor kitchen and take their cooking to a whole new level.
• Choose from two new styles. “Garden Terrace” features elegant wrought-iron pieces, while “Sunset on the Veranda” embraces the warmth of outdoors.
• Dress your Sims in an array of chic but casual attire for a great day in the sun or a relaxing evening under the stars.


My Thoughts
The Sims 3: Outdoor Living Stuff Pack includes items that will really help with creating a beautiful backyard area to your Sim homes. I really like the items that were added with this pack, and I even use the two different styles together. It can take a while to really create what you want with your backyard oasis, but it is quite manageable with all of the new additions.



The new hairstyles and clothes that were offered don’t include all of the Sim age groups. I don’t really like this, but that seems to be how all of the expansion packs and stuff packs are. EA probably just wants you to purchase those extra items for the other age groups from their Online Store.



What was offered though, I really like. The new clothes for the females are really detailed and I’ll be using them often for my Sims. The male clothes, like most of the male clothes, are basic, but can always be customized to be exactly what you want.

Overall, I think that The Sims 3: Outdoor Living Stuff Pack is well worth the money. For $19.95 you could really only buy two nice sets from the online store (and they’d need to be on the Daily Deal sale), and this stuff pack includes enough items that would cover at least 4 sets in comparable items from their online store. So, it is a good deal. I had a good time playing with the new items and clothes, and if you are a Sims 3 fan, I think you will enjoy this stuff pack too!


Check out the official video trailer for The Sims 3: Outdoor Living Stuff Pack:









* Thank you to the publisher of The Sims 3: Outdoor Living Stuff Pack, Electronic Arts, and Gamers Gate for providing me a digital copy of this game and allowing me to review it. All experiences and opinions expressed are my own.

Kick Ass Creativity by Mary Beth Maziarz

Kick Ass Creativity by Mary Beth Marziarz is “an energy makeover for artists, explorers, and creative professionals.” Does it help to kick an artistic block to the curb? Will it help you become a more creative person?


Book Description
“It’s easy to hold our great ideas hostage, or to talk them away into things we’ll do someday, or wanted to do once, but it’s so much more thrilling to free them and watch them take flight.” – Mary Beth Maziarz

“Are you looking for more clarity, more fulfillment in your creative process? Feel like you’re stuck in a rut? Are you no longer reaching your full artistic potential? Get moving and feel great about it. Stop hesitating. What are you waiting for? Create!

Using exercises and positive, straightforward language, Mary Beth Maziarz will show you how to define, plan, and pursue your creativity. Our lives are works of art. Living is a creative act. We’re creating every day. When life gets busy, though, we ignore the creative opportunities in our lives. We fall into a rut. We are no longer living, but are merely alive.

Wake up! Have fun! Rediscover your creativity.” – Kick Ass Creativity


My Thoughts
Kick Ass Creativity by Mary Beth Maziarz is written by one artistic person for another. As a writer and various creator of other artistic outlets, I know what having a creative block is like. It isn’t fun, and can last for an hour, a day, a week, a month, or even a year (or more). It isn’t something I like to talk about, but for years I didn’t create anything. In this period of my life, I wasn’t really feeling very fulfilled and always felt the pull to create something – anything! Eventually, I did. Perhaps if I had read Kick Ass Creativity, back then, I could have started creating much sooner.

This book isn’t really a creative exercise book that tells you projects to do to create a specific thing. So, if that is what you are wanting, this probably is not the book for you. However, the questions asked and theories about energy and the creative process do help you to remove your own creative block. If you are perhaps extremely lucky and never experience a creative block in any way (I envy you), it could help you to shift your energy to help you focus more and create even more things.


Overall, Kick Ass Creativity is an excellent source for helping artists focus their energy to create. I enjoyed it and found the exercises helpful to remove some creative blocks. The only thing I would have liked that wasn’t really in it was more creative ideas to do. I recommend this book for everyone who is creative in any way, or for those who want to be but don’t know where to get started.


* Thank you to the publisher of Kick Ass Creativity, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc., for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

$25 Publix Gift Card Giveaway and the Publix Great Deals on Great Meals Savings Event

Publix is one of my favorite grocery stores and if you love it too, you will want to enter in this $25 Publix Gift Card giveaway and also download some valuable coupons to spend while at Publix.

From February 10th through February 16th, visit Publix for great savings on great meals! Before you visit the store, visit the GreatDealsOnGreatMeals.com to download $9.50 on coupons to spend at Publix. You can save on meals throughout the day, and even save on ingredients for a fun Taco Night! These coupons will be valid from February 10, 2011 through February 23, 2011.


$25 Publix Gift Card Giveaway
Thanks to MyBlogSpark, General Mills and Publix for providing me with a $25 gift card for Publix and also giving me one for a lucky winner to win as well.

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 (required) – Follow my Blog publicly and tell me if you downloaded the free Publix coupons and what you want to save on.

Two Comments – 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 February 16, 2011

Good luck!



Thank you to MyBlogSpark, General Mills and Publix 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 General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

366 Celt by Carl McColman

366 Celt by Carl McColman is a daily meditation book that is all about Celtic wisdom and lore. It covers many different aspects of the Celts that are highly interesting, and will have you reading more than one day.


Book Description
“Drawing on myth, folklore, poetry, and the tales of Celtic gods and heroes, 366 Celt provides 366 daily meditations to show how anyone can explore the power of Celtic spirituality throughout the year. Topics covered include:

• The Magic of the Druids
• Animals and plants of Celtic lore
• Fairy stories and heroes of old
• Sacred sites and ancient treasures
• The holy days of the wheel of the year

McColman has a feel for the Celtic spirit and does a fine job of conveying the spiritual practice of hospitality, the bounties of nature, and the sacred nature of place. It is indeed a rare find for all who appreciate traditional Celtic wisdom.” – 366 Celt


My Thoughts
366 Celt is the perfect introduction into Celtic wisdom and lore. If you are interested in the Celts and know nothing about it, or have read about it before, this book is really a must buy for your bookshelf.

It is written so that you could read just one page a day, or perhaps one section a day (or more). I warn you though, once you start reading, you will want to read more than one page or one section at a time!

These sections or “paths” include: Approach, Sovereignty, Druid, Nature, Bard, Mythology, Seer, Neart, Saints, Fairies, Warrior, Otherworld, Shaman, Night, Meditation, Gods, Hospitality, Devotion, Anamchara, Goddesses, Dreams, Sacred Sites, Community, Sacred Days, Virtue, Sacred Animals, Faith, Brigit, Storyteller, Magic, Three Noble Strains, Grail, Romance, Spiral, Imbas and Awen, Sacrifice, Future, Diaspora, Ogham, and the Mystic.


The book is written in an easily flowing way that makes you want to keep reading, and I did. I ended up reading the book in about 2 days. My favorite paths were about the fairies, mythology, romance, and about the Goddesses.

McColman really brings you into the ancient Celtic world with 366 Celt, and inspires you to want to learn more about it, even after you’ve finished the book. Overall, I extremely enjoyed reading this book, and will read it again. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to learn about the ancient Celtic world.



* Thank you to the publisher of 366 Celt, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc., for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Winner for the Yoplait Original Giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Yoplait Original Giveaway. I used randomizer to come up with one lucky winner, and the winner is... Raven In A Blue Room! Congratulations, I will e-mail you right now to find out where to send this prize package.


Also, check back again in a few days for another great giveaway I will be hosting!

Color Your Style by David Zyla

Color Your Style by David Zyla is all about finding your own true colors that look best on you and make you feel amazing. Does it really work? Is it really that simple? Find out in this review!

Book Description
“Move over Color Me Beautiful, an Emmy Award-winning costume designer shows women how to find their authentic style archetype.

David Zyla has made women look sensational on the runway, television, and Broadway for twenty years. In Color Your Style ,David shows how every woman can unlock her authentic style based on a combination of her personality, her eight true colors, and one of twenty-four color-palette archetypes-from the Wholesome Flirt to the Romantic Poetess to The Maverick. Through quizzes, charts, and stories, women can discover the colors, clothes, and accessories that will attract love, power, energy, and attention. Color Your Style is like getting an astrological reading-only color-inspired-allowing you to learn more about yourself while you make over your wardrobe.

We are at our best when we feel comfortable, confident, and know we look fantastic. Zyla and Color Your Style shows women how to be their best-without being slaves to designer labels or the latest trends.”
– Color Your Style


My Thoughts
Color Your Style is written by David Zyla, an Emmy Award-winning costume designer. So, he knows what he is talking about when it comes to style. He is also a great writer about the subject of style.

I was really excited to read this book because I love style, but sometimes end up having all of these different “types” of wardrobe choices. One day I look fun and flirty, the next I may wear something bohemian or funky, or perhaps dark and artsy. That is just how I’ve always been. I’ve never really focused on “seasons” or a “type.” Instead, I just bought what I like. So, did that change after reading Color Your Style? For me, no.

Although the book was written well, it was also somewhat confusing about the different “true colors” and finding your own version of white or khaki or black. My eyes are green, and although I like some shades of green, I’m certainly not going to wear it often because that is what color my eyes are. Honestly, olive green does not look good on me, I’ve tried… and I’ll pass thank you very much. Now, a jewel colored or pretty pastel green, sure, but only every now and then. I’m also not really wanting to wear a color that matches my skin tone, unless it is underwear from Victoria’s Secret.

The different ways to find your true colors seemed confusing and unless David Zyla is there actually giving me a consultation, telling me what my colors are, I don’t think I can really pick them out for myself. Maybe you’ll have better luck with this than I did.

Ironically, the section I enjoyed the most in Color Your Style was about the seasons and the different Archetypes for the seasons. I figured out I might be a Spring and either “The Wholesome Flirt” or “The Pixie.” Maybe I’m a combination of the two? As you can see, I’m even indecisive in this area when it comes to a style type. Again, I don’t think I really changed from reading this book.


Overall, I think that Color Your Style is a good tool to use for style. It may not be the easiest to determine your personal colors, but I like to think of fashion as fun and some days you want to express different things by what you wear. Zyla does a great job at giving good ideas for what to wear, and what not to wear for certain types. Rules were meant to be broken though, right?



* Thank you to the publisher of Color Your Style, Plume, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Nine Rooms of Happiness by Lucy Danziger & Catherine Birndorf, M.D.

The Nine Rooms of Happiness by Lucy Danziger & Catherine Birndorf, M.D. is the book to kick-start your inner happiness. It could perhaps also inspire you to clean out your actual house, but that isn’t necessarily the goal to the book. Find out more about this self-help book in this review.

Book Description
“Ask any woman how she’s feeling. Even when things look pretty great from the outside, chances are that at least one thing is nagging at her. Whether it’s the size of our thighs or our bank accounts, there always seems to be something that isn’t measuring up to our high standards.

In The Nine Rooms of Happiness, Lucy Danziger and Catherine Birndorf use the metaphor of a house to release us from this troubling phenomenon.

• The Basement: Memories
• The Family Room: Your nearest and dearest
• The Living Room: Friendship
• The Office: When work follows you home
• The Bathroom: Body image
• The Bedroom: Intimacy and relationships
• The Kitchen: Nourishment and the division of chores
• The Kid’s Room: Parenting
• The Attic: Expectations”
– The Nine Rooms of Happiness


My Thoughts
The Nine Rooms of Happiness is essentially a self-help book that aims to help your inner self deal with all of the clutter that goes on inside yourself emotionally. Lucy Danziger puts it into nine rooms (or actually ten) and uncovers how you can be happier with your life.

This isn’t a de-clutter your life book, though that is always a good thing to do too. Instead, you focus on all of the emotional issues that you are being tied down with that aren’t letting you move forward to be happy.

Putting your emotions into their own respective “rooms” is a very interesting idea that leads to being able to sort through different areas of your life. Each section about the rooms gives real examples of how you can use these new tools to work through issues.


Overall, The Nine Rooms of Happiness is a helpful book, which is the purpose of it. It will only actually help you if you are ready to change though, so be sure that you are ready to make a change first. I recommend this book to all of us who want a little less stress, and a happier life. That includes pretty much everyone, right?


* Thank you to the publisher of The Nine Rooms of Happiness, Voice, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.