Tag Archives: books

Imperfect

“It was clear from the data that we cannot give our children what we don’t have. When we are on our journey of living and loving with our whole hearts is a much stronger indicator of parenting success than anything we can learn from how-to books.”

-The Gifts Of Imperfection, Brene Brown

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Have you ever really thought about this? In reading some wonderful books, like The Gifts of Imperfection,
I realized some startling things about myself. It’s a new awakening I was not looking for. Things I don’t like about myself surfaced:

I am not “living” my true AUTHENTIC SELF (then again, most of us are not)

I still have not FULLY opened up with how I write (I am working on that)

I don’t trust most people (I’m not sure I want to work on that one)

My INTUITION is too strong, causing more pain than I want to feel

I’ve spent more of my life TRYING TO PLEASE OTHERS and DOING WHAT I THINK OTHER PEOPLE WANT ME TO DO than PLEASING MYSELF

Only a few books have made me realize this. If I read too many more, I might spontaneously combust!

Posted in Bookworm, Centered, Inspirations, Ruminate | Tagged books, Brene Brown, Self-Awareness, Self-Help, The Gifts Of Imperfection | Leave a comment

Pretty little things

A little shopping excursion brought me to this lovely little bag! It’s the perfect summer clutch by Pilcro and the Letterpress. Since finding it reminded me of one of my favorite books, Entre Nous: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl
by Debra Ollivier, of course I had to pick it up!

//Mirrored Sparrow Pouch, Anthropologie

The book that inspired my impulse buy… and covers all sorts of pretty little things…

Posted in Bookworm, Gifts, Impulse Buy, Shopping, The Wardrobe Diaries | Tagged bag, books, Clutch, French, French Style, Summer Style | Leave a comment

Read This Book

If you haven’t read The Witch of Portobello yet, you are missing out! After hearing about the book through various people, I finally downloaded it. It took me about a month to actually start reading though. As soon as I did, I realized why it is loved by so many! Although fictional, it reads just like a non-fiction book. Each excerpt offers a different depiction of Athena (who the book was written about) and more exquisite than earlier ones. Well worth the read, this Paulo Coelho writing will have you hooked immediately!

Posted in Bookworm | Tagged books, literature, read, Witches | Leave a comment

Unique cookbooks

5 Unique Cookbooks you probably don’t know about yet!

Tiny Food Party! from ModCloth – $18.99
Celebrate how sweet bite-sized treats can be by featuring a feast of these playfully petite concoctions at your next party! Created by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park who author the foodie blog Spoon Fork Bacon, this tiny cookbook serves up 70 flawless finger-food recipes that are organized into lovely little menus, which are sure to make a monumental impression. While a snacky selection may include the tiny samosas, caprese skewers, and savory Mediterranean scones, the comfort food chapter features mini meatloaves, wee chicken-and-waffles, and cute white-chocolate cheesecakes. Packed with pint-sized suggestions for every course from appetizers and entrees to desserts and even cocktails, this paperback guide will satisfy your hugely gourmet taste and hungriest guests!

Little Old Lady Recipes from ModCloth – $14.99
Before celeb chefs, budget restaurants, and other culinary conveniences, every recipe was prepared and passed down by the beloved little old ladies in your life! Whether you called her Nana, Grandma, or Bubbie, they knew the secrets behind your favorite snacks, entrees, and desserts. Now compiled in this petite cookbook, author Meg Favreau, shares the signature family dishes of over thirty-five golden gourmets! Peppered with portraits of each contributor that will truly warm your heart, this must-have manual offers delightfully simple instructions for nearly a hundred homemade dishes, in addition to sassy tips to keep your kitchen running smoothly. So toss that modern menu – this lovely little book will be your guide to classic no-frills, no-waste, and no-whining dining!

The Star Wars Cookbook Kit from ModCloth – $22.99
Entertain every fan at the next movie night or mega-convention by preparing a few stellar treats from this Star Wars-inspired cookbook. Created by Jedi master chefs Robin Davis and Lara Starr, then produced by Chronicle Books, this kit arrives equipped with a trilogy of character-shaped cookie cutters and a petite guide book, which details thirty tasty missions, including fifteen from the original collection. Explore new empires of flavor as you whip up Obi-Wan Tons, bake Bossk Brownies, and stir your guests some green Yoda Soda! Whether youre serving sweet tooths or cinema buffs, theyll saber every snack from this reference-sprinkled tour de Force!

One Pan, Two Plates from ModCloth – $24.99
If you adore the idea of a healthy and delicious, home-cooked meal, but dread the notion of scrubbing dishes, then youll savor every page of this cooking guide from Chronicle Books! Determined to make cooking dinner quick and easy, culinary school teacher and catering industry veteran Carla Snyder compiled this mouthwatering collection of 70 recipes, which can all be served on a pair of plates after simmering in a single pan. Using a few simple skills and fresh ingredients, you can impress your sweetheart, roomie, or sister with favorites like skillet-baked mac and cheese, summery shrimp rolls, sassy beef stew, or panko-clad crab cakes. Garnished with tasty secrets and time-saving tips, this thoughtful introduction to gourmet cuisine makes entertaining for two a stress-free affair!

The Vintage Tea Party Book from ModCloth – $29.99
Entertain your closest friends and new acquaintances in utterly enchanting style by consulting this guide to throwing a classic tea party! Compiled by vintage boutique owner and bespoke party planner Angel Adoree, this hardcover reference features all of her favorite dishes, decorations, and delightful anecdotes, served with a dash of proper English charm. In addition to dreamy recipes for breakfasts, brunching, afternoon luncheons, and late-evening ftes, this hardback guide invites you to complete the fanciful, festive experience with the perfect invitation and charming crafts. First sew your own sweet apron with the included patterns and garnish your ensemble with haute headwear, then try lighting your tablescape’s homemade candles and pouring the tea from a hand-painted china pot! Whether youve got a taste for the gorgeous baked grapefruit, fun finger sandwiches, cute coddled eggs, traditional mini tarts, or one of many marvelous beverages, this retro-inspired handbook is sure to invite a host of uniquely whimsical ideas.

Posted in Bookworm, Gifts, Nom Nom | Tagged Appetizers, books, cooking, party, recipes | Leave a comment

Blogging For Creatives

Whether you are a novice or seasoned blogger, Blogging for Creatives is your new guide to blogging in 2013. It not only covers the basics of our blogosphere, the book goes further by discussing various blogging platforms, as well as how to become a successful blogger and actually build your business.

Whether you are interested in the best plugins for your website, how to find the perfect font, or even how to network via social media, this book has it covered. Blogging for Creatives: How designers, artists, crafters and writers can blog to make contacts, win business and build success… it doesn’t get better than that.

Posted in Blogology 101, Bookworm, Create, Mom Blogger, Social | Tagged blogger, blogging, books, design, social media, website | Leave a comment

Top 5 Best Selling Books – Audible

Download & listen to the bestselling audiobook “A Memory of Light: Wheel of Time, Book 14″ by Robert Jordan , Brandon Sanderson – only $7.49 with membership!

Download & listen to the bestselling audiobook “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien – only $7.49 with membership!

Download & listen to the bestselling audiobook “Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy” by E. L. James – only $7.49 with membership!

Download & listen to the bestselling audiobook “A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book I” by George R. R. Martin – only $7.49 with membership!

Download and Listen to the new release of the audiobook “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel

Special Offer – Get Your First 3 Months at Audible.com for $7.49/month!

Search for audiobooks by author, title or keyword

Posted in Bookworm, Media | Tagged audiobook, books, read | Leave a comment

The Best Last Minute Gift

Why you should get a Kindle … besides the fact that prices start at only $69.00

It’s your personal portable library and helps you travel light (weighs less than a paperback)
Books are cheaper than buying from a book store.
Before you buy a book, you can test out a free sample of it.
Millions of titles, like tons of classics are FREE! Yes, I said FREE!
You can borrow a Kindle book from your public library… Did I mention NO DUE DATE!
Font Choices and Text Sizes can be changed/adjusted to your liking! Even when your eyes are tired, you can read… OR, listen to your book through it’s speakers (some kindles do not have the audio function).
You can search the web.
It has a built-In Dictionary.
The Kindle personally recommends books for you (so sweet).
Subscribing to your favorite magazine or newspaper is easy! If you don’t want to get a newspaper every day, you can still purchase it by edition.

Aside from the reasons mentioned above, the Kindle lets you bookmark pages, has real page numbers, allows your books to be read through ALL of your Kindle apps, and devices, and even has WHISPERSYNC which means that you can read any book, on any device, and pick up where you left off… No more losing a bookmark and not remembering the last page you read. Need I say more?

Posted in Bookworm, Media, Shopping, Tech, Uncategorized | Tagged amazon, books, e-reader, kindle | Leave a comment

Fun School Lunch Ideas

This gallery contains 1 photo.

The question: To buy lunch or to bring lunch? Fun School Lunches So Your Kids Will Eat! School is in full swing and my girls are already tired of the lunches I pack. After a recent school drop off, my … Continue reading →

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Writer – Best Tools For Writers

The Writer… Whether you write for a living, for fun or simply because you have to, there are some tools that are a necessity. Below are a few that have helped me meander through the wonderful world of writing…

	THE APP… WriteRoom Finding WriteRoom was one of the best things that happened to me during my writing career. WriteRoom created something I rarely had being a mother, wife, having a full time job and trying to write on the side… peace. Sounds odd for an app but WriteRoom created a perfect setting for me to write peacefully. Oddly enough, WriteRoom is one of the most basic apps I have ever used, yet genius. The name of the app says it all. Open the app and start writing. The app has been set up so that you have NO distractions while you write. Whether the spelling is incorrect, or you haven’t decided on a font yet, it just doesn’t matter. All of that can be dealt with at a later time within the app itself. The idea is to write. That is it! Just write!
	THE NOTEBOOK… Moleskine Before finding the Moleskine journal/notebook, I was a journal/notebook hoarder/junkie. Every time I went shopping I seemed to come home with “yet another” notebook. Rarely did I fill the last page with my writing… Here are the top 3 reasons why I love Moleskin notebooks so much: They come in all sorts of colors. My preference is the Moleskine Kraft journal because I can duct tape it however I like! They are so light, that I bring them everywhere with me. They are handmade, yet very durable.
	THE INSPIRATIONAL NOTEBOOK… Smash Folio My Smash Folio is my FAVORITE! It even comes with a great tool attached… Pen… AND Glue Stick! Things I add in my SMASH Folio: Things that make me smile, Concert tickets/Events I go to, Color combinations that tickle my fancy, Design ideas, Quotes I love, Things my children do, Memories I never want to forget, and more… When I lose a bit of inspiration, I take a peek at my journal… Always ignites a spark! I love how K&CompanySMASH Folios claim the Smash Folio is the “unscrapbook” for people who don’t have time or think they aren’t creative!
	THE BOOKS… Inspirational Books For Writers I have a few… The book I read which helped me decide to start my blog and more is The DIGITAL MOM HANDBOOK. Written by two successful Mom Bloggers, this book is the real deal. The second book… WRITING DOWN THE BONES. This is a recent read/love of mine… The moment I started reading, everything Natalie Goldberg wrote resonated with me. Life as a full time mom, wife, career woman and writer, finding time to write is difficult. Finding time to read is even harder… unless you find a book like this one! Then, you make time to read. I sure did!
	THE GRAMMAR BOOK… THE BLUE BOOK OF GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION Experienced editor or not, we all need a great book on grammar. The Blue Book of Grammar and Style is clear, easy to read and breaks everything down in a simplistic way.
	THE THESAURUS…The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus Experienced editor or not, we all need a great thesaurus. My favorite is The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus. It’s affordable and I really like how it is organized. How often I find myself trying to describe something… and then it happens… I read what I wrote and realize that I used the same descriptive word 3 times. Well, since that descriptive word is on the tip of my tongue, stuck in my head, nearly causing writers block… I have no choice but to resort to a trusty thesaurus! It also helps when you are trying to sound smart… (wink, wink)…

Posted in Apps, Blogology 101, Get Organized, Tech | Tagged bloggers, books, digital, folio, grammar, i-stuff, iPad, iPhone, iPod, journal, moleskine, read, scrapbook, smash, tech, write, writer, writeroom | Leave a comment

Thinking Fast And Slow

What is really going on in your head… Thinking Fast and Slow is a concept I never really thought of trying…

It’s quite a challenge… Thinking, Fast and Slow may be worse than trying to multitask. Decisions need to be made, sometimes quickly. The decision maker needs to work fast and make a determination. Without much time, the decision maker’s mind needs to process a few things… First, whether they should trust their intuition or not. Second, whether they should take a step back, allow for some rational thinking to make the final determination which could in fact result in not making a decision fast enough.

Imagine having the ability to think fast, using intuition and emotion, and still incorporate a slower, more logical and deliberate manner of thinking to come to a decision. Our lives are filled with making various decisions daily. Whether these decisions relate to work, home, or even day-to-day activities or relationships, making the right one is ideal. Kahneman’s book, Thinking, Fast and Slow is a phenomenal explanation of the different ways we think and make important decisions. His years of research are clear throughout the book, showing how both systems, Thinking Fast And Slow, complement one another and how each shape the choices we make in life and different aspects of decision-making. This book will give the reader new and great insight on how our brains work. It will change the way you think about thinking.