Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Review: Gnoments

7 comments:


This December, the Mister and I will be celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary and twelve years of knowing one another. After living in four different states, having two kids, and that many years behind us, sometimes it is hard to remember to keep some of the spontaneous spark that existed in those early days of infatuation, before the relationship evolved and matured.

When I first realized that I wanted us to take some extra time to focus on us, I implemented “date night” on Tuesday. It was a simple enough concept: after we put Mischief to bed, we put our devices away, and did something together, whether it was watching a show or movie that was just for us and actually being able to discuss it, or playing a two player board game.

Unfortunately, after our daughter was born, those nights became fewer and farther between, as more of our time was spent taking care of a newborn and catching up on sleep and/or work. Then we moved to a new state, and honestly, never picked the ritual back up.

Now that my daughter is two, I find myself missing those weekly date nights, so when I got the opportunity to check out Gnoments, I jumped on it!

Gnoments is a system to help remind you to connect with your love with the help of two adorable gnomes.

I got a cute boxed set that included a hardcover book that was part cute story and part tutorial on how to utilize the two stuffed gnomes.

These gnomes (one male with a beard and one female with braids) have magnets in their hands, which lets them hold each other's hand, pouches for holding treasure and notes on their backs, adorable hats which match up to form a cute heart, and an embedded NFC (Near Field Communication) tag.

NFC is a nifty technology that allows for wireless data transfer that many of the newer phones are now compatible with (if you can use something like Apple Pay, you can probably utilize the NFC tag in the Gnoments gnomes). My phone is not cool, or fancy, so I can't use this feature, however, no worries!

You can still send digital messages with your gnomes online, called a gnomification.

I took the liberty to be completely cheesy and named my gnomes immediately. My gnomes are Gned and Gnatasha. Yes, I am that awesomely lame.

These gnomes are supposed to remind you by just their very presence to take some time for your partner.

I have to say that they have persuaded me to become a bit more spontaneous with my Mister, and within the first week of having them, I set up a surprise date to go see a movie, just the two of us.

To put this in perspective, I think the last time we went out on a date was February, maybe March. Either way, it's been a while, and I am never the one to set things up (I'm a big homebody).

I've used Gned and Gnatasha to leave little notes for the Mister in the mornings, and they even helped me give him his early birthday present!



Unfortunately, even though he read the book, and I explained the concept of these adorable gnomes that now reside in our bedroom, my Mister has not taken any initiative to use them to even leave me a note! Sadface.

While I can use the website to send a Gnomification to the Mister, I find it to be an unnecessary extra step to sending him something. It is much easier to just shoot him a text, even if I want to send him a link. It honestly feels a little like sending something in high school via email a la 2006 instead of a 2016 text.

I think we've moved beyond that, and I prefer to just use the pouches and use pen and paper. The Gnomifications feature seems to me to be a consolation prize for those who lack phones with NFC technology. Or maybe that's just sour grapes talking, and I should just get a phone that costs more that $60...

Even though I couldn't use the NFC chips, I still love these little guys. I like being able to look up and see Gned and Gnatasha holding their hands on the dresser.

They are wonderful little gentle reminders to do something special for your someone special, no matter how big or little. A little whimsy goes a long way in my book, and these gnomes definitely add a little extra whimsy to our lives.

The holidays are coming up, and these little guys are a wonderful gift to a couple. I have actually ordered a set for a friend who just got married and will be giving them to her this holiday season for her and her new hubby to enjoy.



If you can think of a couple who could use adorable gnomey reminders to spend a little effort on each other (maybe you are part of that couple!) I highly recommend Gnoments. You can order a box set for yourself here for $39.95.


http://gnoments.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Gnoments/
https://twitter.com/Gnoments
https://www.instagram.com/gnoments/
https://www.pinterest.com/gnoments/




Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Party in Your PJs #134

1 comment:
Happy Tuesday!

Welcome to the Party in Your PJs Link Party, where your posts will be seen on four different blogs each week.   In addition to Kim from The Cookie Puzzle, you'll also find Party in Your PJs every Tuesday evening at Grandma IdeasWood of Bell Trees and... here!

You'll also find the Awesome Life Friday link-up here at RCHReviews, every Thursday evening at 8pm ET so we hope to see you there as well.


Are you ready to party? I can't wait to see what you've brought to share!



Kim ~ The Cookie Puzzle | Facebook | Pinterest 
Nina ~ Grandma Ideas | Pinterest | Twitter
Lynda ~ Reviews, Chews & How-Tos | Facebook | Pinterest
Heather ~ Woods of Bell Trees | Facebook | Instagram

 Meet the Co-Hosts

Kim @ The Cookie Puzzle 

Kim is a small town girl who love simple things. Simple cookies, simple crafts and simple people. She is a wife, mother to one son and two adorable fur babies. Slightly addicted to reality TV and sitcoms, but she loves curling up with a good book or a good walk while listening to podcasts. You can find her at The Cookie Puzzle, where she shares her love for cookies and crafting. 

Nina @ Grandma Ideas 

How is this: Nina is wildly in love with her grandchildren. She delights in doing activities with them that strengthen their relationship –- playing games, doing crafts, snuggling, reading stories to them, and cooking together. She enjoys reading, technology, and traveling. (Tahiti is her most favorite place on earth!)

Lynda @ Reviews, Chews & How-Tos 

Lynda lives outside DC with her husband Michael and elderly beagle, Sadie. She and her daughter Jackie started RCHReviews as a way to spend time together in spite of living across country, and along the way they've added several friends as regular contributors. Between them all, they bring together many different perspectives and lifestyles with one common philosophy - try new things, have fun, and remember you are awesome!

 Heather @ Wood of Bell Trees

Heather is a wife of a peanut butter fanatic and mom of one silly human and one furry canine, wrangling life on 2nd shift and glitterizing everything as she goes!






The rules for the group board include:
1. Limit of one pin a day.
2. Just like the party anything goes, but clear wonderful pictures with great descriptions are most successful.
3. Please no Spam ( Spammers will be deleted without warning)
4.  If you pin to the Pinterest Board, please link to the Party in Your PJs Party also, the party runs from 7 pm Tuesdays-Midnight Saturday (Central Time)
5.  Finally have fun and share this group board  with blog friends and followers!  The more success the group board is the more success you will see from your pins.

Want to be added to the group board?  Follow our Party in Your PJs board and email Kim at thecookiepuzzle@gmail.com

Features from Last Weeks Party!


 to see their features - we each pick our own!




All links are pinned to a Party Board...you can follow the board on Pinterest...feel free to follow the board, there is lots of inspiration to be found there.

Ok...let's party!

Rules -Link to post, not your home page
-Link to something YOU made, wrote or thought
-No Etsy or Business Pages
-Link Parties, Roundups and Giveaways welcome
- Don't Link and Run! Please visit other links, make friends, learn something new, leave a comment, we all love comments
-If you were featured, grab a"Featured" button, found below.
-Consider adding our Party button to your Party Page or Post.


Monday, November 28, 2016

Crockpot Bacon & Bean Soup: A Potluck Hit!

14 comments:

A couple years back, when my husband was still stationed in Germany, we had a lot of barbecues and get-togethers at our house. The wife of one of my husband's friends used to always bring some "Frijoles a la charra”: A Tex-Mex soup with pinto beans and bacon and we just loved, loved, loved it!

It became one of our favorite meals ever and when we moved she gave us the recipe.

At our last duty station, Fort Irwin, the Commissary was very small and we could not find all ingredients that we needed for this dish.

Long story short, I experimented around with the ingredients that we had available and ended up coming up with my own “secret” version of it. Or at least it was secret until today. Many - including friends and family - have asked me for the recipe and I always refused to give it out. But I now decided to share it with our beloved followers J

No matter what potluck I've made it for, people always seemed to enjoy it very much, and it makes its way onto our meal plan at least once a month because of its simplicity and deliciousness.

Especially now in the fall, it makes a great, hearty meal for icky weather.,

Crockpot Bacon & Bean Soup

Here is what you will need:
-          Crockpot
-          Cast iron pan
-          Cutting board
-          Knife
-          Spatula

-          1lbs pinto beans, soaked overnight.
-          6 cups of water
-          1 package of bacon, diced.
-          1 onion (medium or large), diced.
-          2-3 cloves of garlic, minced.
-          1 can of diced, Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Drained.
-          1 bushel of cilantro, chopped.
-          1-2 jalapenos, finely chopped.
-          2-3 Knorr vegetable bouillon cubes
-          Salt (to taste)


Start by going through your dried beans to pick out any grit or malformed beans, and then soaking the beans in water overnight. If you forget it, then you can do a quick soak (directions for that should be on the package!). I personally think the texture is better if they are soaked overnight but both work and I have done quick soaks before too.

Rinse your soaked beans, and throw them into the crockpot with the 6 cups of water. Set it to high and cook them until done (about 4 hours).

Prepare the ‘Bacon Broth’ about 1-2 hours before serving the meal or whenever the beans are done.

You do this by cooking the diced bacon in a large cast iron pan (if you don't have cast iron, use what you have). Drain some of the fat if you want. We prefer to leave it most times unless the bacon is extremely fatty.

Add in the diced onions and minced garlic. Sauté until the onions start to turn translucent.

Drain the Fire Roasted Tomatoes and add to the cast iron, mix it all up. If you don’t have Fire Roasted Tomatoes, then you can also just take a can of regular diced tomatoes. I just feel like they add more flavor and a slight smokiness to the dish.

Add two bouillon cubes, and let it simmer a few minutes. Stir it, to make sure the melted bouillon cubes are well mixed in.

Add the chopped cilantro and jalapenos.

Let it all cook on low-medium for about 10-15 minutes so the flavors can mingle with each other. You can always add a tablespoon or two of water to the mix so it doesn’t burn!

Add the ‘Bacon Broth’ to the beans in the crockpot and stir well.

Let it cook for 1-2 hours on High, but you can also already eat it if you want, since everything is cooked. However, the longer you cook it all together, the better the flavor – in my opinion. You might need to add some salt or another bouillon cube.

We usually eat some warm tortillas with it or my homemade bread. Tortilla chips or rice are also a great to eat with it, or just enjoy a bowl of Bacon & Bean soup by itself!

Enjoy J


Saturday, November 26, 2016

Book Review/Giveaway: Broken Wings, by L. Stoddard Hancock

21 comments:

I consider myself part of many Fandoms, but by and large, the one I hold dearest will always be Harry Potter. I assure you, that will be a post for another day, but it should be mentioned as I introduce you to this book.

So anyway, just earlier this year I begrudgingly delved into Fan Fiction - fiction written by fans that features characters or the world of an established piece or series of genre fiction, movies, TV shows or comics. I really never thought it would be my thing. It just sounded cheesy. I could not have possibly been more wrong.

The most recent one I've read was called Cruel and Beautiful World.

Imagine if Voldemort had won the final battle of Hogwarts. The world is now under his supreme control and Muggles and Mudbloods are either executed or worse, put into a slave trade.

The original fan fiction story mostly takes place 5 years later, following Hermione who manages to escape their control and ends up having to trust Draco Malfoy to keep her hidden, even though he is one of the Dark Lord's most trusted Death Eaters.

Through it all, these two very broken souls grow very close and work to take out He Who Must Not be Named, and escape the city to join the rest of the resistance.

Right around the time I was finishing up my reading of it, the author announced that they were taking their story to publication! Of course this meant stripping it of all Harry Potter references. It also sadly means, that Cruel & Beautiful World, in its original form, is no longer availably online.

Luckily, in its place is something just as magical!

I could not be more honored to be among the first readers of Broken Wings – Cruel and Beautiful World Book One by L. Stoddard Hancock.

When I first started I was so lost in my head with trying to make the connections  between the changed names to their original character mirrors. It took me about 5 chapters, plus starting over to make my mind stop doing that and just appreciate THIS book for what it was.



In a futuristic, technology driven world, President Saevus calls all the shots. He has convinced the majority of his constituents that the outside world is toxic and the air alone will kill you due to an ancient war. This book takes place in the arrogantly named city of Utopia, a dome shielded city that shuns those born on the outside.

Many Outsider children have been forced to become Guards for the city. When Outsider resistance stormed the halls of Eagle Training Center to get back their own, all hell broke loose. Many were killed, and those that weren't became slaves, passed around by the most elite guards, known as Guardians.

Deryn Leon, daughter of the Outsider's leader has been treated worse than any of them and after five years has little fight left in her.

The key to her escape, a knife, is slipped to her by another slave, and she uses it the first chance she gets. She has no money, is badly beaten, and is a wanted fugitive.

A Guardian, whom she trained with at Eagle Center finds her on the street and convinces her to come home with him. With few options, and seemingly losing either way, she takes a chance on the Guardian, Xander Ruby.

Although he is President Saevus' favorite Guardian, we learn he does what he has to in order to survive, but hates himself for it at the same time.

How close will a slave in hiding, and a Guardian be able to get? Will she ever trust him completely? Will he ever forgive himself for the role he played in her initial capturing?

I don't want to give too much away, but I'm busting at the seams to talk about this book!

While I want to recommend this book to anyone and everyone that can read, it should be noted that there are some mature subject matters in the book:

There is discussion of rape, physical abuse, and consensual sex scenes so use your judgement on that. I think the story is beautiful, no matter how cruel it is at times. The relationship between the characters are so incredibly special it makes you want to know them yourself.

Not to make this political but can I just say I had a hard time reading it for a few early days there in November what with a scary dictatorship premise....

But if you don't end this book wishing you were Cupcake girl, loving Black Bird by the Beatles, or wanting Bronson as your BFFL, you're lying.

This is only book one! There will be 3 books in all. The second, titled Sunken Eyes, became available Thanksgiving day - November 24th, via Kindle for $4.99.

So read this one so you can dive into the next!

It's important to remember that this wonderful book was self published and edited, so there are a few typos, and grammar issues but not enough to derail the story.

Also, while the cover art is absolutely STUNNING, I don't like the texture or the material used on the paperback. It's hard to explain, but its kind of plasticky and picks up fingerprints horribly.  I expect that's a cost issue - if you enjoy reading books rather than e-readers, you may want to put a book cover on this one.

You can own a digital copy of Broken Wings via Amazon for just .99! If you'd prefer a paperback version, that will cost you $16.95, or you can enter our Giveaway to win one of your own!

Read on to see how to enter!







One winner in the US (including APOs) will receive a paperback copy of Broken Wings, by L. Stoddard Hancock, valued at $16.95.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open to US residents (including APO addresses) and will end just before midnight ET on 12/10. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winners have responded and confirmed, their first names will be posted on our Giveaways  page.

Good luck!

Friday, November 25, 2016

25 Ways to Count Down to Christmas

13 comments:

Now that Thanksgiving is over, many of us are turning our attention to preparing for the holidays!  Advent calendars and other types of countdowns can be a fun way for kids and adults alike to note the passing of the season, as well as provide a special element of holiday decor.



Some countdowns are just  that - a way to keep track of how many days there are left before Christmas:





Many countdowns make use of pockets, pouches, boxes or other containers to conceal a special treat, tiny gift, or ornament for each day of the month. Most of these DIYs can easily be used year after year as part of a special tradition, and the treats can grow with the family's interests.




A great alterative to treats and gifts are to use your Christmas countdown to create memories!  Each day, you can draw slips of paper that could be anything from suggestions for holiday fun such as baking cookies or taking a drive to view holiday lights, to passages from the Christmas story, to acts of kindness or even riddles and jokes.  Here are a few ways to create a Christmas Activity Countdown:




Finally, there are Christmas countdowns that are geared to the interests of the recipients - here are a few for inspiration - there is everything from a nightly bedtime story or an Advent busy book for the youngest members of the family, to an advent calendar full of tea or even beer!



I hope this gives you a few ideas, should you want to count down to the holiday!  And I'd love to hear if you have any other ideas - what treats or activities would you include in yours?







Thursday, November 24, 2016

Awesome Life Friday #89

7 comments:
Welcome to Awesome Life Friday!  Happy Thanksgiving to our US readers - I hope this holiday weekend is full of good family, good friends, good food and good cheer!

We're so looking forward to seeing what you've been cooking, creating, growing, decorating, reviewing, giving away, and thinking about this week!

While you're here, leave your posts at the other link up we co-host here - Party in Your PJs!  It starts on Tuesday evenings, and runs through Sunday.  I hope you'll join us there as well!

Here's what some of us have been up to here:


We hope you'll check them out if you haven't already!  Don't forget to peek at the sidebar and check out what other giveaways we currently have going.
  
~~~

And now our favorite part - the FEATURES !  This week we are all about the pumpkins! If you're one of our featured posts, we'd love it if you'd grab a button, and thanks to all of you who shared with us last week!





Santa Hat Cake Pops // A Bountiful Love




Make Your Own Winter Preparedness Kit You Can Count On! // Quirky Inspired




Normandy with Kids // Royal Little Lambs




Patchwork Gift Bag From Fabric Scraps // Creating My Way to Success




Christmas Memory Quilt // Gluesticks




Magnificent Cranberry Coconut Macaroons // Silver Foodie




If you are one of our FEATURED bloggers, this button is for you!





Thank you all so much for sharing your awesomeness!


Are you all ready to party?  If you like, we'd love it you'd help spread the word by grabbing our button:





Here we go!


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Party in Your PJs! #133

1 comment:
Welcome to Party in Your PJs!

Happy Tuesday!  Happy Thanksgiving week!

Welcome to the Party in Your PJs Link Party, where your posts will be seen on four different blogs each week.   In addition to Kim from The Cookie Puzzle, you'll also find Party in Your PJs every Tuesday evening at Grandma IdeasWood of Bell Trees and... here!

You'll also find the Awesome Life Friday link-up here at RCHReviews, every Thursday evening at 8pm ET so we hope to see you there as well.


Are you ready to party? I can't wait to see what you've brought to share!



Kim ~ The Cookie Puzzle | Facebook | Pinterest 
Nina ~ Grandma Ideas | Pinterest | Twitter
Lynda ~ Reviews, Chews & How-Tos | Facebook | Pinterest
Heather ~ Woods of Bell Trees | Facebook | Instagram

 Meet the Co-Hosts

Kim @ The Cookie Puzzle 

Kim is a small town girl who love simple things. Simple cookies, simple crafts and simple people. She is a wife, mother to one son and two adorable fur babies. Slightly addicted to reality TV and sitcoms, but she loves curling up with a good book or a good walk while listening to podcasts. You can find her at The Cookie Puzzle, where she shares her love for cookies and crafting. 

Nina @ Grandma Ideas 

How is this: Nina is wildly in love with her grandchildren. She delights in doing activities with them that strengthen their relationship –- playing games, doing crafts, snuggling, reading stories to them, and cooking together. She enjoys reading, technology, and traveling. (Tahiti is her most favorite place on earth!)

Lynda @ Reviews, Chews & How-Tos 

Lynda lives outside DC with her husband Michael and elderly beagle, Sadie. She and her daughter Jackie started RCHReviews as a way to spend time together in spite of living across country, and along the way they've added several friends as regular contributors. Between them all, they bring together many different perspectives and lifestyles with one common philosophy - try new things, have fun, and remember you are awesome!

 Heather @ Wood of Bell Trees

Heather is a wife of a peanut butter fanatic and mom of one silly human and one furry canine, wrangling life on 2nd shift and glitterizing everything as she goes!






The rules for the group board include:
1. Limit of one pin a day.
2. Just like the party anything goes, but clear wonderful pictures with great descriptions are most successful.
3. Please no Spam ( Spammers will be deleted without warning)
4.  If you pin to the Pinterest Board, please link to the Party in Your PJs Party also, the party runs from 7 pm Tuesdays-Midnight Saturday (Central Time)
5.  Finally have fun and share this group board  with blog friends and followers!  The more success the group board is the more success you will see from your pins.

Want to be added to the group board?  Follow our Party in Your PJs board and email Kim at thecookiepuzzle@gmail.com

Features from Last Weeks Party!


 to see their features - we each pick our own!




All links are pinned to a Party Board...you can follow the board on Pinterest...feel free to follow the board, there is lots of inspiration to be found there.

Ok...let's party!

Rules -Link to post, not your home page
-Link to something YOU made, wrote or thought
-No Etsy or Business Pages
-Link Parties, Roundups and Giveaways welcome
- Don't Link and Run! Please visit other links, make friends, learn something new, leave a comment, we all love comments
-If you were featured, grab a"Featured" button, found below.
-Consider adding our Party button to your Party Page or Post.