Book List 2013

Where do you fit?

I really enjoy keeping track of the books I read over the course of the year and then looking back over them when the year is over.  This year I kept track on Goodreads, and I could just link you to this handy page that shows the covers and information about all the books I read this year.

But a list is more fun, right?  I like it anyway, because I don't really keep track of how many books I'm reading, and I find out when I get the list put together.

So, here we go - all the books I read (and listened to) this year - listed by the month I finished reading them.

January

1. Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir - Kelle Hampton
2. Light a Single Candle - Beverly Butler
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
4. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
5. The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud (audio)
6. Safe Haven - Nicholas Sparks 

February

7. The Respect Dare: 40 Days to a Deeper Connection with God and Your Husband - Nina Roesner
8. Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir - Jenny Lawson (audio)
9. The Painted Girls - Cathy Marie Buchanan
   

March

10. Coming Home: A Story of Undying Hope - Karen Kingsbury
11. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (audio)

April

12. The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss, and Life - Marie Tillman
13. Bossypants - Tina Fey (audio)
14. Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes - Shauna Niequist

May

15. Viva Jacquelina!: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Over the Hills and Far Away - L.A. Meyer (audio)
16. In His Footsteps: Be Happy in Every Situation, Find Your Purpose - Margaret Agard

17. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Elizabeth George Speare
18. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

June

19. The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen - Geraldine McCaughrean (audio)
20. Calculated in Death (In Death, #36) - J.D Robb
21. The Chance - Karen Kingsbury

July

22. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (audio)
23. Take Three (Above the Line #3) - Karen Kingsbury
24. The Wednesday Sisters - Meg Waite Clayton
25. The Banks of Certain Rivers - Jon Harrison
26. The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra - William Shakespeare (audio)

August

27. The Sign - Shawn Boonstra
28. Home to Holly Springs: Father Tim Series, Book 1 - Jan Karon (audio)
29. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

September

30. In the Company of Others: Father Tim Series, Book 2 - Jan Karon (audio)
31. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) - George R.R. Martin

October

32. Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement - Kay Wills Wyma (audio)
33. A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2) - George R.R. Martin

November

34. The Summer We Read Gatsby - Danielle Ganek (audio)
35. Leaving (Bailey Flanigan, #1) - Karen Kingsbury
36. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (audio)

December

37. A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3) - George R.R. Martin
38. Catching Fire (Hunger Games, #2) - Suzanne Collins (audio)
39. Learning (Bailey Flanigan #2) - Karen Kingsbury
40. Notorious Nineteen (Stephanie Plum, #19) - Janet Evanovich
41. This Time, Everything - V.S. Ramstack
42. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) - Suzanne Collins (audio)

42 books - that's one more than I read in 2012.  At least three of these books were quite long because I finally started reading the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin.  Those books are hard to put down!  I was getting them from the library, but when I found the 5 book 'boxed set' for Kindle for $9.99, I couldn't resist buying it.  After finishing #3, I took a short break to read other books, but I'll definitely be reading the other 2 in 2014.   I'm also most of the way through another Bible reading plan, with just about another week to finish - so I technically read that in 2013, but I'll count it in 2014 since that's when I'll actually finish (and start again).  I love those YouVersion reading plans!

How many books did you read in 2013?  Are there any I should add to my reading list for 2014?

Review and Giveaway: Powerocks Magicstick

I got my Powerocks Magicstick last week and tried it out this weekend.  We had a power outage Saturday morning for several hours, and I was thinking it would be the perfect time to try the Magicstick.  By the time I needed to charge my phone, we had power again, so I didn't actually have a need to use it, but I used the Magicstick anyway just to see how it worked.  And it worked great.

It charges as fast as a standard wall charger in an electrical outlet, and it holds enough power to charge my Samsung Galaxy S4 once.  But that's enough.  Many smartphones can get up to 2 full charges.  If the power's out or you're out somewhere with no outlets, one of these could make all the difference!  My son really could have used one of these last week when his car wouldn't start and his phone battery just happened to be dead at the same time.  Thankfully he was in a McDonald's parking lot and not out in the middle of nowhere.

The Magicstick is the perfect size for any pocket, purse, or backpack. Never get stuck with a dead phone or other mobile device again!  The Magicstick can be used to charge not only your smartphone but other digital devices as well, such as Bluetooth headsets, cameras, GPS, e-readers, and more. Pressing the button on the end of the Magicstick lets you know exactly how much charge is available - blue for a full charge, green for a partial charge, and red to let you know it needs charged back up again.  Simply plug it into your phone's charger or any powered USB port to charge.  It comes with a USB cable and drawstring carry case and features a smooth, brushed aluminum finish available in a variety of colors.  I got a black one, and have a silver one to give away, but there are some really fun colors, too such as red, purple, pink, and green.

I plan to carry this handy little thing with me from now on, so I'll never have to worry about getting stuck with a dead phone.  Or a dead Kindle.  I don't think it can completely charge the Kindle, but I bet it could let me at least finish my chapter - and we all know how important that is.

The Powerocks Magicstick sells for $49.99, but use promo code Powerblog20 and get 20% off.  Be sure to check out the rest of the Powerocks products for all your charging needs, too!  Shipping is always free.

Giveaway -  if you'd like to win your own Powerocks Magicstick, leave me a comment letting me a know a time when you really could have used one of these. Contest is open to U.S. Residents, and entries must be received by 11:59pm Eastern time on January 3, 2014.  Winner will be contacted by email, so make sure I have your email address.  Good luck!

Disclosure: I received two Powerocks Magicstick chargers, one for review and one to give away.  All opinions are mine.

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• Check Out the Powerocks Magicstick

The Perfect Gift

What exactly is the perfect gift?  According to the commercials it has to be a Chia Pet.  Or the Ove Glove.  Or maybe it's the Clapper or the Pogo Whisk.  Seriously?  Are those really the perfect gifts for anybody?  My husband says that they're still selling them, so somebody must be buying them.

I'm guessing most people would rather get something like an iPad Air, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, or a nice Samsung Galaxy S4.  U.S. Cellular customers can even get some of those phones for 5000 Belief points through the end of December, so now is definitely the time to think about getting a new phone if you or someone in your family is eligible for an upgrade.  Belief points can be used to accelerate that upgrade, too.

There are also plenty of accessories like phone cases, headphones, car chargers, Bluetooth speakers and headsets, etc. that would most likely be appreciated more than that Hello Kitty Chia Pet.  I'm thinking of getting some of those Bluetooth speakers myself.  Accessory  prices start under $25.

A tablet or smartphone has to be more useful for creating Better Moments and for keeping families in touch.  Sometimes it's as simple as using Instagram or Facebook to upload pictures of the food and desserts we'll share when we get together.  That's one I'm quite guilty of!  Then, of course, I have people asking for the recipes and wishing they could be joining us.  Speaking of recipes, Pinterest is a great app to have for storing all those amazing recipes from all over the web!  You can never have too many recipes, now can you?  That Chia herb garden might come in handy for recipes, but I'm still thinking smartphone.

What I like about having a mobile device like my smartphone, is that it's so easy to capture and share even the little things - pictures with Instagram, videos with Vine...  OK, so I haven't actually shared any videos with Vine, or Instagram, mostly because I usually forget that I have video on my phone.  Just being able to share the pictures (and video when I remember) is a good way to keep in touch with friends and family, even if we don't get to see each other all that often.

So, be honest - have you ever bought somebody one of those 'perfect gifts' from the commercials?  Or received one of them?  Is there some other crazy 'perfect gift' idea I haven't mentioned here?   Am I crazy to think anyone would rather get a smartphone full of useful apps and/or some accessories than The Clapper or one of the many Chia Pets?

Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone.  My experiences with and opinions of U.S. Cellular are 100% mine.

Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone.  My experiences with and opinions of

A Prime Gift Idea

Give the gift of Prime

It's that time of year - the time when everybody is scrambling to find that perfect gift for everyone on their list.  I'll be honest with you.  I am extremely thankful that I don't have to get all caught up in that!  Shopping is just not my thing, and to have someone tell me that I must buy something for everyone, and I must have it all done by a certain time would just make me crazy.  I'd probably curl up in a corner with no idea how to even get started, let alone get it all done.

That being said, here's a gift idea even I could get behind - a gift of Amazon Prime.  First of all, this is a gift you can buy, and send (Amazon will send your gift recipient an email on the day you choose, along with redemption instructions) without ever leaving the comfort of your own home or having to fight the crowds.  Second, it's a gift that would definitely be useful.

Prime includes:

• FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items
• No minimum order size
• Unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library

The gift of Prime is $79 for a one-year membership. If your recipient is already a Prime member, the gift can be exchanged for an Amazon.com Gift Card.  Either way, something everyone can appreciate.

Absolutely Brilliant

As you know, we moved this summer.  We had a crew of movers come in and pack all of our stuff, load it onto a big truck, and then deliver it all to our new house a few days later.

Part of the job was labeling all the boxes they packed - we we'd have at least an idea where each box needed to go in the house, and what was in it.  There's one particular box that makes me smile every time I see it.  (Yes, it's still packed up and stored in the attic now.)

This particular box holds Beth's Karaoke machine.  The label reads - "Singing Machine"

Which I think is absolutely brilliant, because who can really be expected to spell Karaoke anyway?  (I looked it up.)  But we definitely know what's in the box!

Make Your Own LEGO Minifigure Holiday Card

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LEGO for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
 
One of our favorite toys growing up was LEGO.  We spent hours building with that stuff!  So, of course, when I had kids of my own, they had to have LEGO, too.  Cory especially enjoyed it and really loved the Bionicle sets.  He collected a lot of those and used to make the most amazing things.

Here's something amazing we can all make with LEGO - our own family!  Well, our own virtual LEGO Minifigure Family, that is.  You get to create a customized holiday card featuring Minifigure representations of your own family and share it with anyone you want.  It's really quite fun.  And easy.

Here's one I made - the family Thanksgiving card we didn't send (because I didn't know about this then):

You can add up to 13 family members and customize each one with skin tone, facial expression, hair and hats, and outfits.  I just added the four of us - Jeffrey, me, Beth, and Cory - and made the kids be kids again, even if they are all grown up now.  I don't know that any of us really look like us, and none of the clothing choices really looked like something we would wear in real life, but it was fun choosing.  Now that I think about it, I should have had us all dress in matching outfits!  Or the guys could match and the girls could match.  Or you can just let the Minifigure Family creator choose random outfits for everybody.  I did that for a bit just to see the crazy things it came up with!  However you choose to do it, it will be fun.

Once you have all your family members added and dressed, there are several backgrounds to chooose from, and then you just click and drag each family member to position them in the scene wherever you want them.  Then simply choose your message, and you're ready to share It.  You can download your card, which is what I did, share the link, send it via email, or share with Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.  Yeah, I did that too - pinned it to my 'fun stuff' board on Pinterest.

So be sure to check it out and create your own LEGO Minifigure Family.

Check Out the Powerocks Magicstick

I'm looking forward to trying the Magicstick 2800mAh rechargeable battery from Powerocks!  What is it?  A handy, portable charger that can charge your phone or other digital devices anywhere, even when there are no electrical outlets in sight.  Imagine never having to worry about being out of touch because of a dead battery again...

They're sending me one to try and one to give away, so look for a review and giveaway coming soon.  In the meantime, if you're as interested in these little things as I am, be sure to check out the Powerocks site.  Perhaps you know some people who could use one of these?

Better Black Friday Shopping with Your Smartphone

Best Buy #281 - The Night Before 'Black Friday' (Photo credit: Croixboy)

It's about that time - Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.  There is less than a week to go, and some people are even camping out at Best Buy as we speak.  I guess we all have our Thanksgiving slash holiday traditions...

Personally, I think it's crazy, and I usually avoid all stores on Black Friday and pretty much every day between Thanksgiving and a week or two after Christmas.  Can any deal really be worth all the waiting in lines and fighting the crowds?  I'd rather just stay home and shop online.  If I want to shop at all.  I worked retail for several years.  If I ever thought shopping was an enjoyable activity, which I sincerely doubt, that took care of that!

For those of you who wouldn't miss Black Friday shopping, and you know who you are, there are some great apps available for your smartphone that can help make this year's Black Friday shopping even better, whether you're shopping for the latest tech gifts like the iPhone 5s, 5c and iPad Air (now available at U.S. Cellular for the first time with a range of attractive data plans that will allow customers to connect to its fast 4G LTE network with speeds up to ten times faster than 3G.) or just that perfect toy for your adorable grandson.

• Black Friday App lets you browse "leaked" and "confirmed" ads from dozens of major retailers, create and organize shopping lists, compare prices, get notifications of the latest deals, and even shows you similar products that you can buy now at Black Friday-like prices.
• Use CardStar to import all those store savings cards to your phone. Lighten up your wallet or your keychain and never miss a reward or discount again. This is one of those apps that will come in handy all the time, not just on Black Friday.  Cashiers can scan the cards right from your phone, and you can get special savings, deals and coupons right through the app.
• and for people like me who would rather just stay home, there's Amazon Mobile, which lets you browse, search, compare prices, read reviews, and shop - right from the comfort of your own home.  (According to Mobile Commerce Daily, on Black Friday last year alone, mobile shopping accounted for 16 percent of online sales and that number is expected to exceed 20 percent this year, and a recent U.S. Cellular survey showed that 39 percent of their smartphone customers use their smartphones for shopping.) But if you are out shopping in some actual stores - on Black Friday or any other time - the app makes it easy to compare prices. Is that deal in the store really a good one, or can you get it cheaper on Amazon?  Now you'll always know.
• Insert your favorite app here.  Are there any apps you've found that you make shopping and scoring the best deals easier, faster, or better?  Please share!

So, if you really must grab some of those hard-to-resist Black Friday deals, be sure to check out the available smartphone apps that will make it easier to find the best deals and help you get your shopping done and get back to spending time with your family.  I suppose shopping together could be a way of spending time with the family... 

At the very least, if you have to split up to get those deals, you can use your phones to keep track of each other and be sure you can find each other at the end of the day!

Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone.  My experiences with and opinions of U.S. Cellular are 100% mine.

Be Carton Smart this Holiday

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carton Smart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

What if everyone made just one small smart decision every day?  How much of a difference do you think that would make?  Sure, one person's actions may not seem like much, but when everyone joins in, the impact can  be huge.

Tetra Pak® carton packages, designed for maximum efficiency and environmental friendliness, are one small way to live smarter and make that difference.  The cartons are made of 70% paper, a renewable resource, from selectively harvested, re-grown trees that are FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) and use 1/3 of the packaging compared to cans.  Cartons are space saving, easy to store and open, and the unique packaging process preserves the flavor and nutrients of food without the use of preservatives.  So, not only will you help the environment by putting less waste into landfills, when you Become Carton Smart you'll also be able to feed your family better quality food.

I received Tetra Pak® carton packages of  Pacific Foods Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Pacific Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree, and Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Simply Stock - the perfect products for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!

Cranberry sauce goes with turkey, the stock can be used to make the dressing, and I think I'll use the Pumpkin Puree to make a batch of these Pumpkin Oat Muffins.  What's great about these cartons is that they're reclosable, so I can use the 1 cup of pumpkin I need for the muffins and easily save the rest in the carton for later.  How convenient is that?



I also like that the cartons fit together nicely - meaning they're great for stocking the pantry.  I am definitely going to have to look for other products I can get in these cartons.

Be sure to Follow #CartonSmart on Pinterest to see lots of great small, smart choices that can add up to make a big difference, and if you have some ideas of your own, be sure to Tweet @CartonSmart to share them.

How will you be #CartonSmart this holiday?  Will you buy at least one of your ingredients in a carton?  Recycle all of the cans and jars you use?  Use real dishes so that you aren't throwing away a bunch of paper plates and plasticware?  I'd love to hear your plans.

We Never Had To Do This Before

We have trees now!  We get kind of excited about that because our last two houses were built in newer subdivisions that had previously been some farmer's field.  No trees.  At least not for years and years, and even then they weren't very big. Then we lost a couple of the trees we did have when the tornado went through a few years ago.

But here we have trees.  The one out front is really pretty right now, all yellow and orange.

And dropping leaves all over the ground, too - so today we raked up a whole pile of those leaves.

We've never had to do that before!  I guess we better get used to it, because there are still plenty of leaves left to fall!

Do you think I'll still think they're pretty by the time we've had to rake all the rest of them?