Author: cvegnad

May 21, 2014

The Heart’s Pursuit | Enter to win a $200 “Romantic Weekend Getaway” from @RobinLeeHatcher

Robin Lee Hatcher‘s latest novel, The Heart’s Pursuit, is receiving critical praise: “The Old West lives again in this inspirational romantic adventure. . . . Themes of forgiveness, justice and mercy dominate the story and add to the characters’ depth. Hatcher treats readers to a rich sensory experience—you can taste the desert dust and smell the smoke and stench of a crowded gambling hall.” (Publishers Weekly)

Robin is celebrating the release of her novel by giving away a $200 “Romantic Weekend Getaway.”

One winner will receive:

A $200 Visa cash card (Get away for the weekend with that special someone!)
The Heart’s Pursuit by Robin Lee Hatcher

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 8th. Winner will be announced June 9th on Robin’s website.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Robin’s blog on June 8th to see if you won.

May 20, 2014

Victoria Day Long Weekend Fun #WW w/linky

This past weekend we celebrated Victoria Day and had a wonderful long weekend. The weather cooperated for most of the weekend and we were able to open our pool (woohoo!!). Here is a medley of pictures highlighting our long weekend.

We were so happy that our pool had minimal cleaning to do once we pulled back the winter cover (last year the previous owner’s had closed the pool and it was just a dark, dirty mess!

We found this little guy swimming in the pool later on! He terrified me!

The hubby built himself a barbecue deck – was very proud of him!

And they surprised me with new furniture for the porch and flowers to accompany my morning coffee!

My favourite surprise was my new vegetable garden – it was so thoughtful of them! We had to move the cucumbers afterwards to their own area (who would have thought there was so much more to gardening then planting!).

Make sure to link up your Wordless Wednesday posts below so that I can visit you as well! Have a great day!

May 20, 2014

Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder #review

For the past week and a half I have been using Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea Powder. This has been my first exposure to Matcha green tea powder (and actually hearing about it!) so I was really curious to learn more about Matcha and it’s benefits.

Matcha refers to finely milled or powdered green tea. Matcha is made from shade grown tea leaves. After harvesting, the tea leaves are left out flat to dry and will begin to crumble and are referred to as tencha. Tencha is then ground into matcha. Research has found that matcha green tea powder contains three times the number of antioxidants then regular green tea. This is believed to be because the whole leaf is ingested. It also delivers a higher potency of chlorophyll and catechins.

The Kiss Me Organics Organic Matcha (sold exclusively on Amazon) is sold in a 4oz (113g) bag. This brand of Organic Matcha is found to have 137 times the amount of antioxidants as brewed green tea. Antioxidants are important to help boost the body’s natural immunity and system. Organic matcha has also been found to increase the body’s natural metabolism from 8-10% of daily expenditure to 35-43% of daily expenditure and a natural energy boost.

The recommended daily dose is 1/2-1tsp a day that can be added to lattes, smoothies or baking. When you place an order you will actually receive a recipe book full of healthy recipes and tips of adding more matcha to your daily food intake. I found it pretty neat that you can add it in to normal recipes without altering the taste.

I am using my Matcha in my daily smoothies. I found at first that a 1/2 tsp was a bit too much for me as it did give me an energy boost so the next day I dropped it to 1/4 tsp and had the benefits of increased energy (without any side affects). After a week I increased it to 1/2 tsp and have no noticed no side affects. I was very impressed with the taste and quality of the Matcha – once in my smoothie it had no taste, left no after taste and did not alter the appearance of my smoothies. I definitely noticed an increase in energy and metabolism. I had more energy for exercising and at work then normal.

You can find more information on Organic Matcha on the Kiss Me Organics website and read more reviews on Amazon here.

I wanted to share with you my favourite smoothie recipe:

Ingredients:
– 1/2 tsp Organic Matcha
– 1 banana
– 1 cup of sliced frozen strawberries
– 1/2 cup of pineapples
– roughly 3/4 cup of cold water (enough to make the smoothie thinner)

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until desired consistency. Enjoy!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product free of charge in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 18, 2014

Daisies Are Forever #review & #giveaway

Daises Are Forever by Liz Tolsma is set in World War II and is the story of a young American caught in Eastern Germany with her family who must hold on to hope and love in a war torn country.

Daisies are Forever is the story of Gisela Cramer, an America living in Eastern Germany with her cousin Ella Reinhardt when the Red Army invades. They must leave their home to escape to the safety of Berlin. Ella, a nurse, refuses to leave sending her young daughters with Gisela.

During their journey, Gisela meets Mitch Edwards – an escaped British POW. She pretends that she is his wife in order to preserve his safety amongst other Germans especially one particular wounded German solider, Kurt who has suspicions about Mitch’s identity. Kurt also has feelings for Gisela and tries to uncover the truth about her marriage.

Their journey to Gisela’s mother in Berlin is riddled with tragedy and hardship as they strive to keep Ella’s daughters safe in order to reunite them with their Mother. During this journey, Gisela and Mitch begin to develop feelings towards each other beyond friendship. Once they reach Berlin, their struggles are far from over. They must learn to live for the day and find hope in the darkest of circumstances.

In this moving, historically accurate portrayal of WWII Germany, the characters learn that even with destruction all around them that some things last forever.

Daises are Forever is an incredibly powerful and moving novel. There were times I cried and had to put my novel down, other times I had to re-read chapters to ensure I read it correctly. The fact that the novel was historically accurate made it harder to understand how people can treat others in such a way and even so much more important to read it to help stop it from happening again. I can only begin to imagine how real this story would be for so many people and it is heart breaking. I loved how the lives of Gisela and Mitch are showcased and that through all odds they are able to find love even if it is challenged at all times. A definite must read for all historical fiction fans.

To find more reviews of this novel, visit the Litfuse blog tour here. To purchase a copy of the book you can do so here.

Rating: 5/5

Liz Tolsma‘s latest WWII historical fiction novel, Daisies are Forever, is getting rave reviews.

“. . . compelling and fast-paced tale about the atrocities and tremendous losses. . . .” —Library Journal

“Excellent storytelling, accurate historical reporting and gritty, persevering characters make this WWII-era novel a must-read.” —CBA Retailers + Resources

Liz celebrating the release with a Kindle HDX giveaway!
One winner will receive:

A Kindle Fire HDX
Daisies are Forever by Liz Tolsma

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 31st. Winner will be announced June 2nd on Liz’s website.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Liz’s website on June 2nd to see if you won.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 18, 2014

Moms’ Night Out #review

As a mom (or even as parent!) we can all use a good laugh sometimes – laugh at the hilarious situations we find ourselves in and the joys of being a mother. Moms’ Night Out has all of this and more!

Moms’ Night Out by Tricia Goyer is a novelization of the hilarious family comedy that celebrates real family life – where everything can go wrong and still turn out all right.

All that Allyson and her friends want is a peaceful, grown up evening of dinner and conversation – a much needed moms’ night out. But in order for them to enjoy adult conversation and food not served in a bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for a few hours – what could go wrong?

Chronicling one right out gone awry, three harried moms, their husbands, a sister in law with a misplaced baby, a tattoo parlor owner, a motorcycle gang and a bewildered cabbie all learn to embrace the beautiful mess called parenting. This book spotlights the unfulfilled expectations and serial self doubts many moms feels and reassures us that the key is raising kids in a loving home.

Moms’ Night Out and Other Things I miss written by Kerri Pomarolli is inspired by the true to life movie by the same name. Kerri has created this light, inspiring devotional that will definitely make you laugh but also help you discover that you are not alone and that God’s love is at work in our lives and in our loved ones.

Whether you are running full speed ahead or disappointed that it is Monday you will find joy in these devotions where Kerri shares hilarious stories and insights on daily life. Messy homes, kids, lost pets and the desire to just take a long bath. Read a devotion to brighten your morning or catch a few words to make you smile before bed.

Both of these novels were hilarious and enduring reads! I have never laughed out loud so hard at a book! Literally almost crying from laughter at some points. You could almost see all of the events happening in real life – Elmo playing non stop on your one night out – yup Frozen sound track is the only sound track played in our car! A heart warming, funny look at real life. Real life has it’s ups and downs. We make mistakes, we yell, we cry but at the end of the day we love our family with all of our heart and that is what matters. If you are in need of novels that will help you laugh and see the best in life then these two are both for you!

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse Blog Tour here (for Moms’ Night Out) and here (for Moms’ Night Out and Other Things I Miss). You can purchase a copy of the book here (for Moms’ Night Out) and here (for Moms’ Night Out and Other Things I Miss).

Rating: 5/5 +

Check out this fantastic clip from Kerri Pomarolli:

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.