Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Hellmann's® Build Your Perfect Sandwich Sweepstakes

Whether it's for breakfast, lunch or dinner, there's no denying it: America is a sandwich-loving nation! According to the new "Hellmann's® State of the Sandwich" survey, a majority of American sandwich eaters (84%) believe that how a sandwich is made is just as important as the ingredients used to make it.** Something else many of America's sandwich fans agree on: If there's a must-have sandwich ingredient, it's Hellmann's®* mayonnaise!
Hellmanns Bobby FlayTo help celebrate America's passionate preferences for building the perfect sandwich, Hellmann's® and Best Foods® are partnering with Chef Bobby Flay to show families how to make real, simple, delicious sandwiches, and to uncover unique and personal sandwich-making techniques. They want to know how you slice it, spread it, stack it or serve it ... Do you spread your Hellmann's® Mayonnaise on one slice or both? Is the cheese on the top or in the center of the sandwich?
All you have to do is go to Facebook.com/hellmanns to share your sandwich-making tips, tricks, techniques and secrets. You'll also have the opportunity to build your perfect sandwich and enter the Hellmann's® Build Your Perfect Sandwich Sweepstakes for a chance to win great prizes including a kitchen essentials bundle, grocery gift cards and Hellmann's® and Best Foods® products.***
Did you know that 33 percent of Americans who eat sandwiches credit their mom with teaching them how to make a great sandwich? And nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of moms with sandwich-loving kids say they serve their families the favorites they ate growing up!**
*Or Best Foods® depending on geographical location of media market
** ABOUT THE SURVEY: The Hellmann's® Sandwich Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between March 21st and March 28th, 2011 using an email invitation and an online survey of 1,373 Americans ages 18 and older, with oversampling in specific geographic regions and women with children under 18 living in the household. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 2.6 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with All persons in the universe represented by the sample.
***No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. The Build Your Perfect Sandwich Sweepstakes is sponsored by Conopco, Inc., d/b/a Unilever. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 & older. Begins 12:00 p.m. ET 4/11/11 and ends 11:59 a.m. ET on 8/15/11. For rules, got to http://www.Hellmanns.com.
 Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Hellmann's® prize package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Night Star - Immortal series

I normally don't give book a bad review - either its slow or its something I tear through... BUT OMG I couldn't wait for this book to end - I actually read several other books in between cause I just couldn't finish it. It dragged on and on and I just couldn't get into it. She has one more book out and I'm waiting for a lull lol to get it and FINISH the series. I'm told its much better than the last.

Secrets are supposed to be in the book but umm it tells YOU them all while the characters don't have a clue. I needed more suspense. Someone always dies in the book and yes I expected it to be the one it was but it just took to the end of the book to get there. Sorry... I hope the next and last one is better - with a wonderful ending!!



After fighting for centuries to be together, Ever and Damen’s future hinges on one final showdown that will leave readers gasping for breath. Don’t miss this explosive new installment of the #1 bestselling series that’s enchanted millions across the world!

Haven still blames Ever for the death of her boyfriend Roman, no matter how hard Ever’s tried to convince her it was an accident. Now she’s determined to take Ever down…and destroy Damen and Jude along the way. Her first step is to tear Ever and Damen apart—and she has just the ammunition to do it.

Hidden in one of Ever’s past lives is a terrible secret about Damen—a secret that illuminates new facts about her relationship with Jude, but that’s so dark and brutal it might be enough to drive her and Damen apart once and for all. As Ever faces her greatest fears about the guy she wants to spend eternity with, she’s thrust into a deadly clash with Haven that could destroy them all.

Now it’ll take everything she’s got—and bring out powers she never knew she had—to face down her most formidable enemy. But in order to win, she must first ask herself: is her own survival worth dooming Haven to an eternity of darkness in the Shadowland? And will learning the truth about Damen’s past hold the key to their future?

Last Sacrifice - Vampire Academy

This had to be my favorite book so far this spring - it really had me going and it was on the move, i could keep up, it kept me wanting more and for 610 pages - I ate it up in two days! It has you guessing who killed the Queen and who is going to replace her. I had idea through the book but I NEVER would have guessed the true killer or who was going to be Queen. I love that!!



Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules.

She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you?


OF COURSE you want more but this is the last book in this series - Last Sacrifice will be the last book about Rose, but it'll be followed by a spin-off series still set in the Vampire Academy world.  Side characters we know from the current series will now be our main characters, and there'll be a whole new storyline (not the last one told from a different perspective).  It is scheduled for release in August 2011 and is called Bloodlines.

Sweep series - reading lately... tons lol

The first set of books I tore through and am waiting on the rest to arrive is the Sweep series - I'm in love with it and really love the fact that they are republishing them in 3book volumes to make it cheaper to read. I've gone through all 1,2 and 3 volumes the 4th is due out this summer but I couldn't wait so I bought books 10,11,12 - now I'm waiting for the last books 13,14,15 - I could eat them up instantly they are soo good... here are the ones I just read.


Dark Magic, Volume 4

Morgan is unsure of what to do and who to trust in Dark Magic. The secret of Hunter may bring Cal and herself together but it is making it harder to trust anyone. But when Morgan finds out Hunters alive strange things start happening. At the end of the book Morgan chooses not to join Cal's mothers coven and is then dragged down to his house and is locked in his dark magical room and is stuck there. Cal's mother is after Morgans tools but since Morgan bound the tools to herself Morgan is the only one she can use them on. Cal then by "solving" the problem sets the place Morgan is inside on fire. Morgan is trapped and willed to face the same death of her mother. Or until Morgan's friends Robbie and Bree crash through the door saving Morgan.

Awakening, Volume 5

In Dark Magick Morgan was betrayed by the first boy she ever loved (Cal). Now Morgan must attempt to get on with her life. Morgan begins to study with Hunter, and slowly begins to realize her feelings for him. But dark magick seems to be surrounding them and someone close is to blame. Hunter and Morgan slowly start to get closer throughout the book. Hunter suspects that the dark magick is being used by David Redstone, owner of Practical Magick, and Morgan's friend. Morgan does everything she can to try and prove it wasn't him, but in the end, Hunter is right. The day before David gets stripped of his powers, Morgan and Hunter share a passionate kiss, and after Hunter strips David of his powers, he gives Morgan the stone Morganite, and it shows that Morgan is the thing/person that Hunter desires most in his heart.

Spellbound, Volume 6

Kithic and Cirrus merge and Morgan becomes aware of her feelings for Hunter. Throughout the book Morgan and Hunter's relationship develop with an occasional mishap. The two later find out that the severed brake lines and the sawed posts were the workings of Cal when he admits it upon their meeting at the old Methodist cemetery. Hunter and Cal at the cemetery prepare to fight when Morgan binds them with a spell. Keeping the binding spell on the two of them, she forces Hunter into her car and drives to Hunter's house where she releases him. If things couldn't get worse, Mary K., Morgan's sister is kidnapped by Selene. Morgan and Hunter go to Selene's and Cal's old house to battle it out with her. Just as Selene's magic was about to hit Morgan, Cal appears and steps in front of the dark magick, sacrificing himself for Morgan and ultimately proving to her that he had indeed renounced his mother's beliefs and that he really did love her. Selene falls to the ground, grieving over her son's dead body. While her guard is down, Hunter attempts to put the braigh around her wrists, but she is automatically enveloped by the darkness within her, causing the braigh to corrode. Just when all seems lost, the darkness exits her body, and the physical strain kills Selene. They leave the house, along with Mary K., who doesn't seem to recall any of the events that just occurred. Sky and another person, seemingly a member of the International Council of Witches, then arrive at the house and took Cal and Selene's body away. Morgan didn't know what she felt for Hunter.

The Calling, Volume 7

Morgan has a dream about a ritual sacrifice. The Witches Council thinks that it is a vision of the future. They suspect that the it is a vision of an illegal sacrifice by a Woodbane coven, Amyranth to obtain power. It is suspected that the sacrifice may in fact be a child of one of Amyranth's members. The council sends Hunter to New York, the place where the coven is suspected to operate, to investigate. Morgan goes with Hunter, however she also wished to discover more about her birth parents, something which can only be done in New York. At the invitation of Bree, they stay at the apartment of Bree's father. Robbie, Sky and Raven come along for the ride. At a New York disco they meet Killian who turns out to be Ciaran's son. It is then believed that Killian is the target of the Amyranth sacrifice. Ciaran meets Morgan in the same disco and he decides to sacrifice her. He sets a trap for her, but when he finds out Morgan is his daughter he helps Hunter to stop the ritual before it's too late. During the time that the ritual is taking place, Morgan realizes that Hunter is her "mùirn beatha dàn"(soul mate). In the end of the book, Morgan breaks up with Hunter because she finds out that she is Ciaran's daughter, one of the most evil witches of the age, and also her mother's "mùirn beatha dàn", but he killed her, so Morgan believes that she's like poison, and being around Hunter is going to get him killed.

Changeling, Volume 8

Morgan has broken up with Hunter and has found out that Ciaran is her true birth father, making Killian her half-brother. The council of witches sends Eoife, an elderly witch, to Morgan to ask her for her assistance for the rescue of the Starlocket coven, which the International Council of Witches thinks the mysterious dark wave will strike next. Morgan has to get close to Killian to get closer to Ciaran so she called Killian to Widow's Vale and asked him to contact Ciaran. She feels apprehensive and hesitant about facing Ciaran, but at the same time, has a strange urge to hug him since she has finally found her true father. She refuses to hug the same man that killed her mother Maeve Riordan and Angus, her lover, however. Morgan is faced with a choice between the people she loves and the powerful and seemingly dark magick her father can teach her.

Strife, Volume 9

Morgan gets back together with Hunter, and during a family dinner with Hunter, Mary K finally finds out the truth about what Selene had done to her, and how Selene and Cal died. To make things worse, strange occurrences begin to happen in Morgan's presence. Books begin flying and light bulbs explode, and no one seems to know the cause - thus attributing the blame to Morgan. Morgan's school grades begin to slip and she finds herself having difficulty finding a balance between her school work and a life of Wicca.

Seeker, Volume 10

The tenth book in the Sweep series is not from Morgan's point of view. Instead the book is in Hunter's point of view. Hunter was in a search for his parents who have been missing since Hunter was a child. Hunter receives information about the whereabouts of his parents, which inevitably lead him to Canada. There he finds his father, Daniel Naill, and discovers that his mother died just before Yule, when he was training Morgan. Hunter soon discovers that his father is talking to his mother (who is dead) via the use of what is considered to be a form of dark magick, against the wishes of Hunter's mother. Hunter must attempt to stop his father from doing this, while investigating a witch by the name of Justine Courceau,a witch collecting the true names of other witches, on the order of the International Council of Witches. He ends up kissing her, and then is faced with the fact that he has to tell Morgan about it.

Origins, Volume 11

Hunter and Morgan read the memoir of Rose MacEwan's which Hunter acquired while in Canada. Rose MacEwan is a Woodbane ancestor of Morgan and is the first person to have created a Dark Wave (a powerful piece of dark magick which can destroy entire covens). The story is written from Rose's point of view and follows her story as she falls in love, has her heart broken, and turns to dark magic as a means of revenge eventually creating the first Dark Wave, not actually realising what she is doing at the time!

Eclipse, Volume 12

This book switches perspectives between Morgan and Alisa Soto, who discovers that she is a half-witch with significant power. Morgan, Hunter, Daniel Niall and Alisa join forces to combat a Dark Wave which is heading for them and will destroy themselves and their friends and families. Daniel discovers a way to counteract the dark wave, however any full witch would die in the process. Alisa soon discovers that her half-witch abilities may be the key to defeating the Dark Wave and saving everyone who she knows.

Need Series - Entice

What else have I been reading... well the Need series caught my eye and I finished the third book Entice - all about fairies and were's (werewolf's) - it really drags you into the book and I can picture it all. Nick is dead, Zara's been pixie kissed, meaning she's now entirely pixie and she's out to save Nick but at the cost of how many souls is she willing to do it. Book 4 doesn't come out to 2012!

Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever.
But that's not quite how things have worked out.

For starters, well, Nick is dead.
Supposedly, he's been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it's taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla?

And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't just turned...she's Astley's queen.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

HEXBUG™ Nano Bunny

Hexbug has invaded my house again!! This time just for Easter :) They come in several colors - inside an egg - with little easter bunny ears.

"HEXBUG Nano bugs were the hit of the holiday season and now they are back, with a seasonal twist! Everyone's favorite micro robotic bug now comes packaged in a cute Easter egg and comes fully decked out with a pair of little bunny ears. This limited edition HEXBUG Nano is available at select Radio Shacks, RadioShack.com and specialty stores for only $4.99."



Hide them around outside - the kids have a ball finding them and popping them open to play with! Great easter hunt toy or easter basket addition.

We gave away a starter kit too! The Hexbug Nano Spiral Starter Pack - this is a neat starter kit! The kids will love it.
  • Give your Hexbug Nano two levels to explore
  • Easy connect stand-off for multi-level fun
  • Includes extremely rare Nano mutation and new spiral curve piece
  • Register and track your nano collection online
Reconfigurable set lets you create a variety of Nano homes. Go buggy with Hexbug Nano the micro-robotic creature that acts like a real bug! Configure the pieces any way you like, then turn your Nanos loose to play! Real fun with real science. Nanos may look like bugs, but they are actually very cool little robots that use the physics of vibration to propel themselves along and explore their environment. Learn about the science of micro-robotics as you watch them run and skitter, flip over and pop back on their feet all in their own special habitat, custom-made by you! 1+"-long Nanos include batteries. Nanos use 1 AG13 button cell battery each (sold separately for $3). Warning: Choking hazard small parts. Not for children under 3 years. 



 

Thanks to MomSelect and Maria Bailey for allowing us to test these out and have a great easter! All opinions are of my own.


Blog Credit:
Graphics used on page are from digital scrapbooking kit Sugar Rush by Flergs and Ziska. Blog arranged by Designs by Sarah using her Blog Design Service.