Elusive Hope is the second book in MaryLu Tyndall's Escape to Paradise series.  This book is a continuation of the first in the series where colonists left the south after the Civil War in order to find a new utopia in South America.  It focuses on the story of Magnolia Scott and Hayden Gale.

If you read book one, you'll know that these two characters aren't the most lovable.  They both have many flaws, as do every one of us.  Our heroine, Magnolia was forced by her father to leave the south and is desperate to get back to everything she loved in the states including her fiance.  Hayden came to Brazil in order to find his father and punish him for what happened to his mother.

While in South America Magnolia hears of a ship heading back to the states and attaches herself to Hayden in order to try and get to it.  Hayden has his own reasons for letting Magnolia tag along and they aren't so noble.  Their journey through the dark and mysterious jungle is filled with beauty, suspense, and even spiritual warfare!

MaryLu really brings the story to life with vivid descriptions of the characters and the lush vegetation in the jungle.  She makes it hard for you to put down Elusive Hope.  Luckily there will be another book in this series very shortly!

I love making pizza at home, but prefer not to have to make the crust from scratch.  I just can't seem to make it taste like I want.  Luckily Pillsbury has a new Artisan Pizza Crust that has 16 grams of whole grain per serving!  So it not only tastes great, it has the added benefit of extra whole grain.

Having a pre-made crust makes it so much easier to make a quick pizza.  All I have to do is pop open the can, spread the crust out and put whatever toppings we want on it, then bake.  Easy peasy!

If you don't want to wait to try the new Pillsbury Artisan Crust Pizza, you can print out a coupon here that will save you a little money.

• VIP coupon for  New Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain
• $10 gift card (ingredients)
• Baking sheet
• Oven mitt
• Pizza cutter

 To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I was sent a Pillsbury Artisan Crust Prize pack from Pillsbury in association with My Blog Spark in order to do my review.  All opinions are my own!
 

Veil of Pearls by MaryLu Tyndall is set in the 1800s and begins with our heroine, Adalia, running for her life and her freedom in the Caribbean.  You see Adalia is a slave who wants to start her life fresh in America.  She purchases passage on a ship and ends up in Charleston, SC where she hopes her light skin will allow her to live life as a free woman. 

Morgan is a wealthy plantation owner's son who finds Adalia fascinating and tries desperately to convince her to let him court her. Adalia, however, only wants to help others and finds Morgan's advances bothersome.  Will she let Morgan into her heart?  Will everyone find out who Adalia really is and what she's running from?  Well, you're going to have to read the book to find out!

MaryLu really knows how to draw you into a story.  From the very beginning the characters were brought to life through her writing.  I found myself caring about Morgan and Adalia and couldn't wait to see what would happen to them next. 

If you like historical or Christian romances, MaryLu Tyndall's books are the best, and Veil of Pearls is no exception.

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know about you, but this summer has been really busy for us so far!  I was sent some Mott’s Medleys Fruit Flavored Snacks that are not only tasty but easy to take with me on the go.

Hunter showing me a Mott's Fruit Flavored Snack

The kids loved the Assorted Fruit and Berry flavors and I loved that they are made from real fruit and vegetable juices.  They are also made with natural colors and flavors and have double box tops for your child's school!

Asking for another pack

My husband doesn't usually care for the fruit snacks my youngest likes, but decided to give these a try anyway.  He ended up loving them and snagging a box for himself to take to work!  I think they're great too!  It's so easy to grab a pack to take to the park or lake with us.

How would you like to try the new Mott's Medleys Fruit Flavored Snacks?  I have 4 Gift Packs to giveaway to my readers!

To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have all been provided by Mott’s® through MyBlogSpark.

 

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to sit down and unwind.  You know how it is when you're a mom!
Last week I received the Wahl Deep-Tissue Percussion Therapeutic Massager to try out.  It's an early Mother's Day gift for me.  Massagers are a great way to relieve pain, increase blood flow, reduce tension, and they just provide a wonderful feeling of relaxation. 

The Wahl Deep Tissue Massager comes with 4 attachments.  Included are a four finger flex attachment, which replicates human touch massages, an accupoint attachment that goes deep into tissue for a concentrated massage, a raised bump attachment, which is good for all-over wide muscle massages, and a deep muscle attachment, which is great for a gentle, soothing, relaxing all-over massage.  You can also turn the intensity of the massage up with the roll of a switch.


When I opened the package I was surprised at the size of this massager!  Check out the picture above and you'll see it's as long as my laptop is wide and that is 15 1/2 inches! Then after trying it out on my back, I realized why.  It's so long, so you can reach your whole back and give yourself a massage without having to wait on someone else.  This is great for me because by the time my husband gets home from work he doesn't have time to give me a massage.  My favorite attachments are the four finger flex, because it's similar to a "real" massage, and the raised bump, because I think it's good for all-over.  I could feel the tension draining from my body after using this massager.


From now until May 13th, if you like Wahl on Facebook, you can nominate a mom you think deserves relief.  To enter, all you have to do is post a comment on their Facebook page saying why you think a particular mom needs relief.  It could be that she's a single mom who works hard and never takes time for herself, or a grandma who has taken care of everyone and deserves a break.  It could be you!  Just leave your comment and be entered to win one of 50 Wahl Thearaputic Massagers.  Entries will be judged on their uniqueness and sincerity.  Just let it come from your heart and maybe you can win a Wahl Massager for someone for Mother's Day!

I was given this product from Wahl in association with Mama Bzz Media in exchange for an honest review.

I have teamed up with realmomsrealdeals.com and a bunch of other great sites to bring you this $100 Amazon gift card giveaway. It's easy to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway I was not compensated for this post. I just wanted to be able to share a great giveaway with y'all!  Thanks to those 
who are sponsoring this giveaway!
 

Last night I was invited to an advance screening of the new 3-D movie John Carter.  In case you don't know (I didn't) the movie is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic A Princess of Mars.  It was the first novel in his Barsoom series written 100 years ago.  Barsoom is the writer's name for the planet Mars where much of the story takes place.

 
John Carter stars Taylor Kitsch in the title role with Lynn Collins playing Dejah Thoris, a strong intelligent woman, who also happens to be a princess.  The two had great chemistry in the movie.





I went into this movie not expecting much.  From the previews I saw, I thought it would be lots of action and fighting, with little story.  So I took Mitchell with me to see it since he likes that kind of thing.  I should have known since it was Disney it would be amazing!  Both my son and I loved it.  I admit it took me a few minutes to get into it, but once I did, it was just WOW!  I love how the 3-D wasn't always coming at you like some movies.  It was there, just more understated. 


My favorite thing besides John Carter was Woola.  Woola is a creature similar to a dog in that it's very loyal to it's master.  That's him pictured above.  Isn't he cute?


According to my 14 year old: This movie has something for the whole family.  It has action for the guys, romance for the women, and laughter for everyone.   I agree!  I can't wait to see it again.  With everything that was going on in the movie I know there are new things I'll see next time!

John Carter is rated PG-13 and opens nationwide this Friday.  
Here's a clip from the movie:

Does your computer seem to take longer and longer to boot up? Maybe you need to clean your registry.  My computer is not even a year old, but has started going slower.  Digeus Registry Cleaner helps to speed up your PC by cleaning up errors in your Windows programs.  It will remove all the needless or incomplete file extensions and things that clog up your registry.

When I scanned my laptop for invalid entries, it came up with 2608 problems in my registry!  I couldn't believe I had that many problems.  No wonder my PC would freeze up so often.

 
Some info about Digeus Registry Cleaner

• Removes unused and invalid entries
• Speeds up boot up time
• Fixes Windows errors which results in speeding up your computer
• Eliminates BSOD (Blue Screen of Death)
• Invaluable when your system starts crashing, hangs, freezes and works slow
• This is one of the most popular registry cleaners on the Internet

You can purchase Digeus here.

I was offered a free copy of Digeus Registry Cleaner in exchange for this post.
    

Recently I was sent a couple boxes of new Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks to try.  I was excited to see how they would taste since my family loves fruit snacks.  Well, let me tell you, these are delicious!  My husband even loves them and he doesn't normally like fruit flavored snacks. 

(excuse the blurriness, he wouldn't be still)

Hunter and Mitchell love them too.  They come in two flavors- Berries & Cherries and Assorted Fruit.  I like that they are made with real fruit juice and only have 80 calories.  They make a great snack for work or play.  Plus you can earn double Box Tops on every box! 

I have some coupons for $1.10 off of two boxes.  If you would like one, please leave a comment.  Coupons will go to the first four persons to leave a comment.

I am a member of Pssst and they occasionally send me information and free products from General Mills and Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks.

By now, school has been back in session for a few weeks.  Have you started collecting box tops again?  Well either way, Sam's Club is here to help!  You'll find your favorite brands such as Nature Valley, Yoplait, and Progresso have at least 6 boxtops on them when purchased at Sam's Club.

Last week I went shopping at Sam's and while looking for box top products I checked out the new Smart TVs, Ipods, and Tablets.  I really want some kind of new toy, lol!  Of course at my Sam's Club, Box top products are easy to find.  Usually they are located on displays on the main aisles. 

How would you like to win a $25 Sam's Club Gift Card?  To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
If the form doesn't show up click here to enter






 
Disclosure: The Sam’s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

For the last month or so, I have been feeding my chihuahua, Sugar, Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ dog food.  Sugar can be a very picky eater.  I have noticed in the past that she likes dog food that has chicken as a main ingredient.  So, I was very happy to see that the first ingredient was chicken.  Also inside are fruits and vegetables, plus it has no corn or artificial colors.

My pretty Sugar

Sugar likes her new dog food a lot!  She has always had a nice coat on her, but I think it may even be a bit more shiny after trying Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ dog food.  Plus, she seems to have more energy than before.  She's been running around the house more lately.

See her shiny coat

Hill's and Pet MD have partnered up to help you make smarter food choices for your pet.  You can go to my bowl and find out more. 

I received a free bag of dog food from Hill's and BzzAgent.com in exchange for an honest review.

I love to go places, from Disney World to the beaches or the mountains. Unfortunately that can get pretty expensive! I just found the secret to make taking a family vacation more affordable. It's called RedWeek.com and it's a place where members can go and rent timeshares directly from the owner. You cut out the middle-man and cut down the price!  Membership to RedWeek is only $14.99 per year.

Disney World

Here's an example of the great prices found on RedWeek: My favorite place in the world, Disney World, has a studio room available at the Boardwalk Villas for $130 a night! And this is during Christmas! The regular rate per night for this room is $370. That is such an amazing deal! Or if you'd prefer to stay offsite, you could stay at Cypress Pointe Resort in a one bedroom unit for only $64 a night.

Gorgeous Beaches

Maybe you would prefer a 2 bedroom unit on the beach. There is one at The Resort on Cocoa Beach in Florida next summer for $128 a night. The regular price for this room is $208 a night and it sleeps 6 people!  Perhaps you've been wanting to go to Las Vegas, there is a 1 bedroom unit at a 5 star resort for only $80 per night. 

See the Difference in Space!

Just think of all the space you'd have versus a regular hotel room. Hotels usually have one or two beds in the same room and a bathroom.  Timeshare rentals often have fully stocked kitchens, separate bedrooms, a living room, and some even have washers and dryers.  These amenities are great if you have children because you and the kids don't have to share a bedroom, plus you can cook your own meals to save even more money.

When you are a member and visit RedWeek.com you can check prices and availability of resorts as well as read reviews and ratings.  There are also detailed resort descriptions and lots of photos.   There is a section on the site called RedWishes where you can list the exact resort, room size, and dates so owners can contact you.  You can buy, sell, or rent a timeshare at RedWeek. 

I'm loving this cool, autumn weather we are having here! I heard that a lot of states have had snow already. That just seems wrong this early!  Of course, I think that would help put me in the mood for the holidays a bit better!

Since it's cool now, I thought that I would have a little giveaway for something that might be able to warm you up some! I have a couple of cards for a Free Noodles, Soup, or Salad Bowl at Noodles & Company. You can check here to see if you have a Noodles & Company near you.  These cards will expire on December 31st.

Use the easy Rafflecopter form below to enter!

This giveaway is sponsored by me. I just happened to have 2 extra cards and want to share them!

I'm sure by now you know that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.  FRESCHETTA is doing their part to help support research with their very own FRESCHETTA PROUD TO SUPPORT PINK program!  Through the end of October you will find specially marked packages of FRESCHETTA pizza and Artisan Pizza Crusts that have codes on them.  Go to www.ProudToSupportPink.com and enter the code on your box and FRESCHETTA will donate $1 to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for each code entered up to $50,000!


While at the Proud to Support Pink site you can share your breast cancer story or the story of a friend or loved one.  You can also be entered to win one of 50 pink iPod Shuffles that will be given away each week in October.  In addition, FRESCHETTA will donate 50 pink iPod Shuffles each week to four cancer centers across America for patients to use during treatments.

FRESCHETTA sent me a PROUD TO SUPPORT PINK Kit to enjoy that included a coupon for a free FRESCHETTA pizza and 2 pairs of PROUD TO SUPPORT PINK earphones (one to keep and one to give to a friend).  The FRESCHETTA pizza we chose tasted so yummy!  If you want to try a FRESCHETTA pizza, you can print a coupon for a dollar off of a pizza here.


Would you like to win a PROUD TO SUPPORT PINK kit just like I received?   
To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  Comments will not count!

I was sent a PROUD TO SUPPORT PINK kit from FRESCHETTA in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.