Friday, August 28, 2009
Hellman's Swap 'n' Share and Billy Ray Cyrus Feed America!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Hiatus!!
Please don't leave me I will return with more reviews, giveaways, and less-than-wise, insightful ramblings including a garden update and perhaps some canning ideas :)
Social Issues in the North? Who could have imagined?!?
Sand Sharks ~ Book Review and Giveaway!
- Become a Northern Mama Follower and comment on your favourite mystery novel, movie, writer, or character! {Required}
Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents. Giveaway closes September 11, 2009 10:00pm CT. For details read General Giveaway Rules.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Winners of the FACES book giveaway!
I am a follower and would like to win this book.Please count me in.cenya2 at hotmail dot com
August 6, 2009 4:51 PM
I am a subscriber and follower and would liketo win this book.jsrogers at shaw dot ca
August 21, 2009 12:30 PM
I am a follower. The book sounds interesting - please enter me in your giveaway.Thanks,arctic_teacher(at)yahoo(dot)ca
August 21, 2009 7:20 PM
Monday, August 24, 2009
Book Review and Giveaway ~ Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson!
Detective Alex Cross, Patterson's beloved hero, recounts the story told to him by his grandmother by writing a novel entitled TRIAL. The story is of his great-uncle Abraham Cross, his bravery and courage as he struggles against the rising renewal of the Ku Klux Klan. It is also the story of a young white attorney, Ben Corbett, whose mission it is to pull back the curtain which the country had drawn over the reality of the torturous and inhumane behaviours of the Ku Klux Klan.
Returning to his childhood home of Eudora, Mississippi, Ben discovers the town he once thought of as idyllic is not as he remembered and shadows are cast upon the people he once thought of as trustworthy friends. He soon learns misplacing his trust could possibly cost him his life! One person he can trust is Abraham Cross and his daughter Moody, residents of the Eudora's black quarter where living in fear is now commonplace and no one is safe from the wrath of the KKK.
Abraham and Ben fight against all odds to end the terror but it is not until Ben recalls the words of Samuel Clemens {Mark Twain} that he realizes what he must do:
"No mob has any sand in the presence of a man known to be splendidly brave. When I was a boy, I saw a brave gentleman deride and insult a mob, and drive it away.
This would lead one to think that perhaps the remedy for lynchings is to station a brave man in each affected community. But where shall these brave men be found? That is indeed a difficulty. There are not three hundred of them on the earth." (Patterson 2009:158)
Alex Cross's Trial is a fast paced read filled with emotion driven suspense! It reads like a movie and--following in the footsteps of so many other James Patterson novels which have gone before it--should be made into a feature motion picture. Whether you are already a fan of Patterson's character Alex Cross or you have never heard of him this is a gripping tale you don't want to miss!
Five Northern Mama readers will not be disappointed when they receive their copies of Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson and Richard Dilallo.
Watch for my upcoming review of James Patterson's non-fiction The Murder of King Tut!
To Enter:
- Be a Northern Mama Follower and comment here! {Required}
Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents. Giveaway closes September 8th, 2009 10:00pm CT. For further details read General Giveaway Rules.
The loss of a Post :(
I know it seems silly but I lamented the loss of that post as I had put my heart and soul into writing it and for the life of me cannot reproduce it to my satisfaction. I am still reworking my rewrite with much frustration! Hopefully I have learned my lesson and will from now on save my posts to a word document or clipboard as backup!
Hopefully my son also learned a valuable lesson yesterday about avoiding wasp nests and avoiding other boys while they poke at wasps nests...I believe the 5 wasp bites he received should see to that! What a day!
My day finished however on a happier note. Last night my husband and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary with an evening out!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Winner of the Le Baby Shop Thermos Funtainer!
August 21, 2009 5:57 PM
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Italian For Beginners ~ Book Review and Giveaway!
In Italian for Beginners Karen Harmel draws her setting and inspiration from one of my favourite classic films, Roman Holiday. Actress Audrey Hepburn, who starred in the film has always been an actress I felt akin to, not surprising since we share our birth date {May 4th}. Based on this history of my interests and the fact that I grew up in a predominately Italian community this book had personal meaning beyond the words on the page!
Italian for Beginners is a glorious romp through Rome, its history, sights, sounds, and of course its rich tastes! This book left me yearning for an Italian vacation but beyond all this ambiance Harmel also made me yearn to follow my dreams, find my true self, and not always play it safe.
Cat Connelly is a New Yorker who has spent her life protecting and caring for her father and sister after her Italian mother left. Cat is 34 and single as her grandmother embarrassingly points out publicly in the midst of her younger sister's wedding ceremony:
"But, Cat!" Grandma exclaimed. She paused to cough violently while Dad rapped on her back. "Cat, dear!" she resumed, after the coughing fit. "Your sister is much younger than you! And now she's getting married? What about that nice young man you were dating, dear? Keith was it? Did you screw it up?"
Humiliated, Cat makes the rare and risky decision to take a vacation, back to Rome, a place she travelled in her youth, the place her mother hails from. She believes she is going to rekindle an old flame but soon realizes Rome means more to her than romance! With the help of new friends Cat re-evaluates her life and confronts the ghosts of her past which only Rome can heal!
This book is filled with the charm of Italy and strong Italian characters I recognize from my youth--The strong, and hot tempered Italian women, the Italian stallions, the nonnas saying mangia tutto! Light and uplifting, this novel is a delight for those with a heart for romance, a roaming soul, and a mind for dreaming! Harmel also includes some fantastic taste experiences for those with an Italian appetite! Nonna would be proud!
5 Northern Mama readers will have the pleasure of venturing Rome between the covers of Karen Harmel's Italian for Beginners! Yes, 5 copies. Thank you Miriam Parker of Hachette Book Group and 5 Spot!
To Enter:
- Follow or subscribe via email to Northern Mama and comment here! {Required}
Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents. Giveaway closes Sept. 8th, 2009 10:00 pm CT. For further details see General Giveaway Rules.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Mare ad Mare~Canadian Girl T-shirt Winner!!
Monday, August 17, 2009
GreenSmart Neogreene Laptop and Bottle Sleeves ~ Review and Giveaway!
The neogreene bottle tote provides great insulation for any beverage hot or cold and the sleeve accommodates water bottles of various shapes and sizes. I love how it insulates but also how it protects my stainless steel bottles from the everyday bumps and bruises they can sustain. Complete with a caribiner clip the GreenSmart neopreene is once again a perfect combination of function and appearance. Like the neogreene laptop sleeve the bottle tote is sophisticated black with just a hint of green and in an understated way voices the importance of environmental thinking!
- Visit GreenSmart and tell me your favourite item other than the ones I reviewed! {Required}
- Non-bloggers you can enter but please leave me your email address.
Extra Entries:
- Follow Northern Mama
- Subscribe via email
- Grab my Button
- Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link to your post
Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents. Giveaway closes September 8th, 2009 10:00pm CT. See General Giveaway Rules for details.
Friday, August 14, 2009
I Can See You... ~ Book Review and Giveaway
In I Can See You Rose clouds the lines between the virtual world and reality creating a modern, fast-paced, thrilling murder drama featuring the macabre of a serial killer and spiced with sex and romance. Rose introduces characters into a plot so finely tuned that the reader is constantly left guessing at the killer's identity while fearing and suspecting everyone!
Eve Wilson is a bar tending, grad student all too familiar with the addictive nature of the virtual world. After having been scarred both physically and emotionally by a heinous crime against her person she sought the safe haven of virtual reality as an escape from facing the real world. But now she has come out of hiding and has turned her knowledge of the virtual world into a possible therapy for others. Unfortunately, she may have created a hunting ground for a serial killer!
Homicide detective, Noah Webster--part of a special homicide squad known as the "Hat Squad"for their fedoras--enlists Eve's help to track down a sadistic killer and their tragic pasts collide in a relationship of passion they both fear but cannot resist!
Suspenseful, chilling, and engaging I Can See You has you riveted to the very end! I found myself urged on by the constant need to decipher who the killer could be and I had difficulty
putting it down! I also had difficulty turning out the light! Rose creates characters with such dimension one starts to believe they could be lurking outside your very own door...I can see you!
You can experience the same "cold chills and hot thrills" because 5 Northern Mama readers will receive copies of Karen Rose's latest, I Can See You!
To Enter:
- Follow Northern Mama and comment here! {Required}
Monday, August 10, 2009
Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders ~ Review and Giveaway!
I have always been inspired by those individuals who channel their talents and skills into making their passions and dreams a reality--people who utilize their talents to fulfill their ideals and to inspire others. Cheryl Procaccini a.k.a. Birdsong is one of those inspiring individuals who turned her love of music, environment, and children into a songwriting and recording career which helps instill in children the wonderment of nature, ecology and the ideal of earth stewardship!
Like most, my children love music! My daughters enjoy singing and dancing and with the advent of new pop teens with their own tv shows I became afraid that the days of pure children's music may have been over in my household. Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders' "If I Were a Fish..." CD proved my fears were wrong! My daughters began singing and dancing to the CD the moment they popped it into the CD player and they immediately began to plan out their dance routines and performances for their favourite songs. My daughters were most taken with the first track "Clickety-Clack" which is about dolphin communication. And with fun lyrics like these who can blame them?:
I send a sound and it bounces back.
Echoes in my mind, helps me see
What’s up ahead in the deep blue sea.
Click, Click. Whistle and Squawk.
It’s just the way that a dolphin talks.
I call my friends so we can play
In a fun-loving dolphin way.
To Enter:
- Visit Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders website and listen to some song samples. Tell me which is your favourite! {Required}
- Non-bloggers may also enter but please leave me your email address.
Extra Entries:
- Follow Northern Mama
- Subscribe via email
- Grab my Button
- Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link to your post
{Please leave a separate comment for each entry}
Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents. Giveaway closes August 24th, 2009 10:00pm CT. For further details read the General Giveaway Rules.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Le Baby Shop Thermos Funtainer ~ Review and Giveaway!
Though there are so many practical reasons to love the Thermos Funtainer when asked my son admitted that the designs on the bottle were "just so cool"! We received the Funtainer with the blue designs but it is also available in pink! I am sure I will have to invest in two more Funtainers in the pink for my girls so there will be no more disputes over whose turn it is to have the seulement Funtainer we currently harbour in our fridge...because it has not yet even made it to the cupboard!
One lucky Northern Mama reader will be the envy of me for she/he will receive a Thermos Funtainer of her/his choice from Le Baby Shop dedicated to natural and eco-friendly products for babies and children alike! Fear not, if you do not win you still can take advantage of the 15% discount on all their stainless steel products Le Baby Shop is offering all Northern Mama readers until Sept. 30th! Use the discount code: SAVE15SSBG
To Enter:
- Visit Le Baby Shop and tell me what your favourite product is {Required}
- Non-Bloggers may also enter but please leave your email address with your comment!
Extra Entries:
- Follow Northern Mama
- Subscribe via email
- Grab my Button
- Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link to your post
This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents. Contest closes August 22nd, 2009 10:00pm CT. See General Giveaway Rules for further details.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Kids Konserve Back to School Discount!
Kids Konserve carries great nesting stainless steel container trios, and no-sweat ice packs too! Great waste-free lunch components are available at Kids Konserve and schools can earn and save money through the waste-free challenge at: Kids Konserve Schools ...because waste-free lunches are an important way kids and schools can make a difference!
I've reached the century mark!!
I have been enjoying this endeavour and want to say thank you to those that have been so kindly cheering me on. I am loving how my blog is evolving to include so many eclectic interests. I have a varied and eclectic personality and wanted my blog to reflect that.
THANK YOU and there is more to come!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Book Review ~ Atherton: The Dark Planet
Patrick Carman is the bestselling author of "The Land of Elyon" series which my son also truly enjoyed. My son is 9 years old and is already a Fantasy fiction junky! Atherton: The Dark Planet is the first Atherton series book he has read but he found it easy to follow the story as a stand alone novel despite having missed the first two books of the series. He is now eager to read the earlier books and we ran out to purchase them. In the tradition of Carman's other novels Atherton: The Dark Planet is a well-constructed fantasy brimming with suspense and action. Only Carman can create such fantastical worlds of fantastic and mutant creatures which read as realistic and plausible, abounding with characters whom children find easy to relate to and with whom they can feel emotionally attached.
Lands' End Back-to-school Event!!
Krafty Kids Winner!
Congratulations to Cpullum! I will be emailing you shortly!
17. cpullum said...
I love the Sports Ball Bag Tag!carlacpullum(at)yahoo(dot)com
July 13, 2009 10:42 AM
Winner of One Village Gifts Giveaway!
Congrats to Indigo! You've won the beautiful orange Acai Berry Bracelet from One Village Gifts!
14. indigo said...
winterbeach2@yahoo.ca
July 8, 2009 10:31 PM
FACES ~ Books to Giveaway!
Read our Northern Mama review of FACES:
http://northernmama-northerngirl.blogspot.com/2009/08/faces-book-review.html
and enter here to win!!
To Enter:
- Follow Northern Mama and leave a comment here!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Winners of AMERICA LIBRE!!
Thank you, for holding such a wonderful giveaway, I truly appreciate it! I am now following you!
July 22, 2009 7:34 PM
6. EM said...
this is my third try to get this book - I have hope. btw, your blog is amazing. it's an inspiration to mine...great review btw. you're welcome to follow mine.
July 23, 2009 8:35 AM
8. Lifestooshort said...
I have heard that this is a great book! I'm a follower :)lavery328 at yahoo dot com
July 23, 2009 9:01 PM
9. bridget3420 said...
Count me in. I'm a follower:)bjhopper(at)me(dot)com
July 24, 2009 11:51 AM
12. Marjorie said...
I am a follower and would love to win this awesome giveaway.cenya2 at hotmail dot com
July 28, 2009 5:51 PM
Congratulations to all five winners!! I have emailed you but EM and Doubting Thomas if I couldn't reach you {my Outlook is acting up} please eamil me with your mailing information at northern_mama@yahoo.ca
Winners of the "I'm So Happy For You" book Giveaway!
This sounds like such a wickedly delightful read. And I will congratulate the winners if I'm not one of them, but it will be through gritted teeth with my fingers crossed behind my back. So hopefully I'm one of them!And I subscribe and follow and all that jazz.melacan at hotmail dot com
July 7, 2009 4:48 PM
It sounds interesting and I'd love a chance to read it. (i'm an old follower)
July 8, 2009 3:17 AM
Sounds like a good one! I am a follower!
July 12, 2009 1:16 PM
I just found your blog- sounds like a good book to sit by the pool with this summer.tanfaes(at)gmail.com
July 21, 2009 10:39 AM
I follow your blog. Thanks for this giveaway and please count me inchinook92(at)gmail(dot)com
August 3, 2009 12:05 PM
FACES ~ Book Review
REPOST WITH REVISED GIVEAWAY~Mare ad Mare~ A Canadian Review and Giveaway!
Most of my giveaways have always been open to US and Canadian residents but this one will be a little different! A Canadian Giveaway {ex-patriots count} in honour of Canada Day July 1st!!
O Canada!... My husband and I are very proud Canadians! My husband serves his country every day as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and even prior to this we have always wanted to instill in our children with the same national pride we share. Canadians are not known for their national pride. Don't get me wrong...I think most Canadians truly love their country but we are a laid back people who are self-deprecating and humble. I think this is changing and I hope my children truly thrill at the sound of our national anthem and remember their travels and experiences across our great country with a full heart!
Our Home and Native Land...We've lived in two provinces and two territories, we've visited all the provinces and territories with the exception of the Yukon {where we hope to live one day}. We want our children to know their country, taste it through first hand experiences.
True Patriot Love... Canadians are special! We have a national identity which encompasses the values of acceptance, social well being, and a love of the natural world which our country personifies from city to prairie, mountain and tundra! We believe in politeness and humour! Our national identity embraces cultural diversity and ultimately the love of peace! But there is something truly free, pure, and adventurous about the heart and soul of a Canadian girl! Whether surrounded by a sea of open prairie fields or Rocky mountain peaks; skipping the shores of "The Rock" or inhaling the ocean breezes off the Atlantic or the Pacific; whether sifting the red earth of PEI through her fingers or plucking fresh, fat tundra blueberries in Canada's north; applauding a play in a Toronto theater or a cowboy at Calgary's stampede; ou célébrer Bonhomme Carnaval dans la ville de Québec, being a Canadian girl is the embodiment of loving and embracing life...a joie de vive! The Canadian girl knows the glories of her country through play; through touch, sight, sound, and taste!
Ian founder of Mare ad Mare believes in the unique experience of Canadian girls! Mare ad Mare means "sea to sea" and he and his family have created the Mare ad Mare t-shirt collection to keep the memories of Canada alive in Canadian girls living from sea to sea and all over the world. As an ex patriot having lived and raised his family in the US and Germany it was important for him that his daughters remain connected to their country. Mare ad Mare t-shirts are for every girl! They celebrate Canada but also spread the Canadian identity and message of joie de vive through all seasons to the rest of the world, lending a voice to the Canadian experience. With logos such as " It's not Always Cold in Canada...but it is Today", "Jump In", "Pass the Marshmallows", and "Spring...Finally" Mare ad Mare has somehow capsulized the Canadian seasons and good ole' fashioned Canadian fun! And Mare ad Mare has not forgotten that we are a Bilingual country with French and English as our two official languages! Mare ad Mare also has created the "Donnez-moi un petit baisser!" for French Canadian girls or any girl who wants "a little kiss" of Canada!
The Mare ad Mare Blog is currently running a fabulous t-shirt giveaway for Canadians all over the world and they are also generously giving away a Mare ad Mare t-shirt to a Canadian reader here at Northern Mama!
Mare ad Mare is looking for video clips, photos, and stories showing what other Canadian girls do for fun whether in Canada or around the world!
To enter the Northern Mama giveaway send me a photo of your girl or girls having fun {daughter(s) or another special little girl in your life}: northern_mama@yahoo.ca
{I will not be passing on names or information about you or your family members--photos only!}
Mare ad Mare may request to post the winner's photo on their blog and I would love to post the winner's photo here {again only with the winner's permission and without names}!!
OR Just leave a comment about your Canadian Girl experiences {either from your childhood or the expereinces of your daughter or another special little girl in your life}!!
Extra Entries:
- Follow Northern Mama
- Subscribe via email
- Grab my Button
- Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link to your post
- Tell me a little story about you of your daughter having "Canadian Fun"!
This Giveaway open to all Canadians at home or abroad!! Giveaway will extend until August 17th 12:00 am CT {this will give you time to collect and send great summer shots and I will then be back from my July camping trip to pick the winner} See General Giveaway Rules for further details!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Just Made it Home and Recieved a wonderful email
Upon perusing my email I was surprised by a lovely message from the author of AMERICA LIBRE! I was extremely pleased that he enjoyed my review and I just have to share because...well I feel just a little proud ;) And thank you so much Raul for your kind words!
Here's what Raul Ramos y Sanchez wrote:
I really appreciate you hosting the AMERICA LIBRE give-away on your blog. A wonderful bonus was your excellent review. You captured the essence of the novel yet brought out some of the book’s most nuanced insights. Thank you for taking the time to develop this well-crafted essay and sharing it with readers.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez