At my job we really don’t have to dress up that much – but I still like to wear skirts and dress ~ during the summer I can go without nylons or something on my legs – but here in Portland during the winter I like to wear boots and tights. What I hate most about the tights with boots is that the feet on the tights wear pretty fast.  I get a hole in the toe area or they don’t fit right and I get a blister.  When I saw the bootights and darby’s from Shelby Mason I couldn’t wait to try them.

What is so different?  They are tights with socks for your feet. I would never have thought of that. My feet do get cold so the socks keep them warm and they help make the tights last longer -no holes in the toes.  Each time I wear them I think how comfortable they are. They stay in place and don’t bunch up.

Here are the darby’s by Shelby Mason – I love the flirty lace at the top. They make me feel sexy when I wear them.  They are perfect under boots and over my jeans.  They look good any way I wear them.  One of Rexy’s nieces saw them and she loves them! I think she was hoping I would give them to her – but I love them myself. They fit perfect and look good with so many of my outfits. They help keep my feet warm, no blisters and my feet don’t slide around inside my boots.

Both the bootights and the darby’s come in a number of fashionable colors and styles.  You can purchase yours HERE. You can also find them a few specialty stores.  You can stay connected on Facebook.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I love products that help save me money, calories and also the environment. I was very excited to try the SodaStream Source. We drink a lot of soda at home – me diet soda, Rex and Joe orange or cola.   I wondered if the soda would taste as good as what I get out of a can and I was very surprised. It taste very good. Plus the variety of flavors. I think there is over 60 of them including juices, diet sodas and regular sodas! I also like that the non-diet soda’s have less calories then the ones you buy in a can or bottle.

What I couldn’t believe is how easy it is to make the soda. It takes 3 easy steps.

1. Fill bottle with water to the fill line.

2. Fizz the water.

3. Add the flavor.

4. Drink and enjoy.

The SodaStream Source which is what I received has the machine to make the soda, the carbonates and a sample pack of flavors. It had Rootbeer – which is Rex’s favorite, Orange which Joey like, Diet Coke and Diet Pink Grapefruit which I loved!  It really was great during the holidays to have the SodaStream and be able to make every ones favorite drinks.  It is a great cost savings at about 25 cents a glass. No more flat soda.  I like just plain carbonated water too so this is the perfect thing for me.

I love that I am not having a ton of cans and plastic bottles to recycle. I love that I am helping the environment in a number of ways.

• Less packaging waste from cans and bottles.
• Less pollution caused by transport of bottled beverages.

One SodaStream carbonator makes 60 or 110 liters, equivalent to 170 or 310 aluminum cans! When empty, the carbonator is refilled and reused, ready to make more fizzy and tasty soda whenever you want it.

If you would like to purchase your own SodaStream Source you can purchase it online HERE.  You can also purchase it at many local stores like Target.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

When I cook I love to use different seasonings ~ so I am always on the look out for something new.  I recently tried Dizzy Pig Seasonings. They have eleven original Dizzy Pig rubs.  They use fresh whole spices and grind them just before bottling.  Dizzy Pig seasonings are MSG- and Gluten-free with less salt than typical seasonings.  I got to try all 11 seasonings.

Let me tell you a bit about the ones I have tried already.

Raising the Steaks ~ this is great on steaks. It is a Canadian style BBQ rub and it does not over shine the food just enhances the flavor.

Pineapple Head ~ this has a sweet tropical rub. I like this on chicken but many people like it on fruit. It has a sweet taste with a bit of heat.

Shakin’ the Tree ~ this is a lemon pepper rub. This one I used on chicken and loved it – I think it would also be great on fish.

Dizzy Dust ~ this is a all purpose rub.  You can use it on anything.  One of my favorites.

There are a number of others I have not tried yet but look forward to using including:

• Raging River Rub ~ good on poultry, pork and salmon
• Jamaican Firewalk ~ Fiery Hot!
• Tsunami Spin ~ Asian blend good for seafood and poultry
• Red Eye Exress ~ Coffee infused rub
• Swamp Venom ~ Hot Deep South BBQ

Don’t they all sound good?  If you have problem deciding what rub to get – you can order a sample pack and try them all.  I love how the rubs enhance the food I make.  If  you would like to purchase Dizzy Pig BBQ Rubs and Seasonings Rub you can do so HERE.  You can also find some great recipes. Stay connected with Dizzy Pig on Facebook.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

We’re giving away a pearl necklace in celebration of the holidays, as well as some items from the contributors! Enter now below. The winner will be announced on January 2, 2014, at the Pearl Girls blog.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl, Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace, or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

A Teenage Pregnancy
by Robin Jones Gunn

It was early, early morning, that delicate time of day just before sunrise when it seems as if all of creation is still asleep.

In the cold, gray light she gazed at the infant in her arms. He was less than an hour old and so, so small. Instinct prompted her to draw her newborn close that he might feel the rhythm of her heart. He curled his tiny hand around her finger and she smiled. His eyes closed, and with feathered breath he gave way to the blessed sleep that follows such a long journey.

In weary awe she studied his face, his ears, his nose. He was here. He had come at last.

A single tear fell from her eye and rolled across his cheek. She kissed the tear away but could not kiss away the memories that came with the tears; memories of the day she found out she was pregnant. How exhilarated she felt and yet how terrified. She was young, and there was much she didn’t understand.

Trying to justify her condition to her parents proved more difficult than she’d hoped. But the most excruciating memory was the moment she stood guileless before the man she hoped to one day marry. She had no words to make him understand the awful truth—the child she carried was not his.

Leaving seemed to be her only option. A gracious aunt took her in and welcomed her with open arms. From the moment she arrived she was showered with motherly words of hope and sisterly touches of love. Week by week, month by month, the child inside her grew.

Was it a miracle when she returned home, her belly round, her face flushed, and found him there?

What prompted this man to take her back and make her his bride? Did he now believe what she had tried to explain all along, that none of this was her own doing?

When the time was right they left their small town together, as husband and wife, with her due date rapidly approaching. The labor began—tightening her abdomen with a force she had never before imagined. Perspiration streamed from her forehead. The contractions multiplied with a frenzied urgency until the need to push overwhelmed her young body, and the baby was born.

Nothing of the past mattered anymore. He was here. Naked, perfect, quivering in her arms. With a thrill of hope, she believed that her life, her world, would never be the same.

Now as the first silver streaks of dawn pierced through the cracks in the stable, she tenderly wrapped her sleeping babe in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger.

Robin Jones Gunn, bestselling author of the much-loved Christy Miller Series and the award-winning Sisterchicks® series, has had more than 4.5 million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her frequent speaking engagements have taken her around the globe. Robin and her husband live in Hawaii and have a grown son and daughter. You can learn more at Robin’s website.

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Description

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery returns to Blackberry Island with the poignant tale of two sisters on the verge of claiming their dreams.

Small-town nurse Nina Wentworth has made a career out of being a caretaker. More “Mom” than their mother ever was, she sacrificed medical school—and her first love—so her sister could break free. Which is why she isn’t exactly thrilled to see Averil back on Blackberry Island, especially when Nina’s life has suddenly become…complicated.

Nina unexpectedly finds herself juggling two men—her high school sweetheart and a younger maverick pilot who also wants to claim her heart. But as fun as all this romance is, Nina has real life to deal with. Averil doesn’t seem to want the great guy she’s married to, and doesn’t seem to be making headway writing her first book; their mom is living life just as recklessly as she always has; and Nina’s starting to realize that the control she once had is slipping out of her fingers. Her hopes of getting off the island seem to be stretching further away…until her mother makes a discovery that could change everything forever.

But before Nina and Averil can reach for the stars, they have to decide what they want. Will Averil stay? Will Nina leave? And what about the men who claim to love them? Does love heal, or will finding their happy ending mean giving up all they’ve ever wanted?

My Review:

I love the books Susan Mallery writes.  Evening Stars was no different.  Nina was the older of the two sisters and while growing up she was often left to take care of her younger sister Averil.  Their mother often went on buy trips leaving the girls home for weeks – but Nina took care of everything even at the young age of 12.  Even when grown up Nina seemed to take care of everything.

Averil is married and lives in California with a husband who adores her ~ but that is not enough for Averil, she leaves and comes back home to find herself.  Nina wasn’t too happy to see her sister and was going through some problems of her own. She is trying to juggle working, taking care of the shop her mother owns, and dating two men. When everything changes ~ her mother finds something that maybe worth millions.  Does this help Averil solve her problem? Does Nina get to have her own life? How does the shop do? You will need to read Evening Stars to find out. I am sure you will enjoy it.

I received a Copy of this book from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for the review, and the review is honest and my responsibility.