Strange Daze Indeed

Isn't life strange? And wonderful!

Elemental Book Blast – Win $100 gc to Amazon!

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Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn’t mean she should.

But she wants to.

For ten years – ever since she was a small child – Ella has been held prisoner on an
interstellar starship. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers.

Who is she? Why wass she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes
who haunts her memories?

Is Ella the prophesied Destructor…or will she be the one destroyed?

About the Author:
Emily White lives in NY, wedged between two of the Great Lakes and a few feet of snow and ice.  She’s spent most of her life running away from the cold, and even spent a year in Iraq, but now contents herself with writing her characters into warm, exotic places in faraway galaxies.  When not tapping away at her computer keys, she can be found reading, reading, and reading some more.  And when she’s not doing that, she’s usually playing video games with her husband, peek-a-boo with her kids, or walking through her garden, wondering why the bugs insist on eating all her vegetables.

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Mother’s Day Gift Event – Win a fabulous prize package of treats worth $300

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mothers day gift ideas

Everyone loves their mom and always wants to find the best gift to make her feel loved and appreciated. These are the gifts I have found and would love to share with you. After you enter my giveaway, head over to Makobi Scribe to see her mother’s day gift ideas worth over $3000. Then, stop by Sason & Pobi to enter the grand prize drawing of a Toshiba 32SLV411U – 32″ class 720p 60Hz TV/DVD Combo!

With the help of some incredible sponsors, I’ve put together a wonderful prize package to help you celebrate Mother’s Day. 

First of all, we have a $75 gift certificate to Uncommon Goods. When you’re looking for a unique gift, they are the perfect place to start. 



Next is a 2-month subscription from the wonderfully delicious GothamBox. You’ll get a San Francisco and a New York Box of delectable treats from each city! 



You’ll also get a $50 gift certificate to Laughing Vixen’s Etsy shop where you can buy all manner of jewelry: necklaces, charm bracelets, pendants, compacts and more. 


You will also get a gorgeous Rose Quartz pendant which Amanda Self from Amanda Self Jewelry has created for this event.  


And, since I want to treat you head to toe, let’s not forget your feet!

Neostrata has graciously offered one of my readers a pampering Exuviance heel repair cream to get your feet sandal-ready for summer!

To win this fabulous cornucopia of treats – some of my favorite things – please fill out the Rafflecopter below.

This giveaway will run from May 1-18 and is open to US readers 18+. Best of luck!


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Makobi Scribe Reviews, LLC or the Mother’s Day Gift Event Bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

Let’s Talk About Feet – Exuviance Heel Repair

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*2010 Shecky’s Beauty at its Best award winner*


The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art – Leonardo da Vinci

Today I want to talk about feet. Our poor, often neglected feet. They need love too! Those who have had jobs standing on their feet all day or hitting the malls on Black Friday, know exactly how much they may make their presence known at the end of the day.


And now that summer is coming, and it’s sandal weather, I really took a good hard look at my feet. Dry? Yes. Rough? Yes. And add to that that I walk around barefoot a lot. My feet are definitely not ready for summer.


Neostrata has this amazing product called Exuviance Heel Repair which I love because it truly helps. 

Exuviance Heel Repair contains high strength Alpha and Polyhydroxy Acids (AHAs/PHAs) which very gently yet effectively exfoliate and repair dry, rough, even calloused and cracked, feet. Pro-Vitamin E and skin conditioning oils also help to soothe and refresh tired feet. 

Exuviance heel repair is dermatologist-tested and fragrance free.

So, if your feet are in need of some pampering, soothe them and leave them smooth, silky, and sandal-ready! 


How about you? How are your feet feeling this time of year?
If, like me, they could use a little TLC, stop back here on May 1st because Neostrata has generously offered to add their Exuviance Heel Repair to my Mother’s Day Gift package.  See you then!

Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It’s a miracle, and the dance is a celebration of that miracle. – Martha Graham
Connect with Neostrata:

Mother’s Day Special Event – featuring Amanda Self

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I’m very happy to post that Amanda Self has created a beautiful rose quartz pendant specifically for the Mother’s Day Event starting here on May 1st. I’m so excited to introduce it:

Rose Quartz

Affimation:  “I am the Divine Mother, she lives in me. Everything she needs comes to me easily”

Rose quartz is calming for the mind, assisting one in releasing worry, fear, anxiety and past emotional trauma. It clears the body of ego driven patterns and can help one feel more open to receiving and sharing love, compassion and kindness. Represents love, gentleness, emotional healing, release of stress, uniting with the Divine.

This pendant is 2″ by 2″ and comes on a lovely black silk cord.

I love featuring Amanda on my blog and I asked her to talk about her art. So here is Amanda Self in her own words:

My love of gemstones began over a decade ago when I walked into a gem store in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I totally fell in love with their beauty and calming energy. Over the years I have discovered crystals and gemstones to be wonderful healing gifts from the Earth. They are here to help us in so many ways. I have thoroughly enjoyed using them in my Reiki practice to help ground and balance energies. In 2006, I decided to create a way to both utilize their powers and enjoy their incredible beauty through jewelry.

I have been cultivating and expanding my jewelry line over the years and I am totally in love with my work. It gives me great joy to see my jewelry light up the lives of others!

With Love,
Amanda

So, please return on May 1st, for the special Mother’s Day Event as Amanda will be offering this lovely piece for the prize package.

Laughing Vixen – In Her Own Words

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Today I received a gorgeous piece from Kris (Laughing Vixen) that I had loved for a long while. It’s an Ocean Blue Charm Bracelet with beautiful blues that look like pieces of sea glass, and 10 silver charms that include an Octopus, Clam Shell, Sea Horse, Star Fish, Turtle, Crab, Sand Dollar, Dolphin, Sea Shell and Fish. It’s perfect for any age. Funky enough to wear casually and elegant enough to wear when I go out at night. 


I’ve lived by the ocean most of my life so this bracelet really resonates with me. 

Kris has so many fun pieces and is always changing things up which makes browsing her shop, Laughing Vixen Lounge, something I do often!


She has two new collections. The first is Funny Vintage Ladies (which go with her very popular Sassy Vintage Ladies) and the second is Funny Best Friends. 

If at first you don’t succeed, redefine success
Will Never Tell Your Real Age

Because I love featuring Kris so often on my blog, I asked her about how she started Laughing Vixen Lounge. So here is Kris, in her own words:

  

In a former life I was a hairstylist, but after too much wear and tear on my body, I found myself unable to work a regular 9-5 job. So with lots of time on my hands, and not a lot of money in my pocket, Laughing Vixen Lounge was born.
I had always wanted to make and sell my own designs, but just hadn’t found the products I needed to make what I envisioned. But, after lots of searching, and tons of trial and error, my shop began to emerge. Products to make photo jewelry and accessories have come so far that it’s crazy how many cool things you can make now.
 
My shop is a collection of my love for all things pop culture and retro. You’ll find pin ups, pulp novel covers, fairytales, retro humor, black cats, horror-inspired and so much more. And, if you can’t find what you want, I love to do custom work. I’ve made some really fun designs for people and it’s great to create something so special for someone. 
My work may not cure cancer or end world hunger, but it is an amazing feeling when you can make someone so happy with just a little piece of jewelry. It beats the best day of cutting hair a million times over! 8)   – Kris  



I’m thrilled to also let you know that Kris will be part of my Mother’s Day Special Event starting May 1st, so please come back then to see what needful things you can win!



 

Jonathan Chin – Co-founder of GothamBox – In His Own Words

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Jonathan

 

The GothamBox story is the combination of two fond memories.

East to West

Shawn, a Midwest boy, spent close to 5 years in the majestic and exhilarating city of New York.  It was not the big lights and electrifying scene that intrigued him most.  It was the unique local brands that were the extraordinary fabric to the city.  Shawn grew so attached to the intimate coffee shops, the decadently rich chocolate, as well as enticing sweets that he never knew existed prior to coming to NYC.       
He started a new life on the West Coast and was so heartbroken when he found that it was impossible for him to stay connected to the local brands that he had grown so fond of while living in NYC.
He vowed to find a solution to this major problem.

West to East

In almost a symmetrical move, I left my hometown of San Francisco to start college on the East Coast.  My mother sent me care packages every single month to say that she loved me.  Setting off to start a new life on the opposite coast was exciting but definitely nerve-wracking.  Receiving these boxes was exactly the dose of home I needed to stay strong.
I wasn’t the only one who loved these monthly treats.  The care packages became such a hit in my dorm that she started including special items for my friends.  For instance at Christmas time, every single one of my friends received a miniature red stocking packed with candy.  When Easter rolled around, my friends were rewarded with chocolate eggs.  My friend’s mother even copied the idea and started sending treats to him too.  I was sure to tax him heavily for copying by eating a significant portion of his box.  I couldn’t help myself – his mother sent him some of the most delicious Japanese candies and treats.              

Born out of a parking lot

Fast forward to Christmastime 2011.  The concept of GothamBox was born in a parking lot in Palo Alto, just outside of San Francisco.  Shawn and I started conceptualizing.  After the fifth “wouldn’t it be cool if” and “yeah!” we pull out a pen and paper and started drawing up mockups of what the site would look like on top of Shawn’s trunk.               
Shawn wanted to help people stay in touch with their hometown favorites.  I wanted to reproduce the fond experience of my mother sending me care packages.
GothamBox took the best of both of these passions.  We offer the most delicious taste of your favorite city delivered right to you, your family and your friends.  Every month, you’re reminded that home misses you or isn’t as far away as you think.  
-Jonathan

You can find my blog review of GothamBox here and, also, please return to enter the exciting Mother’s Day Event May 1st, to win a 2-month subscription of your own.

GothamBox: Nirvana Delivered

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“I have an affection for a great city. I feel safe in the neighborhood of man, and enjoy the sweet security of the streets.”  – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I’ve always loved traveling and exploring cities both in the US and around the world. I was born on the East Coast, but traveled and lived on the West Coast for many years only to return to the East Coast again.

There is a sense of joy in loving wherever you are, however, there are certain qualities each city has that one may become nostalgic for, whether it’s the transcendent skyline with the Golden Gate Bridge in SF or the excitement of New York’s Times Square. So often, it’s the food that you miss, the smells and unique flavors – the New York poppyseed bagels, the SF sourdough bread. Sometimes, like Proust’s madeleine, just one bite and sweet memories come flooding back like a waterfall.

And sometimes, by opening a package, you can get a taste of a city you’ve never been to that gives you the sense of being there. I found all this and more with GothamBox.

I got to sample the San Francisco Box and I loved it! It came in a big brown box and unwrapping it was like a mini-Christmas. I have really missed SF!

Here is my SF box! I was super-excited to open it. It was full of goodies.

Here is a picture close-up:

Inside?

Nana Joes Granola: Nana Joes Granola was created by Michelle Pusateri from locally sourced ingredients to evoke the taste of granola that was made in your own kitchen. Nana Joes combines the perfect balance of ingredients with natural flavors to create a truly delicious granola.
I’ve eaten granola for years and this is really a special blend with just the right combination of flavors – All granola blends are made using the finest organic ingredients. Mine was the Sunset Blend with Pecan, Mulberry and Coconut – unbelievably good!
Coco Tutti:  CocoTutti creates wonderful award-winning small-batch chocolates using the finest ingredients and masterful artistry.
These were beautifully packaged, melt-in-your-mouth creamy with a great mix of flavors. Very unique and meant to savor. Delightful decadence.
 The Chai Cart: The Chai Cart has its roots in San Francisco’s street-food culture. The Chai Cart’s mission is to provide the same wholesome goodness of chai that’s enjoyed across India everyday by using high quality, pure ingredients in small batches.
 I got two lovely packages. One with Masala Chai and one with Mint Chai. The Masala Chai is their signature blend with cardamom and ginger and it transported me back to days at the ashram waking at 3 am and being greeted with a hot mug of Chai. It was so genuine and delicious. It was wonderful with milk and a bit of sugar.
The Mint is a delicious herbal blend with mint, ginger and lemongrass. Very fresh and intoxicating.
 La Palma: La Palma has been serving tortillas for over 50 years. Located in the heart of the Mission, La Palma uses the freshest ingredients to produce the finest machine and handmade Mexican tortillas, tamales, pupusas and sopes.
An ex-boyfriend of mine taught me how to make wonderful tortilla creations, and these were so delicious, you could even eat them plain, but browned up and with veggies, cilantro and guacamole they were heavenly.
Oh, and there were Peeps inside! How fun! And also, a wonderful hand-written postcard of SF and the Golden Gate Bridge.
At $20 a month, this is a whole lot cheaper than a plane ride to SF and an incredible treat.
Today, I received my NYC box! 
I opened it and immediately this incredible scent filled my room. The most fragrant coffee smell! Heartbreaker Espresso with Cherry Blossom, Marzipan and Tangerine roasted fresh at Cafe Grumpy! I ground the beans and then my kitchen smelled amazing. The taste is really fresh, rich and wonderful and it kept me going throughout a hectic day.
Cafe Grumpy roasts premium coffee daily and manages to stay in front of the quality curve by sourcing their coffee directly from farmers in Central and South America and roasting the beans themselves in their Greenpoint, Brooklyn roastery. The coffee is packaged in sealed valve bags.
 Next, Roni-Sue’s Beercorn. This is beer & pretzel caramel corn with candied mustard seeds and I can honestly say I’ve never tasted better. What an amazing combination of savory and sweet, with locally grown popcorn, Martins Pretzels, cultured butter, pure cane sugar, agave, Brooklyn Brewery beer syrup, malt syrup, sea salt ad mustard seeds. 

Warning: Extremely addictive! Hide this or it will be gone asap!
Rhonda Kave has been making chocolate and snacks for over 25 years. She’s applied that experience in crafting this BeerCorn: The perfect snack for brew lovers and a favorite treat at Good Beer NYC!  
And… Rescue Chocolates. From each chocolate purchased, 100% of the net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations around the country. How sweet is that? My bar was the Peanut Butter Pit Bull flavor. It was very tasty with crispy peanut butter and dark 64% chocolate. 
 All Rescue Chocolate is 100% vegan and every flavor highlights a different rescue issue on the packaging. 
I also got a hand-written postcard of a gorgeous skyline in Downtown New York.
So, you’re probably wondering how you can get your own Gotham Box, a monthly carefully-selected box from local businesses in the “Gotham” (or city) you choose. Right now, the cities available are New York and San Francisco, and they are expanding to include others. You can switch up your cities or stick to one if you subscribe for only $20/month. And, you get full-sizes, not samples, with shipping included. 
Here’s one of the coolest parts: For every box sent, they donate a meal to feed someone in the community, so, yes, paying it forward which creates more abundance and joy overall.
It’s really quite fascinating as to how GothamBox came about so my next blog piece will be a guest post from Jonathan Chin, the co-founder and “Mayor of Gotham City”. You can find that here.
But, you may be wondering how you can get in on all these goodies. And, yes, every month will be new delights! You can sign up at GothamBox.
You can also connect with GothamBox and follow the latest news and fun on Facebook and Twitter.
And, a bit more good news! Just come back here on May 1st for the amazing Mother’s Day event we’re having since GothamBox is one of my sponsors and has generously offered a prize package containing a 2 month subscription to GothamBox including a box from SF and a box from NYC.
Lots of surprises in store! Don’t miss it!
 PS: I’ll be signing up for sure! Beauty boxes are fun and all, but this is truly nirvana.


American Reunion Original Movie Sountrack – Win a copy!

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In the comedy American Reunion, all the American Pie characters we met a little more than a decade ago return to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn’t and that time and distance can’t break the bonds of friendship.

It was summer 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began their quest. In the years that have passed, Jim and Michelle married while Kevin and Vicky said goodbye. Oz and Heather grew apart, but Finch still longs for Stifler’s mom.

Now these lifelong friends have come home as adults to reminisce about—and get inspired by—the teens who launched a comedy legend.

I also wanted to let you know about an amazing sweepstakes on behalf of the American Reunion Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, featuring a dorm room prizepack consisting of a JBL OnBeat Xtreme docking station, a copy of the American Reunion Original Motion Picture Soundtrack  and a delicious assortment of KIND Bars. The OnBeat Xtreme docking station is compatible with the iPhone, iPad or any mobile device and can be controlled remotely by bluetooth, so this is truly a cool prize!

 Check out the sweepstakes and enter here and check out the American Reunion Mixtape Twitter feed where they’re trying to create the perfect high school mixtape, one tweet at a time.

Additionally, the American Reunion Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is in stores now, but is streaming for free this week on Grooveshark.com 
Check it out here.

The soundtrack has tunes from Boyz II Men, Spice Girls, Good Charlotte & Montell Jordan. Released on April 3, 2012, the album has an interesting mix, combining past and present. It’s a dance-oriented combo with blasts from the past. Some I liked more than others. My favorite is Last Night by Good Charlotte.

Here is the tracklist:

1. Last Night – Good Charlotte 3:40
2. You Make Me Feel…(feat. Sabi) – Cobra Starship 3:35
3. Here Comes The Hotstepper – Stooshe 3:36
4. Wannamama – Pop Levi 3:28
5. My First Kiss (Feat. Ke$ha) – 3Oh!3 3:13
6. I’m A Man – The Blue Van 3:49
7. Bring It On Home – Kopek 3:08
8. Rum Shaker – Wreckx & Effects 3:57
9. Wannabe (Radio Edit) – Spice Girls 2:53
10. I’ll Make Love To You – Boyz II Men 4:02
11. This Is How We Do It – Montell Jordan 3:52
12. The Good Life – HP 3:21
13. My Generation – Thomas Nicholas Band 2:28
14. Class Of ’99 Lyle Workman 5:49
15. American Reunion – Lyle Workman 3:26

Two of my readers are going to win the American Reunion soundtrack, so if these tunes appeal to you then simply enter via Rafflecopter below and best of luck!

Official Website
Official Facebook
Official Twitter

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Pretty Crooked Book Blast – Win a $50 AMAZON GC

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Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

Book Summary:

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple.

Take from the rich kids at valley prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her new high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to break into lockers and Beemers is as hard as she’d thought it would be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are bullied just for being different, is more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, VP’s most notorious ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her—evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There’s no time for flirting, especially with conceited trust-funders like Aidan. But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

Elisa Ludwig’s Pretty Crooked is the first book in an adventurous teen caper series filled with mystery, humor, and heart.

Praise for Pretty Crooked:

“This should be an easy sell to fans of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars books.”

—Booklist

“This debut keeps readers zooming along as a formerly poor girl plays Robin Hood when she strikes it rich…. A solid debut.”

—Kirkus

“Packed with romance, humor, and adventure, PRETTY CROOKED will steal your heart.”

–Sarah Mlynowski, author of Ten Things We Did (But Probably Shouldn’t Have)

“Intriguing characters, high adventure, good-hearted heists, and plenty of romance. PRETTY CROOKED has me pining for Willa’s next adventure!”

–Jennifer Echols, author of Forget You and The One that I Want

About the Author:

My debut young adult novel PRETTY CROOKED (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins) was released in March 2012. Even though I had to extensively research pickpocketing techniques, I am a law-abiding citizen. I live in Philadelphia with my husband Jesse. I’m a proud member of The Apocalypsies, a group of children’s book authors debuting in 2012.

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Uncommon Goods – How do I Love Thee? Let me Count the Ways

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Uncommon Goods? How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

I love thee for the shower squids that firmly hold my body wash, my shampoo, my soap, while making the guest bathroom look stylish and fun.

I love you for the fun necklaces you can find here
like this cool one hand-crafted by Trudy James with its warm copper nest and Peruvian opal “eggs” cradled inside.

And right now, I’m madly in love with you for my pacific blue buddha bowls that nestle snugly in the palm of my hand.

These bowls are lovingly handcrafted in Southern California and come in earthy and fun shades with cool names like olive, black bean, aubergine, butter, tofu and shiitake. I chose two of the Pacific blue and I love the way they nestle naturally in your palm. You just put your thumb through and they fit like they were made to sit there. There’s a very comforting feeling as you enjoy coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cereal, rice, soup, fruit, you name it.

As you ponder the meaning of the universe over your morning mocha latte; take a moment of peace and tranquility before the world hits you with its daily demands. Relax at night with some herbal mint tea or a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream and feel the stresses wash away.

These bowls are ceramic; microwave and dishwasher safe. 5 star rating on these from me.

I’m going to get a set for my Mom as well. Her hands get a bit cold and I know the warmth will soothe them. This would make a great Mother’s Day Gift.

You know those times when you just can’t think of what to get someone and you don’t want the generic, but instead something unusual that shows you care? Well, Uncommon Goods has some great ideas. I’ve been browsing gifts for my Mom at Uncommon Goods checking out the agate coasters, himalayan salt tequila glasses, sari bags and parchment blossom earrings. I have lots of Moms to buy for, including my sisters who love unusual items!

I believe they have some of the most interesting gifts for Moms here I’ve ever seen.

So, browse around, and you just may find that perfect gift for your sister, your Mom, your co-worker, your best friend, or yourself.

You can connect with Uncommon Goods through their:

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Google Plus
and Pinterest

And… I have a special treat for you!  Uncommon Goods will be one of my sponsors for the wonderful Mother’s Day Gift Event held May 1-18 so come on back then and you may be the lucky winner of an extra-special gift certificate to buy something uncommonly good and uniquely extraordinary.

Mother's Day<br>Gift Choice

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