Go Big [book review]

The key part of the book's synopsis is this: "Written by one of the dudes himself, Go Big tells their story and unveils their secret: five practical principles for taking your passions, skills, and dreams to the next level"

That is exactly it. The author shares his experience and breaks it down into 5 sections of advice about starting a business.

Go Big is a bit of a quirky "How to start a business" book, written by a guy whose business is trick basketball shots, his perspective is geared toward his experience so it defenitely isn't a guide for the average small business. The best thing about the book, in my opinion, is the "voice" of the author that shows through. So many nonfiction books are either dry, flowery or just plain bad writing so that you get a few chapters in and need a break from the 'drone tone'. This book is the opposite, you feel like you are reading a story with some helpful hints in it. Its an easy and relateable kind of advice book.

I admit, the fact the book was written on the premise of his business being about basketball wasn't interesting to me- I hate sports. But I enjoyed the writing style and the concept of the 5 principles.


*I recieved this title free from the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for an honest review. Which is good since I can't do a dishonest book review to save my soul =) *

Cherished *book review*

Offical Synopsis: Kelli London once dreamed of being a songwriter. As crazy as it seemed, she hoped that God would use the lyrics that came to her even while she slept. She dreamed about Brian too, that the love they shared as high-school students would grow into marriage. But choices that still haunt her destroyed those dreams. Until now-when a series of love letters reawakens her hope for the future.
Heather Anderson's life has spun out of control-first, an affair with a married man, then a one-night stand with the drummer of a popular Christian band has left her devastated. Broken and alone, she cried out to the only One able to save her. He met her there, but it was just the beginning. Because now she must take a different path. And the one God has planned for her looks nothing like the one she envisioned.
As Kelli and Heather awaken to their true worth, they find the freedom to pursue their dreams-and relationships-based on the security of knowing God's unconditional love.

Cherished is a story of two women, Heather Anderson and Kelli London, searching for forgiveness and being cleansed from their past mistakes. Kelli had an abortion and that one choice echoed in her life loudly enough to drive her away from being used by God through her music. Heather is the adulterous woman in Proverbs who beneath the sins strangling her, longs to find a way back to purity and unconditional love.

I loved this book. The author takes on some really hard hitting things like adultery, abortion, spiritual deadness and healing. She doesn't create characters who get it right or even who always mess up. It feels very real, each person's story. Like you sat down and read a glimpse of the heartache we all deal with.

But a new topic for me was the multi-cultural emphasis in the book. There are both black and white characters who embrace their indivudal cultures while being color blind when it comes to friendship. How cool is that?

This is actually the second book, the first is titled "Faithful" and when I finished Cherished I went right out and bought Faithful. I was dying to read more about these characters and their journey.

If you want a real story about messing up and finding God can still forgive you- this is it
If you want a real story about the deep friendships women in Christ need with each other- this is it
If you want a good read that makes you think and laugh and want more- this is it

*I got a free copy of this title from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review. Which is good since I can't be dishonest about my opinions even if you paid me =)

I suggest you order this book today and love it as much as I do.
Order it from Amazon.com because I love them. Or rather I love the free shipping...

Better than a Postcard Secret is wisdom that can be shared

*book review* The Inconvenient Marriage Of Charlotte Beck

Charlotte is a 18 year old girl from America wreaking havoc on England for the first half of the story. Between too tight corsets, a sharp tongue and one escapade on the Wild West show with Bill Cody she has managed to muck up on almost every page. Along the way she meets Alex who is an English astronomer who is struggling with family and money problems. The two intersect and sparks fly- literally at one point.

The story revolves around Charlotte's escapades and encounters with Alex as she seeks to prove to her father that she is capable of running the family business and desires his permission to attend college for mathmatics. When this fails, her father takes advantage of their weaknesses (or desires) and an arranged marriage is planned and executed.

I love historical fiction and independant characters but this book was hard to enjoy. First off, Charlotte is a brat with very few redeeming qualities. Not once did she display mature actions or thoughts and for the majority of the book she is shown as a spoiled young women whose method is to manipulate until she gets what she wants. Not exactly endearing qualities. Alex is a bit more charming but so chauvinistic that by the end when they do end up together, you wish them on each other LOL

I did enjoy the author's writing style and the historical facts she adeptly weaves in the story but her characters were not enjoyable to read about.

*I recieved a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review. Please rank the review just as honestly*

Thunder Dog *book review*

 9/11 is my generations Kennedy Assasination. Its a day most of us will never forget and there are endless stories of where you were when the planes hit the Two Towers. When I saw this book pop up as a review option, I grabbed it. I have a sister who loves animals and was a professional dog trainer so not only did I want to read it, I am planning on passing this onto her as well. Admittedly, I might do it as a Christmas gift ;)

This book is about, well, its right in the subtitle "The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero."

The story is told in a good paced way of Michael and Roselle's escape down 78 flights and then through the streets of NY being surrounded by the debris and dust. But it doesn't just cover that one day, it also takes you back to when Michael was born and the story of his life being blind from infant to how he grew up with a "find adventure" mindset.

This is one book that will make you cheer for not only Michael but his dog as well. I am not a pet lover but I do enjoy the bond that an animal and a human can have together.



*I recieved this book free from BookSneeze in exchange for writing an honest review*

Your legacy.... on the internet

So I ran across a story of a young woman suing her school for naming a co-valedictorian instead of assigning that role only to herself. In her lawsuit she claims that the fact she is black and a single mother were the reasons behind the school's choice.

She is asking for $75,000 in damages and asking that the school recognizes her as the only valedictorian of her class.

Read the whole story here


So here is my thought, what happens now when someone Google's the name "Kimberly Wymberly"? All that will pop up is the story of this lawsuit. Frankly, I think this makes her look petty. I mean, if she was suing her school and only demanded that they recognize her as the sole valedictorian and they needed to pay her legal fees when it was over, I could see that. But this smacks as greed with a grandstanding race card pulled out of her hat.

What will a future employer think when he sees her history? That she is a women who stands up for her rights and a just cause? Or a scam artist who will take advantage of the opportunity to sue for the sake of suing?

So in this age of technology and employers searching Facebook and Myspace for information about employees, is this really the best bet for your future when with one click, this is the first and lasting impression a future boss has of you.

What do you think, would you want this kind of Internet legacy for yourself? Do you think she is legit, greedy or somewhere in between?

Homemade Sugar Scrub

So does anyone else look at their personal products ingredients and get a little freaked out? I can't pronounce half of them, much less know what they are. I just keep thinking "does my skin actually need this?!?!". I mean, I have acne, I try to watch what I put on my body and especially on my face. Which is why I also dislike wearing makeup, not only do I believe that it is used as an unhealthy crutch for women, it is just plain bad for your skin. Why do you think so many aestheticians tell you to WASH OFF YOUR MAKEUP BEFORE BED. Seriously, they are practically yelling at you to do it.

(not that I, or most other women, do)

So after getting worried about all these ingredient I didn't know and having a growing awareness that half of them were bad for my skin, I decided to do... nothing.

You didn't see that coming, did ya?

No really, I didn't do anything. I'm not an organic vegan type who wants to live off the earth and wear only what God gave me. It just isn't my style.

But I did start on one little journey- last night I made some homemade sugar scrubs. Here's the thing, I LOVE sugar scrubs. They do amazing things for my skin and I feel totally all polished up (and smell delightful) after using them. But they are not cheap. Well, the good kind isn't ;)   About $12 will buy you a 12oz tube which will last you around 5 scrubbings. For $15, you can make your own and have around 40 scrubbings. Quite a bit of savings, yes?

So here we go, my The Ultimately Easy Way To Homemade Sugar Scrubs

Here is the recipe:

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (I used extra virgin but I have heard you could use Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil or even Baby Oil. I wanted my scrub to be entirely edible so I went with Olive Oil)

2 Tablespoons of Honey (this is up to you, I liked the antibacterial nature of honey for my acne and skin tone issues)

1/2 Cup of Sugar (Cane sugar or regular brown sugar, I experimented with both. I've been told organic sugar is a no-no for this)

So I went shopping and came home with these items:

(left to right)

Pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fischer's Honey

Domino Dark Brown Sugar
Domino Sugar

Cinnamon Extract

Mint Extract

And then I splurged on these, a lovely glass container to put my scrub in whilst it is sitting in my shower and some plastic craft jars so I could share my concotions with a few friends.

Yellow is my signature color and of course I wanted my containers to look nice when I was done, so I HAD to invest in some pretty ribbon to wrap around the top





So here we go, I swear I spent more time getting all my brand new products open than I did actually making my scrub =)

Oh, before you attempt to do anything remotely crafty or with cooking tools I suggest you find yourself a decent music playlist for those inevitable "what the crap did I just do?!?!" moments

Trust me, if you are getting down to Bite The Dust, slipping up won't hardly matter nearly as much if all you had in your mind was the echoing failure you just committed.

I also suggest grabbing your refreshing beverage of choice to glug as you are creating genius.

Can you tell I try to turn projects into some kind of weird minuscule vacation?

Tools you need.

~A bowl to mix in

~A spoon or spatula to mix it with (my Mom would be so proud if she knew I used this Pampered Chef spatula for the first time since I got it at Christmas)

~1/2 measuring cup and a tablespoon

In general, I was taught to eyeball everything but because this is new to me, I went the old fashioned route and actually measured my ingredients.

I'm sorry Grandma!!




 So measure out 1/2 cup of sugar, pour in 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil, then add 2 tablespoons of honey. Word to the wise (and me), this stuff will s.l.o.w.l.y seep into your sugar so you will be tempted to think "this looks a bit dry, more oil/honey!"- DON'T FALL FOR IT   Those measurements are perfect, just mix it well and then let it sit for a minute or two.

I was too impatient and started adding more left and right and I ended up with a bit too soupy a mixture that I had to fix.

At this point, feel free to add in any various smell ingredients. I chose mint and cinnamon extract as those are two fragrences I adore. They were out of lemon at Walmart :(
You could add in vanilla extract, orange extract, coffee grounds or really any kind of spice you like.

This is what my white sugar/honey/oil with mint extract looked like after mixing:

This is what the brown sugar/honey/oil with cinnamon extract looked like:

Now, toward the end, I got a bit crazy and mixed my sugars together. Sue me.

Frankly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to just eat it at this point or go ahead and do it right. I resisted the temptation and added in my honey/oil. Turns out, mixing sugars is a fine idea but really the only change is the color.

So this is what I ended up with for my personal stash. Mixing sugars with various flavors was fun for my small containers for my friends but I just threw all of mine in one jar to use. I figure the only thing setting them apart is color and smell at this point so I didn't mind mixing it all up together.

I was feeling pretty smug about my success with these sugar scrubs (I mean, I hadn't tried them yet but I figured they sure look pretty)

So I went ahead and got crazy. I made up a sugar/honey scrub for my face. I found (and by "found" I mean I dug out of my trash can) an old powder makeup containter and cleaned it out. Then I put some sugar and honey in it. I stirred and added more honey or more sugar until I got exactly what I wanted. I used this that night and it was AM.AZ.ING on my skin. I felt weird at first to scrub my face with admittedly painful sugar crystals but then the feeling of glorious CLEAN set it. It was totally worth a bit of harsh rubbing to feel how smooth and clean my skin felt after using this concoction.

So there you have it, a way too wordy lesson on sugar scrubs. But wait! There's more.

After all that work.... alright, after spending 15 minutes doing this, I decided one cute ribbon wasn't enough for my handiwork. So I dug out (literally) all my old scrapbooking supplies and finished up the look by adding some ribbon around the sides and a note on the top of the jar. Behold my Martha Stewart moment:

(I put the plain jar with the fancy one side-by-side so you could see how much nicer it looks all dressed up)

So there is the true end. Honestly, I feel so good about doing this that I am thinking about making my next project be homemade lipgloss.

Oh! And as a bonus, try using your olive oil as a makeup remover or moisturizer. You will be pleasantly surprised if you put a light coat on your face at night and wakeup to smooth skin the next morning.

(as a side note- I did use the sugar scrub and it felt awesome! Just like *maybe even a bit better* than my $12 professional salon scrub)