Dingo Lingo Videos

So this past summer I signed up for a site called Influenster but then forgot all about it.   It is a site similar to Bzzagent where you get to try new products and services and tell people what you think.  About a month or so ago I logged back into Influenster and started playing around with it to figure it out and boost my score. 

This morning when I logged in there was a new program in my fun file called Ding Lingo.  The link took me to a list of videos on Youtube where I could choose from a TON of different languages.  I choose Spanish for several reasons: I took Spanish when I was in early elementary (until my school lost its funding for the program) and in high school,  Amelia has recently started asking if different words were Spanish for something else because there is a little segment on PBS kids where they teach a few Spanish words such as Holla, another reason is because at least 3 of the 7 possible duty stations are very close to the Mexican boarder so it could come in handy to have at least a basic understanding of the language.

The vidoes are cute little animations where only Spanish is spoken and a picture of the word is shown in several different ways to reinforce the concept.  For Example the video we watched this morning was on animals and the first animal was a cat and they showed several different cats and each time the word Gato was displayed on the screen.    The kids really had fun watching the video and repeating what was said.

This is the Link for the video we watched.  There is more info and kits for sale at their website  http://dinolingo.com .

Book Review

It has been a while since I have reviewed a book here but this book just blew me away. 



Lover Awakened is the third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  I started reading the series based on my mother's recommendation.  We tend to have similar opinions when it comes to books so I jumped right in.  The first two books are good but this one is the best so far.

It has so much meat on the bones in terms of story and is really intense.  I was sitting there reading and thinking gosh I must be half way through by now but when I looked at the page number I was only 74 pages in.  Then later I thought I have to be close to the end by now and was only on page 141.  I felt like I had read 3 full books by the time I finished this one book.  The author jumps between different character's points of view which can be a little annoying at times but it is worth it end the end because you get a more complete picture of what is going on.   If you have ever watched a soap opera think of they way they jump around to the different scenes that are all happening at the same time and you will understand what this author is doing.
I highly recommend this series (I just started book 4 yesterday) and if books 1 and 2 don't draw you in stick it out till book 3 and you will be hooked.  

Part of me is worried I will be disappointed  by the rest of the books because that one was so intense and consuming but my mom assures me I will not be. 

Be. Winery

I have to start the post by saying that this is a product I was introduced to via Bzzagent.com and as a Bzzagent was given the opportunity to try Be. Wines at a low cost.


I was recently given the opportunity to try Be. Wines at a low cost (high value mail in rebate).  Be. Wines are marketed towards women in a fun, flirty, girly way.  Even the packaging is cute.

The kit came with a mail in rebate for me and some $3 mail in rebates to pass along to friends along with some other goodies such as a nail file, lip gloss, mirror, and mints.

It originally took me a while to find the wines in my area because they are fairly new.  But I waited a few weeks and was able to get them at the Walmart closest to my house.  I purchased the Be. Radient which is a Riesling and Be. Flirty which is a Pink Moscato.  If I remember correctly I paid about 9.97 per bottle at Walmart but I have seen some other Bzzagents say they found them for around $11 or $12 at other grocery stores. 

I was able to share the Be. Radiant with my mom who prefers Rieslings during her visit last week.  I don't drink a lot of wine so I really don't have any thing to compare it too but found it wasn't bad.  My mom said it was good, it didn't have a lot of flavor but did have a faint fruity flavor.  She said it was MUCH better than some of the Reislings she and my dad have gotten ahold of in the past. 

I gave the Be. Flirty a try a couple days ago and shared a little with my husband who does not like wine and said it was horrible.  I actually really enjoyed the Pink Moscato. It was not syrupy sweet but it was more on the sweet side which suits me just fine.   I can definitely see myself purchasing the Be. Flirty Pink Moscato again.

Overall I enjoyed both of them and found them to be decent priced.




For more info on Be. Wines please visit by clicking Here or find them on Facebook.
For more info on Bzzagent visit bzzagent.com or find them on Facebook and let them know Bzzagent Anijones sent you.

Personal Cookbook

Several years ago a friend gave me a cookbook with blank pages under tabbed sections where you could write in your own recipes.  I used that book till it fell apart and the pages were so splattered you could barely read them.  I looked all over for something similar but couldn't find anything I liked.  I wanted a full page to write not a little note card and I wanted a way to protect the pages from splatters and if I could type the recipe out that would be even better.  So I decided to make my own.  I used what I already had on hand.  A 3 ring notebook, page protectors and post it note tabs.

Here is the outside of my folder.  I still need to come up with a cover sheet but I will worry about that later.

I only place tried and true recipes that my family approves in this folder so the recipes that I am working on perfecting go in the front pocket then once they are just the way we like them the get put in the back pocket so I can type them up and print them out.  We are picky eaters so just about ever recipe has to be modified to suit our tastes.  All recipes are saved in a word document so if something happens to the printed pages I can just reprint them.  I may eventually ad pictures but I haven't decided yet.  I also have several recipes that are just in my head that I have yet to sit down and write out. 

I keep recipes printed off the internet or photocopied from cookbooks I have checked out from the library in a separate folder.

It is a work in progress and likely always will be.  I hope that I can one day print everything out and bake cookbooks for my kids when they grow up and move out.

I really love nail polish.  Its so fun and girly and Amelia loves it as well.  I would say I had a problem but I have found that my collection is down right pitiful in comparison to others.

I keep my polish in a drawer set I found at Micheals craft store.  The first drawer holds my main collection.  As you can see I favor China Glaze but also love Orly and Zoya.  I get most of my CG and Orly from Sally Beauty Supply because with my Beauty Club Card ($5 for one year which is waived for military) it is much cheaper than most places. 

The second drawer holds mini polishes and other brands along with files, clipers, removers, top and base coats and treatments.  Since I do not currently have a dressing table this storage unit sits on the small dresser I use for makeup and there is nowhere to sit and do my nails so I use the little container on the right to carry what I want into the office and sit at my desk to do my nails. 

The third and final drawer just has some samples, unopened makeup and miscellaneous makeup tools so I didn't take a picture of that at this time.

Hope you enjoyed seeing a little peak at my madness.

Reading Challenges

I didn't post my 2012 reading challenge goals this year but my goal is to read 100 books this year.  I made it to 91 books last year so I hope to go a little farther this year.  So far I have read 59 books which is 11 books or 11% ahead of where I need to be in order to meet my goal.

I also recently found a challenge on goodread that required reading one book from all 50 states including Washington DC.  I found the challenge on a cozy mystery group so the challenge suggested you try to stick to mysteries but since I don't like to limit myself to any one genre I decided to skip that part. This may take me a little while since most of the books I read are part of a series but the original challenge did not give a deadline so I will not give myself one.  I just want to get as many completed by the end of the year as possible and will keep going until it is complete.

So far I have read books for:

California – How to Kill a Warlock by H P Mallory 6/20/2012
 Massachusetts – Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich set around Salem/Boston 6/21/12
 Minnesota – Undead and Unstable by MaryJanice Davidson set in the twin cities 6/16/12
New Hampshire – Bookplate Special by Lorna Barrett set in Stonehame  6/18/12
Oklahoma – Awakened by P. C. Cast set in Tulsa 6/9/12