Kindred Spirit Mommy

Passion Spice Maternity & Nursing Wear {Giveaway!}

Lindsey — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:01:37 +0000

Pregnancy is considered beautiful, but sometimes it doesn’t feel beautiful. I believe that you should have at least one pretty outfit or nightgown… you know, something that flatters and doesn’t make you look like you’re just plain huge!

Today I would like to introduce you to Passion Spice. I love their selection of adorable nursing bras (with and without underwire) and maternity lingerie. Everything is cute, fun, and – this is very important – affordable!

Thanks to Passion Spice, I was sent one of their maternity babydolls to review. There are two different babydolls and one camisole available, each a different attractive lingerie style. The one that I received is pretty, comfortable, and soft and satiny. It’s also adjustable, a definite plus as our bodies grow and change quickly in pregnancy. I like that I will also still be able to wear it after the baby comes, too!

I love what I received and will definitely be trying their nursing bras when the time comes. I’m very happy with my experience with Passion Spice apparel!

You can purchase Passion Spice’s babydoll lingerie in red or black, and in sizes small to XXL.

Passion Spice is currently having a Winter Super Sale – everything is 30% off plus you’ll get FREE shipping on orders over $40.00! All maternity lingerie is under $25.00 each, and all nursing bras are under $30.00! One is even as low as $16.80 – this is a sale definitely worth checking out.

We’re giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to Passion Spice!

{Prize} $25.00 Gift Certificate to Passion Spice
{Eligibility} Open to everyone!

{Mandatory Main Entry } Visit Passion Spice and tell me in a comment what you would spend your $25.00 gift certificate on if you won!

Optional Extra Entries – Get 1 extra entry for each unless otherwise noted:
(Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

Become a fan of Passion Spice on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (1 extra entry each)
Grab my Maternity Event button (sidebar) and put it in your sidebar for 2 extra entries!
“Like” my Kindred Spirit Mommy Facebook Page
Tweet this giveaway (daily tweets available!) – You can use the Retweet button in the top right corner of this post if you want.
Stumble/Digg/Facebook, or share this giveaway in some other way (email, etc) (1 extra each)
Add my button to your sidebar
Follow my blog, Subscribe to my blog by feed reader, and/or Subscribe to my blog by email (1 extra each)
Follow me on Twitter (@kindred_spirit)

+5 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

Giveaway will be closed on September 30, 2010 at midnight PST and winner notified by email and posted on this website (either in this post or in a new winner’s announcement post). Winner will then have 48 hours to reply to my email or I will have to re-draw another winner. Good luck, everyone!

I would like to thank Passion Spice for providing me with the product reviewed above so that I could share my thoughts and experiences with you. This post is 100% my own opinion and written in my own words, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone. I do not feel obligated to write a positive review – I’ll always share my honest thoughts on products.

Baby Signs! Potty Training With Sign Language {Review & #Giveaway}

Lindsey — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:34:45 +0000

When Emma was about 6 months old, I started teaching her to sign. I found some signing DVDs especially for children at the library and began watching them with her – in this way we both started to learn basic sign language , especially signs appropriate for babies like eat, milk, and all done. Emma absolutely LOVED the DVDs! They are full of fun with singing and signing babies and children. I loved the DVDs because they were teaching us both something we would be able to use to communicate.

Now Emma is 2 years old and we’re thinking potty training. I have a second baby on the way and I really don’t want to be dealing with two sets of diapers. So when Baby Signs agreed to let me test and review their Potty Signs Kit, I was excited! Emma signed for a long time and loved the DVDs, so I knew she would respond in a positive way. And I’m hoping to make potty training a FUN experience – for both of us!

Our Thoughts:

This is what you receive when you order a Baby Signs Potty Training Kit:

A Parent’s Guide, Potty Training Made Easy With the Baby Signs Program
All Aboard the Potty Train DVD
Lift-the-flap Book
Award Stickers
Conductor’s Whistle

I say this is a recipe for success! I’ve never seen a baby sign language kit that looks like more fun. I popped the DVD into the DVD player and Emma began dancing around to the music.

I love the simplicity of this program. There aren’t too many signs taught, just the basics. I appreciate that because I don’t want to overwhelm Emma when teaching her something this important. In this program, we are taught the signs for: Potty, More, All Done, Wash, and Good Job. The cartoon babies in the DVD demonstrate both the sign and the action, and then there is music and real babies are seen using the signs.

We have made a lot of progress thanks to this program! I got Emma familiar with her special potty, which is now covered in award stickers. She absolutely loves those stickers and can’t wait to go sit on the potty knowing she’ll get to put one on the potty. She also knows that her dirty diapers are “ewww!” and “stinky!” and wants to get them off and changed so I know it won’t be long. The whistle is a good addition though I found even I have to blow pretty hard on it to get a loud whistle (maybe a good thing, who wants an ear-piercing whistle in the house), and Emma loves the Choo Choo Train. The only thing I haven’t been able to do yet is get her to tell me when she has to go. That will be coming soon, and I intend on blogging my progress as we get closer to success!

Buy It!

You can purchase the Baby Signs Potty Training Kit for $39.95 at www.babysigns.com!

Thanks to Baby Signs, one of you will win a complete Baby Signs Potty Training Kit!

{Prize} Baby Signs Potty Training Kit (value $40)
{Eligibility} Open to the US only.

{Mandatory Main Entry } Visit Baby Signs and tell me what other product you would like to own!

Optional Extra Entries – Get 1 extra entry for each unless otherwise noted:
(Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

Follow Baby Signs on Twitter and/or subscribe to the Baby Signs newsletter and free sign of the week! (1 extra entry each)
Grab my Maternity Event button (sidebar) and put it in your sidebar for 2 extra entries!
“Like” my Kindred Spirit Mommy Facebook Page
Tweet this giveaway (daily tweets available!) – You can use the Retweet button in the top right corner of this post if you want.
Stumble/Digg/Facebook, or share this giveaway in some other way (email, etc) (1 extra each)
Add my button to your sidebar
Follow my blog, Subscribe to my blog by feed reader, and/or Subscribe to my blog by email (1 extra each)
Follow me on Twitter (@kindred_spirit)

+5 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

I would like to thank Baby Signs or providing me with the product reviewed above so that I could share my thoughts and experiences with you. This post is 100% my own opinion and written in my own words, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone. I do not feel obligated to write a positive review – I’ll always share my honest thoughts on products.

I’m Thinking Baby Boy Nursery Themes {Dinosaurs!}

Lindsey — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:27:47 +0000

I was pretty surprised to find out I was having a boy, so it’s taken me awhile to get to the point where I’m ready to start thinking nursery themes and boy stuff! This morning I was looking at dinosaurs, I love them! Here are some favorites from Etsy:

Rawr! Dinosaur Theme

Top left: Dino Dudes Learning Lovey
Top right: Dino Baby Mobile
Lower left: Eco-Friendly Wood Dino Teething Toy
Lower right: Minky Plush Dinosaur Softie

♥ ♥ ♥

Top left: Dino Dudes Diaper Cover
Top right: Dino Roar Sweet Pea Onesie
Lower left: Little Boy Dino Baby Booties
Lower right: Dino Knit Infant Hat

♥ ♥ ♥

What are your baby boy nursery themes?

I am not affiliated with these shops in any way – just sharing some of my cool finds! :)

Spotlight Saturday Blog Hop #6 – Link up Your Favorite Review/Giveaway Blog!

Lindsey — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:00:50 +0000

Welcome BACK to the Spotlight Saturday Blog Hop!

Grab the button code below to share this blog hop. :)

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This blog hop is hosted by Between the Lines, Survey Junkie, and Kindred Spirit Mommy

About Spotlight Saturday:

Welcome to our blog hop with a twist! Every Saturday swing by to link up your blog and another blog you want to spotlight! Did you find a new blog you liked this week? Is there one you visit on a daily basis? Well, simply link up your Spotlighted Blog right under yours. We will Spotlight our favorite blogs of the week in spots 4, 5, and 6.

Some weeks will have themes, so come back every Saturday to see what types of blogs are being spotlighted!

This is such a great way to get involved in the blogging community, support fellow bloggers, and get some traffic yourself!

♥ ♥ ♥

How it Works

1. Link up your own blog, then link up a blog you want to spotlight for the week.
(ex. Spotlight: Crazy Daisy)
2. Follow your three hosts.
3. Grab our button and post it on your sidebar or a Spotlight Saturday Post.
4. Follow blogs from the list and leave a comment so they know you stopped by.
5. Return the favor by following blogs that followed you.
6. Feel free to grab the blog hop code, make a Spotlight Saturday post on your blog, and include your own followers in the fun! Your followers will be able to link up right on your blog. :)

♥ ♥ ♥

(If your blog has already been spotlighted, just spotlight someone else.)

This week, spotlight your favorite REVIEW/GIVEAWAY blog!

The hosts’ favorites are found at #4, 5, & 6! Link up below…

Don’t forget to leave a comment at the blog you spotlighted so they can come join the blog hopping fun!

Book Review & Excerpt: The Healer by Linda Windsor

Lindsey — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:53:24 +0000

The Healer by Linda Windsor is a KEEPER!

I was so excited when I saw that one of my favorite authors, Linda Windsor, had written another book. But the cover is just the icing on the cake – isn’t it gorgeous!? And such an appealing and unique cover for Christian fiction, too. I knew I had to read it.

Here’s what is on the back cover:

Her mother’s dying prophecy to the chieftain Tarlach O’Byrne sentenced Brenna of Gowrys to twenty years of hiding. Twenty years of being hunted—by the O’Byrnes, who fear the prophecy, and by her kinsmen, who expect her to lead them against their oppressors. But Brenna is a trained and gifted healer, not a warrior queen. So she lives alone in the wilderness with only her pet wolf for company. When she rescues a man badly wounded from an ambush, she believes he may be the answer to her deep loneliness. Healing him comes as easy as loving him. But can their love overcome years of bitterness and greed…and bring peace and renewed faith to the shattered kingdom?

This sounds more “typical romance” than it is – in fact, I was impressed and touched by the quality of the story and the depth to the characters. The first chapter had me hooked with the heartbreakingly tragic end to her parents’ lives, and that event is tangled throughout the storyline.

The Healer had me on the edge of my seat until I turned the last page – it impressed me deeply! I don’t often come across superior Christian fiction like this. I recommend it highly!

You can buy it here at Amazon.com. Visit Linda Windsor’s official website and read about her other releases at www.lindawindsor.com.

________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

With an estimated one million books in print, Linda Windsor is an award-winning author of fifteen mainstream historical novels and one contemporary romance. She has also written another thirteen books for CBA publishers, including nine romantic comedies, laced with suspense, and a Celtic Irish trilogy for Multnomah entitled the Fires of Gleannmara series. A former professional musician, Linda speaks often (and sometimes sings) for writing and/or faith seminars. She makes her home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and prays for courage and strength to meet the needs of today’s readers with page-turning stories that entertain, teach, and inspire. Visit the author’s website.

________________________________

This is a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Glenarden, Manau Gododdin, Britain

Although cold enough to frost one’s breath, the day was as fair as the general mood of the gathering at the keep of Glenarden. The only clouds were those breaking away, fat with snow from the shrouded mountains—and the ever-present one upon the face of the bent old man who stood on the rampart of the gate tower. No longer able to ride much distance, Tarlach O’Byrne watched the procession form beyond.

Clansmen and kin, farmers and craftsmen—all turned out for the annual hunt, but they were more excited over the festivities that awaited their return. In the yard about the keep, gleemen in outlandish

costumes practiced entertaining antics, delighting the children and teasing the kitchen servant or warrior who happened to pass too near. Great pits had been fired. On the spits over them were enough succulent shanks of venison, boar, and beef to feed the multitude of O’Byrnes and the guests from tribes in the kingdom under the old king’s protection.

Below the ramparts, Ronan O’Byrne adjusted the woolen folds of his brat over his shoulders. Woven with the silver, black, and scarlet threads of the clan, it would keep the prince warm on this brisk day. A fine dappled gray snorted in eagerness as Ronan took his reins in hand and started toward the gate. Beyond, the people he would govern upon his father’s death waited.

The youngest of the O’Byrne brothers rode through them, unable to contain his excitement any longer. “By father’s aching bones, Ronan, what matters of great import keep you now?”

Were the pest any other but his youngest brother, Ronan might have scowled, deepening the scar that marked the indent of his cheek—the physical reminder of this travesty that began years ago. Alyn was the pride and joy of Glenarden, and Ronan was no exception to those who admired and loved the precocious youth.

“Only a raid on the mill by our neighbors,” Ronan answered his youngest sibling.

His somber gaze belayed the lightness in his voice. The thieves had made off with Glenarden’s reserve grain stores and the miller’s quern. Ronan had already sent a replacement hand mill to the mistress. But now that the harvest was over and the excess had been sold, replacing the reserves would be harder. It galled Ronan to buy back his own produce at a higher price than he’d received from merchants in Carmelide. This was the hard lot he faced—this farce, or hunting down the scoundrels and taking back what was rightfully his.

Every year on the anniversary of the Gowrys slaughter, Tarlach insisted that the O’Byrne clan search the hills high and low for Llas and Joanna’s heir. But instead of going off on a madman’s goose chase after his imagined enemy—a mountain nymph who was rumored to shape-shift into a wolf at will—the O’Byrnes manpower spent their time ransacking and burning one of the Gowrys mountain settlements in retribution, for they were undoubtedly the culprits. It was the only reasoning the Gowrys thieves understood—burn their ramshackle hovels and take some of their meager stock in payment.

Even so, taking such actions only stalled their mischief for a little while. Then it was the same thing all over again. As it was, Ronan had sent trackers out to mark their escape route, lest the wrong camp be destroyed.

“Can I ride after them on the morrow with you?” Alyn’s deep blue eyes, inherited from their Pictish mother, were alight with the idea of fighting and possible bloodshed—only because he’d never tasted it firsthand. “After the Witch’s End?”

Disgust pulling at his mouth, Ronan mounted the broad and sturdy steed he’d acquired at last spring’s fair. Witch’s End. That’s what Tarlach O’Byrne had dubbed the celebration of the massacre that had made him an invalid and driven him to the brink of insanity. In the old chief ’s demented thought, he’d brought justice to those who had betrayed him and stopped an enchantress forever. Sometimes, as on this particular day, it pushed him beyond reason, for it was a reminder that there was one thing left undone. The heiress of Gowrys still lived to threaten Glenarden … at least in his mind.

“The mill raid is no different from any other raid and will be handled as such,” Ronan answered.

“So I can go?”

“Nay, return to your studies at the university.” The hunt for a nonexistent witch was one thing, but Gowrys were skilled fighters. “’Twould suit a Gowrys naught better than to send a son of Tarlach

earthways with an arrow through your sixteen-year-old heart.”

“So you and Caden will go after the brigands.”

Alyn’s dejection rivaled that of Tarlach’s, except the youth’s would be gone with the next change of the wind. The older O’Byrne’s would not leave until his last breath faded in the air.

Ronan opened his mouth to assuage the lad when a downpour of water, icy as a northern fjord, struck him, soaking him through. “Herth’s fire!” Startled, his gray gelding danced sideways, knocking into the door of the open gate. “Ho, Ballach,” Ronan soothed the beast. “Easy laddie.”

“Take that, you bandy-legged fodere!” a shrill voice sounded from above.

“Crom’s breath, Kella, look what you’ve done,” Alyn blustered, struggling to control his own spooked steed. “Called my brother a bandy-legged deceiver and soaked him through.”

Wiping his hair away from his brow, Ronan spotted the cherub faced perpetrator of the mischief peering over the battlement, eyes spitting fire. Lacking the ripeness of womanhood, Kella’s overall appearance was unremarkable, but she surely lived up to her name with that indomitable warrior spirit, bundled in the innocence of youth. It was an innocence Ronan had never known. The daughter of Glenarden’s champion, Kella O’Toole was like a breath of fresh air. For that Ronan could forgive her more impetuous moments.

“And for what, Milady Kella, do I deserve the title of a bandylegged fool, much less this chilling shower?”

Kella gaped in dismay, speechless, as she took in Ronan’s drenched state. But not for long. “Faith, ’twasn’t meant for you, sir, but for Alyn! ’Tis the likes of him that finds the company of a scullery maid more delicious than mine.”

Ronan cast an amused glance at his youngest brother, who had now turned as scarlet as the banners fluttering overhead.

“Ho, lad, what foolrede have ye been about?” Caden O’Byrne shouted from the midst of the mounted assembly in wait beyond the gate. Fair as the sun with a fiery temperament to match, the second of Tarlach’s sons gave the indignant maid on the rampart a devilish wink.

“’Tis no one’s business but my own,” Alyn protested. “And certainly not that of a demented child.”

“Child, is it?”

Ronan swerved his horse out of range as Kella slung the empty bucket at Alyn. Her aim was hindered by the other girls close at her elbows, and the missile struck the ground an arm’s length away from its intended target.

“I’ll have you know I’m a full thirteen years.”

“Then appeal to me a few years hence when, and if, your Godgiven sense returns,” the youngest O’Byrne replied.

Ronan moved to the cover of the gatehouse and removed his drenched brat. Fortunately, the cloak had caught and shed the main of the attack. Already one of the servants approached with the plain blue one he wore about his business on the estate. Irritating as the mishap was, his lips quirked with humor as his aide helped him don the dry brat. It wasn’t as princely as the O’Byrne colors, but it was more suited to Ronan’s personal taste.

It was no secret that Egan O’Toole’s daughter was smitten with Alyn. With brown hair spun with threads of gold and snapping eyes almost the same incredible shade, she would indeed blossom into a beauty someday. Meanwhile, the champion of Glenarden would do well to pray for maturity to temper Kella’s bellicose manner, so that his daughter might win, rather than frighten, suitors.

Then there was Alyn, who hadn’t sense enough to see a prize in the making. Ronan shook his head. His brother was too involved in living the existence of the carefree youth Ronan had been robbed of the night of the Gowrys bloodfest.

“So, are you now high and dry, Brother?” Caden O’Byrne called to Ronan with impatience.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed. Always coveting what wasn’t his, Caden would like nothing better than to lead the hunt without Ronan. Would God that Ronan could hand over Glenarden and all its responsibilities. But Caden was too rash, a man driven more by passion than thought.

“Have a heart, Beloved,” a golden-haired beauty called down to him from the flock of twittering ladies on the rampart. Caden’s new bride spared Ronan a glance. “Ronan’s had much travail this morning already with the news of the Gowrys raid.”

“Had he as fair and gentle a wife as I, I daresay his humor would be much improved.” Ever the king of hearts, Caden signaled his horse to bow in Lady Rhianon’s direction and blew his wife a kiss.

“No doubt it would, Brother,” Ronan replied.

There was little merit in pointing out that the ambitious Lady Rhianon had first set her sights on him. No loss to Ronan, she seemed to make his more frivolous brother a happy man. The couple enjoyed the same revelry in dance and entertainment, not to mention the bower. Too often, its four walls failed to contain the merriment of their love play. Neither seemed to care that they were the talk of the keep. If anything, they gloried in the gossip and fed it all the more.

Battling down an annoying twinge of envy, Ronan made certain his cloak was fast, then swung up into the saddle again. Alyn’s problems were easier to consider, not to mention more amusing. “Is your wench disarmed, Alyn?” Ronan shouted in jest as he left the cover of the gate once again.

Beyond Lady Kella’s tempestuous reach for the moment, Alyn gave him a grudging nod.

Ronan brought his horse alongside his siblings, facing the gatehouse of the outer walls, where Tarlach O’Byrne would address the gathering. Like Alyn’s, Caden’s countenance was one of eagerness and excitement. How Ronan envied them both for their childhood. He longed to get away from the bitterness that festered within the walls of Glenarden. His had been an apprenticeship to a haunted madness.

Tarlach straightened as much as his gnarled and creaking joints would allow. “Remember the prophecy, shons of mine,” he charged them. He raised his withered left arm as high as it would go. It had never regained its former power since the night he’d tried to attack Lady Joanna of Gowrys. Nor had his speech recovered. He slurred his words from time to time, more so in fatigue.

“The Gowrys sheed shall divide your mighty house … shall divide your mighty housh and bring a peace beyond itch ken.”

Ronan knew the words by heart. They were as indelibly etched in his memory as the bloody travesty he’d witnessed through a six-yearold’s eyes. The quote was close, but whether Tarlach’s failing mind or his guilt was accountable for leaving out “peace beyond the ken of your wicked soul,” only God knew. If He cared … or even existed.

“Search every hill, every glen, every tree and shrub. Find the she-wolf and bring back her skin to hang as a trophy in the hall, and her heart to be devoured by the dogs. Take no nun-day repast. The future of Glenarden depends on the Gowrys whelp’s death.”

At the rousing cry of “O’Byrne!” rising from his fellow huntsmen and kin, Ronan turned the dapple gray with the group and cantered to the front, his rightful place as prince and heir. He didn’t believe the girl child had survived these last twenty years, much less that she’d turned into a she-wolf because of her mother’s sins. Nor did he wallow in hatred like his father.

A shudder ran through him, colder than the water that had drenched him earlier. Ronan looked to the west again, where thick clouds drifted away from the uplands. May he never become so obsessed with a female that his body and soul should waste away from within due to the gnawing of bitterness and fear. Superstitious fear.

On both sides of the winding, rutted road ahead lay rolling fields. Winter’s breath was turning the last vestiges of harvest color to browns and grays. Low, round huts of wattle and daub, limed white and domed with honey-dark thatching, were scattered here and there. Gray smoke circled toward the sky from their peaks. Fat milk cows and chickens made themselves at home, searching for food. Beyond lay the river, teeming with fish enough for all.

Glenarden’s prosperity was enough to satisfy Ronan. Nothing less would do for his clan. The tuath was already his in every manner save the last breath of Tarlach O’Byrne … though Ronan was in no hurry for that. Despite his troublesome tempers, Tarlach had been as good a father as he knew how, breaking the fosterage custom to rear his firstborn son under his own eye. A hard teacher, he’d been, yet fair—equal with praise as with criticism.

“You are the arm I lost, lad,” Tarlach told him again and again, especially when the drink had its way with him. “The hope and strength of Glenarden.”

~~~~~

Ronan humored the old man as much as followed his orders. At midday, instead of stopping as usual for the nun repast, he paused for neither rest nor food for his men. They ate on the move—the fresh bread and cheese in the sacks provided by the keep’s kitchen. The higher into the hills they went, the sharper the wind whipped through the narrow pass leading to the upper lakelands. Ronan was thankful that the former stronghold of the Gowrys wasn’t much farther.

“Faith, ’tis colder than witches’ milk,” Caden swore from the ranks behind Ronan.

“Witches’ milk?” the naive Alyn protested. “What would you know of such things?”

“A good deal more than a pup not yet dry behind the ears. ’Tis a fine drink on a hot summer day.”

“Or for the fever,” Egan O’Toole chimed in.

His poorly disguised snicker raised suspicion in the youth. “They play me false, don’t they, Ronan?”

“Aye, ask our elder brother, lad,” Caden remarked in a dry voice. “He has no sense of humor.”

Somber, Ronan turned in his saddle. “I have one, Brother, but my duties do not afford me much use of it. As for your question, lad,” he said to their younger brother, who rode next to Caden, “there’s no such thing as witches, so there can be no witches’ milk.”

“What about the Lady Joanna?” Alyn asked. “She was a witch.”

“Think, lad,” Ronan replied. “If she’d truly possessed magic, would she or her kin have died? It was love and jealousy that addled Father.”

“But love is magic, little brother,” Caden put in. “Make no mistake.”

“’Tis also loud enough to set tongues wagging all over the keep,” Alyn piped up. He grinned at the round of raucous laughter that rippled around them at Caden’s expense.

But Caden showed no shame. “That’s the rejoicing, lad.” He turned to the others. “Methinks our Lady Kella has little to fret over as yet.” With a loud laugh, he clapped their red-faced little brother on the back.

Rather than allow the banter to prick or lift an already sore humor, Ronan focused on the first few flakes of snow already whirling in and about the pass ahead of them and the nightmare that already had begun. Twenty years before, this very pass had been just as cold and inhospitable. With possible flurries blowing up, Ronan had no inclination to prolong the outing.

The crannog, or stockaded peninsula, was now little more than a pile of rubble rising out of the lake water’s edge. Cradled by overgrown fields and thick forest on three quarters of its periphery, the

lake itself was as gray as the winter sky. On the fourth was the jut of land upon which Llas of Gowrys had restored an ancient broch, bracing it against the rise of the steep crag at its back. With no regard for what had been, yellow spots of gorse had taken root here and there in the tumble of blackened stone.

Ronan could still smell the blaze, hear the shrieks of the dying.Ignoring the curdling in the pit of his stomach, a remnant of the fear and horror a six-year-old dared not show, Ronan dispersed the group. “Egan, you and Alyn take your men and search north of the lake. Caden, take the others and search the south. When I sound the horn, everyone should make haste back here. The sooner we return to warm hearths and full noggins of ale, the better.”

“I want to go with you,” Alyn declared, sidling his brown pony next to Ronan’s gray.

“I intend to stay here in the cover of yon ledge and build a fire,” Ronan informed him, “but you are welcome to join me.”

“I think not.”

Alyn’s expression of disdain almost made Ronan laugh.

“What if a raiding party of Gowrys happens upon you?” Caden spoke up. A rare concern knit his bushy golden brows.

“Then I shall invite them to the fire for a draught of witch’s milk.”

Caden laughed out loud. His square-jawed face, bristling with the golden shadow of his great mane of hair, was handsome by even a man’s standard. “I misjudged you, Brother. I stand corrected on the account of humor but would still hold that you act too old for your twenty-six years.”

“The Gowrys aren’t given to visiting the place where they were so soundly trounced … and I’m no more than a horn’s blow from help, should my sword not suffice,” Ronan pointed out.

He had no taste for this nonsense. What he craved most at the moment was the peace that followed after the others rode off, whooping and beating their shields lest the spirits of the slain accost them.

The hush of the falling snow and the still testimony of the ruins were at least a welcome change from the ribald and oft querulous babble of the hall. Time alone, without demand, was to be savored, even in this ungodly cold and desolate place. All he had to do was keep the memories at bay.

A movement from just above a hawthorn thicket near the base of the cliff caught Ronan’s eye, raising the hackles on the back of his neck. With feigned nonchalance, he brushed away the snow accumulating on his leather-clad thigh and scanned the gray slope of rock as it donned the thickening winter white veil. Nothing.

At least, he’d thought he’d seen something. A flash of white, with a tail—mayhaps a large dog. Beneath him, the gelding shivered. With a whinny, he sidestepped, tossing his black mane as if to confirm that he sensed danger as well. A wolf?

Drawing his sword in one hand, Ronan brought the horse under control with a steadying tone. “Easy, Ballach, easy.”

The speckled horse quieted, his muscles as tense as Ronan’s clenched jaw. The scene before him was still, like that of a tapestry. At his gentle nudge, the horse started around shore toward the high stone cliff. Dog, wolf, or man, Ronan was certain the steel of his blade was all the protection he’d need.

Teacup Piggies Interactive Toy Review + #Giveaway!

Lindsey — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:37:09 +0000

One of the newest and cutest toys on the shelf at your local toy store is the Teacup Piggy! These little pigs are based off of real live teacup pigs, tiny enough to fit in a teacup, that are so popular right now. The electronic toy teacup piggies, prophesied to become as beloved as the Zhu-Zhu Pets, come in several different colors and with many optional accessories including outfits, glamour and limo sets, and more.

Each Teacup Piggy playset comes with the piglet, a birth certificate (they each have a name), a hairbow, a bottle, and a teacup, and they each say over 20 different phrases. But the sweetest features are that when you lay the piggies on their sides they’ll start snoring (little piggy snores), and they also come with bottles so that you can feed them (and they make the appropriate noises for chow time, too). When they’re done eating, they’ll tell you that they are full – and if you stroke their backs they’re happy!

A Mom’s Thoughts

I received a Teacup Piggies playset along with an accessory set and an outfit for review. As soon as I released our piggy from the package and set it from “Try me” mode to “On”, she introduced herself as “Jade” and told us that she loved dollhouses.

She has more of a teen girly voice than I had expected, but it is clear and easy to understand. Some of the phrases she says are: “Please take my picture with your camera!”, “Decorating dollhouses – love it!”, “LOL!”, and she does a lot of giggling. She also will start sleeping soundly if you lay her on her side, and ask you why you are waking her up when you put her upright again. She has two other touch-sensitive sensors – one on her back and one on her nose. If you leave her for awhile she’ll say she’s sleepy and ask to take a nap in her teacup. After about 15 minutes, this toy will automatically turn off.

I have to say that my 2-year-old loves this toy! She thinks it is beyond hilarious that when she pushes on the pig’s nose that the pig says, “Oh! That tickles! My nose is sensitive!” She also loves the little accessories and outfit, especially the bow and bottle (both come with the pig), the sunglasses, and the outfit. And no wonder, this piggy is super cute! Even turned off, it’s great for imaginative play.

Watch this video and see my daughter’s delight with this piggy for yourself!

Buy it!

Teacup Piggies are very reasonably priced at $12.99 for a Teacup Piggies playset (including piggy, teacup, bottle, birth certificate, and hairbow), $5.99 for a fashion set (outfit), and $12.99 for deluxe accessory sets. You can find them at stores such as Toys R Us, Walmart, and Walgreens. Purchase online at Toys R Us here!

I’m giving away one Teacup Piggies playset!

{Prize} Teacup Piggies playset
{Eligibility} Open to the US only.

{Mandatory Main Entry } Visit Toys R Us and look around at the Teacup Piggies, then come back and tell me in a comment which one(s) you think your little ones would like the most! Please leave the name of the piggy in your comment!

Optional Extra Entries – Get 1 extra entry for each unless otherwise noted:
(Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

Become a fan of Teacup Piggies on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (1 extra entry each)
Grab my Maternity Event button (sidebar) and put it in your sidebar for 2 extra entries!
“Like” my Kindred Spirit Mommy Facebook Page
Tweet this giveaway (daily tweets available!) – You can use the Retweet button in the top right corner of this post if you want.
Stumble/Digg/Facebook, or share this giveaway in some other way (email, etc) (1 extra each)
Add my button to your sidebar
Follow my blog, Subscribe to my blog by feed reader, and/or Subscribe to my blog by email (1 extra each)
Follow me on Twitter (@kindred_spirit)

+5 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

I would like to thank ToyQuest for providing me with the product reviewed above so that I could share my thoughts and experiences with you. This post is 100% my own opinion and written in my own words, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone. I do not feel obligated to write a positive review – I’ll always share my honest thoughts on products.

Personalized Baby Birth Wall Tiles at My Embroidered Gifts {Giveaway!}

Lindsey — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:01:12 +0000

I love personalized gifts, don’t you? If you’ve answered yes, then you’ll love My Embroidered Gifts! This is an online store I could spend hours at, full of everything from toys, blankets, tote bags, and photo albums to wedding plates and holiday gifts.

My favorite products are their personalized ceramic plates and tiles, though! You can make some of the most darling keepsake plates and wall tiles you’ve ever seen featuring your child’s name or birthday information:

Thanks to My Embroidered Gifts, I was able to review one of their Safari Friends Personalized Wall Tiles by Little Worm and Company. I had it personalized with Emma’s full name and birthday information. Because these tiles are painted and fired immediately after you order, it takes up to 3-5 weeks to receive them – but I received mine within 2-3 weeks.

I am SO pleased with what I received! This is a keepsake that I just can’t stop looking at – I love seeing Emma’s birthday, birth weight, and birth measurements, and it’s a great reminder. I’m very forgetful, so it’s nice that Emma won’t be asking me these questions later down the road and getting an “Um… 8 pounds something?” answer from me someday. ;-)

Because the tiles are heat-fired, they will last a LONG time. You won’t have to worry about fading and it will be a wonderful heirloom. It hangs securely from a high-quality coordinating ribbon, and is made in the USA!

You can purchase a personalized wall tile for $36.00, and there is optional gift wrapping.

I’m LOVING My Embroidered Gifts and the wonderful people I worked with, and want another wall tile for my little boy due January 19! :)

My Embroidered Gifts Online

Fan them on Facebook
Follow them on Twitter

Now for a giveaway!

My Embroidered Gifts is giving one of you a $30.00 gift certificate to their store!

{Prize} $30.00 Gift Certificate to My Embroidered Gifts.
{Eligibility} Open to the US only.

{Mandatory Main Entry } Visit My Embroidered Gifts and look around, then come back and tell me in a comment what you would buy with your gift certificate if you won!

Optional Extra Entries – Get 1 extra entry for each unless otherwise noted:
(Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

Become a fan of My Embroidered Gifts on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (1 extra entry each)
Grab my Maternity Event button (sidebar) and put it in your sidebar for 2 extra entries!
“Like” my Kindred Spirit Mommy Facebook Page
Tweet this giveaway (daily tweets available!) – You can use the Retweet button in the top right corner of this post if you want.
Stumble/Digg/Facebook, or share this giveaway in some other way (email, etc) (1 extra each)
Add my button to your sidebar
Follow my blog, Subscribe to my blog by feed reader, and/or Subscribe to my blog by email (1 extra each)
Follow me on Twitter (@kindred_spirit)

+5 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

Giveaway will be closed on September 22, 2010 at midnight PST and winner notified by email and posted on this website (either in this post or in a new winner’s announcement post). Winner will then have 48 hours to reply to my email or I will have to re-draw another winner. Good luck, everyone!

This review made possible by Mom Made That! I would like to thank My Embroidered Gifts for providing me with the product reviewed above so that I could share my thoughts and experiences with you. This post is 100% my own opinion and written in my own words, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone. I do not feel obligated to write a positive review – I’ll always share my honest thoughts on products.

Transform Your Photos into Paintings With Corel Paint It! {Giveaway}

Lindsey — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:52:33 +0000

There’s nothing I love more than playing with my photos, making them prettier, making them into works of art. So when Corel asked me if I would like to try their Paint It! software, I jumped at the chance! Not only is Corel a favorite brand, I love that this particular program turns your photos into paintings right before your eyes!

My Experience with Paint It!

This is the screen you’re working with when transforming your photos into paintings. Everything is simple and straightforward. I wasn’t overwhelmed by too many options, but there are plenty of ways to make your photo unique!

First, you choose a painting type (examples: Watercolor, Oil, Impressionist, Colored Pencil) and then hit the Play button. It is transformed into a painting right in front of you! It’s like watching someone paint a portrait. So much fun, even a child could do it! To see it in action, click here.

You can use brushes to add some detail back to the painting, or there are special design brushes that can add flames or fairy dust to your picture. There are a lot of ways to make your photo unique, and you can save the photo in large sizes so that you can frame large prints or even use it in scrapbooking or other photo projects. I plan on making Christmas gifts for family. :)

One of my creations:

I think it looks like Emma is coming out of a painting. Lovely! And it was so easy to do!

Final Thoughts:

My only suggestion for improvement would be giving users the option of creating instant paintings when we’re in a hurry rather than having to watch the painting in minutes. It does take maybe two minutes to finish a detailed painting like this one. But overall, I find Paint It! to be a wonderful program that is easy to use and very rewarding. I love the paintings I was able to create from my photos! I think this is well worth the price of $39.99.

Buy it!

Paint It! can be purchased from the Corel website for $39.99. BUT it is on sale at Amazon.com very often, so I would keep an eye on it there. I’ve seen it as low as $26.99. This would be a great gift for any family (including yours!). :)

Now for a giveaway!

Corel is giving one of you a copy of Paint It!

{Prize} Paint It! by Corel
{Eligibility} Open to the US and Canada.

{Mandatory Main Entry } Visit Corel Paint It! and look around, then come back and tell me in a comment something you learned about Corel Paint It! OR tell me another Corel product you would like to have.

Optional Extra Entries – Get 1 extra entry for each unless otherwise noted:
(Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

Grab my Maternity Event button (sidebar) and put it in your sidebar for 2 extra entries!
“Like” my Kindred Spirit Mommy Facebook Page
Tweet this giveaway (daily tweets available!) – You can use the Retweet button in the top right corner of this post if you want.
Stumble/Digg/Facebook, or share this giveaway in some other way (email, etc) (1 extra each)
Add my button to your sidebar
Follow my blog, Subscribe to my blog by feed reader, and/or Subscribe to my blog by email (1 extra each)
Follow me on Twitter (@kindred_spirit)

+5 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

I would like to thank Corel for providing me with a copy of Paint It! so that I could share my thoughts and experiences with you. This post is 100% my own opinion and written in my own words, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone. I do not feel obligated to write a positive review – I’ll always share my honest thoughts on products.

20 Weeks Pregnant (WW)

Lindsey — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:57:05 +0000

And in case you didn’t see my previous post, it’s a BOY! :)

Handmade Wooden Blocks at Magen’s Bay {Review + Giveaway!}

Lindsey — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:55:42 +0000

I’ve fallen absolutely in love with these unique handmade wooden block sets handcrafted by mom Brooke of Magen’s Bay! You’ll find a myriad of patterns and colors (for girls, boys, or gender neutral), and the blocks are available in several set sizes from sets of 6 to sets of 50.

Blocks are really a basic staple of a child’s toy collection, aren’t they? These are more than what you’ll find in the store – they’re lovingly made by a fellow mom; cut, sanded, designer papers applied and sealed over several times with nontoxic varnish. These blocks will make a fashion statement in any nursery. :)

A Mom’s Thoughts

Thanks to Magen’s Bay, I received a set of six Alphabet Animal Blocks for review.

I am so pleased with the quality of these blocks! They are exceptionally well-made and are cuter than any other set of blocks I’ve come across in stores. They are safe for little ones, made with nontoxic materials and with all edges sanded down.

I love the combination of letters and animals, two things that my 2-year-old is crazy about right now. She enjoys not only stacking and building with them, but naming the animals and the letters.

I’m crazy about this online store and recommend them highly! In fact, I think you should run, not walk, straight there and make an order. Her prices are very reasonable. These animal blocks are $18.00 for the set of six. She also has sets of 30 blocks for $36.00. You can’t beat that!

Discount Alert!

Magen’s Bay is offering 20% off your order, just make sure to mention you came from Kindred Spirit Mommy and she’ll refund you after you make the order. :)

Now for a giveaway!

Magen’s Bay wants to give one of my readers a half set of 15 blocks – winner’s choice!

{Prize} Winner’s choice of a set of 15 blocks from Magen’s Bay!
{Eligibility} Open to the US only. (Anyone can enter, but if you are outside of the US you will need to pay shipping.)

{Mandatory Main Entry } Visit Magen’s Bay and look around, then come back and tell me in a comment which set of blocks you will choose if you win! (You can change your mind later)

Optional Extra Entries – Get 1 extra entry for each unless otherwise noted:
(Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

Follow Follow or Subscribe to the Magen’s Bay blog by RSS (1 extra each)
Add Magen’s Bay to your favorites on Etsy (requires an account).
Grab my Maternity Event button (sidebar) and put it in your sidebar for 2 extra entries!
“Like” my Kindred Spirit Mommy Facebook Page
Tweet this giveaway (daily tweets available!) – You can use the Retweet button in the top right corner of this post if you want.
Stumble/Digg/Facebook, or share this giveaway in some other way (email, etc) (1 extra each)
Add my button to your sidebar
Follow my blog, Subscribe to my blog by feed reader, and/or Subscribe to my blog by email (1 extra each)
Follow me on Twitter (@kindred_spirit)

+5 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

Giveaway will be closed on September 14, 2010 at midnight PST and winner notified by email and posted on this website (either in this post or in a new winner’s announcement post). Winner will then have 48 hours to reply to my email or I will have to re-draw another winner. Good luck, everyone!

Disclosure: I was provided with a set of blocks from Magen’s Bay so that I could share my thoughts and experiences with you. This post is 100% my own opinion and written in my own words, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone. I do not feel obligated to write a positive review – I’ll always share my honest thoughts on products.