The Power of the Heart book review

in #poweroftheheart #sponsored, book, review, by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, October 09, 2014

While I am an avid reader, self-help books aren’t normally on my TBR list, so when SheSpeaks sent an email asking if I’d like to receive an advanced copy of The Power of The Heart- Finding your true purpose in life; I almost passed.

Until I saw that Maya Angelou was a contributor. I have found great peace, solace and enlightenment in Maya’s words and teachings so I decided to open my heart and mind to this book. My thanks to SheSpeaks/Power of the Heart for sponsoring today’s post. I appreciate receiving a complimentary advanced copy of this book and a thank you gift for my time. All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Power of the Heart: Written by Baptist De Pape for Atria Books:

The Power of the Heart book is a compilation of thoughts, ideas and exercises from eighteen of the world’s greatest spiritual thinkers, writers and scientists who reveal how you can overcome limitations and fulfill your highest potential. Since the beginning of recorded history, the great teachers of the world’s spiritual traditions have described the heart as the source of true power and understanding.

How Do You Connect With Your Individual Heart’s Power?

“There are many different ways to connect with your heart’s power and intelligence. The book explains how to listen to your heart’s voice and hear its wisdom. It also explains ways, in which you can develop your intuition, create synchronicity, clarify your intentions, and exercise the power of gratitude. All of these – intuition, intention, gratitude, and synchronicity – are also powers of the heart.”

My Thoughts:

Each chapter of The Power of the heart is relatively easy to read and get through. There are exercises or contemplation's throughout the book to help you get in tune with your true purpose in life and your heart’s power. Some of the writers/teachers words I could align myself with easier than others. For instance one such contemplation is The Three Blessings Exercise.

For this exercise you are supposed to write down three blessings or things that went right for you that day. I found that by following this exercise I actually had more than three blessings for each and every day. I found that to be very life affirming!

My Favorite Quotes:

If you don’t know what to do, do nothing. Don’t fill your time with trivia. Simply do nothing. Don’t do anything and you may be able to hear your heart. – Maya Angelou

It’s important to allow moments of silence into your life, because silence can let you escape the mental noise we call “thinking”. – Eckhart Tolle

Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. – Steve Jobs

Personally, I found this spiritually enlightening book to be helpful in that it made me stop and “contemplate” on two key issues for me, Intention and Gratitude.

The Take Away:

This book is beautiful and would be a welcome resource for anyone who is asking themselves the big picture questions about their life and their purpose in it. Be prepared to think and feel your way through it.

Spoiler Alert: The circle design feature on the front of the book jacket glows in the dark! What an unexpected touch.

You can learn more about The Power of the Heart, including ordering a copy by visiting their website here and by following along on Facebook and Twitter.

Please share in comments: Which of my favorite quotes above speaks to you?

Disclosure: My thanks to SheSpeaks/Power of the Heart for sponsoring today’s post. I appreciate receiving a complimentary advanced copy of this book and a thank you gift for my time. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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The kids are cooking with the BrylaneHome Convection -Toaster Oven

in biscuits, cooking, kids, ovens, Thanksgiving, toaster, by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, October 07, 2014

From a very early age, my daughters have enjoyed spending time with me in the kitchen. They have graduated up the ranks over the years and can cook a number of things on their own, but there is one appliance that is still a bit intimidating for them to work with; a hot oven.

As adults, we know that getting hot, bubbling food out of the oven without getting burned is tough sometimes, so I was happy to work with our sponsor today, BrylaneHome, who sent us their 6 slice convection- toaster oven to review and share our thoughts. All opinions are my own.

About BrylaneHome 6-slice Convection- Toaster Oven:

Their Toaster oven is a multi-use kitchen appliance you will be happy to have on your kitchen counter! Not only is it a toaster, it’s a rotisserie and a convection oven. You can bake, broil, toast and roast a variety of dishes. It’s small enough to fit on our counter, but big enough to hold a nice size casserole dish.

I really like the fact that you can set this toaster oven to a low 150 degrees, set the timer and walk away. The toaster oven will automatically shut off.

This is perfect appliance for my kids to use. With the BrylaneHome convection-toaster oven they can make a quick batch of cookies, muffins, or warm up a leftover cheddar drop biscuit or two after school without the hassle of working with the big oven.

We will be putting this toaster oven to good use come Thanksgiving when oven space is at a premium. I won’t’ have to do the pull, squeeze and shuffle this year when someone else arrives with a dish that has to go in the oven to keep or warm or finish cooking.

The warming feature has quickly become one of our favorites on this Toaster oven. It’s just as easy as using a microwave and you get the feel good warmth of food pulled from the oven. That’s a win here.

If you are hosting a special holiday meal this year, you may want to save yourself the oven shuffle hassle and head on over to BrylaneHome and check out this convection- toaster oven.

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Join the Depend #underwareness movement and #dropyourpants for charity #sponsored

in charity, goal, pants, social movement, by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, October 03, 2014

Thank you to Depend for sponsoring today’s post about the #dropyourpants for #underwareness movement. All opinions and dropped pants are 100% my own.

Have you seen the Depend T.V. commercial where normal, everyday people like you and me are walking down the street just getting from point A to point B. At first you don’t know why the onlookers are staring. Everybody looks normal enough.

Then the camera pans out and we see that nobody is wearing pants! They are all proudly walking down the street in Depend products to prove a point. That point is that everybody at some point, no matter their age may experience bladder leakage and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

The first time I saw that commercial I thought, I could never be that brave! I couldn’t just show myself like that. Then I learned that the commercial is part of a greater social movement for a charitable cause, so I did it! And it was all in good, clean fun for such a good cause! You should #dropyourpants and join the #underwareness movement too.

Why join the #underwareness Movement:

Depend will donate $1, up to $3 million, over the next three years to charities that advance the research, education and awareness of bladder leakage for every photo or video uploaded and shared online with the hashtags #dropyourpants and #underwareness.

I’ll be honest here and tell you right up front that I have never used a Depend product, but I’ve purchased them several times for a senior member of my family. She relies on them daily now and actually started needing them a bit here and there as she says in her late forties.

Recently she fell and could no longer do her own shopping and I can remember the pained look on her face when she had to ask us to buy her Depend products for her bladder leakage issue.

I felt so bad for her in that moment, not because she has bladder leakage, but because of her embarrassment at having to admit it to us. I told her there was no call to feel this way, we were family and we would treat these bladder leakage protection products as we would any other personal hygiene need and be as discreet as possible.

Speaking of discreet, that is exactly why she prefers Depend® Silhouette® Briefs for Women. They allow her to get dressed for her day confidently, knowing that her Depend briefs look and feel like real underwear, they give her a level of protection she can trust.

Get involved:

Think you are ready to #dropyourpants for #underwareness too? Visit the Underwareness site and join the #underwareness movement and help Depend reach their goal.

Get a free sample:

Claim your free samples today by visiting the Depend page and clicking on the "Get a Sample" button located at the top right-hand side of the screen. Then, select which sample you would like to receive and wait for them to arrive.

Be sure to share this with family and friends too. As the Depend #underwareness commercial points out, you can never tell who needs bladder leakage protection just by looking at them.

Disclosure: Thank you to Depend for sponsoring today’s post about the #dropyourpants for #underwareness movement. All opinions and dropped pants are 100% my own.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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Easy kids birthday party craft using upcycled packing paper

in birthday, craft, paper, party, recycle, upcycle, by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, October 02, 2014

From time to time my husband receives supplies for his cabinet business wrapped in long sheets of white packing paper. He knows better than to recycle this paper (or any packing paper really) before asking me if I want it for craft and D.I.Y. projects.

This thrifty do it your self-er usually says yes! Sometimes I get brown paper, sometimes I get tissue paper, but my favorite of all is the perfectly white pieces of packing paper. I roll them up and squirrel them away for special occasions.

Inspiration struck when we were planning my tweens birthday party. Anybody who has ever hosted a birthday party/sleepover knows these wonderful tweens can power through activities almost as quickly as they can hoover a bag of Doritos. Almost.

So a Mom’s got to be on her A game or she will hear the dreaded “I’m bored” or “what else can we do?” words. Not good when one is celebrating a birthday. So my daughter and I jammed packed their schedule, but my ace in the hole was letting them write on the table!

easy birthday party craft for tweens #upcycled paper

Doesn’t this paper just beg to be drawn and written on? Even our cat couldn’t resist it.

Craft Set Up:

Setting this craft up was easy-peasy. First, we placed a festive plastic table cloth on our dining room table. Then rolled out the white packing paper and taped it down on the ends and sides. Don’t worry if your upcycled paper has a hole or two in it, just tape over it. Next, set out your writing supplies. We had a bucket full of markers and a pencil case full of colored pencils and pens. There may have been a few crayons in the mix as well.

You are good to go! Once all the guests arrive, let the birthday child announce that they can write on the table and be ready with your camera for their reactions! The girls attending my daughter’s party practically knocked each other over to get to the table to start.

Out of respect for privacy, I won’t share their happy faces here, but I will show you the end product.

As you can see, these girls LOVED this craft. They came back to it again and again. They wrote and laughed and talked their way through dinner and dessert here. They came back after playing flashlight tag and they sat here again doodling while eating their breakfast and waiting to be picked up.

The best part for me was seeing their faces. Once the party guests had gone home, my daughter and I saved a portion of the paper with special birthday messages on it.

Finding free packing paper ideas:

If you haven’t started recycling the packing supplies that come in with your products, now is a great time to start with the holidays rapidly approaching. You can also ask your family members to save longer sheets of packing paper for you. You could even ask a local business if they receive boxes with packing paper. I’m sure they would be happy to give you some as most businesses just recycle it.

However you come by your paper, I hope you and your kids will get a chance to write on the table soon!

Please share in comments: Do you set up craft/activity stations at your kids birthday parties? If yes, what kinds?

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A Fall Garden Promise

in fall, gardening, hospitality, Mums, pumpkin patch, pumpkins, southern, by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, September 29, 2014

October is knocking on the door and I for one am thrilled to see summer fade away. Good bye hot and humid days, good bye endless mowing sessions, good bye weeding… oh wait; I still have to weed in the fall.

Goodbye ugly, over grown flowerbeds, goodbye stringy tomato vines. I bid you all farewell with an apology for not doing what a garden loving lady should have in summer.

I neglected you and it shows. I was too busy in here, writing and growing my business to take care of you. I would be appalled if company were to saunter up my walk today and see the state of my flowerbeds; so please don’t come over just yet.

I’m going to get things whipped into shape for fall. Then you can come over! I’ll scrub the front porch and rockers and I’ll plant Mums in my pots and allow my poor, worn out wave Petunia’s to finally rest.

I’ll weed and pull up that old Rose bush I keep saying I’m going too. I’ll turn over the mulch and add some new and I’ll put in my new solar landscape lights. The front yard is going to look great when I’m done.

I’ll clean off the back deck one more time and invite you to sit, have some tea and chat a while. And while you do, you can see my lovingly tended shade flower beds, full of neatly groomed Azalea bushes and Hosta. You may even catch the faint scent of my Rosemary, still doing well in her pretty blue pot.

Once our cups are empty, we’ll take a leisurely stroll towards my pumpkin patch, the one crop that seems to thrive without any love and care from me. Okay, sure, it is an accidental pumpkin patch. One we never dreamed would take root right on the fringe of our burn pile/bone-fire spot.

We chucked our old pumpkins there last year and voila! Here it is, producing small little pumpkins of happiness. We were able to cut one, tie a pretty bow on it and give it to our new neighbors in a true show of southern hospitality. Thank you accidental pumpkin patch for coming through!

Hopefully, these pumpkins and my fall gardening efforts will be enough to make up for my summer of garden laziness. Now that fall is here, I'm going to be ready for company.

Please share in comments: Did you have a productive and happy summer gardening season, or did you get too busy like me?

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Bloggers wanted for 2014 Holiday Gift Guide

in bloggers, gift guide, holiday, by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, September 26, 2014

Happy Friday dear readers. I know that's it's only September, but for many bloggers, it means time to work on their gift guides. Never having done a gift guide of my own, I'm happy to team up with a group of seasoned bloggers this year.

Bloggers 2014 Holiday Gift Guide Sign Up

Bloggers sign up Today to get listed on the "2014 Holiday Gift Guide" that will roll out full force Oct 25  thru Dec 25, 2014 .  Many bloggers will be participating so its going to be huge! 

Right now Sign up is Free and Limited !

** Why Should you Sign Your Blog Up?**
Most of the Business's that have listing on here are ones who hire bloggers for Reviews and PR Jobs through the year, so a great way to get noticed as a PR Blogger and get on the Reps Blogger Lists for when they have reviews and sponsor post jobs etc. 

 ** Does My Blog have to be a Big Blog **
NO - this is the great part, any size blog , any niche is welcome. The only restriction we have is , your blog can not have pornographic material on it. If it does - Do not sign up - we are Family Friendly ! 

 ** Where will my Link to my Blog Be Seen ** 
We will have a page specific listing " PR Friendly Bloggers "  on the 2014 Holiday Gift Guide Web Site - Visible to all on the landing page and other guide pages. Your Link will be linked to your blog or media kit page ( your choice). This Gift guide will be promoted by many bloggers, as well as the businesses on their sites and social media too during the 2 months. Also we may even feature YOUR Blog in our Special Mailings from time to time. 

 ** Perks ** 

PR Marketers for Businesses See Your Page - These are the people who Hire Bloggers to promote Products for reviews, sponsor posts, ambassador programs, etc- all year long ! 
There will be special giveaway promotions during this time , Fun Secret Santa for Bloggers Only. ++ 

** HOW DO I SIGN MY BLOG UP**

Click HERE to Sign UP Today !

I hope you'll join the fun and help grow your blog with us!

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Wordless Wednesday- A girl and her Cat

in #WordlessWednesday, cats, girl, love, photos, by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, September 24, 2014

My youngest daughter has a way with animals. She loves them, they love her. She and our outside cat have a very special bond which is clearly evident to anyone that gets to watch them together. Here are some photos from their recent "photo shoot". There were close to 40 photos in this session, it was hard for me to choose which ones to share. All photos were taken by my daughter with Catty-Cat's approval.