Bring On Lemons

Dear Friends,            Read on! I’ve booked another fabulous WOW! Blog tour beginning at The Muffin  Monday, April 21 st running through May 21 st . We would love to stop at your blog as part of this tour! Details below!          I am super excited to introduce you to a friend of mine. David Kalish is an all around great guy and I’m quite happy to also call him ‘friend’. Before I tell you about his new release, let me share a bit more about him: Author Bio: David Kalish is a fiction writer, screenwriter and playwright whose debut novel, The Opposite of Everything , will be released on March 11, 2014 by WiDo Publishing.  The Opposite of Everything grew out of his studies at the Bennington College Writing Seminars, where he earned his MFA. His short fiction has been published in numerous literary journals, his non-fiction in the Writer’s Chronicle, and a short film of his, "Regular Guy," won honors in fi...

Baby food isn't expensive, so if you choose to buy it from the store, don't feel in the least bit judged (at least not by me). However, if you happen to have time and a desire to make your own baby food, the advice I give you is this: Keep it Simple Mama! I contacted BabyBullet because I thought I needed something fancy to make baby food in. I was going to purchase their product and review it on my blog. I was hoping they'd offer a giveaway for readers or something...they did email me back telling me they'd forward my email to the right department etc... and I never heard back from them again. I decided I'd try the Tommee Tippee brand instead...well then someone told me I might have issues because it's made in the UK and another vendor pointed out it was already poorly rated. I decided to use what I already have in my kitchen. I figured a steamer and blender wouldn't work as well as the fancy gadgets, but I thought I'd give it a whirl (pun intended). ...

Before I share Donald's Gutsy Story, I first want to tell you about a man who has become my friend. I met Donald Dempsey when we worked together promoting his memoir: Betty's Child . He has a fabulous sense of humor and is one of those amazing people who handles life with grace and dignity. His bio doesn't really say enough, but then neither can I - he's just an amazing man and if you want to know more, please check out his memoir: Betty's Child by Donald R Dempsey Now for Donald's Gutsy Story... A huge throng of friends and family were waiting when our C-130’s dumped us on the runways back at Cherry Point , NC .  The larger than normal crowd was probably due to the suicide barracks bombing.  We’d just returned from Beirut , Lebanon in 1983.  The deaths of so many Marines had affected us profoundly.  Some guy’s mother wrapped him in a bear hug, sobbing and shaking as she held him.  I could see we hadn’t been the only ones affected as I stepped around t...

I've been blessed these last few weeks - gorgeous weather and an opportunity to fill in as our church secretary and this means I am responsible for placing the SCRIP order. I'm no expert and I'll save you the lengthy story about exactly how SCRIP works. The short version is this: You buy or order gift cards through your church and the stores give a percentage back to the church. I've always shied away from doing this with my Starbucks card because I'm a Gold Card holder (and I accumulate points when I reload and use my Gold Card). As I was placing the SCRIP order this week, I came up with the following plan - which I now believe is my best PIF idea so far for 2014! Buy a $25 Starbucks gift card through the SCRIP program at church (7% or nearly 63 cents goes back to the church) Register the new $25 gift card into your Starbucks account Transfer the $25 balance from the new card onto your Gold Card Use your Gold Card to buy a drink or pay for the order of ...

B ook Review & Giveaway: Leaving the Hall Light On by Madeline Tasky Sharples Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto I recently had the honor of reading a touching memoir written by a loving mother who lost her son to mental illness and suicide. Had I not come to know M adeline prior to reading Leaving the Hall Light On , I quite honestly might not have read the memoir at all. I prefer movies and books that are filled with love and laughter. The first few pages of Sharples memoir describe the way her son, Paul, ended his life. There is nothing about losing a child that makes me want to laugh…but knowing Sharples and her warm smile and great sense of humor caused me to read on. I just knew she would somehow endure the pain and heartache with a smile on her face. I am not very familiar with mental illness and my children are just babies, but Sharples described events in her life and the life of her son in such a way I could easily understand. Leaving the Hall Light On rea...

Wouldn't you love to send a special Valentine to that certain someone in your life? This year, I want to help you do that! You will have a choice whether I send a food prize or a gift card and the recipient must live in the United States (sorry to our far away friends - we love you just the same)! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Entries must be received before Noon (central standard time) on Friday, February 14th 2014. The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced in the Rafflecopter form as well as being announced on my business Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/successwithrelax?ref=hl The winner must email me with the name and address of the recipient as well as their choice (food or card). Emails must be sent to: crystaljotto@gmail.com with the subject line: I WON! The winner has 24 hours to claim their prize. Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you have a little one or one on the way? Are you considering cloth diapers? Here's what you should know: Cloth diapers: **keep chemicals away from baby and out of landfills **create less garbage (about 25 billion disposable diapers end up in landfills each year) **save you and your family money (approximately $2,500 per year is spent to diaper a baby in disposables - you can spend around $200 for enough cloth diapers to diaper your child from birth to potty training...AND you can re-use those same diapers for subsequent children) Would you like to learn more about the different types of cloth diapers on the market today? Are you interested in finding out how cloth diapers are washed and cared for? Click on the image below for a link that will be very helpful - and if you'd like to ask questions, let me know. Once you figure out the system that works for you, you'll fall in love with cloth diapers and the benefit to you, your family, your infant, and the env...

I'm not sure it would be quite right to say "Happy World Cancer Day!" - it's not exactly something I want to celebrate. Nonetheless, today is World Cancer Day and you can find out more about that right here: http://www.worldcancerday.org/ I have thought about cancer every day since I was very small. My cousin lost his leg to cancer, my neighbors nearly lost their son, and I knew the C word even though I didn't fully understand it. Cancer was scary, it made people lose their hair, and sometimes people died. That was about all my 6 year old brain could understand about this terrible disease. I remember wondering what those people had done wrong. As I got older I understood a bit more, but I was still quite certainly confused. I remember saying "well, he didn't smoke, so how did he get cancer?" It was that simple in my 9 year old mind, people who smoke get cancer. When I was 11 I received the shock of my life. My father who had never smoked a day in...

GIVEAWAY ENDS FEBRUARY 14TH AT 12:00 NOON (CST) **COMMENT ON THIS POST FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN! Julia Asel Thomas  – Loving the Missing Link book details, review, & giveaway contest! Loving the Missing Link   is a fabulous tale about love, success, hope and music. During the 1970's. Young Cheryl Simpson feels trapped in her small Missouri town. As her mother tries to help her find a way up and out, Cheryl begins to feel that it is all an impossible dream. She sees herself living a boring and dismal life for the rest of her days. Just at the moment when she is about to give up on happiness, she gets the opportunity to join her high school band. The band promises a connection with the world outside her town, but Cheryl does not see any future for herself in music. It is just a tool to get where she wants to go. However, Cheryl’s mother arranges for Cheryl to take private lessons with an accomplished musician, who helps her realize the beauty and awesome power...

Now's your chance to read my review of Jubilee's Journey by Bette Lee Crosby and be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win your very own Kindle copy! Book Review: Jubliee’s Journey by Bette Lee Crosby By Crystal J. Casavant-Otto Jubilee’s Journey is Book Two in the Wyattsville Series by award winning author Bette Lee Crosby. This story of discovering lost family and finding love reconnects readers with Ethan Allen and the other heart-warming characters of the bestselling novel SPARE CHANGE. I absolutely loved Spare Change and Crosby did not disappoint with the second book in the series. Jubilee’s Journey was well written and the characters were easy to fall in love with. Crosby writes with such eloquence you cannot help but become completely engrossed in each story. Whether you read Jubliee’s Journey on its own or as part of the series, you’ll enjoy every page turn. What I find most intriguing about Crosby’s writing in general is how she draws the reader ...

Is it too good to be true? Is it just another cardboard tasting product inedible unless covered in ketchup? Well...I got the hankering for a Whopper with cheese today. This happens every few months (and NO, I'm not pregnant - hubby already asked). We went through the drive through at Burger King and the kids were asking for some fries. I personally have always disliked Burger King French Fries so when I saw the photo of the Satisfries I thought oh heck...they can't be any worse than the other ones, right? I ordered my Whopper and then a small fry for the kiddos. 40% less fat 30% fewer calories...I felt pretty good about this decision and since the kiddos are 5 and 6 I didn't feel the need to explain anything. I can't even say for sure they've had the regular BK fries so no harm no foul. Before passing the fries to the kiddos, I snagged two for myself. All I can say is WOW! WOWZA! and WE HAVE A WINNER! How is it BK has failed to make decent fries for the last 2...