Little Tykes Kitchen

Details: Durable plastic, may fade, but won't break.  Lasts for years, comes with kitchen wear and food when brand new.  Around $30 used.  Different models provide different modes of fun.  Comes in different colors.  Great for indoor and outside use.  Boys and girls with have hours of fun!

My Review: I bought this for $20 used at a thrift store, but have seen them going for between $50 and $30 used in the same condition on craigslist and ksl.com here in Utah.  All the kids love this toy, the girls and the boys alike.  All our friends love bringing their kids over to play with this.  Here's the thing, when I bought this there were no plates, cups, food etc.  So I wanted to provide my own.  I got very creative.  Check out the pictures.  I saved and washed 4 Odwalda juice bottles and put colored water in them and super glued the tops down.  I washed out 2 McDonald's chocolate milk jugs and super glued the lids on.  I washed out my used up spice containers, yogurt containers, Blue Bonnet butter containers too.  I washed out and filled with colored water: Kettle Almond Butter, Honey Bear, BBQ Sauce, Ketchup, and strawberry jelly containers and super glued their lids on.  I gave my kids old expired condensed milk and canned vegetables to play with.  They got rocks put in super glued vitamin bottles, sprinkles that were old that got super glued in, etc.

I went to the thrift store and spent $4 on saucers, cups, bowls and utensils for the play kitchen.  I recycled, reduced my trash and reused for some super duper fun for the neighborhood and my own family.

 

Tai Pei Microwaveable dinners

Details: Tai Pei now has a microwaveable line of dinner foods.  Vegetable egg rolls and chicken potstickers are just 2 of the new options.  New fast easy ways to get the delicious food you love!

Vegetable Egg Rolls: vegetables in a crispy wrapper with dipping sauce.  3 in a box, to be kept frozen until ready to cook and serve.  Cooking directions on the box are for both the microwave and the conventional oven.  Thai Pei vegetable egg rolls are loaded with traditional style and flavor.  They feature fresh cut vegetables in a crispy wrapper made of whole grains.

Chicken Potstickers: chicken and vegetable dumplings with dipping sauce.  0g trans fat, 8g protein and no MSG added.  5 potstickers per box.  cooking directions on the box are for both the microwave and the skillet.  Enjoy a savory blend of lightly seasoned chicken and fresh cut vegetables nestled in delicate pleated wrappers.

My Review:  I love these Tai Pei microwaveable foods.  This is so nice for one the go, fast paced, busy families wanting yummy food for dinner, or snacks.  The Egg Rolls came with sweet and sour dipping sauce.  The Chicken Potstickers came with soy dipping sauce.  I made 1 box of each for dinner and got 3 meals out of what was inside.  I tried the microwave and the skillet and the oven for cooking each food to see how they turned out.  To be honest the skillet and oven were the best, they made the food crispier then the microwave.  But the microwave was still good, just a little bit soggy.

My Rating: The food was really good, but it wasn't as crispy as I wanted it to be when cooked in the microwave.

                

Though the Bud be Bruised

Though the Bud Be Bruised by Jo Wanmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Details: Issy needed to tell her mom something very important but with house guests how would her busy mother make the time? She can't, she wouldn't, and won't. When Zara reads her daughter's letter she is segregated. Why didn't she see this? Why didn't she know before? Why has she failed at the one thing she has wanted her whole life? Why did this happen to her daughter, to her family? When will it stop? Does God even care about what is happening? Why didn't. He protect her Issue? As bad becomes worse and worse becomes horrible and continues to spiral out of control this little family is tested up to the breaking point by God. Then they are pushed; broken and left to see if they will rely on this Being who claims He loves all mankind.
Betrayed by her parent's best friends can Issy over come her confusion, hurt, and learn to love her mother and father once again? Will she rely on the Lord to help her over come her nightmares? Can God really help her stop ODing?

My Review: I feel for Issy. What a sweet girl and then she's forced into a never ending nightmare. A nightmare that affects her whole life and even affects her family, friends, and her future. I have never gone through this trial but any one who has gone through a trial that has given them experiences with betrayals, chruch members not helping or being concerned, family being hurt, physical pain, emotional pain, and spiritual pain can feel for this family. This is a graphic book of pain. We do not get the full extent of Issy's torture, but the after math is very graphic, potently charged with emotions, heart wrenching, soul searching, life changing lessons, hope and a failure of hope and faith. With everything in between exposed and questioned.

Pros: amazing details, great characters, wonderful well planned and thoughtout plot, I love all the God questioning and friend betrayals because it makes their story more believable. I love that this is based on a true story.

Cons: there was a section of story where it was just dialogue but I couldn't figure out who was saying what.

MY RATING: thumbs up and thumbs down. It was one of the most intence books I'ge ever read. But it may be too intence for some people. I love it. Just giving the warning for the intensity, immense pain and close to the heart trials.

I have received a complimentary copy of this wonderful book from Bookcrash!
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