Family Cookbook Project: Just in Time for Holiday Gift Giving!

I've wanted to find a way to put all our family's special recipes in one place where I can find them, because it always seems like I can't find a certain recipe when I really want it.  I think this is the perfect answer to my endless searching and begging for the same recipe over and over again.

I did this once a few years ago with some friends at work and it was a blast!  I'm always able to find the recipes I put in THAT cookbook, and it turned out to be a great gift.



The bonus to this deal is that you get the cookbook, you get to keep the book on PDF AND you get a version that works on devices like the Kindle or iPad. PLUS, in this version, family members can help you and you can include pictures... I didn't get to do that with the one I did a while back.

From Family Cookbook Project:

It’s easy, fun and affordable to create and print your own family cookbook. Family cookbooks are an important way to preserve our mealtime traditions for future generations. With the passing of our loved ones comes the loss of treasured food traditions. Once the recipes are preserved online, they can be shared with other family members by email, individual printed recipes or your own professionally printed cookbook.

highlights

• Create a full color family cookbook – it’s easy and fun!
• Invite family and friends to enter recipes and stories (you don’t have to do all the work!)
• It’s a family heirloom that will be treasured for generations
• Great for family reunions, wedding gifts and groups
• Works great on PCs, Macs and iPads
• Choose recipe layouts, covers, dividers and more (1000s of combinations)
• Upload your own photos for recipes, covers & dividers, too
• Print to your PC, a local printer like Kinko’s or have our professional team print for you
• Have a Kindle or iPad? You can put your cookbook on that, too!

*Disclosure: This opportunity was brought to my attention by SocialSpark and Family Cookbook Project, and I will get a small % of the purchase price if you choose to purchase it via my link :)

Mailbox Monday: Toys, Toys, Toys and See, Mix, Drink

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is on a blog tour!

This month, Mailbox Monday is being hosted over at Marcia's Mailbox Monday Blog, so stop by and join the fun!

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren!

It is so much fun to see what everyone is getting in the mail.

Thanks for taking the time to visit ~ I just love hearing from you! Please let me know if you have read any of these books - I'd love to hear how you liked them!! :)

I've got one new book to share with you, along with a few toys for an upcoming toy party:


See Mix Drink by Brian D. Murphy ~ Non-Fiction / Cookbooks, Food and Wine / Drinks and Beverages ~ Available Now ~ Received from the publisher for review

Have you tried mixing a Mojito? What about a Rusty Nail? Or a Cosmopolitan? With See Mix Drink, the first-ever cocktail book to offer instruction through info-graphics, making the drinks you love at home is as easy as, well, See, Mix, Drink.

This unique, illustrated guide graphically demonstrates how to make 100 of today's most popular cocktails. For each drink, color-coded ingredients are displayed in a line drawing of the appropriate glassware, alongside a pie chart that spells out the drink's composition by volume for intuitive mixing. No other cocktail book is this easy or fun. Instantly understandable 1-2-3 steps show exactly how each drink is prepared, and anecdotes, pronunciation guides, and photographs of the finished drinks will turn newbie bartenders into instant mixologists.

Light Sprite Tree of Life by WowWee ~ Toys ~ Available Now ~ Received a set of Light Sprite toys for an upcoming playdate/party over Black Friday Weekend

Lite Sprites live in Lite-Topia, an enchanted land that sparkles with color and light. The Tree of Lite is the center of this world, where Lite Sprites love to meet up and hang out. This multi-level forest hideaway comes alive with color and includes interactive sounds, light-up staircase, working elevator and spinning, sparkling treetop. The Tree of Lite features Canopy and light-up staircase catch and display colorful light from Sprites and Lite Wand, 4 Sprites can hang from the canopy in their forest pods, spinning canopy shares color patterns with Sprites and playsets, kid-powered elevator raises up and lowers Sprites from the tree base to the balcony, balcony holds up to 4 Sprites. Includes 4 interchangeable decorative flowers, 1 Lite Pet, 1 child-sized flower ring, 1 path that connects with other Lite-Topia playets.

Light Strike- Assault Striker S.R.- 143- Yellow-with Target by WowWee ~ Toys ~ Available Now ~ Received a set of Light Strike toys for an upcoming playdate/party/review over Black Friday Weekend

Light Strike brings video-game action into the real world—live and in color. Assault Strikers and Strikers are customizable with built-in weapon features and add-on attachments that give players a tactical advantage. Play one-on-one tournaments or create up to 4 teams of unlimited players for free-for-all or Capture the Flag battles. It’s action at the speed of light™.

Paper Jamz Pro Guitar Series - Style 3 by WowWee ~ Toys ~ Available Now ~ Received for an upcoming playdate/party/review over Black Friday Weekend

Paper Jamz Pro guitar puts you on the road to rock stardom — no strings attached. www. paperjamzpro. com Download the free app. Add your own music. Customize your guitar’s sound. Rock out like never before: Freestyle: Go solo and play real chords and notes to create your own hit songs, Rhythm: Control a song’s rhythm for performances that are always in the right key, Perfect Play: Just select a song and strum along. Sound like a rock star — without years of practice. Real guitar features Perform hammer-ons, pull-offs, palm mutes and slides, Built-in accelerometer really makes your guitar wail, 14 active frets for a wider range of notes. Customize your guitar: Add your favorite music with the free Paper Jamz Pro app, Download new guitar styles for different sounds. USB cable included. For ages 8 and above. Batteries 4 x “AA” (not included).

*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up and use to buy more books! :)

Earn Cash Weekly on Jingit (Up to $520/Year... And It's FREE, Just Takes A Few Minutes Per Week)

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Start earning cash each week with me, sign up for Jingit today!


*Disclosure: As a current Jingit member, my weekly earning limit will be raised by $0.25 per week each time someone joins via my link, until I reach the maximum of $10.00 per week

iPic Theaters: The Best, Complete "Dinner-and-a -Movie" Experience And So Much More! (Around The Sound)

It is with great excitement that I bring you information about the wonderful dining and entertainment experience available at iPic Theaters Redmond location, located at the Redmond Town Center.  And I'm also bringing you a brand new feature here on Wendi's Book Corner: Around The Sound: Great Places Around Seattle, where I'll be showcasing some of the great places to go in and around Seattle, Washington.  For this first installment of Around The Sound, I've got something quite amazing and special for you.

Mid August I had the pleasure of attending a dinner-and-a-movie style celebration with my husband at iPic Theater here in Redmond, Washington.  If you have not heard of them, take note!  They specialize in providing a high-quality theater experience at an affordable price.  They bring great movies and gourmet food together in one place, allowing you to eat a cooked meal and drink various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages right at your own seat.  All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Truthfully, I've been slow in writing about this because I'm NOT going to do it justice - the iPic Theater experience is simply amazing!... Don't believe me? Read on!  But first, I want to capture your attention...

Photos from iPic Redmond on Facebook: Front Marquee, Hallway, Premium and Premium Plus Seating

Photos from iPic Redmond on Facebook: Reception/Tickets, Salt Lounge, Wine Towers

Photos from iPic Redmond on Facebook: Red Carpet Fizz, Ale Battered Chicken, Caesar Spears

Now that I have your attention, here are just a few highlights of iPic Theater in Redmond:

Membership is FREE and comes with lots of great perks
Reserved Seating (GREAT for popular movies)
Purchase your tickets online or at the theater
Premium Plus Seats include full service
Salt Lounge (drinks, food, great meet-up spot)
Tanzy Express (chef prepared food)
Wine Towers (Great to taste new wines)
Just want to stop in for a glass of wine, or drinks/food at the Salt lounge, go for it!
Must be 21+ Years Old (unless you are hosting a special event)
Available for special events
Able to showcase almost any media (games, movies, presentations, etc)

Not only do they show movies, but they will serve you appetizers, meals, drinks (mixed drinks, pop, wine, etc) and popcorn all at your seat (available with Premium Plus seating).  Food and drink prices are very reasonable, with the most expensive thing on the menu costing $18 (Filet Slider Trio), while most items are between $9 and $13.

Kevin and I saw Cowboys and Aliens during our first visit to iPic for our Anniversary.  When we arrived, we had the opportunity to tour Salt, the lounge area, which serves food and drinks in a relaxing yet upscale environment.  We also got to tour the Wine Towers over near the Tanzy Express.  The Wine Towers were amazing. Each had a wide selection of local wines at varying prices, and visitors can select from three tasting sizes (taste, 1/2 glass, full glass).  *Note - watch for special upcoming wine events!

In the theater, we had Premium Plus seating, which includes reclining leather chairs, a blanket, popcorn, waiter service and much more.  Our server was Cindy, who was wonderful.  She explained the whole experience as it was our first visit, and took our food and drink order, explaining that she would ensure that things came out throughout the movie.  From there, she got our food started and unobtrusively kept bringing things throughout the movie.

The food was DELICIOUS!  We shared a Caesar Romaine Spears (pictured above), and I have to admit that it is my all-time favorite salad.  Kevin and I then shared the Angus Burger Trio (think... wonderfully upscale sliders) and the Four Cheese Flatbread (again, think... wonderfully full-flavored upscale pizza).  To top things off, we shared Death By Chocolate, which I don't think needs any clarification, I'll just add that it was very tasty.

The drinks were equally good.  I started with a 1/2 glass of Viognier from the Wine Tower, then tried the Red Carpet Fizz, finally switching to water, and Kevin had something that he really enjoyed and sadly I can't remember.

Overall, it was such a great experience that we are bound to do over and over, as well as to take out-of-town visitors and family.

From the iPic Theater Website:

Salt Lounge

Salt takes the art of mixology to another level. Every cocktail at Salt is hand crafted from the freshest local ingredients and custom house made infusions. Daily Specials

Tanzy Express

Tanzy Express offers fresh chef-prepared grab & go food that can be taken into the cinema. Offering martini shakers & buckets of ice-cold beer available to go in cinema. Wine Towers for a tasting on the go!

Tickets and Reservations

Reservations and ticketing is available 24 hours a day at ipictheaters.com, in addition to in-person during cinema business hours.
You will have your choice of two levels of reserved seating:

Premium Plus Seating includes regular popcorn and valet parking, blankets, pillows, extra comfortable reserved seats that recline, waiter service at your seat and no internet booking fees.

Premium Seating includes reserved comfortable oversized leather seats that are extra wide.

Thinking of having a special event?  After speaking with Adam, the manager of the Redmond iPic Theater, the sky is the limit!  They can help you host gaming parties (have an Xbox 360 or Wii?  You can have a gaming event), business meetings, special movie screenings (they can get most movies, or you can bring your own family videos if you want to showcase a special event), presentations (Authors/PR, this is a great venue to host your next book launch or product showcase).  Really, there is so much more you can do here, and they will even help with catering!

Check out iPic Theater online, iPic Theater: Redmond on Facebook

*Disclosure:  My husband and I were treated to dinner and a movie at iPic Theater so that I could share my experience with you.  It was a wonderful experience and I'm not doing it justice!

Tom And Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures Volume 3

It was so much fun to sit down with the family and watch Tom and Jerry!  My kids were enthralled by both the cat and mouse, and all their friends.  It was funny to see the boys root for first one character, then the other as they were getting up to their well-known and loved pranks.  It was also great to see the kids watching and loving a cartoon that I grew up watching.

The dvd has 14 cartoons (100 minutes), including:

Ah, Sweet Mouse - Story of Life
Bad Day at Cat Rock
Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary
Beach Bully Bingo
A Life Less Guarded
Northern Light Fish Fight
Doggone Hill Dog
Love Me, Love My Mouse
Sasquashed
Shutter Bugged Cat
Snow Mouse
The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse
Spook House Mouse
Don't Bring Your Pet to School Day

If asked to pick a favorite, neither the kids nor myself could pick just one, rather, Logan would tell you that he simply loves that Jerry always gets the better of Tom, and that they have some really fun adventures together.  I will add that this close to the holidays, the boys loved the cartoons that had snow in them!  One very telling thing about how much we enjoyed this dvd is that they boys didn't once move from their spots on the couch.  Normally they are very antsy and like to play while watching a cartoon or movie, but this dvd kept their attention and provided a lot of fun.

Whether you are an old fan or a new one, this compilation of Tom and Jerry cartoons is sure to bring smiles and laughter to your home.  The cartoon picture quality is great (I think all the cartoons were seen in full-screen on our wide-screen tv), and  the music and sound effects are great.  One of the things that makes these so special is the story-line of each cartoon.  There is very little talking, and a lot of humorous activity, making these cartoons easy to watch and follow without being over stimulating - LOVE them!



Tom and Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures Volume 3  
 Warner Bros. Entertainment ~ 14 cartoons, 100 minutesRelease Date: October 4, 2011
 Cartoon / Not Rated
Own It On DVD: Tom & Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures 3

Edition Reviewed: DVD- Review copy received courtesy of the publisher, many thanks for sending me a copy to review!

About Tom and Jerry: (from Warner Bros.)

Take one blue and white domestic cat. Add one small brown house mouse. Mix in a handful of chases, stir in a few falling anvils and top off with one brutish bulldog named Spike. Yields 14 delightful cartoons! This fast and funny collection rises to the occasion with a crazy camping trip (Sasquashed), a chase through a carnival’s haunted house (Spook House Mouse), an Alaskan adventure (Northern Light Fish Fight) and an encounter with an abominable snow rodent (Snow Mouse). Endless fun is the main course served up in this new all-family feast of animated fun.

Excerpt:



*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)

Pirate Halloween Costume Review

Costumes are not just for Halloween (although they are one of the highlights of that holiday). In fact, we have an upcoming Pirate's Plunder Party we are going to take the boys to, and we found the selection of pirate Halloween costumes at Wholesale Halloween Costumes to be simply amazing  They have over 230 pirate costumes and accessories covering all ages from toddler to adult, and we were able to find the perfect Jack Sparrow costume for Big Brother!

Take a look at how great he looks... the costume arrived very quickly and included the boot covers, pants, shirt/vest/belts, bandanna with pirate hair, and a pirate hat.  The costume was easy to put on and Big Brother quickly got into character.  Argh Matey!  I think Big Brother's favorite aspect of the costume is the hat... he won't take it off.

Note: The costume is pretty light-weight, which is great for an indoor party, but with an outdoor treasure hunt, I think we'll be adding a layer underneath in order to maintain our party safety.

What I love about this costume??
1. It looks just like the picture (I just need to work on the makeup!)
2. Easy to put on
3. The detail work on the costume is great and serves to make it seem more real

What I love about Wholesale Halloween Costumes:
1. They have a HUGE selection of just about everything you can think of costume and accessory wise (including those for pets and mascots)
2. Shipping is REALLY affordable and FAST
3. Prices are very reasonable and WILL save you money
4. Quality
5. Great return/exchange policy which is wonderful as you can't try on a costume before you buy it online





Captain Jack Sparrow Deluxe Child's Costume  
Wholesale Halloween Costumes  
Retail Value: $54.00 ~ Wholesale Halloween Costumes Discounted Price: $34.90

Edition Reviewed:  - Boys Small (4-6), Ages 3-4 - Captain Jack Sparrow Deluxe Child's Costume received from Wholesale Halloween Costumes via their Blogger Review Program for the purpose of this honest review.  Many thanks to Wholesale Halloween Costumes for sending me a copy to review!

About The Captain Jack Sparrow Deluxe Child's Costume:

The pirates of the carribean have always been a massive hit. With 3 movies and a fourth one on its way, the kids are bound to take a liking to the movie's most colorful character Captain Jack Sparrow. This Halloween, turn your kid into the elusive, law breaking, money stealing, hounded yet savy captain of the Black Pearl with the Captain Jack Sparrow Deluxe Child Costume. It's an outfit that brings to life the charm and smoothness of Jack in a small yet adroable size. This costume makes for a great outfit on costume parties and it sure makes your child look like the scourge of the seven seas. It comes of course with the captain's hat and bandana! No captain should leave without his parts. Belts and bottom designes make the full pirate set. However the gun, sword and pirate bounty are all sold separeately.

Retail Value: $54.99
Wholesale Price: $34.90
Available Sizes:
Small (4-6), Medium (7-8), Large (10-12), X-Large (14-16)

About Wholesale Halloween Costumes: (from their site)

Wholesale Halloween Costumes is the world's newest, and most exciting, costume and accessory etailer. Wholesale Halloween Costumes is your year-round source for infant, children and adult costumes, teen, sexy and couples costumes; even pet and mascot costumes. Wholesale Halloween Costumes also has the largest selection of hats, wigs, masks, accessories and make-up, as well as seasonal holiday decorations and props.

Wholesale Halloween Costumes offers over 4,000 different costumes and accessories in the latest styles and from the hottest licenses including Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Barbie, Star Wars, Superman, Universal, Playboy, and so many others. There is no place better to shop than Wholesale Halloween Costumes for Halloween. Our merchandising group has more experience than any other costume retailer or etailer in the country. At Wholesale Halloween Costumes, costumes are not just about Halloween.

We offer fabulous high quality adult costumes, theatrical costumes, costumes for school performances, and mascots for schools and businesses. We also carry a huge selection of costumes for all holidays including Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Purim, President's Day, Luau, 4th of July and Thanksgiving.

Wholesale Halloween Costumes is dedicated to making your costume shopping experience an easy, fun, safe and satisfying experience. We hope you enjoy shopping with us. Please contact us with any question or comments. We would love to hear from you.

*Disclosure: I did receive a Pirate costume for the purposes of conducting this review. My opinions are my own. :)