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Music Monday: Casting Crowns – It’s Finally Christmas
I love Christmas music, you guys. It gives me all the feels. Like, literally, ALL of them! I love hearing and singing about the birth of Jesus Christ. I think this is why I’m such a fan of Christmas music. Thanks to Christian Art Media, this weeks review sets the mood just right! It is Casting Crowns’ latest festive offering called It’s Finally Christmas.Well, for those who don’t know, Casting Crowns is a 7 piece contemporary Christian band from the sunny state of Florida. The one thing that I’ve always admired about them is their stunning vocal arrangements… I mean, if you’re looking for vocal perfection, you should have a listen to some of their harmonies… amazing!
On this their latest festive EP, the band gives us a collection of original Christmas tracks, beautifully written and flawlessly executed. The album also boasts two reworked Christmas anthems, O Holy Night and What Child is This. Both songs are kept true to it’s original melody, and the musical arrangement is simple yet haunting. I really enjoyed listening to this EP. You can check out my complete review over at Gateway News.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!But wait… there’s more! Remember I said that I’m giving away a collection Christmas-themed albums to one of you (thanks to Christian Art Media)? Well, that’s definitely still happening! Whoot whooot! I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – Behold -
Scoring all the “cool mom” points with Hasbro’s Christmas gift ideas
I don’t know about your kids, but mine are only slightly impressed with me. I mean, I serve my purpose, no doubt, and I’m pretty sure that they love me. But as far as cool points (I talk about these a lot, I know) go, Hubstopher usually scores all of them. But not this Christmas! Oh no, I’m about to be as cool as rolled up skinny jeans and top knots! That’s right, I’m bringing out the big guns this festive season as I prepare to wow my kids with Hasbro’s Christmas gift ideas and stocking fillers. Check them out here:
My Little Pony
Following in the My Little Pony tradition of heartwarming tales of adventure, magical characters, colourful worlds and humour for all ages. The MY LITTLE PONY:THE MOVIE, was released on 6 October 2017. In the movie, the ponies face off against their biggest villain yet, the evil Storm King who is determined to steal all the magic from the kingdom of Equestria. It is up to the Mane Six to stop him and take back their beloved home. The fun doesn’t end with the movie – Hasbro has launched a MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE inspired range of characters and play sets, now available in South Africa. Kari’s favorite pony is Twilight Sparkle, so I am so chuffed to give her one of the My Little Pony seapony figures. Each 6-inch seapony figure has a beautiful mermaid-like tail and her signature cutie mark on her back fin. Her eyes and wings are detailed with glitter for extra under-the- sea sparkle.
Toilet Trouble
There’s a lot more family fun time to be had with the introduction of Hasbro’s latest games; Toilet Trouble and Fantastic Gymnastics. (I chatted about Fantastic Gymnastics in this post). This Toilet Trouble game is hilarious! True to its name Toilet Trouble produces some hilarious and suspense-filled moments as players take turns spinning the toilet paper roll, flushing the toilet handle, and hoping, this round, they don’t get sprayed with water. The number that turns up on the paper roll spinner indicates how many times each player must flush. Players are safe if they hear the flushing sound, but no water is sprayed. Suitable for ages four and up, Toilet Trouble is fun for two or more players, keeping the kids (and adults) entertained for hours. Watch the Toilet Trouble game in action here.
Grab and Go Monopoly
Monopoly is back with the next generation game featuring the newly launched token set. Over 4.3 million fans, from around the globe, voted to keep their favorite tokens on board. The eight tokens set to carry on “Passing Go” in the new set include: the Scottie dog, top hat, car, battleship, cat, T-Rex, rubber ducky and the penguin. Monopoly Gamer is the Monopoly edition with a Nintendo twist. Instead of standard Monopoly tokens the game features Super Mario characters each with its own special powers within gameplay. Still a firm family favourite, Monopoly Mzansi, featuring 22 local locations, makes a perfect gift for the festive season. A definite must have for travellers, Monopoly Mzansi provides an opportunity for family and friends to come together and enjoy some quality time, Mzansi style.
Nerf Gun
The Nerf N-Strike Elite Raptor Strike blaster is part of the AccuStrike Series, which features darts designed for greater accuracy. If your kids are gamers, like mine are, Nerf Blasters make for a fun reason to get them playing outdoors! The Elite Accustrike foam darts, with its twisted flat tip moulding, helps the bullet to stay straight when travelling through the air. The bolt-action blaster comes with an extendable bipod to stabilise shots, perfect for stealth battles with your friends. The 2 six-dart clips and 18 darts includes ensures battlers will stay stocked for their Nerf fights. The blaster comes complete with a pop-up sight for targeting.So what do you guys think? Spot anything that your kid would love for Christmas? More importantly, which of these will give you the much needed “street cred”?
You can pick any of these up at Toys R Us, ToyZone, Toy Kingdom, Hamleys, Lilliputs and other major retailers. You can also shop online at Takealot.com. Visit the Hasbro website for more.
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Stylish Steppers: Helping me nail those hair goals
So, you may or may not know that I have more grey hairs than a Golden Girl. No, seriously, the patches of greys on my head resemble a really warped version of a map of the world. Yep, it’s that much. And yep, this means that I color my hair quite regularly. So I’m always on the look out for product that can make my mane feel loved and cared for, and not as if I’m trying to morph it into something that it doesn’t want to be. Anyways, I was super duper chuffed when the wonderful Michelle of Stylish Steppers took one look at me and said “you should try out my new range!” Finally! Someone recognizes my potential to be a hair model. Or a Kardashian. I mean, I’ll take either one, thanks.Turns out Michelle is not working for Kris Jenner. Better yet, she is actually working for herself and besides for running her own highly popular hair salon, Stylish Steppers, she has also started developing her own hair care products. Stylish Steppers is based in Nelson Mandela Bay and I’ve heard such great things about Michelle and team. But, truth be told, it was mainly from my curly girl friends. And hey, since we’re being honest, I sometimes felt like I can’t sit at the curly girl table, because those chicks are so darn fierce, surely what works for them won’t work for me. Right?
Well, yeah, I am right. We can’t really use the same product. BUT Michelle has taught me that this is exactly why you need to find a salon and a hairdresser who actually KNOWS hair. You need a “hair person” who has a passion for hair. Someone with more than just skill! And that’s what I found in this wonderful lady. For starters, Ella has been raving about her curly girl product (which I am yet to try on my own curly girl). But then Michelle told me that she has developed product for us straight haired sisters too (yay, someone actually sees us, can we have our own event now?). I got to try out this Silky Smooth range, the past few weeks.The shampoo has a delicious fruity smell, and I swear guys, an almost pearl-like consistency, which made me feel like it’s really going to make my hair silky smooth. I fell inlove with the condicare. Michelle said that it’s actually a deep conditioner, which I was super excited to hear about. (Because I clearly have no life and hair care products are the only excitement in it). The condicare went on extremely well – no lumps – and I left it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing.
The difference? Well, there was a major one, in my opinion! For starters, I didn’t have to use heat on my hair, after week two of using the product. That’s like, a big deal, if you’re from where I come from! (Brown girls, hollar) My hair had a great shine and texture to it. I mean, sure, it was clean (and clean hair is always a good time) but people actually stopped me to admire my hair… and all I had done was literally wash it and leave it to air dry.Needless to say, I’m a huge fan and I can’t wait to try out the other Stylish Steppers products! If you’re in Nelson Mandela Bay and would like to visit the salon, or if you’d like to learn more about the product, check out the Facebook page.
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Music Monday: Jeremy Camp – Christmas:God With Us
For those who prefer your more tradish Christmas sing along songs, you need to check out Jeremy Camp’s totally rad Christmas offering called Christmas: God With Us. Jeremy is a really cool contemporary Christian artist and his festive album is very rock meets pop meets U2.I really appreciate that he’s stayed true to the traditional Christmas songs, not altering any of the classic melodies or words. He has, however spiced up the music and arrangements a bit. But in a really great way. In fact, I almost feel like he’s somehow added an element of fun to these age old classics.
All the faves are on here. Namely Jingle Bell Rock, Joy to the World, Away In a Manger, the works. If you’re a contemporary rock fan, and you like to get your Christmas music on, this is definitely one for you! You can check out more on Gateway News, where I did an official review for Christian Art Media.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!But wait… there’s more! Remember I said that I’m giving away a collection Christmas-themed albums to one of you (thanks to Christian Art Media)? Well, that’s definitely still happening! Whoot whooot! I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – Behold -
Music Monday: Matt Redman – These Christmas Lights
For those looking for a more contemporary listen this Christmas allow me to introduce your ears to all that is Matt Redman. Matt is a 2 time Grammy award winner, worship leader and renowned singer and songwriter in the christian music circles. I mean, I am all for putting “Christ” back into Christmas… and that’s exactly what he does on his festive album, These Christmas Lights.For starters, the album is filled with a collection of original Christmas themed songs … so if you’re preconditioned to “bleugh” at the mere sound of jingle bells, this one is for you! Secondly, as I’ve mentioned Matt is a really top songwriter and as a double score, he features the vocal prowess of Chris Tomlin, Natasha Bedingfield and the great Tasha Cobbs, on this album.
Some of my favorite picks include the duet with Bedingfield. I mean, the lady has a set of pipes on her! Cobbs also does her fair share of vocal wowing, on the duet ‘Glory to you in the highest‘, where she totally does justice to an amazing song that is kinda like a reprise of the traditional Christmas tune, ‘Hark the Herald angels‘.
Matt is a story teller. He has been gifted with the amazing ability to paint pictures, with words and music and I love that he has taken something that is often completed and utterly pulverized (I’m talking about Christmas, yo) and reinvented the way it’s told, in a way that is more personal and intimate.
There’s a whole lot more that I can say about this one… and I did, over here at Gateway News. You can check out the complete review there.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!But wait… there’s more! Remember I said that I’m giving away a collection Christmas-themed albums to one of you (thanks to Christian Art Media)? Well, that’s definitely still happening! Whoot whooot! I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – Behold -
So we made christmas tree ornaments in our LG NeoChef Microwave Oven
It’s no secret, I’m not exactly a domestic goddess. But when I got my hands on the new LG NeoChef Microwave Oven (with smart inverter technology, yo) I found myself all kinds of inspired! I stood there, staring at it’s sleek exterior, wondering what on earth I could make in it. And then I watched the LG NeoChef advert, where a very well spoken Daniel Les – world renowned ceremic artist – shows us how he bakes intricate hand-crafted pottery in his NeoChef. “Hey, I can do that!” I said out loud to no one in particular, because that’s how I roll. And that, my friends, is how I ended up making christmas tree ornaments in our LG NeoChef. Granted, it wasn’t an entirely smooth ride (because my cleverness forgot to remind me that an oven is an oven, so don’t put metallic bows in it maybe) but I am totally chuffed with the end result!
Here’s how we did it: Kari and I simply made a batch of salt dough with about 4 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt. After combining the flour and salt, we slowly stirred some water into it (key word: slowly!), kneading at the concoction until the dough is formed. Once this was done, we grabbed some of our cookie cutters and got a couple of really cool shapes for our ornaments.
You guys, so the recipes I found online told me to bake my ornaments in the oven for at least 2 – 3 hours. I put these in the NeoChef for 20 minutes and guess what… it was too long! We put the second batch in for only 10 minutes! How’s that for impressive AND a time saver?!Okay, here’s where my cleverness failed me. I thought that we could decorate the ornaments before sticking them in the oven. But alas, this did not work out quite as expected. But, all was not lost. I remembered what my very crafty pal, JustEllaBella, told me about using nail polish to decorate your tiny crafts. And that’s what we did!
All in all, I think they came out really sweet! What do you guys think? I am simply loving our LG NeoChef Microwave Oven. Here’s a few more really impressive things you need to know about it:– It has Anti-Bacterial EasyClean™ interior coating, which means it’s easier to keep your microwave oven clean and germ free. The coating gets rid of 99.99% of harmful bacteria from the surface.
– The inverter technology is a real thing, yo! Like a super power… but better! Basically, it enables more precise temperature control. (Which is why Mr Les could bake his pottery in it!) This also prevents overcooked food and unthawed areas on your defrosted foods.
– It has a legit interior LED lamp, which is three times brighter and more energy efficient than most premium microwave oven lights. This means it’s way easier to see into the oven – no more stopping to check, simply peek in through the window!
Totally impressed.
Disclaimer: The LG NeoChef was sent to me, but all the opinions and photos in this post are my own, I promise.
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Music Monday: Top 25 Christmas Hymns compilation
I love me some Christmas music. And I’m not entirely fussy when it comes to who is doing the singing (or instrument playing), as long as it’s done with excellence. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do have my favorites. But also, I’m okay with just about any version of ‘Hark the herald angels sing’, yo! Which is why I’m so excited to tell you guys about this week’s Christmas music review, Maranatha Music’s Top 25 Christmas Hymns 2-CD set. What’s better than a Christmas album? A Christmas compilation album, duh!Christian Art Media sent me a bunch of fantastic Christmas albums to tell you guys about, but I think this one right here got me the most excited. I love that there are 25 whole festive-inspired songs for us to put on loop, during the ‘most wonderful time of the year’! At first I was like, huh, are there really that many Christmas-related songs?! Well yes, yes there are. Besides for the usuals, I was introduced to a bunch of treasures (some of them probably older than I am) that you probably won’t find on your latest pop sensations Christmas release.
My favorites are here too though. You know the faves, ‘Joy to the world’, ‘O holy night’, ‘Silent night’ and the classic ‘The first noel’. For the full review check out my article on Gateway News.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!Ahhh, I love Christmas! Do you love Christmas too? Well then, you should totally enter my Christmas music giveaway! Every Monday I review a Christmas album, and I add some of my faves to a special Christmas music hamper, which I will be giving away to one of you!
I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – BeholdMatt Redman – These Christmas lights
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Prepping for 2018 with Priscilla Shirer
With the end of the year quickly approaching, I find myself looking back on the past year… mistakes made, lessons learnt, that sort of thing. I love this aspect of life… that we are always growing and learning. No one year looks like the next. Well, it doesn’t have to, that’s for sure. We were gifted with choice and the ability to change and (most importantly) adapt to that change. So to help me get my house in order, I picked up two insightful reads (sent to me by Christian Art Media) and I really want to give one of them to one of you!
Firstly, do you guys know who Priscilla Shirer is? Well, she is the lead actor in the amazing Christian blockbuster War Room and is an author, motivational speaker, actress and evangelist. Priscilla has inspired me, since watching that movie, and I was super keen to hear what she has to say in her new devotional book called Awaken.The 90-day devotional will have you reading with intention. In fact, the back of the book says that “this kind of reading is not merely for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment. With this kind of book you’re praying for something more – to hear from God, receive His direction, and be refreshed in the depths of your soul.” Uhm, yes please!
Each day has a dedicated message with the sole intention to equip you to better hear God’s voice, empowering you to make sound decisions about the rest of your life. I needed this for 2018!
I was also so excited to get my hands on Chrystal Evans Hurst’s latest book, She’s Still There. Chrystal is actually Priscilla’s sister. Priscilla has highly recommended this read and, in the foreward, says: “each page will take the numbness away from your emotional limbs and spark a flame in your soul to mine the treasure you’ve been given by God. It will shine a spotlight on the clutter in your life that you’ve been too busy or too tired or too disinterested to unpack so that you can get to the good stuff.” In She’s Still There, Chrystal shares the secret to loving and honoring your life… even if your story is messy. She speaks about her teenage pregnancy and struggles with her weight. Man oh man, I can relate with so much of what she has to share!
When I opened the book and saw the title of the first part called “Fight for your life”, I could immediately feel the hairs on my arm stand on edge. Isn’t that what we feel we constantly need to do, ladies? We’re always fighting for our lives… for our happiness… for justice, acceptance, sometimes even for love. This book will equip you to reject the lie and move forward. Expect to be equipped and refreshed!
Giveaway! Can I please give this book to one of you? Consider it a Christmas present! To enter the giveaway, simply make sure you’re following my Facebook page over here and drop a comment on the specially marked post (like the one above) letting me know what you find the most interesting about it.I’ll draw a winner on Monday, November 20th at midday and will do an announcement on my Facebook page.
Update: Congratulations Carren Brandt!
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Three ingredient meal cooked to perfection in my LG NeoChef Microwave Oven
When it comes to cooking, I’m not exactly the next master chef. I mean, I take the easy way out versus serving up intricate gourmet inspired meals, any day! And hey, the less time needed for preparation, the better! Which is why I was super impressed with the very pretty LG NeoChef Microwave Convection Oven. Yeah, I know, how can I call a microwave “pretty”. Well, it’s that good looking, yo! With a sleek design and stainless steel and matte black accents, this is probably the best looking appliance that I have in my kitchen at the moment.
The other day I decided to give it a go, using a very simple three ingredient recipe, passed on to me by a very clever mom of three who always has the best supper ideas for her family. Yep, you heard me. Three ingredients! Guys, check how easy this is:
I mixed a packet of brown onion soup with some water, to make a quick stir in sauce. You can spice this up, if you want. It can be quite unadventurous without some pepper and/or chillie.
I then lined my chicken pieces up in an oven-friendly dish, poured my soup sauce over it and popped it in the oven for about 10 minutes. I added my veggies (mixed it in nicely) and returned it to the microwave oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, and ta da! My chicken and veggies were cooked to perfection! I read the words “preserves nutrients and locks in flavour” in the LG NeoChef press release, and didn’t truly get it. But now I do!
So in a nutshell, the NeoChef is more than just a microwave. It has new, very clever smart inverter technology, making it a convection oven as well. Basically, a microwave convection oven can cook food evenly and quickly, as opposed to a normal microwave which simply uses hot, circulated air, to heat something up.This baby can roast, bake and even air-fry, your food to perfection!I guess the reason why it cooks super fast is because it heats up to 1200 watts. According to Hubstopher, that’s pretty impressive. It can do a bunch of other really legit things too, like dry fruit, make yoghurt and even bake a cake. I mean, really! What more do you want?!
This dish took me probably half the time it would in my normal oven and I didn’t have to keep checking it. (I mean, not that I even had the brain capacity to do that, with Jo and Kari literally climbing all over me).
I was also curious to learn more about the Anti-Bactieral Easy Clean Coating, that I read about. So I learned that there is a special layer of protection, on your NeoChef, that eliminates 99.99% of harmful bacteria, making it difficult for contaminants to stick around.I can’t wait to try out a few more recipes with my LG NeoChef. Keep an eye out for more next week! Oh and if you’d like to find out more on the LG NeoChef Microwave Convection Oven do check out their website or do a google search (NeoChef) to see what others are saying about it!
Disclaimer: The LG NeoChef Microwave Convection Oven was sent to me. But the review is totally honest and my own opinion, I promise.
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What my kids are playing with: Transformers, Fantastic Gymnastics and Yo-kai
It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year and if you’re anything like me, you have your Christmas gifts list covered. Spreadsheet brain, remember? Christmas shopping for my kids is usually a mild affair anyways since they are all so very predictable. Kyle wants electronics. Seth loves to learn new things, and Karis… well, she’s a princess. If your kids are not as predictable as mine are, then this post is for you. My friends over at Hasbro is keeping us in the know, with all things toy-related, and sent me some information for moms and dads who leave toy stores with a “huh” expression on their faces. Some of my favorite picks, from Hasbro, for this year’s Christmas stockings, are: Transformers, Fantastic Gymnastics and Yo-kai.
Transformers
If you didn’t know (who evens are you), Transformers are human-like robots with the unique ability to turn into vehicles or beasts. I’m sure you knew that though. Right? With the newly released Transformers: The Last Knight movie, Hasbro has released a bunch of updated Transformer toys and regalia that is sure to make your little one squeal with delight on Christmas morning. Karis had a ball of a time transforming Optimus Prime (head honcho over at Transformers headquarters) from standing mode into truck. Considering the fact that the movie did really well in South Africa – ranking number 1 at the Box-office in South Africa during opening week – these toys are still pretty popular. Kids are also encouraged to #pledgeYourAllegiance and join #teamautobot to help Optimus Prime save the world by defeating the Decepticons or join #teamdecepticon and help Megatron take over the world. Choose your faction on www.morethanmeetstheeye.co.za
Fantastic Gymnastics
If you have a big family and are looking for fun group games, Fantastic Gymnastics is the perfect game for you! So basically the game requires players to flip the gymnast figure around the high bar, hitting release at the right moment to let him fly and try to stick the perfect landing. It’s super fun! You can play solo, head-to-head or challenge friends to a tournament. Get into the swing of things with this compelling and fun game, ideal for ages eight and up.
Yo-kai
If you’re down with having your kids stretch their imagination, then you should totally allow them to experience the world of Yo-kai with the Yo-kai Watch and Medals. Yep, I know that you know what a Yo-kai is because kids are going nuts over this children’s anime series based on the video game of the same name. So anyways, with the Yo-kai watch toy, children can imagine summoning Yo-kai characters, and when used with the medals, the Yo-kai watch plays sounds, music, and phrases. Insert one of the collectible medals displaying a Yo-kai into the watch to hear the character’s name, tribe song and more sounds.The latest board games and toys from Hasbro are available from Toys R Us, ToyZone, Toy Kingdom, Hamleys, Lilliputs and other major retailers. You can also shop online at Takealot.com
Disclaimer: All product mentioned above was sent to me by Hasbro, but the opinion in the post is entirely my own, I promise.
