Goodreads-- My review of Primal Law (which is a stupid title, having read the book)

Primal Law by J.D. Tyler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So I finished listening to this one and I have to say I cannot decide, was it a bad story or just told poorly. It is light on details, which in an erotic romance can be forgiven if the sex and chemistry is off the charts, which in this book is decidedly not the case.

I feel like this is at the heart of it, a lukewarm retelling of a story that has frankly been told over and over. And yet, there were glimmers...

Ironically the parts of the story, which held more of my attention, centered around two interesting, well developed minor characters-- which, if the author had put as much art and craft into developing the main characters of this book, well my review would have been totally different.

I feel like this book would have benefited from several revisions and some working shopping with respect to character development.

It wasn't horrible, in the way mindless TV isn't horrible, but I am not motivated to read this author again.

I will say this-- the narration was excellent on the audio book. I would happily listen to Kristen Potter narrate another book. That is half of the reason I finished this one.

So I paid $4.95 for the book on Audible during their recent sale and that is frankly all this book is worth.

View all my reviews

I hate to give bad reviews and I seldom do. I will say, this was a good exercise for me as a writer... I may go back and relisten, if only to see if I can learn something. Where I found myself disappointed and why. 

Holiday Shopping -- Something Different

Sometimes buying local and shipping isn't exactly the easiest or you are shopping for someone and struggling to find, just the thing. I am not one of those people, who think online shopping is evil, far from it. I do try to cultivate my own list of go-to online haunts.

I also like the idea of giving a gift that lasts or continues well past the birthday or the holiday and frankly-- who wants weird fruits every month? So this list might be just what you need to give a gift that continues past the holiday and does not contain any under ripe pears.

Today I will share a few with you!

Birchbox

I LOVE BIRCHBOX. I became aware of this wonderful service via Twitter. I was skeptical. I am *not* a makeup person. I loathe shopping for make up and lotions and potions. The reality was I needed to be shopping for them and wasn't. Boom-- Birchbox was the answer. You sign up, answer questions about your hair, nails, make up and style and then monthly they mail you a cute box, with 4-5 samples of make up, perfume, lotion and skin care items. Very nice. It is a great little pampering party in a box.  Have I loved everything? No. Have I found some amazing products that I never would have discovered on my own, you betcha. Totally worth the $10 or so a month in my opinion. You can give a gift subscription and then not only will the special someone get great stuff in the mail, they will remember who was so thoughtful to send them something so cool every month too!

I will also say this. Birchbox offers amazing customer service. They are responsive, via email and Twitter. They are kind and gracious and they want you to be happy.

You can also earn points for reviewing the products each month and every 100 points is equal to $10 in store credit. Pretty cool.

Umba Box

I discovered Umba Box by accident while checking Facebook on H's computer (why he does not have Ad Blocker Plus is beyond me.) Umba Box is a selection of curated Etsy type items. I started subscribing thinking I would only try it for a few months. Well, I have stuck by them. I have gotten an eclectic mix of items over the last few months. All very good quality, creative and different. While I am not a HUGE fan of the screen printed tea towels, I have loved the hand made cosmetics and lovely stationary. I have given a few of my Umba Box items as gifts and the recipients have loved them.

Umba Box's website is not without its own issues, but it has improved steadily and their customer service is AMAZING! I have called them and recently chatted (via on site IM) with them and they are a classy operation also.

I think this box is great for people who enjoy supporting artists and crafts people. I plan to keep subscribing.

FAB

Again, a wonderful Twitter referral. I love the FAB app. I am less in love with their website. I love their product mix. I love that they do no spam my Inbox. I love that they appreciate their customers (hello, little $25 gift card just because and cute little poster that came in the mail.) Shipping time has improved steadily and they have a new free shipping option, which is fantastic!

Everything I have ordered from FAB, has been, well FAB!

FAB is a great place to shop for that something different or interesting.


Brooklyn Industries

"Wow, that blouse is too cute."

"I love that purse."

"That jacket is really cool."

Yep, this is what happens when I am wearing something I have acquired from Brooklyn Industries. I have to credit SS and JC for turning me onto Brooklyn Industries a few years ago. There has been no going back. A decent number of items in my closet come from Brooklyn Industries and I don't live in NYC.

I will say, one has to be objective and honest about their body shape. Know what styles flatter and follow the size chart. The return policy is fair, but read and understand it before you shop. Shipping seems reasonable.

Purses and tote bags ALWAYS fit!

I hesitate to give away one of my favorite boutiques, BUT it really is an awesome little shop. Also, their sales cannot be beat! If you really love something, order it, but watching something sometimes pays off.

Fair warning-- some of the merchants mentioned will give me credit if you click the link and sign up. No, I am not going to tell you which ones. I will thank you for the credit, but that is NOT the point of this post. I am just sharing some of the places I love to shop online. I have been fair and objective in my description and their shortcomings. If I get credit, and it because you wanted to give something a try, on m recommendation, thank you in advance.

Happy Shopping!

November photo contest: #capturingLife Wk2

I normally don't post photos of the kids in public. This week however is a total exception. I cannot not use this photo. It is not the best photo I have ever taken. It is hazy. I shot it totally on the fly, as I watched L's gym class. She wanted me to snap some pictures.

It is just so amazing, how she can just be upside down like that. The idea is to walk over quickly, but she is strong enough to hold it in place, to hesitate going over. Some of the other girls just flip over. Too fast to snap a photo, but L is cautious, even upside down.

I could be trite and say, look, life is about working hard. Practice, practice, practice.

But I think this photo says something else entirely.

Kicked Up Sheppard's Pie

It is no secret, this year we have gotten a huge crop of very tasty local and organic potatoes from Wayward Seed. It is also no secret that I have gone mostly grain free.

I also am the first to admit, that I do not love potatoes.

So I am learning to love them and last Saturday, I boiled and mashed a huge amount of potatoes. I did not peel them. The good stuff is in the peel. I boiled, I drained and I mashed them with some butter and half and half.

I thought about freezing them this way, but decided better of it and made up a version of Sheppard's pie instead.

I basically made a version of keema. I used the spice combo from this keema recipe which I swear by. It is a process, but in this case I let the mustard seed and cumin seeds pop. Caramelize the onions and then I toss in some garlic and ginger paste. Then the spices, then brown the meat. I added cubed carrots to the onion mixture half through.

Once the meat is brown, I added some lactose free plain yogurt and cooked until thick. I would have added pea, but H does not like peas in casseroles. No idea why, he just doesn't.

I made the spice blend a bit milder than I normally would in the hopes the kids would eat this.

At this point. I filled four casserole dishes with the meat mixture.

 I used two small round casserole pans and two larger square pans.

 I used my large scoop, to portion out the potatoes. So the potato layer would be even.

Then I used a back of a spoon to smooth out the potatoes. I put the dishes in the freezer uncovered to freeze firm, then I wrapped the tops in foil and put the pan in a gallon sized freezer bag.

Yesterday I thawed one for about an hour and baked it at 350 degrees for just over and hour. H swears he could have eaten the entire thing. L was not impressed. E thought it was "amazing" and I liked it.

It was nice to have something already made and ready to bake.

Baked Squash/Pumpkin Custard

So high on the success with my pumpkin pie, I was wondering, could I just make the custard, which honestly is the part everyone in this house loves.

I also was wondering, would anyone notice, if I swapped pumpkin with butternut squash.

The answer is YES, yes you can just make the filling and bake it and NO, no one will notice if you swap butternut squash for pumpkin!

So here we go...

 So I had 2 cups of butternut squash puree. (I explain the process for making squash puree in my previous post about the pie.) Sadly I had no evaporated milk. So I googled  and found you can sub sweetened condensed milk for the sugar and evaporated milk in the Libby's recipe. Which is what I was working from.

 I prepared my pan. Since this is a custard, you need to bake it in a water bath. So I buttered my ramekins and made sure they would fit in the glass baking dish. (I am a klutz. So I placed the pan in the over and then filled it about half full with water. You can do whatever you want.)

 Make the custard. (Beat 2 eggs, mix in squash/pumpkin puree, add spices, then stir in the sweetened condensed milk.)

 Fill the buttered ramekins. Place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350, bake an additional 30-40 minutes or until the centers are set.

 Remove from the oven and cool. Once cool, cover with foil or place in an airtight container and chill a few hours to over night in the refrigerator.

I ate this one for breakfast and it was oh, so yummy. E inhaled one for breakfast too. I think, perhaps smaller ramekins would be better. It was alot to eat in one setting, but eat it we did. Loving every creamy spoonful!