Book Review: Roots and Sky by Christie Purifoy

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

As part of the Revell Reads crew, I received a copy of Roots and Sky by Christie Purifoy:

About the Book:

When Christie Purifoy arrived at Maplehurst that September, she was longing for a fixed point in her busily spinning world. The sprawling Victorian farmhouse sitting atop a Pennsylvania hill held within its walls endless possibilities. It was a place where she could finally grasp and hold the thing we all long for--home.

In lyrical, contemplative prose, Christie slowly unveils the trials and triumphs of that first year at Maplehurst--from summer's intense heat and autumn's glorious canopy to winter's quiet grief and spring's unexpected mercies. Through stories of planting and preserving, of opening the gates wide to neighbors, and of learning to speak the language of a place, Christie invites you into the heartache and joy of small beginnings and the wonder of a God who would make his home with us.

My thoughts:

What a beautifully written book!  Christie Purifoy has an exceptional talent to teach readers how to find God in even the most ordinary, everyday things and experiences.  Reading this beautiful memoir is like reading a diary, getting a good look at the author's thoughts and gaining an insight into Christianity that you may have never before glimpsed.  It is refreshing and endearing and really just a lovely book all the way around.  While reading this journal, you are given a look inside Christie Purifoy's heart and home and you feel like a welcome guest:)  Roots and Sky is a remarkably enjoyable read!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Ace Marks: Artisan Italian-Handcrafted Dress Shoes for the Modern Gentleman

Guess who just became the fastest growing shoe campaign in Kickstarter history?  Ace Marks!  They have reached their goal of $20,000 in less than 24 hours!

Here is some background about our company and collection.

1.       It’s a $600 luxury shoe for less than $200. Ace Marks is handcrafted in Italy by a family of 4th generation master craftsmen. Their work for other labels usually retails north of $600. They are going to offer them at $200.

2.       They buy back their shoes and donate them. Partnering with Career Gear, they will take back worn pairs of Ace Marks and give their customers a $60 credit towards a new pair.  The worn pairs are donated to help men in need get back on their feet and rejoin the workforce.

3.       Stylish yet professional. They wanted to provide professionals with the ability to wear a dress shoe that is very stylish but still professional. Ace Marks were designed for the modern professional who has a bit of swagger and is looking to step up their style and stature.

Gorgeous, well-made dress shoes at an affordable price?  Yes, please:)  Check out the Ace Marks video:

Keep Your Pups Happy with Kai Krates + Discount Code and Free Gift Promotion!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Kai Krates is a dog subscription box. Each month your Krate will include irresistible toys, delicious chews and the  occasional  yummy bag of treats! They doggy test all of their products, and buy in bulk to lower costs so each Krate is higher in retail value than what you pay. 

Every Krate has the following:

-3-4 Quality Toys

-1-2 Chews

-The occasional bag of treats!

Here is a look inside our Kai Krate:

-Smokehouse 6.5 Inch Prime Slice- $1.50 (on Amazon)

-Pur Luv Chewy Bites 6 oz Bag- $8.38 (on Amazon)

-*Bonus* Smokehouse Chicken Stix 8 inch- Around $1 (on Amazon)

-Dawgeee 16 Inch No Fluff Duck- $10.31 (on Amazon)

-Dawgeee 12 Inch Tug Bone- $8.59 (on Amazon)

Kai Krates guarantees your box to be more than $15 retail value, no matter which size you choose.  Our box, according to prices on Amazon, was valued at over $28!  Nearly double the cost of the box!  What a fantastic deal:)

Jessie loved all of the treats in her Kai Krate!  She is not the biggest fan of toys, but since my sister has three dogs of her own and fosters puppies, Jessie shared the toys with them:)  They visited with 2 foster puppies shortly after we got our Kai Krate and the pups absolutely loved playing with the Dawgeee toys!

Overall, Jessie and I agree that Kai Krates is a great value and one of those subscription boxes where you will actually use and enjoy every single product!

Cost: Starts at $14.99

Shipping: FREE

Click to shop Kai Krates!

The folks at Kai Krates set up a coupon code for ABCD Diaries readers.  The code ABCDDIARIES will give you 10% off the first month of any Kai Krates subscriptions and the first 25 people that sign up will also receive a free doggie jerky treat as an extra gift!  

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Surprise Ride: Science and Crafts and Snacks, Oh My!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Surprise Ride knows that kids love mail and crafts and science experiments so they created this fun subscription box service that offers all of that and more to your kiddos each month.

Perfect for ages 6-11, rides are theme-based and cover a wide variety of subjects, from art and science to food and geography, and much more. Each monthly package includes:

-All the supplies needed to complete two projects that explore the month’s theme.

-A book, a snack, and other fun surprises to go along with the ride.

-Surprise Ride booklet with lessons on the theme, interesting facts, and ways to continue the exploration.

Our kit was the Rocket themed Surprise Ride:

All the materials and instructions included in this Rockets Activity Kit to:

-Launch Your Own Rocket

-Paint a Rocket Photo Frame

Also Includes:

-Rocket Science Book

-Snack: All Natural Fruit Bars

-Fun Extra: Rocket Launchers

-Fun Extra: Balancing Space Shuttle

The kiddos loved reading about rockets and doing the crafts and experiments in the kit.

Their favorite activity was launching the film canister rocket.  It was, literally, a blast:)

Thanks to the handy information card, we were about to learn a lot about rockets and the science behind how they work and the kiddos were engaged and entertained the entire time!

Surprise Ride has been one of our favorite educational subscription boxes!

Cost:

3 Month- $30/month

6 Month- $26/month

12 Month- $25/month

Shipping is FREE!

You can also buy Limited Edition past boxes in the Surprise Ride shop for $34.99

Click to shop Surprise Ride!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Earth's Healing Boxes: Essential Oil Subscription Box Service + Giveaway!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

I love using essential oils in  variety of ways on a daily basis, so I was excited to get to try out Earth's Healing Boxes.

Each month, the Earth's Healing Certified Aromatherapist team chooses 3 Therapeutic grade essential oils to ship straight to your door.  You will also get detailed recipe cards, so that you can easily turn your oils into blends you will use every day. These oils will be chosen based on the time of the year, the availability of exceptional oils, and oils will be chosen that can work well together.

Included in your box you will also find an essential oil blend that you will be able to use instantly and effectively. This blend could be in the form of a salve, roll-on, spray or one of the hundreds of ways that essential oils can be blended. And it comes with a card detailing the history, usage and recipe for your blend.

Each month they will include a surprise gift that will vary greatly month to month. This could consist of the equipment you may need to complete a recipe, a Far-East item, or an extra bottle of essential oil.

I really enjoyed Earth's Healing Boxes.  The oils I was sent (French Lavender, Rose, Anise and May Chang) were high quality and I loved the recipe cards featuring great ways to use each of the oils.  The amounts, especially of the full-sized oils, was very generous.  The gift was clever, a cute tea ball and cotton balls that you can use to create a mini diffuser that you can use anywhere.  The box was very well-packaged to keep all of the little glass bottles secure during shipping.  If you love essential oils and enjoy trying out new blends, you will love Earth's Healing Boxes!

Cost: $49.99/box

Shipping: FREE domestic shipping

Click to shop Earth's Healing Boxes

GoPicnic: Snacks and Meals for an On-the-Go Lifestyle! + Giveaway

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Founded in 2006, Chicago-based GoPicnic® is the pioneer and leader in delicious, nutritionally balanced and portable ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch and snacks. 

GoPicnic® packs a delicious balance of grains, protein, fiber and calories. The full line-up consists of ready-to-eat breakfast under 400 calories, ready-to-eat lunch under 500 calories and ready-to-eat snacks under 300 calories.GoPicnic®’s palate-pleasing breakfasts, lunches and snacks are also available for a wide range of food diet restrictions including gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, non-GMO and kosher options. All GoPicnic meals contain no artificial colors, flavors, trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup or added MSG.  GoPicnic provides a variety of meals, which are not all gluten free, so it is important for consumers to review the product packaging and labels if you are following a gluten free diet. 

We got to try out the Chocolate Lovers Gift Box:

The Chocolate Lovers Gift Box includes:

20 Dr. Lucy's Chocolate Chip Cookies-

Made with organic cane sugar and high quality dark chocolate chips, Lucy’s Chocolate Chip cookies are a delicious gluten free snack that everyone can enjoy!

20 Professor Zim Zam's Chocolate Pillow Cookies-

An all-natural chocolate cream filled pillow shaped cookies for dessert. A delightful crunchy chocolate treat!

20 Professor Zim Zam's Chocomallocrispie Bars-

All the goodness of a timeless favorite, elevated, brown rice crisps and rich dark cacao, sweetly tied together in a crunchy-chewy-chocolatey treat

We enjoyed our sweet treats from GoPicnic.  The biggest hit was the Chocolate Pillow Cookies...yummo!  If you are looking for quick snacks and meals that are nutritionally balanced, taste great and perfect for on-the-go, GoPicnic has got you covered!

Buy It:

GoPicnic is available in more that 15,000 retail locations including Target, Walgreens, Costco, Kroger, Whole Foods, Cost-Plus World Market, Albertsons, Sprouts, K-Mart, Hy-Vee, Giant Eagle, Paradies & Hudson News airport stores and online at www.GoPicnic.com

GoPicnic has offered ABCD Diaries readers a discount code of PR10 for 10% off!

Follow GoPicnic on Instagram #gopicnic

Win It:

Enter to win a surprise package from GoPicnic below:

The Best and Lightest: Cookbook from Food Network Editors

About the book:

Using clever cooking techniques and ingredient swaps, Food Network Magazine’s test kitchen chefs have lightened up all the foods you crave. Each crowd-pleasing dish comes in under 500 calories with satisfying—not tiny—portions. With a visual table of contents—complete with icons that indicate vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes—you can quickly find meal ideas for any diet. Plus, each recipe appears with nutritional information and a beautiful photograph, making eating right surprisingly simple and totally fun.

Take a look at what’s inside:

Polenta with Fontina and Eggs

Spiced Burgers with Cucumber Yogurt

Potato-Leek Soup with Bacon

Shrimp and Kale Pitas

Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

Chile-Rubbed Steak with Creamed Corn

Three-Cheese Macaroni

Banana-Almond Pudding

Strawberry Corn Cakes

My thoughts:

First off, let me just say, this is a truly beautiful book. With gorgeous food photography throughout, it's easy to crave each and every recipe!  The good news is, you can give in to the craving because that fabulous Food Network editors have only featured the most deliciously healthy recipes!

Seriously, flipping through this beautiful cookbook with induce hunger pains that you must act on quickly.  Luckily, most of these recipes are quick and easy and sure to satisfy!

I have found this book to be an amazing resource in my weekly meal planning.  I love having so many tried and true, healthy recipes to fill the tummies of my hungry family:)  I would highly recommend this cookbook!

Disclosure:  I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.