Book Review - 'Long Lost' By David Morrell

The only reason I picked up 'Long Lost' to read was because I noticed that David Morrell was the one who created 'First Blood' which if anyone doesn't know is the first story in the Rambo series. Now, being blinded by the fact that I just luuuurve Rambo I thought that maybe another story by this author may be just as good. Well, it was and it wasn't......

The story this book is based around is your typical family member that goes missing story and suddenly out of the blue they turn up years later. But, to make matters more interesting there is a bit of stolen identity thrown into this book along with kidnapping, murder and family issues from the past.

One thing I liked about this book was that the chapters were all so short and sweet but still got the story across. If anyone is a James Patterson fan you will know what I mean as he writes in the same short chapter method. There's nothing worse with some stories where chapters just seem to go on forever and you get lost in too much detail and feel a tad bewildered once something else notable in the story finally happens. Well, there is none of this when reading this book. This means it was really easy to read a few chapters here and there before bed or with my breakfast in the morning and not get lost after putting the book down and picking it up again next time.

The main thing I didn't like about this book was the way some of the plot developed. It had that 'too convenient' feel to it sometimes where I felt like the author set the character up too well and realistically there is no way certain things would work out so perfectly in real life. But, I guess that's why you read a book, to escape real life.

Anyway, overall I give this book a 3.5 out of 5. It kept me reading due to the small easy chapters but really was nothing to rave about in the end.

Next, I am going to tackle a Joy Fielding book titled 'Good Intentions' so stay tuned for my review!

Neem Oil Products

One of our pet Beagles, Barney, has had skin problems ever since we adopted him when he was 16 months old. He is now 3 years old and no matter what I have tried, his itching has never been able to be controlled. From the expensive sensitive skin diets, anti-histamine medication, medicated shampoos, you name it, I tried it. Well, one day my husband was having lunch with an old friend and the topic of poor Barney's skin issue somehow came up and his friend recommended we try this product he'd magically found for his dog who has a similar product. The product was Neem Oil.
As I couldn't see the harm in trying yet another product that could possibly finally be the one that works, I hopped onto the internet and searched for Neem Oil and eventually found Neeming Australia, a small company that makes every product imaginable using this oil, including a range for pets. Their website claims that Neem in "Ayuverda has relieved so many different pains, fevers, infections and other complaints such as Eczema, Psoriasis, even Leprosy that it has been referred to as the Village Pharmacy. In India it is believed that the Neem Tree has miraculous powers and now scientists all around the world are beginning to understand its huge potential."

So, I got a little bit carried away when I made my order and ended up purchasing the following items:
1) Herbal Dog Spray 750ml

2) Herbal Pet Powder 140gm
3) Neem Rich Pet Soap 100gm

4) 5 Special Soaps - including a Lavender Bar, Mango Bar, Ultra Sensitive Beauty Bar, Natural Beauty Bar and Crystal & Olive Oil Bar (I couldn't resist getting something for myself as well :-))

Well, after a couple of months of using a combination of the Herbal Dog Spray and the Herbal Pet Powder on our Barney Boy I must say that his itching has definitely decreased. Most noticeably at night when he would wake us up with such vigorous scratching my husband and I have realised that this doesn't seem to happen anymore. The smell can be a bit overpowering, especially since our dogs are allowed inside the house when we are home, but it tends to fade pretty quickly once the products are absorbed into the coat.
Therefore, I would have to also give my recommendation to anyone who may have a pet with skin problems or know of anyone who has. These products seem to have done what we thought was the impossible. I haven't used the Neem Rich Pet Soap as yet as I only wash our puppies once a month or so during winter but will definitely be using it for their next bath to compound the effect we are seeing already.

As far as the 5 soaps I bought for myself, I've so far used the Ultra Sensitive Beauty Bar and the Mango Bar. I have a tendency to suffer from eczema during winter and I found the first soap to be quite nice to use. I always noticed after using it that I had a kind of oily coating on my skin which the water just beaded off of and this made me feel moisturised for ages after my shower. I amazingly didn't get any eczema this winter either which I almost can't believe.
I am halfway through using the Mango Bar and even though it isn't as nice as using the Ultra Sensitive Bar, it's still a nice moisturising soap to use.

Anyway, that's my Neem Oil story. I wonder how many other unknown natural products there are out there that can benefit common ailments that next to no-one knows about like this little beauty???

Weigh-In

Well, after two months of personal training once a week plus some other gym classes here and there when time permits I decided to weigh myself and see how far I've gotten on my pregnancy weight loss journey.
Well, I came in at 1.3kgs under what I started at. This result was a little bit disappointing but at least it was a loss. My trainer tried to make me feel a bit better by saying that I'm much more toned and have to consider the fact that I've probably built muscle which is of course heavier than fat but that still doesn't make me feel much better. Those things don't bring me any closer to fitting back into my pre-pregnancy jeans but seeing the numbers go down on the scales will!!
Anyway, just wanted to share my good (even though disappointing) news. I must admit I can definitely tell my bulging stomach is alot less bulging but other than that I really can't see much difference in myself considering how much effort I've been putting in. Especially since bub is 5 months old now.
It's just not fair, pregnancy weight is seriously the hardest type of weight to lose when you're not a naturally thin person to start with.
Oh well, here's to a much better result next month (fingers crossed!) :-)

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Lipstick

I have fallen in love with this lipstick since I got it and it has become my most favourite red lipstick ever!
I received it in a 'gift with purchase' from David Jones in the colour Perfect Scarlett which is a very bright red. This is a colour that I would normally be way too scared to wear outside of my bathroon but I have started experimenting with it purely for the fact that the lipstick is so nice to wear.
It is so smooth to apply and doesn't run into the fine lines around the mouth or dry out after being on for hours and hours. I tested it out on my birthday and after first applying it at about 5:30pm just before we left to go to dinner I only had to reapply once during the night after dinner (which was more to brighten it up again than due to it wearing off) and it lasted until sometime after midnight without another re-application. Being that it's not marketed as a long wearing lipstick this really surprised me. I didn't even have a liner on underneath. All I put on my lips beforehand was a bit of lip balm.
I must admit I don't really notice any plumping effect when I am wearing this lipstick though which would be easy to notice on my lips being that they aren't very plump on their own. If this does happen it must be a very subtle effect.
I'm seriously thinking of purchasing another one in a different colour now.

Chat soon :-)

Book Review - 'Red Dog' by Louis de Bernieres

The book 'Red Dog' is a very lighthearted read that you can get through in pretty much one sitting.
It's an interesting account of life back when everyone was friendly and a local dog could be known by a whole town and cared for by anyone. It makes you kind of sad when you think about how strict we have all become nowadays in relation to our dogs and where they can walk, where they can be off leash, etc, etc, and made me feel a bit of a longing for a time like that portrayed in this book again.
It's nice to read how a dog can manage to become a companion that is worth giving up your time and money for an putting yourself out just to help him. Being a dog lover myself reading stories like this really get to me.
I am absolutely amazed at how many kilometres this dog must have travelled in his short life and still managed to stay relatively safe. It's almost mind boggling!
All in all it's a good little short read to pass some extra time and leave you with a feel-good feeling at the end as well as an appreciation for an animal that so many people take for granted.
Rated: 4 out of 5 stars.