Amanda Stephan's Blog: God is Good, God is Great, page 5

Highlights from Avon Campaign 19 - Sale Ends Monday, 9/8/14

Avon Campaign 19 Orders Due Monday, September 8th

My Faves:

Big & Daring 24 hour smudgeproof mascara - ONLY $6.99 for a limited time!I have seriously put this mascara to the test. I've slept with it on. I've cried like a two year old. I've rubbed my eyes (because I forgot I had make-up on) and I've worked like a dog with this stuff. My verdict? This goes on smooth and thick, no clumps, and won't give up. In fact, you'll give up before it does! Well worth the money - I'll be a lifetime buyer.  My color? Brown BlackColors: BlackBlackest BlackBrown BlackA+ Highly Recommend
Paired with True Color eyeshadow, this was a winning combo. 
I used the Mocha Latte (697-287)  color quad, and was thrilled. Instead of using as true eyeshadow, I took my applicator and outlined the top of my eyelid with thedarkest color, then swept a thin line of the lightest color next to it.Results?Smokey Eyes that weren't overbearing or done in a way that made it look like someone punched me in the face.Win!Special $5.99 A+ Highly Recommend
Most Popular Items Ordered: I simply cannot keep this in stock. The bestselling color? Royal Shock (Blue - 349-020)Close Second is the Emerald Green (348-756)And third is Violet (353-182) $7 or 2 for $11.99
And these having been going like hotcakes -
 
 
And at only $1.69 each, who can blame them?!
FAQ:Q: If I don't live in your state, can I still be your customer and order from you?A: Absolutely! Simply go to my eStore at YourAvon.com/BooksByAmanda and order your favorite items. Choose Direct Delivery and your goodies will be shipped directly to you! How easy is that, right?Q: What if I don't like something I ordered?A: Avon has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like it, you can get a full refund or a replacement. Q: But I like getting special deals that seem to only come from my real-life Avon lady. What do I do about that?A: Online shoppers that deal directly with my eStore , get some pretty awesome deals. Some include, free direct delivery shipping with a certain amount, online prices on select items, and more. Just visit my store and check out the deal ribbon at the top, just under the Avon logo. Watch that closely as it changes often!

Making Marion - Book Review & Tour

About the Book:
  She had been looking for somewhere to stay, but instead Marion Miller finds herself on the wrong side of the reception desk at the Peace and Pigs campground and, despite her horrible shyness, promptly lands herself a job.
Marion came to Nottinghamshire--home of Sherwood Forest--to discover her father's mysterious past, but all she has to go on is a picture of her father dressed up, it would seem, as Robin Hood.  
Life on a busy campground challenges Marion's formerly controlled life--the pigs roam free, the resident chickens seem determined to thwart her, and an unfortunate incident with a runaway bike throws her into the arms of the beautiful, but deeply unimpressed, Reuben.
Yet, Marion's would-be boyfriend Jake, and Reuben's stunning fiancée Erica, conspire to leave little room for Marion to daydream about the twinkling eyes of her rescuer . . . Will Marion ever find peace, and perhaps even love, among the pigs?
Including a large cast of memorable, colorful characters, Making Marion is an outstanding debut romantic comedy that touches on issues of identity and family with a natural ease.
Purchase a Copy!
My Thoughts:Admit it. You look at the cover of a book, and you do the one thing you're not supposed to. You judge it. Don't worry. You're not the only one. Seriously, if the cover doesn't look interesting, I'm probably not going to pick it up unless one of my friends said it was a great read.
While this cover is cute and comical, I warn you. Do not let the cover of this book fool you. Just don't. When I look at this picture, I see a fun, light-hearted romp for any Robin Hood enthusiast. I imagine there's going to be humor and not much deep stuff inside. Which is the reason I picked this book in the first place. I love to laugh. I love hearing/reading chicken/hero mishaps, and I love Robin Hood. What's to lose, right? There were a few funny scenes and a couple of chicken/hero scenarios, but this book is packed with deep, emotional issues that will leave you thinking about the characters long after you've finished the book. This is a deep book. While I wouldn't necessarily call it a Christian novel, I think it does have some very good points that should make the reader wonder what they would do in similar situations. 
Marion has to be my favorite character, followed closely by Scarlett. Who isn't going to love a woman named Scarlett, right?! Marion does not have the makings of a hero. She's been abused, trampled on, and hurt by those that should have protected her, and she's positive she doesn't have what it takes to survive let alone be of use to anyone else. Scarlett helps her see the deeply hidden qualities that every hero must possess.
I very much enjoyed this book. I especially liked how Marion wasn't perfect and how the author didn't tell you how Marion changed, but rather allowed you to be a part of the transformation. This book packs a punch and helps readers see that no matter what is in your past, you can change your future.
*My thanks to Kregel Publications for providing me a copy for review purposes. I was not required my review be positive.*  

Life Support by Candace Calvert - book review

About the Book:
Nurse Lauren Barclay put her life on hold to keep a watchful eye on her troubled sister. It’s why she’s back in Houston. But that means confronting the brooding physician assistant who caused painful turmoil in her family—and left Lauren with memories her heart can’t forget.

PA and single parent Elijah Landry is no stranger to stormy relationships, including one with his father, who is threatening him with a restraining order. It won’t stop Eli from protecting his disabled brother—or from making peace with Lauren. He wants that and so much more.

But as Lauren and Eli draw closer, a powerful hurricane roars toward Houston. Survival instincts take priority and everything changes. Can hope weather the storm?

Meet the Author:

Candace Calvert is a former ER nurse who believes love, laughter and faith are the best medicines. Her Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series offer readers a chance to "scrub in" on the exciting world of emergency medicine—along with a soul-soothing prescription for hope. Wife, mother, and very proud grandmother, she makes her home in northern California.

Please visit her Web site at www.candacecalvert.com. 

My Thoughts:
Lauren Barclay has put her life on hold so she could keep watch over her troubled younger sister, Jess. Eli Landry has his own set of huge familial problems. How in the world can these two ever get together? Especially when so much gets in their way? There were many times I thought it would never happen. With Lauren so wrapped up in her sister's life, I didn't think she'd ever stop long enough to seize the opportunity to get to know Eli better. 

While I did enjoy the character development of Lauren, Eli, Emma, Drew, and even Yonner, I seriously did not like her sister Jess. I understand - to a point - wanting to help your relatives, but I guess my familial bonds aren't that strong. Still, I did like so many other things about the novel - Gayle, Drew, Vee, Eli's mother - I found those subplots very interesting and they kept me intrigued. In all, I would recommend this to a friend.

*My thanks to the publisher for offering this book in exchange for my honest opinions. This review was not required to be positive.*

Purchase a Copy!

Read a Snippet!

Gecko Monitor - Computer Monitoring Software Review

Imagine this: your fantastic hubby has asked you out for a date night to a romantic dinner and maybe a movie afterward. You want to jump at the chance, but you're uncomfortable. Maybe your teens or tweens have just been busted looking at inappropriate things on the internet. Or, maybe they haven't, but you know the possibility of them finding horrid stuff while you're away is pretty high.

What do you do? Say no and guard the computer like a security officer?

I didn't want to either so I thought I would give Gecko Monitor a try.



About Gecko Monitor:
Computer Monitoring Software

Gecko Monitor is the complete solution to monitoring everything that happens on your
computer while you’re away. Perfect for parents who want to monitor their childs
computer or bosses who want to monitor their employees computers - Gecko Monitor
has everything you’ll need to give you peace of mind!

Combining powerful monitoring tools and stealth, Gecko Monitor has a number of great
features including the ability to monitor every website visited, every program used and
every keystroke pressed - as well as taking screenshots of everything that happens on screen.

The more advanced features of Gecko Monitor make this software the most advanced, all
in one, computer monitoring solution on the market, why not download our free trial and
see for yourself?

My Thoughts:
As always, you can trust that I'm going to be honest, so please bear with me for a moment. When I first received the offer to review the Gecko Monitor, I was leery. I nearly passed it up. I didn't know the system, I didn't know the developers, I didn't know much of anything except what they told me. So I did some research before I said yes. First, I read their website - see above - and I was intrigued. I have teenagers in my house, and being a particularly picky parent (say that fast ten times, I dare you!) there are things they're not allowed to look at or be on while on the internet. Duh, right? Next, I researched the reviews, and again, I was hooked. Things were looking better and better. After I read the glowing reviews, I decided to take the plunge.

The program loaded easily enough and I started monitoring right away, but I was still nervous. I waited for it to crash my operating system, I waited for all kinds of ugly things to happen, but none did. Another plus.

I like so many things about this program, it's difficult to find a starting point.
incredibly easy to useself explanatoryhasn't crashed yetyou can change the settings to how they would best suit you and your familyyou can go through and view the screenshots of websites visited, and delete them when you're finishedthere is a desktop icon that you can remove with ease so you can monitor with stealthCons:
doesn't like to turn back on once turned off. I've had to restart my computer to get it to turn back on. Not sure if that's a software issue, or if it's in my settings, so take this one with a grain of salt. (Just in case you didn't know, you can access the program by hitting CTRL+ALT+k all at the same time.)I would highly suggest that you write your Gecko Monitor password somewhere because you will need it when you want to access the program.One more thing. Take the time to print off the handy how to use file that comes with the program and read it. READ it. Trust me. It helps a ton.

Now that you've heard my thoughts on the program, you have a chance to #win your very own. Gecko Monitor has graciously offered 10 licenses as promotion for their product. If you would like to try this for free, enter below! Giveaway ends September 18th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Outlet Shopping with Avon

Who doesn't love outlet shopping, right? Husbands and kids don't count in this particular poll. Sorry guys! Here's the newest Avon Outlet catalog for campaign 18. Want to order something? You can click on the cover and go to my eStore, or you can send me an email using the contact me form on the right hand sidebar. Easy peasy! Start your Christmas shopping right there in your chair. ;)

mark. Campaign catalog 18-21

Have you met Avon's mark. yet? No? A catalog for trendy teens and young adults, you can't go wrong shopping here! Click on the pic to check it out!
Remember to join my Avon Mailing List in the right hand sidebar to get a chance to #win some great Avon products each month!

Win Avon's Mega Effects Mascara!

Get a chance to win Avon's new Mega Effects Mascarajust for joining my Avon Mailing List!a $10 value!



Simply leave your email address in the contact form in the right handsidebar to be entered to win one of three great prizes!Automatically be entered to win something new in subsequentgiveaways. It's a win-win deal for us both!
Ends August 25th.No purchase necessary.Winner will be notified via email.

Great Makeup and Bath Products in Avon Campaign 18

Preorder Avon's NEW Bold & Daring 24 Hour SmudgeProof Mascara for only $6.99 and get a FREE bottle of eye makeup remover!
Campaign 18 is here!

Orders are due August 25th.

You can contact me at amanda38401 at gmail dot com to leave an order, oryou can click the catalog pictures below and order right from my eStore!

   Sales of note in Catalog 18: Tired of dark circles always telling tales on you? Get rid of them withAnew Dark Circle Corrector SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE$24.99Hurry! Will go up to $30 soon     Buy one at $20, get one for $10! Yesterday, Today, Forever Fragrance 10th Anniversary Sale
 Relax with Avon's Big Bubble Bath for only $5.99Limited Time Only!     Pre-Order Avon's NEWBig & Daring 24 Hour Mascara,and Get a FREE Bottle of Eye Makeup Remover!Coming in Campaign 19!Special Introductory Price - $6.99 

Preorder Avon's NEW Bold & Daring 24 Hour SmudgeProof Mascara for only $6.99 and get a FREE bottle of eye makeup remover!


  Use the contact me form on the right sidebar to pre-order

  eStore SPECIAL!
FREE SHIPPING with any $35 purchase!

Sally Hansen® Miracle Gel™ Nail Polish - Review

OMGel! I love this fabulous nail polish!
Sally Hansen has proven herself the queen of manicures and her newest gel topcoat is no disappointment. 

If you're looking for an inexpensive way to do your nails but still have them look professionally done, Sally Hansen's new miracle gel is definitely the right buy for you. Instead of paying $30 for a manicure, try doing it at home yourself for less than $20. And it lasts fabulously long with no chipping! 
It dries fast and applies easily with a shine that keeps going - even when you don't. 
For best results, let the nail polish dry completely (submerging your freshly painted nails in ice water for 2 minutes will do the trick) and then apply the gel top coat. Have fun with your new #ManicureMonday
*I received this product in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required my review be positive.*

Avon Catalog - Campaign 17

The newest Avon Catalog is here - packed FULL with great discounts and deals!






Here's just a few:
Tired of the dark circles under your eyes telling secrets on you? Special Introductory offer!

Mega Effects Mascara! This breakthrough mascara provides 24-hour volume, leaving lashes darker, denser and more dramatic. Get ready for a corner to corner lash transformation with our first ever Wonderbrush.
Buy One Get One Half Off!

Let's not forget the ever popular Avon Skin-So-Soft items! Now, get twice as much when you buy!

Check out the eBrochure for more Great Deals!

All orders are due August 11, 2014 by 11 a.m.