Software Review - HGTV Software

HGTV Home Design and Remodeling Suite
&

HGTV Home and Landscape Platinum Suite

I used both of the softwares together. They both use the same format and you can use the product of one as the input to the other and vice versa.

This software is for creating a new living space; adding a fireplace; making your home energy efficient with new appliances; replacing countertops, cabinetry and fixtures; enhancing any room in your house with a brand new look; and adding decks, fountains, patios and gardens. You can import digital photos of your home's exterior or interior and instantly change paint colors. You can even design your dream home from scratch.

I personally found the software hard to use. I read the entire manual (for both software) and still had a very hard time doing anything with it. I had my cousin, who is an architect, create my house in the software so I could test some upgrades, change colors, change appliances, etc. I was able to do this in the house and was satisfied with the results.

I did like the Professional Tips from HGTV's Video Library and the printed user guide to get you started and keep your creativity flowing. A variety of topics are included, all to ensure your home improvement project turns out just as you want. Subjects include:

• Interior Paint Finishings
• Improving Your Kitchen
• Artistic Backsplashes
• Framing Windows
• Eco-Friendly Carpets
• Mold Prevention Methods and more

My recommendation is to be patient, experiment, experiment, experiment. There are probably easier packages around but I will keep using this one as I have my house already in it. If you do not have some CAD experience, this product might be a little too hard for you. You will have to play with it until you gain some mastery with it.

              

ENDED Book Giveaway - Street Boners By Gavin McInnes

Fifteen years after founding Vice, Gavin McInnes has poured his creative juices into a new endeavor: StreetCarnage.com. Growing in size and influence at an alarming rate, the site's main feature is the new and improved version of Gavin's "DOs and DON'Ts," now tantalizingly called Street Boners.

These Boners have been polished and compounded into a book that takes the best of the site and adds hundreds more gems! With 1,312 photos, hilarious captions, and a harsh new rating system-from one to 10 kitten faces-STREET BONERS makes sure no glorious fashion statement goes unnoticed. Innocent citizens are either damned to hell or relentlessly exalted into heaven. Chloe Sevigny, Debbie Harry, Fred Armisen, and Tim & Eric also contribute their scathing wit to the book, and the end result is a New York fashion bible no bathroom should be without.

Gavin McInnes co-founded Vice magazine in 1994, and later authored two successful books with the Vice brand--Vice Dos and Don'ts and The Vice Guide to Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. After splitting from Vice in 2007 due to creative differences, McInnes co-founded the company Street Carnage. McInnes has also published eight issues of a comic titled Pervert and played in a number of punk bands.

Caveat: This isn't wholesome comedy. Not at all. There will be photos (that's the whole point) and it ain't gonna be pretty (well, most of the time. Sometimes it is, to be honest). And the author uses straight up language, with four-letter words, even.

Thanks to Hachette for this giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:

• One entry only - Please comment on why you want this book
• Be sure to leave your e-mail if you don't have a blogger ID. Bloggers - you must have a public profile and listed e-mail to find you
• Only residents of the US and Canada may enter
• Please no PO Boxes!!!
• The drawing will last till May 28
• Random number generator will be used - 3 copies to give away
• I will post the winners here on May 29
• Winners have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected
• Extra entry - Become a follower

WINNERS - bmweida, ncschools, missxus

ENDED Book Giveaway - 101 Things I Learned (TM) in Culinary School By Matthew Frederick, Louis Eguaras

Louis Eguaras, a renowned chef at the Le Cordon Bleu Program at the California School of Culinary Arts, provides readers with a terrific overview of what is truly involved in the preparation, cooking, and presentation of meals. He also provides invaluable insights into just what is involved in making this one's chosen profession.

The book will feature a wide range of illustrated lessons, from how to properly hold a knife... to the history of food... from food preparation and presentation... to restaurant hospitality and management, and much more.

The book will be presented in the distinctive and highly-attractive packaged style of 101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, and will be the perfect gift for anyone who is thinking about entering culinary school, is already enrolled, or even just the casual chef.

LOUIS EGUARAS is a chef and instructor of international cuisine in the renowned Le Cordon Bleu Program at the California School of Culinary Arts. He is currently teaching courses in cooking and food history.

His twenty plus years of experience includes responsibilites as Staff Chef at the White House and Camp David, and Executive Chef and Marketing Manager in several other settings.

Thanks to Hachette for this giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:

• One entry only - Please comment on why you want this book
• Be sure to leave your e-mail if you don't have a blogger ID. Bloggers - you must have a public profile and listed e-mail to find you
• Only residents of the US and Canada may enter
• Please no PO Boxes!!!
• The drawing will last till May 26
• Random number generator will be used - 3 copies to give away
• I will post the winners here on May 27
• Winners have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected
• Extra entry - Become a follower

WINNERS - eknox, mcgillrmcgill, bmcbroom

ENDED Book Giveaway - 101 Things I Learned (TM) in Fashion School By Matthew Frederick, Alfredo Cabrera

The world of the fashionista is brought to vivid life with 101 introductory lessons on such topics as how a designer anticipates cultural trends and "sees" the fashion consumer, the workings of the fashion calendar, the ways a designer collection is conceived, the manufacture of fabric, fashion illustration, and more.

Illustrated in the distinctly unique packaged style of the bestselling101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, this new book on fashion design will be a perfect book for any fashion school wannabe, a recent graduate, or even a seasoned professional.

Alfredo Cabrera, who is based in New York City, is an award-winning fashion designer and illustrator. His clients have included Henri Bendel, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Jeans, Xpress, The Limited, Girbaud Jones New York, Nautica, FUBU, Izod and Liz Claiborne.

He is a faculty member at the renowned Parsons Institute / New School for Design.

Thanks to Hachette for this giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:

• One entry only - Please comment on why you want this book
• Be sure to leave your e-mail if you don't have a blogger ID. Bloggers - you must have a public profile and listed e-mail to find you
• Only residents of the US and Canada may enter
• Please no PO Boxes!!!
• The drawing will last till May 24
• Random number generator will be used - 3 copies to give away
• I will post the winners here on May 25
• Winners have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected
• Extra entry - Become a follower

WINNERS - bmcbroom, misusedinnocence, rugerpuppies

ENDED Book Giveaway - What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life By Kim Johnson Gross

Every woman's closet-no matter the size-is a room of her own. In that space hang side by side the special occasions and the everyday, the triumphs and the disasters, the memories we want to keep and those we should jettison. Gross helps us to reconsider our closet identity and discover who we want to be. She shares her personal journey and the intimate, poignant and often humorous stories of the dozens of women she interviewed across the country. Along with calming fashion advice about how to choose flattering clothes that will fit any woman's shape and style, Gross's engaging stories will help every woman evolve gracefully from wife to mother, from empty-nester to globe-trotting adventurer--whatever role she chooses--while letting her style express her inner beauty.

Kim Johnson Gross has worked in the fashion industry for over 30 years, as a Ford model, an editor at Town & Country, Style Director at Avenue, and Fashion Director at Esquire. She is author of The Chic Simple books, which were international bestsellers and inspired the popular Chic Simple Solutions column that appeared for five years in InStyle. Gross wrote the "What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life" column in More for two years. She's been interviewed as a style expert on the Today show, CNN, the CBS Morning Show, Good Housekeeping, AARP, Business Week, Dove.

Thanks to Hachette for this giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:

• One entry only - Please comment on why you want this book
• Be sure to leave your e-mail if you don't have a blogger ID. Bloggers - you must have a public profile and listed e-mail to find you
• Only residents of the US and Canada may enter
• Please no PO Boxes!!!
• The drawing will last till May 22
• Random number generator will be used - 3 copies to give away
• I will post the winners here on May 23
• Winners have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected

 WINNERS - barracudaron, adrianecoros, gwknox

ENDED Book Giveaway - PUT ON YOUR CROWN By Queen Latifah

Modeled after Maria Shriver's Just Who Will You Be, Queen Latifah's goal with Put On Your Crown is to help young women build a strong sense of self-esteem. A US Dept. of Justice survey found that females ages 16-24 are more vulnerable to partner violence than any other group, almost triple the national average. Cases like Chris Brown's assault on pop star Rihanna showed an ugly side of adolescent life. However, Queen Latifah has always been a shining example of a woman happy with herself and unwilling to compromise to fit into the "hollywood ideal" of what a confident beautiful woman should look like.

Queen Latifah was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. The Queen got her first break in music when a demo tape featuring one of her raps made its way to Tommy Boy Records. She was signed and immediately became a hit. She won the Best New Artist Award in 1990 for her album "All Hail the Queen" which also went platinum. The second single from the album, "Ladies First," was eventually named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll.

By the time her second album "Nature of a Sista'" came out in 1991, Queen Latifah had begun investing in small businesses in her neighborhood, and acting both in television and movies. After the death of her brother and a soured deal with Tommy Boy, The Queen released her third album, "Black Reign", and founded Flavor Unit Records and Management. She also landed a regular spot on Living Single and went on to star in a plethora of feature films including: Set It Off, The Perfect Holiday, Taxi, and Bringing Down the House.

Thanks to Hachette for this giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:

• One entry only - Please comment on why you want this book
• Be sure to leave your e-mail if you don't have a blogger ID. Bloggers - you must have a public profile and listed e-mail to find you
• Only residents of the US and Canada may enter
• Please no PO Boxes!!!
• The drawing will last till May 20
• Random number generator will be used - 3 copies to give away
• I will post the winners here on May 21
• Winners have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected

WINNERS - bekki1820cb, caliblue7, quzy

Review - Bringing Down High Blood Pressure By Chad Rhoden

High Blood Presuure - Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is, by definition, a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg -- a systolic pressure above 140 with a diastolic pressure above 90. High blood pressure typically develops over many years, and it affects nearly everyone eventually. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily detected. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your doctor to control it.

Usually high blood pressure is treated with regular aerobic exercise, weight reduction (if overweight), salt restriction, and medications. This book tells you how to really do it.

This book tells you how to make changes in all of the areas to lower your blood pressure naturally. The book recommends the DASH diet which encourages the eating of whole, natural foods and lowering consumption of red meats, sweets, and sugar to reduce weight. It also includes about 70 healthy recipes to help you with your diet. The book explains that being physically active is one of the most important things you can do to prevent or control high blood pressure. It recommends both cardiovascular exercise and muscle-strengthening.

The book It explains the effects that tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, and stress has on your blood pressure and why it is so important to change these habits and behaviors. You will be told to limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day (which is very hard to do if you eat out).

Dr. Rhoden weighs in on alternative therapies for reducing blood pressure, while Schein gives practical advice on nutrition, tips for healthy food selection and preparation, and 70 tantalizing recipes each with its own nutritional breakdown.

Product Details
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: M. Evans and Company, Inc. (February 16, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590771591

ENDED Book Giveaway - Get Rid of the Performance Review! By Samuel A. Culbert, Lawrence Rout

Get Rid of the Performance Review!

How Companies Can Stop Intimidating, Start Managing--and Focus on What Really Matters

The performance review. It is one of the most insidious, most damaging, and yet most ubiquitous of corporate activities. We all hate it. And yet nobody does anything about it. Until now... Straight-talking Sam Culbert, management guru and UCLA professor, minces no words as he puts managers on notice that -- with the performance review as their weapon of choice -- they have built a corporate culture based on intimidation and fear. Teaming up with Wall Street Journal Senior Editor Lawrence Rout, he shows us why performance reviews are bogus and how they undermine both creativity and productivity.

Samuel A. Culbert is Professor of Management at UCLA Anderson School of Management. He is the recipient of the American Association of Publishers Best Management Book of the Year award and the Harvard Business Review McKinsey Award.

Larry Rout is an editor at the Wall Street Journal.

Thanks to Hachette for this giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:

• One entry only - Please comment on why you want this book
• Be sure to leave your e-mail if you don't have a blogger ID. Bloggers - you must have a public profile and listed e-mail to find you
• Only residents of the US and Canada may enter
• Please no PO Boxes!!!
• The drawing will last till May 15
• Random number generator will be used - 5 copies to give away
• I will post the winners here on May 16
• Winners have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected

WINNERS - formycontests, sharon54220, slawoszewski, aliyadaya, johnnystruckwash