tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35381937116618087752024-03-28T02:11:21.351-07:00Agency Couture BlogA COMPANY HELPING OTHER COMPANIES BUILD THEIR BRAND BY TELLING THEIR STORIES ONLINE.
DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-69676789346460354952018-03-02T08:30:00.002-08:002018-03-02T08:38:02.715-08:00Tips for Freelance Designers Who Want to WIN Projects Online<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEavVFbWXj9poimh9WNBMgbIb7UNSsx79DDFR71K2RlCEn0mB-EU5c0Ttu5APcrAeTA7yPtNZLpS9_OQ29n9_jIx5H-g8Lv78HChV6tj8pxhpCQeHbgHbNoCuYJpJAxyu_v0BB8ptxWMc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-03-02+at+10.37.18+AM.png" data-original-width="1078" data-original-height="1600" class="thumbnailtop" width="100%" itemprop="image"/>
<p>A quick tip for freelance designers who want to win projects online. Do you do work on UpWork, 99Designs, GIG, Fiverr, or Freelancer? If so, this post is just for you!</p>
<p>There are a few things that will help your potential clients REALLY like your work and make YOU stand out from the crowd. </p>
<h2>Know what the client wants</h2>
<p>1) If you participate in any kind of contest for design work READ the directions. ASK questions. IF you deviate from the project brief requirements only do so by explaining your choices and ALWAYS include at least one (1) design that CLOSELY follows their requirements. Yes, I understand you are a designer so you think you know better but if they wrote it-- there might be a reason why it's in the brief. Color is one example of this. I have seen a lot of designers completely disregard EXACT hex code color requests. WHY?! </p>
<h2>Get Feedback</h2>
<p>2) Ask for blunt feedback, even if you don't handle criticism well. When I hire designers I do not coddle them anymore. I did at first with nice polite requests - -and I still say please and thank you but I'm very blunt about what your design is lacking but I also provide very positive constructive feedback when you do well AND praise you publicly. If you don't get it or are unsure why your designs are lacking, ASK. Many clients will not tell you because they either don't know anything about design or because they are too afraid to be honest. If that is the case, email me. I will give you strong feedback to improve your work. </p>
<h2>Don't SPAM. Combine variations in ONE image.</h2>
<p>3) If you make multiple designs that closely match but have deviations like color, typography, or a minor illustration change do NOT submit them as multiple entries. This is EXTREMELY annoying for clients. If your design is something they like they can not easily compare your work and if it sucks they have to take the time to negatively rate or remove every one of your submissions. It's spammy to submit the same design with a minor tweak 2, 3, or 10 times. DO NOT DO THIS. Don't. Instead, almost every platform allows multiple submissions at once! This is great because It shows the design but the variations paginate. Plus the client can simply rate it once. Now, if they say they like that design --- of course you will submit more similar variations BUT not the first time and not for simple revisions. Each time you make a submission, do it all at once. Ok so, what is the best way to do this? Your FIRST submission should be a lined of version of the deviations all in one design image. I personally like when they are lined up vertically because it shows up better in thumbnail previews and you get more space IF it is a logo with horizontal text. For Vertical designs like websites or logos with the image above the text you will want to do horizontal rows of your comparison images. You can make multiple rows if you have more than 3-5 designs (depending on size). </p>
<h2>Look at your work</h2>
<p>4) QA your work. Do this on your own. Do this with a friend or spouse. Just make sure you give it a good looksie. I had an art professor once (for a painting class) that told me you need to step back from your painting at least every ten minutes to truly see the whole picture. She meant it. Literally you stand up, take 2 to 5 steps BACKWARDS and look at it from a distance. This may be hard if you have a tiny screen, so get a better monitor when you can. The point of this is to see the whole work, all at once, from a distance. Get some perspective. Spell check. This works for design too. If you have a website design zoomed in so you can only see the header area or footer but it's a long page... you're not getting perspective. Print out the design if you have to. Put it up on the wall and use a marker to mark it up (this is better if you have a cork-board.</p>
<h2>Have fun and get feedback</h2>
<p>5) Have fun with your job. Be open to feedback. In fact, ENCOURAGE feedback. Too many people are PC these days and afraid to truly tell you what they think. They think the design is your baby and by saying anything negative it will hurt the baby. It wont, it will make the baby better. It will polish the baby and refine your design (enough with the weird baby metaphor) into something great. Accept criticism. If you immediately feel defensive when hearing something negative about your work, SHUT UP. THINK. REFLECT. Then speak, if necessary (preferably not much other than thank you). Talk less and listen more. This is hard. I know. Just shut up and ask people to be super honest. Say it like that, "hey! I have a new design will you critique it for me? I want a great design so it's very important to me that you are EXTREMELY honest. You will not hurt my feelings, if you see something you don't like just say so." If you feel the need you can also clarify with, "I may or may not use all of the feedback you provide but I will take it to heart and consider it for my work" If you do that you need to follow up to reiterate, "Please though, be blunt." It may sting at first. It's a skill that most GOOD design colleges start you off with early. I hated it at first and now love it. It's hard and icky feeling (at first) but important if you want to be any good. You will receive feedback all the time and you need to be open to it. </p>
<h2>Use common patterns or hire a UX person</h2>
<p>6) Design (other then the science and pattern side of it) is fairly subjective and open to interpretation but most PATTERNS are that way because they have been tested and WORK. Don't always reinvent the wheel. When in doubt, work with a UX person. </p>
<p>Ok that is all the tips for this morning. More later! Hope that helps someone. Please provide ME with feedback. Did you like this post? Hate it? ;) Let me know in the comments.</p>
DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-62237685059065017002018-02-15T12:15:00.002-08:002018-02-15T12:15:32.165-08:00Build a FREE Website<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoUi19zWCqqq5UDBoAV6dtr-zeOwVfm2RgTVKq_0KwL6oAkpeZDNn7uhCWX4SrIwDhYSQOmJRzs7D_EXa2c_AzBvkALPmpDiw3pW2La3k3isVoH39UH1rN-BDXl5_a39b6nLc7lnMYlU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-08+at+8.52.01+PM.png" data-original-width="884" data-original-height="886" alt="how to build a free website"/>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
I've seen a lot of people on here down because they don't have enough money for a site. Until you can afford a developer or templates... build your own.</div>
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There are LOTS of options where you don't have to pay for hosting or the domain. FREE WEBSITES. Examples are WordPress, Google Sites, Blogger etc. These give you a free subdomain like <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyourcompany.blogger.com%2F&h=ATNy5cV9tbVVjYY026PWCfY_E8Yk0kcZjXtqPAuIvrIOKaMq4g-Uw222z-1avZPpQ-_eiATVxRU59m-5H3T8dIc30gmRLDmROn9EWQ9QA_bMpk-vvx_A9qnZdDpXGr_MaEq3uMt3AK3mHsACNmUUuR5l-f98lRW9hHjG5EG-ejLYiLmVO-jCcqrwK1OdJwvKrEzI9M2eWpD4PTaRW7WJqgSuR_n71vkSRdQMoCsUYVL95YM8iDAInJXJB_3j_yDHhQKG4m2WUHmG8O8QuemOqP0k-thH" href="https://yourcompany.blogger.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">yourcompany.blogger.com</a> - yes the url is ugly BUT it's a free website and when you get the money you can easily add the custom domain for $12.<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
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So don't despair.</div>
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Now if you want to make money on your site drop shipping or blogging you will need more effort. You can get a <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FCJ.com%2F&h=ATO1vx7IlMw-LhweJ6-gSe--mu2yqxxyui87lu6giHHoYc_xK8Gol-tHCuAHiQi426ahLfuhLosSX7XKpc8Idyuh-lvW7wItUP5tfKkurzTFYFi8cJDjurC-xoY_P3Xs79iTgyAjXhu9J4aq9q_PKv_UrO9iId8IryvIwHy3804yW4vQPvZXa8gJQ4n23HBVMLBmV1LoGx-7CKwlI2LcXvvfgfEQy9SZck2ly3kZcF_dDlABMKrPFaUuXDUE2pkVxZtuLAsr-8iWFKmJf-rGzA" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CJ.com</a> account to make ad money. Write a white page or book and give it away or sell it. You could do member only content that you charge a subscription fee for.</div>
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To add an ecommerce shopping cart to these sites, you just need a plugin or a little ingenuity. You can add a store using Amazon Seller, an iframe of your Ebay, links to your Ebay, or look up online templates. You could also just use your preferred payment tool like Square or Paypal on individual pages or feeds with your products.</div>
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LOTS OF OPTIONS.</div>
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If you want more advice, just ask.</div>
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If you found this information helpful, please share and follow us at <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" href="https://facebook.com/agencycouture" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">http://facebook.com/agencycouture</a></div>
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DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-41274592353253170252018-02-15T12:14:00.002-08:002018-02-15T12:14:40.362-08:00SEO 101: How to Get Started Optimizing Your Site to Show Up in Search Engines<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueqdebRT29Fm2_NwQTQGNLgaD-A9uJWSROBH10pRxQaUOrTixmQhBSwMnhXGrVUbf37a0cEIJX-_UdHMFrovy03ENlAA66QEHiEJcIG0cUiDh9vIO37Q2u0P6y5mTYLr5KhQVA3kWJ0A/s320/FREE.png" width="320" alt="SEO 101"/>
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SEO Seem daunting? Here are a few quick tips:</div>
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If you're doing SEO it takes time, but you need to do research. I've had too many clients come to me and say, "I searched for myself on Google or had XYZ friend or family search for me and we're number one." OR "I want to be number one on Google." Being number one is arbitrary, especially if you are picking random words that your customers are not searching for.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2Fy62WiQETyQ5QjakrSGy0xjDvGJmBi8jH2NlvwcGwDMvsB1CYwftSM_NqakJDV1ffkhWKJbA652muvf1WTof8gkk8FMM_HYCDHaH7rk_blo-mp83-qW_N-DLw-DF5z8Vuq3enbXaeo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-08+at+8.46.45+PM.png" data-original-width="1556" data-original-height="866" />
<b>Step 1. </b>User research. Who is going to buy your product? Why do you know that? Who are your competitors and why are you different (better, fast, strong, longer etc.)? Know your demographics and make a persona. What motivates them? Why would they buy from you? Who are real people like that persona?</div>
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<b>Step 2. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Come up with a brand that would appeal to that person. Branding should be consistent. Be all over the web. Join social media with the same exact name, professional photos, consistent brands, solid descriptions, imagery that has a certain style to it.</span></div>
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<b>Step 3. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">A solid website. Yes, you could setup a do-it-yourselfer and could do pretty well. You could get on a site that doesn't run very quickly because it can't handle hardly any bandwidth. If you add too many plugins you could open it up to vulnerabilities and slow it down (performance). Test your performance.</span></div>
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Ways to test your site:</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgtmetrix.com%2F&h=ATP4ys09rmhKCPKI5rYxNorR_EdRel_k1dPc1NdEM7aCUWJtNhJ-TpF9cdeV2FluUpiYtFVG7YpkT3mKlhEICnVzNowAK-UO08DB2yc3uTTogBfxEqB6gX6dyG2CsjwwP_a-_dPwhfiDoexP4gqkj3JKybStbGzAAsfEeBZffBUls_5XwQRO1myaQAghbPv-U3HiX6-2ifbJaD3WZA2VUzb-RHHVLhmwIzMldSL7DE-DG4wrT7jO1uxFxVW74FwKyjTIGrHHz79RkA" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://gtmetrix.com/</a></li>
<li><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdevelopers.google.com%2Fspeed%2Fpagespeed%2Finsights%2F&h=ATPiJOhUE8hziucxAnYn2Hj_Q_1XlNoj2DyuD_CU1p9riESgUm1DYPK7PvGzgy6fIU5n5tGgKZQirZzatZL2CfKapKSuISIKtRz8DKdpV8zrgAYamIzwHOowXBmsOD4T-z3WpcvEPtW21wkSofqSCOZRvXjkrtboc5G4GQDU7vgAoWzVCsban6jlAJ180DKqOmRE698V5NrNVudllfnzpm9UoAgs6n_I2__HsARIsctRj4W9_3j6UDZbvWrjTrSqTqqkLH1I5Xe_KQ" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/</a></li>
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This solid website should be built with good code. Some sites do not allow developers to access code or add meta data. Learn what meta data and micro data means. WIX is an example of a template content management system (CMS) that doesn't allow you to access much code. It's easy for beginners but sucks at SEO.</div>
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Wordpress is strong at SEO and often crappy at performance and security because beginners bog it down with plugins and don't update it.</div>
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Square space is another good option.</div>
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Research your options for checkout and payment processing. Don't lose customers at the last minute.</div>
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<b style="font-style: normal;">Step 4. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;"><i>RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH. </i>Know what keywords your demographic, in your target areas search for to find your site, similar sites, and what you sell. Know how much competition you have. There are sites that will tell you that a certain keyword has X number of searches and X number of competition. If you have high searches and low competition then you should be able to rank for that keyword in 1-3 months. If it's high competition then you should rank in 6-18 months. If you do it right.</span></div>
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Make sure it's relevant and track it with analytics.</div>
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<b>Step 5.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Make sure you have analytics. If a certain word always leads to sales. Use more of that keyword. Find low hanging fruit. Find bottlenecks. Look for pages that you lose a lot of people, and improve those pages with better content. Where does most of your traffic come from?</span></div>
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<b>Step 6. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Update your content at least weekly if not multiple times a day. If you suck at writing, hire someone. Use Scribd, Freelancer, Upwork or other similar sites. Hire a good copywriter. Make sure to integrate keywords.</span></div>
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If you don't know how use a plugin like Yoast, it will get you started but isn't perfect so look at Google Standards for this.</div>
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<a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdevelopers.google.com%2Fweb%2Ffundamentals%2F&h=ATOAZgdba4r9Fl4UAe6o1SC_LkyfSwKgpNkGvnhmATcFATvhM0EYxRywzJWhdZrYQN0R7zKS6OpaRb1fi0SicSlmaWoodQddUQjHQcOgqZ9PVOVKf9bvqD4H3JxQe8iAXHLA-VGnkoLZkPQwLV2FWalvNgJ7VVhxIOedU5s3o9gQ5Bo5OqR64v_WRdBJFCUNjmE9HELcD7OuzbS-qzKPEDJId1IGI7cktwJGUjfLvn-ryxWKgJZ58T0wxm-aXCHajRYRwR0AWwF2nQ" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/</a></div>
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<b>Make sure your site has:</b></div>
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- analytics (a free version is google analytics)<br />
- Robots.txt<br />
- Security<br />
- Up to date servers<br />
- Up to date CMS, plugin and theme<br />
- Sitemap and submit it to Google<br />
- Register your site with Google Webmaster Tools <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fwebmasters%2F&h=ATPDhacX2QQfzjeHFJ6bzTwkAv_QulPGc2dpmcISOQQmJGJ1wdB3jg3dfsN892dr8puxvOby1UTO-T2-u4BtxIfdZmGF5TxtJVZ5z1gBmJl9gJCc4T2Ztt0QqXEXITZkjFKlzqWQJGGBHcbxZKBeuQ4YsZHser9VfzsTWynF0ZA1tQYeNYB3Bkm780XLfuUiyTgWTX3uGipX4O1ljP5TO-VwRE9BlKJduqro5oCMI-2lHil2zszO3qYShGKcXSDoU5qzyQPTPnsvUA" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.google.com/webmasters/</a></div>
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<b>7. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Schedule posts. Start by monthly until you have one for each month. Try to do a content calendar with specific themes. Then weekly. Then daily. Then multiple times a day.</span></div>
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<b>8. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Coordinate efforts with social media. At first it might be ok to push your posts to and from social media, yes this can be easily automated. You can even use your RSS feed to automate an email newsletter with Feedburner or Mailchimp. Customers want interesting fresh, clickbait to draw them in. Flashy photos, interesting headers, good excerpts. Try to make each platform unique. Research hashtags.</span></div>
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Automation tools like hootsuite, IFTTT, hubspot.</div>
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<b>9. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">You NEED PR and backlinks. You need other sites that have high SERPS aka high ranking in search results to link back to your website. You can do this by posting on sites that are directories like DMOZ, write for another blog as a guest, comments, social media, answer questions on an expert site like Quora or WebMD or eHow, or do an influencer outreach program. Find sites relevant to your field. Do not join pyramid linking schemes or you could be blacklisted. Avoid "Black hat" quick methods, like keyword stuffing.</span></div>
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<b>10. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Review old posts frequently as part of your content strategy. Review and update. Add new keywords. Lengthen your posts. Paginate long posts to improve time on page and lessen exit/bounce rates. Add photos. Make sure EVERY photo has an alt attribute. Describe the photo and include any text in the photo in the alt. You don't need a desc. or caption. You do need alt.</span></div>
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<b>11. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Learn what rich snippets are. Integrate them.</span></div>
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Marketing is never done. SEO is never done. It is time consuming. If you stop your ranking will go down. It will. It's like exercise. If you stop, you lose your results. If you're successful find ways to better service your consumer. Don't stop.</div>
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If you have extra money... invest in ads during your dry spells. This also takes effort and research or you will waste your money.</div>
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More help and advice... at...<br />
<a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" href="https://facebook.com/agencycouture" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">http://facebook.com/agencycouture</a></div>
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DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-60125765264756306942017-09-29T10:44:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:19:18.521-08:00Started a New Blog Called Designerly!<p>Very excited to announce my new blog, <a href="https://medium.com/designerly/ux-matters-6c2f242301ff">Designerly</a>. The content will focus on design methods, process, inspiration, ideas, and industry problems.</p> <p>The first article focuses on why UX Matters, high-level methods, and who is directly affected by UX deliverables.</p><p><a href="https://medium.com/designerly/ux-matters-6c2f242301ff" target="_blank" style="cursor:pointer;"><button class="button center" >Check It Out</button></a></p><BR><BR><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlZNmARYswGJY4rLcjqiRk98K1fO9KtWOvQXltEaDcp8fSskoJLnuqSliLxexWyRn0tLtW2_3nWTT0a33j4sf-EtAGoQRDkOM1ZAKAP29Rak7rzkzUmP9Hue1jk1l9075P9CiQ1FAFAk/s1600/logo-1.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlZNmARYswGJY4rLcjqiRk98K1fO9KtWOvQXltEaDcp8fSskoJLnuqSliLxexWyRn0tLtW2_3nWTT0a33j4sf-EtAGoQRDkOM1ZAKAP29Rak7rzkzUmP9Hue1jk1l9075P9CiQ1FAFAk/s1600/logo-1.png" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="72" style="max-width:100% !important;"/></a> <p>If you have questions, comments, or content ideas -- please share in the comments!</p>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-24538168645375412112017-02-23T09:23:00.000-08:002018-02-15T14:19:20.678-08:00Duolingo Group Project<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNGD2uwvy0X_yFdQK6_hmrr2cizBCINM_nHB8Iu_6TgwAKoqFKVoXZ6aXM7sDm_gb_-BTxJOFYQC8fPfz0OPctEnaH1-jiB-7COTCxp0WrCZM-EfgDmaUsubpVFL0TbuutbfGzn9tpCM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-23+at+11.23.36+AM.png" style="width: 100%;"/><div class="clearfix"></div><p>Young Ju Cho wrote a nice blog post about our group research project.</p> <p><a href="http://youngju-cho.squarespace.com/new-blog/2016/5/7/usability-testing-duolingo">http://youngju-cho.squarespace.com/new-blog/2016/5/7/usability-testing-duolingo</a></p>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-83810256868417965782017-02-23T09:21:00.000-08:002018-02-15T14:19:21.120-08:00Found These Old Newspaper Articles<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBfY7J0EqrEmZFiwlWMB6nNLWKakp7TAygfgwyKhmRZbSlt5HxAyL6GLe03Au1pD_yAWBZduXKtOW5nsIlhcRlTk9pmv27c6ZKUzyKsb5YGfhBhQB7ubXB5Jhp8TYrqQu2Xpa-aZuqfI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-23+at+11.21.24+AM.png" class="left"/><h2>I was in the news...</h2> <ul><li>https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/128265356/</li><li>https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/128264902/</li></ul> <p>"...Des Moines and Desarae Veit, 14, of Dexter have been selected as finalists in the Miss Iowa American Coed Pageant..."</p>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-63426654425723974552016-09-26T12:01:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:19:23.676-08:00Considerations with Multitasking Katherine Anthony Reading Reaction, Week 2 - through the eyes of a journalist COLLAPSE I found the “Cognitive control in media multitaskers” reading to be extremely interesting – especially because my area of emphasis is in journalism. We have frequent discussions about the evolution of multitasking in media and the impact that has on attention span. From a content perspective, we write to appeal to an audience that has a short attention span and who is likely preoccupied and just wants the down and dirty facts. That’s where the inverted pyramid comes into play – most important details at the top and information becomes less important further down the piece. <a name='more'></a> That being said, the results are quite startling to me. While I think it makes sense to say that HMMs struggle to filter irrelevance, I don’t know that the distractions that they may encounter ignore the LMMs altogether. It certainly shows that it’s an easy distraction for HMMs but depending on what that distraction is, LMMs could be just as susceptible. In my opinion, the way that media is approached – at least “text” media – both print and online – the audience that is being catered to is actually the LMMs and not the HMMs since it is the LMMs who have the ability for top-down attention. With the evolution and availability of different media platforms (cell phones, tablets, PCs, laptops, Smart TVs) since 2009, I wonder if these results would be the same today. The reason I’m curious about this is because, especially during population sport seasons, PIP (picture-in-picture) is heavily used to watch multiple games at the same time. However, you don’t often hear or see that the person consuming all of that media cannot differentiate between what is and is not relevant – aka what game had a significant moment over the others. In support of the situation I just mentioned, The Verge recently did a follow-up to the NBC Olympic coverage (or lack thereof when it came to quality coverage) and they criticize their lack of PIP options for watching multiple events at once. That article can be found here: http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/26/12646224/nbc-rio-olympics-2016-coverage-tv-ratings-streaming Do you think that enough has changed in the last 7-ish years to repeat this study and compare for the change (if there is any and exploring why/why not)? John Culliton RE: Reading Reaction, Week 2 - through the eyes of a journalist COLLAPSE Hi Katie, Great article. I had never really considered the PiP option as a way to parallel the study until you mentioned it, but it makes sense. As you say, most people wouldn't have a major issue remembering what event happened at what game. I wonder if the ability to utilize multiple media platforms without distraction could be impacted by "what" those platforms are providing. For instance, in PiP you may be watching multiple sporting events, which relate quite well. However, if the different platforms are providing a spread of unrelated information, such as Facebook photos, CNN news articles, and ESPN on in the background, which are unrelated topics, would the effects be the same? Thanks for the response. Jack- Shelby Gosa RE: Reading Reaction, Week 2 - through the eyes of a journalist COLLAPSE To expand on what you suggested, John, I would also wonder if the type of media has an effect? For instance, radio is audio only. Information coming from places like Twitter and Facebook is text or reading only, the nightly news can be both audio and sight, etc. Some people are perfectly comfortable listening to the news on the radio while also reading articles online. Is there a difference in audio vs. sight related media? It would of course be difficult to listen to multiple audio things at once, but I would be interested in finding out what is more/less distracting, multiple media feeds with or without audio? Can you balance audio+visual feeds in the same way as you do multiple visual feeds? Is the level of distractedness different, or do audio feeds more or less equal visual feeds? I feel as though the audio may have a significant effect, though one would have to take into consideration the tendency of the users to "tune out" things that they don't want to hear. Desarae Veit RE: Reading Reaction, Week 2 - through the eyes of a journalist COLLAPSE Shelby, I like that you brought up the correlation between types of media and whether or not they are distracting. I'm sure it is very much dependent on individuals, but I would like to use my coworker and myself as an example. I have been doing UI/UX for over a decade and often like to listen to audio books while I work. I retain the information fine and even write book reviews on a blog, in my free time. I can only listen to the books when I code. It's a lot the tunnel vision. If I'm in the groove I can complete a whole website, after the strategy is in place, without thinking too much about it. I can not do this while doing other tasks, like writing a paper. My coworker likes to "multitask" with tabs but could never have other auditory distractions. --Desarae Katherine Anthony RE: Reading Reaction, Week 2 - through the eyes of a journalist COLLAPSE Jack, That's a really interesting question! Perhaps it's an unexplored element of HMMs/LMMs in assuming that what they would be watching would be related (definitely what I did!). I don't know that I've ever considered using PiP for multiple focuses - typically it's all sports or all news - I hadn't even thought to stream news while watching sports or vise-versa. But, to argue with myself, would it be considered low or high multitasking if you're using PiP? Would someone be considered a LMM if they're watching all one "subject" and a HGG if they're watching different "subjects"? PiP isn't extremely new, though it's rarely discussed unless it's in criticizing something or someone -- so while I thought the study that we read could have been viewed as outdated, I think it's safe to say that it's safe to say that it absolutely is outdated because of all of these new availabilities. Absolutely fascinating to think about. Thanks for bringing that up! Desarae Veit RE: Reading Reaction, Week 2 - through the eyes of a journalist COLLAPSE Katherine, I did not consider the age of this study. Bravo to you for pointing that out. Considering smart phones and advancements in gaming, computers, and television- I would absolutely say this study could use an update. Who knows, maybe the data would be the same but I see a few factors in the original study that also gave me pause to question the data's accuracy (discussed in my response). When I was growing up the internet was dialup (you remember the AOL discs?). It took minutes, sometimes well over 10 for one page to load. Now, we get mad or leave if a page takes more than .3 milliseconds to load (I read that in a study once but websitemagazine.com says 2-3 seconds). The same original study also discussed that most users only give pages 2-3 seconds to determine if it was relevant before deciding to leave or engage with the site further. My experience as a designer and someone who loves reviewing website analytics would correlate with that information, since my bounce rates seem to occur high and quickly on landing pages or almost not at all. DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-38963179355356458822016-06-03T12:36:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:19:29.560-08:00Website: Ultimate Hearing Center<a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2016/06/website-ultimate-hearing-center.html#more" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvv75oO08bi0iFQW22X_9rASx2QyJNKGwvvoThy4mFPH2Xjd9GVgD4hyjkgTl4NxBXWLUb2K6TJcywGhG-dN9h_EI6pnJbUdtMtiD6eSVweWI8sO0ImlHwyxDR5hrCMM9fDKoWPsBFAI0/s1600/short.PNG" class="left" style="max-width: 100%;"/></a><a name='more'></a><h1>Design Portfolio: Ultimate Hearing Center</h1><h2>UI/UX Design and SEO Consulting</h2> <H2>Photos of Beta Redesign 1</h2> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62IIPwAfhzi9ASam4OdD_Cpy0SgDqNirbgf80M_9YXBGShg8MeofQW53Crz_dSifxvyWpPdyoeHluz0cgqNcLLA7IZpbgk2nmCApVQU_a7h-aFb50PmtOuKrXoIDkMVHhaJJrOY6JOgs/s1600/beta1-+financing.PNG" class="left" style="max-width: 100%;"/><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgQrCwjuWoV3ngw2AnWvpwL0WWeX9xzWoYjcZrXSs71lLmXsamh2QQQEou7cZnbi__NcjNAvaQfskEJzTHT0n0lnfdPlahznP6CWkg6YH0SlCuOCKlCDMCZEWy84oXWECG9tfqBg8WOE/s1600/beta1-+what+to+expect.PNG" class="left" style="max-width: 100%;"/><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1I8Bx_KghIvbtd0zFUKnnhQ1s3gbkCWlCcGc2KLUMghdIJZDNyGe7-pWGWM00gVeodzrDxSIOBaic1J3Fk7Znix8Hs8u9GRFF3wyuxeqGYVVTomQ2Ge2evcnwQgtUeAdPldDLEdryfU/s1600/beta1-about.PNG" class="left" style="max-width: 100%;"/><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2ALk06668X0h3LPATb9YlJOwJtxncBQCQH4F9ZttKAqzROmDZysAL1U0HCvIYyhyphenhyphenXkT772BsHRKyj5ztqk1O0Ui-kwmTCy8_B6PDeGcACDFENNIgcMK0ebDfhOKJLKsdTzJDHthEkdg/s1600/beta1-blog.PNG" class="left" style="max-width: 100%;" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABKG-7uYz56zVquqfeAdnGQKL5rrY95YW2hnnF1PzcSg5KVHy19AERQZStUOuLALCMZUvcxpWRlzrNZQdk_eCy6WYUkiG1mQjYFkrUhF1Rfo9ZUKDLBtHUBBFWUgddACZ_JBgmVSKg_M/s1600/beta1-contact.PNG" class="left" style="max-width: 100%;" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnW26YOEiWjVQnIPZMQUtHaippA2b9-c9ycMYhaQkj9KfqF8LdkUAigMXt53VGXaG9zYMqNXESRw98pT0XPc4EPg4ZUJKg7ecf8Ai0Z7yTI3JSN2zUcWGG41OIIlV85Dh65P5ZJ3VcRF8/s1600/beta1-home.PNG" style="max-width: 100%;" /> <h2>Original Design</h2><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGfkZhvV4CoiBJL6n4sGS5LsFVlWNkA2nEn8ScY2dQeAbcnwNQtTpsFbSHGMXnuQirSpYdPkpPIz53mIdz7cWOHd0kHYJUGHT4O4GHF1uCOzJC3WmZUoWFzaqGdXbVuCs58b7Tj2EPyg/s1600/original+-+home.PNG" style="max-width: 100%;" />DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-53470095774853458142016-06-02T15:06:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:19:30.001-08:00Website: StyleForDignity.com<a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2016/06/website-stylefordignitycom.html" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSalsUi4jOZQcHpSISZSKaDTNrdKwxg2aRn4AEjHdH3CJrZutPmIqjCQ1ODy5UEu94fsQEcopNin35xefKMudSvcaFuYQLmtj1j0gxKV-s34rZMLpI79V3BVf4efD6Uw-5knvB5cb_4tY/s1600/dignity.PNG" class="left" style="max-width:100%;"/></a><p>Style for Dignity is a website built for dig·ni·ty events and fundraisers. The goal of the group is to raise funds and/or awareness for social justice issues. A list of the charitable entities and goals are listed on the website.</p><a name='more'></a><p>I did the graphic design, event management, social media, and most of the vendor management for the first event. The event was hosted at Della Viti in downtown Des Moines and sold out in under a week. Attendance was low the first time, since the venue was small and the day-of the event we had bad weather. A list of sponsors, volunteers, and videos/photos from the event are available on the website.</p><ul><li>Webiste: <a href="http://stylefordignity.com">StyleForDignity.com</a></li></ul>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-91879165298271149882015-04-04T12:53:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:15.808-08:00Freelance Design<p>I no longer do freelance work, except in VERY rare cases. Just updating an old post.</p><p>My company, Agency Couture, specializes in bringing small businesses online. We leverage<a title="social media customization, social media marketing, personal branding" href="/web/20120620140957/http://desaraeveit.com/blog/Agency-Couture/tag/social-media/"><strong> social media</strong></a> to reach your target demographic and bring consumers to your <a href="/web/20120620140957/http://desaraeveit.com/blog/Agency-Couture/tag/web-design/">website</a>. If you are new to the online space you may be interested in a <a href="/web/20120620140957/http://desaraeveit.com/blog/speaking/">training workshop</a> or <a href="/web/20120620140957/http://desaraeveit.com/blog/Agency-Couture/tag/personal-branding/">one-on-one classes</a> in person or via Skype. These courses can be customized to your needs. What takes the most time out of your day? Let’s put together a plan to show you how to simplify your tools and the time you spend online using the right databases, <strong>social media tools</strong>, <strong>metrics</strong>, and by implementing an easy-to-use back-end on your site called a <strong>content management system (CMS)</strong>. How can I help you and your business succeed online? Let’s chat about <a href="/web/20120620140957/http://desaraeveit.com/blog/Agency-Couture/tag/web-design/"><strong>web design</strong></a>, social media customization, or speaking opportunities, send me an email or use my easy to use <a title="contact desarae veit " href="/web/20120620140957/http://desaraeveit.com/blog/contact-me/">contact form.</a></p><a name='more'></a><h2 itemprop="name">Web Design and Social Media</h2><p>Are you afraid of the internet? New to the web? Computers can be scary for anyone, especially with all this ever changing technology and a new gadget coming out every week. So consider me, Desarae Veit, your web mercenary armed with a MacBook Pro, lots of professional software, know-how, and the ability to protect your company from the run-of-the-mill break downs, short comings, and hackers. You don’t have to build your own site, maintain all those security updates, or figure out Photoshop. That’s what I’m here for.</p><blockquote><p>Wikipedia loosely defines a mercenary as an independent party who is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party.</p><p>I’m not a hired gun or some spiritual guru, but I’m here for you. I can:</p><ul><li>Get your company online</li><li>Build your website</li><li>Design any graphics you need</li><li>Develop, Design, and Print Business Cards</li><li>Customize a Facebook Business Page</li><li>Maintain your website</li><li>Keep track of website updates, CMS updates, and plugin installation</li><li>Teach you how to use a content management system</li><li>Install a web design template</li><li>Social Media Marketing Training</li><li>Offer integrated search marketing, integrated digital marketing and social media marketing training</li><li>Setup a blog</li><li>Promote a blog</li><li>Advertising Alternatives</li><li>Customize Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, WordPress and many more.</li></ul></blockquote><h3>Freelance Web Design Consulting</h3><p>If I can’t do it, I will introduce you to other freelance web design consultants who can. Looking for web designing software? No need. Seriously, why bother when you could just have an experienced professional do it for you. No mess, no fuss. You don’t need to learn programming or learn web design. Plus I will never outsource your web design or social media project without your consent. Your project is completed in America (well unless I travel overseas short term for vacation). I’m a qualified WordPress designer with a bachelors in design from Iowa State University.</p><h3>Web Design Courses & Graphic Design Tutorials</h3><h4>Social Media Tutorials, Tips and Tricks</h4><h5>Public Speaking on Personal Branding or Social Media</h5><p>On the other hand if you are looking for online web design courses, graphic design tutorials, or social media training my blog is chalk full of useful information. If you want that information customized to you project I offer individual training, group training or your organization can hire me as your next speaker. My favorite topics are personal branding, social media tools, and web design tips but I can customize my speech for your audience. <a href="/web/20120620140957/http://desaraeveit.com/blog/speaking/">Check out my page called “Speaking” for more information.</a></p>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-75055583884910902472015-04-03T15:05:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:16.256-08:00My Bike Arrived at Northtowne Cycling!<a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/04/my-bike-arrived-at-northtowne-cycling.html " imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MyXZXF1SAq2CvWpz5t2Mj5bSZaMxRD4PeSbasoJfrvgHDFABr494edeWiD4MNy2EAST15PUf0aUOoahNlUgwbCQZZJXo7tn79hkN2BBE_hWA6-H7E8J4i6lcSSAuBFeud9dLWkkLle8/s1600/NorthTowneKalkhoffmain100.png" width="100%" title="Derek at North Town Cycling with Kalkhoff"/></a><h1 itemprop="name">Kalkhoff Impulse</h1><div itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><meta itemprop="author" content="DesaraeV"><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed">NorthTowne Cycling and Fitness</strong></p><p><strong>My Rating:</strong> <a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars">5 Stars <span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2sb6adb7N7_TPLlqDhUykuRYNATg_UmcEgtdFygrcRdHKNUpgZEupd2bJ6BZTNYle5SBlKWt9laHDdv5MD3COZ3-cshSpMjc-a1iv3VebbccCZZx9b0VU2Zh0o1pa9f1p3wm_iOZkWY/s1600/5+stars.png" alt="5 Stars" class="stars"><meta itemprop="ratingValue" content="5"><meta itemprop="bestRating" content="5"></span></a></p></div><p>Des Moines has a fair sized biking community and multiple bikes shops. Unfortunately not very many of those bike shops carry electric bikes. So I called around. That is when I met Derek, the owner of NorthTowne Cycling in Cedar Rapids. NorthTowne <B><i>does</i></b> carry electric bikes.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2QzC5MIW_gO266e7VCI6Kt7MQcbespmUKf0G4tW1Z_L8xMvMSpMyV1XlMc7g4828DT63DzvHrmkpoLi9aQoT8bMzEDNk9k3lNlRNDp1QTKKw5X9rfjywsK63kCJLTjXcMcvdMx0nlbU/s1600/kalkhoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2QzC5MIW_gO266e7VCI6Kt7MQcbespmUKf0G4tW1Z_L8xMvMSpMyV1XlMc7g4828DT63DzvHrmkpoLi9aQoT8bMzEDNk9k3lNlRNDp1QTKKw5X9rfjywsK63kCJLTjXcMcvdMx0nlbU/s1600/kalkhoff.jpg" class="left" width="45%"/></a><h2>Choosing a Bike</h2><p>Derek is a busy guy, especially in the spring, but took a lot of time to correspond with me via email and multiple phone calls to discuss what I wanted in a bike. I did my research before ever calling Derek and had narrowed down my search by talking to a few California bike shops. In fact, by the time Derek and I spoke for the first time I'd probably called over twenty bike shops and watched dozens of videos on Electric Bike Review. At that point, Derek was my last hope before ordering the bike I wanted from California and hoping it fit.</p><p>I've been wanting an electric bike for over a year. My research began in ernest fall of 2014, but really ramped up after I discovered <a href="http://electricbikereview.com">Electric Bike Review</a>. That's when I realized everything I wanted in an electric bike would not really suit me. Highly recommend checking out the Electric Bike Review community before even considering an electric bike. My original top 2 picks where immediately squashed by bad reviews and the amazing competition.</p><a name='more'></a><a href="http://northtownebikes.com" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5ZnHZIMiIii579CgjZMdPHi53s9khpmMpgxKBoNTGAre4-pS0SwndU1HNsa94wg2ielvr0r0CPXjqxtRmaA-s_8o-3i9SQdBx-zcXww7cTaulUz2TxKFC6BWOWX27NoRrOf_mai1bUk/s1600/NorthTowneKalkhoffsecond100.jpg" width="100%" title="Derek at North Towne Cycle Bike Shop with Kalkhoff Impulse 8 Electric Bike"/></a><p>I discovered a few bikes I thought I liked and discussed why I liked them, what I wanted to do with my future bike, pricing and specs with Electric Cyclery, New Wheel, Long Island Electric Bikes, and Derek at Northtowne. These stores have great customer service, even in a busy season. I'm impressed with the immediate responses and high level of service I've received so far. They all have fairly nice websites too, but none of them really have very good specs, reviews, extra images, blogs, or details. You will likely have to call, email them, or look up bikes else where to compare. Once I knew what I'd narrowed it down to 6 bikes the shops helped me narrow it down to the Kalkhoff brand.</p><h1>Kalkhoff</h1><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QLPcsd8d3So7_afwwFMPvnPepIjPezncUJeBHdNO0FW3RnoALVTgjWc-BzAaFlo3CyKfS1IQk27LjA-iHV2HjVOQQoeZ7MBLL25VcqNflULH3-W6mFZAvV7kmWLfvcWzE32NdWBVFe8/s1600/kalkhoff5.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QLPcsd8d3So7_afwwFMPvnPepIjPezncUJeBHdNO0FW3RnoALVTgjWc-BzAaFlo3CyKfS1IQk27LjA-iHV2HjVOQQoeZ7MBLL25VcqNflULH3-W6mFZAvV7kmWLfvcWzE32NdWBVFe8/s1600/kalkhoff5.png" width="100%"/></a><p>Northtowne did not carry the Kalkhoff line but I told Derek about the bike, why I liked it, and asked if he had anything similar. It turned out he did not, but was so impressed with what I'd told him that he wanted to start selling Kalkhoff and was willing to contact the dealer to order a bike for me. Derek and I first started talking March 17th, it's April 3rd, and my bike just arrived in Cedar Rapids. Derek will need a day to setup the bike, put together my estimate, and collect the other list of accessories I want to add-on but I couldn't be more excited.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijT3I1i7UUUnQoao7IelUBXk_obF-hI7O4USUXtlKL7H3SIY23J9Mb_EV6YhDFIvLnXvtQGfg7sWU-FywW0pgOt74hn8vnojhqu-_5JoOO6vRlF5MltEZt-6YsXkIjfDzyAgi_cJWXfMc/s1600/kalkhoff3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijT3I1i7UUUnQoao7IelUBXk_obF-hI7O4USUXtlKL7H3SIY23J9Mb_EV6YhDFIvLnXvtQGfg7sWU-FywW0pgOt74hn8vnojhqu-_5JoOO6vRlF5MltEZt-6YsXkIjfDzyAgi_cJWXfMc/s1600/kalkhoff3.jpg" width="100%"/></a><p>I'll post another blog post next week when I go to test ride the bike. It's only a 20 minute flight or 2 hour drive. I'm very excited. The Kalkhoff Impulse 8 is an amazing bike. According to specs and the dealer representative, this bike outrides the competition and is middle high-end in pricing. Stay-tuned for more details.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqh5X5-ZNCFylni5LB02QFvJZ1uVZlTRZYAw1ljrbdpHjfcxAwLeQbvVD2xVCniKvXpbSHsri2Y96TBvzx-8Q89BJMjW0pA1-Lfw2R9wQXVw1iYnXCuq00LpS7Bsgly_oU_123aM8B29s/s1600/kalkhoff2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqh5X5-ZNCFylni5LB02QFvJZ1uVZlTRZYAw1ljrbdpHjfcxAwLeQbvVD2xVCniKvXpbSHsri2Y96TBvzx-8Q89BJMjW0pA1-Lfw2R9wQXVw1iYnXCuq00LpS7Bsgly_oU_123aM8B29s/s1600/kalkhoff2.jpg" class="left" width="45%"/></a><h1>Read More Reviews</h1><h2>NorthTowne Cycling and Kalkhoff</h2><p>I found NorthTowne from Google Maps of all places. Des Moines electric bike selections are pathetic, so I made my search a little wider. </p><p><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/03/business-review-north-towne-cycling-and.html" class="button" title="Blog Review North Towne Cycling">Read More</a></p><blockquote><p><b>Disclosure:</b> No one paid me for this review. I did not receive any freebies, discounts, offers or threats from Electric Bike Review, the California Bike Shops, NorthTowne Cycling, or Kalkhoff in exchange for this blog post. I wrote this post because this blog is my personal diary. If, in the future, I am paid to write a post or given freebies from any of the aforementioned parties I will disclose it in that future post or in the disclosure section of this blog. At this time, Dragons have not chased me down and no one with wads of cash has coerced me into writing posts to sway you to shop at my favorite retailers. If I see dragons I will hide. If I'm offered cash or freebies for an honest review I will write it and disclose it. I am a sponsored ICEdot Athlete. I blog for them at <a href="http://ICEdotAthletes.com">ICEdotAthletes.com</a> and have received a few swag freebies from ICEdot.</blockquote>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-68990213723879788452015-04-03T04:30:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:16.693-08:00Book Review: How to Catch a Prince By Rachel Hauck Published by Zondervan<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Book" itemprop="description articleBody"><h1 itemprop="name">How to Catch a Prince</h1><div class="author">Rachel Hauck </div><h2>Book Description</h2><p>Prince Stephen came to America to escape responsibility. But what he found complicates his life more than ever.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGkQEhxtVrjbz4a2FkyKoOHujuAQcfQFwydIXHe2HVz9Ccz4xIuJLV3tzTz_0ipFNbt7dnOgqOnRWb5sLCVOSp5114SKUWMddz04Q4q6-Bng58_JYfTXwA49plLpWz36WSbiaNMD5HP4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-06+at+10.39.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img itemprop="image" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGkQEhxtVrjbz4a2FkyKoOHujuAQcfQFwydIXHe2HVz9Ccz4xIuJLV3tzTz_0ipFNbt7dnOgqOnRWb5sLCVOSp5114SKUWMddz04Q4q6-Bng58_JYfTXwA49plLpWz36WSbiaNMD5HP4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-06+at+10.39.18+PM.png" height="320" width="206" class="left" /></a>Corina Del Rey is happy with her life in Melbourne, Florida. She spends her days engrossed in her career as a journalist and has her sights set on climbing the corporate ladder-if for no other reason, to distract herself from her dissolving family. But when she is confronted with the past she fought so hard to put behind her, she struggles to make sense of her future.</p><a name='more'></a><p>Prince Stephen of Brighton Kingdom has moved on since the tragic death of his buddies in Afghanistan. A star professional rugby player, he has no intention of looking over his shoulder at what could've been</p><p>But when a notice arrives in the mail requiring his and his wife's appearance before the courts to dissolve their marriage, he must deal with the questions rumbling around in his heart. He thought his marriage had been annulled long ago, but his memories of Corina Del Rey remain close. Does he still love her? Can he even find her? Above all, can he tell her the truth about that fateful night in Afghanistan seven years ago? If he does, he might really lose her forever.</p><h2><strong>About the Author</strong></h2><p>RITA Finalist and Carol Award winner *Rachel Hauck *was recently chosen by Family Fiction readers as one of the top five romance authors in CBA. She has written more than fifteen novels, including the acclaimed Songbird novels with multi-platinum country singer Sara Evans. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband, and writes from her ivory tower (her office really is in a tower—and it’s painted ivory!).</p><p>Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the <a href="http://booklookbloggers.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BookLook Bloggers</a> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the <a href="http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255</a>: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”</p></div>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-64669568826269767842015-04-02T22:22:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:26.612-08:00Changing Permalinks in WordPress for WAMP Users<h1 itemprop="name">WAMP Tip</h1><p>Users of WAMP (Windows): Some versions of WAMP (all versions?) do not enable mod_rewrite or permit following SymLinks by default. <a name='more'></a> To enable the required functionality navigate to the apache/conf/httpd.conf file, open with a text editor and uncomment the line LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so (i.e., delete the hash/pound sign at the front of the line). Then further down in the same file there is a section that starts with the line "Options FollowSymlinks". Change the second line in that section from "AllowOverride none" to AllowOverride all. Save edited httpd.conf and restart all WAMP modules. Your permalinks should now work. –http://codex.wordpress.org/Permalinks</p>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-44228824671151209222015-04-01T19:43:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:27.365-08:00BOOK REVIEW: The Wood's Edge by Lori Benton (Sponsored by Blogging for Books)<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Book" itemprop="description articleBody"><img alt="The Wood's Edge by Lori Benton (Sponsored by Blogging for Books)" border="0" class="topthumbnail" itemprop="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mSDj8-cLCv7coXeMkaaYTr1uqWGlxBHyzWu1oI84XtWM1EQMI3M6AdSDApBT9ZR2JlFmcCaN5HoiKtMgycvivAaWx-08NsCw4fzdvErouPB8z1Iih0yiL5QN12p2AVwUh8G2ry3ITmQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-06+at+9.40.13+PM.png" height="0" /><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601427328/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1601427328&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=JYRPHHY22ZAKQOGM" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1601427328&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" /></a></p><h2 itemprop="name"><em>The Wood's Edge</em> by Lori Benton</h2><p><a class="button" href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Woods-Edge2.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="read the first two chapters of the woods edge">First Two Chapters</a></p><h2>About The Book</h2><p>At the wood’s edge cultures collide. Can two families survive the impact? </p><p>The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths.</p><a name='more'></a><p>On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief. His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife. When Reginald comes across an Oneida mother with newborn twins, one white, one brown, he makes a choice that will haunt the lives of all involved. He steals the white baby and leaves his own child behind. Reginald’s wife and foundling daughter, Anna, never suspect the truth about the boy they call William, but Reginald is wracked by regret that only intensifies with time, as his secret spreads its devastating ripples.</p><p>When the long buried truth comes to light, can an unlikely friendship forged at the wood’s edge provide a way forward? For a father tormented by fear of judgment, another by lust for vengeance. For a mother still grieving her lost child. For a brother who feels his twin’s absence, another unaware of his twin’s existence. And for Anna, who loves them both—Two Hawks, the mysterious Oneida boy she meets in secret, and William, her brother. As paths long divided collide, how will God direct the feet of those who follow Him?</p><h2>About the Author</h2><p><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoriBenton#" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lori Benton</a></b> was raised east of the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by early American history going back three hundred years. Her novels transport readers to the eighteenth century, where she brings to life the Colonial and early Federal periods of American history. When she isn’t writing, reading, or researching, Lori enjoys exploring the Oregon wilderness with her husband. She is the author of <i>Burning Sky</i>, recipient of three Christy Awards, and <i>The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn</i>.</p><p><a class="button" href="http://loribenton.blogspot.com/p/loris-books.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Lori Benton's Website">Visit the Authors Website</a></p><h2>I received this book from <a href="http://www.bloggingforbooks.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blogging for Books</a> for this review.</h2><blockquote><p>Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the <a href="http://booklookbloggers.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blogging for Books</a> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the <a href="http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255</a> “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”</p></blockquote></div>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-80562176222576625752015-03-31T18:03:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:27.805-08:00Free Flowers, Delivered - Bouqs<h1>Send 1 Bouquet Get 1 Free</h1><h2 itemprop="name">Bouqs</h2> <p><a href="https://www.thebouqs.com/refer-free?sal=5514a995458425&spop=0&bcid=1057">Get your free flowers</a></p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6hm5zX0Nlno" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p>Disclosure: If you click on the link to get free flowers, I might get free flowers too.</p>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-34944592990358484972015-03-30T20:54:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:28.242-08:00Featured Vlog - Book Nerd Paradise + @BrianRathbone<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Book" itemprop="description articleBody"><h1 itemprop="name">Book Nerd Paradise</h1><h2>Featuring Guest Brian Rathbone</h2><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v_ziG53_miU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p>Checkout Book Nerd Paradise on Youtube, or <a href="http://www.brianrathbone.com">Brian Rathbone and the World of Godsland</a>.</p><a name='more'></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiAh_d6Fe2jSpqs32SLYL0jqAJ2ncsBIOZxf8IyWjiSXTd_dLYV47i92YNUAYOR48FPdlctoUy9cv8Ne5Ud2cVnZ8h085DdndgqhwJHumUiiHLS5PqNMhMEYySK0pNkM-5VAw8p6hbr8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-30+at+10.36.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" itemprop="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiAh_d6Fe2jSpqs32SLYL0jqAJ2ncsBIOZxf8IyWjiSXTd_dLYV47i92YNUAYOR48FPdlctoUy9cv8Ne5Ud2cVnZ8h085DdndgqhwJHumUiiHLS5PqNMhMEYySK0pNkM-5VAw8p6hbr8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-30+at+10.36.52+PM.png" width="100%" alt="Brian Rathbone fantasy Author"/></a><h3>Links to Brian Rathbone:</h3><ul><li><p><a href="http://twitter.com/BrianRathbone" twitter="Author Brian Rathbone">@BrianRathbone</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://amzn.to/1EAEk3G">Godsland fantasy series</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/brian.rathbone">Facebook</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://BrianRathbone.com">Website (I built)</a></p></li></ul><h3>Please consider supporting Book Nerd Paradise by:</h3><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvOLCzTIT8_4u1MjHFk_BXQ">Subscribing to Book Nerd Paradise on Youtube</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/booknerdparadis">Twitter</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://bit.ly/BookNerdParadiseFB">Facebook</a></p></li></ul><h3>Get your FREE eBook of Blast of the Dragon's Fury (Andy Smithson Book One) at:</h3><ul><li><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CMUMCTS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CMUMCTS&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=WTAWT4T6GQTULXFU">Amazon</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://bit.ly/1EHc27G">Google Play</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://bit.ly/1wEkIc2">B&N</a></p></li></ul><h3>Links to LRW Lee:</h3><ul><li><p><a href="http://amzn.to/18cFHaG">Andy Smithson fantasy series</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/LRWLee">Twitter</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/LRWLee">Facebook</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://LRWLee.com">Website</a></p></li></ul></div>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-18629328920649923212015-03-27T20:36:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:28.683-08:00The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Book" itemprop="description articleBody"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZ_wZVeTMg942aYiNUElV9n2Jp4dZuk7GyLuX_dWFjMfYioG1BWxfccWwc5w5dN7rHL8ZfQrdIX7FWceV7mTPqci_TANV0PsflMo4s2-AuScs9rCnJBknaNctQFn6VjJSDl7jg-L1x_0/s1600/LTheFinishingTouches.jpg" itemprop="image" alt="Finishing Touches Hester Browne" width="100%"/><h1 itemprop="name">The Finishing Touches</h1><div class="author">Book Author: Hester Browne</div><h2>Romantic Comedy</h2><!--START STARS--><!-- <a class="adbl-rating-full one" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%201%20Stars" title="Book Rating One Star"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full two" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%202%20Stars" title="Book Rating Two Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full three" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%203%20Stars" title="Book Rating Three Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full four" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%204%20Stars" title="Book Rating Four Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> --><br /><div class="adbl-new-stars nullifyclearfix" id="adbl_stars_horz"><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Overall</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> </div></div><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Performance</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> </div></div><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Story</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a></div></div></div><!--END STARS--><p>If you love Hester Browne books or just funny chic literature, then you will love The Finishing Touches. This book doesn't start off as a typical Hester Browne novel with a free-spirited women running a business. Instead, she is running a finishing school for girls. You will learn about etiquette, fashion, and have fun while reading this novel.</p><p>I hope some day soon that Hester Browne makes this book into a series.</p><p>I highly recommend The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne.</p><a name='more'></a><h2>Similar Books</h2><h3>Similar Books by The Author</h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NY12GO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000NY12GO&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=CFUZL6NQ73CHLSXO" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000NY12GO&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" alt="Little Lady Big Apple"/></a><h4>Little Lady Big Apple</h4><p>Melissa Romney-Jones went from doormat to diva when she donned a blond wig, became Honey, a no-nonsense bombshell, and set up shop providing London's most clueless men with all the basic girlfriend services -- except, of course, for sex and laundry! Now, her business is booming, but when her flat-mate decides to renovate, she has to temporarily find a new place to live. Then Melissa's dashing American boyfriend (and former client) Jonathan Riley gets a promotion that takes him to New York. There's only one solution: an extended holiday for Melissa in the Big Apple.</p><p class="right"><a href="" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NY12GO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000NY12GO&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=CFUZL6NQ73CHLSXO" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCKRS8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FCKRS8&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=YDBBOSS6AJCBV2SN" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000FCKRS8&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" alt="The Little Lady Agency"/></a><h4>The Little Lady Agency</h4><p>Melissa Romney-Jones can bake a perfect sponge cake, type her little heart out, and plan a party blindfolded. But none of that has helped her get far in life or in love. When she gets sacked -- again -- she decides to market her impeccable social skills to single men. To avoid embarrassing her father, a Member of Parliament, Melissa dons a blonde wig and becomes "Honey," a no-nonsense bombshell who helps clueless bachelors shop, entertain, and navigate social minefields. She even attends parties if a client needs a "date." But when a dashing American starts to request Honey's services on a regular basis, it's only a matter of time before Honey's and Melissa's worlds collide....</p><p class="right"><a href="" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCKRS8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FCKRS8&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=YDBBOSS6AJCBV2SN" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0340838671/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0340838671&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=HECQO7SHJGXTICO4" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0340838671&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" alt="The Little Lady Agency"/></a><h4>The Little Lady Agency</h4><p>To avoid embarrassing her father, a Member of Parliament, Melissa dons a blond wig and becomes Honey, a no-nonsense bombshell who helps clueless bachelors shop, entertain, and navigate social minefields. She even attends parties if a client needs a "date." But when a dashing American starts to request Honey's services on a regular basis, it's only a matter of time before Honey's and Melissa's worlds collide.... </p><p class="right"><a href="" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0340838671/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0340838671&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=HECQO7SHJGXTICO4" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NLL0WW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001NLL0WW&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=J2BUJD24NWV2UWPI" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B001NLL0WW&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" height="200" width="131" alt="The Finishing Touches"/></a><h4>The Finishing Touches</h4><p>Twenty-seven years ago, an infant turned up on the Academy's doorstep, with a note tacked to her blanket by an elegant golden brooch -- Please take care of my baby. I want her to grow up to be a proper lady. Loved by Lady Frances Phillimore and her kindhearted staff, Betsy grew up aspiring to be an Academy girl. But when Franny and her husband, Lord Phillimore, advise Betsy to instead hone her considerable math skills at college, she brokenheartedly leaves behind the only family she's known. </p><p class="right"><a href="" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NLL0WW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001NLL0WW&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=J2BUJD24NWV2UWPI" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GEEBAAU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00GEEBAAU&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=PRQBDAC7244OZPCW" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00GEEBAAU&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" height="200" width="128" alt="Honeymoon Hotel"/></a><h4>Honeymoon Hotel</h4><p>A charming novel in the vein of The Wedding Planner featuring an ambitious and by-the-books event planner who finds herself at odds with her new assistant, who happens to be the son of her boss, on the eve of the biggest wedding of her career—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Runaway Princess and the Little Lady Agency series.</p><p class="right"><a href="" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GEEBAAU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00GEEBAAU&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=PRQBDAC7244OZPCW" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007EE4N1W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007EE4N1W&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=N3PGMYUHTYR52T57" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B007EE4N1W&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" height="200" width="128" alt="The Runaway Princess"/></a><h4>The Runaway Princess</h4><p>If Amy Wilde’s new boyfriend, Leo, treats her like a queen, that’s because he’s secretly a prince himself: Leopold William Victor Wolfsburg of Nirona, the ninth most eligible royal bachelor in the world. Amy soon discovers that dating an heir to a throne has many charms—intimate alfresco dinners, glittering galas, and, for a girl who lives in jeans and wellies, a dazzling new wardrobe with tiaras to match. But there are also drawbacks: imagine the anxiety of meeting your boyfriend’s parents multiplied by a factor of “riding in a private jet,” “staying in a castle,” and “discussing the line of succession over lunch.” Not to mention the sudden press interest in your very un-royal family. When an unexpected turn of events pushes Leo closer to the throne, the Wolfsburgs decide to step up Amy’s transformation from down-to-earth gardener to perfectly polished princess-in-waiting. Amy would do anything for Leo, but is finding her Prince Charming worth the price of losing herself?</p><p class="right"><a href="" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007EE4N1W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007EE4N1W&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=N3PGMYUHTYR52T57" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UYUP3A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003UYUP3A&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=G5G3SBNGB54ZSDH4" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B003UYUP3A&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" height="200" width="128" alt="Swept Off Her Feet"/></a><h4>Swept Off Her Feet</h4><p>Evie Nicholson is in love . . . with the past. An antiques appraiser in a London shop, Evie spins fanciful attachments to Victorian picture frames, French champagne glasses, satin evening gloves, and tattered teddy bears—regardless of their monetary value. </p><p class="right"><a href="" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UYUP3A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003UYUP3A&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=G5G3SBNGB54ZSDH4" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=desaraevcom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007EE4N1W" height="1" width="1" class="topthumbnail"/><div class="clear"> </div><center><p><a href="http://amzn.to/1KZwSCY" imageanchor="1" style="float:left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2I_Q7xFDujScCkKlemjIXX-Dcbm64-8ZG0uuTgBhfjEsT5Dmpe7kMeULx5iWwNHW4wyL2FpJwgSyEFEZuAmxxQ45ZIwh_EZ98x6hrs_0xiIibjlspY07fyaXgy7Y9wMixlnyQ997k14/s1600/audiblefreebook.png" /></a><a href="http://amzn.to/18deggV" imageanchor="1" style="float:left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyhVyXwULAA35hSYUVq0GCcSpRnG8fIQ3FWhrnH8ji-U6pSI8RtBpturw54oYc7UJt3DfJI0PRFaHWr_FFUtSxoAdAsvA2HurM_1ui1WcoWF68PJ6KI7CnewH7w-dc5MYxosjqRsGg2k/s1600/AmazonGroomingEssentials.png" /></a></p></center><!--best of awards --><div class="bestofaward"><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Favorite%3A%20Books" imageanchor="1" title="Favorite books"><img alt="Favorite Books Best of Books Award by DesaraeV" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf1hs4_D8ZNUIRrkRXJoTHcysI6bYkAZSlvTJnjMXDEcSRkTJJn0fAuRo9_C_DD4ekg5BZfrtVCu6ne7FytC796JxJc2sZzLhWfG3IaTnP0SaMorJdLti8EGgDOT9ivoV2OZbTkO1MVk/s1600/beststories.png" width="99" height="94" /></a><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Favorite%3A%20Authors" imageanchor="1" title="favorite authors"><img alt="Favorite and Best of Authors Award by DesaraeV" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJu8F_SH75l8klHd0cqx82hbgn4cfwFBEnRqV8N236T9n7NMipjLGB9U9dktsEMvGoIwoGJ2ryAJiTzZz-IiHnNll1iCBnI1pbt56lvXUZ9KOTIZ_ZSGYgsQpuwq3qn4xLdV-dSxTwNI/s1600/bestauthors.png" width="99" height="94"/></a></div><!--end best of awards--></div>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-80497707691986405752015-03-26T16:27:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:29.128-08:00Business Review: NorthTowne Cycling and Fitness + Kalkhoff Impulse 8<a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/03/business-review-north-towne-cycling-and.html" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVxG8HV-BAMEZ2Ai4TiEv9WVREkhyphenhyphenz1NLEB8z2fal_FnlrpO_-6tYaDPTqq4gSgvlZ8-KkmgZrhgfztbJPwYWhLibrV2fjsKLBL27mXzdduLoDjxmgo0OGuLDjwMy3p34Ygnj0z2q2No/s1600/Lbike-mainwide.jpg" width="100%" alt="Kalkhoff impulse 8 at Northtowne"/></a><h1 itemprop="name">Review of an Iowa Bike Shop</h1><h2>Cedar Rapids, IA</h2><div itemprop="review" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><meta itemprop="author" content="DesaraeV"><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed">NorthTowne Cycling and Fitness</strong></p><p><strong>My Rating:</strong> <a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars">5 Stars <span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2sb6adb7N7_TPLlqDhUykuRYNATg_UmcEgtdFygrcRdHKNUpgZEupd2bJ6BZTNYle5SBlKWt9laHDdv5MD3COZ3-cshSpMjc-a1iv3VebbccCZZx9b0VU2Zh0o1pa9f1p3wm_iOZkWY/s1600/5+stars.png" alt="5 Stars" class="stars" /><meta itemprop="ratingValue" content="5" /><meta itemprop="bestRating" content="5" /></span></a></p></div> <p>I found NorthTowne from Google Maps of all places. Des Moines electric bike selections are pathetic, so I made my search a little wider. Nearly had to order a bike from San Francisco. Shipping a bike that you can't test first is crazy, so I was extremely excited to speak to the folks at NorthTowne. I sent them an email with everything I was looking for and they gave me valuable feedback that helped narrow down my options. I then read reviews and watched videos on Electric Bike Review to follow up. </p><a name='more'></a><p>Derek, the owner, followed up with me in a very timely manner and went out of his way to look into the Kalkhoff line I'm interested in. He's even considering bringing in the entire line! I couldn't be any more excited or grateful to find this shop. I'm disappointed they are not located in Des Moines, but he says the drive is only about 2 hours and right off the interstate. If you can fly, they are about 5 minutes away from the local municipal airport. So in about a week, I'll be headed to checkout the bike I've been mooning over and hopefully have my new ride in less than two weeks. </p><p>Oh they also participate in a no-interest for 1 year financing program, if you're interested in that, it seems to be kind of hidden on their site. Derek, told me how to get to it or I never would have known. It's the photo in the top right of the site. </p><p>I highly recommend this place. Everything has gone really well so far. I'll let you know what I think of the location after my visit and maybe even write about it on my blog.</p><div class="right"><p><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.refmobworks.com/syelpreview?phone=319393-6557 "></script></p></div><h2>NorthTowne Bikes</h2><p>1150 Blairs Ferry Rd NE</p><p>Cedar Rapids, IA 52402</p><p>Phone number (319) 393-6557</p><p><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/northtowne-cycling-and-fitness-cedar-rapids-2?hrid=AuR1-9E9uYeVPYwqoepYDA" title="North Towne Bikes Yelp">Yelp</a></p><p><a href="http://northtownebikes.com/" title="North Towne Bikes Website">Website</a></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/northtowne" title="North Towne Bikes Facebook">Facebook</a><p><a href="https://plus.google.com/+NorthtowneCyclingandFitnessCedarRapids" title="Northtown Cycling and Fitness on Google +">Google Plus</a><h1>Kalkhoff</h1><p><a href="http://electricbikereview.com/kalkhoff/agattu-premium-impulse-8/" title="Bike Review">Electric Bike Review of Kalkhoff Impulse 8</a></p><p><a href="http://www.kalkhoff-bikes.com/en/bikes/2014/e-bike/e-activity/agattu-impulse-8-hs-8-g-nexus.html">Website</a></p><p><a href="http://www.focusbikesusa.com/f/h/2015FocusKalkhoffE-Bikes.pdf">Specs</a></p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HQjcJ1JVCLI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><!--START: AMAZON HOVER ENHANCER ***********************************************--><script src="http://wms-na.amazon-adsystem.com/20070822/US/js/link-enhancer-common.js?tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=WE6XVGFS7S3N3FIP" type="text/javascript"></script><noscript> <img src="http://wms-na.amazon-adsystem.com/20070822/US/img/noscript.gif?tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=WE6XVGFS7S3N3FIP" alt="" /></noscript><!--END: AMAZON HOVER ENHANCER ***********************************************-->DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-86958286089905414252015-03-26T12:43:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:29.572-08:00Review: Hello Fresh Meal Steak Tagliata by desaraev<h1 itemprop="name">Meal Delivery Service</h1><h2>Steak Tagliata</h2><h3>Healthy Recipes and all the Ingredients Delivered Weekly</h3><div itemprop="review" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><meta itemprop="author" content="DesaraeV"><p><strong>My Rating:</strong> <a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars">5 Stars <span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2sb6adb7N7_TPLlqDhUykuRYNATg_UmcEgtdFygrcRdHKNUpgZEupd2bJ6BZTNYle5SBlKWt9laHDdv5MD3COZ3-cshSpMjc-a1iv3VebbccCZZx9b0VU2Zh0o1pa9f1p3wm_iOZkWY/s1600/5+stars.png" alt="5 Stars" class="stars" /><meta itemprop="ratingValue" content="5" /><meta itemprop="bestRating" content="5" /></span></a> of <strong itemprop="itemreviewed">Hello Fresh</strong></p></div><div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><object height='400' width='100%'><param value='http://ift.tt/1HPjpaV' name='movie'/><br /><param value='transparent' name='wmode'/><br /><embed height='400' width='100%' wmode='transparent' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://ift.tt/1HPjpaV'/> </object><a name='more'></a><p>via YouTube Capture</p><p>http://ift.tt/1E5YnqN</p></div><h2>Additional Thoughts</h2><p>I wish Hello Fresh offered how-to videos on their website. This is still a fairly new company though, so who knows what they will do in the future.</p><p> I'm an okay cook, but some things that may be obvious to a great cook are still new to me. I could have done better. I under cooked some of the potato wedges because I cut them too thickly. This may have been explained in a video. The meal tasted good and may be a little over priced. I do not think this is a two person meal. I did not finish everything, but unless one person wants a ton of veggies, it's a one person steak.</p><p>Hello Fresh only offers two price plans for their subscription. Users get a choice of 5 meals a week, and get to choose 3/5 meals to be delivered. They are marketed as 2 or 4 person meals. Portions are arguable. No 7 day meal plan or options to try all 5 meals in one week.</p> <h2>Try Hello Fresh</h2><p>If you are interested in trying Hello Fresh for yourself, here is a discount code: R7B475</p><p><a href="http://hellofresh.com/">Hello Fresh</a>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-35995234830890246162015-03-26T03:30:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:30.014-08:00Delirium (series) by Lauren Oliver<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Book" itemprop="description articleBody"><img border="0" itemprop="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpHe-9RRg5l7ErG_UMvsUh1ui-ApwYv-ZPB1dGTSJIU-GoOIDTkgGpTQW5ciMw61dJxiqKUnsNKa9zA5qOfs-4w9XKeW08umae3W5rVUjySI-I6XRhkictbAj0if4LVtQyggwHkCrpR0/s1600/Ldelirium.jpg" alt="Delirium" width="100%"/><h1 itemprop="name">Delirium</h1><div class="author">Book Author: Lauren Oliver</div><h3>Delirium Trilogy</h3><h2>Delightful Narration + Adventurous Cautionary Tale of a Futuristic World Without Love</h2><!--START STARS--><!-- <a class="adbl-rating-full one" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%201%20Stars" title="Book Rating One Star"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full two" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%202%20Stars" title="Book Rating Two Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full three" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%203%20Stars" title="Book Rating Three Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full four" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%204%20Stars" title="Book Rating Four Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> --><br /><div class="adbl-new-stars nullifyclearfix" id="adbl_stars_horz"><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Overall</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> </div></div><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Performance</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> </div></div><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Story</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a></div></div></div><!--END STARS--><p>Delirium is a story of the United States in a hypothetical future where scientists have cured love. In this world love is seen as a delirium, a mind-poison, and something to be feared. Men and women are segregated. The USA has borders reminiscent of the German Holocaust or the Berlin wall. Everyone is a prisoner. The procedure is required and at first the lead character is looking forward to it.</p> <blockquote><p>"The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't." Love, also known as Delirium.</p></blockquote><a name='more'></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTc6dAd_T-e8ZRKSGkAZ7r_awn_YoZkB04U4S5CYai3S1FqbIN7GJS0jIgup_OQ1sA1exMi6IZCRF-S78MzD7IYUylZpxxLSRZsSKkBZxkUekFK3sDTyE0VLO4-wr7PeqkaN6HxFPgBU/s1600/Ldelirium3.jpg.jpg" alt="Delirium" width="200" class="left"/><h4>Angst and Emotionality of First Love</h4><p>This first book reminds me of a few other stories. Delirium reminds me of the books: Matched, The Giver, Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, The Selection, Uglies (Pretties), Cinder, Unravel Me, V for Vendetta, and Shatter Me. </p><p>I adore this book. The series, so far, has me on edge. I enjoy the random quotes, the inspirational feel, and the sad love story. This is a teen book, but is interesting for adults too. Everyone can learn something from this story.</p><blockquote><p>“You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there, more than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to earth. People who love in a world without walls, people who love into hate, into refusal, against hope, and without fear.</p><p>I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.”</p></blockquote><h2>Publishers Summary</h2><p>"Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't." Lauren Oliver astonished readers with her stunning debut, Before I Fall. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it "raw, emotional, and, at times, beautiful. An end as brave as it is heartbreaking." Her much-awaited second novel fulfills her promise as an exceptionally talented and versatile writer.</p><p>Also included is a sneak listen to the <a href="http://amzn.to/1KZwSCY">first chapter</a> of the next book in the series (on Audible). Enjoy!</p><h2>Similar Books</h2><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/03/book-review-cinder.html" class="similarbooks" title="Cinder"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B005KJJ4F8&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" alt="Cinder"/></a><h4>Cinder</h4><p>The Lunar Chronicles starts off with a book called Cinder. This is a futuristic dystopian view of Cinderella in reverse. A young girl who loses everything in the worst ways possible only to discover things she never knew about herself and make lots of new friends against impossible odds on a mission to save two worlds. </p><p class="right"><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/03/book-review-cinder.html" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KJJ4F8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005KJJ4F8&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=VQZZ6ZQVGGKA272X" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/01/book-review-matched-book-1-unabridged.html" class="similarbooks" title="Matched"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5DCQeug4RbPqDYMSLa5W0AWJS3Sk5d1mAoi35XRwRh1CnCkZlaS9R7BRK_GtDmqSpqraRd36HJ3MatFKQPeEwMRTjNe3fyFQDZhFB6qeczDHvXNN1p_ck6qmRpGVk3OiaNUWihKjDO4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-24+at+9.05.15+PM.png" alt="Matched"/></a><h4>Matched</h4><p>This book reminds me a lot of the book, "The Giver" about a boy in a rigidly controlled society of structure and health. If you enjoy this book I recommend reading that one. You will not have ruined either book for yourself if you've already read one of them. They are completely different authors with very different endings just similar plots.</p><p class="right"><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/01/book-review-matched-book-1-unabridged.html" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Matched-Book-1/dp/B004EDP14Y/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=desaraevcom-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=MZKLHS3ZXS3BKT5S&creativeASIN=B004EDP14Y" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/01/book-review-one-by-kiera-cass.html" class="similarbooks" title="The Selection"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00JOGB2L2&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" alt="The Selection"/></a><h4>The Selection</h4><p>This is part of a series. "The One" is a compelling drama. Think futuristic version of "The Bachelor" that's what this is. It's a young adult fictional love story.</p><p>The book has a hardened King, a hopeful set of wannabe princesses, and a possessive set of suitors. America is the main character, she is obtuse, exhausting, secretive, rude, an idealist, and full of head games. Her secrets have secrets. It's annoying.</p><p class="right"><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/01/book-review-one-by-kiera-cass.html" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JOGB2L2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JOGB2L2&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=TTLNWFSLWZDED4IG" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><h3>Similar Books by The Author</h3><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5RmS1Nq972sJZ6j3wzCTFTkT6sIdgLpqXc2YyBDEgt9M-9dvDYtax4fS70K77z9yXfw9lDt874z0TM2o84D68dqt1fShEX0i5ZgiD7taV1dFc8DXPEZRXvX1EHZbUmfQtp_Krlk7DA0/s1600/Ldelirium2.jpg" alt="Delirium" width="100%"/><ul><li>Before I Fall</li><li>Pandemonium</li><li>Requiem</li><li>Panic</li><li>Hana</li><li>Annabel</li><li>Raven</li><li>Alex</li><li>Liesl & Po</li><li>Rooms</li><li>The Spindlers</li><li>Vanishing Girls</li><li>Panic Origin Story</li><li>Pitch Dark</li><li>The Shrunken Head</li></ul><!--best of awards --><div class="bestofaward"><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Favorite%3A%20Books" imageanchor="1" title="Favorite Books"><img alt="Favorite Books Best of Books Award by DesaraeV" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf1hs4_D8ZNUIRrkRXJoTHcysI6bYkAZSlvTJnjMXDEcSRkTJJn0fAuRo9_C_DD4ekg5BZfrtVCu6ne7FytC796JxJc2sZzLhWfG3IaTnP0SaMorJdLti8EGgDOT9ivoV2OZbTkO1MVk/s1600/beststories.png" width="99" height="94" /></a><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Favorite%3A%20Book%20Narrators" imageanchor="1" title="Favorite Narrators"><img alt="Favorite Narrators Best of Books Award by DesaraeV" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEsIftwBoH8_lX9bJ9qdxP26y3krL7_8bv9XI3Nb9sDKdQgGHplX2L2Xt1Lbs73P98a-_MEOUovYkLhfHtjEBuHktIkZQ7oBhSKw_uhfCpPlOvDhNS7SAWUUbpR3zNH3UmiGQOiC5ATY/s1600/bestnarrators.png" width="99" height="94" /></a><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Favorite%3A%20Authors" imageanchor="1" title="Favorite Authors"><img alt="Favorite and Best of Authors Award by DesaraeV" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJu8F_SH75l8klHd0cqx82hbgn4cfwFBEnRqV8N236T9n7NMipjLGB9U9dktsEMvGoIwoGJ2ryAJiTzZz-IiHnNll1iCBnI1pbt56lvXUZ9KOTIZ_ZSGYgsQpuwq3qn4xLdV-dSxTwNI/s1600/bestauthors.png" width="99" height="94"/></a></div><!--end best of awards--><!--START: AMAZON HOVER ENHANCER ***********************************************--><script src="http://wms-na.amazon-adsystem.com/20070822/US/js/link-enhancer-common.js?tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=WE6XVGFS7S3N3FIP" type="text/javascript"></script><noscript> <img src="http://wms-na.amazon-adsystem.com/20070822/US/img/noscript.gif?tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=WE6XVGFS7S3N3FIP" alt="" /></noscript><!--END: AMAZON HOVER ENHANCER ***********************************************--></div>DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-79067924298881512242015-03-25T04:30:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:30.455-08:00Product Review: St. Ives, Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub<h2 itemprop="name"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UVY8IE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000UVY8IE&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=I5YV26FQ2XYEGSKX">St. Ives, Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub, 6oz</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=desaraevcom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000UVY8IE" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></h2><!--stars--><div class="adbl-new-stars nullifyclearfix" id="adbl_stars_horz" ><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix" ><div class="adbl-rating-label">Overall</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars " ><img alt="5 stars" border="0" class="stars rating five" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tCB4p2HuxxnpAHobY6FJdDzlJNLrw4uWn1_yMipCNBe_wJkaLQH6xXQu9OrVGTpuyUEyrG8sxczT11R89p67oIwBOekLSJL6eRl7UONGboBqS1u8CZIDGZ5xRNKVmMvaUkE-g4hyphenhyphenZS0/s1600/5+stars.png" /></div></div></div><!--end stars--><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UVY8IE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000UVY8IE&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=I5YV26FQ2XYEGSKX" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uwV8Kea8Cs8xXesQHEOTgyhCvYtqJpS8ZDYYnblnKdrzBn2dzEBQ5pfaYPGigbWKbp08vcQ7D96GcSkICRL7Xg2vIeK4f0uXNMQR3pmfSlDY2-03bljxe7oJD-FWoxMUWCoI6dRfN8s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-02-28+at+2.28.48+PM.png" height="320" width="215" class="right"/></a><p>My little brother first introduced me to St. Ives' scrubs. He has been overseas for a number of years in areas that are not kind to on skin. So, he started using scrubs and face masks to maintain healthy skin and moisturize. One time, when he was home to visit we did face masks and he introduced me to St. Ives. </p><p>Actually, long before the face mask story he had asked my father and I to mail him some of this stuff. Anyway one way or another, my brother introduced me to this product.</p><p>I've always enjoyed using clean and clear products to prevent acne and clear out any unwanted goop from inside my pours. I still use it, but every few days or so I also use St. Ives. I highly recommend the product as a nice scrub to remove dead skin and to clean up. I do not recommend it as a daily scrub or stand alone product, however, my brother might say differently.</p><p>I buy most of my household goods on Amazon, because I hate shopping. I have this on auto subscribe. If you are interested, you can purchase <a href="http://www.amazon.com/St-Ives-Fresh-Apricot-Scrub/dp/B000UVY8IE/ref=cm_cr-mr-title" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">St. Ives for around $5-8</a> on Amazon.</p><blockquote class="tr_bq"><p><i><b>Please note:</b> At the time of this review St. Ives has never sent me free products, paid me to write a review, or given me discount codes. If I'm sent freebies or money I will disclose it in my reviews. I do however receive a few pennies if you click on the images or links provided to help you find this product and purchase it on Amazon. I only get that money if you click the links and then make a purchase. It's not a lot of money and if you like this blog, I hope that doesn't put you off simply because it helps support this bloggers writing habits.</i></p></blockquote><p>Happy online shopping and enjoy your clean, fresh, scrubbed skin!</p><a name='more'></a><h3 class="productDescriptionSource" >Product Description</h3><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UVY8IE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000UVY8IE&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=I5YV26FQ2XYEGSKX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5bf67GZua-Q-mCLy38w-3KVFa893s6DmL0x_cuPsCjFfjWouojVfnM8voPLi_qcrx6tPVuXTQY90bfQ2WfeZi1I2pyNYZnWskm3xTCKxwR9swl9drySSVGg244X4ppY4CkD3gAOea2w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-02-28+at+2.28.55+PM.png" height="320" width="223" alt="St. Ives" class="right"/></a>St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub deep cleans to leave skin healthy and refreshed. This mild formula is 100 percent sulfate free, and contains natural ingredients that purify and exfoliate for a radiant complexion. By gently removing excess dirt and oil, this scrub lets skin's natural radiance shine through.</p><ul class="a-vertical a-spacing-none"><li>One, 6-ounce tube of St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub</li><li>Scrub exfoliates to reveal smooth, radiant skin</li><li>Apply easily to moistened face and rinse with water--use 3-4 times per week for best results</li><li>Apricots contain high levels of cartenoids (Vitamin A) and antioxidants to nourish skin</li><li>St. Ives formulas use effective, natural ingredients for fresher, younger looking skin</li></ul><h4>Safety Information</h4><p>Avoid direct contact with eyes.</p><h4>Ingredients</h4><p>Water (Aqua, Eau), Juglans Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Meal, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetyl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Polysorbate 60, Ceteareth-20, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Fragrance (Parfum), PPG-2 Methyl Ether, Phenethyl Alcohol, Limonene, Linalool, Methylisothiazolinone, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract</p><h5>Directions</h5><p>Apply to wet face, massage gently and rinse thoroughly (avoiding contact with eyes). If you experience irritation, use less frequently.</p><!--START: AMAZON HOVER ENHANCER ***********************************************--><script src="http://wms-na.amazon-adsystem.com/20070822/US/js/link-enhancer-common.js?tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=WE6XVGFS7S3N3FIP" type="text/javascript"></script><noscript> <img src="http://wms-na.amazon-adsystem.com/20070822/US/img/noscript.gif?tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=WE6XVGFS7S3N3FIP" alt="" /></noscript><!--END: AMAZON HOVER ENHANCER ***********************************************-->DesaraeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354550301110673337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538193711661808775.post-66619495861213425752015-03-24T20:50:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:20:30.897-08:00The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Book" itemprop="description articleBody"><img border="0" itemprop="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVE07VWHGpko5F_9jXyxAGluTsa_thonAvz5UMBQzFkpzX7CEmSD6XUNDkN0tX2ZAoQy5ZvyDDkeBRhf-UczWiE1gut19rRQxP8TCLKToO6qgk2kE9NKXJQOZT0yW-jX3WpihJckgHJp4/s1600/LTheRunawayPrincess.jpg" alt="The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne" width="100%"/><h1 itemprop="name">The Runaway Princess</h1><div class="author">Book Author: Hester Browne</div><h2>Romantic Comedy</h2><!--START STARS--><!-- <a class="adbl-rating-full one" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%201%20Stars" title="Book Rating One Star"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full two" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%202%20Stars" title="Book Rating Two Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full three" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%203%20Stars" title="Book Rating Three Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full four" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%204%20Stars" title="Book Rating Four Stars"></a><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> --><br /><div class="adbl-new-stars nullifyclearfix" id="adbl_stars_horz"><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Overall</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> </div></div><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Performance</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a> </div></div><div class="adbl-rating-wrap clearfix"><div class="adbl-rating-label">Story</div><div class="adbl-rating-cont adbl-new-stars"><a class="adbl-rating-full five" href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/search/label/Book%205%20Stars" title="Book Rating Five Stars"></a></div></div></div><!--END STARS--><p>A modern day prince charming story. Hapless princess goes through some of the craziest dating twists that only the rich might run into. It's cute and silly. The story leads you on and has you on edge laughing. I love Hester Browne. She is one of my favorite authors, which is why this book earned not only my favorite author award, but also favorite story award. </p><a name='more'></a><h2>Similar Books</h2><h3>Similar Books by The Author</h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NY12GO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000NY12GO&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=CFUZL6NQ73CHLSXO" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000NY12GO&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" alt="Little Lady Big Apple"/></a><h4>Little Lady Big Apple</h4><p>Melissa Romney-Jones went from doormat to diva when she donned a blond wig, became Honey, a no-nonsense bombshell, and set up shop providing London's most clueless men with all the basic girlfriend services -- except, of course, for sex and laundry! Now, her business is booming, but when her flat-mate decides to renovate, she has to temporarily find a new place to live. Then Melissa's dashing American boyfriend (and former client) Jonathan Riley gets a promotion that takes him to New York. There's only one solution: an extended holiday for Melissa in the Big Apple.</p><p class="right"><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/03/little-lady-big-apple-by-hester-browne.html" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NY12GO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000NY12GO&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=CFUZL6NQ73CHLSXO" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCKRS8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FCKRS8&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=YDBBOSS6AJCBV2SN" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000FCKRS8&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" alt="The Little Lady Agency"/></a><h4>The Little Lady Agency</h4><p>Melissa Romney-Jones can bake a perfect sponge cake, type her little heart out, and plan a party blindfolded. But none of that has helped her get far in life or in love. When she gets sacked -- again -- she decides to market her impeccable social skills to single men. To avoid embarrassing her father, a Member of Parliament, Melissa dons a blonde wig and becomes "Honey," a no-nonsense bombshell who helps clueless bachelors shop, entertain, and navigate social minefields. She even attends parties if a client needs a "date." But when a dashing American starts to request Honey's services on a regular basis, it's only a matter of time before Honey's and Melissa's worlds collide....</p><p class="right"><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/03/book-review-little-lady-agency-series.html" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCKRS8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FCKRS8&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=YDBBOSS6AJCBV2SN" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0340838671/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0340838671&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=HECQO7SHJGXTICO4" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0340838671&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" alt="The Little Lady Agency"/></a><h4>The Little Lady Agency</h4><p>To avoid embarrassing her father, a Member of Parliament, Melissa dons a blond wig and becomes Honey, a no-nonsense bombshell who helps clueless bachelors shop, entertain, and navigate social minefields. She even attends parties if a client needs a "date." But when a dashing American starts to request Honey's services on a regular basis, it's only a matter of time before Honey's and Melissa's worlds collide.... </p><p class="right"><a href="http://www.desaraeveit.com/2015/03/book-review-little-lady-agency-series.html" title="Book Review" class="button">Book Review</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0340838671/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0340838671&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=HECQO7SHJGXTICO4" title="Purchase" class="button">Purchase</a></p><div class="clear"> </div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NLL0WW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001NLL0WW&linkCode=as2&tag=desaraevcom-20&linkId=J2BUJD24NWV2UWPI" class="similarbooks"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B001NLL0WW&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=desaraevcom-20" height="200" width="131" alt="The Finishing Touches"/></a><h4>The Finishing Touches</h4><p>Twenty-seven years ago, an infant turned up on the Academy's doorstep, with a note tacked to her blanket by an elegant golden brooch -- Please take care of my baby. I want her to grow up to be a proper lady. Loved by Lady Frances Phillimore and her kindhearted staff, Betsy grew up aspiring to be an Academy girl. 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