Blue Moon Promise

Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble appears to be the first novel in a new series.  It is the story of Lucy Marsh who finds herself orphaned after the death of her father.  She works hard to keep herself and two siblings together.  When she loses her job and place to live, she is left wondering what will become of her family.  An old friend of her father appears on her doorstep with a proposal to marry his son, Nate, by proxy and move to Texas.  With no other choices before her, Lucy agrees and the story begins.

I enjoyed this story and the characters in it and I do look forward to future installments that tell the stories of minor characters that were introduced.  However, this is a story of a marriage of convenience.  While enjoyable, this is to be a recurrent plot line by several Christian fiction writers these days.  Colleen Coble’s Lonestar novels were also all marriages of convenience and had I not read most of those recently, I probably would have enjoyed this one more.  With that said, I do enjoy historical fiction and this fits the bill.  I liked the mystery aspects that were added and the interaction between characters.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

 

Bittersweet Surrender

Bittersweet Surrender by Diann Hunt is the story of Carly Westlake, owner of the Mocha Day Spa where clients receive their spa treatments in chocolate.  Carly is coming out of a dark place in her life as her husband left her in the middle of breast cancer treatment.  Her best friend and dad passed away one month apart.  Her self-image is shattered.  Carly is determined to live life to the fullest again.  With the help of family and dear friends, Carly begins to take charge of her life.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  It did seem to move a little slowly at points, but managed to wrap up nicely.  Personally knowing a breast cancer survivor, I could fully relate to the body image issues that Carly struggled with in the book.  I appreciate the message of making one positive choice at a time in order to achieve a goal.  I must admit that I would love attending a chocolate themed spa…it sounds amazing.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

The Christmas Singing

 

The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall is a novella about Mattie Eash who had her heart-broken by her childhood best friend, Gideon Beiler.  Mattie tries to move on with her life by moving to another Amish community six hours away where one of her brothers lives.  She opens a cake store that is soon doing very well.  Mattie even begins dating and finds security in her comfortable life.  An accident at the store causes Mattie to return home where her path crosses Gideon frequently.  A tense relationship between the two exists as Gideon tries to figure out if he should reveal the truth about their breakup and Mattie tries to forgive a man she feels she no longer knows.

Since it is a novella, the story moves along quickly.  Readers can relate to both Mattie and Gideon because of the emotion and consequences behind a decision made in an attempt to protect a loved one.  I enjoy that Cindy Woodsmall includes recipes at the back of her books and I look forward to trying the strawberry cake recipe this summer.

Thanks to WaterBrook Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

 

christmas cookies and holiday hearts…

I’ve once heard it said…”It’s not what you eat between Christmas and New Year’s, it’s what you eat between New Year’s and Christmas.”  Here’s hoping that true:

I bought cute cookie trays that make typical sugar cookie cutout shapes.  I dipped peppermint Joe-Joe’s in high quality dark chocolate candy coating and sprinkled crushed candy canes on top.  The cake balls have been the hit of the year so far.  The mice cookie is a recipe that my sister found several years ago and they are still a family favorite.  I made pumpkin rolls last weekend, but they are already in the freezer.

It’s a good thing my treadmill and I are on a first name basis!

Merry Christmas!!

the Accidental Bride

The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter is the second book in the Big Sky Romance series.  The story focuses on Shay Brandenberger who is a single mom struggling to raise her daughter while maintaining the family ranch.  Shay has not had the best luck in love and unfortunately the entire town knows it.  She agrees to play the part of the bride at the annual Founder’s Day wedding reenactment.  Unbeknownst to her, a last minute groom change brings her face-to-face with her high school sweetheart who left her at the alter fourteen years ago.  Through the help of the town matchmaker, their old, unused marriage license is on hand that day and gets mailed to the state by mistake; making their “I dos” legally binding.

After reading the first in this series, A Cowboy’s Touch, I was super excited to get this book in the mail.  It did not disappoint.  I love the characters and the storyline.  Denise Hunter has the ability to bring the chemistry between the main characters to life.  Shay’s pride and stubborn streak is completely believable and you can’t help wanting things to work out her way.  I look forward to the next installment of this series.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Full Tilt

Full Tilt by Creston Mapes is the second installment of the Rock Star Chronicles.  It continues the story of Everett Lester, the former lead singer of DeathStroke, who has recently become a Christian.  Everett and his wife, Karen, are living in New York so that Everett can be close to his brother Eddie’s family.  Eddie’s remaining son, Wesley, blames Everett for his brother’s death and has vowed to make Everett pay.  As Everett reaches out to help Eddie overcome his gambling addiction and Wes to kick his drug habit, Everett gets pulled into the darkness of their lives and finds himself at odds with the local mafia.  Everett is getting ready to start his Living Water tour which are free concerts across the nation that showcase his new music that gives glory to God.  As the persecution continues, Everett must find a way to do what God has called him to do.

Overall, I liked this book.  It was not as gripping as the first in the series, but it was good to see the further development of Everett’s character.  I liked that as a new Christian, Everett still had struggles and had to choose every day to cling to God’s word and promises.  I look forward to reading the final book in the series.

Thanks to MediaGuests for providing me a free copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Smitten

Smitten is a series of four short stories by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter that focus on a small town named Smitten.  For years, Smitten has been kept alive by a mill that employed the majority of the men in town.  When the mill closes, four best friends come up with a scheme to save the town.  Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese decide to capitalize on the town’s name, which has been a source of teasing, and turn Smitten into the love capital of the East.  Despite resistance from the men in town, the ladies forge ahead with their plans and lo and behold become smitten themselves.

I enjoy all of these authors so to find them in one book is a pleasure.  I can only imagine the fun they had on this project.  Each story moves quickly and the characters are adorable as they carry out their plans.  It’s a great escape for those ready for a little romance.  The thing that always gets me about short stories is that I find myself wanting more, but that’s a good problem to have.  Pick up a copy of this book and let yourself become smitten.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Dark Star: Confessions of a Rock Idol

Dark Star: Confessions of a Rock Idol by Cresten Mapes is the story of Everett Lester who is the lead singer of a the wildly popular band, DeathStroke.  Everett’s rough childhood and disbelief in God take him down a dark path.  Despite having everything money can buy, he’s still not happy.  He looks to many different things to fill the void, but cannot seem to find what he’s looking for.  When his music and words start to lead many fans away from God, one Christian girl begins to pray that God will change Everett Lester’s life and the battle for his soul commences.

Within the first chapter, I was completely hooked.  The plot line was riveting and the intensity was well-paced.  The character development was so well done that I can’t wait to read the next two novels in this series.  The spiritual warfare that occurs throughout the story is mind-blowing and yet totally believable.  As the truth behind events are revealed, the reader can’t help wondering how it will all turn out.  I was on the edge of my seat until the very end.  If you like thriller books, then this is a must read.

Thanks to MediaGuests for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write an honest opinion.

Restless in Carolina

Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh is the story of Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan.  Bridget realizes that her family’s estate is going to be sold off and she is trying to make it happen on her own terms.  She is an environmentalist and wants to find an environmentally responsible developer who will keep the land in tact as much as possible.  Her sister and cousins are on her to move on with her personal life.  Bridget’s husband died four years ago and she has not fully recovered from the loss.  Bridget has cut herself off from God and is unwilling to consider following in love.

Tamara Leigh just may be a new favorite author.  I loved this story and could not put the book down.  This book is part of a series and I am looking forward to going back and reading the previous books.  The characters are engaging and the story builds momentum right from the start.  I enjoyed the family history storyline of a current generation trying to make up for the past actions of the man who built the family fortune at the expense of others.  I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book.

Thanks to Multnomah Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a favorable opinion.

The Crossing

The Crossing by Serita Jakes is the story of two adults who were part of a horrific event in their past.  Claudia Campbell and Casio Hightower were high school students riding home on a school bus after a major football victory.  While their bus is stopped for a train to pass, a gunman enters the bus and kills the cheerleading coach.  Claudia was extremely close to her cheerleading coach and Casio got shot when trying to intervene.  Ten years later, both Claudia and Casio struggle to put the past behind the unsolved murder and are gripped by panic attacks that cripple their ability to move forward with their lives.

This book is gripping from the start and keeps the momentum going until the last page.  The story gives a glimpse as to what a person suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome experiences on a daily basis.  Random things in ordinary life trigger flashbacks so vivid, that the person is literally unable to move.  Claudia grew up in church and since the accident has kept her distance from God.  This novel is about finding God’s grace and healing in the midst of dealing with past trauma.  Truly an excellent read.

Thanks to WaterBook Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

the dog ate my homework

Okay, today I was given the best excuse ever for not having homework.  This poor kid tries hard but things don’t seem to go his way.  He lost a packet he started last week so I gave him another one on Friday.  He worked really hard and was almost caught up.  Today, he caught me outside the classroom door and proceeded to remind me of the packet he worked so hard on.  Apparently, he left it in the back of a police cruiser.  Now don’t you just wonder what in the world he could have possibly be doing to land in the police cruiser and why he had his homework with him?   Yeah, me too.  I didn’t ask…I was too busy trying not to break out in hysterical laughter.

the house of random

I used to live in the house of random, but it has been awhile since I visited.  Here was my day…

• had to sit through an all day meeting…yuck
• all day meeting not as bad as usual…bonus
• outted myself as a republican sitting at a table of strong willed democrats…brillant
• did i mention i work with strong willed democrats…not so brillant
• men came to my house while i was gone to frame out two concrete projects at my house…finally
• anyone ready to go shopping for patio furniture and a park bench…call me
• had a mole removed…ouch (okay so it only hurt a little)
• watched the movie the number 23…2 thumbs down
• cleaned up a spot on my couch where i think my dog went potty but it’s not a big spot so i guess it could be drool…not taking any chances
• nothing is on tv and i need a break from my book so now i’m blogging…feel loved?
• survivor, lost, and grey’s need to start…seriously

holy hurricane batman

Hurricane in Ohio!  Who would have believed it.  If it was this bad here, I can’t imagine what it was like in Texas.  Maybe I should be grateful, I didn’t move to Texas after all.  Of course you may need to remind me of that this winter.  The winds were crazy yesterday.  I was trying to help my friend set up for a surprise party.  Needless to say, we were surprised when the wind blew down the tent she rented for the predicted rain that never came.   It was quite the excitement to rearrange all the party plans in less than an hour.  Then the surprisee tried to refuse to come because he didn’t want to drive in the weather.  Total surprise was in our grasp, but sadly the hurricane winds blew that away along with many, many trees.

 The pictures are from my backyard.  How the tree fell without hitting my house, I have yet to figure out.  Seriously, the top of the branch ends right at the base of my screen door.  I did get power back after 24 hours…praise the Lord!!  It is going to take days for them to get everyone’s power restored.  School was out today…never had a snow day in September before.  The high school has power now so I think we’ll be back in tomorrow.  My only problem now is I have a meeting tomorrow morning at 8AM and my paperwork isn’t done.  I have access to the program I need at home, but unfortunatley it’s not working.  So, pray hard that it is working at school.  I’m not looking forward to having to go in early to get it done but since I have power, I’m not complaining about anything.  At least for 24 hours.

holy hurricane batman, part deux

Well it is Wednesday and I am still off work.  There is still at least one tree blocking a road and some traffic lights are still out.  I really thought school would be back in session today, but that was not to be.  Not that I mind having another day off mind you.  Most school districts around here sent all or some kids back to school today.  I’m guessing I’ll be back in tomorrow.  It looks like some work is being done by the high school this morning. 

I am definately one of the lucky ones.  The people across the street and my backyard neighbors seem to still be without power.  My power came back on Monday afternoon and then went back off on Tuesday.  Fortunately, it came back on after an hour.  I have been able to share my wonderful electricity with one of my friends.  She actually invited some of her friends who were still powerless over last night.  So, I got to meet some new people.  Situations like this bring out the best in people.  It’s nice to see neighbors talking and helping each other out.  Apparently, I missed a good cookout down the street…but then again they may have only invited those still in the powerless club.

the grand finale

I have finally been initiated to the Grand Finale!!  It is a restaurant near Cinci that friends of mine have gone to for years.  Typically, they go in couples so me being the eternally single girl stays behind to babysit.  But a friend of mine from work is a huge Jane Austen fan along with me and she found that Emma had been turned into a musical.  It was playing in Cinci, so last night we ventured out to the Grand Finale, which truly was grand and then moved on to Emma.  I was a little worried that the musical version would be extremely cheesy and with bad actors it might be, but last night was most excellent.  The lady who played Emma had an amazing voice, Harriet was hysterical, and Mr. Knightley was quite charming.  Their timing was great and the songs were hilarious.  We got a little lost on the way home so I didn’t get home until midnight.  I was a little sleepy today, but it was totally worth it.

By the way Stacie…I have found Glendale.  It is in Ohio but it does have quaint little shops and gorgeous Victorian homes.  Did I mention it also is home to the Grand Finale??? I know it’s not MN, but we may have to move.

the worst game of telephone…ever

So, while most people are blogging today over the results of the election…I will be refreshing and tell you how I had people convinced at work today that one of my students is dying.  Actually, I probably can’t really write the story to be able to give it justice because on the extremely off chance that someone from the family or work would read this.  But the basic facts involve my relaying some facts about a student’s health that came from the parent to my boss.  So, thinking I had done the responsible thing by informing my boss of a serious topic that will becoming up at a meeting with the parent, I went on my merry way.  My merry way consisted of my leaving the building to go to Panara for the morning because I had a plan day and my co-teacher had agreed to meet me there in order to work on lesson plans. 

My boss then proceeds to tell a couple of people that had worked with this student that this student is in fact dying.  You can guess where this is going…those people tell more people.  The more people include the aide who works with this student on a daily basis who knows the situation and even knew the facts before I did.  While this aide is trying to set the record straight, the gentlemen freaks her out by dropping my name and saying that I just spoke with the parent.  The aide is closer to the student than anyone and her concern for the student skyrockets.  The aide immediately starts searching the school for me (not an easy thing to accomplish because the school is huge).    

After enjoying a pumpkin muffin topper and soda while completely oblivious to the wake of destruction I had left behind,  I return to school and get stopped by three different people who tell me that someone is looking for me but they can’t give me a name and start describing this person’s appearance.  I tracked down the aide and cleared up all misconceptions.  Then, at the end of the day I had the pleasant task of going to my boss and explaining that while I was trying to express the seriousness of the health concerns that I didn’t mean to imply that death was rapidly approaching.  Needless to say she promised to go and make sure everyone she told knew the truth of the situation.

I’m seriously considering taking a vow of silence at work.

aren’t oak leaves just the prettiest things

Okay, you know it has been too long in between blogs when you can’t remember your blog address.  Oh well…back to the oak leaves.  At the end of  the school year we have oak leaf nominations for the teachers who make the dumbest mistakes of the year.  The big winner gets to display a 50lb metal oak leaf in their room all year.  I think I have earned my first nomination and potentially first win.  I have a student whom I have called he all year only to find out last week that he is a she.  I am totally embarrassed and flabergasted.  This child does a fantastic job of putting forth a male appearance from clothes to behavior.  I was completely fooled…to tell the truth I still am and now I have so many questions.  Like what bathroom does she use at school?  Do the girls she seems to flirt with know she’s a girl?  Did she choose to do this or is she one of those people who are born without a full specific set of male/female genes?  So many questions and no good way of getting answers!

not so much interesting as…

Okay, so I don’t really have anything to blog about today in particular.  But I wanted to share that I only have four more days of work before Christmas break!!!  I am so ready for break.  I went and stocked up at books at the library today.  I am finally going to start watching Heroes season 1 that was a Christmas present from last year.  I am ready to get cozy and hunker down.  I was just reminded that my friend Beccy is coming into town and I haven’t seen her since last April.  I need to think up some good adventures before she gets here…although I do think rerunning my cable which is now satellite lines back to the original wall is at the top of the list.  B, I hope you’re up for some good bonding time with my attic.  However, I must admit I’ll feel more comfortable if we don’t bring a toddler along this time!!  I don’t think I am going to get my trip in to Memphis this year, which makes me sad.  I had planned on going the week after New Year’s and then I just realized I don’t have the week off after New Year’s.  Oops.

Randomly, does anyone know of any good dog toys?  My dog is little but mighty.  She destroys absolutely every toy that I get her.  Tennis balls…popped in about 3 minutes.  Anything with rope is out because she eats the rope and almost kills herself (true story).  Animals are ripped to shreds.  Things of plastic don’t stand a chance, just ask the dvd cases she just ripped to shreds.  I haven’t found a solid toy to make it past one day let alone one week.  I just found a new ball at the pet store that I will give her next week, but I’m skeptical.  Any ideas are welcome.

i’m in love…

with a couple of my Christmas presents.  My parents gave me a down alternative mattress pad and my sister and brother-in-law gave me a down alternative comforter.  It’s not quite the hotel quality heavenly beds, but it is close enough for me.  I don’t think I have ever been more excited to make my bed (don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll get over that feeling in a week or two).  I keep patting it like it is going to disappear.  The ocd side of me is uber excited about the comforter because it fills up my duvet cover.  There is a little room to spare but the sides of the duvet cover used to hang down way past the ends of my comforter.  This has bugged me for the last few years…not badly enough to do anything about it until I had the brilliant idea of putting it on my wish list.  Sleep in heavenly peace!!!

back to life…back to reality

You know you spend so much time looking forward to vacation and then you wonder where the time went.  Overall, it was a good time with family.  I believe we are now entering the stage of grandchildren hiding out with their electronics when they visit the grandparents.  All of my nephews recieved a DS for Christmas and it was hard to get their attention away from that.  Although, there were moments of family bonding and the boys came up for air and games were played…some didn’t even require batteries.  By the way my Memphis friend, one of my nephew’s received a moonsand set for Christmas…but not from me!!  I think I may need to refer my oldest sister to your blog.

I was going to blog about the depressing feeling of only being off work one more day and how the routine of life has already shifted back to work mode…but then something happened that could be potentially good and I need your prayers.  Some of you know that I tried the online dating system before and had no luck.  I decided to give it one more whirl this summer and then without realizing it my subscription renewed itself, which I was frustrated with because I was so done and didn’t want to spend the money.  Anyway, today someone requested communication with me and as I was reading his profile it seems literally too good to be true.  He lives in a town less than an hour away and overall sounds like someone I would seriously enjoy getting to know.  I feel like somewhat of a loser because I just answered his questions at 10:30 on a Saturday night so my first prayer request is that he doesn’t look at the time…I was just so excited that I couldn’t help myself.  My subscription runs out on the 19th so there’s time, but not a lot of it.  I rarely get this excited about someone’s profile, but his really impressed me. 

I feel somewhat silly about asking for prayer for this, but on the other hand I know it can’t hurt.  As the three of you who read my blog know, this has been a huge struggle for me over the years.  It has affected my faithwalk and that is something that I have recently been trying to turn over to God.  And truly, I may be getting my hopes up for nothing because God’s answer still could be no for now and no for always.  I’m trying to be okay with that…again it’s a difficult process for me but if I’m honest the no answer seems to be the way it’s going.  But on the extremely off-chance that there is a yes in my future, a little prayer would be appreciated.    Thanks sisters!!

By the way, those of you in need of reading material…check out Mark Andrew Olsen.  He wrote Hadassah, One Night with the King, which I haven’t read but enjoyed the movie version very much.  I read The Watchers and The Warriors over break.  They are suspsense novels so the men in your lives would most likely enjoy them as well.

Sorry to be so chatty tonight, but hopefully that makes up for the rather long gaps in between postings!

it’s the simple things

My friend Beccy was in town last week and are big adventure was going to a local Target…without children.  I’m sure that doesn’t happen often in Beccy’s world.  Now, Miss Beccy seems to be a typical girl of all sugar and spice, but one of my favorite things about her is her sense of humor.  She always keeps me rolling so, even going to Target is a fun time.  There are not many people I love to shop with, but she is at the top of my list. 

Anyway, as far as simple things I have to admit there are days when I just love high school kids.  Today is the first day of exams.  I currently have a sophomore homeroom and last year I started the tradition of buying good luck pencils for exam week.  Last year for mid year exams I found some extremely cool pencils but since then, I’ve had a tough time matching that level of coolness.  At Target, I almost broke down and bought pencils that featured that popular Disney musical about high school kids.  But, they had pink erasers and I knew some of my boys would find it hilarious and some would think that I was crazy (not that they don’t think that on a daily basis anyway).  But then, Beccy with her killer shopper’s instinct looked in the dollar bin and found batman push pencils and then I discovered there were strawberry shortcake pencils as well!!  This could have been the find of the century.  Okay, so that is an exaggeration but I was super excited because I loved push pencils in elementary school.  Before, I handed them out I told them my shopping story and I think they were almost disappointed that I didn’t get the musicalpencils.  But, batman and strawberry shortcake won them over big time, especially when they heard my fond memories from my school days and my demonstration of how push pencils work.  It is cool to see high school kids have a good time with something as corny as good luck pencils.  They are always so appreciative and take their time picking out their special pencil.  My seventh period borrowed some of the special pencils and I had a hard time getting them back.  Now, I ‘m a little nervous because the packages didn’t say they were #2 pencils, which you need for all the scantron sheets they fill out.  Here’s hoping they didn’t become the unluckiest pencils on the planet…I may not live that one down.

africa, part deux

It’s another prayer request for me.  I have been in touch with the head of the US branch of the organization that I went to Africa with 3 years ago.  They are sending two teams to Kenya this summer and possibly to Namibia and Tanzania as well.  I have contacted him about my interest and I need to fill out my application.  Pray that God will open doors if I am to go this summer.  The cost of the trip is $2900 so I will need to find some financial support.  That is always scary to me, but God was incredibly faithful the last time that I am confident that if I am to be a part of any of the trips this summer God will make a way.  I am so excited about having this opportunity that my heart just sings.  I don’t know why God has put the AIDS epidemic and the people of Africa on my heart.  It seems so strange to me that someone like me takes this issue so personally.  Do any of you have passions that don’t make sense, but you know God has blessed you with them anyway?

it’s a go

I submitted my application this morning for a missions trip to Africa.  The national director just emailed me to welcome me to the team.  It looks like I’ll be heading to Kenya in August.  Please pray for the financial support to come through as well as for God to use the next several months to prepare me for the trip.  I’ll receive more details later.  The director is actually  heading to Kenya this Saturday, so it will take a little while before I have all the details.  But for now, I am over the moon!!

letters and swahili

Please be praying.  I am sending out my first round of support letters tomorrow…assuming the mail is going by then.  I have been home for two days already because of snow and the mail did not come today.  Now the Swahili…Kenya’s two official languages are English and Swahili.  When I was in Namibia, I hated that I couldn’t communicate with some of the locals so I decided to try to learn some of their basic language.  At first, I was looking at Afrikans but then I decided I should probably make sure they speak Afrikans in Kenya and sure enough they don’t.  Nice save, that could have been ugly.  So far my favorite word in Swahili is butterfly…kipepeo (kip uh pay o).  Now let’s see if I’m able to work that into a sentence while I’m there!!

friends of celibates rock

so my 31 years of celibacy make it difficult to appreciate the wonderful v-day that only reminds me that i have been single for 31 years with no end in sight, but i have phenomenal friends who refuse to let me go unnoticed on this day.  i like to pretend it doesn’t exist, but my friends remind me that i do exist and i am loved.  over the last few years i have received chick flicks and chocolate and today a good friend came by and gave me 2 dozen roses.   i have never even been given a dozen roses before so i was blown away by the thoughtfulness.  they are so beautiful and are currently  brightening up my disaster of a kitchen.  so to all of you who have taken the time out to make me feel special on this day throughout the years, i want to say THANK YOU.  you are amazing and i love you.  i hereby dub february the fourteenth…well i don’t know what i dub it because i can’t think of anything witty at the moment but i think you get the idea.  i just wanted to say that i have the best friends a celibate girl could hope for!!

way too long

so it definitely has been way too long since i’ve been on here and guess what…it probably will be awhile before i am back on again.  i am leaving for kenya in less than a month with a possibility of heading to australia after that if all the details work out.  the good news is i will be blogging on beautifularethefeet@wordpress.com

i will be blogging daily our adventures in kenya and until we leave i will be updating on a more frequent basis than i have here…updating at all would be an improvement.  so in case i stay super busy you know where to find me!

made you look…

Can you believe I’m actually back on?  I need to do this more often!!  So, my last post was in May and so much has happened since then…traveling making up the majority of the stories.  The school year is under way and for the first time I love my classes.  For me there has always been that one period that you just wish you didn’t have to go to, but I don’t have that this year!  I think working with mostly older kids helps a lot.   However, there is just such a heaviness on me.  There is a lot of extra stuff going on that makes being back at work not enjoyable at all.  I know most of my problem has been a serious lack of time in the Word and a serious lack of prayer.  Please be praying for me because I just need it right now as well as needing a serious attitude adjustment when it comes to work.  I am hoping to be more faithful with posts and will update with stories from the summer.

I’m tired

So, I have been struggling for about 2.5 years with exhaustion and I am hoping to start getting some answers soon.  I had a sleep test done and I have to go in for a follow-up in about two weeks.  I had been doing better, but the last couple of weeks have been rough again and I feel that I am not getting enough rest at night.  I typically fall asleep but wake-up frequently throughout the night and feel that I don’t ever get into deep sleep.  Oddly enough, the tech who did my sleep test said that I was getting into deep sleep, but too much can be bad.  So, we’ll see what the doctor says…I may have to go in for a nap test (I can’t believe they have tests for that!!).  Actually the purpose is to see if I get into deep sleep during the day.  If I do that is a strong signal that something is wrong.  Depending on what the sleep doctor says, my next step will be to seek out an endochronologist.  Please be praying for some answers!

new camera fun

Well I finally got a new camera after years of complaining and realizing that I hadn’t redeemed my credit card points, um…ever so here are my first pictures with the new camera.  Beccy- as promised I included some of my Christmas Village.

and we can’t forget my best pal Lucy…

In case I don’t get back on…have a Merry Christmas!!

sticky floor

so should have learned by now…do the baking before cleaning.  I’m making my pumpkin rolls which typically leads to powder sugar all over the floor which my socks are starting to stick to.  Totally wishing that Amy, my friend that comes to clean my house, was coming this week instead of two days ago.  Looks like I’ll have to mop my own floor when all is said and done…bummer!!

treadmill

I finally got a treadmill.  I have been thinking about getting one for awhile and my brother-in-law found a great deal.  So, both of us ended up with one.  I used it this morning for the first time and then I had the brilliant idea of training my Boston Terrier, Lucy, how to use it.  I am not a fan of the cold and I feel so guilty about not walking her during the winter months.  I put her leash on and led her to the treadmill.  Attempt #1:  Lucy jumped on the treadmill and promptly sat and started shaking so badly she wouldn’t even eat her treat.  I let her down and gave her the treat.  Attempt #2:  Lucy jumped on the treadmill and I turned on to 1mph.  Lucy spread out on all fours and road the the back of the treadmill.  Trying not to crack up laughing, I let her down and fed her another treat.  Attempt #3 was interrupted by my mom calling to say I needed to get ready to go to my sister’s house.  So, Lucy was saved by the bell…there’s always tomorrow!!

birthday fun

Okay, so my birthday isn’t until April but my friend Beccy’s was this past weekend.  We celebrated a few weeks/months earlier or late depending on your perspective.  Beccy introduced me to a wonderful organization called the International Princess Project.  Part of what IPP does is help Indian women get off the streets by teaching them a skill so they can make  a living.  These women learn sewing skills and have created a product known as punjammies, which are super cute pajamas.  They can be a little pricey, but the money obviously goes to a good cause.  As a way to justify the expense, Beccy and I decided we would buy punjammies for each others birthdays…only we decided this a year ago if not two.  We have seen each other, but never exchanged the punjammies until this year.  Beccy was in town visiting her parents and her parents kindly offered to watch her two boys so we could have a girls night out.  We went to church, Red Lobster, and then we hit the bakery at DLM.  Shopping at a bakery with Beccy has become one of my favorite things to do and it is a good thing that we live so far apart because my thighs could not handle the amount of calories we consumed (although I must congratulate ourselves for not eating everything in one sitting…chocolate lava cake does make a good breakfast!).  So here are some pictures from our birthday celebration!

Lucy looks a little forlorn because there was no dessert for her!!

pouting

While in town, my friend Beccy suggested that I blog more and that I should blog about the books I have read…knowing this would lead to many, many blogs.  Then, Stacie has joined  a website by Thomas Nelson publishing where they give you FREE books if you write a 200 word summary and post it on your blog and a commercial website like amazon.  SOUNDS PERFECT!!  There was a biography on Jane Austen, whom I love, and it is part of a biography collection that focuses on historical figures and their spiritual lives that don’t often get as much press.  So, I excitedly sign up while talking with Stacie on the phone.  Then I realized I typed my blog address in wrong on the application form (very high tech of me) so then I went back and fixed it.  Finally, I was approved (I’m sure they had some doubts about a person who can’t type in her blog address correctly) and Jane Austen was GONE!!!  I can’t find her.  While there are several other biographies that sound interesting and a couple of other books as well, I really wanted to read the Jane Austen.  So now I’m pouting and not picking a book.  Actually, I’m hoping that the Jane Austen reappears but I’m sure they only give out so many copies of each book.  You can also only get one book at a time so I’m holding off just in case.  But on the positive side…the book is yours to keep forever which being a fan of reading I find very cool.  On the negative side…I’m running out of space to store books.

you can’t help smart

Two posts in one day…it must be a record!!  I went to my nephew’s birthday party today and his cousin showed up with a Rubik’s cube.  Ahh, the childhood memories of frustration that it brought back.  Anyway, my oldest sister is known for her love of puzzles and every so often someone in the family tries to stump her.  My brother-in-law bought her a brain-teaser puzzle for Christmas…in 2008.  She has been working on this thing for hours and has never been able to solve it.  In the spirit of solving impossible puzzles, she brought it out to share.  The object was to put 9 squares together.  Each square had two cut-outs and two prongs of suits from a card deck.  In order to solve the puzzle, all nine squares need to fit together so there are no holes in the middle of the puzzle and so there are 6 cut-outs and 6 prongs showing on the outside of the puzzle.

Guess what I did in less than 30 minutes????????????

Guess who’s not my biggest fan?????

is it june yet????

Oh my goodness…today was rough.  I have an amazing co-teacher in the afternoon.  Last year was the first year we worked together and we had a blast.  Our classes were a little challenging to keep under control, but they could usually get themselves together.  We were able to joke and chat and still get work done.  There were several kids who were pretty witty.  This year, it is not the same.  My co-teacher and I still enjoy working with each other, but our classes are so not enjoyable.  Both are made up of individually nice kids, but together they are something else and the humor level can’t seem to rise above pot and boob jokes.

Today, a student stole a bag of candy out of a girls bag and proceeded to eat it, then was flabbergasted when the girl and I were both upset (I saw him with the bag but I thought it was his).  Said he did as a joke and that it was funny.  Just yesterday, my co-teacher had to talk to him about putting gum on a chair for another student to sit on and how that was a form of bullying.  My co-teacher was out today and kids were working on projects that are do tomorrow so it was a hectic day trying to convince kids who avoid work like the plague to actually work, while trying to help ten other kids who were lined up trying to get help.  I think it was a miracle we all came out alive.

I am ready to lose it and I know my co-teacher is there as well.  I am in shock at the level of ignorance these kids display.  There truly is no other word to describe it.  They really don’t get it.  I would think it was pathetic and sad if I wasn’t living in the middle of it.  I sometimes look around the room and wonder how does this happen?  One or two ignorant kids you brush off to a rough home life and not knowing any better.  But an entire classroom full (where only one or two kids get it), I don’t know how to explain it.  I feel like an old biddy saying kids these days, but seriously something is wrong.  My co-teacher and I really struggle with liking these kids and we’re the ones who like the unlikables.  So, if we don’t like them…who does???

Several of our kids have been in trouble with the law.  One in particular is doing a wonderful job at turning his life around.  He is a shining star in a black, black hole.  Other kids are repeat offenders and basically say that the court system is a joke because they keep getting second chances.  Not that I’m not a fan of second chances, but at some point shouldn’t consequences kick in?  One of these kids in particular had to pass an exam in order to get credit for the semester.  Came close (with the curve) but fell short.  We debated about giving a boost but came down to this kid seems to think that consequences don’t exist.  Charm will work every time to fix the situation.  We gave the failing grade.  Wouldn’t you know this kid is working like mad this quarter to get all work done and completed?  Working to make sure answers are correct.  Go figure.

I’m really grateful for friends like Beccy who love teens and work with those who seem to be forgotten or given up on.  Trying to teach them character and point the way to Christ when all I want to do is point them out the door and far, far away from me.  Right now I’m grumpy and I hate them.  I’m so grateful tomorrow is another day.  I am praying that the Lord teaches me to be more like Him because I am quite certain there are days where He wonders how I can be so ignorant and not get it yet.  But every day, He gives me grace and loves me anyway.  I know the parallel is obvious, but I am so not God and starting over every day is an exhausting struggle.  For now I have scheduled a massage and am desperately awaiting June.  Please pray for my attitude as well as for the kids to make it out alive and for my co-teacher and I to make it out with our teaching licenses.

Apologies for the teacher rant.  You chose to be my friend.  You should have known it was coming.

sunshine

It’s amazing what sunshine and fresh pineapple will do for an attitude.  I didn’t feel quite so wiped out today as have the rest of the week.  Don’t get me wrong…it’s 7:15 and I feel like I could go to bed right now, but today was still better.  I’m looking forward to the warm weather this weekend.

I ordered my first book off booksneeze.  It doesn’t even count as my one book at a time.  It is a fiction book that is releasing in early April and I think the publishers just want reviews out there.  Everyone who got book is expected to post on April fifth and not a day before and not a day later.  Hopefully, this will go well.  So, you’ll have to stay tuned for my first review (and if April 5th comes and I haven’t posted…send me a reminder email because I probably forgot).

Stacie and Ralph’s Oscar party is this Sunday and I need to think of a recipe to make that is Oscar-inspired.  I have to admit that I am not feeling too creative this year.  Actually, I have one idea but I am really craving something else that has no tie-in (as of yet) to any of the Oscar nominees.  Decisions, decisions.

and the oscar goes to

My grandmother’s tea ring recipe (inspired by Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty).  I don’t know where it came from, but it has become our family’s tradition to make it for breakfast on Christmas morning.  I have been craving it lately and looking for a good excuse to make it.  So, I decided Granny’s recipe could count for a Granny movie.   Here’s the result:

Would you like a slice??

Me too!  Got to love quality control!!

not pouting anymore…

I shared that I wanted to start reviewing books for free using booksneeze.com (Thomas Nelson Publishing provides a free book for a review).  When I went to sign up, there was a biography on Jane Austen’s life that I really wanted to read but there were no copies left.   I kept waiting for new books to pop up and they finally did, but I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to read.  But the new list of book choices disappeared fast and what to my wondering eyes should appear…a list of books that had previously been offered including the Jane Austen biography that I wanted to read!!  YAY!!!  Of course now I have to stay off of the website so that I don’t have book envy for the other books that are listed because you can only have one book at a time.  There is a special exception, which I think I already posted about so you should look forward to two reviews soon!!  Speaking of books, I’m going to go finish the one I am currently reading!!

Christian Encounters Jane Austen Book Review

The Christian Encounters biography of Jane Austen by Peter Leithart was not quite what I expected.  The premise of the series is to give an inside look at how Christian faith influenced the lives of people throughout history in a way that is typically not known.  The book on Jane Austen was more a biography on her entire life with a smattering of details about her Christian life.  His main point was that while Jane Austen’s faith was very important to her, she didn’t flaunt it in her novels.  That’s pretty much it.  I was disappointed that Liethart did not make a stronger connection.

If you merely want a biography about Jane Austen’s life, then this book will give a decent overview of her life.  Since Jane left instructions to destroy her letters, all biographers can do is make educated guesses about her life and try to fill in the blanks of what is actually known.  One of the chapters I liked best put Jane Austen’s life in context with historical events.  I had not put together before that Jane Austen lived during the American Civil War and the French Revolution.  Given all the political events during her lifetime, her novels did not give any hint of the strife and revolution going on in the world.

Overall, I was disappointed with this book.  I was excited to read this book, but it did not hold my interest like I expected.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Hand of Fate Review

Hand of Fate, the second book in the Triple Threat series, by Lis Wiehl is a mystery that tackles many issues.  It is an easy read, but the ending is not too predictable.  Wiehl continues to develop her three main characters Allison Pierce, Cassidy Shaw, and Nicole Hedges.  For those of you who are new to the series, the premise is these three ladies went to the same high school but were not close friends.  They each end up in different careers that all focus on solving crimes.  The ladies meet up at a high school reunion and discover their common interest and begin to develop their friendship; which revolves around meeting for dinner and sharing an amazing chocolate dessert.  Allison is a federal prosecutor, Cassidy is a crime reporter, and Nicole is a FBI agent.  In each book, the three end up sharing information to solve a major crime.

In Hand of Fate, the mystery revolves around the death of a popular, yet controversial, talk radio host named Jim Fate.  Allison and Nicole are assigned to work the case and of course Cassidy is covering the story for her local station.  As you read, you discover that one of these three women know Jim in a very personal way.  The suspects are many and include co-workers, listeners of his show, and even a Congressman.  The case could be a career advancer for all three women, so the pressure to solve the mystery is on.

Wiehl does a good job of making her characters believable.  Each one struggles with their own issues and we get to see the messy side of life.  She addresses issues that are often pushed aside and not talked about in popular culture.  The characters do not have perfect lives, which leaves them room to grow in future novels.  Overall, this book is worth the time when you are in the mood for a little mystery.  I personally recommend having some chocolate close by as her descriptions of the desserts may lead to chocolate cravings.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> 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 Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

lately

So funny enough, I am using a new search engine and I searched my blog.  I’m not the only one to come up with this catchy title for my blog.  I didn’t find my blog, but Stacie showed up.  Too funny.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted and I thought I would catch people up with what has been going on lately.  I just started a new house church and I am excited for the possibilities.  I’m really praying that I will make some solid friends as well as have good fellowship.  The first night I visited my house church was a pretty cool night.  They were doing something a little different.  Instead of having regular house church, they went to a building downtown that houses elderly as well as people who qualify for hud housing.  This ministry meets every Tuesday night and shares dinner and content time with both volunteers and residents of the building.  After worship, volunteers push grocery carts of donated food from local food banks up elevators and start knocking door to door.  Residents are offered food and then asked if they have any prayer requests.  The responses vary.  Some people actually don’t take food.  Some people say no thanks for prayer.  Others ask for general prayer and some tell you their life story.  AND I LOVE IT!  Working with the elderly is not something I would say rates on my passion list, but all I can say is God is moving in this ministry and lately I think I have finally learned the lesson that when you see God moving join in.  It doesn’t matter that I don’t feel called to serve the elderly…it matters that God is there.  He tells me to take care of the orphans and the widows and this is the first step in obeying Him.  I have been going through Dr. David Platt’s Radical series and it is changing my thinking.  Now I am hoping it is changing my actions and my world.  I still have my struggles and I am not little miss perfect Christian, but my joy at finding a place where I see people on fire for the Lord and can feel His presence is truly a blessing beyond what I could have ever imagined or can describe.  One of the coolest things about serving last night was I went around with two teens who have been volunteering their time.  Seeing teens minister and the response to them was so special and somewhat convicting.  I am in awe that they are walking in obedience at a young age.  Oh the lessons I think I am going to learn.

Never Let You Go

Never Let You Go is Erin Healy’s first solo fiction novel.  The book revolves around Lexi Solomon whose family has been torn apart and she has spent the last seven years trying to keep her and her daughter in food and clothes.  Within a 24 hour period, three men from her past reappear and Lexi struggles to understand what it all means.

For me, this novel was just okay.  I knew Ms. Healy had co-authored two books with Ted Dekker and based on his later work, I knew pretty early where this novel was headed.  Her storyline was good, but for me something was missing.  It may have been that ending was too predictable.  There were some conflicts between characters which we saw the beginnings of but never really fully developed and were just resolved at the end of the book. Spiritual warfare is a theme in this novel, even though it is not openly discussed.  So, the novel does have a heaviness about it, but it is still an easy read.  If you are looking for some suspense and a reminder that God is constantly at work in our lives, this might be a good book for you.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me with a free copy of the book.  My opinions are my own and I was not required to publish a favorable review.

quiet please

When life is hectic, I find that a nice hot bath helps…I’ve been in here since Thursday.  That is one of the best greeting cards I have ever read.  This has been a weird week and I’m sort of glad it is over.  I had Monday off which was wonderful, but then I had to go back to work.  I co-teach four periods of my day and this week one co-teacher was gone for the rest of the week and the other was gone for two days in a row.  It’s amazing how much I missed these ladies this week.  I don’t really hang out with them outside of school, but they really have become important to my day.  The one who was out for the remainder of the week had lost her mother-in-law.  I went to the viewing and it turns out that I used to work with her.  I started a job at the end of high school in a doctors’ office where this lady was a nurse.  I remember that I loved this lady and she was so much fun to work with.  When I got home from the viewing, I checked my email and I had a short email from my friend’s husband saying she was in the hospital with a staff infection.  I called and got to chat for a few minutes with her, but I’m still not sure how this all came about.  Finally, my best friend is officially moving across the country.  Here’s hoping the coming week is quiet.

hmm

Why did I think landscaping my yard by myself was such a good idea?   I should have thought a little more before I started so many projects outside.  At least next year the beds will all be cut in and that should help significantly since I’m not really planting many annuals.  My dad has agreed to help put in a small garden so that section shouldn’t be so bad and I look forward to seeing if I can actually grow anything.   However,  note to self…this is why  I should leave the country during the summer.

Sarah’s Garden

The back of Sarah’s Garden by Kelly Long reads, “Quite by accident, Sarah King has fallen in love.  But this love is forbidden, and could cost her everything she holds dear.”  This novel focuses on the love story between an Amish woman and her new Englisch neighbor.  Marrying someone outside the Amish community is not accepted and leads to a permanent separation from family, friends, and the life one has always known.  Not an easy decision to make.

Sarah’s Garden is the first novel by Kelly Long.  The reader gets to see Sarah grow from a young Amish girl who is sheltered on her family’s farm to an Amish woman who has interaction with the English world when made to run her family’s roadside produce stall.  Sarah’s gift is her ability garden and that makes her feel like she is abnormal from other Amish women who are known for quilting.  I loved how the author weaved in how God makes us each unique and how He blesses us and others through His gifts.  The love story is the main event and the concept of shunning is handled with care.  The novel takes readers through a decision-making journey.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.  The opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

Love on a Dime

Love on a Dime is Cara Lynn James debut novel.  The story takes place in 1899 and focuses on a young lady, Lilly Westbrook, who is a dime novelist.  The only problem is that she is part of the social elite so she must keep her career a secret from everyone.  As her popularity grows among readers this becomes more difficult.  The return of the man who broke her heart also adds to her troubles as she is close to being engaged to a notably wealthy man.

Love on a Dime is an easy read, but quite entertaining.  Ms. James develops her characters well and keeps the plot moving.  The struggle of following God’s calling for your life when those around you think what you are doing is crazy made it easy to relate to Lilly Westbrook.  Throughout the novel, Lilly tries to find the balance of pleasing her family without squashing who she truly is.  The desire to know how Lily was going to resolve these issues kept me reading.  It seems that this is the first in a series and I look forward to reading more of Ms. James in the future.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for a free copy of the book to preview.  This review contains my own opinions.

it’s been one week

I have had one week of summer vacation…let’s review the week:

-I’ve read 5 books and watched 2 movies

-cleaned out one closet

-started painting a bookcase for work, it’d be done but I messed up so one more coat to go

-volunteered

-worked out 5 times

-took Lucy to free doggie treat night at DQ

-went boating twice with my dad and learned to drive the boat

-watched the World Cup

-painted the beginnings of a pirate ship

How on earth is it possible that I’ve felt bored this past week?  I blame the rain and the fact that I haven’t been to the pool.  Three more days until my visit with Beccy!!

same kind of different as me

A verse from Solomon, “There was found in the city a certain poor man who was wise and by his wisdom he saved the city,” along with a vision of the future of Union Gospel Mission in Fort Worth, Texas given to Deborah Hall changed lives.  Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore tells the story of how a woman’s passion to help the homeless completely revolutionized their worlds.

“Now you know it was the truth when I told you that bein homeless in Fort Worth was a step up in life for me,” was a hard lesson from this book.  Denver Moore tells about his life as a sharecropper before leaving Louisiana and heading to a city where he lived on the streets.  In contrast, Ron Hall tells about his life as a farm boy who grew up to become an international art dealer living the high society life.  These two men were brought together when Ron’s wife, Deborah, acted on a calling from God to serve the homeless and brought Ron along with her.  The two men forge an unlikely friendship that grows into brotherhood as they walk with Deborah through her fight with cancer.

This story is powerful and if you let it, quite possibly life-changing.  Be sure to read the interview with the authors at the end.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing a free copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review of the book’s content.

garden goddess

Okay so not really…here’s what my garden actually looks like:

However there are a few gems hiding in there:

Beccy- you need to tell your mom that tying up the cabbage is working…I think there’s actually a plant growing now.  Also in the backyard tonight I saw a butterfly on my butterfly bush.  Imagine!

Now to the front yard where I thought I planted two cone flower plants side by side last year and forgot to separate them.  When I was visiting Beccy last week, she mentioned that there are different types of cone flowers out there.  Question of the day…is the plant on the right a cone flower or a weed doing a good imitation?

domestic diva

Okay…so not so much this either but I’m trying.  I finally broke down and bought a kitchen aid mixer.  In my mind, this should be a wedding present (probably because both my sisters received theirs as married women…my memory says they were wedding presents but it could have just as easily been Christmas).  Anyway,  in my mind,  there are certain items you get or save up for when you are part of a married couple.  I find myself continuing to wait for bedroom furniture,  leather couches,  and other random things including a kitchen aid mixer.   Why I think like this…I don’t know… welcome to celibate in the suburbs…I never promised to make sense.

Anyway after describing my tale of longing for a kitchen aid mixer, a dear friend gave my single self permission to buy one.  Here is the new addition to my kitchen:

Now those of you who know me best know that I’m not in the kitchen often so why the longing for a kitchen aid mixer???  I can’t explain it.  But to justify my purchase, when my dad asked me to order a birthday cake for my mom from a store (yuck) because he didn’t have time…domestic me offered to make one instead.  Domestic me decided to follow in my domestic friends’ footsteps and make a cake…wait for it…from scratch!

So, obviously people need to tell domestic me how to keep a pit from forming in the center of the cake, but we’re moving on.  Domestic me isn’t done yet…I even decided to make the frosting from scratch.  But, there’s no photo because I am making the frosting at my sister’s house tomorrow.

Just an additional fun fact.  I have found marshmallows that could be accused of using performance enhancing ingredients.  A photo speaks a thousand words and I have two:

Chubby Bunny anyone?  Imagine the possibilities!

domestic diva part two

So, plans changed and I ended up making the icing here this morning.  Who knew how amazing a stick of butter and a pound of powdered sugar could turn out.

My decorating skills need some work.  I thought this would be a creative solution, but instead I took us back to dot matrix days.

Because of predicted thunderstorms, the boys boat camp out was canceled and we moved boating to first, cookout to second.  I think we all would have been sick had we had the cookout and cake first.  Everyone raved about the cake and my niece told me it was the best cake and with prompting for her mother asked me to make it for her birthday (which isn’t until Sept. so we’ll see if I’m still on the hook).  This is the first year that my niece has attempted tubing and today she was all in and is now one of the boys!

when did I become an old fart?

Seriously, I am so far behind on technology and I don’t know that I’ll be able to catch up.  I used to be the independent girl who kept up on technology and could hook her dvd player up all by herself.  I really miss the days of red, yellow, and white.  When did it all become so complicated?  On the back of my tv there are now at least 20 places to plug things in.  I gravitate towards items that are advertised for the people who just want their technology to work but don’t want to know the details.    I’ve started the search for a new cell phone plan and when did paying $110-$120 a month for service become normal?  I am one of the few thirtysomethings who actually use her cell phone for…gasp…calling people.  Do I really need to text and surf the web from a phone?  I admit it sounds tempting but the price tag seems ridiculous.  I used to think of myself as cutting edge, now I can’t even find the edge…if only I had a data plan then I could download a GPS ap and find my way back.  

just call me mary

Well, that might not be so fair to Mary.  After my domestic diva posts, a friend joked about calling me Martha.  Today’s domestic disasters had me wondering what was the opposite of Martha and I landed on Mary.  However, I don’t know that Mary was a domestic disaster…she simply chose to use her time pursuing other things.  I’m thinking I may need to follow her example.

So, my domestic tasks for the day included making zucchini bread to take to the family reunion.  I came up with the brilliant idea of making zucchini bread because I have zucchini and squash coming out my ears and I remembered that a friend had the same problem last year and her teenage daughter made some bread.  If a teenager can do it…so can I was my philosophy.  Instead of eating all the bread myself, I decided it would be my contribution to this year’s  family reunion.  I picked out two recipes one chocolate version and the other not chocolate.  For those of you who know me best, of course I made the chocolate one first.  Now, to be fair the batter came out quite excellent.  The problem came with the pans.  The recipe called for dividing the batter into two 9×5 inch pans.  Not being a girl who enjoys math, I just poured it into the one bread pan I owned and everything looked just fine.  The allotted baking time came and went along with additional baking time, but still the toothpick would not come out clean.  Finally, I thought I had it baked through and I let it cool before taking it out of the pan (as per instructions).  Not having a baking/cooling rack, I put out some wax paper to put it on.  As I removed the pan, batter seeps out all over the wax paper.  I wish I had thought to take a picture because it was hilarious, but my gut reaction was to stop the leakage.  So, I dumped it all back into the pan (after sampling the baked parts) and this is what it looked like:

Deciding to move past the chocolate debacle, I mixed up the other batch of zucchini bread and I threw them both in the oven.  Of course, the other batch all went in one  borrowed pan (because clearly I learned my lesson dumping all the chocolate into one pan).  After baking much longer than probably necessary here’s the final result:

Now the debate is do I take it knowing that it will look more attractive sliced on a plate (although who knows what it tastes like after all that baking)  because after all it’s a family cookout and no one has to know that I made it… or do I make a run to the store?

This past weekend, I went shopping with my sisters and found a pair of shorts for $10 that were missing two buttons.  Who would have thought that I would have more success at sewing on buttons than baking bread?  Although, I have yet to wear the shorts so perhaps I should wait to celebrate my sewing dominance until later.  However, maybe if I wear the shorts to the reunion and have a wardrobe malfunction no one will talk about the pitiful zucchini bread.

I’ll have to think about my strategy as I clean up the kitchen.

reunion update

So, the only button to fall off my shorts was not one I sewed on (not really impressed with the making of these shorts).  Zucchini bread was virtually untouched (but then a cherry cheesecake was also ignored so I didn’t feel too bad).  My dad declared that the zucchini bread was too good to waste and should come home with us, which is very unusual because my dad never wants to bring stuff back.  Then my parents devoured the chocolate version and left me a piece.  They also took the regular version home with them.  I believe it was their dinner last night.

Love, Charleston

Love, Charleston by Beth Webb Hart, interweaves the stories of four adults who are connected to each other from summers spent in Charleston, SC.  The three women are made up of sisters, Anne and Lish along with their cousin Della.  Roy is a boy who spent summers down the street and knew the girls mostly by sight.  As the years have moved on, Roy has become a priest in a small farming community and the girls have all made Charleston their home with differing degrees of success.  Each has their own set of personal problems and God moves in such a way as to bring these four back together in order to bring about His glory.

This book was okay for me.  It took me much longer to read because I just wasn’t getting into the story.  However, one area of particular interest to note is the author focuses a storyline on postpartum depression.  It is difficult to read at times, but I have a feeling that many women will benefit from Ms. Hart’s opening the discussion in such an honest way.  All the characters’ struggles are believable and not sugar-coated.  Ms. Hart did an excellent job of showing the true reality of life.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson publishing for providing me with a free copy of the book to review.  I was not required to post a favorable opinion.

a new skill set

I am currently out in Seattle visiting with my best friend and her hubby who are major foodies.  They make everything, right down to graham crackers from scratch.  This in turn leads to a messy kitchen after each meal preparation.  Being the thoughtful friend and receiver of delicious food, I decided to do the dishes.  I loaded the dishwasher, added the soap, and turned it on all while Stacie and Ralph were upstairs putting their girls to bed.  As I began to hand wash the few items that were not dishwasher safe I looked down and soapy water is pouring out of the dishwasher.  Umm, I felt like I was in the Brady Bunch episode where the kid uses too much soap in the washer and it spews suds everywhere.  Stacie comes to rescue me saying how weird and the only time she’s ever heard of such a thing is when you use the wrong soap and wanted to know what kind of soap I had used.  I reach under the cabinet and proudly say this one…oops.  I was proudly displaying dish washing liquid.  Stacie sped to the internet where we discovered the fix to this problem is to bail out the dishwasher which I proceeded to do (using a cup then removed the bottom rack of dishes and began using a turkey baster to get out the remaining soapy water) and then do a rinse with white vinegar.  The white vinegar apparently cuts the reactive nature of dish soap.  I am proud to say it worked and I must be an expert bailer because I only had to do one round of vinegar rinse.  Did I mention that Stacie had just finished working a 12 hour shift???  I’m such a good best friend.  Thankfully, they’re still feeding me (and doing the dishes).

Seeds of Turmoil

Seeds of Turmoil: The Biblical Roots of the Inevitable Crisis in the Middle East by Bryant Wright is a good overview to the current events playing out in the Middle East.  One of my favorite things about this book is that it is very readable.  The author did not try to impress the readers with scholar talk which can be complicated to follow.  He simply presents the facts so that the average reader is engaged and can clearly follow his premise.

The author believes that the current crisis in the Middle East goes back to the time of Abraham and Sarah.  Their sin of trying to help God out by having Abraham conceive a child with Hagar really creates the basis of the world’s three major religions.  A brief overview of history is given in order to explain how that event leads up to today’s turmoil.  For me, one of the most interesting sections of the book was the discussion on the present state of Bethlehem.  Jerusalem is often the focus of the world, but the state of Bethlehem shocked me.  This book is an excellent read for those who need an introduction or refresher of the conflict in the Middle East.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.  The opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

Darlin’, Christmas is coming

Okay, so the only problem with going to the Christmas store in October is that I’m ready to come home and decorate for Christmas.  But, I patiently put my purchases in the closet and then I am surprised all over again when it is actually time to decorate.  My favorite purchase this year…

 

How cute are they?? There was a matching female, but she was not so cute and therefore remained at the store.

Usually, my oldest sister and I travel up to Frankenmuth and back in one day.  This year, my sister from Chicago and mom decided to join us so we ended up staying overnight.  We had a fun time and we had the opportunity to explore the village part of the town, which is a total tourist trap but still quite fun.  A large number of calories were consumed and not regretted.  It was a rare experience where the four of us are able to get together and bond.

My sister from Chicago has twin boys and brought their school pictures.  Both were a hit, but one is the best school picture I have ever seen.  Apparently, my nephew has a fascination with faux hawks and at school before his picture was taken, he managed to style his own hair.  The look on his face is priceless.  You can tell he is just so proud of himself and his face is lit up.  It’s a good thing my sister has a great sense of humor.  She totally loves the picture and is not making him get retakes.  The faux hawk will become a classic family memory.  It makes me grin every time I look at it.  We’ll see how he tops it next year.

 

 

Voices of the Faithful Book 2

Love, love, love this book.  For those of you have never heard of Voices of the Faithful, it is a collaboration between Beth Moore, Kim P. Davis, and International Mission Board missionaries.   Missionaries from around the world send in their stories about what God is doing in their lives and ministry.  Their stories are compiled into a daily devotionals with a monthly theme.  This is the second book in the series.  This would be a fantastic buy for the upcoming year.

The monthly themes include the following:  Prayer, the Priority; God, Our Loving Father; Divine Appointments; Jesus, the Sacrificial Lamb; Follow Me; The Power of the Story; Lost and Found; Making Him Known; Lessons from the Young; From Adversity to Triumph; Be Encouraged; and Hope for the World.

These stories are emotional and excellent reminders of what God is doing throughout the world.  Not all entries have a happy, neat ending.  They are real life and they are reminders that God is working even when we don’t see the results we think we should or when we should.  I love getting to read first hand accounts of how God is moving throughout different people groups.  This book makes international missions accessible to everyone.  I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

 

An Amish Christmas

An Amish Christmas contains four novellas written by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Barbara Cameron, and Kelly Long.  All four novellas were well written.  There is character overlap between the first three stories and the stories all take place within the same Christmas season.  The stories are about finding love, forgiveness, and faith.  A Miracle for Miriam is a story about how hurtful words spoken in youth can impact the rest of someone’s life.  A Choice to Forgive focuses on one man’s decision to leave his bride on their wedding day and his return eighteen years later.  One Child is a tender story about a couple’s grief over a miscarriage and finding a way to lean on God’s promises and move past the hurt.  Christmas Cradles is the new addition to this series and is about an Amish mid-wife who comes to take over for her aunt’s practice for one night and finds much more waiting for her than expectant mothers.

I enjoyed all four of these novellas.  In particular, I enjoyed learning more about the Christmas traditions of the Amish.  They have two days of Christmas.  The First Christmas is focused on the birth of Jesus and the entire day is spent with family and friends in worship.  The Second Christmas is the day where the Amish trade their gifts to one another.  What an amazing way to focus on the real meaning of Christmas.  A fun read during the holiday season.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.  The opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

seriously…winning really is everything?

So, the lack of half-time entertainment at the UD games has led me to catching up on news stories on the CNN app on my phone.  I was reading an article about how Ben Roethlisberger is earning redemption in Pittsburgh.  It’s two days later and the article still bugs me.  Now, I haven’t always been a Ben hater.  I watched him play at Miami many times (although I thought he was a lousy quarterback…shows how much I know about football).  I have cheered for him over the years, but I am just blown away at the concept of winning makes up for his behavior and covers the accusations that surround him.  Someone was quoted in the article as literally saying winning makes up for a lot of sins.  BR is not the first to benefit from this attitude in our culture by any means.  I think it’s just the nature of the accusations that is getting to me.  I’m fully aware that he has never been charged, but when more than one accusation pops up it makes me question how many more are out there.  But it seems as if these more serious allegations get lumped in with rumors of him being a jerk and hard to deal with and the only explanation given is one about getting caught up in image of being a superstar. So, an apology for getting caught up in fame, missing four games of the season, and taking the team to the Superbowl earns him redemption?   I think I’m missing something.   I’m not satisfied with this boys will be boys, now here’s the ball go play attitude.

Also, in the article it mentioned that BR is now engaged to a local woman.  Again, my mind is having difficulty processing the fact that a woman agreed to marry him.  Part of me wonders if it is a publicity stunt to save his career.  Hey, look at me, I’m settling down.  Another part wonders, if she had a fidelity clause put in the pre-nup and is betting she’ll win big in a couple of years.  I have no idea who this woman is and I’ve never read anything about her, I’m just curious about her actions.  Another story that is making it’s way around the blogosphere is about a 38 year old woman who had a massive stroke and has been in the hospital for over a week.  Her husband has been writing updates on her blog and the way this man loves his wife just makes me want to weep.  It’s beautiful.  It’s deep.  It’s selfless.  Then my mind wanders back to this woman in Pittsburgh and my heart breaks for her because I don’t believe she is going to know that kind of love.  In this world, I’d be considered a fool by most but I know I’d give up millions to be loved by a man who will sit by my hospital bed for hours holding my hand because spending time with me is the best part of his day and my being in a coma doesn’t change that fact.  Wow.  That’s the winner, hands down.

 

it might be love…

Silly readers, relationships are for other girls.  However, my new mattress arrived today, although a bit later than expected, and I do admit I am rather fond of my choice.  It still feels soft even through the plastic encasing which is to remain firmly in place until I make up my mind that this mattress is for me.  I have three months to take it back, however, I don’t think I’ll last with the plastic that long and hopefully will be able to make my mind up after a week or two.  The bed is so high that I don’t think Lucy will be able to quite make the jump on her own.  She hasn’t tried it yet, but she her appraisal of the new situation seemed to produce a fair amount of suspicion on her part.  Good thing she has a new dog bed that she loves.  Someone at work asked me what happens if my sleep doesn’t improve.  My answer at least I’ll lay awake in soft comfort.  Here’s hoping for sweet dreams!

there’s no place like home

I am home AND there is heat AND there is internet.  I am happy.

 

Life, In Spite of Me

Wow.  Life In Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice is Kristen Jane Anderson’s story of how she tried to commit suicide, but God saved her from herself.  She literally laid down on railroad tracks at the age of seventeen and waited for a train to run over her.  She got what she wanted  in the form of a thirty-three car freight train traveling at fifty-five miles per hour.  She should not have survived, but she did.

This book is the story of her journey…all of it.  Kristen explains what had been going on in her “all-American” life that led her to make the decision to take her life.  She is also very candid about the details of coming to learn that God saved her life for a purpose.  It was a long and hard, even after she gave her life to Christ.  She is very open with her struggles with depression and recovery.

Kristen has gone on to earn a degree from Moody Bible College.  She has started a ministry, Reaching You (www.reachingyou.org), that God is blessing to reach people all over the world who are struggling with depression and suicide.  Kristen tells her story whenever she has the opportunity and has even appeared on Oprah.  She gives God all the glory for saving her life and is making all that she can with her second chance at life.

As a school teacher, I have experienced two student suicides.  I have always wondered how teens come to the decision that the only way out is to end their life.  What could possibly be so wrong that all hope is gone?  Having insight from someone who has made that choice and yet lived to tell is invaluable.  Kristen includes letters between some of the chapters of things she wished someone would have said to her while she was struggling.  At the end of the book, she includes a list of red flags that indicate the contemplation of suicide as well as tips for how to approach and provide intervention.  I truly believe that God will use this book to speak to many youth who are experiencing hard times.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

The Jesus Inquest

The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster makes my head hurt, but in a good way.  Mr. Foster is a barrister (lawyer) in Great Britain.  The basis of this book is dealing with the hard questions that many Christians as well as non-Christians ask about the person of Jesus.  Did Jesus really die on a cross?  Was he really raised from the dead?  Is this all just an elaborate hoax?  Mr. Foster asked himself these questions and was dissatisfied with the answers out there.  So, he set out to prove Christianity in a courtroom manner.  He plays the part of lawyer X who thinks Christianity is a great hoax and lawyer Y who is committed to proving that Jesus is who he said he was and did what he said he did.

Each chapter starts with the common ground and the scripture that covers the topic in question.  Then, lawyer X gives his argument and lawyer Y disproves it.  The only flaw in the set up is that clearly Y is going to win.  I did have some issue with Y’s counterarguments.  Mr. Foster poked at Lee Strobel’s book by making a comment to the effect of you can’t prove Christianity by saying these smart guys say its true.  However, sometimes Y’s arguments came down to the simplest answer is often right and claimed that X’s arguments were too convoluted.

I will say that I did learn a great deal more about the issues that people have with Christianity.  Will this book win them over?   I’m not sure.  I think this book will definitely help those along their journey who are very analytical and need to view all sides of the argument.  But ultimately, faith is faith.  I’m not sure there is any logical argument that can prove faith infallible.  Overall, Mr. Foster makes a good attempt and has put together a very interesting presentation of the information surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a favorable review.

iheartblackmonday

I have just ordered a laptop, which is currently on its way to my house.  I was going to save this and use it to write my first blog on my amazing, new computer but I was too excited to wait.  For those of you who may be wondering what Black Monday is and why I get a present, all I have to say is you must be married.  The tradition started long ago, when bitter than another Valentine’s Day had come and I had yet to have a date all year…I began referring, in the most loving way, to this holiday as Black (insert day of the week).  My best friend (and her husband) took pity on my sad, pathetic love life and began buying me a present on Valentine’s Day as a way to let my celibate self know that I was loved and not forgotten (except for the one year she forgot).  It has become a tradition that I enjoy very much because let’s face it…I love presents.  Past years have brought me Sweet Home Alabama and Becoming Jane.  After my best friend and her husband moved to Seattle, I figured the tradition was over and was sad because…let’s face it I love presents.  So in order to keep the tradition alive, this year became my own Valentine.  I did good too.  I bought some bright flowers at Trader Joe’s and yummy treats from the Ester Price store.  However, to my surprise, I received a phone call in which my best friend apologized for being a bad friend and not mailing my Black Monday gift on time.  I assured her she was still on my list of favorite people on the planet and have since been anxiously awaiting my package in the mail.  It came today…

This is a quote from my one of my all time favorite books…any guesses?  It might just inspire a movie marathon this weekend.  I have to admit it has already evoked many smiles and some hand clapping.  Can’t wait to see what Black Tuesday brings next year!

A Cowboy’s Touch

A Cowboy’s Touch by Denise Hunter was a wonderful afternoon escape.  The premise is that Abigail Jones needs a break for health reasons from her busy life as an investigative reporter.  Her boss, also her mom, orders her to take a three-month leave of absence and suggests she goes to check on her great Aunt Lucy in Montana.  Moving from Chicago to remote Moose Creek provides some unique challenges for a city girl.  Along the way she makes friends with 11-year-old Maddie, who happens to have a very handsome widowed father.   I think you know where this is going.  The path isn’t easy and there are some twists and turns that keep the story moving.

I really enjoyed the character development and the pace of the story.  The chemistry between Abigail and Wade was electric and jumped off the pages.  I am already looking forward to the next novel in the series and sad that it isn’t coming until 2012.  Definitely one of Ms. Hunter’s best novels to date!  I highly recommend this book for those looking for a little romance.  You won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

super moon

Apparently a super moon happens once every eighteen years.  I don’t remember hearing anything about it 18 years ago and I was going to do the math to figure out how old I would be when the next super moon occurs…then I remembered…I hate math.  Enjoy!

 

Bliss

Did you see?  Two book posts in one week!  Time to read = Bliss.  Love that equation.  Here’s hoping to have a little more bliss this week.

giddy

Denise Hunter just commented on my blog that reviewed her book.  That makes me giddy!

mojito pound cake…it really does exist!

They love me…they really love me!  Over a  year ago, my best friend Stacie forwarded me a link for a mojito pound cake based on my new found love of mojitos.  Then, she proceeded to move across the country to Seattle.  This was a disaster of epic proportions, because let me tell you this cake recipe is hard and there was no way I could pull off making it.  I even approached a lady at work who caters meals and baked goods on the side to make one for me.  She took a look at the recipe and said, “No way!”  I think the challenge may have spurred Stacie and Ralph on (I may have to apply this strategy in the future).  Sadly, I was beginning to think I was doomed to a life without mojitio pound cake.  Then to my surprise, a large box arrives for me at Hotel Smith in Memphis and what to my wondering eyes should appear…

Fantastic idea Stacie!  Excellent execution Ralph!  You guys are awesome!  Thanks for an amazing birthday present!

For those of you who are crazy enough to make one for yourself, here is the link… http://erincooks.com/cakelove-mojito-pound-cake/

Enjoy!  I know I am!

Max on Life

Max on Life is a collection of letters that Max Lucado had received throughout his years of ministry.  In this book, he responds to each question with his honest opinion and Biblical perspective.  Some of his responses are just okay and others cut straight to the heart.  In his answers, he does reference his other written works in which he has addressed some of the topics before.  There are some really difficult questions in this book and for the most part the answers are one page long.  I don’t think there is any earth shattering information in this book, but for people who are hurting it is a good place to start and possibly find some encouragement.  I appreciate that he does not shy away from trying to answer the hard questions that most people have at some point in their Christian walk.  At times, I feel he gets a little sidetracked in his answers, but for the most part he is trying to meet people where they are at and point them to Christ.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson publishing for providing a free copy of this book for me to review.  I was not required to publish a favorable opinion.

blessed

Have you ever felt overwhelmingly blessed?  For me, it started when Stacie and Ralph sent the mojito pound cake.  I was able to share the cake with my cousin Lynn Marie and her husband John.  They were blown away by the effort that Stacie and Ralph went to in order to make my mojito pound cake dreams come true.  As we were enjoying the cake, John shared a story about the wife of the man who came up with the power of positive thinking.  She was traveling, in Africa I believe, when a villager brought her a shell.  The people with her told her how special this shell was because it was only found in one place…which was a three-day walk from the village.  As she was thanking the man who gave her the shell she said something along the lines of “You really shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.”  The man simply replied, “Long walk part of gift.”  This has become a family motto for LM and John and now I think I will have to adopt it too.

I happened to be with LM on my birthday, which I had not told her because I didn’t want her to feel like she needed to do anything special.  My dad’s family has never been close and I think that part of it is due to the large age gap among the siblings.  I remember visiting LM’s house once as a kid, but we really didn’t connect until her mom’s funeral a couple of years ago.  However, Facebook ratted me out.  My sweet cousin surprised me with the following on my birthday:

I love my new scarf, earrings, and tea towels!  I’m not surprised by the generosity of my friends and family, but the extra effort that went in to making my birthday special is so precious to me.  As a single woman, there aren’t many moments when I get to feel cherished but this past week was a great reminder of how much I am loved which leaves me truly blessed.  Long walk, part of gift.

When Sparrows Fall

When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley is a story about a young widow who along with her children is trapped in a cult.  Her pastor claims to have “a word from the Lord” and declares that the entire church must sell their homes and move to another town with him.  Not wanting to sell the land that had been in her husband’s family for years, Miranda struggles to find a way to stay behind and protect her children.  In the process of withstanding pressure from her pastor, Miranda has a serious fall that brings Jack, the brother-in-law that she has met once, into the house to take care of the kids while she is recovering.  Needless to say, Jack’s beliefs and lifestyle are not quite the same as Miranda’s which brings all the drama needed to make a great story.

This book is a great read and provides insight into the cult lifestyle.  I have often wondered how people get in so deep and why they can’t get out.  The story draws you in immediately and you can’t help but want Miranda to break free from the chains that keep her entrenched in the cult.  As Jack breathes life into this family and exposes them to the world outside their church, the children experience the wonders that the rest of us often take for granted.  If you are in need of a heart-warming book, this is a must read.

Thanks to Multnomah Books for providing me a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Too Rich For A Bride

Too Rich For A Bride is the second in a series by Mona Hodgson.  I haven’t read the first book yet, but it is now on my “to read” list.  The series centers around the Sinclair sisters.  In Too Rich For A Bride, oldest sister, Ida Sinclair takes center stage.  Ida dreams of being a successful businesswoman and the only problem is she lives in 1896.  Tired of offending overtures from businessmen, Ida moves to the town where two of her sisters are living in order to work for a woman who is operating a successful business in town.  Ida sole focus is business, but God has other plans as he brings two men into her life to complicate matters.  Ida must wade through murky waters in order to discover the type of businesswoman she wants to be as well as the kind of future she wants to have.

This story is well-written and engaging from the start.  I enjoyed getting to know the Sinclair sisters and their quirks.  The members of this booming mining town are endearing…at least most of them.  This is a great read for a lazy afternoon.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  I was not required to write a favorable opinion.

rain, rain go away

I was going to post the pictures of my first completed summer project…however summer decided to go away again and spring is back with a vengeance.  Today provided a much-needed break from the rain, but it was a little chilly outside and I opted to go to my parents house where there was bbq pork sandwiches as well as my sister and her kids.  So, you’ll just have to wait.  Intrigued aren’t you???

Plain Wisdom

Plain Wisdom is the story of a friendship developed between author Cindy Woodsmall and Miriam Floyd.  As a developing author, Cindy desired to write novels taking place in an Amish community.  A mutual friend introduced her to Miriam as a way for Cindy to learn more about Amish communities so that her novels would be accurate.  Along the way, a lifelong friendship has developed between these two women.

Each chapter has a theme and both women write about how their life experiences relate to each theme.  The readers get a taste of Amish life, but the true heart of the book is to show that even though our cultures may be different, Christ binds us together and makes us family.  I love all the recipes that Miriam has shared throughout the book and can’t wait to try some out myself.  Since I’m not much of a cook, this is saying something.  This is truly a great read and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book to review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Departures

Departures contains two novellas by Robin Jones Gunn.  Now Boarding At Gate 10 is part of the Christy Miller series and In the Event of a Water Landing is part of the Sierra Jensen series.  They both were very cute stories and very appropriate for young ladies.

Now Boarding at Gate 10 finds Christy just after high school graduation.  She is traveling back to her childhood town with her family in order to celebrate her grandparents’ 5oth wedding anniversary.  Christy is recently single and is surprised when her childhood crush seeks her out.  She begins to wonder what life would have been like if she had never moved away as well as determining the path she wants to follow in her future.

In the Event of a Water Landing also finds Sierra traveling in the summertime.  She is traveling with her best friend Jana along with Jana’s older brother and one of his friends.  The foursome are traveling to meet Jana and Greg’s parents at their lake cabin for the Fourth of July weekend.  The girls are fifteen and are trying to navigate new feelings towards boys.  At times it is a competition between the girls, but Sierra struggles to decide if she is ready to leave her childhood behind.

I have actually never read either of the Christy Miller or Sierra Jensen series.  I am actually a fan of Robin Jones Gunn from her Glenbrooke series.  I believe I have read the first in the Katie Weldon series, which had Christy married and having a baby.  It was fun getting to see part of where she started from.

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review  I was not required to write a favorable opinion.

hmm, how’s this supposed to work???

So, for those of you not living in the Dayton area, let me just tell you that it has been raining nonstop for probably two weeks.  My backyard is a swamp and can literally hold no more water.  This makes mowing a problem.  Today was the first day without rain and tomorrow is supposed to be a warm day with no rain.  Unfortunately, the rain comes back on Sunday.  That makes tomorrow the optimal day for mowing the extremely long grass in my yard, which in reality I am going to have to cut twice.  The next piece of information I should give you is that my dad is building a place to park his boat which includes replacing the section of fence that includes my gate.  The fence posts were dug on Thursday, but because the ground is so wet they won’t be coming back to put the actual fence in for several days.  You’re probably wondering by now what the problem is…well, they took out the section of the fence that contained my gate and replaced it with a temporary fence that does not have a gate and does not look moveable.  Not really sure how I’m going to mow my front yard tomorrow.

I’m also playing around with new themes for my blog.  I really like this one except for the fact that it seems to be set to put my most recent post first and then goes to the oldest post stored, which ironically is not my first post.  Any suggestions on how this can be fixed?  I like this theme because it seems to fit the mood of celibate in the suburbs, unlike the brighter themes, but is infused with a little bit of color which fits my personality a little better than gray and black.  Decisions, decisions.

summer project #1

Ok- so it’s more of a mini-project than project, but I thought it would be quick and simple to complete.  Unfortunately, the weather had other plans and has been raining ever since I completed the first step.  I finally caught a break in the weather and was able to finish it up yesterday before the rain began again.  There is a lady who lives across the street from me who loves Lucy to pieces and comes over to play with her throughout the day.  She brought me the following plant stand that my friend down the street had found at goodwill and given it to her.  This is what it looked like upon arrival:

Now the final product that is just in need of some flowers in the pot:

While not all that exciting, it has gotten me motivated to start knocking some of the items off my list.  It’s beginning to look a lot like summer!  Only five more weeks of school!  I have no plans other than a family vacation on the calendar.  Not sure how I feel about that, but I think it might make for a more productive summer!

Summertime

Well, the fourth of July is over which means I’m starting to get a little twitchy about summer’s end.  This summer has been a little different for me than past years because I have had almost a month of being home without any travel plans.  So, what did I do with those first few weeks???  I did a lot of painting and decided to rearrange the house.  It has been nice getting some needed projects done.  Here are some of the results:

I started the summer off by painting a dresser given to me by a friend who moved across the country and did not take it with her.  After its completion, I put it in my bedroom which I promptly rearranged.  At the same time, I also painted my nasty picnic table, bench, and chairs black.  While it looks a thousand times better, it’s still a nasty picnic table and you don’t need to see it!  A few picture frames were also painted black and I have some “new” old artwork around the house.

After I finished the dresser, I moved on to repainting the back room.  I have always wanted a pumpkin orange room, but what I painted last year turned out to be an extremely bright orange.  Not sure what happened, but definitely time to replace it.  I also rearranged this room so what was once the exercise room is now my office.  In addition, I painted the built-in bookcase black which means another eye-sore is gone!

The former office became the new guest bedroom.  Be warned future guests…there’s not a whole lot of room to move around.  But since you rarely come see me, I don’t fee guilty!

The former guest bedroom has become the new exercise room.  The backroom, now the office, is not attached to my heater or air conditioner.  In the winter, there is a baseboard heater but there is not a way to effectively get A/C into the room.  Since I do weight workouts twice a week and about made myself sick while working out, I decided that changing my workout room was top priority.  Since I spend a lot of time in the exercise room,  I decided a fresh coat of paint was needed to make it a cheerier space.  The treadmill has yet to be moved, but I have help coming this week to take care of that.

Finally, I was convinced to repaint my kitchen yellow.  A couple of years ago, I was considering a move to San Antonio so I painted my house in a neutral color.  I have missed my bright yellow kitchen desperately and I think all of my friends were tired of hearing me whine.  So, after listening to Teri’s sage advice (It’s summer, you have the time.  Just do it already) it was time to tackle the big project.

So, now the big chores are done and it is time to relax!  My garden is doing great and I have a fridge full of produce.  The traveling portion of my summer has commenced.  So to those of you, I will be visiting….I can’t wait to see you!

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck

This book had me at the title.  I loved The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y’Barbo.  It is the third in a series involving the Beck family.  Charlotte Beck is a young lady on the verge of coming out in society.  She is ready to be treated like an adult and fights hard to get her way in all things.  She is a little unusual for the time period, the 1880s, and wants to pursue a college degree in mathematics.  She has on unfortunate encounter after another with the English nobleman, Alex Hambly that provides the witty comedy throughout this book.

This book is extremely well-written and the characters are engaging right from the start.  I liked it so much that I have purchased the first two books in the series.  If you are looking for an entertaining read, this is it.

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Nick of Time

Nick of Time by Tim Downs is one in a series of Bug Man Novels.  The premise is that Nick Polchak, a forensic entomologist, leaves a few days before his wedding to help an old friend solve a murder case.  Circumstances cause him to miss communicating with his fiancée, Alena, which leads to more conflict and drama as she leaves home to search for Nick.

This book was just okay for me because I am a huge Bones fan.  Nick is the male version of Temperance Brennan who has the job of Jack Hodgens.  For me, it was just a cheap imitation of the Kathy Reichs’ books.  If I wasn’t a Bones fan, I think I would enjoy the series because I like the detail of combing through a crime scene to find the small details that end up breaking a case wide open.  However, I just could not get past the similarities to the Bones series.  The most significant similarity is having a brilliant, but socially maladjusted main character working with the FBI to solve murder cases.  If you are a Bones fan, I’d take a pass on this series.  For those of you who like CSI type novels but are unfamiliar with the Bones series, then check this series out.  I would start from the beginning because even though earlier events do not impact the storyline, I could tell that I was missing background information.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me

Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A memoir…of sorts by Ian Morgan Crone is one of the best books I have read in a long time.  This is the story of Ian’s life growing up with an alcoholic father who, in fact, worked for the CIA.  His father’s alcoholism truly affected every aspect of his family life and left him feeling incomplete.  This lack of relationship with his dad led to several issues in Ian’s own life including a personal battle with alcohol.  As a young boy, Ian loved God with his whole heart.  Unanswered prayers regarding his father caused Ian to walk away from God.  Dear friends and some heavenly guidance helped him find his way back.

This book is gripping from the first page.  I could not put it down.  He is an amazing storyteller and his writing flows with ease.  It has to be so hard to share something so personal with the world, but he does it with grace.  In this book, he recalls telling his story to someone who really listens and takes time to “honor the story.”  I believe this book is Mr. Crone’s way of honoring his life story.  I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Beyond All Measure

Beyond all Measure by Dorothy Love is part of the Hickory Ridge series.  Ada Wentworth is moving to Hickory Ridge to be a lady’s companion for an elderly woman because she has lost her family, fiance, and fortune.  Although she takes this job because she is in desperate need of money, Ada’s dreams include starting her own hat shop.  Since this is a romance novel, love is in the air with the man who has hired her to take care of his aunt.  Of course things can’t be smooth and easy, so the dreams of each seem to lead them away from each other.

This is the first book that I have read by Dorothy Love and I really enjoyed it.  The story moves quickly and the characters are engaging.  The story takes place during the Reconstruction Era, so the issue of race is accurately addressed.  She handled the racial tension of the time period in a direct, but sensitive manner.  Overall, this is a very good read and is tailor-made for a lazy afternoon.  I look forward to reading more in this series.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

it’s the small things

There may be love in the red letters, but there is also love in the details.  I was blessed beyond belief last week when my senior advisory, whom I’ve spent four years with, gave me a good-bye present of 1.5 dozen beautiful pink roses.  I have to admit, I have been a bit teary over their thoughtfulness.  I have NEVER received roses in my life.  I imagined that when I did receive them that they would come from the hands of an amazing man.  However, God used an amazing group of soon-to-be graduates to remind me that He still sees me.  I am not forgotten.   I am cherished.  While He didn’t answer in the way I expected or seriously want, He still answered.  He still cared enough about me to take care of some small, silly detail to remind me of His love.  It reminds me not to forget Him.  Cherish Him.  To take care of the small things, because they matter.  Wow.  Who knew roses could say so much?

water’s edge

Water’s Edge is a new edition to Robert Whitlow’s The Tides of Truth Series.  This book focuses on Tom Crane who is returning to Bethel in order to close down his father’s law practice after his father’s untimely death.  As Tom tries to close out cases, he comes across a secret account his father created for a client with no explanation of how and why two million dollars was deposited.  While solving the case, Tom is confronted with his father’s faith and has to determine if he is going to follow in his father’s footsteps.

I enjoyed this book very much. For those of you new to Robert Whitlow, his style is similar to John Grisham but focuses much more on the spiritual side of life.  The action was fast-moving and follows a few twists and turns.  This book can be read independently of the other books in the series.  The character development is well-paced and keeps the reader engaged throughout the book.  If you are looking for a legal mystery book, this is an excellent option and I recommend you pick up a copy.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy to review.  I was not required to write a favorable opinion.

Life Everlasting

Life Everlasting by Robert Whitlow is the continuation of the story of Baxter and Rena Richardson.  The story picks up and follows those involved with trying to heal Baxter through spiritual music therapy.  It also works to resolve the killing of a local police officer who stopped Rena for speeding in the previous book.  Again, Rena finds herself in multiple legal quagmires that keep the lawyers hopping.  The relationship between Alexis and Ted continues to develop as both have to decide whether or not this is a relationship with potential.

It has been a year or more since I had read the first book.  Rereading it before starting this book would have helped me follow the story more because I had to spend time trying to remember what had happened.  Overall, it was an okay sequel.  I remember I enjoyed the first book very much and was looking forward to reading the next in the series.  This one seemed a little slower paced and not quite as exciting, but that could simply be due to the length of time between the reading.  I do recommend this for those of you wanting to know how the story ends.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Fierce Beauty

Fierce Beauty by Kim Meeder focuses on the importance of women to become warriors for Christ instead of pampered princesses.  She wants to encourage women that true beauty is an action and not merely a look.  Those of you new to Kim Meeder will learn of her past in which she lost both of her parents as a young child.  Her grandmother lovingly raised her and after recognizing her love for horses, bought Kim her first horse.  Through her relationship with her horse, Kim dealt with her past and found the power of Jesus’ love.  Today, she and her husband own and operate a ranch that rescues horses in distress and pairs them with children of all ages who are living through difficult life experiences.  Throughout the book, Kim uses stories from the ranch and her life to introduce a topic and goes on to expand how these experiences demonstrate Biblical truths and Jesus’ love for us.  This is a very encouraging book for those who are in the process of making the decision to serve themselves or Christ as well as for those that have chosen to serve Christ.

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

cherished

Cherished by Kim Cash Tate is an enjoyable read.  It tells the story of Brian and Kelli who were former high school sweethearts that broke apart badly.  The cause of the breakup and residual pain have haunted both Brian and Kelli as time has gone by.  Several years down the road, they both find themselves in the position of having to make major life decisions when their paths cross again.  Cherished also tells the story of Heather, a young woman who has bought into the lie that sex equals love.  This is a story of how God can redeem any situation no matter how long we ignore Him and wallow in our pain.  I love the grace and mercy that is extended to Kelli, Brian, and Heather by Kelli’s family.  Sadly, many in the church family were not so gracious in regards to Heather.  I think this novel serves as a great reminder that God alone knows the heart of a person and that’s why judgement is left up to Him.  Not always easy to live out in real life, but it’s the truth nonetheless.  The story serves as a great example of love, forgiveness, and redemption.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this novel to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wrapped in Rain

Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin is the story of two brothers, Tuck and Mutt, who grow up in a home with an absent and abusive father.  The abuse they suffer affects them to the core, but they ground themselves in the love of Miss Ella Rain.  Ella Rain is the live-in help who loves those boys as her own.  No matter the circumstance, she points them to Christ and forgiveness.  She teaches them what a real man should be.  Both boys struggle as adults to leave behind their past.  One loses himself to mental illness and the other to work.  This is the story of healing for two very broken boys as they find a way to put the pieces back together.

I love this book with my whole heart.  If I could give it bonus stars, I would.  The story is simply powerful and moving.  The character development is so well done and the plot is completely  engaging.  You can’t help but to live each moment with the characters.  The unconditional love that Miss Ella has for those boys is beautiful to behold.  I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

The Harvest of Grace

The Harvest of Grace is the third installment in Cindy Woodsmall’s Ada House series.  This book focuses on Sylvia Fisher and Aaron Blank.  Aaron is returning to his parents farm after being in rehab in an attempt to reconcile and convince his parents to sell their struggling farm and move to town with him.  When he arrives at the farm, he realizes that his parents have hired a new worker who is desperately trying to help save his parents farm.  When attraction arises between Aaron and Sylvia they find themselves in an awkward position as they both have different goals for the farm.  The novel also continues the story lines of previous characters from the first two books in the series.

Overall, a quick and enjoyable read.  Cindy Woodsmall continues to explore the lifestyle of the Old Order Amish.  If you enjoy learning about other cultures within the U.S., this is a great way to learn about Old Order Amish customs in a fun way.  There is much more to the culture than what can be portrayed in fiction novels, but it’s an easy place to start.

Thanks to WaterBrook Press for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

the new girl

I hate making hard decisions.  I hate making hard decisions that involve change.  I don’t handle major change well.  I don’t handle being the new girl well.  After much deliberation, I have decided to leave a church that I have attended for years.  It’s been such a hard decision because I love the preaching and I love the worship time.  But there’s only one way to connect and that just hasn’t worked out well for me.  I know it’s time to move on, but there are times when I’m sad about leaving.

I’ve landed at the moment at another church in town that seems to have everything under the sun.  It’s definitely an adjustment going from one option to an overwhelming amount of options.  One of the offerings is living alone…together.  I almost wept when I read it because I thought, finally I am not invisible.  Someone has seen my need and responded.  There are Bible studies, book clubs, singles groups, and service opportunities.  I attended a dinner tonight for new people to find out more.  Sadly, not everything is meant for me.  The youngest people in the singles group are in the mid-forties.  Living alone together is made up of women 50+ but I’m hoping they’ll adopt me anyway.  The good news is my table leaders are in charge of the women’s ministry and they table talked about what they could do to fill the gap.  Wow.  I’ve signed up for a Beth Moore Bible study and a 6 week starter community group.  Seated tonight at my dinner table of single ladies, was one of my former field hockey moms whom I adore.  We are going to be in the same starter community group and I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to actually know someone.  I missed the first week of Bible study because of a previous commitment so I’m a little nervous about coming in a week late.  I’m sure that all will be well, but did I mention I really don’t like being the new girl???

A Sound Among the Trees

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner is the story that spans generations.  Tragedy seems to follow the females of Holly Oak dating back to the civil war.  The mystery of Holly Oak seems to focus on Susannah Page who was suspected of being a spy for the North during the Civil War.  Holly Oak seems to bear a grudge and takes it out on the following generations.  Rumors abound that the house is haunted because Susannah cannot find peace.  The story revolves Susannah’s descendants as they try to put the mystery of Holly Oak’s past behind them so they can move forward.

It was a little different than what I expected, but overall a good read.  I was expecting a historical fiction novel that focused on Susannah’s story as the main event.  However, I liked how the storyline connected the past and present and worked to resolve the common thread that weaves between the lives of the Holly Oaks women.  I liked how the story came full circle allowing the characters to honor the past while looking forward to the future.

Thanks to Water Brook Press for giving me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

hello, good-bye

Dear Cancer,

I don’t like you.  I think you’re gross.  I wish you would go adios.

-al

the fun part of today

My grown-up bedroom furniture arrived today!  This is my first solo purchase of real adult furniture.  This does not count items from Target or Big Lots or the couches I bought with my former roommate and best friend that still grace my family room.  I apparently don’t have the knack of taking pictures of furniture with the lighting in my bedroom, but hopefully this is enough to give you the general idea.  Look, I even made my bed for you…I love the sleigh bed look…it’s not a full on curve but enough to give the flavor.

Funny enough, I think the mirror sold me on the set.

 

here’s hoping I can walk in the morning

I hurt, for more reasons than one.  Today, I ran my first 1/2 marathon and possibly my last despite strong persuasion to do it again next year.  I’m sad that I wasn’t able to run the whole way, but about mile 9 my legs started to hurt and I spent some painful moments trying to figure out what hurt less…running or walking.  I started to get a little weepy thinking that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish even if I started walking.  My left ankle hurt, my right knee hurt, and my legs felt like they were on fire but I finally stopped and walked for awhile and was able to run most of the last mile to the finish line…which of course was at the top of a hill. Seriously.  I kept a normal pace for the first seven miles, which maybe was too quick and I should have slowed down.  However, the killer for me was around mile 6 sharp inclines that I had not trained for at all began to pop up.  At one point, I looked up and all I could see before me was a hill.  It was long and seemed impossible for my tired legs to climb.  I forced my way up partly because of pride and partly because of the reason I was running in the first place.  I was running to raise money for Habitat for Hope, a Memphis organization that provides housing and meals to families traveling to Memphis in order to seek medical care for their child.  I kept telling myself that running up that hill wasn’t as hard as watching your child battle a serious illness.  Serious illness jumped my thoughts over to my sister who just learned this past week that she has breast cancer.  I kept telling myself that to keep running isn’t as hard as having to decide between removing part of your breast or the whole thing.  I felt like if I quit running, I was letting them down.  I didn’t know whether to cry, scream, or cuss in my desperation.  Stopping to walk felt like a betrayal, yet as hard as I tried, I couldn’t keep going.

Ultimately, this is a lesson about control.  About how badly I want it and how I so don’t have it.  God is firmly in control and the great physician, I know this.  No matter how badly I want to fix things, I can’t.  No matter how much I want the promise that my sister isn’t going to die, I can’t have it.  Crying, screaming, and cussing about how it’s not fair won’t make a difference.  I either trust God or I don’t.  Let me tell you, I’ve had my moments this week when I don’t.  Irrational, I know.  He loves my sister more than I can imagine and His plan is always perfect.  But my human heart is having a little trouble catching up with my mind.  It’ll get there, just like my legs crossed the finish line this morning.  Road weary, but intact.

so sleepy…

it’s 9 o’clock on a thursday, and i feel ready for bed, but i thought i’d show you muddy pictures instead…

it was nice to forget about life for awhile

there you’ll find me

There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones continues the story of the Sinclair family.  The story focuses on Finley Sinclair who is can’t quite seem to move past the grief of losing her older brother, Will.  On the day of his funeral, her mom gave her Will’s travel journal from his senior year of high school when he participated in a foreign exchange program.  Determined to retrace her brother’s step, Finely is also accepted as a foreign exchange student to the same town in Ireland.  Hoping to keep a low key, Finely finds herself in the middle of a mean girl drama while desperately trying to visit each of the sites in her brother’s journal so that she can finish composing a song about him for an important conservatory audition.

This is a beautiful story about the desperate search for God when you know he’s there but you can’t seem to find him.  I love that even though Finley is a Christian, she struggles to move past her grief.  She’s not a heroine that has it all together, which is a nice change of pace.  I think so many who read this story will be able to relate.  It is extremely well-written and very compelling.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

His Steadfast Love

His Steadfast Love by Golden Keyes Parsons is set during the Civil War.  The story follows Amanda Belle as she meets a handsome federal officer, Kent Littlefield, who is stationed in Texas.  As love is about to bloom, the Civil War breaks out and Kent leaves to fight with the Union Army.  Her brother, Daniel, enlists with the Confederate Army which leaves Amanda with divided loyalties.  As the war rages on, both Amanda and Kent find themselves questioning if they can really be together after the war despite strong opposition from both of their families.

I was overdue for some historical fiction and this book hit the spot.  I liked the fact that Amanda had a lot of difficult decisions to make and had the spunk to do what needed to be done.  I liked Parsons attempt of having people from opposing sides trying to understand each others point of view even though they totally disagree.  It was an interesting to read a story about slavery from the perspective of a family who believed to their core that they treated their slaves well.  I thought having a Civil War story take place in Texas was a twist because that’s not typically an area that gets covered for this time period.  There were some things that I feel were left unfinished so maybe this book will be part of a series. Overall, it was an easy read.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review.  I was not required to write a positive review.

Lonestar Angel

Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble is the fourth installment of the Lonestar series.  This story focuses on Clay and Eden who after losing their daughter to kidnapping went their separate ways.  Much to Eden surprise, Clay shows back up in her life to reveal he has a lead on their daughter’s whereabouts as well as reveal their divorce never happened.  Their daughter is a temporary resident of Bluebird Ranch where there happens to be an opening for house parents.  Eden and Clay arrive at the ranch determined to land the job so they can figure out which of the little girls is their Brianna.

This is an excellent addition to the series.  I really enjoyed the suspense and action throughout the book which made this book particularly hard to put down.  The chemistry between Eden and Clay is very engaging as they try to work together after spending so many years apart.  It was very easy to relate to their pain of losing a child and their inexplicable hope of getting her back.  If you haven’t checked out this series yet, I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.