Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Hidden Affections



by Delia Parr

Betrayed by her husband, Annabelle Tyler wears the burden of legally being a divorcee, a difficult position for an upstanding young woman to find herself in. While attempting to start a new life for herself, an unexpected turn of events once again has Annabelle married--this time to Harrison Graymoor, the most eligible, yet elusive, bachelor in Philadelphia. Harrison assures her that he will secure an annulment immediately, unaware that the constable has sent word of the marriage to the press in Philadelphia. And here things continue to go awry. Harrison's past, a philanthropic cousin with his eye on Annabelle, and the appearance of Annabelle's ex-husband threaten the tentative relationship growing between Harrison and his "wife." For two individuals set against marriage, there are certainly a lot of second thoughts regarding the one forced upon them.

This book is set in Pennsylvania in 1831.

In the latest novel, Hidden Affections by Delia Parr, we are introduced to an unlikely couple who are trying desperately not to fall in love. While the story sounds like a typical historical romance, this journey will be a journey unlike no other between Annabelle Tyler and Harrison Graymoor. This book is not a typical fairytale romance. As always Ms Parr writes so eloquently that you will turn page after page just to find out what will happen next. You root for Annabelle and Harrison from the start but you're never really sure what obstacles will come their way.

Delia Parr is one of the best historical writers I've read - she just has a way of using words that keep you spellbound and this book does not disappoint. You feel as if you are in Pennsylvania,at Graymoor Gardens, at The Reguge....any location in the book. The depth of the characters personalities and lives prove to be very moving and you instantly like the good characters and you instantly dislike the unsavory characters.

I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Loved it and I look forward to reading more of Delia Parr's work.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

3 Things Thursday

1. Do you like water?? - well at my house we do and we are thankful for the rain that we have had for the last two days (with more to come). The entire state and a lot of our nation has needed it. The girls went outside and played in it and we can already tell that our tomatoes have grown tremendously just within two days. Hopefully some of our fellow southern states have gotten rain as well and it has helped with some of the fires they have had. The temperature was helped as well - the high is 87 today compared to 100 last week. God is so good!!

2. The Games have Begun - I absolutely despise, DESPISE, political signs. I am going to check my subdivision's covenant to see if they are mentioned anywhere because I can not stand to see them all over people's yards. I wonder if those people and the politicians realize that we don't really read them. There are so many that I just sort of "blank them out". They are an eyesore, they are trashy, they cover yards and street corners as if the person with the most signs will automatically win. I also feel about them like I do garage sale signs.....if you put the signs out, then you are responsible for taking them back up. Maybe I'll run for Brandon Mayor to see what I can do about it. AND I will win without signs :-)

Summer Activites - the girls have thoroughly enjoyed being out of daycare at home this summer. The girly drama is non-existent and they seem to actually get along better because the other drama is not affecting their moods. They ride their scooters, play in the yard, play games, do crafts, have down time inside where it's cool, go to the pool, go to the movies, etc. I can plan their days - complete with chores to help me out - and Chloe takes care of being sure it's done. She is a sweet girl who is easy going and seems to love my girls already. I am thankful that we decided to do this - again God is so Good!!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Money Secrets of the Amish



By LORILEE CRAKER
Published by Thomas Nelson

Money Secrets of the Amish is the first e-Book I have reviewed for Thomas Nelson. The book is written by author Lorilee Craker from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This book is full of good wisdom and advice. It is a very quick read and after reading it, I realized that Dave Ramsey is Amish.........he is just in modern clothing. The Amish live the Ramsey way!! They are not bound by finances, they are frugal, resourceful and do not believe in being wasteful or materialistic. Several chapters in the book cover delaying gratification, using products you purchase to their fullest life (and then some), buying items as second hand items to save money...all in an order to only spend money on what you truly need.

As you read Lorilee Craker's book you realize just how wasteful the modern American truly is. But, the book is full of humor and good stories to demonstrate the point of each topic being covered. The book has very sound advice but it is not written in a "preachy" way at all.

I found the book to be informative, very smartly written and very humorous.....a good light quick read and very helpful!

NOTE: I was provided this book for free by Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Plain Wisdom: An Invitation Into An Amish Home & The Hearts of Two Women

by Cindy Woodsmall and Miriam Flaud



I am a long-time reader of Amish fiction and have been since I wrote a report about the Amish in high school. The stories are wonderful, there is nothing immoral or explicit in them and they provide a relaxed escape from the stressful day-to-day lives we "Englishers" live. Cindy Woodsmall is one of my favorite Amish fiction authors to read, so I was so very pleased to see that she had written a non-fiction book for her fans.

Each chapter deals with an individual topic and both Cindy and Miriam wrote their own thoughts about the topics. However, it is very evident to the reader that the very faithful Amish are not really that different than a "modern" Christian. They may dress differently and live differently but they have the same worries and same stresses that we have - just maybe in a different way. Miriam and Cindy are friends, not just co-authors and visit with each other just as you and I would out in the English world.

This book is very well written and gives good, solid sound advice (and some really GOOD sounding recipes) that anyone would find helpful. I usually pass my books along or trade them for free books on a book swap website but I think that I will be hanging onto this one for my library.

Good job ladies - I look foward to your next collaboration!

NOTE: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

3 Things Thursday

New Beginnings - New childcare, new summer activities, new friends. Our new sitter started this week and the girls already love Chloe. They are not necessarily looking forward to the "to do" list I will be leaving them every day to take care of - but it gives them the opportunity to learn more about responsibility and it will help Mama out too :-) I already have summer activities lined up for them so that I won't hear the inevitable "I'm bored" that will otherwise come. Thankfully the Jackson Metro area has some great (and free / cheap) places that will help with small "field trips". Love that some of them are quite educational too.

Learning to let go and move forward - I'm learning to let things go - I'm having to for my sanity. It's a hard life lesson to learn too. Recently someone became angry at me for an unknown reason - and I do mean unknown - I am completely clueless. This person is not a life-long friend but the reaction and resulting state of events hurts none-the-less. I am a very easy-going person - I always see the glass as half-full, never half-empty. There are enough people in my family to take care of the latter for me LOL. Those of you who really know me that the last two sentences are very true too. But what can you do when someone gets so angry that they cut you off at the knees without any explanation? You let it go........lesson learned.......I'm moving on.

Running and HEAT !!! - as of this week, I'm on the treadmill folks. On the days I can get up with the chickens, I will run outside in my neighborhood. Otherwise, it's The Club 24/ for me. It' already 97 with a heat index over 100 and it's only the first week of June. The same "older people" who told Jeff last summer that it would snow a lot and be COLD this last winter have told him that this summer will be a doozie!! They've been around to have seen a lot of weather patterns and I'm thinking they are dead on. Going to be a hot one - so stay cool and stay hydrated :-)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Max On Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions



by Max Lucado

Max Lucado has written another great book that should be added to Christian homes as a devotional, a reference guide, a book to turn to when you need comforting words and a reminder that God is always there and He is always with us. Max confesses immediately that he does not know every thing – none of us do. But he has written this book as a guide and to provide answers to questions people may ask you, questions you may ask yourself and questions you may even get from your children.

He is responding to letters he has received from people asking for answers to questions they have regarding God, theology, religion, Heaven, Hell, living a Christian life, etc. He answers more than 150 of these questions. His answers are very real, practical, clear & concise and he is always gracious and never condescending.

Max even includes an addendum giving advice to those interested in writing or publishing their own works.

I highly recommend this book to those new to the Christian faith as well as to those seasoned Christians. You won’t regret reading it and it would also make a wonderful gift.

NOTE: This book was received free from the publisher through the 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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I am a mother who works full-time but who is also a chauffer, chef, seamstress, fitness instructor, teacher, maid, gardener, runner, organization expert, salesperson, secretary and wife. I love my family and life is always busy but fun! Come along with me for the ride:-)

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