Three must read books

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper
The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her.

Author Bio:

Kathleen Y’Barbo is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty novels, novellas, and young adult books, with more than a half-million in print. A graduate of Texas A&M University, she is currently a publicist with Books & Such literary agency.


The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love

Once a month, the six women of the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society gather to discuss books and share their knitting projects. Inspired by her recently-wedded bliss, group leader Eugenie chooses “Great Love Stories in Literature” as the theme for the year’s reading list–a risky selection for a group whose members span the spectrum of age and relationship status.
As the Knit Lit ladies read and discus classic romances like Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, and Pride and Prejudice, each member is confronted with her own perception about love. Camille’s unexpected reunion with an old crush forces her to confront conflicting desires. Newly widowed Esther finds her role in Sweetgum changing and is surprised by two unlikely friends. Hannah isn’t sure she’s ready for the trials of first love. Newcomer Maria finds her life turned upside-down by increasing family obligations and a handsome, arrogant lawyer, and Eugenie and Merry are both asked to make sacrifices for their husbands that challenge their principles.
Even in a sleepy, southern town like Sweetgum, Tennessee, love isn’t easy. The Knit Lit ladies learn they can find strength and guidance in the novels they read, the love of their family, their community–and especially in each other.

Author Bio:

RITA Award-winning Beth Patillo combines her love of knitting and books in her engaging Sweetgum series. Pattillo served churches in Missouri and Tennessee before founding Faith Leader, a spiritual leadership development program.


Rose House

A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting, and one woman’s search for hope.
Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms.
She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet.
What kind of artist would dare to intrude on such a personal scene, and how did he happen to witness Lillian’s pain? As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.
A captivating novel rich with detail, Rose House explores how the brushstrokes of pain can illuminate the true beauty of life.


Author Bio:

Tina Ann Forkner is the author of Ruby Among Us. Originally from Oklahoma, she now lives with her husband and three children in Wyoming, where she serves on the Laramie County Library Foundation’s board of directors.

"The Hope of Refuge" Book Review

This was the first book I have ever read by the author Cindy Woodsmall and I have to tell you it was an amazing book. When I got it in the mail I was very excited and then I started reading it and I could not put it down. I think I read it in one day. I love the story and the author just made you feel like you were there. I could see the hills and the Amish homes and fields. It was wonderful. I want to read all her books. This one though is definetly a must read by anyone who likes a romance and yet a little mystery.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400073962



Summary:

Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.

Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?

Friends we Keep Book Review

Summary for The Friends We Keep

During a particularly painful time in her life, Sarah Zacharias Davis learned how delightful–and wounding–women can be in friendship. She saw how some friendships end badly, others die slow deaths, and how a chance acquaintance can become that enduring friend you need.

The Friends We Keep is Sarah’s thoughtful account of her own story and the stories of other women about navigating friendship. Her revealing discoveries tackle the questions every woman asks:

• Why do we long so for women friends?
• Do we need friends like we need air or food or water?
• What causes cattiness, competition, and co-dependency in too many friendships?
• Why do some friendships last forever and others only a season?
• How do I foster friendship?
• When is it time to let a friend go, and how do I do so?

With heartfelt, intelligent writing, Sarah explores these questions and more with personal stories, cultural references and history, faith, and grace. In the process, she delivers wisdom for navigating the challenges, mysteries, and delights of friendship: why we need friendships with other women, what it means to be safe in relationship, and how to embrace what a friend has to offer, whether meager or generous.



Summary for 40 Minute Bible Studies

The 40 Minute Bible Study series from beloved Bible teacher Kay Arthur and the teaching staff of Precept Ministries tackles important issues in brief, easy-to-grasp lessons you can use personally or for small-group discussion. Each book in the series includes six 40-minute studies designed to draw you into God’s Word through basic inductive Bible study. There are 16 titles in the series, with topics ranging from fasting and forgiveness to prayer and worship. With no homework required, everyone in the group can work through the lesson together at the same time. Let these respected Bible teachers lead you in a study that will transform your thinking—and your life.



Titles Include:

•The Essentials of Effective Prayer •Being a Disciple: Counting the Cost

•Building a Marriage That Really Works •Discovering What the Future Holds

•Forgiveness: Breaking the Power of the Past •Having a Real Relationship with God

•How Do You Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk? •Living a Life of Real Worship

•How to Make Choices You Won’t Regret •Living Victoriously in Difficult Times

•Money & Possessions: The Quest for Contentment •Rising to the Call of Leadership

•How Do You Know God’s Your Father? •Key Principles of Biblical Fasting

•A Man’s Strategy for Conquering Temptation •What Does the Bible Say About Sex?





Cover art:







Author Bios:

Sarah Zacharias Davis is a senior advancement officer at Pepperdine University, having joined the university after working as vice president of marketing and development for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and in strategic marketing for CNN. The daughter of best-selling writer Ravi Zacharias, Davis is the author of the critically-acclaimed Confessions from an Honest Wife and Transparent: Getting Honest About Who We are and Who We Want to Be. She graduated from Covenant College with a degree in education and lives in Los Angeles, California.



Kay Arthur, executive vice president and cofounder of Precept Ministries International has worked with her teaching staff to create the powerful 40-Minute Bible Studies series. Kay is known around the world as a Bible teacher, author, conference speaker, and host of national radio and television programs.

Is it just me

I know I already did a post today but I just need t vent a little and maybe get some points of view from other people at the same time.

Lately there has been a lot of things going on around me that I have been watching and I wonder when did it become ok for people to live like this. I know some of what I am venting about is happening because I or other people have allowed it to happen in there life. But it still makes me wonder.

First off it seems that there has been a lot of public and private people having affairs. I don't understand this. This is one thing that probably confuses me the most. I mean I am pretty sure that when people get married they promise to be faithful to the person they are marrying forever no matter what. So when did we as a society begin to accept this as ok to do. Then when it does happen we say the person in the marriage that it happened to is stupid for wanting there marriage to work. Well when did wanting to stay married become a stupid thing to do? I mean that is the other part of wedding vows for better or worse.

Now don't get me wrong I am not saying that someone needs to endure a spouse that is not going to be faithful ever. I think that if that is the case then go ahead and leave them. But I think that a couple should do all they can to save there marriage before they write it off as a loss and go there seperate ways. I think our country has made divorce to easy and that to many people get married with the idea that oh well if this doesn't work or if I am unhappy I can just walk away and no harm done.

I beg to differ with that. I am a divorced women and I will say that it was the right thing for me to do but it was a very hard decision for me. I stuck it out for many years and even when I did finally leave I was hoping to work it out but that did not happen.

Now all I hear from people is do whatever makes you happy. Um well hello people who say that. What makes you happy might be the very thing that crushes someone else and makes them extremely unhappy. hat happened to the rule "do unto other as you would have them do unto you".

I think people really need to stop and think before they act or speak. Maybe if we all stopped and thought how would this make me feel if it were happening to me then maybe just maybe people would start to be nicer to each other

I know I am really venting but I have personal experience on both ends of this topic and I not only have I been hurt by people being selfish and only thinking of themselves I know I have hurt people because I was being selfish and only thinking of me.

To those people that I have hurt I really truly am sorry. I am trying hard to be a better person and to those who have hurt me no worries I am over it.

Well thanks for listening to me vent.

Mile Marker Day

This morning on my way to work my car mileage rolled over to 200,000 miles. I was so excited to be able to see that. I know that is not something people would be excited about but I have had the car for 7 years now and it is the first and only new car I have ever owned. I love that car. It still gets almost 30 miles to the gallon and runs great. I have had to have work done to it but it is still a great car.
The joke with my family and friends is that it has to last me four more years. That is when my youngest son will graduate then maybe I will be able to get another car. Anyway I was just excited to see that it is over the 200,000 mile mark and wanted to share that.

I got it!!!!! I got it!!!!

I recently had won a contest that I entered on the blog A Psych Mommy. I was sooooo excited because what I won was a Zoobie. I love those little animals and the best part was I got to pick what one I wanted. That was so exciting for me becaue I picked the Lady Bug.

Now anyone who knows me, knows I love lady bugs. So when the UPS driver brought it this week I was so excited. It is absolutely adorable. It is bigger then I thought it would be but that is ok that makes it even better.

When I get my phone back I will take a picture of it sittin on my bed between the other two lady bugs I have and post it.

Thank you "A Psych Mommy" and Zoobies. I love my lady bug.

Little miracles

I am really late on posting this because this happened almost a month ago now but it is really cool and I want to get it out there.

My youngest son Dillion has had ear problems his entire life. Since he was about four he has had tubes put in his ears. I think that has been done a total of 4 times plus he has had his tonsils and adenoids removed. All in the hopes that his ear infections would go away. But all it seemed to do was damage his ears even more. I will admit I was young and stupid and just believed what the doctors told me. I mean really they were the doctors who am I to argue. Looking back at it I would have gotten a few more opinions before starting to do all these surgeries on him.

The funny thing though when he would get his ear infections he would not complain at all about them it would just be coincidence that we would find out about them. At least until he started getting tubes in. Once that started the way we would know he had infection his ears would start to bleed. OUCH!!!

Every time that would happen I would get so scared I mean it can't be good to have your ears bleeding can it? Anyway it has been at least three years since Dillion has had an ear infection and it has been great until about a month ago.

I was sleeping in my room and I heard a knock on my door, it was Dillion. This kind of startled me because he never knocks on my door then the next words out of his mouth just shocked me because I had never heard him say it before. He said his ear hurt. I told him to take a couple ibuprofen and then if he wanted he could come and lay in my bed with me for the night. (Mommies just know how to make you better). So he went and took the medicine and then came to back to my room and layed down. He was in there tossing and turning and whimpering so I knew it had to hurt. I was just waiting to see blood. But he got up and left my room for a couple minutes and I could here him in the living room just saying ow,ow,ow over and over. Then he came back into my room and layed down beside me, he was still wiggling a lot and whimpering from the pain so I rolled over and put my hands on him and started praying to God to heal him or at least take the pain away. I was praying for about ten seconds and all of a sudden Dillion was asleep!!!! Now this was only about 3 minutes after he had taken the ibuprofen so I know it wasn't the pills. But this is not even the best part the next day I went to work and I called him at home to see how he was feeling. He said to me he was fine. I said how is your ear, He said it feels a little funny but it does not hurt. So I just let it go for the day. I continued to ask him for a few more days and every day I got the same response it doesn't hurt.

HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!!! I mean I know God answers prayer and it is awesome but I honestly think this is the first time I have seen an answer that fast. He literally healed Dillion in the first five seconds of my praying. He is the most Awesome God we could have.

I have always been a believer in prayer but after that it just strengthened my belief. Sorry it took me so long to tell you that story but at least I got it out there now.