That Certain Summer

Hello World,
It's a brilliant cool summer day, my windows are open and right now at this moment the kids are watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  I have a few moments to write this review out.  I also wanted to give you another cute picture of my oldest Kylar.  She is an avid reader, she loves laying about and reading.  I hope you enjoy it :)

That Certain Summer by Irene Hannon is  a multi-faceted story of several characters who are in essence thrown together.  Circumstances bring two estranged sisters together, as well as a broken musician and a widowed father.  Karen and Val's ornery mother has suffered a stroke and Val must come home to help with the care taking.  While Scott is recovering from a tragic accident that stopped his career, and David is looking to start over after the loss of his wife.  As the story enfolds more truths are unveiled and the four come to understand what God has for them.

This story was something that you needed to read and ponder.  This book made me  experience emotions that only come from a well written book.  I was angry at the mom!  She was definitely not a nice woman, and she made life miserable for her two daughters.  She was controlling and manipulative and really not a very nice person.  When you have an author that create emotions in you whether they may be good or bad, I would say it's a good book.  Just know that this book touches on issues that may not be appropriate for a young reader.  So dear readers if you want a book that is a contemporary romance that brings emotions out of you, please read That Certain Summer.

*This book was given to me via Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group in hopes of my honest opinion, and I honestly gave it.

“Available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

What a beautiful verse, can you imagine all that Jeremiah went through?  Yet God's word is true, he protected him even when circumstances seemed to be bleak.  Remember that dear readers when your circumstance looks bleak.  God knows the plans He has for you!  Plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope!

Full Disclosure

Hello World,
Today is the 2nd day of summer.  I absolutely love the feel of sun, splashing water, Popsicle kisses, and warm hugs.  We kind of slow down in the summer, not only is soccer season done for my husband, but school, and extra curricular activities are done too :-)  Because it is summer, I thought it would be fun to share a little bit of what my family does and how we all relax.  One activity we do each morning is a reading time, the kids pick their books and then go off to read quietly.   Here is a picture of my sweet Liv Shelby during her reading time.

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson is the story of Ann Silver and Paul Falcon.  Both Ann and Paul are in law enforcement, each serving this country faithfully.  Their lives will intersect when a car crash unexpectedly turns up a middle man that brokered numerous illegal activities.  As more clues are uncovered Ann and Paul come together to solve a mystery that has been open for decades.  Will they catch the Lady Shooter, or will she slip through their hands as always?

Dee Henderson has a unique way of telling a story.  I can't really describe it, but all I can say is every time I read her works I'm always taken by surprise.  For instance in this book you will be introduce to past characters in her book, but with a different angle.  I loved how she did it, and how easily it was to see where she was coming from.  I also enjoyed the mystery part of the book, it was like a great big ol' jigsaw puzzle that you put together to finally see the finished master piece.  The romance was constant, and grew.   It was a slow relationship that at first made me frustrated, but as the story went on I understood why.  So dear readers if you are a mystery lover I highly suggest you read Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson.

Lamentations 3:37
Can anything happen without the Lord's permission?

I really like this question.  It makes me think that my life isn't just a wayward ship in the sea, but guided by the Almighty Father's hand.  When I ask the Lord for guidance or when I step unto a new adventure I can be sure that the Lord is with me, opening one door or closing one.  I will be assured that He is guiding me because in life, nothing can happen without the Lord's permission, even when the times are tough it is by the Lord's permission.  This allows me to trust Him completely, to understand that even when the time is hard He has allowed this for a reason.  So I ask YOU dear readers, can anything happen without the Lord's permission?  I think not :-)

When a Secret Kills

Hello World,
What a great day :-)  I really can't say how incredible today is.  So, in honor of Mother's Day and my fantab day I want to treat you to this book.  Here is the question for the When a Secret Kills give away.  Who is a woman that has been a great impact in your life?  If you leave your question in the comment section, or on my face book page, I will put your name in for the give away.  Best of luck dear readers!

When a Secret Kills by Lynette Eason is a mystery romance novel.  Jillian Carter has kept a ten year secret, a secret that could potentially harm someone she loves.  Tired of always having to look behind her shoulder she makes her way back to her hometown to finally tell the truth of what happened ten years ago.  What is different now is, she is no longer the scared high school graduate, but an investigative reporter wanting to expose the truth of a corrupt politician.  Will she be able to uncover the truth or will it be too late?

Ok, I have a secret to admit...  Every mystery I read, and I truly mean EVERY mystery, I skip to the end first to see who dunit!  I know, it's bad I have tried in the past to read straight through the whole story, but it's like being a child waiting for Christmas, you can't not look for the gifts.  Once I read the end of the book, I can then calmly go back and read the whole book.  Don't laugh, or be sad dear readers, it's a horrible habit that I have tried to break, but just can't.  That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns that Ms. Eason put into this book.  Really, it's an amazing mystery that will keep you reading.  One thing that should be noted is that this book is in a series and if you haven't read the first two, you might be slightly confused by certain references.  So dear readers, if you love a good mystery romance this is the book for you.
“Available May 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
*This book was given to me via Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group in hopes of my honest opinion and I honestly gave it.

Psalms 43:5
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Hope is such a beautiful thing.  When a situation arrives in my life, my hope in God bringing me through the situation is sometimes the only thing that holds me up.  So dear readers, don't forget this, when you are cast down, when your soul is in turmoil within.  Hope in God!  Praise him, he is your God, and your salvation!

Couponing for the Rest of us

Hello World,
Well these past two days have been all about me :-)  I know it sounds awfully selfish, but by golly it's my husband's fault.  Yesterday he said, why don't you go shopping and treat yourself for Mother's Day.  I was like, I would love to!  So I took my little ol' self and got me some nifty clothes and shoes, really I kind of felt a little guilty because I felt I was spending too much.  Well, when I got back home I told my husband the amount and he was like, that's it.  I'll admit I started laughing and said, if you want me to I can go again tomorrow and spend a little more.  He being the amazing husband said "yes you deserve it".  What an incredible husband, and I feel very blessed to have him in my life.

Couponing for the Rest of Us by Kasey Knight Trenum is the how to guide of couponing, saving, and being thrifty.  This book gives you the in's and out's of the couponing world, but levels it with scripture to help you not go over board.  Kasey also hosts the blog Time 2 $ave/Time 2 Give.  If you're interested in more of learning about her please click here.


You know what I loved about this book?  The fact that it can fit in my purse and it's not bulky.  I know that sounds slightly crazy, but sometimes financial authors can have very big books with a lot of steps that just makes life a little too confusing.  Kasey does a great job at getting the essentials of couponing without all the added fat so to speak.  This book is easy to read and follow.  So dear readers if you are one of those wanna be couponers and you're not too sure where to start, but dream of one day being the ultimate thrifty couponing king/queen, I highly suggest this book to you :-)
“Available May 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
*This book was given to me via Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group in hopes of my honest opinion and I honestly gave it.

Proverbs 31:28
Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:


My sweet little ones are 4, 3, and 1.  What an incredibly blessing they are.  Even on days where the laundry is piled high, there's dirt on the floor from one of them playing outside and then walking into the house, or the dishes (I could have sworn that sink was empty) are over flowing on to the counter tops from just one meal :-)  This is my life and yet I still get  the I love you mommy, your the best mommy, or as my Kylar Marie says you're a beautiful queen mommy.  Now those are blessings, and my husband who see's it all still praises me and encourages me.  I pray for you sweet mother, who is reading this, that you look and here the small blessing that your children are rising up to say, or the praises that your husband might whisper to you.

Organic Outreach for Families

Hello World,
I don't know about you, but our weather here in little ol' Amarillo is crazy!  Yesterday it was 95 degrees today it dropped to about 50 degrees and tomorrow we're supposed to get snow :-/  Seriously, let's just call the whole thing off and make it a nice 80 degrees so the kids and I can go swimming.  What are you doing today?  Anything fun?

Organic Outreach for Families by Kevin G. and Sherry Harney is a book about being a light.  Not only you as an individual, but as a family.  It talks about how your home can be a warm place for people to come to and a safe haven for your children and their friends.  It's a book about spiritual growth as well as growing closer to one another through the grace of Jesus Christ.  To summon it up, it's none of the preservatives, or fake chemicals of commercial Christianity, just all natural home grown goodness that God intended it to be
 :-)

As our small little family is growing up, my kids are no longer in the shelter of our quaint home.  Kylar is off to preschool and ballet, Drew is in swim lessons, and who knows what our sweet Livie will do, but they're outside in the world.  Where the harshness of the world, can sometimes be overwhelming.  I loved this book because it talked about living your faith with your family.  It was a great reminder to me, that if we raise our children with the message of Jesus, sharing His grace, and His love, there is a big chance that I am giving them tools to be small beacons of light in public school and their friends.  It was a really great book and I hope anyone with a family will read this and take the important lessons from it to help your family create an organic outreach.

*This book was given to me via booksneeze in hopes of my honest opinion and I honestly gave it.

Ezekiel 3:10
Then He added, "Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first.  Listen to them carefully for yourself."

  Here God is speaking to Ezekiel about the things that will be happening in the future to Israel.  These words truly took me in and held me.  What a visual to literally have the words of our Father sink deep into our heart first, and then listen carefully to them.  We have such an incredible, living Word (the Bible)  I pray that those words dear readers sink deep into your heart, and that you listen carefully to them.

Love at Any Cost

Hello World,
How are you doing?  What a week!  Dear readers if you or someone you know that has been affected by the bombings during the Boston Marathon please accept my heartfelt prayers for you or your loved ones.  This is truly tragic and makes my heart hurt for the people that went to this marathon thinking it be a time of exuberance and it ended with fear and violence.  If you need prayer in any way please feel free to write your prayers in my comment section and I will be praying for you this week.

Love at Any Cost by Julie Lessman is by far my favorite book that this author has ever written.  It doesn't hurt that our main character Cassidy McClare is an oil heiress from Texas (my hometown).  Poor Cassidy had been jilted, one week away from her wedding.  To escape the cruel remarks, she travels to San Francisco to nurse her wounded heart and to hopefully escape the gossips.  Little did she expect the same type of man who broke her heart to literally knock her over when she steps off the train.  Can she keep grounded enough to not get hurt again or is Cassidy in a load of trouble.

Like I so stated in the above statement this book was fun to read.  Not only did I feel that Ms. Lessman did a great job weaving faith and God's love into it, but as always she writes surprises behind every page turn.  I think you'll appreciate how well she writes about the historical aspect of the book too.  The gilded age is by far one of my favorite time periods to read about and Ms. Lessman did not let me down.  So dear readers, if you're looking for a fun romance, with new twists and turns please read Love at Any Cost.

“Available April 15, 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
This book was given to me via Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group in hopes of my honest opinion and I honestly gave it.

So I wanted to do something a little different today.  With church being this morning for me, this song that was sung has truly been in my mind all day.  It's by the band Jesus Culture and it's such sweet words that I wanted to share them with you.  Please read them and then go ahead to the link and listen to the melody.   What an awesome to praise God through song.  I hope you enjoy it, it's called One Thing Remains.

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing… Remains [repeat]

[Chorus:]
Your love never fails, never gives up
Never runs out on me [3x]

On and on and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never, ever, have to be afraid
One thing remains

[Bridge:]
In death, In life, I’m confident and
covered by the power of Your great love
My debt is paid, there’s nothing that can
separate my heart from Your great love...

For the link to listen to it please click here!

The Dance

Hello World,
We have been enjoying some incredible weather these last two days.   Which is nice because my oldest had been sick all of last week with strep throat.  My poor baby girl is such a trooper, all she did was just lay in bed watching movies and sleeping.  I feel so blessed that I could stay at home with her and help her get better.  I may have spoiled her a little bit too :)  Do you do anything special for your child if they're sick?

The Dance by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley is the story of Marilyn.  Marilyn has the perfect life, so it seems.  She goes to church at a well respected church, she drives the right car and her husband and her have been married for 27 years.  The only thing is, that her husband doesn't love her.  Tired of feeling that nothing will change she makes a choice that won't just affect her, but everyone around her.

This book was something that I feared reading, not only is the plot extremely realistic for any married couple but I have seen this happen numerous times.  When I started reading this, my heart was routing for Marilyn and Jim; hoping that they could work out their problems in a way that honored God and drew them closer to each other.  Mr. Walsh and Mr. Smalley did not disappoint me.  The book was a good read and I sure am glad that I read it.  So dear readers if you are looking for an insightful romance that brings the power of the Lord to the front of your mind, I highly suggest you read The Dance.
“Available April 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
*This book was given to me via Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group in hopes of my honest opinion and I honestly gave it.

1 Corinthians 10:10
And do not grumble.

Each night or at least we try for each night, the kids and I sit on our couch and read a devotional from the book Jesus Calling (specifically for kids).  This night hit me.  And do not grumble, it all of a sudden ocurred to me how much grumbling/complaining can be a sin.  How often to I grumble, and how rare is it for me to find the good in something I could very well complain about.  Such a simple reminder, now I just have to remember it when I start to open my mouth and...