Beverly Lewis and her most recent Amish romance.

Amelia takes a wrong turn in the middle of a rainstorm and ends up stuck on a small road with nothing nearby except a small cabin with a young Amish man inside. Luckliy God doesn't make wrong turns. I love to read fiction that stars the Amish people, and Beverly Lewis is a favorite of mine. I don't know her entire relationship with "The People" but she writes like she knows them well. This book, The Fiddler, was great. It drew you in from minute one. Lewis did a wonderful job of drawing parallels in the lives of the two main characters, one english, and the other Amish. They both had to decide what they wanted in their lives, and whose standard they were going to live by. I love that they both choose to follow God, and not necessarily what their Fathers had planned for them, but that they both chose to honor their parents even when they disagreed even if they didn't do exactly as their parents had planned. The fiddling in the book was so well described that I could almost hear the fiddle opening up for Tim McGraw, the violin on center stage, and the peaceful playing in the middle of the field. Both Michael and Amelia had to decide where they were going in life, and how they were going to get there without hurting their families. Amazingly well written story and delightful tale.

Menu Plan Monday!

It's Monday again - Check out all of the meal plans at http://orgjunkie.com
Here's my plan for the next two weeks - now I just have to remember to "work the plan"

Sunday – Spaghetti

Monday – Chicken Tacos  - salsa, chicken, taco seasoning lettuce

Tuesday –  Chicken Parmesan

Wednesday – Church

Thursday – pizza

Friday – Family night

Saturday – pot roast

Sunday – BBQ pork sandwich –

Monday – Fried Chicken Sandwiches -

Tuesday – French Dip – Make Bread and sauce (This recipe is PHENOMENAL - both my husband and Father in Law drool when they hear it mentioned)

Wednesday – Church

Thursday –  ShreddedChicken Nachos -

Friday – Family Night

Saturday – Chili cheese Dogs

Menu Plan Monday

Hey guys - I'm trying to do a quick post, but I'll try to put the links up later. My husband loves the recipes from sweet pea chef, so most of my links are from there this week. Monday - chicken and rice Tuesday - French dip, fruit, chips Wednesday - chicken teriyaki, stir fry veggies, white rice Thursday - finish the roast - either as Philly cheese steaks, or just roast :) Friday - family night Saturday - homemade pizza Sunday - tacos For more great plans check out http://Orgjunkie.com

Chasing the Sun - book review

I got a chance to review a book for Bethany House Publishers this month and I loved it. I give it 5 out of 5 stars! I love Tracie Peterson and have enjoyed everything that she has written and this was no different. A family moves to Texas in an attempt to escape the heartache of losing wide and mom, but soon after they move the country is swept up in a civil war. Texas is far away from the initial fighting, but even Texas has its loyalties tested. It was really interesting to view the civil war and the problems with local Indians through Hannah Dandridge's eyes. As a woman raised in Vicksburg,MS, she was loyal to the south, but being in TX where the fighting was a bit distant she had a chance to view and accept both sides, a chance to place her her "loyalty" with humanity. She was raising a brother and sister, twenty years her junior, helping run a ranch and hoping to hear from her family every day, but she held fast to her faith and the knowledge that whatever happened God was still in control. If you enjoy historical fiction and a bit of romance, you too will enjoy this story. Go on, check it out! Chasing the Sun Thank you Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

Booking It

If you need motivation to keep up with your reading list, as well as suggestions from other readers you should check out http://lifeasmom.com .  Follow the booking it feature.  Come on, Try it, You'll like it :)

This month I read Blind Hope as my Blogging for Books selection.  It was uplifting and it had a good underlying story, but will be considered "preachy" by some and was somewhat disjointed. If you want to read more check out what I had to say here.

I also read Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees.  If you read the Tim Tebow book and enjoyed it, then you'll probably enjoy this one as well.  It was pretty well written (for what it is), and I really enjoyed a lot of the back story that I hadn't heard before.  If you don't love football you won't love the play by play, but my nephew ate every word up.  It was really interesting hearing about Drew coming back from a career threatening injury and hearing how he dealt with the rehab and the pressure.  I enjoyed the book, but confession - I skipped a lot of the play by play. :)

I went back to enjoy a Cindy Woodsmall book again this month (she writes novels that deal primarily with the Amish and Mennonite communities).  It was a gift from Waterbrook for reviewing a different Cindy Woodsmall book.  It was called The Scent of Cherry Blossoms.  I really loved it.  It really showed life and how the two communities are interconnected (the Amish and Mennonite) but yet still so separate.  The love story was wonderful, and it is always great to read a love story where everything is kept pure, and that consequences of actions are thought about in advance.  It made me think about what I would have done in a similar situation, and although this world is obviously worlds apart from mine, I think I was able to have some serious soul searching about the matter.

I also have really been enjoying reading a blog called inspired reads which highlights books on amazon that are free for kindles for a small period of time.  This blog has had my kindle (on the phone) constantly full and I can stop and read them at any time. 
. If you want to download the book, check to see what the current price is. I read The Pig and the Pantry by Rose Godfrey
Always the Designer Never the Bride by Bricker
Paper Roses by Amanda Cabot
Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise by Magnin
Goodness Gracious Green by Christie
Gone to Green by Christie
How to De-Clutter and Make Money by Kuper
and Heart of Gold by Lacy Williams. 

I am going to review all of these books soon ( I should have done it while I was reading them), but nap time is nearly over at my house.  Enjoy your books this month.  :)  

Blind Hope - Blogging for books

This month I received Blind Hope - An Unwanted Dog & the Woman She Rescued by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher from Blogging for Books.  It is a story of a woman who was taught how to love and be loved by a rescued dog with a litany of problems. 

I enjoyed the book and the story, although for some it'll come across as "preachy."  Each story that is related is related for the express purpose of bringing some point across, but for the woman in the story (Laurie Sacher) I'm sure that's how life felt.  Everytime she learned something new from her dog she always saw the implications of her relationship with the heavenly father.  The story is a true one that is set at a ranch that rescues horses and helps children.  Laurie came to work at the ranch and learned more than I'm sure she ever bargained for. 

The story is uplifting and glorifying to God. I really enjoyed it.  It did feel disjointed in some points, but it was always at a chapter break that I felt that way.  I hope you read it, enjoy it, and apply some new principles to your own life. 


Thanks WaterbrookMultnomah for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own

Booking it - March

This month I got a chance to read Finding Our Way Home it was my blogging for books selection this month.  I enjoyed it, but it was not my favorite book.  The story was good, but there were a few parts I would have written differently (of course I am a horrible writer, so maybe that wouldn't have been a great ida).  If you want to read more about what I thought check it out here.

Homespun Bride by Julie Hart . It is a story about a young woman who is injured in an accident and loses her parents and her sight.  She lives now with her extended family and is suddenly reintroduced to her first love.  I loved the story.  I loved the horses and the wilds of Montana.  I especially loved the characters.  It was great. 
Threads of Honor by Gordon Ryan.  This is the story of a flag that was flown over the captial building, and then given to a boyscout troop.  The troop and their scout master are on a mission to get their flag flown into space. I loved the storyline.  Sometimes it was hard to follow because it went in between the flags point of view and the story of the troop.  Heads up though, you may cry. 

I read parts of two other gardening books, but neither one was pheonmenal.  Not even good enough to review. :( 

I have been keeping up with my daily bible reading which is great and have finished 2 samuel.
Next month I am hoping to read more.  I am currently working on three that I think will be great.