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. 

It is a new week.  We have had a great week, and I didn't totally keep to the plan, but not because I gave up and went and ate out, because we had lots of great family things I forgot to put down on my plan.  :) Now for next week.

Sunday - Easter Sunday! 
Monday - Chicken Terriyaki, stirfry veggies, butterhorn rolls, rice
Tuesday - Italian Chicken, buttery bread machine rolls, greenbeans
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Family Night
Friday - Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole
Saturday - crockpot roast

For more great plans check out orgjunkie.com

Blogging for Books

This month I had the opportunity to review Finding Our Way Home by Charlene Ann Baumbich. It was a wonderful story of how love and grace can help a person grow and heal and LIVE. The novel actually has two main characters that take their turns playing lead. A dancer who has been injured and is recuperating and the young woman who is helping her at her home. I loved major portions of the book and I loved the story line. There were a few small portions of the book, that made me just a little bit uncomfortable, I just didn't love the way she handled certain situations.  That being said, it was agreat story of grace and love. 
Sasha is recovering from more than her physical injuries,  she needs to heal a lot more.  Even when she is difficult to live with Evelyn just keeps her plucky attitude and keeps doing what needs to be done.  As the story progresses we find that the women need each other and the support they provide one another. 
Check it out.  You will love the book. 
If you want to see more check out the Author's Website, Author's Bio, and More About the Book.
Thanks WaterbrookMultnomah for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

Menu Plan Monday April!!

It is Monday again!  We had a great week last week and even stuck mostly to our meal plan, minus a few meals that we ended up at relatives homes :)  Now we need a plan for next week. 

Sunday - Pork Chops, Rice, Green Beans, Drop Biscuits
Monday - Chicken Alfredo, herb bread, vegetable
Tuesday - Roast, Green beans, Drop Biscuits
Wednesday - Family Night
Thursday - Italian Chicken, broccoli, Pasta
Friday - Birthday Party
Saturday - Terriyaki Chicken, stir-fry veggies, white rice

For more great plans check out orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

Here's to a great week! Hubs helped plan the menu this week, and I think he did a great job. Sunday - tortellini or spaghetti and meat sauce (daughter and I love stuffed pasta and funny shapes, Dad likes plain old spaghetti Monday - Hamburgers, lettuce, tomato fixings Tuesday - Chili Cheese Dogs Wednesday - Hidden Valley Ranch Pork Chops Thursday - Dinner out Friday - Orange Chicken Saturday - Pasta Fagoli For more great plans check out http://orgjunkie.com

Booking it March 2012

February reading -

I've been doing a lot better this year about being intentional about reading.  I've been reading for fun, reading for knowledge, and reading for my daughter.
For fun -
I went back and read two books from the Sierra Jensen series by Robin Jones Gunn.  I wanted to be able to remember them because my daughter will read them.  She's little now, but gets bigger every day and I want to be ahead of her on the reading list.  I read Close Your Eyes and Without a Doubt.  Both books were great.  Full of teenage wonder, curiosity, and total lack of knowledge and experience when it comes to love.  I love the way Gunn handles the subjects. 
A Sound Among The Trees by Susan Meissner was by Blogging for Books read and it was really interesting.  Not at all what I expected but I really enjoyed it, especially the parts that flashed back to the civil war.  Part of the book was written as letters from a woman to her cousin during the civil war and they were really interesting.  For more about the book check out the rest of my review here.

For Knowledge -
I really want to plant a garden this year, a little bit more than just one tomato plant. :) so...
The Backyard Orchardist - I don't really plan on planting any trees this year, but I would love to have fruit, so I read it anyways.  Unfortunately I don't have the right climate for pretty much anything that I like to eat, so probably no fruit trees in my future.
The Urban Homestead - This book was great with a lot of great information about growing in small spaces, but also just what is required to grow things.  The cool part is that they have a pretty unique way of looking at things, so even if it is information it was presented in a new way.  The only problem I had with it was that it had some language.  It was still worth the read, but be aware that the language is there.
The Backyard Homestead - This book had so much good information.  I borrowed it from the library, but it is one that I wouldn't mind buying when I had the funds.  It gave information on a lot of different aspects of gardening, land use,and preserving. 

For my daughter -
Mandie and the Forbidden Attic I'm starting to read chapter books with my little girl and she loves it.  The Mandie books seem to be a fairly easy read and she enjoys it.  We haven't finished this book yet, but like it.  This is a series that was originally written by an 11 year old girl (and published much later) it is about a little girl whose father dies, but through that she finds an uncle and a mother she never knew.  This particular story is about Mandie going to boarding school.  This is her first time away from her family and it is all new for her. 

For more great reads check out Bookin' It at http://lifeasmom.com.

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner. ~ Blogging for Books

Can I just stop for a minute and confess that I found as I was reading this book that I have a bit of prejudice, or at the very least a preconceived notion, that I wasn't aware that I held.  I have found that as I read a book that I know is from a Christian author I just assume the main characters are Christians, or at least will have close contact with a Christian immediately that will help them make life changing choices.  I started reading this book with that notion and was a bit confused, I found myself getting sucked into the "ghost" side of story, but waiting for someone to share the love and joy of Jesus Christ and it just didn't happen.  All of the sudden I realized, that it was because it wasn't necessarily based on Christian characters, when it did get down to the character who had a changed life based on the love of Christ all of the sudden came together for me.  Ahhh, now I get it :)

This book was good.  It was a story that spanned a few generations of a family.  A story that kept you in the here and now, but spun the story of the family's history.  I loved the deep history and the very personal stories of civil war life.  The civil war was unique in that many of the families that were affected had roots on both sides of the line.  The girl that the story followed had been raised in Maine and was now living in Virginia with her mother's family after the death of her family.  With a grandfather fighting for the south and cousin fighting for the north her world was a mess, it fully brought out the realities of war.  The story that was told in the present was great too, but I was really pulled in by the historical sections.  If you want to know more about what the story is about look here.

If you want to get a glimpse of this great book you can read the first chapter. For more on Susan Meissner see here or here or you can follow her on twitter.  I enjoyed every moment of this book and I hope you check it out.

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