Amish Love Review

I received "An Amish Love" from Booksneeze.  "An Amish Love" is a collection of three novellas: Healing Heart by Beth Wiseman, A Marriage of the Heart, by Kelly Long, and What the Heart Sees by Kathleen Fuller.  All three stories center around the same small Amish town.  All three stories are complete fairy tales; never gonna happen.  On the other hand, who doesn't love a good fairy tale.  The stories are really good and would work even without the whole Amish thing.  Sometimes I wonder if writers stick in Amish stuff to improve the sales.  It seems if they aren't writing about Amish, its a vampire.  But anyway, this book is a good read. 
The first story, "A Marriage of the Heart" is about a girl who says a boy kissed her when he didn't so she has to get married within the hour.  Yeah, right.  But anyway, they fall in love over time and work through the grooms drug problem.  The second story, "What the Heart Sees" is a little more deep.  It is about the aftermath of a serious car wreck and forgiveness.  The third, "Healing Hearts"  is about a couple of emptynesters and their path to refind each other.  This book is a good collection of love storys that will be enjoyed by any woman of any faith. 

Precious Moments Storybook Bible Review

Recently I read the Precious Moments Storybook Bible to my 6 year old and she loves it.  This storybook bible is a collection  favorite bible stories, songs, prayers, and praise.  It is broken into 4 collections:  Favorite Bible Classics, Words of Praise and Wisdom, More Stories of Faith, and Songs and Prayers.  The illustrations are what make this book stand out.  Our family has a special spot for Precious Moments being that my mother-in-law lives near the chapel and we can visit it every year or so.  The book is written at a K-3 grade understanding level, but more of a 3rd grade reading.  It does not talk down to children or "dumb down" the story.  It reads like a bible.  The only part I don't like about it is that the stories are not in biblical order.  The stories in each collection are, but as a whole book they are not.  For instance, Jesus feeds the 5,000 on page 47 and is born on page 115.  That does throw off an adult reader, but my 6 year old never noticed.  I think this book would not only be a wonderful addition to a beginning readers collection, but to any Precious Moments fan as well. 

new year's eve

My New Year's Eves have changed drastically in my life.  This year I ate a healthy spinach and muchroom omelet at IHOP, saw Little Fockers, went to a party with a swinging game of UNO, and still managed to make it home by 10:30 where I brought in the new year with a 6 year old and Brendan Fraiser.  Not even a hot "journey to the center of the earth" Brendan Fraiser, but middle aged "Furry Vengance" Brendan Fraiser.  (Sarah's been on that kick lately.)  Seventeen years ago at this time I would have been to hung over to slur 2 words together let alone put together a paragraph.  Strangely I don't feel I have missed anything this year.  Like the Bible says:  there's a time for this and a time for that.  And right now is a time for diet dr. pepper, a sleepy kindergartner, and the comfy version of Link.  Happy 2011!

Eat Pray Love

Just finished watching the movie:  Eat Pray Love.  Must say it was a bit of a disappointment.  When I had read the book this summer I was floored.  I took up yoga.  I took up meditation.  I would like to say I took up eating pasta, but lets face it, that was already a done deal.  It was one of those life altering, top 10 books of all time, books.  The movie is good.  Julia is wonderful of course.  And her parade of men......ooo la la.  But, its not life altering.  It's just a damn good movie.  Soooo, what I'm saying here is, watch the movie first.  Then read one of the most amazing books of your life.

a time to dance book review

A Time To Dance by Karen Kingsbury is a Christian drama novel about John and Abby, a couple who have been married for over 20 years and are the brink of divorce.  At the time they are planning to announce their divorce to their children, the oldest child announces her engagement to Matt, her boyfriend.  Throughout most of the book, the couple tries to conduct business as usual without their children finding out there is trouble in paradise.  The resoning for the divorce is that Abby has gotten too busy to cater to John and John has taken up with a co-worker, Charlene.  John and Charlene have never had sex, so he claims it is only friendship.  Clearly it is not and this is flaunted to Abby at every opportunity. 
This book will stir up plenty of emotions while reading it.  The more prominent emotion will be a deep hatred for John.  Frankly, John is a self-centered ass and can't be trusted.  You will find yourself asking "are men really this stupid?"  As you read further you will discover, "yes, they are."  He eventually comes to his senses, but it literally takes an act of God to get him to see the light.  The spiritual point of this book is that what God has but together, let no man seperate.  It is repeated over and over.  At first I wanted to stop reading this book, but continued and I am glad I did.  It is a moving and well written book.  It certainly makes one think about marriage, family, and their personal relationship with God. Stirs up the emotions, that's for sure.   I wish John had been a little more likable, but I guess if he was, he probably wouldn't have been in the trouble he was in.  Two thumbs up.

Thanksgiving time is here

Today I did the shopping for the big day of eating.  I have had Thanksgiving in my home before.  The first one was when I was 23 and I cooked that turkey till it was split wide open.  That year I also left the rolls balanced across the sink forgetting that the faucet dripped.  Yeah, they were all wet.  That was the year I also came to realize that one should own salt, even if one does not reguarly use it.  Since then there have been several more hosted by me, but always there was an older much more experienced woman or two to fall back on.  This year, I am that old lady. 
Sooooo, I did the shopping today.  Bought a great big bag of dry bread.  Don't tell my fore mothers that I spent good money on old bread when I could have saved my heals for a month and had my own bag of old bread.  I cheated.  But hey, at least I didn't get boxed.  I also bought sweet potatoes for the first time in my life.  In my home, if I don't like it, we don't eat it.  But there they are; 2 lbs of sweet potatoes.  Yams if your not from the farm.  I am also cheating in that I bought Turkey gravy in little envelopes.  Don't tell my mom about that either.  I can't figure that whole gravy thing out.  I have had two different old ladies teach me and tried it a million times.  I give, buy an envelope! 
Anyway, I'm armed with a Family Circle mag and my Kraft.com.  and ready to cook like the old lady that I am.  Just don't tell my mom how I did it.

1st book review

Well, here it is.  The first book review.  "the boyfriend list"  by e. lockhart gets the honor.  The basic summary by the author goes: 15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs and me, ruby oliver.  To elaborate it would be a 15 year old girl (Ruby) has panic attacks after a "leprosy" outbreak and winds up in therapy.  The four frogs are related to a gift from a certain boy.  The therapist assigns her to write a list of all the boys she has had any, and I mean any, romantic contact with.  Even from afar.  This book is like a little trip down memory lane.  I dare you, double dog dare you, to not make your own boyfriend list while reading this book. She names each boy and circumstance from pre-school to sophmore in high school to her therapist  bringing together how each relationship counts.  No matter how small, they all count.  Its really a book for teens, its cute, funny, and like I said, dredges up all those delightful memories you would rather forget but somehow seem so much funnier when it's someone else. 4 stars