Read-Aloud Thursday :: October 8

It's been a while since I've been able to participate in one of Hope is the Word's Read-Aloud Thursdays. We are home from Bible study this morning with a sick munchkin and that gives me a few extra minutes before needing to start our day. :)


This week our Five in a Row book has been The Glorious Flight. This is the story of Papa Bleriot who is the first man to pilot a plane over the English Channel. The story follows his dream of building an airplane after seeing one fly over the town of Cambrai where he lived with his wife and five children. The shows several of his works-in-progress: the airplane known as Bleriot I flapped like a chicken and wasn't big enough to hold anything but the family cat. (And she didn't want to go for a ride). :) Bleriot IV would only travel in beautiful circles. However, Bleriot VII can really fly!


While this book is probably not something that I would have initially picked up on my own at the library, N1 and I have enjoyed the story and have talked about Papa Bleriot's perserverance in learning to fly, even though it wasn't easy. A reminder that even I need on occasion. (Okay, a lot of the time). :)


For our chapter book, we are engrossed in Tumtum & Nutmeg, a book recommended to me by Sarah at In the Midst of It. I'll wait and hopefully review it another week, but so far it is wonderful! N1 and I fit in another chapter last night after she got home from Awana and had to cut ourselves off so she could get to bed. I'll keep you posted. :)


For more Read-Aloud Thursday, visit Hope is the Word!

A Measure of Mercy by Lauraine Snelling

When this book appeared on my review list, I jumped at the chance. I have long been a fan of Snelling's North Dakota series of books, and this is the first installment of a new series featuring the same characters. In this book, Astrid struggles with knowing what God would have her do ... go to Chicago for more medical training or stay home? Go to Africa and serve on the mission field or return home? She also wrestles through questions she has about her faith, wondering why some of her patients still die, even when she has prayed and prayed over them?

If you like historical fiction, these books set it North Dakota are excellent! I have enjoyed every single one of them and am thrilled to add another to my shelf.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Measure of Mercy
Bethany House (October 1, 2009)
by
Lauraine Snelling
ABOUT THE BOOK

Eighteen-year-old Astrid Bjorklund has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. She had intended to study medicine in Chicago or Grand Forks, but when a disaster wiped out a major portion of her family's income, Astrid stayed home instead, receiving hands-on training from Dr. Elizabeth.

Joshua Landsverk left Blessing two years ago, but he's never forgotten Astrid. Returning to town, he seeks to court her.

Astrid is attracted to him, and when the opportunity unexpectedly opens for her to go to Chicago for medical training, she finds it difficult to leave. Love blossoms through their letters, but upon arriving back home, she makes a heartbreaking discovery. She learns he's left town--again. Believing Joshua no longer loves her, Astrid makes an impetuous, heart-wrenching decision.

Will she regret the choice she's made? Will she have to give up love to pursue her dream?

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Measure of Mercy, go HERE

This Weekend

This picture about sums up our weekend.

Birthday.
Lots of time running errands with Daddy. (Which is WAY more fun that errands with Mommy).
Birthday.
Church Fall Festival.
Face painting.
Three helpings of cotton candy.
More birthday.
Exhausted sugar induced slumber.
Sunday church.
More birthday with grandparents, aunt/uncle, cousins.
A family run in the van to take trash to the dump, in the rain.
A couple errands. One to Toys R Us with a birthday gift card.
And, again, the sweet sugar induced slumber that marks a happy childhood.

It's been a good weekend. I even managed to get a couple unheard of hours on our back deck, 70* degree weather, with a diet coke and good book before the Fall Festival while the little girls were napping and N1 was with her Daddy.

Today, it's back to our regular routine with the addition of some unpleasant dentistry this afternoon (part 1 of some crown work for me). On the plus side, we are having dinner with my friend and her family (she's keeping the girls while I'm at the dentist) and we're pooling our resources to feed everyone. That will definitely have this day ending on a high note. :)

Winner!

The winner of Daily Readings from the Life of Christ by John MacArthur is Amy!

Enjoy!

Friday Felicities ::: October 2

This week's Friday Felicities is focused on my biggest girlie - N1 - as we prepared to celebrate her 6th birthday this weekend! These are things about her that make me happy. :)

• thankful for the gift of N1 herself
• her love for writing stories
• her amazing smile when it is in full bloom
• her unbridled enthusiasm and loyalty to those she loves
• how much she LOVES to read and have her nose stuck in a book
• the way her blanket has to be just so at night
• that it doesn't take much to make her happy - some chicken nuggets and ketchup, a few doritos. She's not hard to please. :)
• she is a great big sister

For more Friday Felicities, visit Becky!

The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren (with giveaway)

I have one copy of this book to give away! Please a comment on this post (and make sure I have a way to contact you) and I will draw a winner next Wednesday! Also, if you have not entered on this post to win a copy of Daily Readings from the Life of Christ by John MacArthur, you have until Saturday!

This was a fun book to read! Christmas becomes a little crazy for the Wallace family this year as Marianne plans the best Christmas ever. She doesn't realize that stepping up to chair the women's Christmas tea at church and her son's team's run for state football champtionship are going to throw a little kink in her plans. As her plans begin to fall apart, she is able to she that it is His plans that will ultimately come together and be the perfect one.

About The Great Christmas Bowl:
Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son’s team in their bid for the state championship. Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot-the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea. When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apart. Then, one by one her children tell her they can’t come home for Christmas.As life starts to unravel, will Marianne remember the true meaning of the holidays?



About Susan:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year. Her larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of http://www.mybooktherapy.com/, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/.



The Great Christmas Bowl website: http://thegreatchristmasbowl.blogspot.com/The website features a note from the author, fun updates from Big Lake Gazette, info on how to host your own Great Christmas Bowl Tea to benefit a local ministry or charity and a fun Recipe Exchange contest!



CONTEST: Be a part of the Great Christmas Bowl recipe exchange! Susan loves getting recipes from friends, and sharing the delicious cookies, soups, breads and other fun fixings that go with celebrating the Christmas season. More than that, she loves the crazy stories about favorite Christmases – serious, touching, funny…whatever. Find the recipe contest here: http://thegreatchristmasbowl.blogspot.com/2009/07/recipe-exchange.html. Will you share your story and recipe with Susan and the readers of the Great Christmas Bowl? She will post your story and recipe on the FRONT PAGE of the Great Christmas Bowl website, and send you a link when it goes up so you can tell all your friends. Then, at the Great Christmas Bowl party (December 5th, 10am, online! Details TBA) she’ll make the entire cookbook available for download!For every recipe/story you submit (up to 3), you will be entered in a drawing to receive one of SMW’s collections (Noble Legacy, Team Hope, Heirs of Anton, Deep Haven Series, Josey series, or THE ADVANCED COPY of Sons of Thunder – Susie’s brand new epic World War 2 novel, due out in January 2010!)

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow

I don't know that I'm going to say much about this book because I'm still pondering it. This is the story of what happens when folks start emulating the person saying the prayers instead of the one who is truly answering them. It seems like ALL of Agnes Sparrow's prayers are answered, and most of them pretty miraculously. When the town decides to put up a sign in Agnes' honor, she is not happy - it's all about HIM, not me, she says. Things seem to start falling apart at that point.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow
Abingdon Press (September 2009)
by
Joyce Magnin
ABOUT THE BOOK

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow is the story of an unusual woman, Agnes Sparrow. No longer able or willing to leave her home, where she is cared for by her long-suffering sister Griselda, Agnes has committed her life to the one thing she can do-besides eat. Agnes Sparrow prays and when Agnes prays things happen, including major miracles of the cancer, ulcer-healing variety along with various minor miracles not the least of which is the recovery of lost objects and a prize-winning pumpkin.

The rural residents of Bright's Pond are so enamored with Agnes they plan to have a sign erected on the interstate that reads, "Welcome to Bright's Pond, Home of Agnes Sparrow." This is something Agnes doesn't want and sends Griselda to fight city hall.

Griselda's petitions are shot down and the sign plans press forward until a stranger comes to town looking for his miracle from Agnes. The truth of Agnes's odd motivation comes out when the town reels after a shocking event. How could Agnes allow such evil in their midst? Didn't she know?

Well, the prayers of Agnes Sparrow have more to do with Agnes than God. Agnes has been praying to atone for a sin committed when she was a child. After some tense days, the townsfolk, Griselda, and Agnes decide they all need to find their way back to the true source of the miracles-God.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow, go HERE

For the boy...

As one might imagine, I have little to no experience in things "boy" save what I have been exposed introduced to by my nephew. However, he and I share a deep love of Star Wars together and so I was very excited to make him these little birthday invitations for his first "friend" party.



R2D2 clip art from here (with a little work in photoshop).



Lightsabers from Wikimedia Commons.



The envelopes were made with scrapbook paper and this template. My apologies as I canNOT find the site that I originally downloaded the template from. If it turns up in my search, I'll fix the link.

Daily Readings from the Life of Christ (and Giveaway)

Moody Publishing recently sent me Daily Readings from the Life of Christ by John MacArthur. I have several of these types of books lying around the house in various places and to be honest, most sit and pick up dust. However, I have been reading in this one every day since it has arrived and I think it will be one that I won't let slide!

As the title suggests, this book focuses on the life of Christ and each day centers around a verse or two that He spoke. John MacArthur adds a few paragraphs of commentary and then leaves me with a few questions that I find myself mulling on for some time. This book makes a great stop for the busy mama that might only have a few minutes during the day, but wants to clear her head of the buzz of household noise and sit with Jesus for a moment. Each day takes me, literally 5-7 minutes to read, and while I don't want this to become a substitute for my morning time with the Lord, this has been a respite for me as I sit down for a break during the girls' rest time. A gentle reminder during my day that my goal is to ultimately be like Jesus.

Moody generously (and unexpectedly) sent me an extra copy of this wonderful devotional and I will pick a random commenter to receive the copy! Leave comment on this post if you are interested, and I'll close comments next Saturday, October 3, and draw a winner. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you, or I will pick another winner.

Friday Felicities ::: September 25

Things that are making me happy this week...

rainy fall weather
coffee scented candles
burnt orange color of fall
October
mini pumpkins on the kitchen table
this CUTE digital stationary set
encouraging words from this blog and this one, too
little lefty (see photo) :)

For more felicities, link up at Becky's.

Fields of Grace

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Fields Of Grace
Bethany House (October 2009)
by
Kim Vogel Sawyer
ABOUT THE BOOK

Will their Mennonite faith be shaken or strengthened by the journey to a new land?

With their eldest son nearly to the age when he will be drafted into military service, Reinhardt and Lillian Vogt decide to immigrate to America, the land of liberty, with their three sons and Reinhardt's adopted brother, Eli. But when tragedy strikes during the voyage, Lillian and Eli are forced into an agreement neither desires.

Determined to fulfill his obligation to Reinhardt, Eli plans to see Lillian and her sons safely settled on their Kansas homestead--and he's equally determined that the boys will be reared in the Mennonite faith. What he doesn't expect is his growing affection for Lillian--and the deep desire to be part of a family.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Fields Of Grace, go HERE