Chats on the Porch ~ 4/30/13

This week's questions are:

1. When it's time to cut the grass (mow the lawn), who does it?

I love mowing the grass, so I usually will but occasionally if I don't feel like the hubby will.  He mostly does the weed whacking though.

2.  If someone gave you $500 dollars and you could not spend it on yourself, who would you spend it on?

My family.

3.  Have you ever taken a blogging break or considered one?

Since I've started blogging regularly I don't think I've taken a complete break but I have considered it.  I do more of a "cut back" on my blogging or maybe revamp my blogging routine to keep it fresh and fun for myself.

4.  Are you bothered by spring allergies or hay fever? If not spring, any other time of the year?

Yes!  I started taking an allergy pill daily last week.  Otherwise....ugh!

5.  What's new with you?

Hmmm....  Nothing very exciting for anyone but me, but I have lost 9 pounds!  Other than that, the family is finally healthy again and there is only 1 month left of school!  I love summer vacation :)



Let's chat and get to know one another!

It's Monday! What Am I Reading? ~ 4/29/13

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The book I am currently reading is:

Misty Harbor Inn officially opens, and Gracie Gold, the middle Marris sister, wrestles with an overwhelming decision. As the sisters learn the day-to-day workings of running an inn, Gracie counsels its first guests, newlyweds whose honeymoon seems to be ending before it begins. Meanwhile, Sam’s discovery of a clue in a secret room sheds unflattering light on Hannah Montague, who vanished from the house more than one hundred years ago. And as Gracie and Caroline welcome guests to the inn, they are delighted to see how God uses it—and them—to deepen relationships and transform lives.

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This is the sequel to the book I was reading last Monday, Seaside Harmony.  The sisters are now open for business and I am loving to read about the running of a B&B!

Also Hoping to Read This Week:

Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd

Afloat (if recieved)

Katie's Choice by Amy Lillard

What are you reading today?

Friday Fragments ~ 4/26/13

Five things that made me smile this week :)

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1.  I'm down another pound for a total of 7!

2.  I mowed the grass Tuesday night!  I love it!

3.  I've been sitting outside on my swing to read!  Gorgeous weather :)

4.  Kaylee's softball team won not only 1 game this week, but 2 games!

5.  Last night was the Spring concert!  I love watching my mom and my daughter perform together in the community chorus :)

What made you smile this week?

Book Review ~ A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund ~ 5/5!!!

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review 

as part of a Litfuse Publicity Blog Tour.  To see more about the book, author, and other reviews please click HERE.

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Title:  "A Noble Groom"
Series:  N/A

Author:  Jody Hedlund
Publisher:  Bethany House
Publication Date:  4/1/13

Pages:  363

Buy From Amazon:  HERE

Book Description:

Michigan, 1880

Annalisa Werner's hope for a fairy tale love is over. Her husband failed her in every way and now his death has left her with few options to save the family farm. She needs a plentiful harvest. That, and a husband to help bring it in. Someone strong, dependable. That'll be enough. A marriage for love...that's something she's given up on.

So her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.
Then a man appears: Carl Richards, from their home country of Germany and a former schoolteacher---or so he says. He's looking for work and will serve on the farm until her husband arrives.

With time running out, she accepts his help, but there's more to this man than he's admitting. He's also gentle, kind, charming---unlike any man she's ever known. But even as Carl is shining light into the darkness of her heart, she knows her true groom may arrive any day.

Meet Jody: 

Jody Hedlund is the bestselling author of "The Doctor's Lady" and "The Preacher's Bride". She won the 2011 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, the 2011 Award of Excellence from the Colorado Romance Writers and was a finalist for Best Debut Novel in the 2011 ACFW Carol Awards. Currently she makes her home in central Michigan, with her husband and five busy children. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog.

Find out more about Jody athttp://jodyhedlund.com/. 

My Overall Feeling of the Book:

I loved this book! I've been in somewhat of a reading slump lately. I've been reading but not really getting fully involved in the story. But this book grabbed me and drew me in until the end!

I loved watching as Carl and Annalisa's story unfolded. Carl transformed from a self-proclaimed weakling into a strong farmer who could handle anything thrown at him. Annalisa transformed from a down-trodden shell of a woman into someone who believed that love was possible.

What a wonderful read!

A Brief Excerpt:

"Wake up."  Her fingers hovered above his lips, taking little comfort in the air that came out with each labored breath."

 Page 193

The Cover:

Hmmm?  What do I like about this cover?  How about the fact that there is a gorgeous man on it?!?  Yes, enough said :)

Other Notes:

~  Excellent, excellent read!

Rating

5/5

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On to the next book,

Book Review ~ Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review 

as part of a Litfuse Publicity Blog Tour.  To see more about the book, author, and other reviews please click HERE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title:  "Sweet Sanctuary"
Series:  N/A

Author:  Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher:  Bethany House
Publication Date:  4/1/13

Pages:  352

Buy From Amazon:  HERE

Book Description:

Lydia Eldredge longs to provide a sanctuary for her son, Nicky. But a constant threat comes from Nicky's drug-addicted father, who wants the boy and seems willing to do whatever it takes to get him. 


Dr. Micah Hatcher serves the immigrant population in Queens, but under cover of darkness he provides another service that must not be discovered lest his and his brother's lives be in danger. 


When Lydia and Micah's paths cross, they are suddenly wrapped up in each other's callings. Through unforeseen twists and turns, they seek a refuge of safety--for Nicky, for themselves, and for the needy people God unexpectedly puts in their lives.

Meet Kim: 

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of twenty-one novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and nine grandchildren.

Find out more about Kim athttp://www.kimvogelsawyer.com/. 

My Overall Feeling of the Book:

This was a sweet story of redemption and re-connection.

I didn't like the way Lydia's father tried to deceive and trick Micah into marrying Lydia to suit their needs. I thought that was very mean and dirty.

However, it did cause Lydia and Micah to re-connect years after they both served in Hawaii before the bombing at Pearl Harbor. There were many twists and turns and misconceptions that made the story fun to read. 

Overall, I really enjoyed learning more about the time period, the setting and the characters.

A Brief Excerpt:

"Micah Hatcher scanned the letter a second time, his pulse beating at twice its normal rhythm.  A joke...This has to be a joke.  Yet there was nothing funny about it."

 Page 7

The Cover:

This wasn't my favorite cover.  It is sweet and you can see a city street in the background but it just didn't grab me.

Other Notes:

~

Rating

4/5

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On to the next book,

Book Review ~ A Healing Heart by Angela Breidenbach

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review as part of a Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Tour.  

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Title:  "A Healing Heart"
Series:  Quilts of Love

Author:  Angela Breidenbach
Publisher:  Abingdon Press
Publication Date:  4/2013

Pages:  240

Buy From Amazon:  HERE

Book Description:

Mara Keegan is an uber-successful workaholic mother of three, widowed three years ago. She's been chasing success and all the "good things in life" for her family to make up for the cruel whim God played on them by taking her husband. In an effort to be the perfect mom, she decides to make a photo memory quilt, a graduation present for her daughter, Cadence.

She’s not yet finished when she experiences a heart attack. While Mara recuperates, she visits the choices she's made that led to this physically and spiritually broken heart. The memory quilt must be finished in time for Cadence's big day, but Mara struggles with her burgeoning feelings for the man who must keep Mara's business going during her recovery, Joel Ryan. Can Joel find his way into Mara's heart and onto Cadence's quilt?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Angela Breidenbach is a speaker/coach in mental and physical health, author of A Healing Heart April 2013 from Abingdon Press in the Quilts of Love series, Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life, Creative Cooking for Simple Elegance, and Creative Cooking for Colitis. Other works by Angela include compilation books and devotionals from Guidepost, Group, and articles in magazines, ezines, and newspapers. She is certified in mentor/peer counseling as a CTA life coach, as a Stephen Minister, and a weight loss/nutrition coach. Angela serves as an assisting minister (worship/prayer leader) for her congregation in Missoula, MT. Not only did she walk the hard line of deciding to donate her mom’s brain for the study of schizophrenia, but she’s also on the brain donation list at the Brain Bank-Harvard McLean Hospital.

My Overall Feeling of the Book:

What a sweet story of family, love and quilts!

I really enjoyed reading about the process of making a memory quilt. The author is very detailed in her description and made me want to get my fabric out and play.

The love story aspect of the book develops nicely. Mara is just getting over the grief of losing her husband and Joel had a sad ending to his marriage. Together they discover if they can find love a second time around.

I really enjoyed the family antics written into the story. They are so real and true to life!


A Brief Excerpt:

"The nurse gave Joel five minutes and Jill acted as the witness as Joel read the power-of-attorney to Mara.  He hated waking her up, but without her signature, all fifty employees were going to miss paychecks in the morning."

 Page 106

The Cover:

It has fabric.  Need I say more?

Other Notes:

~  There was a lot of business talk that might scare a person off but stick with this sweet book :)

Rating

4/5

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On to the next book,

Showers of Books Giveaway Hop ~ Ends 4/30

This blog hop is hosted by

 I'm a Reader, Not a Writer and Books a la Mode

  The April showers in my part of the world have livened things up beautifully!  The spring flowers are blooming, the trees are getting green and the grass needs mowed.  (I love mowing the grass!)

For this giveaway you have the chance to win the following book:

"Heiress"
 by Susan May Warren

To enter the giveaway:

*Mandatory-  Leave a comment telling me your favorite thing about spring showers.  Also leave your name and how to reach you if you win.

*Extra - Follow my blog and leave a second comment telling me that you do.

The giveaway will run until 11:59pm EST, April 30, 2013.  The winner will be emailed on May 1st.

For more chances to win great bookishness,

check out these other giveaway hoppers :

Teaser Tuesday ~ Duchess ~ 4/23/13

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title &; author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's my teaser for this week is from:

~Tonight, if only for three hours, Rosie Worth would glitter.  Like a star plucked fro the sky, hot and glowing, she would light up New York's Fiftieth Avenue and burn a path into stardom, her name in white neon emblazoned across the marquee of the Roxy Theater.~

"Duchess"
Series:  Daughters of Fortune Book #3
Author:  Susan May Warren
Page 9

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Happy Teaser Tuesday!

Book Review ~ Angel Falls by Connie Mann ~ 5/5!!!

I am pleased to say that I am taking part in the above Pump Up Your Book blog tour!  You can click on the above picture to go find out more details about the book, the author, and other tour stops.

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title:  "Angel Falls"

Series:  N/A

Author:  Connie Mann
Publisher:  Abingdon Press
Publication Date:  3/2013

Pages:  319
Buy from Amazon:  HERE

Book Description:

Her best friend’s been murdered and Brazilian orphanage director Regina da Silva will do whatever it takes to protect her friend’s baby. Even if it means dealing with an intimidating man she’s not sure she can trust.

Former Army Ranger Brooks Anderson refuses to protect anyone ever again. The last time he did, the woman and child both died. He’s just here to transport an orphan for adoption, as promised, and then he’s outta there.

But when bullets fly, Brooks and Regina risk everything and dive headlong into danger to protect one defenseless child.

As the killer closes in and long-buried secrets come to light, they’ll have to trust each other to stay alive.

Will that be enough to save their little angel–and themselves—from plunging to their deaths over the Falls?

ABOUT CONNIE MANN

Connie Mann loves stories that combine suspense, adventure and second chances. She offers encouragement to busy women on her blog: www.BusyWomenBigDreams.com and is an active member of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. She’s also a USCG-licensed boat captain, so when she’s not writing, she’s usually on Central Florida’s waterways with local school children or her fabulous family.

Her latest book is the Christian fiction, Angel Falls.

Please visit her online at: www.conniemann.com.

CONNECT WITH CONNIE:

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE

My Overall Feeling of the Book:

This was an amazing, suspenseful, action-packed book!

From the start to the finish it had me enthralled. I couldn't wait to read what would happen next.

The characters were great. Such different backgrounds and demeanors but they were perfect for each other.

I don't quite know how they managed all the escapes and traveling they did while holding a 3 month old baby!

I was very pleased with my first book by this author.

A Brief Excerpt:

"Don't trust me," he wanted to say.  "I'm not worth it."  His eyes went to the kid, gurling and flailing his arms, and then to the woman preparing their meal, and knew he would protect them both with his dying breath.

Page 150

The Cover:

This cover is very exotic and dramatic which matches the book perfectly.  I love the colors and the falls in the background are breathtaking.

Other Notes:

~This book is a bit cutting edge for a inspirational novel.  There are innuendos throughout but still very true to life in this aspect.

Rating
5/5

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On to the next book,

It's Monday! What Am I Reading? ~ 4/22/13

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The book I am currently reading is:

The first book in a charming new series that is a perfect escape for the summer. 

When Caroline Marris joins her sisters Gracie Gold and Sam Carter for a Nantucket Island getaway, she has no idea how it will change her life. The sisters stumble upon Misty Harbor Inn, the place their late mother loved so much, and Caroline talks her sisters into buying the beautiful but dilapidated inn. But can free-spirited Caroline stay focused enough to make opening the inn a reality? Hand-drawn old postcards draw the sisters into the mystery of Hannah Montague, the young widow of the original owner. Can the sisters uncover the fate of this woman who disappeared in 1880? As Caroline and her sisters work together to make their mom’s dream a reality, they bond in ways they never expected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm about 1/3 of the way through this book and am really enjoying it.  The sisters are vacationing on Nantucket and are contemplating buying an old mansion to renovate into a B&B.  What's not to like?

Also Hoping to Read This Week:

Sunflower Summer by Evangeline Kelly

It Happened At the Fair by Deanne Gist

Duchess by Susan May Warren

Once Upon a Prince (if received)

What are you reading today?

Friday Fragments ~ 4/19/13

Five things that made me smile this week :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.  The flowers are popping out everywhere.  Each day I see more and more.  Trees are blossoming and getting green.  What a gorgeous world God created!

2.  Both girls got back to school this week.  They both ended up on antibiotics but are feeling much better which makes this mama feel much better too!

3.  I started crocheting an afghan just because I wanted to.  For me!

4.  The scale finally is starting to go down instead of up!  Does anybody else have the problem where they gain before they start losing?  That would be me.  But I'm happy with this morning's weigh-in!

5.  Tonight is Date Night!!  We try to schedule one every month.  The girls will be staying over with their Pap and Mamaw and we will get the house to ourselves!  Greatly needed alone time planned :)

What made you smile this week?

Crocheting the Miles ~ 4/19/13

Crocheting one row for every 3 miles (5K) walked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

365 Miles in 365 Days Challenge

Total Miles This Week:  5 (bum knee)

Total Miles in 2013:  107

Rows allowed:  35

Rows completed: 31

(No new pic...yet)

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Booking Through Thursday ~ Foreign Language ~ 4/17/13

"I saw a Latin edition of “The Hobbit” last time I was at the bookstore… Do you read any foreign languages? Do you ENJOY reading in other languages?"

I'm ashamed to say that would be a big, fat NO...  I had two years of Spanish in High School and that is as far as my foreign language study went.  So far.  I would love to become fluent in Spanish.  At least enough that I could follow along with what is spoken on some of my favorite TV shows :)

Teaser Tuesday ~ A Healing Heart ~ 4/16/13

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title &; author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's my teaser for this week is from:

~Mara Keegan's vision blurred as she stared at the old photo she'd picked from the box for the first block on Cadence's memory quilt.~

"A Healing Heart"
Series:  Quilts of Love
Author:  Angela Breidenbach
Page 9

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Happy Teaser Tuesday!

Signed Book Hop ~ Ends 4/22

This blog hop is hosted by

 I'm a Reader, Not a Writer and Wholly Books!

  I've wondered what to do with those signed books that I've read and just sitting there on my shelf never to be read again.  I don't reread books even if they are greatest, best book that I've ever read.  That is why I am loving this hop!

The wonderful signed book that I would love to pass along for someone else to read is:

"Glimmers"
 by Barbara Brooke

To enter the giveaway:

*Mandatory-  Leave a comment telling me your name and how to reach you if you win.

*Extra - Follow my blog and leave a second comment telling me that you do.

The giveaway will run until 11:59pm EST, April 22, 2013.  The winner will be emailed on April 23rd.

For more chances to win great bookishness,

check out these other giveaway hoppers :