Stacking the Shelves ~ 10/31/15

 

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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This week I added the following to my shelf:

Greta Olsen arrives in Central City, Colorado, as a mail-order bride, expecting to marry Jess Gifford, the man she's come to know through his tender letters. But when she meets Cora Johnson, she discovers she's not the only bride waiting at the train station for Jess.

Already shocked to find they must compete for Jess's affection, the young women can hardly believe it when not Jess but his brother Zach picks them up from the station--and reveals that Jess knows nothing about any mail-order bride, let alone two. Will either bride make the match she hopes for?

Filled with surprises, misunderstandings, and tender romance, Twice Promised is the story of how two unlikely women become twice blessed.

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A daughter’s gift of time, a father’s silent wish.

Erin Bryce and her best friend, Sharlene, count the day they start their wedding planning business as a very happy day. So much so that they name their company The Happiest Day to reflect the fulfillment of their long-held dream as well as their clients’ longing for a wedding celebration to match the exhilaration of being in love. As a bonus, the two women utilize their business to help Erin’s son Jordan and his fiancée, Sierra, plan a grand wedding.

But the two friends aren’t prepared for the cloud moving in to cover the sunny, successful start of their business. Erin’s father, who lives in a small coastal Oregon community with his brusque, downright odd second wife, Delores, develops a medical problem that puts him in the hospital. Erin responds by rushing from Southern California to her father’s—and oh, yeah, Delores’s—cottage by the sea.

What greets Erin when she arrives sends her tumbling down a bewildering path to a different kind of happiest day. Her journey tosses her through highs and lows of hurt and healing, betrayal and renewal, wrong assumptions righted, and the brightest future one could ever hope for. All just around the corner, at the cottage by the sea.

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When Carolyn's grown daughter tells her she needs to "get a life," Carolyn decides it's time to step out of her familiar routine as a single woman in San Francisco and escape to her mother's home in the Canary Islands. Since Carolyn's mother is celebrating her seventieth birthday, the timing of Carolyn's visit makes for a perfect surprise.

The surprise, however, is on Carolyn when she sees Bryan Spencer, her high school summer love. It's been seven years since Carolyn lost her husband, but ever since that tragic day, her life has grown smaller and closed in. The time has come for Carolyn to get her heart back. It takes the gentle affection of her mother and aunts, as well as the ministering beauty and song of the islands to draw Carolyn into the fullness of life. She is nudged along by a Flamenco dance lesson, a defining camel ride and the steady gaze of Bryan's intense blue-gray eyes.

Is it too late for Carolyn to trust Bryan? Can Carolyn believe that Bryan has turned into something more than the wild beach boy who stole her kisses so many years ago on a balmy Canary night?

Carolyn is reminded that Christopher Columbus set sail from the Canary Islands in 1492 on his voyage to discover the New World. Is she ready to set sail from these same islands to discover her new life?

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Happy Reading!

Tea Time ~ Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Everywhere ~ 10/30/15

Grab a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or your favorite drink
while I share a few things that made me smile this week :)

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~Laken carved her pumpkin!  The girls also decorated pumpkins at Youth Group :)

 

~This Katniss Cowl!  I had so much fun making it :)

 



~Tuesday evening was Family Night at the Book Fair!  I love that my girls love books!

~A man and his dog!  Gotta love 'em :)

 

 

~Vanilla Chai!  Cold outside, warm inside :)

 



 

 

Please leave a comment with a link so I can return the visit!

Linking up with Friendship Friday, Friday Fragments, Five on Friday, Show Off Friday, Awesome Life,  Friday Favorites , High Five for Friday and OhHeyFriday and Love Made My Home.

 

In the Kitchen ~ Butterscotch Blondies ~ 10/29/15

 

 

Butterscotch Blondies

2 sticks butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 bag butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 13X9 cake pan.

Mix butter and sugars.

Add both eggs and blend well.

Mix in baking soda and vanilla.

Add flour.

Stir in butterscotch chips.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Please leave a comment with a link so I can return the visit!

Linking up to:  Full Plate Thursday, Inspritation2 , Creative Ways, Grace at Home, Create It Thursday, Your Turn to Shine,   Project Stash  Homemaking Linkup and Home Sweet Home, Share Your Cup;  Grandma Ideas, Think and Make.

Book Review ~ The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen ~ 10/28/15

 

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Blurb:

 

Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.

Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch's daughter. Though he's initially wary of Julia Midwinter's reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul--and hidden sorrows of her own.

Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master--a man her mother would never approve of--but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec's help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village. . .and to her mother's tattered heart?

Filled with mystery and romance, The Dancing Master brings to life the intriguing profession of those who taught essential social graces for ladies and gentlemen hoping to make a "good match" in Regency England.

 

 

My Thoughts:

 

I really don't know what I think of this book.  As with all of Julie Klassen's novels, it was well written and very interesting and educational.  She always finds interesting facts to include in her writing.

 

However, I wasn't really drawn to either of the main characters.  Alec seemed a bit too flaky and Julia was such a brat! Their characters did evolve throughout the book and I came to like them more as I finished reading.

 

I found myself more interested in Lady Amelia and John Desmond's story.  I eagerly read hoping to come upon more of their story as the mystery unfolded.

 

This was my first time reading a book where the hero was a dancing master.  It was a bit hard to really get into the dancing instruction scenes.  I just kept trying to visualize Maksim Chmerkovsky from Dancing with the Stars as Alec.  This helped.  hehe

 

Not my favorite Julie Klassen novel but she is still on of my favorite authors!

 

 

Linking up to  WholeHearted Wednesday, R&R, Word Filled Wednesday, Coffee and Conversation, Ladies Collective,   Party in Your PJs,  The Mommy Club, Works or Me, Wake-Up Wednesday and Wow Me Wednesday .

 

Teaser Tuesday ~ Butterfly Palace ~ 10/27/15

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. 

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My teaser for this week is from:

 

 

~"The night air touched her heated skin, and she shivered as she hurried along the path to the barn.  Crickets chirped as if to keep time to the ragtime tune tinkling from the tavern's piano down the street.  The threat of discovery added another thump to her pulse."~

Page 1

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Happy Teaser Tuesday!

Make it Monday ~ Katniss Cowl ~ 10/26/15

 

I have had this Katniss Cowl in my Ravelry queue for about a year and finally decided to give it a go.  You can find the pattern HERE.  The pattern actually is much larger than I made mine.

 

I only completed about 1/3 of the pattern.  It was already getting very heavy so I didn't continue on with the repeats.  (Not to mention my hands were getting tired from using a large hook.)

The pattern called for a super bulky yarn.  Instead I used two strands of worsted weight in Red Heart Super Saver "Rouge".  I know it isn't a very "Katniss" color but I had it on hand.

I love how the textures turned out and would someday like to make the complete pattern!

Have you made a Katniss Cowl?  I'd love to see your creations :)

Please leave me a comment with a link so I can return the visit!!

Linking up to Making Memories Monday, Much Ado About Monday,  Making Your Home Sing , Inspire Me Monday, Merry Monday , Motivation Monday, Made By You, Creative Mondays, What'd You Do this Weekend and Pieces by Polly Block Party,  Monday's Musing and Making Monday, Stitch It Up and Hooking on Humpday, Yarn Along , Yarn Fanatic , Keep Calm Craft On.

Songs on Sunday ~ Air I Breathe by Mat Kearney ~ 10/25/15

 

 You ARE the air I breathe!

 

 

Please leave a comment with a link so I can return the visit!

I'm also linking up to Spiritual Sunday and Counting My Blessings , Faith And Friendship , Grace And Truth , Dance with Jesus, Sunday Stillness, Give Me Grace , Sundays Down Under and The Weekend Brew.



Stacking the Shelves ~ 10/24/15

 

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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

This week I added the following to my shelf:

  

Lydia’s job at the library is her world—until a mysterious patron catches her eye . . . and perhaps her heart.

Just months after the closure of the Chicago World’s Fair, librarian Lydia Bancroft finds herself fascinated by a mysterious dark-haired and dark-eyed patron. He has never given her his name; he actually never speaks to a single person. All she knows about him is that he loves books as much as she does.

Only when he rescues her in the lobby of the Hartman Hotel does she discover that his name is Sebastian Marks. She also discovers that he lives at the top of the prestigious hotel and that most everyone in Chicago is intrigued by him.

Lydia and Sebastian form a fragile friendship, but when she discovers that Mr. Marks isn’t merely a very wealthy gentleman, but also the proprietor of an infamous saloon and gambling club, she is shocked.

Lydia insists on visiting the club one fateful night and suddenly is a suspect to a murder. She must determine who she can trust, who is innocent, and if Sebastian Marks—the man so many people fear—is actually everything her heart believes him to be.

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A story of love, hope, and healing set in the midst of the Civil War Nineteen-year-old Carrie Ann Bell is independent and spirited. The only thing she really fears are the Union soldiers fighting against her Confederate friends. When her youngest sister runs away from home, brave Carrie Ann is determined to find her and bring her back. Disguised as a soldier, she sets off--only to find she's fallen into the hands of the enemy.

Her childhood friend Confederate Major Joshua Blevins has warned her against these Yankees: they're all devils, ready to inflict evil on unsuspecting young women. When Colonel Peyton Collier arrests her for her impersonation of an officer, it seems to confirm all her fears.

Soon, though, she finds herself drawn to the handsome, gallant colonel. He rescued her, protected her, and has been every inch the gentleman. Carrie Ann discovers that her foe has become her ally--and more than that, someone she could love. But the arrival of Joshua in the Union camp as a spy will test her loyalties. Will she protect someone who has been like family or be loyal to this stranger to whom she wants to offer her heart? When her world is being torn apart around her, whom should she trust?

Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, A Thousand Shall Fall is framed around compelling characters and a very romantic setting in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Andrea Boeshaar's extensive research guarantees historical accuracy and romance genre enthusiasts and Civil War buffs alike will enjoy the Christian perspectives on actual historical events.  

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The thrilling conclusion to the evocative Summerset Abbey series featuring two sisters and their maid as they navigate an uncertain world in the midst of World War I.Aristocratic and free-spirited sisters Rowena and Victoria, as well as their maid and dear friend Prudence navigate the uncertain social and political climate of WWI-era England in the dramatic conclusion to the sweeping saga about the women of Summerset. Vividly evoking both time and place with authentic dialogue and richly detailed settings, this beautifully written novel explores the conflict between tradition and modernity as these women struggle to determine what to expect from their futures…

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Happy Reading!

Tea Time ~ Apple Harvest ~ 10/23/15

Grab a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or your favorite drink
while I share a few things that made me smile this week :)

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~The girls' Youth Group went to Faranda Farms to the corn maze!  Doug and I went too :)

~Kaylee tried out for District Chorus!  We're still waiting to hear whether she made it or not :)

~I made this Outlander Cowl!  So much fun to create :)

 

 

~I made Butterscotch Blondies!  Look for the recipe next week :)

 



 

~We harvested apples off the tree in our yard for the first time!  My Mom, my little cousin Dex and I made applesauce and pies :)

 

Please leave a comment with a link so I can return the visit!

Linking up with Friendship Friday, Friday Fragments, Five on Friday, Show Off Friday, Awesome Life,  Friday Favorites , High Five for Friday and OhHeyFriday and Love Made My Home.

 

In the Kitchen ~ Peanut Butter & Jelly Crescents ~ 10/22/15

This recipe is seriously so simple but these things will fly off the table.  I'm telling you to watch out for your fingers.

I make these crescents for church events a good bit and they are always gone within minutes.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Crescents

Refrigerated Crescent Rolls (however many you are making)
Peanut Butter (creamy or chunky)
Jelly (your favorite kind)

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with Parchment Paper.  You can find it at the grocery store.  It is a life-saver.  I use it with all my cookie baking, etc.

Roll out a crescent and apply a generous amount of peanut butter to the widest end.  Approx. 1 Tablespoon.  Add a dollop of jelly on top the peanut butter.  Approx. 1 teaspoon.

Roll the crescent starting with the widest end and tuck under the edge.

Place the rolled crescent on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Repeat for the number of crescents you are making.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Let sit on the stove for 1 minute.

Remove crescents to a wire rack to finish cooling.  (If they make it that far!)

These are REALLY delicious right out of the oven while warm.  They will be disappearing as soon as you turn your back.  At least they do in my house.


Please leave a comment with a link so I can return the visit!

Linking up to:  Full Plate Thursday, Inspritation2 , Creative Ways, Grace at Home, Create It Thursday, Your Turn to Shine,   Project Stash  Homemaking Linkup and Home Sweet Home, Share Your Cup;  Grandma Ideas, Think and Make.