Sunday, September 29, 2024

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 9/30/2024


Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 
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Hello and HAPPY Monday.

Can you believe it is the last day of September?  This month has flown by.  I was looking at my calendar for October and it is busy as well.  It will be Thanksgiving and Christmas before we know it!  I'm just focusing on enjoying Fall and trying not to think of Winter being just around the corner.

Here's to the week ahead!

The weather outside is:

We've had lots of rain lately.  More than we had all Summer!  I shouldn't have a problem being able to compete the Rainy Day prompt for one of Readathon I'm participating in.



On today's to-do list:

Take Laken to and from school; fold laundry; sweep and mop (I mopped Friday, but with all the rain/mud it needs done again); cook.  Ordinary homemaking a tasks.

Happening this week:

I have to have to make a trip to Altoona Tuesday.  It just so happens that our closed Hobby Lobby is in Altoona.   Hmmmm.....  Should I stop in to see what I can see?  I think, yes!

Thursday and Friday our Church ladies will be making 60 pies for my alma maters Homecoming celebration.  It will take us both days.  I really wish we had an industrial oven but, alas, we only have a regular oven that will bake 6 pies at once.  Even though it is a lot of work, it is also a fun time together with the other ladies.

Saturday is Homecoming and we'll be running our pie booth.    Busy days ahead!

Currently reading:


I'm getting ready to start reading "The House at the End of the Moor" by Michelle Griep for the readathons I'm participating in.  This cover is what drew me in as well as loving this author!

To see more about my reading week, please go HERE to check out My Weekly Bookishness post!

Are we friends on Goodreads?  You can find my Goodreads profile HERE.

Listening to:

I love me some TobyMac!  Enjoy :)


Watching:

I'm watching the Steelers VS Colts game as I'm writing this post.  It isn't looking good so far and it is less than 5 minutes into the game!  ***Edited to add:  the Steelers lost :(***

"The Real West" a Hallmark fall movie that takes place at a "dude ranch".  It was so good and not a typical run-of-the-mill Hallmark movie.  Have you watched it?

Did anyone watch the pilot episode of "Matlock" on CBS/Paramount?  It was so good!  I think I'm going to like this series.  I'm also looking forward to watching "The Summit" which starts tonight.

Booktubers that I've discovered recently and also some favorite homemaking/sewing youtubers.

In the Kitchen:

I didn't spend much time in the Kitchen this week other than making some pretty easy dinners.  I also took the easy way out making dessert!  I got this Perfectly Pumpkin cookie mix and cream cheese icing at the store.

I made the cookie mix into cookie bars (the easy way out :)  They were good but very, very sweet with all that icing!


In the Craft Basket:

I have 28/35 blocks finished for the Japanese Fields Afghan.  Last week I was at 23/35 blocks completed so I've made some progress.  I haven't taken any new pictures of my stack of squares lately but I'm glad to say my ends are all woven in!  I'd like to finish making the granny squares this week.   Seven squares should be doable if I work at it while watching TV and youtube.


Picture(s) from the Camera


It was National Daughter's Day this past week (at least that is what I saw on FB).  Here are my two beauties!  This picture was taken last Summer at Black Water Falls, WV.  I really need to get an updated picture of the two of them.  They are both so busy all the time that it is hard to get them together any more.


My devotion time a few days ago was on 1 Timothy 1:1 and the fact that Christ Jesus is our hope.  I needed that reminder :)


Another week, another candle.  Cinnamon Sugared Pretzel.  It smells so good!


I picked up my 2025 wall calendar already!  I decided on this Bible Verse calendar.  There were a few different Bible calendars but the pictures on this one really drew me in.  Do you still use a wall calendar?


Book mail!  I received a few books this week.  If you want to see more, go check out my Instagram posts.  "The Debutante's Code" by Erica Vetsch is the October book for the Good for the Soul Women's Book Club on FB.  I joined in the September book's Zoom chat even though I hadn't read the book and I was so welcomed!  The Book Club just started a few months ago so it is still getting off the ground.  You should come check it out! 


HOCO 2024:  Nate and Laken.

Daddy and Laken.  Because I love this picture!

Prayer Requests

~Continued prayers for Laken as she has a full workload this school year.

~***Special prayers for a dear friend from Church who is currently in the ICU.  She is an older lady and has internal bleeding.  They are trying to determine what is causing it so they can decide on the best treatment.***  My friend is home from the hospital and recuperating at home to get her strength back.  Thank the LORD no surgery is needed and she is planning on baking pies at the end of this week with us!

~As always, prayers for the safety and well-being of all school/college kids.  (continued)

~Our Country, our Leaders and the Election coming in November.  (continued)

Bible Verse

"20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”"  John 3: 20-21 (NASB)

Have a great week!

Colletta

Friday, September 27, 2024

Book Review and Giveaway ~ K-9 Ranch Protection by Darlene L. Turner ~ 9/27/2024

K-9 Ranch Protection JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for K-9 Ranch Protection by Darlene L. Turner, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

K-9 Ranch Protection

Title: K-9 Ranch Protection
Series: Crisis Rescue Team #6
Author: Darlene L Turner
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date:
September 24, 2024
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense

A killer on the loose. 

A K-9 keeping watch. 

Police constable Izzy Tremblay knows her father’s death was no accident, so when she finally discovers a lead and is immediately attacked, her suspicions are confirmed. The ambush leaves her in the hospital with three hours of crucial memory missing, which she knows holds the key to finding her father’s murderer. For protection, she takes refuge with her ex-partner, Austin Murray, on his K-9 ranch while she races to uncover the truth. But with danger still lurking, can they stay alive long enough to take down a killer? 

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Harlequin | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub

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My Thoughts:

Where to start?

I should start by saying that this was the first book I actually finished reading in a very long time.  I have picked up so many books (mostly nonfiction) and just couldn't get into them enough to finish.  I guess fiction is just my first love :)

Speaking of love, I loved this book!

The author did a wonderful job of sucking me into the story from the first line and keeping me there until the last line.  The setting, the characters, the suspense.  They all kept me glued to the "pages" of my Kindle :)

I loved the interaction between Izzy and Austin but we can't forget Neve and the other K-9 s.  There's just something special about the bond between a dog and handler and that bond quickly grew between Izzy and Neve as well.

The suspense was there from the very beginning to the very end.  Just when I thought I had the mystery solved, the author would throw in a curve ball and I was second guessing myself and my theories.  

The back story was so well written that I would have never known this was Book #6 in the Crisis Rescue Team series.  Although, now, I need to go back and read all 5 of the previous books in the series.  I've found a new-to-me author that I love.  That is a rare treasure!

I am very excited and thankful to review this book today!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

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More Books In This Series

Fatal Forensic Investigation  Explosive Christmas Showdown  Mountain Abduction Rescue   


About the Author

Darlene L. Turner

Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning and a Publishers Weekly best-selling author and lives with her husband Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message.

Connect with Darlene by visiting darlenelturner.com, where there’s suspense beyond borders, to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.


Tour Giveaway

(4) winners will each receive a $25 Amazon egift card!

K-9 Ranch Protection JustRead Tours blog giveaway

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 23, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 30, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours

Thursday, September 26, 2024

My Weekly Bookishness ~ 9/27/2024


All things bookish!
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What I Read:






My review will be posted on 10/16/2024!

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What I'm Reading:


Blurb:

All Annalisa Carabelle wants is a successful summer season for the bed-and-breakfast she co-owns. She never expected the flood, the boy who needed rescuing, or the man who came from nowhere to help. The dead body? Well, the wound to the head proved it had nothing to do with do with the deluge.

Richard Jordan’s plans for the summer include as much scrambling up waterfalls as possible. He needs the adrenaline rush because life has proven routine, even pointless. But both the woman and the boy called him a hero, and maybe the dead body is a wake-up call. Life might be worth living if he and this intriguing woman can find the killer and make sure he doesn’t kill again.

But they’ve got too many suspects, and even the police are baffled. With the family protecting the killer, he might just get away for good, unless they force his hand—and stay alive while they are doing it.

First Lines:

Annalisa Carabelle's windshield wipers slapped back and forth, fighting a rain-filled torrent.

56%/Page 56

Richard's had tightened.  "People all over have fallen off cliffs and peaks trying to get a good photo."

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What I'll (Probably) Read Next:


Blurb:

Inexperienced in love, Jemma seeks help from her best friend, Miles, unaware that he has secretly loved her for years.

Brookeside, England, 1822

Jemma Fielding has always considered herself an independent woman, but to honor her beloved grandmother’s dying wish, she makes a promise that she will marry and fall in love. To fulfill her promise, she turns to the Matchmaking Mamas Society for assistance and is paired with the charming Mr. Bentley. Though he is everything Jemma could hope for in a match, she is clueless about how to win his heart. Desperate to make a good impression, she seeks guidance from her dearest friend, Miles Jackson, a humble rector with a talent for understanding matters of the heart.

However, Miles’s secret affection for Jemma has spanned years, and teaching her to love someone else threatens to betray his own heart. Trapped by his own selfless nature, Miles fears he will never be more than a humble rector in her eyes.

Even as he gives Jemma lessons in love, Miles grapples with the challenge of convincing her that Mr. Bentley may be a perfect gentleman but he is not the perfect match for her. Will Miles’s advice in romance jeopardize their years of friendship, or will it reveal the attraction that has quietly blossomed between them, proving that this time, the Matchmaking Mamas may have made a mistake? Miles must decide if he’s brave enough to confess his feelings to Jemma before she is whisked away forever.

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Book Haul:

I restarted my Kindle Unlimited subscription (yay to $0 for 3 months!).  Hence, the unusually large haul :)









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Book Blogger Hop:

Q.  With the changing of seasons from summer to fall in September, do you have a favorite book that reflects the essence of this transitional period or one that you enjoy reading when the temperature cools down? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

A. I don't usually reread books even if they are a favorite.  However, two of my favorite books that give me cozy feelings are Pride & Prejudice and Little Women.  Little Women, especially! 

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I'm participating in 3 readathons in October!!!!  Check out these posts:





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Do you follow me over on Instagram?

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Bookishly Yours,


Linking up to: 

   


https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/

http://www.fredasvoice.com/  http://www.rosecityreader.com/