California Day 2

All right, so after our crazy first day in Cali we didn't get going too fast the next morning. When we did we headed for the Getty Museum on the north side of LA and just west of Hollywood. It's free to get in, however parking will cost you $15.

I wasn't too familiar with the museum before we went other than having multiple people tell me we had to go there! The Getty Center (there are two different locations), where we went has 5 buildings that present a collection of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the present. It was pretty fascinating!

Or course we had to start at the beginning... with illuminated manuscripts.


These are done by hand! Seriously cool. When I was in college we took a special tour to a local monastary with one of our history profs who had training in handling these manuscripts so they allowed her to take them out of the cases (white gloves on) and we got to see them up close. Then they had some old ones that weren't "worth anything" in the basement that we actually got to touch!


Moving on to the first large artworks. Many of these, if not most, are from churches and they all depicted the saints.

There was also an exhibit in the first building about casting sculptures that was just fascinating. The particular process had something like 16 steps and could only be used once. So if something messed up in the middle (and the artist wouldn't know until the end) he would have to start over entirely!

We didn't make it to all 5 buildings, we got a little sick of looking at paintings! But we did go to the photography exhibit (the modern part!) where of course, no photographs were allowed. Also the traveling exhibit of French sculptures was pretty interesting.

Then we toured the outside of the museum, which was just as spectacular as the inside. All the buildings are made of white marble which a guide told us came from somewhere in Europe and took about 200 ships to bring to the US. They're absolutely gorgeous though!

The view looking down over LA.

There was an outdoor garden that was very cool. The first thing that caught my eye was these iron haystacks that had flowers planted in the middle so they grew up and over the top. Very cool!

Labyrinth

Another shot of the marble and rebar flower haystacks!

My three amigos, Jamie, Julie, and Kelly.

Looking up from the garden to one of the buildings.

Being a flower connoisseur...

These shots are kind of backwards, but at the top of the hill there is a small fountain. The water runs out along a raised channel and then through a hole in the floor. It cascades down an urn (see below) and then runs down this stream and into the pool that the labyrinth is in. It's all very beautifully designed.

The urn where the water comes from above.

After spending way more time at The Getty than we had planned we ran out of time to visit Universal Studios. Because we had a dinner date in Disneyland... for 9:40pm! Oy!

But one of the things that Kelly and Jamie really wanted to do was have dinner in the Pirates of the Caribbean restaurant and those reservations are hard to come by! So 9:40 it was! We got to the park in time to see a bit of the evening show and ride a couple of rides, including Pirates. I must say it's quite a bit better than I remember it from 5th grade...

The restaurant is in the beginning of the ride. See that blue wall behind my friends? That's the lagoon where you enter the ride and you can see the diners from your boat as you glide by.

The cost of the meal was more than I would normally spend, but oh.my.word. was it ever good! They were out of one dish that both Julie and I wanted, but I got some beef shortribs and I swear I have never had meat that was so good!

Now for the funny story...
Kelly decided that she wanted to have the "Lightning McQueen" drink (it was Raspberry Crystal Lite or something since they don't serve alcohol in the park) saying as she ordered that it was "for her nephew". Since my son absolutely adores Lightning I decided quickly that I would get one too and said that it was "for my son".

Now either our waiter was a really good actor or he was genuinely surprised because he said something to the effect of "no way, I thought you guys were like 16". A little schmoozing I suppose, but that lead us to tell him that no, we were all turning 30 this year and this was our special trip and birthday dinner (thanks Kelly's mom!).

Then, when we were all done he brought us each a dish of chocolate mousse with a candle on top for our birthdays! It was very sweet (and so was the mousse!).

Happy Birthday to us!

The mousse had sprinkles on it in the shape of Mickey ears. Very fun!

And finally our second day in California came to an end as we headed back to our hotel room...

ZZZZZzzzzzz.... in the elevator!

California Girl Adventures

After the fun that was the Corvette weekend, Brian left for Olympia to work while I took Cory home... for one night! Then I left him with my parents and flew off on a crazy California adventure with some girlfriends from high school.

We left Monday night after Jamie got off work and got to Seattle about 9pm. Staying at Kelly's uncle's house so that her dad could get us to the airport at 4am... yeah, we had a flight leaving at 6am and no, I did not choose that!

No worries until it was time for bed. Jamie sits down on the bed and says "this is a brick". I'm thinking, okay, so it's harder than normal. No, it's really quite literally a brick! When I sat down the bed did not give at all. It was like sitting down on a wooden park bench! Thankfully I always travel with an extra pillow so that helped, but... between the brick bed and having to get up at 2:30am (because some people take over an hour to get ready no matter where they're going - and no, that's not me) there was not a whole lot of sleep to be had!

Getting to the airport and on the plane was no problem even though I was flying stand-by. However the seating arrangements were quite amusing. Jamie and Kelly were together and I was one row back across the aisle seated amongst 5 ladies who apparently were traveling together. The row behind us was entirely empty so after their musical seats it turned out that I had a row to myself and the seat next to Kelly and Jamie was also open. So without even having to say anything I got to sit by my friends. Not that it really mattered since we all tried to sleep the way there.

Arrival in LA was at like 9am and after picking up the rental car we were ready to go. Our hotel was just blocks from Disneyland, but who lets you check in at 10am? After fighting with the gates in the parking lot (I guess they really don't want other people to park there) we decided to go to Knott's Berry Farm for the day.

Which would be were I got this lovely shot:

Not too far out of character for Kelly actually.

We chose to go on the wooden roller coaster called The Ghostrider first. Also the first mistake. Since it's wooden it doesn't go upside down and all you get is a lap bar. I guess I didn't get mine tight enough because every time we went down (and there were a lot of those!) I was about 6 inches off my seat. Talk about scary!

The best part was Jamie sitting behind me and going ah, ah, ah, ah, aaaah, ah, ah, ah, aaaaah, the whole ride. We kidded her about that for the rest of the day!

The best ride we found was called the Silver Bullet. It's like the Batman ride at Six Flags where you hang and your feet are free swinging rather than sit in a car. It was so smooth and fast it was awesome!

The only not awesome part was the very last circle that was so tight your feet were tingling from all the blood rushing to them. And after going on the ride twice in a row (there was no line) we all kind of had head aches from lack of blood to the brain!


The other really cool part about the day was seeing the Everybody Loves Snoopy ice spectacular.

It was in a theater, but the stage was an ice rink with a walkway around the edge - a semicircular bit that stuck out into the audience. There were about 20 college age skaters, very professional, and then half a dozen Peanuts characters... on skates! And they were doing more than just skating around too. The show was only half an hour, but it was fabulous! I was so impressed with the choreography and the way they tied it all together. It was very fun, and a good rest in the afternoon for us!

After a few more rides we were all done in and Jamie was feeling a little ill. So we headed back to our hotel to meet up with the 4th member of our posse, Julie, who lives in LA now.


Room service was had and then to bed to get ready for a full day... but who ever heard of a hotel room that still has double beds? Craziness! Which did not help our sleeping!

Wordless Wednesday: Mine

This is the piece I want, Nana, right here, with all the frosting on it!

(I only caught the picture, I'm not sure if he climbed on the table by himself or not... but it was pretty funny!)

Book: The Blue Enchantress

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Blue Enchantress
Barbour Books (August 1, 2009)
by
M.L.Tyndall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


M. L. (MaryLu) Tyndall grew up on the beaches of South Florida loving the sea and the warm tropics. But despite the beauty around her, she always felt an ache in her soul--a longing for something more.

After college, she married and moved to California where she had two children and settled into a job at a local computer company. Although she had done everything the world expected, she was still miserable. She hated her job and her marriage was falling apart.

Still searching for purpose, adventure and true love, she spent her late twenties and early thirties doing all the things the world told her would make her happy, and after years, her children suffered, her second marriage suffered, and she was still miserable.

One day, she picked up her old Bible, dusted it off, and began to read. Somewhere in the middle, God opened her hardened heart to see that He was real, that He still loved her, and that He had a purpose for her life, if she'd only give her heart to Him completely.

She had written stories her whole life, but never had the confidence to try and get any of them published. But as God began to change her heart, He also showed her that writing had been His wonderful plan for her all along!


ABOUT THE BOOK

Betrayed by the man she longed to marry, Hope Westcott is about to be auctioned off as a slave to the highest bidder on an island in the Caribbean . After enduring a difficult childhood in an unloving home, Hope's search for love and self-worth have led her down a very dangerous path. All she ever wanted was to find true love and open an orphanage where she could raise children with all the love she never experienced as a child. But how can a woman with a sordid past ever hope to run an orphanage, let alone attract the love of an honorable man?

Determined to overcome the shame of his mother's past, Nathaniel Mason worked for many years to build his own fleet of merchant ships in an effort to finally acquire the respect of Charles Towne society. Ignoring the call of God on his life to become a preacher, he forges ahead with his plans for success at a distant port in the Caribbean , when he sees a young lady he knows from Charles Towne being sold as a slave. In an effort to save Hope, he is forced to sell one of his two ships, only to discover that her predicament was caused by her own bad behavior. Angry and determined to rid himself of her as soon as possible, Nathaniel embarks on a journey that will change the course of his life.

***

I find that I always love the history and the seafaring stories that M.L. Tyndall writes. They're so different from the life we live today, not even including the way that women lived back then.
The Blue Enchantress is no exception, with much of the book taking place aboard various merchant and pirate ships! This is the second book in the series, but it stands alone fairly well.

The Blue Enchantress is a bit different than some other books I've read in that it's fairly heavy on the supernatural. Even more so than the first book, The Red Siren. Obviously there is some literary license, but it's a reminder that there is evil at work in the world that we can't always see.

For me, this was another of those, stay up to 3am to see how it will all work out, kind of books!

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Blue Enchantress, go HERE

The first book in the Charles Towne Belles series is The Red Siren.

Corvette Show Weekend

I am loving having a super fast computer and the new version of photoshop! It's a bit different, but thankfully all the keyboard shortcuts I'm used to still work! Now to edit 2 months worth of pictures...

Back in July Grandma and Grandpa came up for the Corvette Show in Leavenworth.

The guys getting it ready for the Show and Shine. I kid you not when I say the judges go over the car with white gloves. Grandpa won last year and got third this year... but we think one of the judges was overly harsh. Still pretty good considering he drives his car up from Oregon and other people bring theirs in on trailers to avoid any road dust.

Yes, this picture is under the hood. How many of you could eat off the underside of your hood? Or your engine? It's that clean!

Final polish in the hotel parking lot before "rags down" and judging begins.

About 2/3 of the cars present show in this picture.

A little photo shoot by the river. Grandpa, his car, and his only Grandson. Life is sweet!

Cory thinks Grandpa's "blue Corvette" is the coolest thing ever... especially when he gets a ride! (don't freak out anyone, it was just on a private road around a golf course!) When they got back he cried because he didn't want to get out!

Grandpa's and Cory's love each other!

Paper Culture Review

A few weeks ago I got a package in the mail. It had some cute stationary in it and I didn't look at it too closely because, well, I've had a few other things going on in my life lately!


But I need to tell you about this cool stationary from Paper Culture and their awesome commitment to community and the environment. The thing that impresses me the most is that all their cards and envelopes are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

They also donate a portion of all proceeds to community causes although they don't say which ones or how much they donate.

I received a sample of their announcement/invitation set as well as a sample of their personal stationary. I was impressed with the quality and thickness of the paper although I have to say I was a bit surprised that the personal stationary is still just one flat paper rather than a folded notecard. It would be great for a quick note, but not much more.


The selection of choices for birthdays, baby showers, birth announcements (with pictures), moving announcements, etc. is very nice. Everything is very modern and personally I love how all the baby stuff isn't totally cutesy. There is some of that if that's your style, but there are other styles as well. I would totally use this photo baby announcement if I was having a girl! And here's another option:


Currently they only have invitations (for all types of things) and announcements on their website, but they sent me some blank cards (personal stationary) as well as a thank you card. You can order any of the current designs as thank you cards or blank and they will be adding those categories to their website soon.

Finally, Paper Culture has a mail and message program where for only the cost of the card and postage (through January 1, 2010) they will print individualized messages for you, stamp, address, and mail your cards. Once again, if I had a new baby I would totally use this service!

For more than 30 cards they will send you a template and then upload all your addresses for you so you don't have to type them all in by hand (less than 30 cards is a $10 fee).

I really like the options and the service Paper Culture provides. Their prices are reasonable and they're being good stewards of the earth! You should check them out!

Discount: Through September 30th place a $75 or more order and receive $15 off! No code needed.

Book: Call of Zulina

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Call Of Zulina
Abingdon Press (August 2009)
by
Kay Marshall Strom

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Of Kay Marshall Strom’s 34 published books, four have been book club selections, nine have been translated into foreign languages, and one has been optioned for a movie.

Her writing credits also include numerous magazine articles, short stories, two prize-winning screenplays, books and stories for children, and booklets for writers. Her writing has appeared in several volumes, including More Than Conquerors, Amazing Love, The NIV Couple's Devotional Bible and The NIV Women's Devotional Bible, and The Bible for Today's Christian Woman.

Her work also is included in a number of compilations, including various books from the Stories for the Heart series. Her best-known book is Once Blind: The Life of John Newton, which is packaged with the recently released DVD Amazing Grace. She also has written several books with her husband, Dan Kline. Kay is a partner in Kline, Strom International, Inc., leaders in communication training. She currently lives in Eugene, Oregon.

As an activist against modern slavery, Kay Strom takes an indirect approach to calling attention to that issue with her newest fiction title, the first of three planned in the Grace in Africa series, set in West Africa in 1787.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Grace Winslow, the daughter of a mixed marriage between an English sea captain and an African princess, is swept up in a slave revolt after she escapes the family compound to avoid an odious betrothal.

As the truth about the fortress of Zulina unfolds, Grace begins to grasp the brutality and ferocity of the family─the capture and trade of slaves.

Despite being held for ransom, viciously maimed by a runaway slave, and threatened with death, Grace sympathizes with the plight of the captives. She is especially moved by the African Cabeto’s passion, determination, and willingness to sacrifice anything, including his own life, for his people’s freedom. Leaning on the faith of her nanny Mama Muco, Grace risks everything to follow her heart.

***

Sorry, I didn't have time to read this one either. Too many books all came at the same time.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Call Of Zulina, go HERE

Book: Gone to Green

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Gone To Green
Abingdon Press (August 2009)
by
Judy Christie

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Judy Pace Christie, after working as a journalist for twenty-five years, left the daily news business to open a consulting firm that works with individuals, businesses, and churches on strategies for meaningful life and work, including goal-setting, living fully, and balancing personal and professional lives. She is the author of Hurry Less, Worry Less; Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmastime; and co-author of Awesome Altars. Judy and her husband live in northwest Louisiana.




ABOUT THE BOOK

Lois goes from being a corporate journalist at a large paper in the Midwest to the owner of The Green News-Item, a small twice-weekly newspaper in rural North Louisiana. The paper was an unexpected inheritance from a close colleague, and Lois must keep it for at least a year, bringing a host of challenges, lessons, and blessings into her life.

When Lois pulls into Green on New Year’s Day, she expects a charming little town full of smiling people. She quickly realizes her mistake. After settling into a loaned house out on Route 2, she finds herself battling town prejudices and inner doubts and making friends with the most surprising people: troubled teenager Katy, good-looking catfish farmer Chris, wise and feisty Aunt Helen, and a female African-American physician named Kevin.

Whether fighting a greedy, deceitful politician or rescuing a dog she fears, Lois notices the headlines in her life have definitely improved. She learns how to provide small-town news in a big-hearted way and realizes that life is full of newsworthy moments. When she encounters racial prejudice and financial corruption, Lois also discovers more about the goodness of real people and the importance of being part of a community.

While secretly preparing the paper for a sale, Lois begins to realize that God might indeed have a plan for her life and that perhaps the allure of city life and career ambition are not what she wants after all.

***

I liked this book for the fact that Lois thinks she's going to a boring dinky old town and instead finds herself more involved in the community with more friends than she's ever had. She also finds herself more interested in the little things in life and making a difference in people's lives. Definitely an inspirational book, but with plenty of plot to keep you entertained!



If you would like to read the first chapter of Gone To Green, go HERE

Book: The Frontiersman's Daughter

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Frontiersman’s Daughter
Revell (September 1, 2009)
by
Laura Frantz

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I was born and raised in Kentucky and my love of history goes deep - way back to the 18th-century when my family first came into the Bluegrass State. It will always be home to me, even though I now live with my husband, Randy, and my sons, Wyatt and Paul, in the misty woods of northwest Washington. I go back as often as I can to visit family and all the old haunts that I love.

I grew up playing on the original site of Fort Boonesborough and swimming in the Kentucky River and climbing the Pinnacle near Berea and watching the great outdoor dramas of the early settlers. Often my cousins and brother and I would play in my Granny's attic and dress up in the pioneer costumes she made us and pretend to be Daniel Boone, Rebecca, Jemima, or the Shawnee.

As I grew up I began to write stories and they were always historical, filled with the lore I had heard or read about. It's no accident that my first book (which is actually my fifth book - the others were practice!) is about those first Kentucky pioneers.

I feel blessed beyond measure to write books. My prayer is that you are doubly blessed reading them.

Note: Laura Frantz credits her 100-year-old grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz's family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in 1792 and settled in Madison County where her family still resides. Frantz is a former schoolteacher and social worker who currently lives in the misty woods of Washington state with her husband and two sons, whom she homeschools.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Lovely but tough as nails, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father's former captivity with the Shawnee Indians, as well as the secret sins of her family's past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded.

Though she faces the loss of a childhood love, a dangerous family feud, and the affection of a Shawnee warrior, Lael draws strength from the rugged land she calls home, and from Ma Horn, a distant relative who shows her the healing ways of herbs and roots found in the hills.

But the arrival of an outlander doctor threatens her view of the world, God, and herself--and the power of grace and redemption. This epic novel gives readers a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman.

Laura Frantz's debut novel offers a feast for readers of historical fiction and romance lovers alike.

***

Once again I haven't yet read this book, but it looks good! I promise I've read the next one... :)

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Frontiersman’s Daughter, go HERE

Wordless Wednesday: Oregon Garden

I absolutely adore sunflowers and this one was just begging to have it's picture taken! We were at the Oregon Garden in Silverton. Next photo card I think!

Book: Surrender The Wind

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Surrender The Wind
Abingdon Press (August 2009)
by
Rita Gerlach

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rita Gerlach has published three historical novels plus articles in Writers Gazette, Write to Inspire, Will Write 4 Food, and The Christian Communicator.

She also is the editor of Stepping Stones Magazine, an online website focused on writing, marketing, and promotion for writers. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and The Western Maryland Writers Guild.

She currently lives in Frederick, Maryland. You can also visit her at her blog.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Seth Braxton, a patriot of the American Revolution, unexpectedly inherits his loyalist grandfather's estate in England. Seth is torn between the land he fought for and the prospect of reuniting with his sister Caroline, who was a motherless child taken to England at the onset of the war.
With no intention of staying permanently, Seth arrives to find his sister grieving over the death of her young son. In the midst of such tragedy, Seth meets Juleah, the daughter of an eccentric landed gentleman. Her independent spirit and gentle soul steal Seth's heart. After a brief courtship, they marry and she takes her place as the lady of Ten Width Manor, enraging the man who once sought her hand and schemed to make Ten Width his own. From the Virginia wilderness to the dark halls of an isolated English estate, Seth and his beloved Juleah inherit more than an ancestral home. They uncover a sinister plot that leads to murder, abduction, and betrayal--an ominous threat to their new life, love, and faith.

***

This is where I tell you that my intentions of reading many books while on vacation did not pan out! This book looks really good to me... but I have not even cracked the cover. Sadly, it will probably be awhile until I get to it now.

If you would like to read the Prologue of Surrender The Wind, go HERE

I Have Returned!

And hopefully if my new Photoshop arrives in the next few days I will have 2 months worth of pictures to show you soon! (apparently my version of CS is not compatible with Vista... go figure!)

Basically I calculated that since the 10th of July I had slept in my own bed for 12 nights... with one of that being a 6 night stretch and the rest being only 1 or 2 nights home before leaving again!

So, if I can get all my pictures sorted you will see some memories of:

A Corvette show weekend in Leavenworth
4 days in Cali with girlfriends, mainly at Disney
A Mom's Night Out
A few days in Olympia with Brian
A weekend in Portland

And finally a week at the beach at Newport and then 10 days in Oregon with the in-laws.

Not to mention that this weekend we had a family reunion with my mom's side of the family!

Whew. Have I mentioned lately that I'm tired? :)

All this and more coming to a blog near you... hopefully this week!

Book: Kathryn's Fountain

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Kathryn's Fountain
Cladach Publishing (November 8, 2008)
by
David Claassen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I'm a follower of Jesus Christ and seek to live my life to please Him and for His glory. I'm walking this journey with my life's partner, Diann. We've been married since 1972 and have two grown children. Our daughter Julie serves as a missionary with her husband Victor in Mexico in a ministry they founded called Fishers of Men. Check their ministry out at www.fishersofmenmexico.org. Our son Dan is married to Teri and he's a detective in a police department in a suburb of Indianapolis.

I have pastored the Mayfair-Plymouth Congregational Church of Toledo, Ohio since 1975, having just celebrated 33 years at the church. You can check out the church at http://www.mayfairplymouth.org/. You can also visit me at my blog, where I add material about every other day or so.

I enjoy photography, that's why I'm treating you with a different photo of mine each week on the web site. Over three hundred of my photos are for sale at www.istockphoto.com.

I'm also a ventriloquist, of sorts, and treat the children of my church with a "visit with Ricky" every third Sunday of the month in the morning worship services.

Raising white homing pigeons is another of my hobbies. I enjoy watching them soar overhead.

That's just a little bit about me. Thanks for visiting. God bless you!


ABOUT THE BOOK

Kathryn is resigned to living out her last days at Victorian Manor, a beautiful old home for senior citizens. Then one day a miraculous experience happens to Kathryn at the garden fountain, and she begins living an adventure beyond her wildest dreams. Love and sacrifice take on new meaning as she involves a social worker and a police detective in carrying out what she believes to be her calling -- to rescue a street child named Jasmine.

Kathryn's Fountain celebrates the gifts that the generations can bring to each other. The conclusion is a resounding affirmation that it's never too late to make a difference.

***

Kathryn's Fountain was a pretty fast read and it's not a long book, but it definitely is one of those books that stays with you. At first it requires a bit of suspension of belief, but by then end of the book I was having a hard time wondering if it wasn't actually true or not! The mark of a good story teller!

Kathryn is an old woman and the story is told from her perspective. It made an interesting read for me also to consider life from the end of life time. Our society doesn't focus on family as much anymore and it made me realize how fragmented we can be, only hanging out with people our own age. I really liked this book!

If you would like to read an excerpt from Kathryn's Fountain, go HERE

Wordless Wednesday: Family Gathering

would not be complete without singing!

Wordless Wednesday: Free Willy

Last week we spent the whole week at the beach in Newport. This whale was outside a strip of souvenir shops and Brian wanted to imitate "Free Willy". Then Cory decided to copy him and this is what I got... :)

Wordless Wednesday: Hotel Lunch

A hotel room with no table... makes for an interesting way to feed a 2 year old lunch! He did fabulous though!

This was about 2 weeks ago when we went to visit Brian while he was working in Olympia.

Book: Any Minute

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Any Minute
FaithWords (June 30, 2009)
by
Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, she has written more than seventy inspirational books, including The Confident Woman, I Dare You, the entire Battlefield of the Mind family of books, her first venture into fiction with The Penny, and many others. She has also released thousands of audio teachings as well as a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life® radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences. Joyce and her husband, Dave, are the parents of four grown children and make their home in St. Louis, Missouri.


Deborah Bedford is a career fiction writer who began her professional life as a journalist in a Colorado mountain town.

A Rose By The Door, Deborah's first with Warner Book (name changed to FaithWords in 2006), hit bookstores in November 2001. A Morning Like This was released by Warner Books in 2002. Deborah's short story, “Connor Sapp's Baseball Summer,” is included in Multnomah Publisher's The Storytellers' Collection, Tales From Home, alongside stories by Chuck Colson, Terri Blackstock, Randy Alcorn and Karen Kingsbury.

Deborah and Jack have two children, Jeff and Avery. When she isn't writing, Deborah spends her time fly-fishing, cheering at American Legion baseball games, shopping with her daughter, singing praise songs while she walks along the banks of Flat Creek, and taking her dachshund Annie for hikes in the Tetons where they live.


ABOUT THE BOOK


Sarah Harper is driven to achieve success no matter what the cost. She wants to do good and not hurt the people she loves--especially her children and her husband, Joe--but her desire to succeed in her career too often leaves little time for family.

One cold, autumn morning, all of that changes when Sarah's car plunges off a bridge and into a river. She is presumed dead by those on the "outside," but Sarah's spirit is still very much alive. What she discovers on the other side transforms everything about Sarah's view of life--past, present, and future.

When Sarah is revived, she is a changed woman. And the unsuspecting world around her will never be the same again.

***

This is one of those books where the cover description is a bit misleading. Somehow I was expecting the book to start on the day Sarah goes off the bridge, but that doesn't happen until more than halfway through the book. In the meantime you really get a chance to see that she is somewhat conflicted about the choices she's making. She just can't seem to make the right ones to keep everyone happy, herself included.

I really liked this book, it was well written and has a good message for today. We really don't know how much time we have and how are we treating the people in our lives. It's not one I would read again (not to say I wouldn't have read it) because it was just a bit too intense for me, always waiting for the bad thing to happen.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Any Minute, go here!

Book: Blue Like Play Dough

About the book: In the everyday stretch and squeeze of motherhood, Tricia Goyer often feels smooshed by the demands of life. In Blue Like Play Dough, she shares her unlikely journey from rebellious, pregnant teen to busy wife and mom with big dreams of her own. As her story unfolds, Tricia realizes that God has more in store for her than she has ever imagined possible.

Sure, life is messy and beset by doubts. But God keeps showing up in the most unlikely places–in a bowl of carrot soup, the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon, a woe-is me teen drama, or play dough in the hands of a child.

In Tricia’s transparent account, you’ll find understanding, laughter, and strength for your own story. And in the daily push and pull, you’ll learn to recognize the loving hands of God at work in your life… and know He has something beautiful in mind
Read an excerpt

About the author: Using her own experiences as a teen mother, and leader of today’s generation, Tricia’s vision is to be a voice of hope and possibility for teenage girls, pregnant teen girls, mothers and wives through her educational and inspirational speaking, workshops and books. Her intention is to serve ordinary women by encouraging extraordinary things with God’s help. Tricia expresses real life, real hope, for real women.

Tricia is the author of 20+ books and has published over 300 articles for national publications such as Guideposts for Kids, Focus on the Family, Christian Parenting Today, Today’s Christian Woman and HomeLife Magazine. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from American Christian Fiction Writers, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion Book Award in 2005.

In her fiction novels, Tricia writes contemporary and historical stories that feature strong women overcoming great challenges. She recreates historic wartime eras with precise detail through persevering and comprehensive research.

Tricia also speaks and conducts workshops for teens around the nation, and offers programs to assist teens and teen moms through Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, which she founded. Tricia is a frequent workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Convention.

***

This is one of those books that you can't just sit down and read in one sitting. There are so many thought provoking ideas that you have to take a break between chapters. Although it does also read like a story so it's not dry at all.

I'm about halfway through and I think this will be one of the books that I keep in my personal collection. It's fabulous for moms and I would be you'd get something out of it even if you aren't a mom!

***

Author website: http://www.triciagoyer.com

Link to purchase the book: http://triciagoyer.com/store

Wordless Wednesday: Cutest Boy Ever

This picture is from a couple weeks ago, but with our computer issues I didn't even put any pictures on it lately. Now I have a months worth of pictures to go through... wish me luck... on a computer that they couldn't find anything wrong with that is still crashing on me. Joy.

Book: Things Left Unspoken

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Things Left Unspoken
Revell (June 1, 2009)
by
Eva Marie Everson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eva Marie Everson taught Old Testament theology for six years at Life Training Center in Longwood, Florida and has written numerous articles for Crosswalk.com (including the acclaimed Falling Into The Bible series), and has had articles featured in numerous publications, including Christianity Today, Evangel, Christian Bride, Christian Retailing, The Godly BusinessWoman and Marriage Partnership magazines. Eva Marie has been interviewed by radio, television, newspaper, and Internet media outlets. In 2002Eva Marie was one of six Christian journalists sent to Israel for a special ten-day press tour.

Eva Marie’s work includes the award-winning titles Reflections of God's Holy Land; A Personal Journey Through Israel, Shadow of Dreams, Sex, Lies and the Media, and The Potluck Club series.

She is married, has four children and five grandchildren, and lives in Central Florida.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Every family--and every house--has its secrets. Jo-Lynn Hunter is at a crossroads in life when her great-aunt Stella insists that she return home to restore the old family manse in sleepy Cottonwood, Georgia. Jo-Lynn longs to get her teeth into a noteworthy and satisfying project. And it's the perfect excuse for some therapeutic time away from her self-absorbed husband and his snobby Atlanta friends.

Beneath the dust and the peeling wallpaper, things are not what they seem, and what Jo-Lynn doesn't know about her family holds just as many surprises. Was her great-grandfather the pillar of the community she thought he was? What is Aunt Stella hiding? And will her own marriage survive the renovation? Jo-Lynn isn't sure she wants to know the truth--but sometimes the truth has a way of making itself known.

***

This book was an interesting picture for me, having only visited the South once. Twice with working after Katrina, but that wasn't really the South, that was more of a disaster zone. Everything is so "old" there, coming from the Pacific Northwest where Seattle isn't even as old as some of the houses down there!

The story itself was slightly suspenseful although it's told with some flashbacks so you know some of the things that the main character will discover before she does. At least I was able to figure them out with all the foreshadowing, both in the main story and in the flashbacks.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, but at times I did find myself skipping over some of the details to speed up.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Things Left Unspoken, go HERE

Technology and other things

We got this fancy new computer a couple months ago. It was supposed to help me with my picture editing, allow me the freedom to get things done in a timely manner. (instead of taking an hour to edit one picture because my old laptop was so slow)

For whatever reason on Thursday our new computer decided it didn't like us anymore. It randomly crashed and has repeatedly crashed since then. We can't figure out why. We were doing the same things we'd been doing since we got it.

Brian has been working on it since then and as far as we can tell he's no closer to figuring out what's going on. To our knowledge we have no viruses or spy-ware. All scans show up clean and the memory and disk checks find nothing. He even re-installed Vista (don't laugh, we know that must have something to do with it - stupid unstable OS) and still it crashes.

It seems to somehow be tied to our internet usage as Firefox has stopped working all together and it only crashes when we are online. But we don't know what's making it crash.

If nothing resolves itself soon Brian will get to take it with him to the computer shop in Seattle where we bought it when he goes off to his summer job next week.

Needless to say, I probably won't be online much this week or next. I'm lucky that the internet works in safe mode... and of course I could break out my old laptop if I wanted to wait half an hour for it to boot up and load the internet...

Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Happy 4th of July... and I won't even go into have crazy convoluted and un-church-like our church felt this morning...

Book: Love and Other Natural Disasters

This week I read another book from Hachette Book Group. I would say it was about as completely opposite from the last one as humanly possible. The book is titled Love and Other Natural Disasters although there really weren't any natural disasters to speak of... only man-made ones.

Here's the book description:

Is it better to unknowingly live a happy lie than to have your world shattered by a painful truth?

Eve is eight months pregnant and in the middle of a Thanksgiving celebration when she discovers that her husband Jonathan has developed an intimate relationship with a woman over the past year. Jonathon asserts his innocence (an affair involves physical intimacy, and he didn't have any), while Eve feels deeply betrayed by the emotional connection he shared with someone else. What Jon has done seems so terrifyingly out of character that Eve finds herself questioning her entire reality. Did she ever really know Jon at all? Was their happiness together a lie? Is emotional intimacy more forgivable than sexual intimacy? And can their marriage survive?

***

I did read through this book with a feeling of dread that I wouldn't like how it ended. I won't spoil it, but I will say that at least it has a hopeful ending (that was actually one of the book group questions... did you think that it had a hopeful ending?).

It was definitely an interesting look into how two people can so easily become complacent in a marriage. The ways that Eve and Jonathan use to figure themselves out I'm not sure I agree with though. In the interest of disclosure, this is NOT a Christian book so it's the views on life in general I didn't always agree with as well as one scene in the book that, while it helped the story, was rather more graphic than I needed.

Brian has been eyeing this one over my shoulder and since he really loves to analyze things I'll see if he'll read it and maybe give you his reactions later...