Now I Know Why God Didn't Give Me A Son ;)

This last Saturday was our granddaughter, Savannah's birthday. After the party we took her two brothers, Chance 7 1/2 and James 8 1/2 to spend the night. We go to church on Saturday night, so we grabbed something to eat on the way where there was a play place before hand allowing them to work off some energy.
We had not taken children to our church before so we didn't know where they went, etc. The procedure: the kids sit in with the adults during worship time and then go to their classes. Okay, I thought. They'll be fine.
Both James and Chance followed their Grampa out to the coffee bar to get water, while he got coffee. Chance's nose was running, he was sneezing something awful, so I gave him a Kleenex, he blows his nose then opens it to look. I giggle. Mind you we are sitting around couples from our small group. Kristi in front of me says, "Boys." I look at her and smile.
During the singing Chance is wiggling all around, picking his nose. I think I am going to loose it.
James has drank all of his water and is sitting in the chair and is now crumpling his Styrofoam cup. Chance keeps asking me to show him the scripture that they read at the beginning. I show him and he looks at it.
Mark had told them SHHHHHH numerous times.
We have greeted each other and the boys are taken to Cave Kids.
When Mark returns he scoots over to me and says "Not the pristine little girls you're use to huh?" I was rolling with laughter!

Sunday morning the boys fought over who was going to sit on my exercise ball. I thought it was going to come to blows. After we went out to our usual place for a late breakfast, we came home their mom was suppose to be picking them up soon. They each took turns playing a game on my kindle sitting next to me. They fought over that too.

These two are really sweet little boys, they are loving and want to be loved.
I desperately wanted a son when I was raising kids. I wanted a rough and tumble boy so I could cheer him on the football field. I got a glimpse of having a son this weekend and I know why God didn't give me a son. He knew that I was made for raising little girls. I think someone might not have survived if I had a son. Probably me! I would've had them constantly washing their hands, faces, dressed all nice and neat, with their hair combed just right. I can see it now, they would have me in a wrestling hold saying "Mom, cut it out already!"

Strands of Deception

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Strands of Deception B&H Books (March 1, 2013) by Robin Caroll

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin’s mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage—two aspects Robin weaves into each of her books.

When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty-plus years, her 3 beautiful daughters, 2 precious grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else?

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Gina Ford, the daughter of a prominent Tennessee politician, goes missing from the University of Memphis a week after another girl was murdered on the same campus, police call in the FBI. Nick Hagar, married to his job as Special Agent in Charge, is assigned to the case, and when Gina’s body is found, her father demands justice.

Maddie Baxter is the forensic expert running DNA tests from the crime scene. When they come back without a match, Nick asks her to do a familial DNA run that yields a shocking result: the prime suspect is Adam Alexander, the very same guy who broke Maddie’s heart when she was in college.

But do scientific advancements tell the whole story? Strand of Deception offers romance, suspense, and a lively debate about the impact of DNA testing, for better or worse, on the United States justice system.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Strands of Deception, go HERE.

Beautiful Battlefields | iPad Mini Giveaway and {3/12} Live Webcast with Bo Stern

About Beautiful Battlefields: 

 

Where is God in the midst of this? 

You've probably heard that question or perhaps asked it yourself. In the battle for your joy, your marriage, your finances, your health, an emptiness creeps in. Where is the peace You promised, God?

Bo Stern has been there-and is still there. Yet in studying the battles in Scripture, she came to a startling conclusion: God is using these fierce fights in our lives for an astonishing purpose. 

 

Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/hGUuS  

Meet Bo:  

  

Bo Stern knows the most beautiful things can come out of the hardest times. Her Goliath came in the form of her husband's terminal illness, a battle they are still fighting with the help of their four children, a veritable army of friends, and our extraordinary God. Bo is a teaching pastor at Westside Church in Bend, Oregon. 

 

Find out more about Bo at http://www.bostern.com/.

 

To follow the other bloggers on this tour go here:  http://litfusegroup.com/author/BStern

 

Bo Stern is celebrating the release of her Beautiful Battlefields with an iPad Giveaway and a Live Webcast event on March 12th!

 

One "beautiful" winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini


• Beautiful Battlefields by Bo Stern 
  

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 12th. Winner will be announced at the "Beautiful Battlefields" Live Webcast Event on March 12th. Connect with Bo Stern for an evening of sharing and perspective-changing encouragement for life’s battles. Bo will also be taking questions form the audience and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of Beautiful Battlefields and join Bo on evening of March 12th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the books - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 12th!

My Thoughts: Bo writes a book that is real, reading this is like sitting across the table from her having a cup of coffee and listening to her tell her testimony. She shares about her husband Steve, and how his disease of ALS is used to bring healing to others. So often we think that our struggles are ours alone, Bo shows us otherwise.
A truly inspiring book!
 

Preview: The Icecutter's Daughter

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Icecutter’s Daughter Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2013) by Tracie Peterson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.
She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.

In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.

She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.

Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.

Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max. She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books.


ABOUT THE BOOK

As the lone female in a houseful of men, Merrill Krause dedicates her life to caring for her family and their business, as her dying mother asked. Besides, it suits her; she's never felt like she fits what most people expect in a girl--she'd rather work with her father's horses and assist with the ice harvest. And though she's been mostly content up to this point, a part of her wonders if there will ever be anyone who will notice her amid the bevy of brothers determined to protect her from any possible suitors.

When Rurik Jorgenson arrives in their small Minnesota town to join his uncle's carpentry business, he soon crosses paths with Merrill. But unlike other men, who are often frightened away by her older brothers, Rurik isn't intimidated by them or by Merrill's strength and lack of femininity. The attraction between them begins to build...until Rurik's former fiance shows up with wild claims that bring serious consequences to Rurik.



Can Rurik and Merrill learn to trust God--and each other--when scandal threatens their newfound love?

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

Moonlight Masquerade - Reviewed

Book Blurb:

Sometimes it is hard to tell if you are the cat or the mouse.
Lady Céline Wexham seems the model British subject. French by birth but enjoying life in 1813 as a widowed English countess, she is in the unique position of being able to help those in need-or to spy for the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte.
When Rees Phillips of the British Foreign Office is sent to pose as the countess’s butler and discover where her true loyalties lie, he is confident he will uncover the truth. But the longer he is in her fashionable townhouse in London’s West End, the more his staunch loyalty to the Crown begins to waver as he falls under Lady Wexham’s spell.
Will he find the proof he needs? And if she is a spy after all, what then will he do?

Ruth Axtell

Ruth Axtell is the author of thirteen novels, including Wild Rose, one of Booklist's Top Ten in Christian Fiction. Currently a resident of Downeast Maine, Axtell has lived in the Canary Islands, Miami, and the Netherlands.

Continue reading about Ruth Axtell 

My Thoughts:

Rees is a butler, or rather a British Officer sent to find out if Lady Celine is a spy or not. He finds himself stowed away in her wardrobe after trying to search her bed chambers. Trying to keep his real identity under wraps is quite challenging, and act like a butler.

I really enjoyed the espionage and regency of this book. It fit perfectly with the time of Napoleon.

This was the first book I have read by Ruth and it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

**Available March 2013 from Revell, a division of Baker Publishers**

 

Still on Milk not yet able to eat Solid Food

These verses came to mind as I was thinking about who we choose to hang around.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.
I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? NASB

When I think about these verses I am reminded about a group that I am very thankful for and yet am so glad I am no longer apart of any longer. They were very helpful when I was going through my divorce, full of encouragement, and love. Yet now as I look at them from the outside looking in, I see that they are like infants not willing to grow and move on, and it breaks my heart. I ache for them.

I said that to say this, I want to be in a company of friends where there is growth and accountability. That is important to me. If we aren't growing we are stagnant and of no use.

How about you? Do you think these verses could apply to our friendships? I want to hear from you.

Firefly Island by Lisa Wingate Win an Ipad Mini & Facebook Party 3/19

About Firefly Island: 

 

Sometimes love takes you on an adventure completely off the map.

Mallory Hale's life quickly veers off course when she falls hopelessly in love. After a whirlwind romance, Mallory finds herself leaving the bustle and action of Capitol Hill for the remote town of Moses Lake, Texas-with husband, stepson, and a U-Haul in tow.

A sweet, mishap-filled journey into marriage, motherhood, and ranch living ensues, and Mallory is filled with both the wonderment of love and the insecurities of change. But what she can't shake is the unease she feels around her husband's new boss, Jack West. Jack's presence-and his mysterious past-set her on edge, and when hints of a scandal emerge, Mallory finds herself seeking answers . . . and comes to realize that the middle-of-nowhere home she wasn't sure she wanted is the very place she'll risk everything to save. 

Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/hVNrv       

Meet Lisa:  

  

Lisa Wingate is a popular inspirational speaker, magazine columnist, and national bestselling author of several books, including Tending Roses, Talk of the Town, Blue Moon Bay, and Larkspur Cove, which won the 2011 Carol Award for Women's Fiction. Lisa and her family live in central Texas. 

 

Visit www.lisawingate.com 

 

You can follow the other bloggers on this tour here:

Landing page: 

 

http://litfusegroup.com/author/lwingate 

Lisa Wingate is celebrating the release of Firefly Island with an iPad Mini giveaway and a fun Facebook Author Chat Party (March 19th).

One fortunate winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini


• The Moses Lake series (Firefly Island, Blue Moon Bay and Larkspur Cove)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 18th. Winner will be announced at the "Firefly Island Author Chat Party on March 19th. Connect with Lisa, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at the trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be many fun giveaways -- gift certificates, books, and more!

So grab your copy of Firefly Island and join Lisa on the evening of the March 19th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 19th!

 

My Thoughts: After a whirlwind romance Mallory decides to leave Capital Hill's hustle and bustle for Texas. She quickly marries Daniel and they pack up and leave. There is a huge mystery surrounding Daniel's boss Jack West, and when they arrive at his 300 plus acre ranch, there is no one to greet them, and the bunk house that is there for them to live in is a mess. For Daniel's sake Mallory tries to make the best of it, yet there is definitely something wrong and she knows it. Daniel refuses to do anything about it. Their little boy Nick and Jack's dog Pecos are quick friends and roam the ranch together. 

Mallory becomes Terminix R Us killing every rodent known to man kind, that has taken up residence in their bunk house. 

Lisa has written a book that has great suspense and romance, with humor. You will enjoy Mallory's journey as she tries to find her niche in Texas.