When All My Dreams Come True by Janelle Mowery

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing When All My Dreams Come True Harvest House Publishers (February 1, 2011) by Janelle Mowery

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Beginning in 1998, Janelle Mowery coordinated and wrote for the Children’s Ministry of a Christian website called The Invisible Connection. When the holder of that site discontinued the ministry and website in the year 2000, she began writing inspirational fiction romance novels.

Janelle became a member of American Christian Fiction Writers in the year 2002 and is an active member and leader in one of their critique groups, which has provided many opportunities for growth and development. In 2003, she entered her first novel in the Noble Theme contest and was named one of the top ten finalists in the historical category. In 2004, she had a short story titled ‘A Fair Chance’ published in the e-magazine, Romancing the Christian Heart. In 2005, her third novel, entered in the San Gabriel Writers’ League ‘Writing Smarter’ Contest, won first place. Also, Janelle’s fifth novel made it to the top ten finalists in the Noble Theme contest.

In 2006, she signed her first contract with Barbour Publishing in their Heartsong Presents Mysteries line. The novel, Where the Truth Lies, which she co-authored with Elizabeth Ludwig, released in spring of 2008. The second and third mysteries of the series, Died in the Wool and A Black Die Affair, is set for release in 2011.

Janelle has signed with Harvest House for a historical series set in Colorado. Release of the first book is set for early 2011. She has also signed with Summerside Press. Her novel, Love Finds You in Silver City, Idaho, released in October 2010.

Janelle has been married twenty-one years and is the mother of two sons. She is a member of Sandy Point Bible Church and serves as Treasurer. She also assists in the church’s teen program.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bobbie McIntyre dreams of running a ranch of her own. Raised without a mother and having spent most of her time around men, she knows more about wrangling than acting like a lady. The friendship of her new employer awakens a desire to learn more about presenting her feminine side, but ranch life keeps getting in the way.

Ranch owner Jace Kincaid figures the Lord is testing his faith when a female wrangler shows up looking for work. Bobbie has an uncanny way of getting under his skin, though, and he’s surprised when she finds a home next to his heart. But when his cattle begin to go missing and his wranglers are in danger from some low-down cattle thief, can Jace trust God, even if it may mean giving up on his dreams?

An adventurous novel of faith, hope, and love in the Wild West.

If you would like to read the first chapter of When All My Dreams Come True, go HERE.

Some assembly required...

WOOHOO!  
I'm doing the happy dance today.

  

With our tax refund I was able to get some new kitchen chairs to go with an oak table that our friends gave us.  Hubby has been resanding table and adding new varnish.  It is ready to hit the Kitchen floor.  Picked up the chairs today.  Though we didn't get them through the CSN stores they are the same exact ones that I've had my eye on at the CSN Stores...

The furniture store we ordered them through called on Thursday and said they could be picked up last night (Friday).  However, hubby worked so he picked them up this morning....

2 chairs one box....hummmm some assembly required obviously.  Not quite how I was expecting them to come, but ok we can handle this.... Well, hubby can at least.  hehehehe

Looks like he got it together.  Now we have to get the new oak table up.  I'll post pictures later next week of the new look.  I'm so excited.  The chairs are so neat and look ever so nice and even very comfortable.  You can order them from CSN stores and even get different fabric patterns.  We could have ordered any fabric but it would have cost extra through the furniture store, if we ordered what they carried we got a discount. 

Where were you when the lights went out???

Every home needs lighting of some kind...

outdoor lights

As well, as

Indoor lights

  Well look no further than the Pendant Lighting at the CSN stores online.  

They have such a wide variety of lights to choose from, To meet any need or room in the house or outside.  Your options are very great.  Check them out today.  Be watching for my product review from the CSN stores.

**Disclaimer I was not paid for this post. I was given a $70 gift code to use at CSNstores in exchange for this post plus a product review post of the item of my choice.**

Ways to Ruin your Child...

Check out this article by author and speaker, Tricia Goyer

How to Ruin Your Kid For Life, A Top Ten List

There are all types of lists for parents. If you want a list to ruin your kids forever, here's a list for you.

1. Give your kid everything he wants. Don't deny what will truly make him happy. Overvalue money and things in his eyes

2. Dress your child in designer clothes, no matter the cost. Show her that her outward appearance matters most of all... (read rest of the article here)

homemade coupon organizer

Crafting week was moved to this week and Jami has a nice little item she's sharing...
check it out here...
Just a little sneak peak.....

Operation Bonnet by Kimberly Stuart

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Operation Bonnet David C. Cook; New edition (February 1, 2011) by Kimberly Stuart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kimberly says:

I am a writer of comedic fiction, and would like to suggest that you laugh regularly when reading my books. Let’s also try for one to two teary moments. If you are crying more than that, you don’t understand my sense of humor and should move on to another author.

I grew up in a book-loving home. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. My mom loves books. My dad loves to read the first chapters of books and then make us all listen as he recites his favorite passages. I, however, enjoy reading books in their entirety and came into writing as a result of book-love. After earning two fancy degrees in education and Spanish, I promptly let the thinking part of my brain take a breather and instead became pregnant. (I’m sure a lot of other things happened between early literacy and pregnancy but I don’t really remember any of that. If you also have shared your uterus with another human, you understand.)

In an effort to author a book that would entertain my sassy, irreverent, breast-feeding/drooping friends, I wrote my first novel, Balancing Act. People were so nice to me after that, I decided to continue with writing. Also, I can’t craft, knit, or scrapbook, so what else was a nice, Christian girl to do?

In addition to writing books to make my friends laugh and cry, I observe the chaos at the home I share with my unfailingly supportive husband and three offspring. We’re doing our best and so far, no one’s been to prison.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Twenty-year-old Nellie Monroe has a restless brilliance that makes her a bit of an odd duck. She wants to be a private investigator, even though her tiny hometown offers no hope of clients. Until she meets Amos Shetler, an Amish dropout carrying a torch for the girl he left behind.

So Nellie straps on her bonnet and goes undercover to get the dish. But though she’s brainy, Nellie is clueless when it comes to real life and real relationships. Soon she’s alienated her best friend, angered her college professor, and botched her case.

Operation Bonnet is a comedy of errors, a surprising take on love, and a story of grace.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Operation Bonnet, go HERE.

Watch the book video trailer:

Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Save The Date Thomas Nelson (February 1, 2011) by Jenny B. Jones

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I write Christian fiction with a few giggles, quite a bit of sass, and lots of crazy. My novels include the Katie Parker Production series and So Not Happening. I would also like to take credit for Twilight , but somewhere I think I read you’re not supposed to lie.

When I’m not typing my heart out (or checking email), I teach at a super-sized high school in Arkansas.

My students are constantly telling me how my teaching changes their lives and turned them away from drugs, gangs, and C-SPAN.

Okay, that’s not exactly true.

Some facts that are true include:

I've always been refined!

A. I got my camera confiscated by big boys with guns at the American Embassy in Europe this past summer. O la la!

B. I once worked in a seed mill office and cleaned out mice on a regular basis. Ew.

C. I’m a former drama teacher.

D. I didn’t pass my drivers test the first time. Or the second…

E. I attract stray animals like a magnet.

F. I used to assemble and test paint ball guns for a local factory...

Since my current job leaves me with very little free time, I believe in spending my spare hours in meaningful, intellectual pursuits such as:

-watching E!

-updating my status on Facebook

-catching Will Ferrell on YouTube and

-writing my name in the dust on my furniture

I’d love to hear about you, so drop me a note. Or check me out on Facebook.

ABOUT THE BOOK

You’re invited to the engagement of the most unlikely couple of the year.

When the funding for Lucy’s non-profit job is pulled, she is determined to find out why. Enter Alex Sinclair, former professional football star and heir of Sinclair Enterprises—the primary donor to Lucy’s Saving Grace organization. Alex Sinclair has it all . . . except for the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Both Lucy and Alex have something the other wants. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancée in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn’t quite what he seems, Lucy finds her heart – and her future – on the line.

Save the Date is a spunky romance that will have readers laughing out loud as this dubious pair try to save their careers, their dreams . . . and maybe even a date.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Save The Date, go HERE

FNS-Flop

Well, the intents were good, but very little was accomplished in my February sew-in.  Heidi and Bobbie host a monthly sew-in.  I tried and did get some sewing in but just not what was planned.  Best laid plans went hay-wire to say the least.  First off, I lost my sewing partner.  My dd was called in to work so she wasn't able to sew.  So I set down and started to sew on my cross-stitch project around 4 pm...
I got out all the supplies....

and started getting things ready to dig in...  cutting my material, finding the center and finding the center of pattern....

cool.  How hard can it be. really.  I hadn't done a counted cross-stitch in awhile I was really clipping along...

but as I was stitching I'm picturing this little project that my mom has given to me in my head.  Yep, it is kind of a made up thing.  I found a patter to go with the saying she wanted.  Previously, I laid out the saying on graph paper and got it all counted out.  Bingo ready to go.....um, excuse me.... Now, I'm getting a funny filling....  Yep, you guessed it.  I cut the material the wrong size.   So guess what.  I had to cut a new piece of material and start again....  ARGH!  By this time I'd spent 2 hours on the project. And daughters call and say, "Mom we're off work bring a movie and pizza do you have chips?  So much for sewing....
I did do some stitching while watching the movie after getting the material situation all figured out.  Well, I hope I figured it out.  So here is what I got accomplished....

Here is the pattern ...

after I got started on the correct path I hope.  I told my daughter, "I should have done this on a light blue material..  She said, "Does that mean you are starting over again?"  I said, "Nope".  We'll just have a white sky or I'll cross-stitch the sky blue.  I'm not starting over baby.... Yep, I'm a little rusty.  I haven't cross-stitched in about 6 months.  Hopefully next session will be a little more productive.  How was your FNSi?

Before you go thought I'd share a giveaway I found.  You'll have to head over to Vignette in Stitches' Blog to enter. 

How about this giveaway.  I found another sewing related giveaway.  Check it out at Feathers in the Nest blog

Valentine greeting 4 U

Stupid in Love by Julie Lessman

Today being it is Valentine's day I wanted to share an excerpt of one of my all time favorite author's, Julie Lessman.  I just love this author.  She posted it this article over at Seekerville last week.  You'll have to go over there if you want the full article.  I'll just whet your whistle.... (click here for the full article from start to finish).

...after hours of putting my husband through the paces, I was more than a little curious as to just why he puts up with a CDQ like me (caffeinated drama queen), so I hugged him in the kitchen, eyes misty with love. “I don’t deserve you, babe,” I say for the millionth time. “I know,” he says with a quirk of a smile and a tease in his tone. “And I don’t deserve you either.” I laugh and caress his stubbled chin with my thumb. “Why do you do it?” I ask, suddenly serious, not sure if he was a glutton for punishment, short on brain cells or both. “I don’t know,” he says, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. “I guess I’m just stupid in love.”

And there you have it—“stupid in love.” The very thing every woman craves for herself and one of the biggest reasons that romance sells like it does. Women want to be cherished. To be made to feel they are beautiful, sexy, the most important person in the world to the man that they love. A man strong enough to be worthy of them, but gentle enough to make them feel cherished. In short, a man so “stupid in love” that he’s willing to relent, to give of himself for the woman he loves. Few things are more irresistible to women than that, and few things are more irresistible to romance readers than a hero who’s “stupid in love.”....

 ...When a man is “stupid in love,” he is so gaga over a woman that he will do anything for her, even if it’s out of character or against his will (like Rhett marrying Scarlett). If you think about it, it’s a kind of a good “control” that women exercise over men, being so loved by a man that he will sacrifice for her, defend her, do things he doesn’t want to do or even stop doing things he does want to do, solely for her sake....

So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, instead of a lesson plan on writing, I thought it would be fun to show some of the ways I like to depict heroes who are “stupid in love” without sacrificing their strength or masculinity....(read full article here)

Julie goes on to share 9 different stupid in love scenes from her book....(click here for the full article...)

I know I'm bad but Julie is good and if you haven't read any of her books you'll love them if you love romance.  She is a romantic writer.  I just love her books. 

that time again

This coming Friday night is the monthly sew-in.  Heidi @ Handmade by Heidi and Bobbie @ Crafty Vegas Mom host this sew-in.  It is so much fun.  My daughter and I always look forward to participating.  We are going to continue working on our "I Spy" Flannel quilt that we are making.  I can't wait to get started sewing.  This month the sign up is at Bobbie's.  get details and sign up here.

Beans B Ground....

Ok.  I've been meaning to post this for some time and just haven't done it.  Way back last year can't remember which month, but I won a bag of Eight O'clock whole Coffee beans (and I don't remember whose site I won it on).  So I had these whole beans and NO coffee mill.  It took me several months to decide what I wanted to do with these whole beans.  Then an inspiration came to me... I had tucked in the back of the pantry an old food grinder that I used to puree food when my now teen girls were babies.  So I dug it out and low and behold here is what happened...

like magic

the beans be grounds

Presto, my whole beans turned into grounds and my hubby and I loved the hazelnut coffee... It was just sssssoooo yummy!  This week I came to the bottom of the barrel and had to go back to regular flavor coffee.  Now that I know I can grind whole beans I may have to try some other flavors.  I saw a chocolate caramel brownie flavor bean... it sounds oh so yummy!  All those years of pack ratting and my food grinder came in handy again.  I tried to find the grinder on-line but just couldn't bring it up.  It is at least 20 years old if not older because someone gave it to my when my girls were babies, so probably don't even make them any more..... I think I may have to keep this grinder around for another rainy (or snowy) day, which ever be the case.   Just had to post my little episode. 

WWW ~ Feb. 09, 2011

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

 see my book site for other books I'm currently reading.  
Click here to go to 4 the LOVE of BOOKS

 
Recently Finished:

Read my review and see this book tour here.

see my book site for other books I've recently finished reading.
Click here to go to 4 the LOVE of BOOKS

Next Read: