Thursday, September 29, 2011

table runner swap opportunity.


I just found out about this swap today.  I'm still debating if I want to join in.  I think it will be fun but only have one day left to decide.  ARGH!  and then about 10 days to get material find a pattern and get the table runner made.  I wish I had known about this swap a little sooner in the game.  However, I'm posting to see if anyone else might be interested this late in the game to do the swap.  Deadline for signing up is Sept. 30 which is tomorrow; with swap in mail by or before Oct. 20th.  hum!  would be fun to have a new fall table runner.  check out the details at the Apronista

I have tried through the years to do swaps and never received in return so that is in back of my mind also.  I know the Christian thing is not to think that, but to join in a swap not expecting anything in return is a bit disappointing humanly speaking.  I chalked them up as my Christian duty and hope and pray that those that got my box received a blessing. 


bc line bar with bear

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Dangerous Mercy by Kathy Herman




This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Dangerous Mercy
David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)
by
Kathy Herman


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.

She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.

Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she's added sixteen more titles to her credit, including four bestsellers: All Things Hidden, The Real Enemy, The Last Word, and The Right Call.

Kathy's husband Paul is her manager and most ardent supporter, and the former manager of the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five almost-perfect grandchildren, a cat named Samantha. They enjoy cruising, deep sea fishing, and birdwatching—sometimes incorporating these hobbies into one big adventure.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. —Matthew 5:7

When eighty-five-year-old Adele Woodmore moves to Les Barbes to be near the Broussards—and her namesake, their daughter—she wants nothing more than a comfortable, quiet life. Employing men from Father Vince’s halfway house for the homeless to do odd jobs and landscaping, she delights in the casual conversation she has with them, the fledgling friendships, and the idea that she is helping them get back on their feet.

A series of murders in Les Barbes has cast a pall over the town and, in fact, one of Adele’s handymen becomes a person of interest to the police. But Adele cares for these young men, she knows them, and continues to show them kindness in spite of her friends’ concern. And then one day a murderer walks through Adele’s defenses, sits down at her kitchen table...and they begin to talk...

If you would like to read the first chapter of Dangerous Mercy, go HERE.


Monday, September 26, 2011

Daybook ~ Sept. 26, 2011


Outside my window...the sun is sinking into the western horizon

I am thinking…that I should be reading 

I am thankful for...coffee with my homemade flavoring

From the kitchen…all is pretty quiet

I am wearing…my jammies right now. 

I am creating…5 memory bears for a lady

I am going…to bed shortly

I am reading…Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack

I am hoping…to get to watch a movie with my hubby yet before bed

I am hearing...the tic toc of the clock

Around the house…things are pretty quiet

One of my favorite things…counted cross-stitching

A few plans for the rest of the week…trip to Wal-Mart, work on counted cross-stitch and memory bears

Photo for thought…




bc line bar with bear

Captive Trail by Susan Page Davis




This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Captive Trail
Moody Publishers (September 1, 2011)
by
Susan Page Davis


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


From Susan: I've always loved reading, history, and horses. These things come together in several of my historical books. My young adult novel, Sarah's Long Ride, also spotlights horses and the rugged sport of endurance riding, as does the contemporary romance Trail to Justice. I took a vocational course in horseshoeing after earning a bachelor's degree in history. I don't shoe horses anymore, but the experience has come in handy in writing my books.

Another longtime hobby of mine is genealogy, which has led me down many fascinating paths. I'm proud to be a DAR member! Some of Jim's and my quirkier ancestors have inspired fictional characters.

For many years I worked for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel as a freelancer, covering local government, school board meetings, business news, fires, auto accidents, and other local events, including a murder trial. I've also written many profiles and features for the newspaper and its special sections. This experience was a great help in developing fictional characters and writing realistic scenes. I also published nonfiction articles in several magazines and had several short stories appear in Woman's World, Grit, and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

My husband, Jim, and I moved to his birth state, Oregon, for a while after we were married, but decided to move back to Maine and be near my family. We're so glad we did. It allowed our six children to grow up feeling close to their cousins and grandparents, and some of Jim's family have even moved to Maine!

Our children are all home-schooled. The two youngest are still learning at home. Jim recently retired from his vocation as an editor at a daily newspaper, and we’ve moved from Maine to Kentucky.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Captive Trail is second in a six-book series about four generations of the Morgan family living, fighting, and thriving amidst a turbulent Texas history spanning from 1845 to 1896. Although a series, each book can be read on its own.

Taabe Waipu has run away from her Comanche village and is fleeing south in Texas on a horse she stole from a dowry left outside her family’s teepee. The horse has an accident and she is left on foot, injured and exhausted. She staggers onto a road near Fort Chadbourne and collapses.

On one of the first runs through Texas, Butterfield Overland Mail Company driver Ned Bright carries two Ursuline nuns returning to their mission station. They come across a woman who is nearly dead from exposure and dehydration and take her to the mission.

With some detective work, Ned discovers Taabe Waipu identity. He plans to unite her with her family, but the Comanche have other ideas, and the two end up defending the mission station. Through Taabe and Ned we learn the true meaning of healing and restoration amid seemingly powerless situations.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Captive Trail, go HERE.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Soups and Stews this week




There's nothing so comforting as sitting down to a warm & hearty bowl of soup after a chilly day, is there? Some of our favorite fall recipes are for bubbly pots of comfort food...cheesy potato soup, beef stew with carrots, chicken & dumplings. The list goes on and on so tell us...
Which are YOUR favorite recipes for Soup or Stew?
Share 'em all in today's Recipe Round-Up!



 Get Carol's tomato soup recipe here

Visit Gooseberry Patch here.

Here's one to inspire you from Gooseberry Patch Cookbook of the Week,
101 Autumn Recipes...don't forget this book is half off this week!





bouncing apple bar line



Naomi's Gift by Amy Clipston





This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Naomi's Gift
Zondervan (September 12, 2011)
by
Amy Clipston

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

From Amy:

A native of New Jersey, I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I often joke that my fiction writing “career” began in elementary school as I wrote and shared silly stories with a close friend.

In 1991, I graduated from high school, and my parents and I moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. My father retired, and my mother went to work full-time. I attended Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, and I graduated with a degree in communications. I met my husband, Joe, during my senior year in college, a few days after my father had a massive stroke. Joe and I clicked instantly, and after a couple of months we started dating. We married four years later.

After graduating from VWC, I took a summer job with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, which turned into an eleven-year career. I worked in the Public Affairs Office for four years and then moved into Planning as a writer/editor.

One day while surfing the Internet for a professional editor’s group, I accidentally found a local fiction writing group, Chesapeake Romance Writers. I attended a meeting and I met writers in all stages of their careers. The group helped me realize that I did want to be an author, and it was my dream to see my name on the cover of one of my novels. Through Chesapeake Romance Writers, I learned how to plot, write, and edit a novel, and I also learned how to pursue an agent. I signed with Mary Sue Seymour at the Seymour Agency in 2006, shortly before Joe and I moved my parents and our sons to North Carolina.

My dream came true when I sold my first book in 2007. Holding my first book, A Gift of Grace, in my hands was exhilarating and surreal.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Take a trip to Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, where you'll meet the women of the Kauffman Amish Bakery in Lancaster County. As each woman's story unfolds, you will share in her heartaches, trials, joys, dreams ... and secrets. You'll discover how the simplicity of the Amish lifestyle can clash with the 'English' way of life---and the decisions and consequences that follow. Most importantly, you will be encouraged by the hope and faith of these women, and the importance they place on their families. Naomi's Gift re-introduces twenty-four-year-old Naomi King, who has been burned twice by love and has all but given up on marriage and children. As Christmas approaches---a time of family, faith, and hope for many others---Naomi is more certain than ever her life will be spent as an old maid, helping with the family's quilting business and taking care of her eight siblings. Then she meets Caleb, a young widower with a 7-year-old daughter, and her world is once again turned upside-down. Naomi's story of romantic trial and error and youthful insecurities has universal appeal. Author Amy Clipston artfully paints a panorama of simple lives full of complex relationships, and she carefully explores cultural differences and human similarities, with inspirational results. Naomi's Gift includes all the details of Amish life that Clipston's fans enjoy, while delivering the compelling stories and strong characters that continue to draw legions of new readers.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Naomi's Gift, go HERE.


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Wordless/Wordy Wednesday ~ measured 23 inches long





This week we are going with Wordy Wednesday.  ;P
So what did I do with it???



wash and slice zucchini




bowl of water or milk
bowl of flour with salt and pepper
bowl of beaten eggs
bowl of cracker crumbs




dip the zucchini slices in each bowl in order listed



 put enough oil in a fry pan to cover bottom of pan well (about 1/4inch) (you may have to add more oil as you cook if you fry alot of zucchini.)  I fry on med. heat about 5 minutes each side.



Fry till golden and serve hot.  Oh, so yummy.





we have had fried zucchini for more than one meal and we've made a chocolate-zucchini roll that is very yummy and we've made some yummy zucchini bread. 



Have a lot of Zucchini????
Check out this zucchini gummy worms recipe here.  She gives you a tutorial in video form very nice.  Sounds pretty yummy and easy.





Mommy Moment













Mom Spotted











Busy Working 
Mama



posted at:
A Renaissance Woman


bouncing apple bar line

WWW ~ Sept. 21, 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:
watch video trailer here
Read a book teaser here

Recently Finished:

Read my review here


What's Next:
learn more about this book here




Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.






Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Meme Fun Time again



Here's an easy salsa project


Ingredients:
1 packet of Concord Foods salsa seasoning mix 
1 lb of tomatoes (approx. 6 or 7), diced
1/4 cup of onions, chopped








Wash, core and dice tomatoes
Chop onion
mix with seasoning 
Chill
makes about 4 cups of salsa





 

Posted at:








and
Only Parent Chronicles

and



bouncing apple bar line