My Hope Is Found

Yes... It is book review time!  You are now SO glad you checked in today right because you do NOT want to miss this book.... this series... The Cadence of Grace series.  Let's get on with it shall we? 

Book Review for My Hope Is Found,  by Joanne Bischof,  Publisher Multnomah Books, October 15, 2013.  352 pages.

 

Here is a Summary of the book from the publisher:

After finally finding love with his sweet bride Lonnie, Gideon’s heart was torn when a woman from his past claimed to be his true and rightful wife, forcing him away from his family. God’s merciful hand saw Gideon through the heartache, and with Cassie’s blessing, he is able to return home. But his journey back through the Blue Ridge Mountains will hold a trial he never anticipated.

Meanwhile, Lonnie determines to seal off her heart from Gideon, convinced he is lost to her forever. Strengthening her resolve to move on is her growing fondness for the handsome Scotsman, Toby McKee—the young reverend she has come to care for deeply. His proposal of marriage offers a bright future for her and her young son.

Yearning to allow joy back into her life, Lonnie must put aside the broken pieces of her heart that still love Gideon. When he returns to find her betrothed to another, he has to place his hope in God, trusting that the One who redeemed their love once can do it again.

When I received this ARC for reviewing purposes I realized it was book 3 in a series. Since I have major issues about not reading books series out of order what's a girl to do but immediately run to her library... or Amazon looking for books 1 & 2 am I right?  SO glad I did because this series... it's Epic. I could totally see it as a miniseries or Hallmark's latest set of movies to rival the Love Comes Softly movies.  Of course if they are going to do that... then they need to duplicate every detail off these books.  LOVED them.  I had heard many good things about them on Goodreads and in an Avid Readers of Christian Fiction group I am in but it did not prepare me to be WEEPING from the middle of book 2 right on thru the end.  I was totally caught up in Lonnie & Gideon's story.  LOVED this couple.  Loved their love, their bond to each other that can only be God given. 

In book one we meet Lonnie & Gideon.  Following an ill advised kiss Lonnie's mean and abusive father enters the picture and Lonnie & Gideon's story begins as they find themselves in attendance at their own shotgun wedding.  Unhappy to be together, they set out on a journey to find a new  home to begin their new life in.  Did I love Gideon at this point?  Um NO.  He was mean.  He was selfish.  He was abusive.  Yet I found myself rooting for him because you could somehow see there was a good man in there somewhere.  Somewhere along their journey Elsie and Jedediah enter the picture.  LOVED Elsie and Jedediah.  We all need an older, mentoring, wise couple like they are in our lives and what an asset they become to Lonnie & Gideon. 

Without giving away any details... because I know you are already online checking your library for these books aren't you??  I found myself rushing through book one (Be Still My Soul) to find out if Lonnie & Gideon would ever truly find each other, and find love.  They went thru many trials and tragedies but in the end... you will love how their story turns out. 

Enter book two (Though My Heart Is Torn) and Lonnie & Gideon's story picks up right about where it left off.  So of course they live happily ever after right?  I mean wouldn't it be wonderful if life just worked out like that?  Of course it doesn't and of course as book 2 helps us to see we learn that God works in us and we grow so much thru the sufferings and trials of life.  About midway through book 2 I was in tears. My heart hurt for what Lonnie was going through.  What Gideon was going through.  Yes... I managed to get myself under control but thru much of the rest of the book I am sure you would have seen a tear or three sliding down my cheek.  I was SO wrapped up in their world and just had to know how on earth were things going to work out for them?  I could not read fast enough.... which of course brought me to book 3 (My Hope Is Found). 

Book three did not disappoint.  I finished it in a day.  (OK a day I was home sick from work) I had to keep reading because I had to get to the end to find out what happened to this couple I was so emotionally invested in.  Did Gideon get to come home?  Would Lonnie be happy to see him?  Would Jacob remember him?  Would Elsie and Jedediah again invite him into their home?  And what about Toby?  And Cassie?  I wanted a happy ending for all of them.  A happy, we are all right in the middle of God's perfect plan kind of ending.  Did I get that?  Well I could tell you.... but then I'd have to kill you.  Bwa ha ha ha...

Seriously.  Not telling because you need to read this series. And then you need to join me in shooting off an email to Hallmark begging them to turn this into a series immediately.  Yes. It's that good.  Go.  Read.  And just let me say in advance.... You are welcome! 

I was provided with a copy of this book for review courtesy of Waterbrook Multnomah and have provided a honest review in exchange. 

Thankful Thursday

No you did not stumble onto the wrong blog. Yes that is my hand with aqua blue nails. No. It is not pink. It's a Thursday miracle perhaps so a good place to start a thankful list is it not?

Also thankful for

• Blogging again. Would you believe I actually considered quitting during my recent blogging vacation?  True story. 
• A fresh gel manicure and how nicely they last. 
• Beautiful weather today
• My husband. Have I mentioned how great he is?
• Blogging from my kindle
• Our little fourth of July faux getaway
• Working on my planner today
• Miss Sophie and the entrainment she provides
• Finding sausage gravy and biscuit leftovers in the fridge this morning
• Birthday week fast approaching
• Date night
• My iphone
• Reading which of course includes the library and my kindle or um kindles.....
• Time on our back porch
• Getting closer to finishing the remodel....tv mount went up yesterday
• Summer beach time
• Friends
• My job and the other staff
• Miss Tris
• The fried rice from great wall in jasper....it has actual eggs....meat and veggies in it which a lot of buffet places don't seem to do much these days
• The sweet lady who folds the bulletins for me every week
• Comfy Jean shorts
• Can I mention the chocolate Oreo ice cream at baskin robin's again?
• My new knot genie
• Messy buns
• A detour to work that does not take me a half hour out of my way
• A package I was waiting on finally showing up
• Living in the country
• State fair time coming up
• My book tbr pile
• And......bed time

Until next time....blessings. 

Ten On Tuesday

1) This would be my recent haul from Sephora.  The coolest thing about that is that everything on the left.... FREE.  Don't ya just love free?  The Bare Minerals summer bronze kit... free from points earned.  The lash enhancer and "better than sex" (yes... that is what it's called...... could it possibly be that awesome?) Mascara were from points earned. The mini mascara and lipstick were my Sephora birthday month gift.  The shampoo samples and the "Look Good Naked Righteous Butter" body butter/lotion sample were also freebees.  I bought the pressed powder and 3 nail polishes.... One of which is this awesome aqua green/turquoise kind of color that must go on my toes immediately! Now... one of the Bare Minerals bronzer things is called "Skinny Dip".... then the Better than Sex Mascara.... and Look Good Naked Lotion.... is there some theme here they are trying to communicate?  And um if that "Look Good Naked" lotion really works?  Well then I am going to be needing the large economy bucket size...

2) Have you heard of something called a Knot Genie?  I had not heard of them until they popped up on Zulily recently.  It claimed to magically get the knots out of your hair.  It said it was for children and Adults.  I am thinking I qualify as one of the two... depends on the day.  I definitely qualify as someone with knots in their hair... I've got knots that would make a sailor proud.... So I had to try it right?  It actually works!  And it doesn't hurt that mine is metallic pink... I am sure that helps it to work better.

3) So it's fresh orchard peach time in Indiana.  And wouldn't you know that they timed the closing of the highway the orchard is on with the availability of said peaches.  Very handy.  But my husband loves fresh peaches. So I had no choice but to take a back country gravel road to get to the orchard which means driving 18 mph down the gravel road so as not to spew gravel on the car..... Now trust me when I tell you18 mph and flying gravel requires way more patience than Monogirl possesses...It must be true love. 

4) OK who knows what a "Spiker" is?  And no... it does not have anything to do with volleyball.  Monogirl doesn't do Volleyball... she might break a nail.  A Spiker is a beach drink cup holder that has a spike that goes into the sand to keep the all important diet pepsi from falling over.  What a good idea.  Why do I never think of these things?  And yes... I now own a pink one... or two. 

5) WHO was the genius who decided all light bulbs have to go to these fluorescent ones that take time to warm up?  I mean really?  The ones in my bedroom take several minutes to warm up and give full light.  I go in there for a minute and need the light and end up finding it in the dark before it even starts to light up enough.  Don't people flip the switch when they need light like NOW ... Or now am I supposed to remember to go in there 10 minutes prior to when I will need light so it can have its slow warm up time?  Another thing that would require way more patience than Monogirl possesses.

6) As the days of the month go by.... we are getting every closer to the beginning of birthday week.  Monogirl might be just a wee bit excited about that.  Count down to this Saturday is on! 

7) Does Monogirl have birthday plans?  Well... she is trying to decide what kind of cake she wants.  She has it narrowed down to yellow cake with chocolate frosting OR Eclair cake. The husband makes an awesome Eclair cake and yellow cake for that matter.  Or maybe a Baskin Robbins cake.... yum.  Have you had their chocolate Oreo ice cream?  Oh. My. Goodness.  Then Monogirl was thinking since her birthday is on a Saturday and she gets to spend the whole day with the husband he wants to know what does she want to do?  Well.... she likes shopping.... she likes the beach.... she likes shopping... she likes Holiday World which is like the beach....If you sit by the wave pool it is.  So currently she is trying to make up her mind. Maybe we should just go to the library. She might have also sent her husband a few birthday gift idea emails.... Monogirl gets a wee bit excited about birthdays.  Did she mention that?

8) In remodeling news, the ceiling is almost done.  We ran out of boards for the last couple feet.  We are getting ready for a run to Lowes for the rest of the boards, plus the trim boards! Yay... curtains can't be far off after that.  Darrel is currently working on the mount for the TV to get it on the wall.  And we have purchased the floating shelves for the other wall... just need one more that they were out of and those can go up! 

9) Have you seen this new Smartphone wristlet from Vera?  I am thinking I must have one in either Clementine or Pink Swirls.... how cute would that be in my pink Coach purse?  This one is very similar to my Hobo wristlet but it has that cute little turn lock!

10) And OK... we are going to have to call 10.... um 10... cause Monogirl is hitting Brain Fog and that is never a good thing.  Case in point?  I just typed the word nevery..... is that a word?  I didn't think so.

I bid you goodnight and blessings!

Top 10 Avid Reader Necessities

So I happened to stumble across a few different sites that give you ideas for blog topics.  Which apparently is a smart idea because I am thinking that is a topic in itself!  The one I was playing with today is at hubspot here.  You pop in three keywords, hit enter... and viola!  A week's worth of blog topic ideas.  Now I am sure you are wondering what my 3 keywords were...in a huge surprise to everyone... or no one... they were books.... pink.... scrapbooks.  Very original ideas for me I know.  One of those ideas was "The Five Best Tools For Readers."  Now how could I pass that up?  Of course being the voracious reader I am I was unable to limit myself to 5. Now if you are a reader I am sure you are interested because what reader worth their salt doesn't need to know anything and everything that will aid them in their book obsession?  Am I right?  Now... if you are not a reader... you may want to avert your eyes, or perhaps go and browse over at Amazon today... or maybe not since that is a book place too.  Well sort of... I always say Amazon is like the Walmart of the Internet.  If you are looking for it... whatever "it" is.... they most likely will have it.  So here we go...... 10 reader necessities.... according to um well... me.  I may not be the foremost reading authority.... but I can tell you a thing or two about reading.... scrapbooking... and pink stuff. 

Top 10 Avid Reader Necessities (in no particular order)
 

1.  Kindle Paperwhite 3G  LOVE my Kindle.  Love it.  Yes... I still love traditional print books.  Yes.  A kindle does not have that same feel and smell of the pages in your hand.  However being able to carry around hundreds of books in your purse.... or pocket for the gentlemen, is wonderful.  Especially at vacation time which used to mean a duffel bag just for the 15 or so books I'd take with me. Because for a beach vacation, sitting by the water reading?  At least 10 are possible in a week.  And yes... you can read on your iPad or iPhone or Kindle Fire.... but my first choice is still the Paperwhite.  You can read in full sun with NO glare.  It totally looks like a real book page.  It's much easier on the eyes to look at the e-ink rather than a computer screen for hours on end (says the girl who is sitting here blogging staring at a computer screen.... bwa ha ha ha).  AND You must have the 3G so when you are sitting on the beach reading and finish your book and then discover it's continued in book 2?  Well in like less than a minute you can go shopping for that book and be reading all while having never left your beach chair.  I also love the light on the Paperwhite because I can read in the car at night and the light is facing away from you so again... no glare to the eyes and no worrying the husband is about to hit a deer or oncoming traffic or something because Monogirl's light is blinding him. 

2.  The Library If you are not an e-book person.... well then one MUST have themselves a library card.  Why?  Because what is not to love about the library? Being surrounded by books?  The quiet peaceful atmosphere and did I mention being surrounded by books?  Plus there is the all important "here are our new books shelf" that you must check out upon every arrival at the library.  Have loved the library since I was a little girl and to this day... just have to walk in for the peaceful, calm, I'm at the library feeling comes over me.  A HUGE plus about my library is also that it connects me to the Overdrive Consortium for library e-book loans! And if my library doesn't have a book I am panting after they are part of the Evergreen System in Indiana which allows me to put a hold on any book in the system, and then they will promptly send it to my local library just for little ol' me.  Think of it.  Thousands of books at your fingertips..... and they are all free!

3. Book Bungee  Well OK this was going to be my next point but suddenly they are missing from the Levenger site.  I love and adore my book bungee that I got from Crown Books literally YEARS ago.  Apparently it cannot be replaced which means I shall now guard it with my life.  However... I did find some possible replacements with this one on Amazon or this booksling.  The great thing about the bungee is that it keeps your place, while also strapping around the book so no more bookmarks falling out!  It also keeps your pages nice because of holding the book closed.  Levenger also has these new notebook belts which are similar and I love the pen loop.  They say these are also good around a tablet to hold your stylus! 

4) 2 Pens And Your Glasses  If you are a reader who also has reading glasses, well then you MUST run and get yourself one of these eyeglass cases also from Levenger.... and really just about anything else from Levenger because they have fabulous reading tools, and cases. Are they a bit pricey? Yes.  But the quality?  Amazing and well worth it.  LOVE this case.  I had one, lost it in the church fire and was oh so sad when Levenger no longer carried it.  So color me happy when suddenly like a year ago I discovered they were back and yes I plunked my debit card down right quick and got myself a new one. Love the size.  Love the soft, nice leather.  Love that I could have it monogrammed and love that it has a pocket in front and 2 pen pockets because I am a reader who loves to underline and take notes when a passage really speaks to me. 

5) Free/Sale book sites for E-books  Another must!  Yes... you can go to Amazon every day and look up top 100 free Kindle books. But there are also several wonderful sites that will be happy to do that for you... especially for inspirational or Christian Fiction books.  A few of my favs are Pixel of Ink, Inspired Reads, Christian Book Finds,  and E-reader girl.... just to name a few.  Most of those also have facebook pages which you can see right in your news feed and keep current with all the latest free and sale stuff!

6) Thriftbooks  If you are looking for some good deals on used print books then you must check out Thrift Books.  They have free shipping and low prices on used books.  I love this because unlike where I used to live in Illinois... very few used book places near me.  I just gave them a first order recently, and most of the books in the pic. up top are from that order.  And yes... they have more than Amish books.  You can choose to buy from the location closest to you to get things sooner AND you get .50 off each additional book from the same location. 

7) Fantastic Fiction  If you are like me and LOVE a good series, then you will be thrilled to discover Fantastic Fiction.  You can look up any author and it will show your their books, and which books are series and which order the series goes in.... which is oh so important because who else besides me has a serious case of OCDness if you happen to read book 3 before book 1?  Now that just ain't right!

8) Goodreads.  Now you knew I couldn't make a book necessities list without mentioning Goodreads right?  I use Goodreads all the time!  I love it to keep track of what I've read, what I'm reading and what is in my TBR (to be read) pile/list.  It will also help you to know which series is which and what order they go in. I also enjoy doing their yearly reading challenges.  My goal for this year is 100... and I am on number 48!  Although a girl on another site said she had read 175 already this year... and I am thinking I am jealous of that.  How is that possible?  175?  Wow. 

9) Waterproof Kindle Case  If you are a beach reader like I am then you might also be interested in one of these waterproof cases for your Kindle.  Have I put it to the test and submerged my Kindle?  Um no.  Does it make me feel better to have some protection if it accidentally gets wet or gets dropped in the water whether it be the beach or the tub?  Yes.  I own one of these and would say I am fan. It can be a bit troublesome with the touch screen at times, but for the most part, good product! I recently bought a similar case for my iPhone which also works well!

10) Vera Bradley E-book sleeve  Of course to protect your beloved Kindle.. you should also have the perfect sleeve or case right?  I mean if your device doesn't come in pink.... what a good way to add some pink.  I have several of these for my different devices.  They are cute.  They are good protection for your device.  They hold up really well and they are washable.  I also have one of these cases for my Paperwhite... and love it.  Mine of course is um pink.... but I am not seeing that in the list anymore. 

And there you have it.... 10 reasons to read more and to make your reading oh so much more enjoyable.  Who doesn't want that? 

Blessings!

America's Birthday Week

Seems only fitting right if I get a  birthday week and Darrel gets a birthday week that America should get a birthday week right? 

Have we been celebrating?  Yes.  Was there fireworks?  Red, white and blue?  Um no.... we had a bit of a different celebration in mind.  Since I was already off on the third, Darrel took that day off and we planned ourselves a little 4 day romantic getaway.  However since most of our funds are earmarked for our coming vacation we planned our "getaway" for home.... and it's been pretty great! 

We've slept in... we've had bacon and sausage gravy for breakfast... not at the same time.  ha. We went out for a drive with the sunroof open in this gorgeous weather we've had and visited a few favorite fishing spots.  Fishing for the husband.... reading and relaxing for the wife.  We had ourselves a date night complete with Chinese carryout and movies.  We went to Holiday World and parked ourselves in our favorite spot by the wave pool....

We did some cuddling, some talking and yes, even some reading together..... and we've been home.  I love home. We enjoyed some time with Miss Sophie watching her burrow under the covers.... cuteness and entertainment right there.

I also got my scrap table cleared off in preparation for finally getting my planner caught up.... um not that I actually did that though...

And I finished 2 books, Herb of Grace and Huckleberry Summer... .both of which will have reviews posted soon! 

Tomorrows excitement will include the arrival of a new couch!  Yes, we already got a new couch earlier this year.  It's being replaced.  It has already gotten a worn spot which is getting progressively worse and when we contacted the store and manufacturer about it, they said they'd give us a new couch!  yay!  A definite answer to prayer. 

Tomorrow may also include something cooked on the grill since it would seem that is a requirement for July 4th weekend don't ya think? 

And since now it is tomorrow.... I'll say goodnight for now.  Hope to get back on a regular blogging schedule this week!  Hope to see you back too!  Blessings.

Allow Me To Introduce Myself....

Hello.  Remember me?  Monogirl?  Deanna?  I'm sure we've met haven't we?  Anyone still here?  I hope ya'll haven't left me during my extended hiatus.... See I said there would be no blogging during VBS week and before I knew it here we are a month later.  Did you put the time to good use?  Maybe do some shoe shopping?  Buy something pink?  Browse the books over at Amazon?  All highly important past times BUT I am thinking they should not replace blog visiting am I right?  I mean where else would you get to meet cute kittens like Miss Tris here? 

Tris... yes, from the book Divergent and believe me when I tell you I did NOT name her.  My husband did.  Really.  The husband is not a big reader.... probably because his wife reads enough for several people.... but we did read the Divergent series together so I thought it was highly cute and very sweet when he came up with that name.  One evening oh about a month ago... June 1st to be exact, I thought I heard a kitten crying outside our bathroom window.  Sure enough, when Darrel went to check it out, there he finds a cute little calico kitty cold, wet, and yelling because it had just finished storming outside.   Storming outside... are you saying really? Really Monogirl it was storming outside and not in the house?   Just painting you a picture here.  She was TINY and seemed to early to be away from Mom so of course we had to take her in.  Miss Sophie is NOT a fan of this idea.... she is doing a very thorough job of hissing at her whenever the opportunity presents itself.  This commercial is a perfect explanation of our situation.  Apparently she has not reached the required 437 times just yet.  Tanner on the other hand is asking himself what did he ever do in life to deserve being confined to life with two cats.... not his idea of fun. 

What else happened while Monogirl was away?  This happened.  My sweet husband celebrated his 51st birthday which yes... included birthday week, a birthday spaghetti dinner prepared by Monogirl and the all important and yes, required Carrot Cake.  What you see here is that lovely Carrot Cake clearly Lit. On. Fire.  Did you know it's actually easier to light a large number of candles because they are so close together your flame can reach a few at a time?  Bwa ha ha ha.... It took a while for the smoke to clear, but it was way more fun than just sticking 2 number candles on the top.  Way more fun.  I am alllll about birthday celebrating remember?  The birthday boy enjoyed things like cashews, Xbox magazines, and his favorite Big Red soda for birthday week gifts. His main gift was a very nice set of pen turning tools and a gift card to a wood working store.  He also got more gift cards for our Anniversary and Father's Day, which he used along with birthday money from our parents to get a dovetail making system thingy.... yes... the technical name.  So he is quite the happy birthday boy with lots of guy stuff to fill his wood working needs. 

This also happened.  I managed to complete a whole Project Life mini album for Darrel's Mom.  A few months ago Becky Higgins had a picture on her facebook of a lady who had used her PL supplies to make an album to help a family member with Dementia.  Darrel's Mom suffers from Dementia so of course this idea leaped off the computer screen at me.  I mentioned it to my husband and his sisters and next thing I know... Viola!  New album for Phyllis.  Not sure if it will help her or not.  She still knows us at this point for the most part, but gets very confused, and sometimes needs help knowing who people are.  So I made it.  We prayed over it and we will leave it in God's hands to use it however best.  Here is a peek at one of the inside page spreads of her parents. 

Kept it pretty simple inside... and it was hard for me not to scrapbook it up some more... ha... but I am pleased with the result and how quickly it came together because with an illness like Dementia, time is of the essence and this is needed now.

And OK perhaps that was somewhat short and lets hope sweet for tonight... but not bad for a first day back right?  And you will come back won't you?  Cause um did you know... it's July.  Do you know what happens in July?  BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!  And yes, that would be Monogirl's birthday week which hopefully includes all things chocolate and pink and sparkly but not necessarily in that order or all at the same time. Ha!  I also have a new book review almost ready to do.  I have a new Ikea cart to fill up with fun stuff and of course you will need to hear all about that because the carts are just too cute and cool!  Mine is that cool blue color too!  There are also new crochet projects to be discussed and I am thinking a lengthy serious conversation needs to be had about the dismal state of my planner project which is woefully behind. 

So see... plenty of blog worthy... and read worthy topics to be found.

For now I bid you goodnight.... but you'll tune back in right?  Possibly tomorrow... It could happen. 

Blessings!