Monday, April 30, 2018

Mailbox Monday - April 30



Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Happy Monday! It was a crazy week for me last week, so I didn't blog much anywhere. It was hard enough getting from Point A to Point B in time. Sold a record-breaking number of homes over the last twelve days (hate the paperwork) and am still cleaning out my in-laws' house to get it ready for sale. One of the nice things about that is going through their bookshelves and connecting with books that are new to me or reconnecting with books I lent them that I'm now taking back. Like these:




I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones upstairs right now. I'm also pruning the book shelves at my own house because the annual library book sale starts this Tuesday. I managed to part with 45 books (probably another record). I don't part with books easily.

What was in your mailbox last week?

Winner of Authors in Bloom Blog Hop with Giveaway



I am pleased to announce that Tracy Fritts is the winner in our giveaway as part of the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop with Giveaway sponsored by Dianne Venetta. She will receive a $25 Amazon gift card from An Imperfect Christian Mom.


Dianne also sponsored a special giveaway for everyone who visited all the blog stops during the hop. The grand prize winner is Kathy Newcomer.

Congratulations to both women. Thanks to all who visited and left comments. Wishing you a blessed day.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Authors in Bloom Blog Hop with Giveaway: The Joy of Gardening Plans



This is the 7th Annual Authors in Bloom Blog Hop and we are thrilled to be part of it. Today I am going to talk about how much easier life becomes when you discover garden plans.

When we first moved into our newly constructed home nineteen years ago, it was a blank slate. This girl with one of the brownest thumbs ever had to figure out what to plant and where. There was lots of trial and error. I planted shady plants on the sunny side of the house. Plants that needed sun on the shady part of the house. I walked through Home Depot looking at bushes and plants and thought they would look nice in my yard while giving no thought to how large they would get or how they would look best.

Then I stumbled upon Better Homes & Gardens list of garden plans on their website. Using a plan, I planted a mailbox garden. Then used similar plants to decorate the opposite side to hide the utility boxes. Found a great plan for the shady side of the house and made that side beautiful. While the yard is still a work in progress--the voles ate most of my hostas last year--there is enough beauty to make this gardener in training happy.

What are some sites you use for garden plans? Any tips for this gardener in training?

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away a $25 Amazon gift card open to any follower of the blog hop. 

  1. Must be 18 years or older to participate.
  2. To have a chance to win you must leave a comment with a valid email address.
  3. Extra point if you follow @ccmalandrinos on Twitter. Leave a comment to let me know you followed. 
  4. Tweet "I entered to #win in the Annual Authors in Bloom Blog Hop https://bit.ly/2EYZzP7 #giveaway #AuthorsinBloom" for 5 extra points. Leave a comment to let me know you followed.
  5. Prize will be emailed to winner. 
  6. Giveaway ends April 27, 2018 at 11:59 pm (EST).
  7. Host not responsible once prize has been emailed. 
  8. Void where prohibited.
In addition to this prize, other hosts are giving away prizes and the GRAND PRIZE is a Kindle Fire and a second prize of a $25 gift card. Only those visitors who visit EACH and EVERY stop are eligible for the grand prize ereader and gift card. Eligibility will be verified by hop’s end.

Visit more hosts for more chances to win. Good luck!




Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Book Spotlight: Prayer, Marriage and the Leadership Roles of Husband and Wife by Bishop Ken and Pastor Sheila Giles


This book communicates how God has created, through the covenant relationship of marriage, leadership roles that are established in spiritual unity.

Marriage is an institution established by God. God ordains a man and a woman to be husband and wife to fulfill his purpose of expanding His likeness and kingdom through their rule and dominion over His creation. Within the institution of marriage, the man is responsible for carrying out and communicating God’s vision. The woman enables, strengthens and encourages her husband to carry out God's vision for himself, the marriage and family. The husband and wife become one flesh. No other human relationship, including that of parents and children, is to have priority or greater importance than that of the husband and wife to one another. The Leadership roles of the husband and wife are paramount to God's plan of blessings in the marriage, family, generations and broader society. Therefore, obedience to God and His word establishes God's order and facilitates the proper working and functioning of the marriage and family. Thus, establishing the peace, joy and increase the Lord has purposed in and through the marriage and family.

Prayer will become the highest priority in the lives of those who read this book. Especially, to those considering marriage, currently married and responsible for children.

If more believers prayed about whether, or not, to get into marriage, there would be far fewer looking to get out of marriage. Furthermore, when the marriage is conceived in prayer; there is a greater likelihood that the marriage will continue in prayer and the blessings that go along with obedience to the Lord.

Bishop Ken Giles and his wife Pastor Sheila Giles have decades of combined experience in Ministry and Christian Counseling. They both did undergraduate work at Prairie View A&M University Texas and were active in evangelistic work. Pastor Sheila Giles has served in church leadership for over two decades. She has a Master of Divinity from Houston Graduate School of Theology.

Bishop Ken Giles began full-time ministry in 1993 as an inner-city Missions Leader in Dallas, Texas, while at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship under Dr. Tony Evans. He later served there as Assistant Executive Director of their nonprofit corporation. In 1998, he returned to his hometown of Beaumont, Texas, and served as Pastor of Outreach at Cathedral of Faith Baptist Church and Executive Director of their nonprofit corporation. In 2000, Lincoln Bible Church was planted in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area and is now located in the Greater Houston Texas area where Bishop Ken Giles and his wife, Pastor Sheila Giles provide servant leadership. Bishop Giles has a Master of Education Administration from Prairie View A&M University and a Master of Theology from Southeast Texas Theological Seminary.

Purchase here!

Monday, April 16, 2018

Mailbox Monday - April 16



Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

I know it's supposed to be spring, but someone should tell Mother Nature. My friend in Wisconsin woke up to a foot of snow on April 14. Sunday night we got pelted with freezing rain and today it is supposed to be a nasty morning. How wonderful that I need to drive from one end of the earth to the other today.

No books in my mailbox this week. Maybe I can read some of The Pirate Bride before I break off to read Hot Mess

Did you receive any good books? What are your plans for the day? 




Thursday, April 12, 2018

Blogging at Christian Children's Authors



I am a founding member of the Christian Children's Authors blog. We discuss topics important to  families and offer activities and book reviews. Today is my day to share and I decided to address the topic of spiritual warfare and praying when it's hard. Hope you'll check it out at http://christianchildrensauthors.com/2018/04/12/praying-when-its-hard

Monday, April 9, 2018

Mailbox Monday - April 9



Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Who is ready for spring? I am. Though technically the calendar says it's spring, this New England winter is still hanging on. We are due for some snow showers tomorrow. Looks like nice weather might finally break through next weekend. Good thing too. I have three new listings coming up.

I received a nice little surprise in my mailbox last week.


A War-Torn Countryside Is No Place for a Lady

Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause. . .to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart. Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort—but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought. Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?

This is the third book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. I am reading the second one now.

What arrived in your mailbox? Hope you'll share. Wishing you a blessed week.


Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Book Review: How to Love the Empty Air by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

How to Love the Empty Air by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz is a powerful and touching look into grief.

As Aptowicz grabs hold of the success she has worked so hard for, her world is rocked by the sudden death of her mother. In the year that follows, the author battles the overwhelming grief through her writing, sharing these intimate glimpses into her life with readers.

Having lost my mother when I was just a teenager, I was drawn to How to Love the Empty Air. While grief is a very personal thing, there is comfort in the understanding of someone else who has experienced the same tragedy. Apotowicz holds nothing back in this collection. She shares her joys, her sorrows, and her pain in all its rawness. You laugh. You cry. You want to hug her because she feels so close as she stumbles around searching for that new normal that may never feel normal at all. Then she reaches that major milestone--one year after the death of her mother. Not enough time has passed to eliminate the heaviness of the loss, but by the end we can see some joy, a glimmer of happiness and new beginnings.

This is definitely one of my favorite collections. It is the seventh by Aptowicz. I'll be searching out more. If you want deep, meaningful, poetry that tugs at your heartstrings, How to Love the Empty Air is a collection worth reading.

Paperback: 100 pages
Publisher: Write Bloody Publishing (March 20, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1938912802
ISBN-13: 978-1938912801


I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.



Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts - April 4



Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. This is a chance for book bloggers to dabble in areas besides books (but those are welcome too). Share your plans for the weekend, a rant on people not using their turn signals in parking lots, or your love of Sunday morning mimosas.

Things I am tired of....

Liars
Mean people
Rule breakers
Rudeness
School shootings
Domestic violence
Intolerance

Things I need to pray about...

EVERYTHING!

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Book Review and Giveaway: A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard

If there were ever a more wonderful story about motherhood than A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard, I have yet to find it.

Leah Otto has always admired Jude Shetler's good looks and talent as an auctioneer. When the widower asks her to marry him, it's like a dream come true. Despite the reservations of family and friends, the two enter their marriage with joy and optimism.

A few months later, Leah's twin step-daughters are acting out, her step-son keeps her at bay while mourning the loss of his mother, and Leah is struggling with running a household. Then a baby girl is abandoned on their doorstep and Leah must pull her family together, with Jude's support and God's will, to create a life filled with love, faith and unexpected blessings.

Every time I read a book by Charlotte Hubbard, I swear it's the best she could ever write. Then comes a new book and it's even better than the last one. This is an author who knows her genre well, but continues to keep it fresh every single time. Not every author can do that, so I admire Hubbard's ability to continually deliver top-notch stories that tug at the heartstrings and inspire a deeper more meaningful kind of love and faith.

In A Mother's Gift you have a woman who has never been at ease with housework. Leah is happiest tending to her goats and chickens. She's not prepared for all that goes into being a wife and mother. Jude doesn't care about that. He likes her non-traditional skills. That doesn't mean life will be easy for them. And it's not. This truly is a story where a husband and wife must stand strong in their faith as they deal with the challenges that being a new family entails...along with a few unexpected obstacles along the way.

A Mother's Gift is a story of love and faith. It is a story of one woman finding her place within her new family. It's a story of one man's dedication to the woman he loves. It's a story about blending families and having faith it will all work out. There really are so many elements to this story that you can't help but love it. Hubbard brings these characters to life in a special way and you'll be captivated by Leah and Jude's journey from the first page to the last. If you only read one book in this genre this year, it should be A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard.


Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Kensington (March 27, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1496712188
ISBN-13: 978-1496712189


I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Excerpt:

As Lenore Otto sat on the bed with Leah, wistfully watching the dusk of late November fill her daughter’s room, her heart was torn. The two of them had shared this evening ritual of talking and praying since Lenore’s husband, Raymond, had died last year. It had always brought her a comforting sense of peace, along with the certainty that she and her daughter would move forward with the plans God had for them. After all the cleaning they’d done and the preparations they’d made to host Leah’s wedding festivities the next day, she was ready to relax—but she needed to speak the words that weighed so heavily on her heart.

Tomorrow, when Leah got married, their lives would follow separate paths. Lenore knew she would be fine remaining on the small farm alone, making and selling her specialty quilts. She supposed some of her qualms about her daughter’s marriage plagued every mother . . .

Lord, I wish I could believe my Leah’s reaching toward happiness rather than heartache.

Before God’s still, small voice could respond to Lenore, Leah let out an ecstatic sigh. “Oh, Mama, it’s a dream come true,” she murmured. “Starting tomorrow, when I marry Jude, my life will finally be the way I’ve always wanted it. My waiting is over!”

Not for the first time, Lenore sighed inwardly at her daughter’s fantasy. As she returned Leah’s hug, savoring these precious moments in the room where her little girl had matured into a woman of twenty-eight, she didn’t have it in her to shatter Leah’s dreams. No mother wanted her daughter to forever remain a maidel, yet during these final hours before the wedding, Lenore thought she should try once again to point out the realities of marrying Jude Shetler. Jude was a fine, upstanding man any parent would be pleased to welcome as a son-in-law, but as a widower he carried a certain amount of . . . baggage.


Please visit Charlotte online at www.CharlotteHubbard.com.


CharlotteHubbard.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Charlotte.Hubbard1


Order Ebook
Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073NPM8G8/

iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-mothers-gift/id1254897917?mt=11

Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-mothers-gift-charlotte-hubbard/1126683560?ean=9781496712196

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-mother-s-gift-8

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Charlotte_Hubbard_A_Mother_s_Gift?id=MI0qDwAAQBAJ

Order Print

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1496712188/

Barnes & Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781496712189

Books-A-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781496712189

Chapters Indigo http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/a/9781496712189-item.html

IndieBound http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496712189


One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win 
a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, April 2, 2018

Mailbox Monday - April 2


Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

For the record, I should have been in bed an hour ago. It's late Sunday night and I am gearing up for the Amos Faces His Bully virtual book tour. You can check out the schedule here if you want to follow along.

I have a week off of doctor appointments for my father-in-law, so I am hoping I'll be able to catch up on some housework. Honestly, I don't feel like doing any housework, but the place is a mess and the family is coming for Greek Easter on Sunday. Maybe by the following week I can get my exercise back on the schedule too, but spring market is gearing up to be crazy so we will have to see what life brings.

My mailbox held some great gifts this past week. I ordered the first two and the last one is from a friend who wrote a lovely devotional. I'm part of her launch team.


What You Don't See Might Hurt You

Every year, residents of the small Amish community in Monte Vista, Colorado, look forward to the Ski Hi Stampede, the state's oldest professional rodeo. The rodeo is always good, clean entertainment for the hardworking farmers of the San Luis Valley. But this year, the Stampede turns deadly for one Amish man. Did rodeo fans see an unfortunate accident? Or something more sinister?

Amish bishop Henry Lapp is known far and wide for his uncanny ability to draw and remember the smallest details of anything he's seen, skills that have served him well in past investigations. He was at the rodeo that day. The problem? He didn't see Jason Scott's death.

With a murderer on the loose and members of his community being threatened, Henry must act fast. But can he solve a crime he didn't see? This time around, Henry will have to rely on his keen sense of human character and observation, skills he's honed in his role as bishop, if he hopes to crack the case.

What the Bishop Knows is a story of accepting our talents, putting one another first, and trusting that God will care for His children.


A visionary new master class in cooking that distills decades of professional experience into just four simple elements, from the woman declared “America’s next great cooking teacher” by Alice Waters.

In the tradition of The Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything comes Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, an ambitious new approach to cooking by a major new culinary voice. Chef and writer Samin Nosrat has taught everyone from professional chefs to middle school kids to author Michael Pollan to cook using her revolutionary, yet simple, philosophy. Master the use of just four elements—Salt, which enhances flavor; Fat, which delivers flavor and generates texture; Acid, which balances flavor; and Heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food—and anything you cook will be delicious. By explaining the hows and whys of good cooking, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will teach and inspire a new generation of cooks how to confidently make better decisions in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients, anywhere, at any time.

Echoing Samin’s own journey from culinary novice to award-winning chef, Salt, Fat Acid, Heat immediately bridges the gap between home and professional kitchens. With charming narrative, illustrated walkthroughs, and a lighthearted approach to kitchen science, Samin demystifies the four elements of good cooking for everyone. Refer to the canon of 100 essential recipes—and dozens of variations—to put the lessons into practice and make bright, balanced vinaigrettes, perfectly caramelized roast vegetables, tender braised meats, and light, flaky pastry doughs.

Featuring 150 illustrations and infographics that reveal an atlas to the world of flavor by renowned illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will be your compass in the kitchen. Destined to be a classic, it just might be the last cookbook you’ll ever need.


Perhaps the journey in the waiting is the goal, rather than the actual finish line.

Sometimes while waiting for situations to change, we discover that perhaps what God is waiting on is us. That’s exactly what Lynne set out to discover when she was in a journey of waiting, during a wilderness season of her own. She discovered that perhaps she needed to unbecome everything she had framed her life around because in the process of building a life in this world, we often become consumed with everything other than The Word.

Becoming Unconsumed is an invitation to open the door to the possibilities that exist for us as women when we let go of what the world thinks and build a better relationship with ourselves, each other and, ultimately, God. This book is written for all women. Women who might not know God at all, women who have known Him all their lives, and women who aren’t sure what to think. Organized through reflection and response, Lynne invites us to consider the relevancy of the Word in 2018 and beyond as our faith is energized and confidence is strengthened. It is possible for you to make space for your daily Grace and your daily relationship with God. Lynne is the first to admit she is just a regular woman who decided to listen to God and make it happen.

What was in your mailbox? Hope you have a blessed week.