Book Review: Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliot

An orphan.  An apprentice.  A cruel master.  A saddler's daughter.  Lies and Murder.  How do all of these things fit together?  Actually, all of these things piled together make for a great story line in this book.  Will, an orphan who lost both of his parents to illness, has decided to jump at the chance to become a n apprentice to a saddler in Pittsburg.  After he and Mr. Good visit the doctor to have him witness their signatures for the apprentice paperwork, Will quickly realizes how abusive Mr. Good is to his apprentices. 

Ann Miller is the daughter of a saddler who is known for his great work.  She has several men suitors following after her, but she's not for sure she likes any of them.  She decides to accompany her father to Pittsburg, which is where she witnesses the after affects of the abuse Will receives.  Not able to get that picture out of her head, she feels obligated to do something to help him. 

Through a series of events, Will ends up at their house and complicates things a bit for the family.  When he decides to confront his master, things don't necessarily go as planned and now he has to decide whether to trust in the Lord for his deliverance or to take matters into his own hand.  Which suitor will Ann choose?  The "pig boy" as her sisters call him or will she choose one of the other two suitors, one of which she dearly loved and has prayed for him to return?

What makes this book even better is that it is based on a true story.  Of course, liberty is taken with details, but the Hanby's were a real family and Will was an apprentice to Mr. Good, a cruel master.  The major details in this story followed the true facts of this family.

I absolutely loved Mrs. Elliott's book.  I can't wait for the second book to come out.  Her style of writing was wonderful and I found it hard to put this book down.  Despite it being a bigger book, it took me a shorter time to read it!  If you are looking for a book to read, add this one to your list.  You won't be disappointed.

For more opinions on this book, go to http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13424909.

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I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

My little golfer

This is one of B's favorite sports.  Imagine that.  I know that comes as a shock for those of you who know Daddy T!  We try to take him putt-putting at least once a month because he loves it so much.  While we were on vacation, we thought that we'd take him by himself so he could be alone with just Mommy and Daddy.  He even got to miss his nap for it.  Now that was special! 

It was fun to spend some alone time with him.  Too often I feel like he doesn't get enough attention.  I know he does, but for so long he was the only one who got ALL of our attention.  I know he doesn't mind it, but he sure does enjoy our little dates where it's just him.  Baby M enjoys her days when B goes to the farm for the weekend, too!

I took a video of how B golfs.  I thought it was too cute.  Oh, and I should mention he got 2 hole-in-ones.  He consistently beats me, although I think he cheats.  He always gets several hole-in-ones though without cheating.  He likes it when he gets them and Daddy T doesn't!

Book Review: One Call Away by Brenda Warner

I'll be honest.  I knew Kurt Warner played football, I knew he was popular, and I knew he and his wife started First Things First.  That's where my knowledge of the Warner family ended.  I did not know they had seven kids.  I did not know that Brenda was a Marine.  I did not know that she almost lost her firstborn baby.  In fact, I learned a lot about this woman. 

I didn't really expect to enjoy this book because I just figured it would be another one of those typical memoirs.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was different from the rest.  It was encouraging to hear her be blatantly honest about her feelings, to hear her talk about her financial difficulties, and to hear about a painful experience that happened in her marriage. 

I found that I could relate to her in some ways, but I have great respect for this woman who is Kurt's helper and who is a mom of seven.  I admire her honesty and her compassion. 

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I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <[...]> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Alligator Farm

We had so much fun on our vacation this year. We went to St. Augustine, FL and it was perfect weather except for your typical afternoon storms. We ventured out one afternoon to go to the Alligator Farm because we thought B would enjoy it. Of course, it rained right before we went in so we were dripping sweat from the humidity the whole time, but it was very interesting and fun. I'll say those people who get in the cages with the alligators are crazy! You could get in with them and get your picture taken if you wanted to. We passed. I could see B in there now. Not a good scenario!

I forgot how big this aligator was, but he was the largest.  He replaced Maximus.

These people were crazy!  They did a whole show and would make them snap their mouths shut and all.



Free Download!

Here is one more free download for your Kindle.

A Time to Heal (Quilts of Lancaster)-Barbara Cameron

Book Review: Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman

We are a performance-based nation.  We too often determine a person's worth and credit by what job they hold, the position within that job, how much money they make, how busy they are, the type of car they drive, the house they have, or the lifestyle they live.  Americans are all about performance. 

Emily shares her story in the pages of this book about how she never lived "bad." In fact, she was a "good" Christian.  She went to church every Sunday, she read her Bible, and she worked hard to be that good Christian girl that has a great reputation.  However, in her heart, she didn't truly know God.  She did to a point, but it wasn't until later that had to let go of the works aspect of being a Christian and instead trust and know that Christ isn't about works.  He loves us and wants us to understand that deep down in our hearts.  When we do that, the works will come and then it won't seem like such hard work.

I would definitely recommend this book for the person who is discouraged or who has a hard time understanding that works won't make God love you more than He already does.  You can also read Emily's blog for more encouraging articles written by her.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Free Kindle Downloads!

I love my Kindle and am constantly on the lookout for free Kindle books that are good.  Here's a list of some I found for this week.

The Choice (Lancaster County Secrets, Book 1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

Daughter of Joy by Kathleen Morgan

The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund

Vacation pt. 2



B's ribs look horrid in this picture!  I promise he eats.  A lot.  He's so active that he stays really skinny!

 

B likes to float like this.  Next step will be swimming.

Book Review: A Confident Heart by Renee Swope

To be honest, what made me first chose this book was the fact that it had a foreword by Lysa TerKeurst.  I really enjoy Lysa and figured that if she liked this book then I should give it a try.  I think this is a perfect book for someone who doubts themselves and has a hard time thinking that God can and wants to be everything thing to them, despite the past, the lack of skills to offer, the knowledge, etc.  I mean, who at some point hasn't felt that God couldn't possibly use us.  It may be a fleeting thought or it may be one that is deeply lodged within us.

This book was written to where it could be used as a small group women's study.  It has questions after each chapter so you can dig deeper if you want.  She is very honest throughout about how she didn't think she was worth anything for many years and how it bothered her (and still could if she let it) when her kids forgot to appreciate her or her husband couldn't be all she wanted him to be.  Her story wrapped into this  was encouraging, despite all of the trials and pain she has gone through.

If you know of any discouraged women, buy this book and pass it to them.  I think that as they hear Renee's story that they, too, will come to the understanding that God is their Father, God wants what is best even when there are periods of silence, and God is Sovereign.  No past and no failure is so bad that He can't use it to bring glory to Him.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest review of this book.

Matt Papa....my new favorite artist

Check this  video out.  I've been loving his music since I discovered it a few weeks ago.  Apparently he's been around, but I love his music and his lyrics.  He has a variety of different musical styles, which makes the CD fun to listen to since the songs aren't that predictable musically.  However, his lyrics are incredible.  They are very biblical and challenging.  He dares to go deep and make you uncomfortable.  I love it!  Listen to what he has to say about this song and I think you'll find yourself worshipping Christ with your whole heart because the words point to Christ.  I keep his CDs on throughout my day and they remind me to pray for the missionaries, to live out the gospel even if it's uncomfortable and to live as a follower of Christ even when others think I've gone mad!  I'm interested in your thoughts on his music.   (The full band version is better than the acoustic version but you it's still good.  It makes it easy to hear the words.)