Christmas Swaps and Exchanges

This year, I once again participated in some swaps and exchanges.

The Tatting Facebook group had a swap for snowflakes where I sent to the same person I received from.

This is what I sent:

This is my own design and is tatted with 1 strand of #20 Lizbeth and 1 strand of #8 Loops and Threads Metallic Perle

This is also my design (not posted anywhere) and is tatted with #40 DMC

This is what I received:

The Polymer Clay Baby Facebook group was also hosting a swap and I really wanted to join but wasn't sure if I'd have the time, so I decided to wait until next year.  Somehow, my name was on the list anyway, so I decided I'd go ahead and do the swap.  My original partner didn't respond, so I was assigned a new partner.  My new partner was Kellie Beckett whose work I had been admiring and wishing I could get one of her babies!  

Here is my baby from Kellie:

Isn't he so cute?  

It took me another week and a half after I received my baby to finally get Kellie's finished!  Here she is: 

Isabelle was the 10th clay doll I've sculpted

I also participated in the Secret Santa exchange from Real Reborn.  This exchange, you don't send to the same person you receive from.

This is what I sent to my person:

All made by me (except the candy and post card!)

And this is what I received (not from the same person):

Book Review: "Courting Emily" by Amy Lillard

Emily Ebersol has always been in love with Luke Lambright and they have always planned that they would get married, have children, and live in Wells Landing among the Amish community they'd grown up in.  But Luke has decided he wants to race cars in the Englisch world.  Emily can't go and Luke can't stay. Being the daughter of the bishop isn't always easy, especially when you love a wayward boy.  Her dat sends her to help the Riehl family who has been struggling after their father's tragic accident.  She knows that he has ulterior motives in sending her--that she'll forget Luke and start noticing Elam Riehl.  Elam, who always seems to have a scowl and a gruff word.

Elam Riehl has taken on the weight of caring for the farm and the family since his father had his accident.  It doesn't leave time for anything else like courting the girl he's loved since he was 14, Emily Ebersol.  Not like it would matter anyway since she has always loved Luke.  But now that she's been helping out at his house and Luke is gone, does he have a chance to show her he is the kind of man she needs?

"Courting Emily" by Amy Lillard is the second book in the Wells Landing series.  I didn't read the first book, but this book is a stand alone and it isn't necessary to have read the first book first.  "Courting Emily" mentions details about what happened in "Caroline's Secret" so you know what happened (so if you want to read it, read it first!) and aren't left out.  I loved the characters in "Courting Emily" and struggled along with Emily in knowing what she should do and who she should choose.  I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more in the series.

I received a free digital Advance Reader Copy of "Courting Emily" from Kensington Books through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

"Courting Emily" is available for Kindle:

• File Size: 943 KB
• Print Length: 368 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1420134558
• Publisher: Zebra Books (January 6, 2015)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00LEU4RJK

and paperback:

• Series: A Wells Landing Romance
• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (January 6, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420134558
• ISBN-13: 978-1420134551
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches

1000 Posts and a Giveaway!

This is my 1000th post on my blog!!  So to celebrate, I am doing a giveaway!  You will receive a hand crocheted wreath ornament, a hand tatted snowflake ornament, and a copy of "The Legend of the Christmas Rose".  The giveaway will end on Christmas so be sure to enter soon!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: "Always on my Mind" by Susan May Warren

"Always on my Mind" by Susan May Warren is the 4th book in the Christiansen Family series (plus 1 novella).  It continues Casper Christiansen's story that started in the 3rd book ("When I Fall in Love").  Casper fled Deep Haven after finding out the reason for Raina Beaumont's deep hurts.  He tries to find fulfillment and satisfaction as an archaeologist and searching for treasure on the side in Roatan.  However, he is never able to get far from the memory of the summer he spent with Raina.  After his dig doesn't pan out, he heads back to Deep Haven to surprise Raina and tell her how he feels about her.  Showing up unexpectedly, he wasn't prepared for the fact that Raina was pregnant!  When Raina starts dating Monte Riggs, can Casper step back and let Raina go and not try and fix everyone's problems like normal?

"Always on my Mind" has a lot of things going on in it!  There is the main story line of Casper and Raina, but there is also a thread following Darek Christiansen as he struggles to keep the family resort afloat as well as a thread about trying to solve the mystery of the Duncan Rothe treasure.  I have read all of the Christiansen Family books except the first one about Darek (I think I'll have to remedy that!) so it was fun to get to see the other members of the family again.  I think that this book would be best to read after at least reading "When I Fall in Love" as Casper and Raina's story actually starts there.  There are "refreshers" in this book, but I think it would be best to get the whole story from reading the previous book.   I enjoyed reading "Always on my Mind" and read it too late into the night!  I wanted to shake some of the characters sometimes and held my breath in other places to see what was going to happen.  I would recommend this book to those who like Christian romances.

"Always on my Mind" is available in Kindle format:

• File Size: 3015 KB
• Print Length: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (December 18, 2014)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00LPQLIKY

and paperback:

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (December 18, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414378440
• ISBN-13: 978-1414378442
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 5.5 x 8.5 inches

I received a free paperback copy of this book from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

William and Sarah's Baptisms

William told me in October that he would like to get baptized, but he didn't tell Pastor until November because I was busy getting things ready for Halloween.  That gave me time to get those things finished and then be able to work on the tatting for his special baptism keepsake.  Sarah decided she'd like to get baptized, too.

Here are some pictures of their baptism keepsakes:

I was in the room with the kids so I got an interesting point of view from the side while Dad was in the auditorium filming it.  I did screen captures for the "still" pictures.

I love the little wave William gave ☺

Here is the video:

We went to Pizza Hut to "celebrate" and got to use Book It coupons from school.   We had a gift for Sarah and William.

Carriage Ride 2014

We usually try to go to the free carriage rides on the Thursday that they offer them as it usually is less busy than the Friday.  But this year, Emily has a drawing class at the community center on Thursdays, so Friday it was!  We got there 20 minutes before it was supposed to start and 20 minutes later, we were back in the car ready to leave!  It was the fastest we have EVER gotten our ride!

Our horse, Katie

Book Review: "Love at Mistletoe Inn: A December Wedding Story" by Cindy Kirk

"Love at Mistletoe Inn" by Cindy Kirk is the first in a new "A Year of Weddings Novella" series.  I like how the titles for this year's series are more imaginative than last year's titles!  (Love at Mistletoe Inn vs A December Bride)

Hope Prentiss helps her Aunt Verna run Harmony Creek, their red barn used for weddings and other events.  Her parents had accumulated a lot of debt before they died and their home had been filled with arguments over money.  Hope is extra careful with money and scared of having the same type of marriage herself.

John Burke is back in Harmony after ten years away.  He has finally made himself successful and is ready to settle where it feels like home.  He also wants nothing more than to show Hope that he is a man she can trust and hopes she will find the love that they used to share.

When Hope comes home to find John there with Verna, it is as if the last ten years have vanished and she is the 18 year old girl who eloped with John instead of going to their prom.  To add to the dilemma, she discovers that they are still legally married!  As she spends time with John again, will she want to go through a divorce or will she find love at Mistletoe Inn?

Hope and John are realistic characters and face real life struggles and feelings.  I was a little surprised at the turn of events that lead to them not being able to just get an annulment, but it was what drove the rest of the story of whether they were going to make their marriage work.  Aunt Verna's planning of the "deployed couple" was pretty obvious it wasn't for "Luke and Laura".


"Love at Mistletoe Inn" is available for Kindle:

• File Size: 1470 KB
• Print Length: 126 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1502968266
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: Zondervan (November 25, 2014)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00IWW5CP6

and paperback:

• Paperback: 134 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 23, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1502968266
• ISBN-13: 978-1502968265
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.3 x 8 inches

I received a free eBook version from Booklookbloggers in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions are my own.