Sunday, August 13, 2017

Temperature Blanket - Week 32

Aug 6: 79 Rain 8:15 - 10:30 am
Aug 7: 75
Aug 8: 82
Aug 9: 82 Andy's birthday
Aug 10: 81
Aug 11: 77
Aug 12: 77
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Book Review: "Silencing the critic: Letting Go of Not Good Enough" by Rosemary Hines

I love that she gives the clear salvation message right at the beginning of the book. I found this book to be helpful in not letting the Devil make me feel not good enough. While I was doing this study I recognized the exact thing we were studying happening with a member of my family. It helped me get through it better.


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Saturday, August 12, 2017

Book Review: "12 Saturdays" by F. P. Lione

I did not know what to expect with this book as I had not read anything about it. It was written in 1st person. At times it felt like we were with Jenna and she was telling us about her day. Other times it felt like a list of things. It was a unique writing style. I was glad to see the growth in Jenna's life. The Biblical content was well done. I really did not like Jenna's family.
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Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Book Review, Blog Tour, and Giveaway: "The Return" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

About the Book

The Return-Book CoverBook title: The Return
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Release date: Sept 1, 2017
Genre: Amish
In a wild country, the true cost of love may be more than they can bear
Beautiful and winsome, Betsy Zook never questioned her family’s rigid expectations, nor those of devoted Hans—but then she never had to. Not until the night she’s taken captive in a surprise Indian raid. Facing brutality and hardship, Betsy finds herself torn between her pious upbringing and the feelings she’s developing for a native man who encourages her to see God in all circumstances.
Greatly anguished by Betsy’s captivity, Hans turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort. She responds eagerly, overlooking troubling signs of Hans’s hunger for revenge. But if Betsy is ever restored to the Amish, will things between Hans and Tessa have gone too far?
Inspired by true events, this deeply layered novel gives a glimpse into the tumultuous days of prerevolutionary Pennsylvania through the eyes of two young, determined, and faith-filled women.
302893_TheReturnFisher_GiveawayPosts

About the Author

Fisher_SuzanneWoods (1)Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Anna’s Crossing and The Newcomer in the Amish Beginnings series, The Bishop’s Family series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.comand follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

My Thoughts "The Return" is the final book in the "Amish Beginnings" series. It would be best to read them in order to fully grasp the context of the story. The book flowed well and I was easily immersed in 1763 Amish country. The story was told from the viewpoint of many different characters: Betsy Zook, Tessa Bauer, Felix Bauer, & Anna Bauer. I kept wishing I could read faster so I could find out was was going to happen and who ended up with who romantically! I thought it seemed wrong that Tessa had a crush on Hans. While he wasn't biologically related to her father, he was raised as his brother, so she should think of him as an uncle. I changed what I wanted to happen several times. I was surprised by what happened and saddened to read that the massacre was based on reality. I had thought of this as Tessa's story, but it is also just as much Betsy's story (especially with the title). Tessa grew in her character and became a stronger, nicer person. Betsy also had a different kind of growth.  I will definitely be reading more books by Suzanne Woods Fisher.

Guest Post from Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Three Sisters’ Garden: Corn, Squash & Beans!
Corn was a new food to the immigrants to the New World, introduced to them by Native Americans. Soon, it became an essential part of their daily diet, in one form or another. Growing it brought yet another new discovery: companion planting in the form of the Three Sisters’ Garden.
ThreeSistersGarden2According to Iroquois legend, corn, squash and beans were three inseparable sisters who only grew and thrived together. 18th century Native Americans wouldn’t have understood the science behind why companion planting worked, but they knew it did. Beans, like all legumes, have bacteria living on their roots that help them absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use. Corn, which requires a lot of nitrogen to grow, benefits from the legumes and provides a pole support for the beans to climb. Low growing squash leaves shade the soil and prevent weed growth. Their sharp and prickly leaves deter pests. This tradition, of planting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, became a sustainable system to provide long-term soil fertility among Native American tribes that farmed.
The wisdom of planting Three Sisters’ Garden was adopted by the immigrants, including our own Betsy Zook from The Return. Betsy learned of the technique while a captive among a tribe of Indians and later, after she had been returned to the Amish, shared her knowledge with Anna and Bairn.
ThreeSistersGardenHave you ever considered growing a Three Sisters’ garden? All you need is the right kind of seeds, a mound of dirt in a sunny spot, and to not forget to water. Mother Nature will do the rest.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling, award-winning author of novels about the Old Order Amish. Her interest in the Plain People began with her grandfather, who was raised as a Dunkard (German Baptist) on a farm in Pennsylvania. Suzanne loves to connect with readers! You can find her on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

*Images courtesy of Dream Home Improvement and Technology Exchange Lab

Blog Stops

August 1: Quiet Quilter
August 1: Remembrancy
August 2: Bigreadersite
August 2: lighthouse academy
August 3: Genesis 5020
August 3: Book by Book
August 4: Carpe Diem
August 6: Artistic Nobody
August 7: A Reader’s Brain
August 7: Pause for Tales
August 7: Splashes of Joy
August 8: Live.Love.Read.
August 9: Mary Hake
August 9: Simple Harvest Reads (Spotlight)
August 11: The Power of Words
August 11: Karen Sue Hadley
August 11: Neverending Stories
August 12: Cafinated Reads
August 12: TinaTruelove
August 14: Vicky Sluiter
August 14: By The Book

Giveaway

302893_TheReturnFisher_GiveawayPosts3
To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is doing an amazing giveaway from August 1 through 14! Check it out:
Four winners will receive one of the prizes below:
An Amish Gift Basket and a copy of The Return
Amish popcorn sampler and a copy of The Return
The Amish Beginning 3 book set series
One grand prize winner will receive:
An iPad Mini
You can enter at Suzanne’s website (http://suzannewoodsfisher.com/contests/) or on her Facebook page (http://gvwy.io/q1kb9u4)
"The Return" is available in paperback:
  • Series: Amish Beginnings (Book 3)
  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Revell (August 1, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0800727509
  • ISBN-13: 978-0800727505
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches

and in Kindle edition:
  • File Size: 9486 KB
  • Print Length: 338 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0800727509
  • Publisher: Revell (August 1, 2017)
  • Publication Date: August 1, 2017
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B01N98WSMW

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received. 
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Monday, August 7, 2017

Book Review, Blog Tour, and Giveaway: "Manuscript for Murder" by Chautona Havig

About the Book

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Book title: Manuscript for Murder
Author: Chautona Havig
Release date: October 13, 2012
Genre: Mystery
Alexa Hartfield. Author, local celebrity, fashion connoisseur. She chose Fairbury for its close proximity to Rockland, its small town atmosphere, and its low crime rate.
Then someone made her life a literary cliché. A mysterious accident with a light bulb sparked an interesting idea for her latest novel—and for Fairbury’s new serial killer. The first replication infuriated her. The second left an even worse taste in her mouth. The third blasted more than her self-confidence, and the fourth beat her down so far she’s considering giving up writing completely.
Who is killing Fairbury’s citizens, and furthermore, why and how are they using her novels to do it?
My Thoughts  I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story as I was a little confused as to what was going on, but once I did, I had a hard time putting it down. I was intrigued by what was happening and wanted to know who was doing it and how. The story is told from the view point of several characters (some more than others): An unnamed "stalker" (for lack of a better word), Alexa Hartfield, Lorie Thorne, Darrin Thorne, Jordan Freidan. I look forward to reading more Hartfield Mystery books in the future.

About the Author

media-headshotChautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave Desert with her husband and five of her nine children. Through her novels, she hopes to encourage Christians in their walk with Jesus.

Guest Post from Chautona Havig

How Arrows & My Obsession with Vintage Clothes Inspired Murder
A swath of fabric cut across my bedroom at an odd angle but that angle ensured that I could stretch it all out. With painstaking precision, I pinned every last piece to the fabric, disgusted at the enormous waste stretching out before me.
The pattern called for three and a half yards. I’d crammed it into two at most.
Just as I picked up the scissors for the first cut, Mom popped her head in the door to see how I was doing. I pointed out the waste. “Grandma said patterns always told you to buy way too much, but I’ve got enough to make another dress!”
Mom stepped closer. I want to say a cigarette hung from her lips, but let’s face it. No way would Mom ever allow the ashes to drop on the carpet. But it felt like one was there, nonetheless. Mom pointed. “Chautona, I don’t know anything about sewing, but I think those arrows are there for a reason.”
And with that, she turned away.
I stared down at the pattern. My arrows zig-zagged all over the place. A glance at the directions showed all arrows going exactly the same direction. Straight up and down the fabric.
You know, if I’d been doing this for the first time in 2017, I could have just zipped on over to “the Google,” as Mom calls it, and looked up why. Instead, I grabbed a thick sewing manual I’d bought for a buck at Pick-N-Save and flipped through it until I found a section on laying out patterns.
A couple of minutes later, I flew down the stairs. “The book says that the long, smooth edges are called selvages. The arrows are supposed to run parallel or the dress might hang wonky.”
Here, I can guarantee Mom took a puff of that cigarette. Man, I hated those things. “Well, like I said. I don’t know anything about sewing, but they looked important.” She blew a puff of smoke.
That’s when I suspected that Mom knew more about sewing than she’d let on.
What does this little sewing lesson have to do with mysteries and murder?
Well, see. This was a test dress. I’d only decided to learn to sew because I’d also decided that I wanted Nancy Drew’s wardrobe. In 1982, you couldn’t buy trim, neat clothing from the 50’s. I had Gunne Sax skirts and preppy tops with ruffles that my parents hated. When they found out I wanted a sewing machine to make clothes like that, they got me one.
Yep. I cut my reading teeth on Nancy Drew and didn’t stop there. I read all the youth mysteries—Bobsey Twins, Trixie Belden, Hardy Boys, Meg Duncan (she was a fave, too), and when I got a little older, Phyllis Whitney.
I loved the challenge of seeing events play out—and figuring out why. Why told me who. You get to where you can figure out things rather easily. But if you make me doubt my ideas, that’s good enough. I love that.
Is it any wonder that one of the first books I conceived was a mystery? I’d never put the ideas together until I began working on this post, but really… is it any wonder that I gave that author a love of vintage fashion? Too funny. But those arrows on that pattern? They taught me pretty cool lessons as a kid. Like Mom said:
 “Those arrows are there for a reason.”
Isn’t that what God’s directional arrows in His Word are like? They’re there for a reason. They keep us from getting all wonky. It’s why Alexa writes the kind of books she does. I never could, but as she says when she describes telling someone why she writes horror/suspense,
“I tried to describe a world where we never see justice—where sin surrounds us, but the only response we see is a sweet romance or a heartwarming tale of doing good to our neighbors… And God is a God of more than love and mercy. [He’s also a God of] justice.”
Alexa writes what she does to help people sort out those crossed arrows and see that there is a point to it all—that eventually justice and mercy converge paths into one rather than criss-crossing all over the place, trampling each other. She doesn’t write Christian fiction, but I don’t know how a Christian can write fiction without some part of faith shining through. In Alexa’s, and I hope in mine as well, there’s an overarching theme that illustrates that the Lord hasn’t forgotten the people He created.

Blog Stops

July 28: Bigreadersite
August 1: Mommynificent
August 3: Carpe Diem

Giveaway

Mystery-Giveaway
In honor of her Manuscript for Murder Celebration Tour, Chautona is giving away a mystery prize package worth over $100. Enter here: https://promosimple.com/ps/bc16
Would you like to know what’s in it? Find the first clue within the giveaway image below, then hop on over to Chautona’s website to begin the search for more clues and you might find a special giveaway just for clue hunters! Can you find all the clues before Augusta Septemus does?
"Manuscript for Murder" is available in paperback:
  • Series: The Hartfield Mysteries
  • Paperback: 312 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 7, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 148011054X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1480110540
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches

and in Kindle edition:
  • File Size: 3742 KB
  • Print Length: 313 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 148011054X
  • Publisher: Createspace (October 13, 2012)
  • Publication Date: October 13, 2012
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B009QKN8NQ

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received. 
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Sunday, August 6, 2017

Temperature Blanket - Week 31

July 30: 84
July 31: 86
Aug 1: 86
Aug 2: 87
Aug 3: 80 Rain 3:30  - 4:30 pm
Aug 4: 68 Rain 1:30 - 3:30 am & 4:00 - 4:30 pm
Aug 5: 76

Using my temperature scale, I had the following number of days of each temperature. (The first number is for just July and the second is cumulative for the whole year)

 < 9 :   0/0
10-14: 0/2
15-19: 0/2
20-24: 0/5
25-29: 0/10
30-34: 0/14
35-39: 0/21
40-44: 0/13
45-49: 0/11
50-54: 0/13
55-59: 0/14
60-64: 0/14
65-69: 0/14
70-74: 0/14
75-79: 10/23
80-84: 13/23
85-89: 8/16
90-94: 0/2
(17 colors)

Using the more common scale, I would have ended up with:

 <  22: 0/8
23-32: 0/23
33-43: 0/36
44-53: 0/22
54-66: 0/33
67-77: 6/44
78-88: 23/41
89 < : 2/5
(8 colors)
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Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Book Review: "Out of the Ashes" by A.M. Heath


My Thoughts:
"Out of the Ashes" is the third book in the "Ancient Words" series and to best understand it, you need to read the books in order. "Out of the Ashes" tells the story of the characters' lives after the Civil War is over and how they move on with their lives. It is told in third person from the view points of (in order of first appearance): Frank Harper, George Chandler, Melissa Lowe, Olen Harper, Ralph Williams, and Rose Forrister. This book was well written. I liked the Biblical truths found in the story. Aside from Olen , all of the "view point" characters had quite significant growth throughout the story (he had his growth in an earlier book). I really enjoyed the wrap up of the Civil War era portion of the series and look forward to the present day portion and how A. M. Heath will tie the two parts together.

Giveaway:  



Sale:
July 31: Karen Hadley @ Karen Sue Hadley : Book Review
Aug. 1: Krista Noorman @ by Krista : Book Review
Aug. 2: Becky Dempsey @ Blossoms and Blessings : Book Review
Aug. 4: Alicia Ruggieri @ A Brighter Destiny : Book Review and Interview
Aug. 7: Dana Kamstra @ D.L. Kamstra  : Book Review
Aug. 9: Laura Wilson @ Blue Eye Books : Book Review
Aug. 11: Amanda Tero @ With a Joyful Noise : Book Review
Aug. 14: Deana Dick @ Texas Book-aholic  : Book Review
Aug. 15: Virginia Winfield @  Bigreadersite : Book Review
Aug. 16: Raechel Lenore @ God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae : Spotlight
Aug. 18: Debbie Curto @ Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations : Book Review and Interview

"Out of the Ashes" is available in paperback:
  • Series: Ancient Words Series
  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 7, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1546309705
  • ISBN-13: 978-1546309703
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches


and in Kindle edition:
  • File Size: 1564 KB
  • Print Length: 433 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publication Date: July 31, 2017
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B071FMPJLL


I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily
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