Tina The Storyteller

I'm giving away a copy of this book and the first book, Belonging, in the Where the Heart Lives series to one lucky reader! Leave a comment if you are interested, I'll pick a winner on January 7th. Betrayal is the second book in Robin Lee Hatcher's Where the Heart Lives series. The story is set in the western United States during the turn of the century. A lone wanderer finds himself on the ranch of a young widow. Not knowing why, he asks her for help and she agrees to give it to him. The two of them are both Christians, but have the shared experience of developing their faith in a very private way, he because he had no one to share it with while on a journey to find his sisters and she because of being in an abusive relationship with her husband for many years. The two of them learn to express their faith together and become much more than land owner and cow hand. Through the story, they begin to care for one another and fall in love. The story is an enjoyable read

We make this every year for our Christmas Open house and occasionally at other times of the year when a certain young lady wants a special treat. I have no idea where the recipe came from, but here it is for your enjoyment. Eggnog 2 eggs (pasteurized if you can find them) 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 quart whole milk Nutmeg 1/2 pint whipping cream Combine first five ingredients. Whip cream and fold into milk mixture. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Easy peasy! It's so tasty and easily doubled, tripled and quadrupled. It's not low carb, so I don't drink very much of it. Joel likes it in his coffee and I put some in the ice cream freezer this year and it turned out pretty tasty. What's your favorite beverage to make?

I'm sure that we've all heard of the bucket list by now. More Than a Bucket List is a great little book that can help inspire you to make your personal bucket list a little more God centered. Through out the book, there are all kinds of crazy things to do as well as small things that can be added to your day. I loved reading about things that I had no idea were even an option, such as spending the night in the White House and eating jellied moose nose. Though probably not at the same time. This little collection of amazing things is a great addition to anyone's coffee table. It can be picked up and browsed or read all the way through. Either way, you're sure to get something fun out of it. It is also encouraging. I foresee that it will be one of those books that I find on my bookshelf time and again, pick up and become inspired to try or do something I've never done before. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher thro

Today, I'm pretty much thankful for the ability to have a lazy day at home, in my bed, reading magazines, writing in my journal, and surfing the net. I'm also thankful for a little girl who gets excited by the idea of being able to watch TV all day and a husband who is willing to make dinner. What are you thankful for?

Still Lolo is Lauren Scruggs story of her recent accident that caused the loss of her left eye and left hand. This book does an excellent job of drawing us into the life that Lauren had before the accident, sharing perspectives of her parents and her twin sister. It also shares details of the accident with out being overly clinical or grotesque. But even more than all that, Still LoLo does an excellent job of expressing the battle that comes after the accident. The honesty that is expressed in regards to the frustration, depression, anger, and fear is comforting. Instead of hiding behind what could easily be a facade produced by media, the Scruggs family presents themselves as they are. One thing that became clear to me is that the emotion that was missing in this story is bitterness. And I would assume that is because of their reliance on God. It would be very easy to become bitter towards God, the pilot of the plane, the entire situation, but that is not expressed at all in this