My Stubborn Heart ~ A Book Review

Kate Donovan and her grandmother travel to Pennsylvania to renovate a house that has been in the family for many years.  Local handyman Matt Jarreau intrigues her, and she strives to break through the man's crusty personality to find out if there is a softer person hidden inside.  

This was my least favorite book that I've reviewed so far.  It was still enjoyable to read, but there was a lot of focus on physical appearance and touch which gave the story a lot of fluff.  If you are looking for a light read, then this is a good one.

                                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bethany House Publishers has a program where people can sign up to receive books free in exchange for a book review shared on a blog.  To sign up for this program you can go to:  www.bethanyhouse.com/bookreviewers 

The Icecutter's Daughter ~ A Book Review

Tracie Peterson is a very talented writer.  I love how her characters feel like friends, and by the time you finish reading you feel sad to say goodbye to them.

Raised by her widowed father and several brothers in the Minnesota wilderness doesn't give Merrill Krause much of a chance to be as feminine as her friends in the nearby town, but she is strong and capable which has its own attractiveness.  Which makes her an object of interest for Rurik Jorgenson when he comes to town to help his uncle run his carpentry business.  But can they overcome the obstacles thrown in their path?

A great example of how the truth will always come out, one way or another.  Another lovely story with a great moral!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bethany House Publishers has a program where people can sign up to receive books free in exchange for a book review shared on a blog.  To sign up for this program you can go to:  www.bethanyhouse.com/bookreviewers 

A Noble Groom ~ A Book Review

The story of Annalisa Werner and Carl Richards is one that seems doomed from the beginning, but we see God move and soften hearts in ways only He can.  Annalisa is a young German woman whose family moved to America in the hopes of finding a better life for themselves, but the American wilderness doesn't make it easy for them.  After the loss of her husband and the end of her loveless marriage, Annalisa is arranged to marry a distant cousin still living in the Old Country.  While waiting for her new husband-to-be, Carl appears out of nowhere and gives her a glimpse to how happy life really can be, but the secrets of his past could cause some serious problems.  

Throughout the story we see Annalisa's view of God change as she sees an example of a different sort of love.  I think Judy Hedlund did a great job of weaving a pleasant story in with showing us how God's love can change lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bethany House Publishers has a program where people can sign up to receive books free in exchange for a book review shared on a blog.  To sign up for this program you can go to:  www.bethanyhouse.com/bookreviewers  

To Honor and Trust ~ A Book Review

A young governess named Callie Deboyer spends the summer with her employers on Bridal Veil Island.  A quiet girl on a quiet island completely unsuspecting how much her life will be changed by the time summer is over.  

It's a very sweet story with just a touch of suspense.  I thought it portrayed an excellent example of letting God lead in life, and how when we wait on Him to reveal His will we often end up going in a direction we didn't even think was possible.  

Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller seem to be a good team when it comes to writing a pleasant story with a good,
solid moral base.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bethany House Publishers has a program where people can sign up to receive books free in exchange for a book review shared on a blog.  To sign up for this program you can go to:  www.bethanyhouse.com/bookreviewers  

Touching The Sky ~ A Book Review

It's time for my second book review!  Touching the Sky is the second book in the Land of the Lone Star series.  Tracie Peterson did an even better job with this book in my opinion than the first one.  

The story is about a sensible young woman named Laura Marquardt, and takes place at the end of the Civil War.  Tensions are high in the state of Texas at this time as everybody adjusts to the news that the North won.

Laura and her sister wonder what is ahead for them, but they approach their futures in very different ways.  Carissa Marquardt is naive and rushes into a marriage which Laura repeatedly warns her against.  When trouble starts to brew between Confederate supporters and Union soldiers, Laura begins to fear for her sister's safety.  

This book is another great mixture of suspense and love story, but it also gives a great example of faith and trusting God.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bethany House Publishers has a program where people can sign up to receive books free in exchange for a book review shared on a blog.  To sign up for this program you can go to:  www.bethanyhouse.com/bookreviewers 

Chasing the Sun ~ A Book Review

In my last blog post, I mentioned that I will be writing occasional book reviews.  My first review is on a book from the Christian historical fiction genre entitled "Chasing the Sun" by Tracie Peterson. 


The setting is Texas during the Civil War.  Hannah Dandridge is a young woman from Louisiana who moved to Texas with her father and two young siblings after the death of her step-mother.  She finds herself left with the task of raising her siblings and running a ranch when her father disappears while journeying back to Louisiana to check on family members who got caught in one of the many battles of the war.  While he's missing, the son of the original owners of the ranch arrives to take back what once belonged to his family.  We follow Hannah as she copes with not only the unknown of how to provide a home for her siblings, but also as she deals with the dangers of the war and Indian uprisings. 


My belief is that a novel should be used as a tool to show an example of some sort of life principle, and, in my opinion, "Chasing the Sun" does just that.  I was impressed by the lessons in faith, kindness, and forgiveness that were demonstrated.  The author did a good job of mixing a little bit of suspense in with a light amount of romance while also helping us explore what it was like to be alive in that time of history.  I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light read that includes good morals and a bit of interest. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bethany House Publishers has a program where people can sign up to receive books free in exchange for a book review shared on a blog.  To sign up for this program you can go to:  www.bethanyhouse.com/bookreviewers    

I'm Still Here!

I'm way behind in posting my projects from the past few months.  Mostly because they were gifts for other people and by the time I could post pictures without spoiling the surprise, I forgot about them...

Anyway, I have a bunch of things to show you, but I also have a new purpose for this blog that I'm really excited about!  I'm going to occasionally be posting book reviews.  I signed up with Bethany House Publishers to review books they send me to read.  Considering how much I love to read, I'm really happy with this setup.  I'm in the process of reading the first book they've sent me!

For now, though, I'll go ahead and post pictures of what I've been doing since the last time I posted on here. :) Enjoy and thanks for taking a look! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of my Christmas projects included the following:

 These two (above and right) are Christmas cards I drew and colored in with colored pencil.  It was a challenge for me because I haven't really done much drawing like that before.  I really enjoyed it though. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The next 6 pictures are Christmas cards I painted with acrylic paints.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For my mom I painted this for Christmas. My plan was for it to go in her dining room.  So I tried to replicate the fabrics she used in her quilted Roman shades she made.  I'm working on a second painting to go with this one so that she has one on each side of her window. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Christmas I was given a glass etching kit.  I haven't done a whole lot with it yet, but I have done a couple things...

This box is a collaboration I did with my sister-in-law for a silent auction fundraiser. I did the the glass etching and she did the painting. :)

I etched this mirror for my husband's grandmother for her birthday.  My mother-in-law bought candles that sit on the mirror and look quite pretty. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A friend of mine asked me to paint this plaque as a wedding gift for a friend of hers.  It was definitely a challenge, but I really enjoyed it.  I'm very happy with how it turned out. I also played with the progress photos and made them into a collage. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That is all I have for now.  I hope to have more things to post soon!