A Hopeful Heart

Can she turn her second-best chance into a golden opportunity?

Dowryless and desperate, Tressa Neill applies to the inaugural class of Wyatt Herdsman School in Barnett, Kansas. The school's one-of-a-kind program teaches young women from the East the skills needed to become a rancher--or the wife of one. But will Tressa have what it takes to survive Hattie Wyatt's hands-on instruction in skills such as milking a cow, branding a calf, and cooking up a mess of grub for hungry ranch hands?

Abel Samms wants nothing to do with the passel of potential brides his neighbor brought to town. He was smitten with an eastern girl once--and he got his heart broken. But there's something about quiet Tressa and her bumbling ways that makes him take notice. When trouble strikes, will Abel risk his life--and his heart--to help this eastern girl?

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren. She invites you to visit her Web site atwww.kimvogelsawyer.com for more information.


My Review:  This was a good book to read on yet another rainy cloudy day. I enjoyed seeing these women become hardworking and knowledgeable about all aspects of ranching.   I also appreciated the tension between the main characters as they fought their initial attraction to each other based on their preconceived notions.

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

Momology

Your go-to book for successful mothering

Mothering is part art, part science, and always a work in progress! Backed by more than thirty years of research-based ministry at MOPS International, Momology is designed to help you be the unique mother God created you to be--because better moms make a better world.

Shelly Radic is Chief of Staff at MOPS International, author of The Birthday Book, and a regular contributor to MOPS publications. Her writing is informed by her education, mothering her four children, and twenty years of MOPS experience. She lives in Colorado.

My Review:  This book was chock full of good advice and research related to parenting in the 21st century.  It emphasizes the importance of having a network of friends that are dealing with similar situations in their own parenting lives.  Several times it refers to MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), which is an international organization that has established "mom" groups all over, however I believe that it is mostly a US program.  That being said, this book was really important for me to read right now as I prepare to leave my friends and start over in a new town where I don't know anyone.  It would be easy to hide in the security of my home and feel like a victim of this move at times.  However it is also my responsibility to get out there and meet people.  This book encouraged me to get "out there" and start establishing some friendships, at the park, the church or wherever... before a sense of isolation sets in.  It's for my own wellbeing, but it will also help me to be a better mom by having those supports.

You can also check out the Mom-ology website, beginning on July 1st!  

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

A Tailor-Made Bride

When a dressmaker who values beauty tangles with a liveryman who condemns vanity, the sparks begin to fly!

Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with Coventry, Texas's new dressmaker. He's all too familiar with her kind--shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothing, this seamstress is not at all what he expected.

Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man?

When Hannah decides to help Jericho's sister catch a beau--leading to uproarious consequences for the whole town--will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?

Karen Witemeyer holds a master's degree in psychology from Abilene Christian University and is a member of ACFW, RWA, and the Abilene Writers Guild. She has published fiction in Focus on the Family's children's magazine, and has written several articles for online publications and anthologies. A Tailor-Made Bride is her first novel. Karen lives in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children.Visit Karen's Web site atwww.karenwitemeyer.com 

My Review:  I always enjoy fiction when the main character is a strong successful woman and this book is no exception.  I was cheering for Hannah as she set out to establish her dressmaking business in a new town, despite the complications that arose along the way.  The dynamics between the characters was also very entertaining.  This book was fairly predictable but in a good way, and I am looking forward to more books by Karen Witemeyer as this was her first novel.

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

Out of the Spin Cycle

Following Jesus shouldn't be just one more thing to do

Motherhood sometimes feels like a list of expectations. You may be busy or even overwhelmed. But you are also strong and brilliant. And here's a secret: a lot of those things on your list of expectations are things Jesus never expected you to do on your own.

In Out of the Spin Cycle, author and speaker Jen Hatmaker takes the words and deeds of Jesus, adds the humor of a young mom's life, and offers messages of grace and encouragement. Covering areas such as worry, marriage, priorities, money, and the comparison trap, this dynamic Bible teacher brings Jesus's message alive in short, to-the-point devotionals for your busy life. This is a devotional for you--the woman inside the mom--the Bible student, the learner, the world-changer.

So put aside that to-do list for a moment and discover the ways Jesus can lighten your mother load.



Jen Hatmaker is the author of seven books and Bible studies, including A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study. With a heart for the women of her generation, she speaks at retreats and conferences around the country. Jen and her husband, Brandon, reside in Texas with their three children, and lead the ministry work at Austin New Church.

My Review:  I enjoyed this lighthearted devotional book.  The author had an excellent mix of humor and seriousness in each of the 40 devotions.  It didn't require a huge time commitment to sit down and absorb what was written, and it also didn't have a really heavy reflection aspect to it.  There were a few questions to consider but nothing that couldn't be accomplished in a short amount of time. I was encouraged by reading this.

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

New Hairdo

So I got a new 'do today.

I was tired of my current hairstyle and wanted something fun, although I wasn't sure what.

My hairdresser was excited!

She suggested this new style, and although it will take a little getting used to, I think I like it!

I haven't had bangs for a very long time.

 We also got rid of my highlights, and added some blonde color midway.

That part I'm not so sure about.  

My family is not too sure about this new 'do.  

Brie just said, "It's different".

Ella said, "It's pretty" (albeit with some hesitation).

and John...not a big fan, but he is fairly resistant to change.  

Hmm...

What do you think?  

(By the way I was lazy and took the photos using my Macbook camera.  This is where I do my schoolwork outside, sitting on my wonderful *sigh* deck swing.)

The Mailbox

The Mailbox
by:  Marybeth Whalen


Centered on a real landmark on the coast of North Carolina, The Mailbox blends intriguing folklore and true faith with raw contemporary issues that affect every woman.

When Lindsey Adams first visits the Kindred Spirit mailbox at Sunset Beach, she has no idea that twenty years later she will still be visiting the mailbox-still pouring out her heart in letters that summarize the best and worst parts of her life.

Returning to Sunset for her first vacation since her husband left her, Lindsey struggles to put her sorrow into words. Memories surface of her first love, Campbell-and the rejection that followed. When Campbell reappears in her life, Lindsey must decide whether to trust in love again or guard herself from greater pain. The Mailbox is a rich novel about loss, hope, and the beauty of second chances.


My Review:  I really enjoyed this book.  It had a great storyline and although I could easily predict aspects of the ending, I was still surprised by some details as well.  The characters were also very realistic, not all perfectly put together.  I really like that this story is based on a real mailbox that is visited frequently by people who are writing to the Kindred Spirit.

***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review on behalf of TBB Media and David C Cook***

Tears and Stuff

So the last week has provided WAY more stress than is necessary when:
a) working on a large essay for a class that only has 1 1/2 weeks left
b) helping Brie finish up her Suzuki Book One to have a recital in her honor
c) preparing to move

Of course Saskatchewan is getting extremely high amounts of rain this year.  So much so that some farmers have not planted a single seed in their fields.  A town only a short distance away has already declared it an "agriculture disaster".

For us, time was feeling like it was on "pause".  We are not anxious to deal with goodbyes and things, but the anticipation of everything can be exhausting.  At this point we just want to get it over with and move on with our lives.

Enter the rainwater....

Water, water, everywhere.

Last week this was our theme.

The ground is literally soooo drenched that it had nowhere else to go.  It is now forcing its way into the basements of most buildings around here, including our church, but also our home.  Which will not be our home in another 2 1/2 weeks.

Yep.

We weren't sure whether to cry or yell last week.  It felt very unjust and downright discouraging.

I tried to keep reminding myself that we have MANY blessings, including John's stable job.  We will not have to struggle to keep food on the table, whereas this will be the reality for many due to the excess rain.

So we had water in our basement.  We spent some money and picked up a wet/dry shop vac as well as a dehumidifier to absorb the moisture in the air.  It wasn't keeping up, but our possessions weren't damaged either.

Next came the calls to a local contractor, who came out first thing in the morning to install a sump pump in our basement.  (Our house is 45 years old and has never needed it before this year)  By the way, small town businesses charge far less than they should for the professional work they do!

Then we phoned our insurance company.  The bad news?  Most companies do not cover groundwater seepage.  Regardless of the circumstances.  The good news?  Ours does!!  They sent out a cleanup crew the very next day, and will be back soon to give an estimate for repairs.

We are still a little unsure of how the whole insurance claim process will proceed, since we lose possession of this house very soon.  Yet I do know that all we have to pay is our deductible.  The new homeowners will not be getting an entire house right away, but they will be getting a renovated basement now!  Flooring, drywall and 2x4s will need to be replaced.

Church on Sunday was different than usual.  Many people are going through similar situations with their homes, and the church still had a lot of water.  Yet the singing was great as it was honest in communicating the rough time that this is.  I ended up crying for about half of the singing, partly because it was so appropriate for how I felt, and partly because I knew my time there was coming to an end.

Our church farewell is next week and I'm helping to lead singing with my dear friend Kristi.  We made it through our practice without tears today.  That is until she played the song that she is singing with her sister-in-law on Sunday.  I knew it was coming, but that still didn't soften the flow of tears.

I am going to be a wreck on Sunday.

I'm trying to tell myself that these tears are a good thing.  It means that God blessed me with an amazing best friend, and a wonderful church family that I will miss dearly.  I know that He has many more great things in store for us in our new town.

I just wish I could take my life off of "pause" and hit "fast forward" for a couple of weeks so that I could avoid the goodbyes.  And the tears.

The Homecoming

The Homecoming
by:  Dan Walsh


A reluctant war hero returns home and encounters a new chance at love.


No sooner has Shawn Collins returned home from the fighting in Europe than he is called upon to serve his country in another way--as a speaker on the war bond tour. While other men might jump at the chance to travel around the country with attractive Hollywood starlets, Shawn just wants to stay home with his son Patrick and his aging father, and grieve the loss of his wife in private. When Shawn asks Katherine Townsend to be Patrick's nanny while he's on the road, he has no idea how this decision will impact his life. Could it be the key to his future happiness and the mending of his heart? Or will the war once again threaten his chances for a new start?

Dan Walsh does not disappoint in this tender story of family ties and the healing of a broken heart.




My Review:  I was a huge fan of Dan Walsh's first book "The Unfinished Gift", which is the prequel to "The Homecoming".  It was fun to continue with the same characters although I will have to admit that I enjoyed the first book more than this one.  I didn't find it to be as emotionally gripping, and at times it felt like the story was rushed with gaps in the storyline.  That being said, it was still an enjoyable book.  I already had a connection with the characters so it was nice to find some closure for each of them.

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

Maid To Match

Maid To Match
by:  Deanne Gist

From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled--by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in proper servant etiquette, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid. After all, the one rule of the house is no romance below stairs.

But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs, their aspirations ...and their hearts.

My Review:  I enjoy the writing style of Deeanne Gist as I can pick up one of her books anytime and get involved in the storyline.  Maid To Match was a nice light read, mixed with some humor, romance and a glimpse into history.  It was easy to read in a short amount of time!

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

Looking For Advice

I need some help!

I am trying to plan out a painting scheme for the girls' room in our new place.  Of course I am trying to accommodate each of them with their favorite colors.

It's going to be difficult however.

Ella wants pink.

Brie wants red.

I've been browsing online for some ideas (as a way to avoid school and house related work!) and have found a few ideas.  Keep in mind that we will have a bunkbed in their room, rather than two individual beds.  However their beds, dressers and bookshelves are all white.  As are the window trim and doors in the room.

What do you think looks nicer for a girls room?



Light pink on the top 2/3 of the room, with coordinating red on the bottom?

Chair rail or no chair rail?

OR.....








































Light pink on all walls with 1 or 2 walls striped with coordinating red?

Do you have any other ideas?

Storyteller

Last night we drove to the city to see Robert Munsch!

Although I purchased the tickets months ago, it was still a rushed trip as Brie had school and John was working, although they both finished their days a little earlier than normal.

Up until a week and a half ago, I was super excited to see the master storywriter and storyteller.

Afterall, we own about a dozen of his children's books.  And Brie typically takes out 2 of his books from the library every day at school.  So much so that the librarian has joked about it with me!  We just love his stories.  The repetition and humor in every story is pure genius.

When we told the girls that we were going, Brie applauded for about 10 minutes straight.  She just loves his stories!  In fact, recently she created her own chapter book and announced that she is going to be an author AND artist for her own books someday.  (It wouldn't surprise me at all.  This girl has some TALENT!)

So we have been looking forward to this for quite a while already.

Until we heard from a "friend" that Robert Munsch has been in the news recently.  And not for something good either.  So I had to google it to find out for sure.

*gulp*

Yep, he is a drug addict.

But he has been clean for 4 months.

4!

F.  O.  U.  R.  months.

Pretty much about the time that I bought the tickets.  But we made the decision that this wouldn't negatively affect the children.  They have no clue what drugs even are.  Even knowing this man's battles with addictions doesn't take away from the fact that he is very talented.

So we went with a mostly positive attitude.

Although I do have to be honest and say that both John and I questioned if he was sober or not last night as we watched him with a critical eye.  (Darn RCMP makes you very sceptical!)

However the show was very entertaining.  He didn't chat first, instead he just jumped right into the first story.  The audience loved joining in on the repetitive parts of the stories, as well as volunteering to be the characters in each story.

Ella LOVED joining in on the repetitive parts of the stories.  Loudly.  She is quite the dramatic child so she also sat very still for the entire hour of the show.  When it came time for "Love You Forever" she snuggled close and demanded that we each take a turn rocking her back and forth.  The song for that story is still stuck in my head this morning.  But that is alright since this is one of my favorite books.      

Neither of our girls even considered putting up their hands to volunteer for a story.  That is until Robert Munsch (do I need to add his last name every time I talk about him?) asked if any parents had loud children.  Then Ella's eyes lit up as she threw her arm into the air.

I love that girl, despite (or maybe it is because of...) her loudness!  At least she knows that she is noisy.

Brie had a great time too.  She is more reserved when showing her excitement but she was giggling along with everyone else.  I even saw her yelling out the repetition a few times!  (Way to go girl!)

It was a fun time for everyone.  John's favorite was when he did "The Paper Bag Princess" and a dad was volunteered to be the dragon from the story.  Poor guy was not very animated but it made for some really funny entertainment as he had to "fly around the world".

We enjoyed many stories that we knew (Up Up Down, Mortimer, Moira's Birthday to name a few more) and some that we hadn't heard before.  I was positive that Brie had taken out every single one of his books at least twice, so it was a little surprising to find out there was some that we did not recognize.

I'm so glad that we all enjoyed it and had fun.

Wonder Full World

A trip around the world in one weekend

Wonder Full World Women’s Ministry Retreat Kit, the newest retreat kit for women from Group Publishing, Inc., offers an affordable, fun-filled, interactive experience for churches of any size and budget. The retreat kit equips churches to create an experience for the women of their congregations using the talent of their own members rather than having a speaker come in for the weekend. Wonder Full World is more than just a weekend getaway. It’s an imaginative journey around the world and an exploration of the “I wonders” in a woman’s heart through in-depth Bible study, an unforgettable worship experience, and an open invitation for girlfriends to draw closer together and experience the vastness of God’s love.

Q & A with Amy Nappa, Executive Editor of

Wonder Full World Women’s Ministry Retreat Kit

Q:  Let’s talk about the way churches usually do a women’s retreat. What makes Group’s retreat-in-a-box such a great alternative to the usual retreat setup?

A:  The traditional approach to a women’s retreat has been to look outside of the church for content and leadership, usually by hiring a speaker for the weekend. This tends to result in a lecture environment where women do a lot of sitting and listening. With a Group retreat, churches have access to all the resources they need to lead a meaningful, life-changing retreat, including the opportunity to encourage the women in their own congregation to fulfill the leadership roles. A Group retreat is about interaction. We give women ample opportunity to discuss, to share their hearts, and to make new friends.

Q:  What kind of woman will be touched by a Wonder Full World retreat?

A:  We really want to engage women of all ages and from a variety of experiences. This retreat was written to engage both married and single women, mothers and those with no children. In Group’s 2009 State of the Church Report, we discovered that 94 percent of women’s ministry leaders we polled felt that reaching younger women was a great area of need for them, so that is one of our greatest target groups. There is also a special woman that we are thinking of as we plan the sessions—the woman who does not know Jesus. We include a gospel message in every retreat, shared simply, and we tell the leader of that session to be prepared to share her own salvation story. We have also included all the Scriptures in the participant journals so that women who don’t know much about the Bible won’t have to search for them.

Q:  As you develop new ministry materials, what steps does your team at Group take to ensure that those materials will really connect with women?

A:  One of the most important aspects of the creative process at Group is the research. We do focus groups with women all over the place, with both the women who love retreats and those who hate retreats. We are intentional in creating a retreat to meet the needs of many women, and what those women tell us is that they want to be able to talk and make friends, not just sit and listen. We have incorporated lots of discussion time, allowing women to share their own stories of how God has worked in their lives and what they hope He will do in their lives. Once we have completed the actual content, we lead every retreat ourselves with a group of real women before we market it to churches. We invite teens as young as 14, and we don’t put them at the kids’ table because we see these retreats as great opportunities to initiate relationships that will become mentoring relationships.

Q:  As a woman equipping churches to minister to women, what do you see as the biggest challenge women’s ministries face today?

A:  I think the biggest challenge is to come up with new and creative ideas for engaging women. Most people know they need to do something different, but nobody wants to change. They wish they could reach more women, but they are bound to tradition. We don’t wear the same clothes now that we wore ten years ago, so obviously we are willing to change some things in our lives to stay relevant in the culture. But for some reason, nobody wants to give up on the Christmas Tea, for example, because it was once the highlight of the women’s ministry year…15 years ago! No wonder so many women perceive women’s ministry as something for their moms. For some ministries, reaching more women could be as simple as offering a women’s Bible study in the evenings as well as in the mornings so that working women can attend. But none of this will happen until someone decides to change.

Q:  Tell us more about Wonder Full World. What was the inspiration for the “around the world” theme?

A:  That was based on research. We do focus groups and research to determine the next theme. We were tossing around the question: where do we want to go? Then we realized that we had a seven-session retreat…and there are seven continents, seven wonders of the world. But women don’t care so much about the “wonders of the world.” They wonder about their faith, their families, their purpose, and their God. As women began to tell us what they really wonder about, seven clear themes emerged.  We have called them the Seven Wonders of a Woman’s Heart.  They are things like: “I wonder if anyone cares about me…I wonder if I matter to God…I wonder where God is when life is hard…I wonder if I can make a difference, etc.”

Q:  What is included in the Wonder Full World Women’s Ministry Retreat Kit?

A:  The contents of the kit (retail: $99.99) include:

·         Director’s guide with supply list, suggested schedules, and decorating ideas

·         Worship leader’s guide with sheet music for the songs

·         Custom CD with eight songs

·         Seven leader’s guides—one for each session

·         Training and promotional DVD including three commercials

·         CD with reproducible graphics, forms, and other goodies

·         Travel themed audio tracks for each session

·         Samples of all of the per-woman essentials and gifts (journal, charm, music CD, and tote bag)

·         Sample swatch from the service project blanket

The cost for materials is $13.50 per participant, which includes these essentials:

·         Journal with all the discussion questions, song lyrics, and Scriptures which is used throughout the retreat

·         Globe charm which is presented as a constant reminder of the retreat and God’s everlasting love

·         Service project (materials for fleece blanket – one blanket for every two participants)

For an additional cost, churches may also purchase a Wonder Full World tote bag and CD for each woman at the retreat. When the essentials and extras are purchased as a value pack, along with one blanket for every two women, the total cost is only $21 per attendee.

Wonder Full World Women’s Ministry Retreat Kit

Group Publishing    May 2010

ISBN: 978-0-7644-7400-2/$99.99

For other product information, visit www.group.com/womensretreats

Tears

This morning the girls and I wanted to take full advantage of the sunny weather, and the break in this horrible rainy season, and go to the park.

Apparently everyone else had the same idea this morning as the park was full of energetic happy children.

The kids were running around having a blast, and the parents were also thrilled to be out the house and finally enjoying some adult conversations.

We were there for quite some time, and I noticed that Ella had been sitting by herself for quite some time, on some large rocks that are on the edge of the park.  So I journeyed over to see what the problem was.

The poor girl sat with tears in her eyes and she looked very sad.

The reason for her tears?

Her best friend moved away in December.  Time has not softened the loss that Ella feels when she thinks of her friend Danielle.  Today she was remembering how she and Danielle would run around and play at the park.

It makes me cry just thinking about it.  I wish I could take that pain away for her, and I pray that our upcoming move will help her to find a new best friend for the years to come.

I have had many tears in the last days as our time here draws to a close.  Just this past weekend I was watching my best friend Kristi as she tested for her 5th black belt in Taekwondo.

Yes, her 5th black belt.

She is awesome!  She is now a Master of Taekwondo.

I was amazed as I watched her skill and confidence, but I had tears in my eyes as I thought how soon our time together was coming to an end.

(And yes....I feel a little silly for watching Taekwondo and crying)

I have no doubt that we will continue our friendship, no matter the distance that separates us.

But I'm still like that little girl sitting on the rock by herself, with tears in her eyes, thinking of the wonderful moments that we have shared together and wondering why it can't stay the same.