tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-245579242024-03-07T13:14:33.318-05:00The Random Thoughts of CarrieThe random thoughts, rants, raves, passions and general nonsense of one thirty-something single gal living and working and worshipping in the low-country of South Carolina.RandomCarriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08215840139336211184noreply@blogger.comBlogger446125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-84571386138398491092014-07-23T12:43:00.001-04:002014-07-23T12:43:12.646-04:00Firewall -- A Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1414389930">Firewall</a></span></center>
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Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (July 1, 2014)</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.diannmills.com/">DiAnn Mills</a></span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAO7mG_orQ_5LL1dU-dF3exvoi-i3pHn5rpSrVxvK16eAeZVRQ_zPSOBSMXwoGR-ECf7SVhK6boeoiGaFX499g6Jy97JGSaqecE__s2Zmfd-3_DG9gXyB8ABA_FLDs4xw_RO4iA/s1600/Firewall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAO7mG_orQ_5LL1dU-dF3exvoi-i3pHn5rpSrVxvK16eAeZVRQ_zPSOBSMXwoGR-ECf7SVhK6boeoiGaFX499g6Jy97JGSaqecE__s2Zmfd-3_DG9gXyB8ABA_FLDs4xw_RO4iA/s1600/Firewall.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Wow....it's been a long time since I've read a book I literally did not want to put down. DiAnn Mills wove together a story that had me wanting to stay up past my bedtime, eat cereal for dinner, and wish for a moment I had started the book on a Saturday when work wouldn't get in the way.<br />
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The heroine of the story is Taryn Young. Married just the day before, she goes to the bathroom at the airport prior to boarding a flight to her honeymoon and is the victim of an airport bombing. Waking up in a hospital room, she finds she is being guarded by the police as she and her new husband are prime suspects. She learns quickly her new husband left her at the airport as soon as she entered the bathroom and disappeared. A computer programmer, her big project is at risk of ending up the wrong hands if the crime can't be solved quickly. Local FBI agent Grayson Hall sees honesty in Taryn's eyes and actions that leads him to believe she has been decieved and works tireless to protect her and figure out the tangled weave of deception that has forced their lives to cross paths. <br />
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This book has made me a fan of <a href="http://www.diannmills.com/">DiAnn Mills</a> writing and I look forward to finding more treasures in her other stories.<br />
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If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1414389930">Firewall</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/07/firewall-by-diann-mills.html">HERE</a>.
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-62997446656369592362014-07-10T17:05:00.002-04:002014-07-10T17:05:07.165-04:00Hope Deferred -- A Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1938708415">Hope Deferred</a></span></center>
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HopeSprings Books (July 1, 2014)</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.elizabethmaddrey.com/">Elizabeth Maddrey</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvGIYYSsmlfl7p_bY2JAz6BacmuHPKyanewP12AMxTFPKfM7YW5SNLejSdgeMKoP30XKS6yHY1Eux6ugGPtrcHeNgGR3fWsTGGzZBjfzDsEiI8tRW0__oTnjYEYb9D0uCPspxBw/s1600/ElizabethMaddreyHeadshot+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvGIYYSsmlfl7p_bY2JAz6BacmuHPKyanewP12AMxTFPKfM7YW5SNLejSdgeMKoP30XKS6yHY1Eux6ugGPtrcHeNgGR3fWsTGGzZBjfzDsEiI8tRW0__oTnjYEYb9D0uCPspxBw/s1600/ElizabethMaddreyHeadshot+(1).jpg" height="157" width="200" /></a></div>
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who loves a good happily ever after.
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Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of computers, math, and organization steered her into computer science at Wheaton College, she always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. This continued through a Master’s program in Software Engineering, several years in the computer industry, teaching programming at the college level, and a Ph.D. in Computer Technology in Education. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity.<br />
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She lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys.
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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Christian fiction for women.<br />
Can pursuit of a blessing become a curse? <br />
June and July and their husbands have spent the last year trying to start a family and now they're desperate for answers. As one couple works with specialists to see how medicine can help them conceive, the other must fight to save their marriage.
Will their deferred hope leave them heart sick, or start them on the path to the fulfillment of their dreams?
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If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1938708415">Hope Deferred</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/07/hope-deferred-by-elizabeth-maddrey.html">HERE</a>.
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-81149910459314248222014-06-26T18:07:00.002-04:002014-06-26T18:07:11.904-04:00Rival Hearts -- Book Review<div align="center">
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1426773463">Rival Hearts</a></span></center>
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Abingdon Press (June 17, 2014)</center>
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.tararandel.com/">Tara Randel</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfegeMi9R8218p-1Ny9ZKcFZz_8Zb2C4ndXdm_mkAqiav8_2vXjI8dcR2u9nClRUe_AfzA-sxiznv9M3mVMM5B3hDqn8EtfAEL31-Oz8-ru7YgQMWxY48HZasXfkdak_UkumPyw/s1600/tara+randel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfegeMi9R8218p-1Ny9ZKcFZz_8Zb2C4ndXdm_mkAqiav8_2vXjI8dcR2u9nClRUe_AfzA-sxiznv9M3mVMM5B3hDqn8EtfAEL31-Oz8-ru7YgQMWxY48HZasXfkdak_UkumPyw/s1600/tara+randel.jpg" /></a></div>
Tara Randel has enjoyed a lifelong love of books, especially romance and mystery genres, so it didn't come as a surprise when she began writing with the dream of becoming published. After finding Romantic Times magazine in a bookstore many years ago, she found information about writing organizations. Soon after, she joined Romance Writers of America. She located the local RWA chapter and immediately attended her first meeting. There was no stopping her after that!
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Through Tampa Area Romance Authors, Tara learned all about the business of publishing, starting with the craft of writing to behind the scenes of publishing. She served as contest coordinator for four years and served as President for one year, enjoying the organization and the lasting friendships made there.
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When not writing, Tara owns a business with her husband and stays busy with her two daughters. She lives on the West Coast of Florida, where gorgeous sunsets inspire the creation of heartwarming stories, filled with love, laughter and the occasional mystery. Enjoy!
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzlg8jQIL-7EeT15gZstQGySwi-S6nyFooml0E-wnGvCk2po0nnEvfUG24_6z7e_A8tCuWj9dZLGzoDKGRShms5DE3F2vK0KX8KMNAG-z7hBQry_jwn1lNMBumNEjjv8wFAjuLg/s1600/Rival_Hearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzlg8jQIL-7EeT15gZstQGySwi-S6nyFooml0E-wnGvCk2po0nnEvfUG24_6z7e_A8tCuWj9dZLGzoDKGRShms5DE3F2vK0KX8KMNAG-z7hBQry_jwn1lNMBumNEjjv8wFAjuLg/s1600/Rival_Hearts.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
Molly Henderson and Ben Weaver have been rival magazine writers for the same publishing group for years. When both come up for the same promotion, they find themselves in an unexpected competition to win the spot. Molly, editor of Quilter’s Heart, and Ben, editor of Outdoor Adventures, must switch roles, each working for the other for one month, then submit an article at the end of their quests.<br />
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Can girly-girl Molly survive the outdoor adventures that Ben has planned? Can Ben navigate the perils of the social dynamics of quilting events without destroying a valuable quilt in one short month? More importantly, in this he-said, she-said situation, will Molly and Ben give in to their attraction and fall in love, no matter who wins?
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If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1426773463">Rival Hearts</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/06/rival-hearts-by-tara-randel.html">HERE</a>.
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-26932718023448004062014-06-19T18:46:00.000-04:002014-06-19T18:46:11.026-04:00Yankee in Atlanta -- A Book Review<div align="center">
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802405789">Yankee in Atlanta</a></span></center>
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River North(June 1, 2014)</center>
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.jocelyngreen.com/">Jocelyn Green</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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Jocelyn Green is a child of God, wife and mom living in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is also an award-winning journalist, author, editor and blogger. Though she has written nonfiction on a variety of topics, her name is most widely recognized for her ministry to military wives: Faith Deployed. Her passion for the military family was fueled by her own experience as a military wife, and by the dozens of interviews she has conducted with members of the military for her articles and books, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and its sequel, Faith Deployed...Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. She is also co-author of both Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front (forthcoming, May 2012). Her Faith Deployed Web site and Facebook page continue to provide ongoing support, encouragement and resources for military wives worldwide.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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When soldier Caitlin McKae woke up in Atlanta after being wounded in battle, the Georgian doctor who treated her believed Caitlin's only secret was that she had been fighting for the Confederacy disguised as a man. In order to avoid arrest or worse, Caitlin hides her true identity and makes a new life for herself in Atlanta.
Trained as a teacher, she accepts a job as a governess to the daughter of Noah Becker, a German immigrant lawyer, who is about to enlist with the Rebel army. Then in the spring of 1864, Sherman's troops edge closer to Atlanta. Caitlin tries to escape north with the girl, but is arrested on charges of being a spy. Will honor dictate that Caitlin follow the rules, or love demand that she break them?<br />
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Id you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802405789">Yankee in Atlanta</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/06/yankee-in-atlanta-by-jocelyn-green.html">HERE</a>.
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-38129565223674152372014-06-09T01:02:00.001-04:002014-06-09T01:02:16.480-04:00A Place in His Heart -- Book Review<div align="center">
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0800722183">A Place in His Heart</a></span></center>
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Revell (June 3, 2014)</center>
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.rebeccademarino.com/">Rebecca DeMarino</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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Rebecca DeMarino was born in Pensacola, Florida, the daughter of a Navy pilot. Her mother made a home for the family of six all over the map, including Virginia, Nevada, California, Washington, and Guam, before her parents put down anchor on a ranch in Oregon.
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As the wife of a young Air Force officer, married life brought more travel. She relied on her mother’s example of how to make a home anywhere. Her three beautiful daughters were born in Florida, Alaska and Nebraska.
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Retired after sixteen years with a major airline, she manages to fulfill her love of wanderlust with frequent family or research trips.
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Rebecca grew up listening to her mother’s family lore of a great-grandfather from generations ago. Barnabas Horton sailed from England in the 1600’s, to Long Island, N.Y., on a ship called The Swallow. In 1999, after she found Horton Point, L.I., on a map, Rebecca and her mother made the journey to see the lighthouse named after their ancestor.
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The legend goes that Barnabas brought a slab of blue slate with him from England, and had the epitaph he wrote himself engraved on it. The blue slate still exists in the Old Cemetery in Southold, L.I., with the Bible verse, “He being dead, still speaketh.” Much information was found about Barnabas, but none of his wife, save a mention in his will.
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Her mother passed away in 2005, but Rebecca returned to Southold many times, drawn by her Puritan roots and English heritage. Each time she wondered about her ninth great-grandmother, a young woman who married a widower with two young boys and then followed them for the wilds of Long Island, leaving behind her home and family. What were her dreams? Her motivations? Her fears?
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Rebecca’s historical romance novel, A PLACE IN HIS HEART, debuts with Revell, a division of Baker Publishing House, in June of 2014.
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Puritan Barnabas Horton is still in love with his deceased wife and needs only a mother for his two young sons. And yet these two very different people with very different expectations will take a leap of faith, wed, and then embark on a life-changing journey across the ocean to the Colonies. Along the way, each must learn to live in harmony, to wait on God, and to recognize true love where they least expect to find it.
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This heartfelt tale of love and devotion is based on debut author Rebecca DeMarino's own ancestors, who came to Long Island in the mid-1600s to establish a life--and a legacy--in the New World.
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If you'd like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0800722183">A Place in His Heart</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-place-in-his-heart-by-rebecca-demarino.html">HERE</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">
Rebecca is hosting a Giveaway worth over $300.00 in prizes. There will be 8 winners! Scroll to the bottom of the post
<a href="http://www.rebeccademarino.com/a-place-in-his-heart-giveaway/">HERE</a> to enter!!!!!
</span></b>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-75060932063330141782014-05-31T13:47:00.000-04:002014-05-31T13:47:23.489-04:00Until I Found You -- A Book Review<div align="center">
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764211528">Until I Found You</a></span></center>
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Bethany House Publishers (May 6, 2014)</center>
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.victoriabylin.com/">Victoria Bylin</a></span></center>
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I really enjoyed this book! Kate Darby has fallen into a break into her career and uses the time to go home to care for her grandmother, owner of a local newspaper and widow of the man who loved reporting on the California Condors. When Kate swerves off the road on the way to her grandmother's home avoiding one of the beloved condor's, she is rescued by Nick Sheridan. Nick, a reformed bad boy, sets out to help Kate recover from all of life's heart breaks while staying true to the vow he made to remain single for one year post becoming a Christian. Like all romantic comedies you can see from the very beginning where the story is going. The part of this book I enjoyed the most was the inside scoop the author delivered into the people working to rehabilitate and restore the condor population to California. Having learned about some of this at the San Diego Zoo last year, it was fascinating to see how they weaved an important part of Kate and Nick's story together as well as the story of Kate's grandparents. The faith and life lessons that Kate's grandmother writes in her journal as she is recovering from the stroke are lessons we can all take to heart and apply to the situations we are going through.<br />
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If you'd like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764211528">Until I Found You</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/05/until-i-found-you-by-victoria-bylin.html">HERE</a>.
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-18969786772853026932014-05-24T16:49:00.003-04:002014-05-24T16:49:25.523-04:00Gathering Shadows -- Book Review<div align="center">
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
<center>
<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764211579">Gathering Shadows</a></span></center>
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Bethany House Publishers (May 6, 2014)</center>
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.nancymehl.com/Welcome.html">Nancy Mehl</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichXL0FeUFw5zhYs76zyqvNTR4gA1hhAIjruGar1ZQUYG0jF32K2G07MZ1HrKKUIr3gC57k3EeHbUNpGkF0eM2unpC48FYngt2WM35HduvwpABPZknXN9dwlrybPQwEIKX-sjUWA/s1600/Nancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichXL0FeUFw5zhYs76zyqvNTR4gA1hhAIjruGar1ZQUYG0jF32K2G07MZ1HrKKUIr3gC57k3EeHbUNpGkF0eM2unpC48FYngt2WM35HduvwpABPZknXN9dwlrybPQwEIKX-sjUWA/s200/Nancy.jpg" height="200" width="169" /></a></div>
Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and their dog, Watson. She’s authored thirteen books and is currently at work on her newest series for Bethany House Publishing.<br />
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All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”<br />
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She and her husband attend Believer’s Tabernacle in Wichita.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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Wynter Evans is a promising young reporter for a television station in St. Louis, but even a bright future doesn't take away her pain over the disappearance of her brother nine years ago. So when she stumbles across a photograph of a boy with an eerie resemblance to him, she can't pass up the chance to track him down. With research for work as her cover, she sets out with one of the station's photogs for the place where the picture was taken: the town of Sanctuary.
Almost as soon as she arrives, she meets the town's handsome young mayor, Rueben King, and together they begin to uncover long held secrets that could tear the small town apart and change everything Wynter thought she knew about her life. As the truth of her family's past hides in the shadows, it's clear someone will stop at nothing to keep the answers she's searching for hidden forever--even if the cost is Wynter's very life.
If you'd like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764211579">Gathering Shadows</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/05/gathering-shadows-by-nancy-mehl.html">HERE</a>.
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-75722414155547571242014-05-17T14:56:00.002-04:002014-05-17T14:56:44.875-04:00Rise and Shine -- Book Review<div align="center">
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
<center>
<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
<center>
<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802406300">Rise and Shine</a></span></center>
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River North; New Edition edition (May 1, 2014)</center>
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.sandradbricker.com/">Sandra D. Bricker</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWQPSxip5MRzSg-4RZpQskrsdKJLfjNio4iS7CZ5Jemc59np30qkZnoiXiWV7m8ilWK5RDq9VJaVJFw2CgFmLR5sFyzILBpotPfihbTPxIFnV959GErJ0arfkN9aoRsAOTWzm2w/s1600/Sandra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWQPSxip5MRzSg-4RZpQskrsdKJLfjNio4iS7CZ5Jemc59np30qkZnoiXiWV7m8ilWK5RDq9VJaVJFw2CgFmLR5sFyzILBpotPfihbTPxIFnV959GErJ0arfkN9aoRsAOTWzm2w/s200/Sandra.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></div>
For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles. While honing her chosen craft of screenwriting in every spare moment, she worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she walked away from that segment of her life and moved across the country to take on a new role: Caregiver. <br />
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The author says that it was her 8th novel that opened the door to finding her way as a writer. "I'm a Christian woman, first and foremost," she says. "So it was a bit of a dream-come-true when Summerside Press chose me as one of two authors to launch the Love Finds You line."
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Sandie's real-life role as cancer survivor has parlayed into her steadfast commitment to raising awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research. Spearheading a series of devotionals for Summerside Press (such as the popular <i>His Grace is Sufficient...Decaf is Not</i>), the author has stipulated that a portion of each contributor's proceeds will go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
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"Being allowed to combine my faith and my humor with raising funds for my pet projects ... and still pursue my writing dream," says Bricker, "well, that's the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"
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And one of the author's pet projects is animal rescue, evidenced by the special bond she has created with one particular formerly-abandoned puppy -- a red-haired collie with "killer brown eyes and the heart of the class clown."
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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Shannon Malone thought she'd found her happy ending when she married Edmund Ridgeway, but a diving accident on their honeymoon left her in a coma. Waking
up to the news that she's thirty years old would have been daunting enough . . . but she also learns that Edmund has lost his interim battle with cancer and the
world has marched on without her. Her gorgeous doctor, Daniel Petros, seems to know everything about her and becomes Shannon's tour guide into a whole new world of
madness where reality television has taken over the planet and everyone's life appears to revolve around a tiny screen on their cell phones!
As Shannon struggles to navigate through the changes-both in the world and in her-she also must discern real memories from imagined ones. Did she really ever wear capris pants and entertain in her living room, or was that Laura Petrie from her favorite classic TV show? And where is her beloved dog, Freeway? Oh, wait! That was Jonathan and Jennifer Hart's dog, not hers. Shannon's three elderly aunts flit through her life in true Sleeping Beauty style with her well-being always a priority.
And Edmund's sister Millicent descends like the Evil Queen she is, trying to extract Shannon from any claim on the Ridgeway family fortune. When a tornado moves through town and Shannon is knocked unconscious, will Daniel's kiss awaken her once and for all?
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<br />
If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802406300">Rise and Shine</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/05/rise-and-shine-by-sandra-bricker.html">HERE</a>.Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-89121312382348719872014-04-25T14:45:00.000-04:002014-04-25T14:45:00.582-04:00Stripped to the Studs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Mister and I are beginning a new journey in home remodeling (using a contractor, architect, etc. because between the two of us we work >80 hours per week.) In an effort to keep people up to date on this journy, I will be chronically the adventures <a href="http://kingkitchenchaos.blogspot.com/">here</a> if you would like to read along and keep up with what's happening during this phase of our life. And to not be too mean, here a sneak peak...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69Wwq4aB4XxwbmBVPGnnfWjW3w9iatidwb6Y6oANasV2uiD_fNu3UaCJy7yJIqXI-y0ut_FxlIa52LVYBegIB7BKYzCCf2mssEp9iNQudbx7jjAcmI72TVHYVz-oQSFkFC4TRGg/s1600/IMG_1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69Wwq4aB4XxwbmBVPGnnfWjW3w9iatidwb6Y6oANasV2uiD_fNu3UaCJy7yJIqXI-y0ut_FxlIa52LVYBegIB7BKYzCCf2mssEp9iNQudbx7jjAcmI72TVHYVz-oQSFkFC4TRGg/s1600/IMG_1473.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-91965955475491118732014-04-19T23:36:00.001-04:002014-04-19T23:36:07.719-04:00Lip Reading -- A Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
<center>
<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
<center>
<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0781405343">Lip Reading</a></span></center>
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David C. Cook (March 1, 2014)</center>
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.harrykraus.com/">Harry Kraus</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclOFeNDH5YS7R4bowoUxB41PATOlB1yNb5p97vGMVUQcAyWPtNOfxEisVS_R3Gn_x9HnXl-iYfAM7mRBqADOsSil2s5aWa9eIvONlgyUHZD_QE_hLC50KCw-bor-PxBjeilSGnw/s1600/HarryKraus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclOFeNDH5YS7R4bowoUxB41PATOlB1yNb5p97vGMVUQcAyWPtNOfxEisVS_R3Gn_x9HnXl-iYfAM7mRBqADOsSil2s5aWa9eIvONlgyUHZD_QE_hLC50KCw-bor-PxBjeilSGnw/s200/HarryKraus.jpg" height="200" width="170" /></a></div>
<b>A Word from Harry:</b><br />
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I started writing my first novel during my last year of surgery training at UK. I was a chief resident, and started writing Stainless Steal Hearts in a call room at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Lexington. It was a crazy time to write! I had a very demanding schedule, often spending days and nights in the hospital. I had two sons at that time, and I recognized the wisdom in my wife's urging: "Now doesn't seem the right time for this dream." <br />
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My experience as a writer is far from typical. Having received my formal training in biology and chemistry and medicine, my only preparation for a writing career was a love for reading. The longest thing I'd written before my first novel was a term paper in undergraduate school. My first novel was accepted by Crossway Books and published in 1994, and it wasn't until after I had FOUR published novels that I even opened a book of instruction about the craft of writing fiction. This is not what I recommend to others! Yes, I was successful, but I was bending the "rules" without knowing it. I had a natural talent for plotting, but I realize my initial success may have stunted my growth as a writer. I'd have made faster progress if I'd have gone to the fiction teachers sooner. <br />
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I have three sons: Joel, Evan, and Samuel. Look closely in all of my books and you'll see them there. My lovely wife, Kris, provides the basic composition for all those beautiful, athletic, dedicated women in my novels. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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<b>She Could Save Millions, or Save Herself</b>
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She just needs a little longer. She’s really close. Dr. Rebecca Jackson, a medical researcher, stands on the verge of a breakthrough that will transform medicine. But she soon discovers the reason behind the miraculous progress in her research, and it leaves her with a nearly impossible choice . . . and little time to decide. More than her research is at stake. And more threatens it than this latest revelation. Something she’s tried hard to cover up. There is a high cost to some things in medicine and it’s not always the patient who pays. Can Rebecca find the faith and wisdom she needs to make the right call? The clock is ticking and the pressure is on.
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If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0781405343">Lip Reading</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/04/lip-reading-by-harry-kraus.html">HERE</a>.<br />
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-13766185605084656532014-04-09T19:44:00.002-04:002014-04-09T19:44:23.382-04:00Favorite Kitchen Gadgets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Mr. and I are packing up the kitchen so we can start a big remodel/overhaul of the space. While the prospect of the new kitchen has me giddy with excitement (gas cooktop, double ovens, loads of quartz countertops) the process of getting to the end result means everything must be packed away. We're turning an upstairs room into a makeshift kitchen (picture your college dorm room with a microwave on a desk) and we'll be utilizing the grill, crockpot, and electric griddle/panini press quite a bit from late April through June. To ease the packing nightmare, I started boxing up the non-essentials a few weeks ago. It's been fun seeing what we really don't use, what we can get by without, and holding onto the things we really do love and making do with those items. As I use the few items that are left out, I thought I would highlight for the 3 of you who still read this blog 3 items I've picked up over the past year, which are still out and being used regularly.<br />
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<i>Disclaimer: none of these are affiliate links, I won't get any rewards from Sur La Table or Pampered Chef, I just chose to link you directly to these items in case you want to procure them for yourself. Each time you use them you can think kind thoughts of me and that is payment enough.</i><br />
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1. <a href="http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-1251099/Chefs+Planet+Clip+and+Drain">Chef's Planet Clip and Drain</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpusa-Wsg5P56kOIXQysjVcyGEh1olxO3fJRbkoAGHXK9hyphenhyphenmezW6Xrgk-T6wEQSvM_gmRGAgu5YvG4iUctl5vR3OsoTIg07umDOZJeuAo48aZSLkhHM-Gj1JuO6QDymwCGtTAZQ/s1600/Clip+and+Drain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpusa-Wsg5P56kOIXQysjVcyGEh1olxO3fJRbkoAGHXK9hyphenhyphenmezW6Xrgk-T6wEQSvM_gmRGAgu5YvG4iUctl5vR3OsoTIg07umDOZJeuAo48aZSLkhHM-Gj1JuO6QDymwCGtTAZQ/s1600/Clip+and+Drain.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a> This handy gadget clips onto any size pot to drain pasta, water from hard boiled eggs, etc. I love that you can just clip it on and don't have to try to hold the strainer and the pot which some models require. A definite top purchase of the past year. </div>
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2. <a href="http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-1365329/Chefn+Garlic+Zoom+Chopper+Small">Chef'n Garlic Zoom Chopper</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZuby7YLQYUXpbIqs6QAK-GWrA8Zwhr2pezklS1-xhFFyirkm-d7ZypLCNwLnjL0c22hIjnghYIow92DCXPFMafch7XgjkCZo9LeufGUQ5DdWZx1bOBBf8U0HOFQniShLv5RDVg/s1600/Chefn+Garlic+Zoom+Chopper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZuby7YLQYUXpbIqs6QAK-GWrA8Zwhr2pezklS1-xhFFyirkm-d7ZypLCNwLnjL0c22hIjnghYIow92DCXPFMafch7XgjkCZo9LeufGUQ5DdWZx1bOBBf8U0HOFQniShLv5RDVg/s1600/Chefn+Garlic+Zoom+Chopper.jpg" height="320" width="296" /></a></div>
This little bad boy will mince garlic or ginger in no time flat. A bit of a pain to clean with the tiny blades inside, but worth the hassle for the ease of mincing garlic or ginger when a recipe calls for it. You might even be able to chop a small batch of herbs in this bad boy. I've seen these at several big box and department stores, so these are easy to grab many places. <br />
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3. <a href="http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=41524&catId=123&parentCatId=123&outletSubCat=">Microwave Grips</a><br />
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Do not let the name fool you, these are good for everything from lifting bowls out of the microwave, to moving a pan around in the oven, to lifting the hot lid off a pot on the stove. These sit right by our cooktop and are used several times a week. The ability to pinch the edge of pan and lift it straight up will also come in handy once our <a href="http://www.sharpusa.com/ForHome/HomeAppliances/Microwaves/MicrowaveDrawer.aspx">new microwave</a> is installed as it will be a drawer rather than a door. I can't wait!!!!!<br />
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So there you have it. 3 things I absolutely love and am thankful that I splurged on each of them. </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-57065397022962069632013-08-08T12:00:00.000-04:002013-08-08T12:00:48.480-04:00My Hope is Built<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My early life was spent in a small, country church listening to and singing the old hymns in a Cokesbury hymnal. I love the words of the songs and how the resonate with our life. Don't get me wrong, I love a modern praise song that quotes word for word from scripture, but I will never not find a place for a hymn to carry me through. A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. Our company had to make some tough decisions and therefore I lost a handful of co-workers that I had grand hopes of working with for many years. These were my people. These are my people. I enjoyed working with them professionally, I enjoyed chatting with them personally. And as I work through the change I can't help but lean on some of those old hymns, and know the Truth that lives in them, is the Truth the lives in us. <br />
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My hope is built on nothing less<br />
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.<br />
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,<br />
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.</div>
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Refrain</div>
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On Christ the solid Rock I stand,<br />
All other ground is sinking sand;<br />
All other ground is sinking sand.</div>
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When darkness seems to hide His face,<br />
I rest on His unchanging grace.<br />
In every high and stormy gale,<br />
My anchor holds within the veil.</div>
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Refrain</div>
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His oath, His covenant, His blood,<br />
Support me in the whelming flood.<br />
When all around my soul gives way,<br />
He then is all my Hope and Stay.</div>
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Refrain</div>
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When He shall come with trumpet sound,<br />
Oh may I then in Him be found.<br />
Dressed in His righteousness alone,<br />
Faultless to stand before the throne.<br />
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Refrain</div>
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And for your enjoyment, a combo of an old hymn with a new twist. I love how they change the refrain to "Cornerstone" to describe that not only is He a rock, He's the most important rock.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nZq9xTfHvgo" width="560"></iframe>
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-53620103572665515652013-06-21T12:09:00.003-04:002013-06-21T12:09:50.385-04:00Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel -- A Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1433679302">Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel</a></span></center>
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B&H Publishing Group (April 30, 2013)
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://melodycarlson.com/">Melody Carlson</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from pre-school teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write! Currently she freelances from her home. In the past eight years, she has published over ninety books for children, teens, and adults--with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards.<br />
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She has two grown sons and lives in Central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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With high hopes, Dorothy Ballinger lands her dream job at The New York Times. But it's not long until writing about weddings becomes a painful reminder of her own failed romance, and her love of the city slowly sours as well. Is it time to give up the Big Apple for her small hometown of Appleton?<br />
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When her eccentric Aunt Dot passes away and leaves a sizeable estate to Dorothy, going back home is an easy choice. What isn’t easy is coming to terms with the downright odd clauses written into the will.<br />
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Dorothy only stands to inherit the estate if she agrees to her aunt's very specific posthumous terms -- personal and professional. And if she fails to comply, the sprawling old Victorian house shall be bequeathed to . . . Aunt Dot’s cats.<br />
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And if Dorothy thinks that’s odd, wait until she finds out an array of secrets about Aunt Dot's life, and how imperfect circumstances can sometimes lead to God's perfect timing.
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If you would liketo read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1433679302">Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/06/lock-stock-and-over-barrel-by-melody.html">HERE</a>.
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-24026112690500810022013-06-20T00:04:00.002-04:002013-06-20T00:04:54.702-04:00When Technology Makes the Connections Real<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Growing up I lived on the same 20 acre plot of land from birth through HS graduation. My parents still live there. My sister, she grew up and well, built a house on the original corner of that plot we first lived on. Me, I always wanted to move. I wanted to have adventure, see the world. I moved out when I went to college, came home one Summer and babysat, and that was it. I was on my own. I've lived in bug infested apartments, condos with amazing landlords, owned two houses, and followed my love from one coast to the other. But I've left one thing behind in every move: dear friends. And as I get older the more I realize just how dear those friendships are to me. This week has been a constant reminder of those whom my heart adores on that other coast. I've been reminded that though 3,000 miles separate us physically, part of my heart is still with these people. I love that technology allows random phone calls from Autumn, chats with Davida, read Annette's blog, send text messages of laughter and encouragement, and cry and laugh and rejoice with each of them (and more!) in their seasons. And though I may not be as connected to as many people because I don't embrace Facebook, I do know that the connections I have with my friends are intentional and meaningful. And that is really what it's all about. </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-19455383445399522062013-06-17T12:30:00.001-04:002013-06-17T12:30:55.394-04:00A Garden Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you'll remember back to the beginning of the year, one of my <a href="http://randomcarrie.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-goals.html">goals</a> was to plan a garden that would feed us beyond the growing season. Well, it's June and the garden is in full force. Right now we are enjoying salads every day or so with fresh spinach, arugula, and lettuce. The peas are starting to pod out and the raspberries have made lovely snacks, salad additions, and pancakes. Here are some shots of what's in store for the rest of the Summer.<br />
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Broccoli before I replanted it for better spacing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFe7lyGZs9wLnwQ5WwutA5kVx6Hp0P_0egY9HAY37ZgeSS2KX29UcbYCaqoh43X6URhyONqPlEffAuPr0LhgFHCIKW_KuILaHAYx95wEji_tF1Za8Yg94g4zzuhV_F8cDCTqhKjQ/s1600/Netting+Up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFe7lyGZs9wLnwQ5WwutA5kVx6Hp0P_0egY9HAY37ZgeSS2KX29UcbYCaqoh43X6URhyONqPlEffAuPr0LhgFHCIKW_KuILaHAYx95wEji_tF1Za8Yg94g4zzuhV_F8cDCTqhKjQ/s200/Netting+Up.JPG" width="200" /></a>The pea trellis with netting hung.</div>
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Peas ready to grow up the netting.</div>
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The broccoli is growing and has been spaced appropriately. We square bed garden (to an extent) and so one plant per square is more appropriate for growth.</div>
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Spinach, perfect for a salad, pesto, or lightly sauteed with some pasta</div>
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View from the deck looking over the garden area. Broccoli plants are the large ones on the left. Cauliflower goes in a row next to the tall bed. The tall bed will house carrots. YUM!</div>
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The first pea pod!</div>
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The tomatoes are staked. With the cooler weather here, I might see ripe tomatoes by then end of August. Thank goodness for the weekly farmer's market!</div>
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-51716009901265726322013-05-24T13:56:00.003-04:002013-05-24T13:56:43.131-04:00Follow the Heart -- A Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1433677202">Follow the Heart</a></span></center>
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B&H Books (May 1, 2013)
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://kayedacus.com/">Kaye Dacus</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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Humor, Hope, and Happily Ever Afters! Kaye Dacus is the author of humorous, hope-filled contemporary and historical romances with Barbour Publishing, Harvest House Publishers, and B&H Publishing. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, is a former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, and currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers. Kaye lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is a full-time academic advisor and part-time college composition instructor for Bethel University.
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Kaye Dacus (KAY DAY-cuss) is an author and educator who has been writing fiction for more than twenty years. A former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kaye enjoys being an active ACFW member and the fellowship and community of hundreds of other writers from across the country and around the world that she finds there. She currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, which she co-founded in 2003 with three other writers. Each month, she teaches a two-hour workshop on an aspect of the craft of writing at the MTCW monthly meeting. Kaye lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is an academic advisor and English Composition instructor for Bethel University.
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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Set during the Industrial Revolution and the Great Exhibition of 1851, Follow the Heart is a “sitting-room romance” with the feel of a Regency-era novel but the fashions and technological advances of the mid-Victorian age.
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Kate and Christopher Dearing’s lives turn upside down when their father loses everything in a railroad land speculation. The siblings are shipped off to their mother’s brother in England with one edict: marry money.
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At twenty-seven years old, Kate has the stigma of being passed over by eligible men many times—and that was before she had no dowry. Christopher would like nothing better than to make his own way in the world; and with a law degree and expertise in the burgeoning railroad industry, he was primed to do just that—in America.
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Though their uncle tries to ensure Kate and Christopher find matrimonial prospects only among the highest echelon of British society, their attentions stray to a gardener and a governess.
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While Christopher has options that would enable him to lay his affections where he chooses, he cannot let the burden of their family’s finances crush his sister. Trying to push her feelings for the handsome—but not wealthy— gardener aside, Kate’s prospects brighten when a wealthy viscount shows interest in her. But is marrying for the financial security of her family the right thing to do, when her heart is telling her she’s making a mistake?
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Mandates . . . money . . . matrimony. Who will follow the heart?
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If you would like to read the first chapter of ><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1433677202">Follow the Heart</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/05/follow-heart-by-kaye-dacus.html">HERE</a>
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-53657272433184850082013-05-22T22:10:00.003-04:002013-05-22T22:10:36.272-04:00Undeniably Yours -- A Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" style="cursor: hand; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div>
<center>
<span style="font-size: 130%;">This week, the</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">is introducing</span></center>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764209752">Undeniably Yours</a></span></center>
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Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013)
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by</center>
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<span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://www.beckywade.com/home.html">Becky Wade</a></span></center>
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b>
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During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.
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Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances for the general market, put her career on hold for many years to care for her kids, and eventually returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. Her first contemporary Christian romance, My Stubborn Heart, has been named a finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award. Her newest release, Undeniably Yours, is available now.
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These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.
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<b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 100%;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></b> <br />
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When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she becomes the majority shareholder of his oil company and the single inheritor of his fortune. Though Meg is soft-spoken and tenderhearted--more interested in art than in oil--she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of her father's empire.
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The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.
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Bo's determined to resent the woman who's decided to rob him of his dream. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them--her wealth, his unworthiness, her family's outrage--and earn the right to love her.
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But just when Meg begins to realize that Bo might be the one thing on the ranch worth keeping, their fragile bond is viciously broken by a force from Meg's past. Can their love--and their belief that God can work through every circumstance--survive?
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If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764209752">Undeniably Yours</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/05/undeniably-yours-by-becky-wade.html">HERE</a>.
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-87392074780767868072013-05-21T11:11:00.002-04:002013-05-21T11:11:20.584-04:00Fairies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"Fairies aren't even real except the tooth fairy!" </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Brought to you by a 1st grade boy in my friend Abi's class. If that doesn't make you smile, well, you're broken.</span></div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-22622339451616646052013-05-17T20:26:00.005-04:002013-05-17T20:26:39.884-04:00Jennifer -- An O'Malley Love Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I already professed my love for Dee Henderson in this <a href="http://randomcarrie.blogspot.com/2013/03/what-im-loving.html">post</a>. And again, she has outdone herself. After re-reading the O'Malley series after reading Full Disclosure (twice) I was more than ready to dive into Jennifer's story. Jennifer was such an integral part of the O'Malley family and their journey to Christ yet we didn't know her story, how she found Christ, or how she learned the news that made it all so very important. <br />
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I couldn't do a better job of summing up this book than this, so here you go...<br />
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It's a summer of change for Jennifer O'Malley. The busy physician has a pediatrics practice in Dallas, and meeting Tom Peterson, and falling in love, is adding a rich layer to her life. She's sorting out how to introduce him to her family--she's the youngest of seven--and thinking about marriage.
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She's falling in love with Jesus too, and knows God is good. But that faith is about to be tested in a way she didn't expect, and the results will soon transform her entire family.
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If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764211129">Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story</a>, go to <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/05/jennifer-omalley-love-story-by-dee.html">HERE</a>.</div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-749022036781266362013-05-16T12:48:00.000-04:002013-05-16T12:48:04.531-04:00Thursday Thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Seriously, I just want to brain dump so that is probably the lamest post title ever. But whatever. I'm blogging, which is something, right?<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.fronterafiesta.com/store/seasoning-sauces/27.html">Frontera</a> -- I am seriously in love with this line of products by Rick Bayless. The sauce mixes are so tasty. It makes for the easiest meal. In fact this week we have already had the red enchilada sauce and the green one will go down this weekend. We've also had the salsa. True story: I love flying through Chicago because there is a <a href="http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/tortas.html">Tortas Frontera</a> restaurant in O'Hare. A former co-worker clued me in to it, and I have been known to walk from E to B for food and back again. Yes, it's that good. <br />
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2. Gardening -- I need to do a whole post on our garden. If you'll remember, one of my goals for this year was to plan a garden that would feed my family for the Summer and beyond. We are well on our way to achieving this goal, unless the slugs eat my plants. Dern slugs.<br />
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3. Work -- It's been interesting for the past month or slow. Anyone who knows me in real life knows that my job has been a little slow the past 9 months or so. I am in between clients so I've been a jack of all trades helping out different departments with internal needs while supplementing with actual payroll work anywhere I can get added to a ticket. However, about a month ago I was request to loan into our mobility group to help with testing (or breaking as I like to say) our new app. It has been very eye-opening and interesting being involved in an app behind the scenes and what goes into making it work. I know a lot of acronyms now, but don't ask me what they mean! The work has been fun, but no worries, payroll is still my first love, this is just a fun "fling."<br />
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4. Food -- I bit the bullet a couple of months ago and got a haircut. It's not that I dislike getting my hair cut, it's that I dislike finding someone who will cut it the way it needs to be cut since it has a mind of its own. So I went, the guy was fabulous, and we spent 45 minutes discussing sports. (Note: I am not a sports girl, but I know enough to be able to carry on a conversation with a guy which I have found is necessary to not go nuts when traveling with a bunch of guys.) One question the guy did ask me before we dove into the world of sports was when I travel back to the South do I miss any food here? The answer is a resounding "No." I mean, yes, I would miss the local Thai restaurant we frequent and I would miss good Dim Sum, but here is what I really miss: Chic-Fil-A, Sonic, Firehouse Subs, Krystal and don't even get me started on the amazing food Charleston has to offer. Oh, and Mexican restaurants here don't have queso. There aren't even words for how wrong this is and how wronged I feel when I ask and they say no. <br />
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Yeah, so we'll end with that. No queso. No worries, I've pinned a couple of options on Pinterest and I'll learn to make my own queso. And I'll eat it with my yummy Frontero enchiladas. And all will be right with the world. </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-52956985046627111602013-05-10T13:53:00.001-04:002013-05-10T13:53:15.290-04:00Katie's Choice -- A Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have a love/eh relationship with Amish fiction. I either love it of I'm like "eh, I read it, let's move on with life." Katie's Choice falls into the first category. This book really entertained me and made me think. Told from the perspective of modern day journalist Zane Carson, a man used to covering stories or war, poverty, and violence, the story dives into what makes Amish culture work. The hard work, helping your neighbors, and kindness of the community all built around a faith in God. Zane, who grew up an orphan raised by a detached uncle, this is his first experience in a community of people who love and help each other out without having to constantly watch that you are stepping into a trap to be fooled or taken advantage of.<br />
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The book follows Zane's evolution from someone removed from technology and the luxuries of the first world (electricity) to someone who realizes there is value in faith, a hard day of work, and helping your fellow man. It also follow's Katie's journey from being a slightly older, single woman who feels called to help her brother raise his children to learning to give this outsider a chance.<br />
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I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story of the Amish culture, learning to live more simply, and simply the idea of God always giving us second chances, whether it's the choice to fall in love with Him or a second chance at love.<br />
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If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1433677539">Katie's Choice</a> by Amy Lillard, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/05/katies-choice-by-amy-lillard.html">HERE</a>.</div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-66683890396095997422013-03-15T12:11:00.003-04:002013-03-15T12:11:47.277-04:00The Friday Rundown -- 5 Positives to Focus On<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Let me just say that this has been a week. A week of highs and lows, and tears and anger, and yummy food and skipped meals. The whole Spring forward thing always throw my body into a tailspin, but I am enjoying the extended daylight into the evening hours. With that being said, here are 5 things I am thankful for.<br />
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1) Fabulous friends who will come stay at our house, take care of our dog and let us have a weekend to celebrate my FIL's upcoming 75th birthday.<br />
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2) A belated wedding gift of an overnight stay in downtown Seattle. We'll be staying at <a href="http://www.hotel1000seattle.com/">Hotel 1000</a> and since this is a mini-vacation we are going to indulge in massages Saturday afternoon. This girl cannot wait. I love a good massage.<br />
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3) Great food. Food is simply my love language. Yes, I know it's not a legitimate love language, but I really appreciate good food. Lots of family are in town for a long weekend as we celebrate the FIL so it's night after night after night of good food. Family style Chinese, <a href="http://www.themetropolitangrill.com/">Metropolitan Grill</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sum">Dim Sum</a>, fried chicken, and who knows what else. What can I say. I love food and I married into a family who loves to eat. Win, Win!<br />
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P.S. When this week got to me, take out of Crispy Garlic Chicken from <a href="http://www.baitongrestaurant.com/">Bai Tong</a> was how I coped. Then I got to surprise the Mr. in his lunch with the leftovers. And that's how I get wife points.<br />
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4) A husband who brings me breakfast in bed. He has to fast for 8 hours today for a physical so his last change to eat was at 5:45 this morning. Since I have a 6 AM meetings every other Friday, he got up, made breakfast, and brought it to me in bed. I may still be in bed. I really need to teach that man to make me coffee too. ;-) <br />
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5) Like minded financial goals. The Mr. and I are both fans of zero debt and have always paid our bills and debts on time and even early. We were able to start our marriage with nothing but two mortgages as our debt, and that's how we plan on keeping it. Still there are the months when the bills are a little higher, and I am thankful that because we have both always saved and always paid things on time, when the bills are higher we aren't stressed or wondering how they are going to get paid. <br />
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So that's it. I thought after the funk of this week I needed to focus on the positives because after all I have a roof over my head, a man who loves me, and family and friends who stand by me. </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-72787803726861748672013-03-12T12:43:00.001-04:002013-03-12T12:43:12.083-04:00What I'm Loving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
1) My library membership. Specifically the ability to download books to my Kindle or ipad to read. Plus did you know you can check out cookbooks? I'm sure you did (I'm always late to the game) but I currently have a Weight Watchers book and an Alton Brown book that I am reading while I eat. Yes, cookbooks are reading material. I love to dream that I could make all of the recipes and they would be as pretty as the pictures and taste as good as I dream they would taste. All this while eating a Tyson Chicken Pot Pie or a Tostinos pizza, mind you.<br />
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2) Reading. I used to read a lot then I stopped for a bit. However, I've been indulging lately and getting lost in a story. For those interested, I am re-reading the O'Malley series by Dee Henderson and the Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal. <br />
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Dee Henderson released Full Disclosure this past year which is a fabulous book if you've read the O'Malley series. (Note: it would be great on its own, but if you've read the O'Malley series, it is even better!) Then she has a new book coming out in May to tell the story of the final O'Malley who had a thread through all the other books. So re-reading the original series is both fun and necessary. I'll probably even re-read Full Disclosure after reading the original series again because I enjoyed it that much. <br />
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I don't remember where I first read about the Maggie Hope series, but the title "Mr. Churchill's Secretary" caught my eye. I added it to my Amazon Wish List for Books I Would Like To Read and when I got my library membership I immediately downloaded it. I read it on a recent trip and just loved the characters. Then I realized it was a series so #2 is waiting on me. <br />
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3) My friends. I mean really, could God have blessed me any more than He did? I just spent a glorious long weekend in Charleston, mainly plopped down on a couch at Danna's, in sweatpants no less. I got to eat Chick-Fil-A for breakfast and eat queso and chips at Senior Tequila. (Note: Seattle doesn't have queso or Chick-Fil-A. It's tragic.) I got to hang out at some point with Abigail, Stacy, Annette, Lauren, Davida, and Whitney. It was refreshing, encouraging, full of laughter and tears. I love these people and in a perfect world, I could just beam me there or them here in a moment. But I'll settle for our weekends here and there and just soak them in as much as I can during that time.<br />
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4) My Mr. The fact that the he and I can be apart and realize it's not the end of the world, but that we love each other enough to know that those times grow us. He lovingly let me go see my people and then told me he missed me. He then left me alone to go on a work trip and I miss him. Though we both admit we enjoy having the bed all to ourselves. 30+ years of living alone will do that to a person. Or persons. But it's still nice when we're together again. </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-51654882975571910112013-02-04T12:57:00.001-05:002013-02-04T12:57:20.071-05:00God Made a Farmer -- My Pick for the Winner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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1. My grandfather was a dairy farmer. I have the utmost respect for the men and women and their families who work harder, longer hours, 7 days a week, than I will ever know. The stories my mom and aunts tells of the hours my grandfather kept, the role my grandmother played as his mate in life, and how they helped out growing up still resonate within me to a level that makes this so much more meaningful.<br />
2. I listened to Paul Harvey my whole life. I loved his voice and his message. He was one of a kind.<br />
3. After this commercial ran, I was done. I didn't need to see any more.<br />
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24557924.post-64246955944256582112013-01-28T13:11:00.000-05:002013-01-28T13:11:23.474-05:00Ashton Park - A Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I must say I was drawn to wanting to read this book when the synopsis says for people who love Downton Abbey. If you know me at all, you know I am absolutely smitten with the show and have seen seasons 1 & 2 many times. I love the snark, the relationships, the drama, the laughter. So, you tell me a book is similar and I'll give it a go.<br />
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However, this book is not one I will be reading over and over. The book focuses on the Danforth family of Ashton Park. Sir William and Lady Elizabeth are the parents to seven children. The book tells the story of each of the children, as well as focusing on Sir William, Lady Elizabeth, his sister, and one of each of their parents. Once I finally learned to keep all the characters straight I enjoyed the dialogue and the relationships that were happening. Did I love it as much as Downton? No. I found it to be a bit too cheesy and predictable in the story lines. Were there some surprises, of course, but the overall who will end up with who was pretty much obvious from the first meeting of each of the characters. However, I feel for writing a book which focused on a family with 7 children, and each of the children had a story line in the book, that Murray Pura did an excellent job of giving each their own unique experiences and share of the pages. I felt at times that I would have rather read a book on each of them, than the combined story, but at the same time with the book being written this way, it kept from having to read a lot of useless pages that might have been necessary to fill each character's story. <br />
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So if you would like to read something set in the early 1900s with a similar feel to Downton, I would recommend this. It was not the easy reading chick-lit that I usually pick up (since I had to keep referencing the character list at the front of the book to see who I was reading about) but it was enjoyable in its own way. It's a one time read, and I cannot say I regret having read it as I have other books.</div>
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If you would like to read the first chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0736952853">Ashton Park</a>, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/01/ashton-park-by-murray-pura.html">HERE</a>.</div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10407319446428719326noreply@blogger.com0