Shattered!

Hello Bloggies and Bloggettes!! 
Today I have another book to recommend to you..Shattered by Dani Pettrey.  This is the second in the "Alaskan Courage" series that I have had the opportunity to read and review.  I was hoping that it would be at least as good as the first one, but in my opinion I think this one is a little better! :)  The story is set in Yancey, a small Alaskan town that is home to avid snowboarders, cute lawmen, and a murderer? The suspect is Reef, a Yancey-native who swears he's innocent and he's got his loyal family and friends who will do anything to find the truth...no matter what the end result may prove. Leading the investigating are his sister, Piper, and local deputy, Landon, who have a love-hate relationship. Will working together cause more friction or will it help them to discover more than just clues about the murder? I couldn't wait to finish this book so I could find the answer to that question and many more from the twists that the author planted in the plot!! A chilling adventure that you will love!

Happy Reading!!!

I would like to thank Bethany House Reviewers that gave me the opportunity to review this book. However, all comments are my personal opinions!

Weeding our Gardens...

Bonjour Bloggies and Bloggettes!! 
Now I'm sure you all must be wondering where the random title of my blog comes from today, so allow me to elaborate.  Backstory...our condo looks out onto a beautiful preserve and creek that tends to get overrun with random shrubs and other foliage overgrowth.  This tends to be a favorite residence for wild hogs and our condo association is not friendly with the idea of these pigs digging up their precious sod and rooting through garbage bins in our development.  So right now outside of my condo there is a big tractor/ tiller type thing completely mowing down the marshy overgrowth so the pigs will have to migrate to another location.  I know this sounds crazy and probably most of you are yawning and giving up hope I will ever get to my point...here it is!  Recent life situations have helped me realize more often than not that we need to weed/till our lives of people/environments/etc and know whats worth keeping and whats worth getting rid of.  If you have certain friends/acquaintences/family/ that you have issues with you need to deal with it like pruning a tree...you can either trim it and nuture it so it can grow into something big and beautiful and deep rooted otherwise if you ignore it, it will make the relationship/plant stay dormant and not grow or if it is really toxic it will shrivel and die.  Am I making any sense yet?...  This can be applicable not just with relationships but with your job/house/finances.  Life is a crazy yet beautiful mess that constantly will have weeds growing/diseased plants/harsh conditions that will make it seem like its easier to just uproot everything and toss it to the side.  This is where I believe even though we don't control the world we do have the God given talent to step back, pray, meditate and reflect how you want to approach your life's garden...Some plants do not work with everyones garden, and you need to be okay with that.  Basically what I am trying to work on in my personal life and recommend that you TRY is weeding your garden on a regular basis, get rid of the people/places/things that aren't necessary and work on the ones that are going to make your life more fulfilling.  The most important thing I must stress to you is you must spend the time to see results.  You will find you love your life and can have a deeper appreciation and understanding for this beautiful world that God has lent us for a short time.  I hope that this little post will at least give you something to think over and will end this post with one of my favorite quotes..The infamous Mark Twain penned "There is no security in this life, only opportunity".

A Change of Fortune~Review

Bonjour Bloggettes and Bloggies!! 


Today I am letting you in on another fun book sent to me to review!  It is "A Change of Fortune" by Jen Turano (a new author to me!)  I am by no means picky about the types of books I will read, it can range from Historical NonFiction to Little House on the Prarie (reading with my darling Callie who is 5) and everything in between.  However I must say my feminine genes favor reading romances, so I was very excited to read another one!  I have to say I loved the beginning of this book!  Unlike most novels that can be slow to start, this one started of sprinting, and you have no problems jumping right in!  The backstory: It is 1880 in New York, and Lady Eliza Sumner has encountered some unfortunate luck in her life in England, so she has traveled to America to try and fix her present/future situation.  It follows her journey to find her faith, fortune, and maybe even a fiance?! <3  This is a very enjoyable clean romantic story with a light touch of mystery.  The reason for four stars instead of five is that 3/4 of the way through the story; more characters are thrown into the plot that are unneccessary, and in my mind ruined a smooth running story.  Sometimes its better to have some unanswered questions instead of overtelling.  Otherwise the characters and the plot are extremely fun and you will find yourself laughing over male/female banter that is very relatable to present day!  Overall a great read that is witty and entertaining!  I will definetly consider this author again in the future.

If you are interested in purchasing Change of Fortune, click on the title and it will link you to amazon! :)


Disclosure: Bethany House Publishers graciously sent me a copy of this book to review and all thoughts/ideas/opinions are my own!  Thank you!

Happy 2013!!!!

Happy New Year's bloggies and blogettes!!  May this year bring you wisdom, good health, peace, happiness and blessings!!  Yes that may sound like a long list off of a hallmark card but I believe people should make resolutions like these that have no barriers.  For example, a very popular resolution, losing weight....maybe if you go for good health-eating right/exercising/etc you will find weightloss plus you will be happier because you are treating your body right!!  Or for example: travel some more-why not just wish for continuing happiness?!  If that means traveling then that's great, but what if you can't make that dream trip happen?...Usually leads to temporary disappointment/sadness/and well literal pouting.  Life isn't in our control, so I believe resolutions need to be a thing of the past and we need to live our lives to the fullest and not make these shallow goals that are usually selfish and backfire.  When you start actually living your life you can find all of the above goals, and they don't need to cost a thing!  Volunteer, spend time with those you love; that make you a better person and not poison your life, read, go outside and do whatever makes you happy, literally what can't you do outside?!  It is sad how this world has gotten so into staying indoors 24/7! God gave us this beautiful Earth to enjoy!  Our lives are constantly changing so be the person you want to be, you will never fully understand life but you definetly have been given the opportunity to live it!  Stop overanalyzing what you think your life should be and just be! Just some deep thoughts to ponder as we jump into a fresh year!  Talk soon!....

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.  ~Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojarhiu)

ps-I got to spend New Year's with one of the very few people in my life who is as real and open as I am, and had an amazing time!!  Carpe Diem!!

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice!

Happy Fall Bloggies and Bloggettes!! For all you perfectionists, I know the official first day of autumn isn't until Saturday, but I figured 5 days was close enough.  In Florida there is no "fall", it sort of skips from 90s, humid, hot summer days to 60s-70s, chilly, damp winter days(and we don't see those cooler temps til November at the earliest!).  So I just turn to everything pumpkin in the beginning of September, at least my girls will have the concept of 4 seasons since they don't get to experience the true changes like the gorgeous sight of autumn leaves!  Last year my mom sent a package of leaves for the girls, haha all you northerners hate the clutter of leaves everywhere and we'd love to get a few!  If you are still in denial that summer has ended, may I suggest a trip over to your local coffeeshop/starbucks/dunkins and get something like the salted caramel latte or pumpkin spice latte paired with an apple scone/donut/muffin.  After that go to your favorite clothing store and pick out a new scarf/jeans/jacket/boots that make you want cooler weather to show them off!  If you are still not convinced, think hot soups/chili, football games, halloween, thanksgiving, all things apple-pie, cider, etc......Okay so maybe I just have a slight fall obsession.  Whatever the case, I hope you had a fabulous summer, take the last 5 days to print off some summer memories to put in frames, go to the beach,  soak in those last hazy sunsets, have an ice cream or frozen yogurt-get pumpkin, itll make the transition that much smoother!  Anyways, we are starting fall in the best way possible here, Callie has started soccer(GO TIGERS), we've started our Sunday football/wings day tradition, we are looking forward to halloween/thanksgiving/the girls birthdays in November, and our house has an aroma/ambiance of pumpkin spice and everything nice.  My inner baker is going "hay"wire ;) with the unending recipes, but here is one that is perfect for ANYONE.  Individual baked oatmeal that is simple, clean, healthy, and you can add customize your toppings to your preference, cinnamon/raisens/apples/chocolate chips/fruit/nuts.  The best part is you bake them, and can eat them right away or freeze them so you can get those extra few minutes of beauty sleep without worrying about breakfast.  Thaw them and eat them cold or hot using your toaster oven(microwave is a last option!).  Anyways I'm going to indulge in a Keurig Apple Cider while reading and maybe a bit of pinterest(one can never have too many recipe ideas/decorating tips!)  Enjoy your day and here is the delish recipe!....http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/personal-sized-baked-oatmeal-with-individual-toppings-gluten-free-diabetic-friendly/ 

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A Hot New Summer Read!!

Okay all you bloggies, I have a great book to recommend for your summer reading list!  I know summers almost over but this book is good enough to finish in one night!  It is called Submerged by Dani Pettrey.  The two pages of the prologue make you want to sit and read through the ending! (Unfortunately life got in the way so it took me a few days :)...The story starts with Bailey Craig reluctantly heading back to her hometown of Yancey, Alaska for her aunt's funeral. Long lost love, murder, faith and forgiveness make her trip lifechanging! The author does a great job of keeping the main characters relevent while involving second characters that help the story play out! I loved the use of Russian history, it is what made me rate this book 5 stars instead of 4! As other reviewers stated, this isn't your average Christian fiction, so don't judge this book by its category! I would definetly recommend this book to my friends so get out there and get yourself a copy!

sidenote: Bethany House Publishers was kind enough to send me a copy of this book to read, however the review is completely my own thoughts/ideas!

It was Summertime in Norther Michigan......

Hey all you bloggies and blogettes!  I know, me trying to post more often has been an epic failure...I will do better I promise! ;)   Anyways quick update on this little crazy journey also known as my life.  Both of my beautiful chicklets are healthy and growing and I am so blessed that I can stay home with them to watch them grow up...snifff.  Brett (le husband) is super busy at his job, I'm talking 10-12 hour days 5-6 days a week!!  But he applied for a transfer to a plant in one of the northern states (I'll leave that a secret for now) and we are praying/hoping/crossing our fingers like crazy that this will work out the way its meant to be!!  It would be absolutely perfect timing with Callie(4 1/2) about to start PK, and its the summer months; no moving in the horrid snow!!  We are expecting to hear within the next week if he gets this new position, although huge companies like the one he works for tends to take their sweet ole time.  Always funny how it seems the "higher-ups" in companies seem to play "Life" with their employees, they don't really care about the piece they are playing with, its all about winning!   Haha....Anyways so on top of the fact that we could be having to move within the next month, le chicklets, myself, and two of my aunts are going cross country!! Yes that is right we are piling into my car and driving from FL to the yoop of Michigan for the 4th of July for a little vacation.  4 blondes+1 brunette(me) attempting to drive through the night...26-28hours...1300ish miles..I think this will be the most epic road trip ever, may even qualify to be made into a book/movie. Tehe.. So thats the latest and greatest here in sunny FL, I will keep you posted on how this plays out!!  Enjoy the beginning of your summer!...Think BBQ's, fireworks, kayaking/boating/canoeing...aka take a 3 month hiatus from your TVs/Laptops/Devices and GET OUTSIDE!  I promise you will not be disappointed!

Much Love!