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Showing posts from February, 2013

Sometimes Having It All isn’t What You Thought it Would Be

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Susan May Warren’s Daughters of Fortune series draws to a close with the release of Duchess Best-selling Susan May Warren brings what she considers to be her most ambitious series yet to a dramatic close in her latest release, Duchess (Summerside Press / March 1, 2013 / ISBN 978-1-609367718/ $14.99). The Daughters of Fortune series is an epic generational series following the family of New York newspaper magnate August Price from the Gilded Age to end of World War II. Each generation of Price women must navigate love and ambition in a world of wealth, power and social expectation. However, there’s more to the series than captivating tales of wealth and privilege in New York, Paris and Hollywood. “ The series is named ‘Daughters of Fortune’ not only because of their circumstances, but because I hoped readers might see what a true fortune looks like. What a true inheritance is when a person puts their faith in the Lord,” says Warren. In this final installment, Duche

Join Dani Pettrey's Shattered Nook HD Giveaway

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Dani Pettrey is celebrating the release of Shattered with a Nook HD giveaway and a Facebook  Author Chat Party {3/14}.  One winner will receive: A brand new Nook HD Submerged and Shattered  by Dani Pettrey  {Be caught up in this riveting series.} Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 13th. Winner will be announced at the "Shattered" Author Chat Party on 3/14 . Connect with Dani for an evening of book chat, trivia, and a chance to win gift certificates, books, and other fun prizes! So grab your copy of Shattered and join Dani on the evening of the March 14th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!) Don't miss a moment of the fun;  RSVP today .  Tell your friends via  FACEBOOK  or  TWITTER  and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 14th! About the book: With All the Evidence Against Him

Enter the Firefly Island iPad Mini Giveaway

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Lisa Wingate is celebrating the release of Firefly Island with an iPad Mini giveaway and a fun Facebook Author Chat Party (March 19th).     One fortunate winner will receive: An iPad Mini The Moses Lake series ( Firefly Island, Blue Moon Bay and Larkspur Cove ) Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 18th. Winner will be announced at the  "Firefly Island Author Chat Party on March 19th . Connect with Lisa, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at the trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be many fun giveaways -- gift certificates, books, and more! So grab your copy of Firefly Island and join Lisa on the evening of the March 19th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!) Don't miss a moment of the fun,  RSVP today.  Tell your friends via  FACEBOOK  or  TWITTER  and increase your ch

Empty

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Busy, busy week, but everything is completely out of the old place. My dad was over cleaning today and I won't repeat the mean thing he said about the dog. (My family has definite opinions...) I'm free of all those neighbors and will have new stories soon!

It's the little things that make it feel homier

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Last week when Paige got to see inside my new house, she looked around and said it had potential but needed some Audra touches. Yesterday, we got all the furniture over except for a drawing table (forgot it was in the closet), and today, I did start putting some Audra touches into the place. And, I did forget before and after pictures, by the way. I'm stupid that way. It's actually that I was more concerned with the work than with the social media updates. At one point, I went over to the new place and forgot my phone at my parents and sure did want it to take pictures to show my mom what I had accomplished. Thankfully, Dad said, "your regular camera is here somewhere, isn't it?" YES! In a box within a box upstairs in one of 14 that look alike! Actually, I could narrow it down a little better than that. One thing that makes it more like home is switching out lots and lots of old and ugly light switch and plug plates. I've bought 40 of different vari

Watching people move makes me ache

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We hired a couple of guys to move the furniture today which was so worth it, especially since there is an upstairs. I did move some boxes that were really heavy and shift some furniture, but I am way more sore than I should be. And I forgot pictures. We caught each of the girls last basketball games today and the bleachers did not help my back. At all. Paige was having the same problem taking a picture on a phone of game play that I do. She hates this picture.

he final packing countdown

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Taking a quick moment to breathe, then it's on to the dresser drawers and I'll have the packing done.

Fear, Faith and a Fistful of Chocolate Kindle Fire Giveaway

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Celebrate the release of Fear, Faith and a Fistful of Chocolate with Debora Coty by entering her Kindle Fire Giveaway and RSVPing to the March 7th Author Chat Party on Facebook! One "sweet" winner will receive: A Kindle Fire A Debora Coty Library ( Fear, Faith and a Fistful of Chocolate, More Beauty, Less Beast, Too Blessed To Be Stressed, and Everyday Hope ) Chocolate (Every good thing begins with chocolate!) Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/6/13. Winner will be announced at Debora's "Fear, Faith and a Fistful of Chocolate" Facebook Party on 3/7 . Debora will be hosting an evening of chat, fun trivia, laughter, and encouragement - bring your friends! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club and a live chat with Debora via Skype.) So grab your copy of Fear, Faith and a Fistful

It is not laziness or procrastination

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At least I am telling myself I am legitimately tired rather than lazy or procrastinating. This is what I need to be doing and what I am doing. I took both pictures from my favorite spot on the couch. Here's a story from my day. I was trying to figure out how to record a phone conversation in order to try to tell an author how to do it. I was using my cell phone to call my home phone. I somehow call my Grandmother, but don't catch it before the call goes through. After I hang up, she calls back. Plus with the cold front sitting over us all day, I have had a headache all day long. Aye carumba.

Join the Shine Your Light webcast next Tuesday night!

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Bestselling Author Sheila Walsh is hosting a special live webcast event to highlight the release of her newest book in the God's Little Angel line, Shine Your Light Devotional for young girls. Join Sheila the evening of February 26th at 5PM Pacific / 8PM Eastern for an interactive webcast. The audience can submit questions for Sheila to answer, join a live chat with other parents, and be eligible to win a variety of prizes, including copies of Shine Your Light, other Sheila Walsh children's books, gift certificates and more.  Participants can join the webcast via Sheila's Facebook Author Page or, for those who do not have a Facebook account, the Litfuse Publicity Group website . Invite your friends! Share the button on your blog by pasting in this code:   <center><b>Join Sheila Walsh 2/26!</b><b> </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sheilawalshconnects/app_511060062272505"> <img alt="Shine Your Light Sheila Wals

As Alanis Morissette would say

I love my parents. You know I do. But sometimes they drive me past the city limits of Insanity. A couple of weeks ago, my mother says, "I'm off that Monday in a couple of weeks. I can come back your mugs and curio cabinet." I pause. I then answer, "People being at my house while I'm working doesn't really work for me." "We could trade houses." And plug up to the internet while dad really wants to play solitaire on his computer? Dad interjects,"she can do most of that at night and get it done." I did. Mugs were the first thing I packed, and the curio cabinet has been empty except for the bottom shelf I forgot to dust for over a week. However, today, on that Monday referenced above, Dad decides he wants to move some little stuff to get it out of the way. He made three trips over. And wandered around opening closets and looking to see what isn't packed. He told me to just work which was easier said than done. Isn't

I wish I observed Presidents Day

After spending the day out at basketball games, we moved some stuff around and showed the girls my new place. Paige says it has potential, but needs some Audraizing and is concerned about where I will put my shampoo. We realized how tired we all were when Peyton feel asleep in the truck on the way to eat. Peyton decided she wanted to come over here, and as soon as we got home, it was take a shower and go to bed early time. In bed by 9... Asleep by 10. And that's the earliest I have slept in who knows how long. Oh, but before sleep time, I had to figure out which smoke alarm battery was going out and chirping. That noise drives me insane which I guess is the point. I didn't sleep well with a terrible sleeper on the other side of the bed, and at one point, a train came through laying on its horn for longer than normal. At 6 AM, the dog next door started barking non-stop. I finally got up, and went to the bathroom. When I came out, Peyton says, "that stupid dog won't s

Slappy Slappy Slappy

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It was another basketball Saturday. And now that I finally got home after the games, showing the girls around the new house and eating, I am ready for bed. I was up too late packing last night. Paige is especially aggressive on the court. I have named her Slappy. I am glad she isn't staying over here tonight in case she drama of basketball and slaps in her sleep. Peyton is staying instead.

I just don't have time!

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I'm crazy busy at work right now - you can get a hint of that from my posts over the past few days. Like insane busy. Like at the moment my email is higher than it has been in a while. And I have lots and lots of follow-up that needs to be done. There's just not enough hours in the day, I tell you! Then, on the other hand, I really could use a day off work to finish getting my packing done and the rest of what I need to pack sorted. Then, once I get moved, I'll want to put everything up. But I really want to paint a couple of rooms before I get stuff in place. And then, I try to be a good aunt and have spent the past two Saturdays, and will spend the majority of the day tomorrow at basketball games.  The result is a tired, grumpy, grouchy, cranky Audra. And now I'm hungry. And this brings me to my quandary of the moment... I don't have much here to eat, and I really don't want food here right now since I'll be moving my fridge next weekend and then liv

God Turns Even the Ugliest Battles into Something Beautiful

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Author Bo Stern gives perspective on  facing  our giants and stepping off the battlefield in victory No one enjoys going through the struggles of this life, and no one enjoys suffering. However, as author Bo Stern writes in Beautiful Battlefields (NavPress / February 15, 2013 / ISBN: 978-1612913193 / $ 14.99), God uses our darkest moments to shape us into the people He wants us to be. “Though we would rather avoid battles and suffering, God does some of His most beautiful work through the hardest seasons in life. In fact, there are some things that can only be accomplished in us through battle.” While we struggle with certain things every day, Stern is convinced that everyone, at some point on the journey between here and eternity, will be called upon to face what she calls a “Really Big Battle,” whether it be emotional, physical, spiritual or relational.  Like any of us, Stern has faced numerous challenges in her life. However, in 2011, her family came face to face with t

The Woman God Created You to Be

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The Gospel-Centered Woman Points Readers to Their Ultimate Example—Christ The topic of women and the church puts many people on high alert, ready to defend their views. But what is the Bible’s view on women? What does God want a woman to be? Is the Proverbs 31 woman God’s ideal? In The Gospel-Centered Woman: Understanding Biblical Womanhood through the Lens of the Gospel (January 2013/ISBN: 978-1451574821/$8.99), author Wendy Horger Alsup sets out to help readers understand what the Bible truly says to and about women.   Biblical womanhood has been a hot topic in Christian discussion, especially with popular books on the subject being the center of attention in recent months. Many of the books focus on the value of being a good wife and mother with an emphasis on love, submission and respect in marriage. While Alsup’s book deals with these topics, The Gospel-Centered Woman addresses a hole in how she felt the topic was being presented. While striving to be like Ruth,

New Book Offers Prayers, Scripture Reflections and Hope for Infertility

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It is estimated that one in six American couples (7.3 million women) are affected by infertility. Christian women are no more immune to these astounding statistics than anyone else. When experiencing infertility, a woman’s feelings about herself, her relationships with others and her belief in God become confused and complicated. Having experienced these emotions herself, Lesli A. Westfall has written Dancing Upon Barren Land: Prayer, Scripture Reflections, and Hope for Infertility (January 18, 2013 / ISBN: 9780615746128 / $12.99) not only as a prayer guide for women facing infertility, but as a resource for churches and support groups. Much like many couples today, Westfall and her husband put a family on hold for their careers and to build a savings. In fact, this approach has become so prevalent in today’s society that within the fertility world it has been given the official terminology as “delayed parenting.” By the time Westfall felt God nudging her to start a family,

Unbreakable Kindle Fire Giveaway

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Celebrate the release of Unbreakable with Nancy Mehl by entering her Kindle Fire Giveaway and RSVPing to the March 5th Author Chat Party on Facebook! One fortunate winner will receive: A Kindle Fire Books one and two in Nancy's Road to Kingdom series ( Inescapable and Unbreakable ) Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 4th. Winner will be announced at the "Unbreakable" Author Chat Party on March 5th . Connect with Nancy, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at the trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be gift certificates, books, and fun Mennonite-themed giveaways. Grab your copy of Unbreakable and join Nancy on the evening of the March 5th for a chance to connect with Nancy and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!) Don't miss a moment of the fun,  RSVP today .  Tell your friends via  FACE

I didn't make a mess this time!

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You know the cobbler I goofed up on a couple of weeks ago? It turned out the way it was supposed to this time!

Can I just take the day off?

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Because I do not plan to try to get one huge piece of furniture up into my new office, I have been looking for a desk. My parents found me one at an estate sale, so I thankfully I have that handled now. Other than that, I spent the day watching basketball. Now, I really have no desire whatsoever to pack anything else. At all. Can I take the night off? I need to box some stuff up for no other reason than my dad found boxes and I can't get through the kitchen at the moment.