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Showing posts from April, 2014

Emily Wierenga's “A Promise in Pieces” Shopping Spree Giveaway!

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The latest Quilts of Love release, A Promise in Pieces by Emily Wierenga  is receiving glowing reviews. Emily is celebrating the release of her debut novel with a "Women Helping Women" shopping spree giveaway.   One winner will receive: $200 to spend at Emily's favorite shops, Noonday Collection & Vibella (Click through to learn more about how these companies exist to make a difference in the lives of women!) A Promise in Pieces  by Emily Wierenga A Stitch and a Prayer  by Eva Gibson Rival Hearts by Tara Randel Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 10th. Winner will be announced on the Quilts of Love blog  on May 12th. Then be sure to stop by the Quilts of Love Facebook page on May 29th for the "Quilting Bee" Facebook party with Emily and other Quilts of Love authors. RSVP for an evening of book chat, quilting tips & tricks, prizes, and more! Spread the word—t ell your friends about

Love Finds You in Sugarcreek to premiere June 1 on UP TV

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   Guideposts Books announces air date of movie based on popular book Guideposts Books is excited to announce the premiere of a new film based on the book Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio (Summerside Press) by Serena Miller . The movie, produced by Mission Pictures International and filmed last fall on location in the town of Sugarcreek , will premiere on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at 7:00 PM EDT on UP TV . The program will re-air later that evening at 11:00 PM EDT. Love Finds You in Sugarcreek stars Sarah Lancaster (best known for her role in the TV series Chuck ) and Tom Everett Scott ( That Thing You Do and Parental Guidance ). When a mysterious outsider casts a long shadow on Ohio ’s Amish country, policewoman Rachel Troyer (Lancaster) becomes suspicious. Rachel has always looked after her three elderly Amish aunts (with Kelly McGillis of The Accused and Witness fame in one of the roles), proprietors of a farmhouse inn near Sugarcreek. The idyllic town is

Julia Roller talks about how her son changed how she looked at her faith

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An interview with Julia Roller, author of Mom Seeks God Part 1 of 2 When caring for a baby it often becomes difficult to focus completely on God. When exhaustion sets in and the baby is crying, prayer and meditation tend to take a backseat. When nap time dictates your daily routine, going to the weekly women’s Bible study is often the first thing taken off the calendar. When mother and author Julia Roller’s first son was born, like all new moms, her world was changed in more ways than she ever could have imagined. Perhaps most surprisingly, she found herself unprepared for the impact motherhood would have on her spiritual life. In her new book Mom Seeks God: Practicing Grace in the Chaos (Abingdon Press/April 1, 2014/ISBN: 9781426771026/$15.99) , Roller inspires other mothers by sharing about her struggles as a new mom and how she was able to reconnect with God by reintroducing spiritual discipline into her newly changed life. Q: How did the birth of your first son chan

Sing and Be Happy

There aren't many times we have to do a second take, but today was one of those. It also appears that someone wasn't too happy about singing more than one verse. This even though I think this kid picked the song this week.

Randomness of the week

Well, as the week went on, I had to let two car salesman down easy. I'm sorry, but I went another route. For all my big talk, I'm not one for confrontation. The guy who asked about my "boo," got the news via the phone. I figured I better answer or face continual harassment. I think he may have been in shock that I didn't buy a Jeep from him. The saleswoman from the Hyundai dealership emailed about finding the blue car for me (which I had decided I didn't like the blue anyway - it was nothing like the color she told me it was). I told her that she was great, but her sales manager was an intimidating bully who did nothing to help her cause. In other news, we had a family reunion today, but I left my camera and phone in the car, letting my mom and others take all the pictures, if you can believe that. No pictures to post. No family drama. That's always a good thing. Otherwise, pretty uneventful.

Surprised by Grace

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Welcome to the blog tour for Elizabeth Sherrill’s  Surprised by Grace . Best-selling author says of Sherrill’s story, “The master ghostwriter steps from the shadows at last!” In  Surprised by Grace  Elizabeth shares how God’s love transformed her life from one of great struggle to one with a clear direction and find inspiration, hope and strength for your own journey. Follow the reviews here! {MORE ABOUT  SURPRISED BY GRACE } Renowned writer Elizabeth “Tib” Sherrill shares her own faith journey at last!  Embrace this page-turner and see God’s work in your life every day. Tib has written for  Guideposts  magazine for over sixty years, contributed to  Daily Guideposts  for over twenty-five, and coauthored the best-selling, inspirational adventures of all time with her husband, John, including:  The Hiding Place ,  The Cross and the Switchblade , and  God’s Smuggler . Yet, Tib’s most powerful story ever is this beautifully written, exhilarating memoir. In it, you’ll disco

Moms' Night Out - The Novel and Devo!

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B&H Publishing Group releases MOMS’ NIGHT OUT novelization &  devotional ahead of the film’s release on May 9, 2014 Award-winning author Tricia Goyer and comedian Kerri Pomarolli pen respective books Eager moms and movie-goers alike will have the opportunity to get an early taste of the MOMS’ NIGHT OUT film, starring Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) and Sean Astin (“The Lord of the Rings”), ahead of its nationwide release Mother’s Day weekend with the publication of two film tie-ins by B&H Publishing Group . This week (April 22), the publisher simultaneously released a MOMS’ NIGHT OUT novelization (ISBN: 978-1433684821/$15.99), written by award-winning fiction author Tricia Goyer, and a daily devotional entitled MOMS’ NIGHT OUT and other things i miss: Devotions to Help You Survive (ISBN: 978-1433684821/$15.99) by Hollywood comedian Kerri Pomarolli. An endearing true-to-life family comedy that celebrates the beautiful mess called parenting, G

Higley takes readers back in time 2000 years

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An Interview with Tracy L. Higley Author of The Queen’s Handmaid Sometimes the loudest voices in our lives are the ones we need to silence the most. In Tracy L. Higley’s latest novel, The Queen’s Handmaid (Thomas Nelson/March 18, 2014/ISBN: 978-1-4016-8684-0/$15.99) , the author explores the importance of finding our identity in God and not in the opinions of others — no matter how large of a presence those people are. This search for true identity is the foundation for The Queen’s Handmaid, a story that will take readers on an adventure through an ancient world and give them a unique understanding of the culture and setting into which Jesus was born. Set in Alexandria, Egypt, in 39 BC, The Queen’s Handmaid connects the history we learn in school with the Bible stories of childhood, giving readers a peek into a lost world.  Q: The Queen’s Handmaid is set in Egypt, Rome and Jerusalem in 39 B.C. How did you first become interested in this time period? I find so mu

NIGHTLINE’S Dan Harris’ 10% HAPPIER Kindle HDX Giveaway!

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10% Happier  by Nightline anchor Dan Harris embarks on an unexpected, hilarious, and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange worlds of spirituality and self-help and discovers a way to get happier that is truly achievable. Dan has teamed up with his publisher, Harper Collins, for a Kindle Fire HDX giveaway.  One grand prize winner will receive: A Kindle Fire HDX 10% Happier  by Dan Harris Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 10th. Winner will be announced May 12th on the  Litfuse blog . Learn more about the 10% Happier   backstory  and read an excerpt here . Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by the  Litfuse blog  on May 12th to see if you won. {MORE ABOUT  10% HAPPIER } 10% Happier  takes readers on a ride from the outer reaches of neuroscience to the inner sanctum of network news to the bizarre fringes of America’s spiritual scene, and leaves them with a takeaway that

CRITICAL CONDITION Kindle HDX Giveaway from Richard Mabry!

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Richard Mabry 's latest medical suspense, Critical Condition , is receiving high praise. USA TODAY says, "Mabry combines his medical expertise with a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat." Richard is celebrating the release with a Kindle HDX giveaway! One grand prize winner will receive: A Kindle Fire HDX Critical Condition  by Richard Mabry Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 11th. Winner will be announced May 13th on Richard's blog . Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Richard's blog  on May 13th to see if you won. {MORE ABOUT  CRITICAL CONDITION } Dr. Frasier couldn’t save the gunshot victim on her front lawn. Now she’s fighting for her own life. It began as a quiet dinner party honoring Dr. Shannon Frasier’s colleague, but became a nightmare when a man was shot on her lawn, reviving emotions from a similar episode a decade ago. Th

The lesson stuck until lunch

This morning, we talked about taming the tongue from James chapter 3. After reigning them in several times, we had a good discussion and sang an appropriately themed song. They did the chorus right the time before I did the video, but I was so very proud of how well they caught on and how they were actually singing loudly. I'm not a very good videographer in the round though. For someone, who shall remain nameless, but you all know through my blog, she did well with what she learned in class until she started giving someone (thankfully not me) lots of grief at lunch. You never know what might come out of her mouth. As I have stated before, I'm not a very good teacher. She really was being funny in her teasing and wasn't actually being mean. You kind of had to be there, but she is something else. My parents, Brian, Paige, Peyton, and the Watsons (that makes 9 of us) had Easter lunch at my parents' house. I prepped pork ribs that Mom put in the oven right before

Are deviled Easter eggs somewhat sacrilegious?

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After breaking for a couple of weeks on painting letters, I finished off a couple more. Still for sell if you are interested! $20 with "Welcome" or your house number. (Like my shoes?) Tomorrow, instead of doing our Sunday lunch out at a restaurant, I'm cooking for our crew. I have been bragging about my pork ribs, and I have those all ready to go in the oven at my parents' house in the morning. I decided to try another Pinterest project (I saw the letters on there), and make dyed deviled eggs to go with the ribs. I didn't want to use vinegar as many recipes suggested because A) I didn't have any and B) I didn't want them to taste or smell like vinegar. Not every pin had vinegar, but it may help them hold color. I didn't think these came out bad. I'm pretty impressed with myself. The camera on my phone doesn't do great with colors. The purple ones aren't quite so gruesome looking.