Need You Now- Book Review

Darlene thought moving to a small town would bring their family closer together, but it just might tear them apart.

When big-city life threatens their children's safety, Brad and Darlene Henderson move with their three teenagers from Dallas to the tiny town of Round Top, Texas.

Married life hasn't always been bliss for Brad and Darlene, but their strong faith has carried them through the difficult times. When Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time in their marriage, the domestic tension rises.

While working with special needs children at her new job, Darlene meets a little boy who steals her heart. His widowed father is paying more attention to her than is probably appropriate. Problem is, she feels like someone is listening for the first time in a long time.

The teens are struggling to adjust to their new, small-town life, especially since it seems all their parents do anymore is fight. And fifteen-year-old Grace is coping in a dangerous and destructive way.

Can Brad and Darlene survive the changes they face within themselves and their marriage . . . and find a way to help their daughter before it's too late?

         ~ This book was fast to read and the plot was easy to follow, it was a good book but one that has been written many times by many other authors. I do like how everything tidied up in the end. I will say that the subject of Cutting and teenagers bothered me as I have 2 daughters and I can't possibly imagine one of them doing this and we not noticing for months.~

If you would like to WIN a copy of this book Please leave a comment below!

This book was sent to me to read and review by HandleBar Marketing.

Influenster Palmolive Fresh Sponge

I have received the Influenster Palmolive Fresh Sponge kit in the mail free for me to try.

My daughter does the dishes for us in the evening and I try to do the morning ones if I have time before work, We both like the smell and love how much it bubbles, I'm not sure how much this will actually keep my sponge smelling nice  and keep it mildew free but time will tell.

Influenster is a great program where you get to try new products and samples and share on your Blog or Youtube, Facebook page.

Thanks for sending me this to try Influenster!!

Simple Secrets to a Happy Life~ Book Review

Is it possible to stay full of life, laughter, love, and the Lord through eight decades in this crazy world? Is that even realistic? Yes! There is hope, and Luci Swindoll is living proof.

With heart and humor, this best-selling author and beloved speaker lays out the truths that can help us all become a little more creative, organized, healthy, and happy. This is not a complex prescription for how to become superwoman. These are simple secrets, the wisdom produced by years of walking with God and living well.

We don’t need more tips for “having it all,” but we could all use insight on “having what matters,” and there is no better guide than Luci Swindoll.

Luci has spent eight decades accumulating the stories, memories, verses, and practical tips that make up Simple Secrets to a Happy Life. Whether traveling the world or building life-long friendships, singing in the opera or working for Mobil Oil, every step has taught her a little more about how to love God, love her neighbor, and love herself.

The result is both personal and universal. Organized into fifty short chapters, her reflections form a simple and profound outline for making the most of the lives God has given us.

We could all use a little more joy in our lives, which means we could all use a little more Luci. Visit her through these snapshots of wisdom. You’ll find yourself drawn back again and again.        

~I loved reading and picking up tidbits from this book. Right now I'm feeling overly stressed during the week with my new  job and then coming home to homework and dinner/chores. Reading this book made me stop and find some joy in the day. The chapters are short and sweet and to the point. I enjoyed reading Mrs. Swindoll's stories about her life and what she has learned through out her years. It's an added bonus that the cover is simply cute too!~

BookSneeze sent me this book to read/review, all opinions are my own.

Illusion- Book Review and Give Away!

Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop.

Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.

They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.

            ~I finished this book in 3 days, it was that good! I was hesitant to read this since I haven't read anything else  by Frank Peretti but I was hooked by the first chapter. The storyline just keeps growing and getting stranger, it's full of mystery and wonderment...with a touch of science fiction. I really loved the ending and was happily pleased with how everything was explained and left me with no loose ends and wondering about this or that. It was rather long though at 497 pages but the ending was so sweet that I hated to see it end, really!~

I was given 2 books by Handlebar Marketing for my review. 1 to read and on to give away.  Please leave a comment sharing what is on your TBR list for the month of April to be entered. I will pick a winner on Monday!

I'm Hired!!

I'm so Excited to share with you that I have started a Part-Time job working in a small Vets office.

After about 10 years of being a SAHM and with all 3 in school full time it was time to slowly "fly the coup" so to speak during the day.

I'm learning so much and having a great time doing it!

It is harder than I thought to get used to the schedule, work then come home to help with homework and dinner then bed..

Any helpful hints to make it easier/smoother during the evenings?

Zombies Don't Cry

In the sleepy small town of Barracuda Bay, Maddy Swift leads the life of a fairly typical teenager, but while attending a party one night, Maddy is struck by lightning and awakens to realize she has been reanimated and turned into a zombie. While becoming acquainted with her new "lifestyle," Maddy stumbles upon two unexpected undead chaperones, fellow students Dane and Chloe, who begin to teach her the ways of zombie life, including defending the populace from Zerkers—the bad zombies. Together, on prom night, the three teens must ultimately defend Barracuda Bay High from an all-out zombie Armageddon.

Another Kindle Touch book I have finished reading last night, this one was very "Twilight" like. Easy to follow the plot and you don't even have to think very hard to keep track of the events that are happening which is great for some late night chill time escape reading. There is a follow-up book coming out since this is a series but I'm not really sure if I'm going to seek it out although I would not have any problems letting my 13 year old read this, even though I haven't let her read the "Twilight" books nor will I till she's 30.....LOL

On another note we have let NetFlicks go for now as nothing was grabbing our attention or even some of the new movies were not becoming available fast enough for our liking...What to do now?

The Keeper~ Book Review

A family. A farm. A heart. All in need of repair.
Life on Windmill Farm hasn't been the same since Julia Lapp's father has had trouble with his heart. But that doesn't stop Julia from hoping for a bright future. She has planned on marrying Paul Fisher since she was a girl. Now twenty-one, she looks forward to their wedding with giddy anticipation. But when Paul tells her he wants to postpone the wedding--again--she is determined to change his mind. She knows who is to blame for Paul's sudden reluctance to wed: the Bee Man.

Roman Troyer, the Bee Man, travels through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives full of bees, renting them out to farmers in need of pollinators. A mysterious man who relishes his nomadic life, Roman especially enjoys bringing his bees to Stoney Ridge each year. But with Julia seriously at odds with him, Windmill Farm is looking decidedly less appealing.

Can Julia secure the future she's always dreamed of? Or does God have something else in mind?

This is just a fun book that I read with no real review due on it. I really enjoyed this book and give it 5 stars, I will be eagerly awaiting the next one! Such an easy, simple plot to follow and lively characters.

I read this on my Kindle Touch..still haven't found a cover for it though.

Journey to Paraben Free: SIBU Beauty Facewash

My Journey continues on with the Sibu Cleanse and Detox facial bar soap.

SEA BUCKTHORN CLEANSE & DETOX

Awaken your skin and wash away a day of stress and pollutants with pure, simple and effective Sibu Beauty Sea Buckthorn Facial Soap. This facial bar lathers thick and rich to cleanse, detox, moisturize and repair the skin while creating a protective barrier against UV rays and cell damaging free radicals.

• Cleans and conditions skin
• Natural astringent
• Inhibits bacterial growth
• Revitalizes skin cells
• Promotes tissue recovery and healing
• For all skin types
• 1 3.5 ounce bars
• 100% natural

Sea buckthorn is known as nature's most balanced fruit. This "Holy Fruit of the Himalayas" has been cherished by native Tibetans for centuries for its incredible nutritive qualities. Over 120 specific studies on sea buckthorn have shown that this little berry promotes health. From sea buckthorn's rare abundance of some of the most powerful antioxidants to being the only plant in the world known to contain essential fatty acids 3, 6, 7 and 9 - sea buckthorn has earned its title of superfruit.

Detailed Description

Awaken your skin and wash away a day of stress and pollutants with pure, simple and effective Sibu Beauty sea buckthorn facial soap. Lathers thick and rich to cleanse, moisturize, repair and detoxify the skin, while creating a protective barrier against UV rays and cell damaging free radicals. It is paraben-free and cruelty-free, and contains NO dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast or preservatives.

Ingredients

Coconut oil, palm oil, safflower oil, glycerin, purified water, oatmeal, sodium hydroxide, sea buckthorn puree, sorbitol, sorbitan oleate, fragrance orange/lemon, soybean protein, sea buckthorn leaves, titanium dioxide.

Paraben-FREE and Cruelty-FREE. No dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast or preservatives. Our sea buckthorn is sourced through fair trade agreements with local harvesters in Tibet.

I truly love how this foams up and then rinses away with no residue to clog my pores. I would even enjoy a candle in this scent if they would put one out..lol..It reminds me of orange groves!

If you can find this and want to try an Organic, Paraben-Free product then this should be the one you try! I'm not being paid to say this, just sharing my lucky find!

Yankee Candle! The First in About 3 Years!

Today was a Wonderful day! The best that we have had in quite some time. We drove to Mount Dora and let the kids play on the huge playground there and then walked to the lake's edge and even saw a rare sighting of a Bold Eagle flying right over our heads, swirling in the high winds.

Then we drove to grab some lunch at the Sanford Mall, it was good but not as great as we remembered it. 

As a total surprise to me Husband let me pick out my first Yankee Candle in about 3 years! After about 1/2 hour of all 5 of us sniffing the jars we picked "Sweet Strawberries". I lite it as soon as we arrived home, it gives off a wonderful scent throw that I even smelled upstairs while folding laundry, A plus in my book since this house is huge! I gave it a good time to form a nice wax pool so hopefully it will burn evenly from now on.

I haven't bought a Yankee Candle in forever so I was surprised at how many more scents there are on the shelves now but was not happy that the price had gone up so much. We love that they are made in the USA though!

What is your favorite Yankee Candle scent? Do you change your scents month to month or by seasons?

Beauty for Ashes~ Book Review

So let's start of the first post of the Month with a Book review, I haven't done one in such a long time..Busy and I'm loving my new Kindle Touch but when I saw this one on BookSneeze I had to read it..nothing like an actual book smell again!

She’s a beautiful young widow. He’s a Southern gentleman with a thirst for adventure. Both need a place to call home.

After losing her husband in the Civil War, Carrie Daly is scared she will never have the family she longs for. Eligible bachelors are scarce in Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, but Carrie Daly has found love. Not the weak-in-the-knees kind, but something practical. Still, she isn't quite ready to set a wedding date with Nate Chastain.

Griff Rutledge is a former member of Charleston society, but has been estranged from his family for years. He’s determined to remain unattached, never settling in one place for too long. But when asked to train a Thoroughbred for an upcoming race in Hickory Ridge, he decides to stay awhile.

Despite objections from the townsfolk, and her fear that true happiness has eluded her, Carrie is drawn to Griff's kindness and charm. It will take a leap of faith for them to open their hearts and claim God's promise to trade beauty for ashes.

   I really enjoyed getting lost in the setting of this book, It was predictable in my opinion but easy to follow the storyline and I started to feel sorry for Carrie although at times I wanted to tell her to "Suck it Up" and deal with what life has thrown at her and look for the small Blessings in life...but that's just me. The closing was cleanly added up and ended sweetly, I liked it!

This book was given to me to read and review by BookSneeze, all opinions are my own.