Monday, March 30, 2009

CFBA ~ Book Review ~ The Real Enemy


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Real Enemy

David C. Cook (March 2009)

by

Kathy Herman



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.

She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.

Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she's added thirteen more titles to her credit, including another bestseller, All Things Hidden.

Kathy's husband Paul is her best friend and most ardent supporter and manages the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five adorable grandkids, a cat named Samantha—and an ongoing fascination with hummingbirds. They also enjoy world travel, deep sea fishing, stargazing, and bird watching and sometimes incorporate all these hobbies into one big adventure.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Brill Jessup just became the first female police chief in Sophie Trace, Tennessee, and is riding on the credentials of a stellar eighteen-year career on the Memphis police force. She may be a pro at finding clues, but she tends to ignore the obvious in her personal life. And she would rather work than deal with the bitterness she feels about her husband Kurt's infidelity. Kurt, is weighed down by her unrelenting anger as he struggles to let God redeem the stupidest mistake he ever made. He is genuinely contrite and making every effort to show his commitment to Brill. But she hides behind her badge and her bitterness, deciding that moving her family away from Memphis is the only change she needs to make. So why can't Brill get over this anger?

Before she ever has time to unpack her boxes, people start disappearing. Lots of them. Seven people in seven days To complicate matters, a local legend has many residents believing that the cause is unearthly─tied to the “red shadows,” or spirits of the departed Cherokee who once inhabited the land.

While Brill draws on all of her experience and instinct to solve the case, she must confront an enemy that threatens everything she holds dear─one that cannot be stopped with a badge and a gun. She is forced to confront the real enemy.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Real Enemy, go HERE

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Worry Free Sunday Night

Spring break is finally here!!

Gavin and Katelyn are both off of school this week. So as I sit here Sunday night I feel so relaxed. No worries about if school lunches are made. No worries about if the kids have clean socks for tomorrow morning. No running around making sure school papers are signed and backpacks are packed.

No school is good for mommy too!

We are leaving Tuesday to spend the week at Disney with the kids. I am so super excited for the kids. Oh heck, who am I kidding?? I am excited for myself too!

So, if I am not back on before we leave, Have a Wonderful Week Everyone!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

CFBA ~ Book Review ~ Turning The Paige


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Turning The Paige

Zondervan (March 1, 2009)

by

Laura Jensen Walker



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Jensen Walker is an award-winning writer, popular speaker, and breast-cancer survivor who loves to touch readers and audiences with the healing power of laughter.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin (home of Western Printing and Johnson’s Wax—maker of your favorite floor care products) Laura moved to Phoenix, Arizona when she was in high school. But not being a fan of blazing heat and knowing that Uncle Sam was looking for a few good women, she enlisted in the United States Air Force shortly after graduation and spent the next five years flying a typewriter through Europe.

By the time she was 23, Laura had climbed the Eiffel Tower, trod the steps of the Parthenon, skied (okay, snowplowed) in the Alps, rode in a gondola in Venice, and wept at the ovens of Dachau. She’d also learned how to fold her underwear into equal thirds, make a proper cup of English tea, and repel the amorous advances of a blind date by donning combat gear and a gas mask.

Laura is a former newspaper reporter and columnist with a degree in journalism who has written hundreds of articles on many subjects ranging from emu ranching and pigeon racing to goat-roping and cemetery board meetings. However, realizing that livestock and local government weren’t her passion, she switched to writing humor, which she calls a “total God-thing.”

Her lifelong dream of writing fiction came true in Spring 2005 with the release of her first chick lit novel, Dreaming in Black & White which won the Contemporary Fiction Book of the Year from American Christian Fiction Writers. Her sophomore novel, Dreaming in Technicolor was published in Fall 2005.

Laura’s third novel, Reconstructing Natalie, chosen as the Women of Faith Novel of the Year for 2006, is the funny and poignant story of a young, single woman who gets breast cancer and how her life is reconstructed as a result. This book was born out of Laura’s cancer speaking engagements where she started meeting younger and younger women stricken with this disease—some whose husbands had left them, and others who wondered what breast cancer would do to their dating life. She wanted to write a novel that would give voice to those women. Something real. And honest. And funny.

Because although cancer isn’t funny, humor is healing.

A popular speaker and teacher at writing conferences, Laura has also been a guest on hundreds of radio and TV shows around the country including the ABC Weekend News, The 700 Club, and The Jay Thomas Morning Show.

Another book in this series is Daring Chloe

She lives in Northern California with her Renaissance-man husband Michael, and Gracie, their piano playing dog


ABOUT THE BOOK

At 35, Paige Kelley is feeling very "in between." She's still working her temp job after two years, still not dating three years after her divorce, and still melting at every chubby-cheeked toddler she sees while her biological clock ticks ever louder. Paige even moves back home to help her ailing, high-maintenance mother.It's not exactly the life she'd dreamed of!

When her Getaway Girls book club members urge Paige to break free and get on with her life, she's afraid. How will her mother react? How can Paige honor her widowed mother and still pursue her own life? The answers come from a surprising source.
A trip to Scotland and a potential new love interest help launch an exciting new chapter in her life, and lead Paige to discover that God's plan for her promises to be more than she ever imagined.

This latest release in the Getaway Girls collection delivers a smart, funny, and warm account of one woman's challenge to reconcile who she is - a dutiful Christian daughter - with the woman she longs to be.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Turning The Paige, go HERE

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

I Really Should Have........

known better. Really. I should have. Last week after I got done making our spring break reservations at Disney I asked Katelyn if she wanted to go visit Mickey's house.

Of course she said yes. Then I started to question her on whether or not she would be excited to meet all of her princesses that she loves. You betcha Mommy!!

And that my friends has created a monster. Every day now when she is getting dressed she asks me if it is time to go meet Belle. Or Seeping Booty. Or her Ariel.

No, not today Katelyn.

Yes today Mommy! I neeeeeeed my pwincesses!!!! Is it time to go?

Yes, I know it is my fault and I never should have mentioned it to a 2 year old, but heck, I was super excited too about going and wanted to talk to someone about it! ha ha

At least I know she is excited about going. And hasn't forgotten!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Time to Move On

After talking about it for about a year now, we have finally put our house up for sale. I have a big Ole FOR SALE sign in my front yard. This weekend we are having our first open house. Strange people walking around my house all day while I am not here. A little weird.

So I have alot of mixed feeling about this move. We are moving about an hour south from where we are now. So we would be leaving all of our family and friends. We rely on our families so much and its scary to think that they wont be right around the corner anymore. And I hate having to switch Gavin's school. I hate that he will have to leave all his friends.

I've lived in this same town for 23 years. I could find anyplace around here with my eyes closed. Moving will mean unknown surroundings. Feeling like I'm lost. Probably getting lost for real.

On the plus side, we are moving closer to where Ken works. Instead of him driving over an hour to get to work he would be driving about 10 minutes. BIG difference. He would be home more which is the biggest plus there is. And when he has to go into work on his days off he wouldn't be gone for more than half the day. So I guess for all of the reasons I DoNT want to move, my hubby being home more with me and the kids overshadows all of my fears.

Oh, and a new house. I am really looking forward to a new house!

So cross your fingers and wish us luck on selling the house. I am hoping it sells before the school year starts again so I don't have to switch Gavin in the middle of the year!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Neosporin Review


Pretty soon, the snow will melt, flowers will be peeking up through the ground, and we'll be back outside and on the playground with our kids. As you start to think about running around in the backyard and riding bikes, take a minute to investigate your medicine cabinet and prepare for the inevitable scrapes and cuts that outdoor activities bring. Ensure that you are armed with plenty of bandages and antibiotic ointment, such as NEOSPORIN®.

It turns out that 40% of homes have an expired topical antibiotic in the medicine cabinet, an important issue as some products may lose their effectiveness once they reach their expiration date. Please take a moment to be sure that all medicines and products are up-to-date an have not expired!

Did you know that approximately 60% of scrapes and 40% of cuts occur outside the home? If not cared for immediately, even minor wounds can become infected and take longer to heal.

Thanks to NeoSporin and MomCentral I was able to try out the New Neo To Go. The NEW NEOSPORIN® NEO TO GO!® First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Spray is specially designed to fit anywhere to give you infection protection, anytime, anywhere.

Convenient enough to fit in your purse or diaper bag to carry with you anywhere this summer!

Check out http://www.neosporin.com for more information.

CFBA ~ Book Review ~ Breach of Trust ~


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Breach Of Trust

Tyndale House Publishers (February 5, 2009)

by

DiAnn Mills



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Award-winning author, DiAnn Mills, launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. Currently she has over forty books in print and has sold more than a million copies.

DiAnn believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels.

Six of her anthologies have appeared on the CBA Best Seller List. Three of her books have won the distinction of Best Historical of the Year by Heartsong Presents. Five of her books have won placements through American Christian Fiction Writer’s Book of the Year Awards 2003 – 2007, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005 and 2007. She was a Christy Awards finalist in 2008.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope and Love, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also a mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild.

She lives in sunny Houston, Texas. DiAnn and her husband have four adult sons and are active members of Metropolitan Baptist Church.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Paige Rogers survived every CIA operative’s worst nightmare.

A covert mission gone terribly wrong.

A betrayal by the one man she thought she could trust.

Forced to disappear to protect the lives of her loved ones, Paige has spent the last several years building a quiet life as a small-town librarian. But the day a stranger comes to town and starts asking questions, Paige knows her careful existence has been shattered.

He is coming after her again. And this time, he intends to silence her for good...

Paige Rogers is a former CIA agent who lost all she treasured seven years ago when her entire team was killed in a covert mission. She blames their leader—Daniel Keary—whom Paige believes betrayed them. Disillusioned and afraid for her life, she disappeared and started a new life as a librarian in small town Split Creek, Oklahoma.

But her growing relationship with high school football coach Miles Laird and the political ambitions of her former boss threaten to unmask her. When Keary announces his candidacy for governor of her state, he comes after Paige to ensure that she won't ruin his bid for office by revealing his past misdeeds. He threatens everything she holds dear, and Paige must choose between the life of hiding that has become her refuge . . . or risking everything in one last, desperate attempt to right old wrongs.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Breach Of Trust, go HERE

Watch the Book Trailer:

Monday, March 9, 2009

Busch Garden Recap

We went to Busch Gardens a couple of weeks ago when they weather was good. It turned out to be a great day with hardly any crowds so we walked onto every ride.


Katelyn got to ride the motorcycles for the first time this year. Gavin was her passenger on the back.
Gavin and Katelyn by the waterfall:

Gavin and cousin Ryan by the waterfall:

The crazy huge alligators:






And here is the best picture of the day:




As we were walking around Gavin saw this Tiger. He wanted to take his picture by it so I said Ok. I told him to go ahead and stand up on the bench that was in front of it so I could get a good shot. So as I am pulling out my camera and turning it on Gavin climbs up on the bench.

What I don't see until too late ( because I am fooling around with my camera ) is that Gavin is facing toward the Tiger and trying to reach up and touch the fangs coming out of his mouth. Well. he reached just a little too far out and fell face first into the planter.

I looked up just in time to see him tumble in. I laughed so hard because it was so comical looking. He got up and was fine and was able to pose for the picture.

I told my mother-in-law that I wished my camera could have caught him falling in ( you know, like the good blogger I am ). I don't think she thought that was funny!!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Disney On Ice


Interactive Disney On Ice shows feature exciting action, romance, comedy, athletic world-class skating, beloved Disney characters, and favorite Disney songs to which kids can sing and dance along. Their rich colors, costumes, bigger than life atmosphere, music, lighting, choreography and humor all contribute to making the experience one that builds childhood and family memories for years to come.


Thanks to MomCentral I am excited to share with you a special offer for Disney On Ice tickets.


Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels*. Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Gold Circle Seating, Front Row and VIP seating or combinable with other offers. Other restrictions may apply.


Offer #2: A select amount of Front Row and VIP seats have been reserved for you to buy before they go on sale to the public - just enter the code "MOM" when purchasing those seats.


This special offer is for families who live in the following cities:


Houston
Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey
April 15-April 19

Dallas/Ft Worth
Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey
March 18-March 29

Sunrise/Miami
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy
March 26-April 5

Toronto
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy
March 18-March 22

Kansas City
Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey
April 1-April 5

Denver
Disney On Ice presents a Disneyland® Adventure
March 12-March 15

Phoenix
Disney On Ice presents a Disneyland® Adventure
April 9-April 12

Chicago/Rosemont
Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic
Sept 8-Sept 13

Have Fun!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Wordless Wednesday ~ Walkin On The Beach ~


Sunday, March 1, 2009

Johnson's No More Tears Review



This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the JOHNSON'S® NO MORE TEARS®. 50 years of sweet smelling babies. 50 years of No More Tears.

To help celebrate its 50th Anniversary and continue the tradition of fun in the tub, Johnson's is introducing 2 new products. Thanks to MomCentral and Johnson's I was able to review both of these new products.


Johnson's Baby Bubble Bath & Wash. This bubble bath and wash is combined with the No More Tears formula and is extra gentle so I was even able to use it on Katelyn's sensitive skin. It has a cool refreshing scent too!

We were also excited to try the new Head-to-Toe Foaming Wash. This was perfect for Gavin to use in the shower. He liked pumping it himself and got kick out of the foam that came out!

For more great on info on all Johnson & Johnson baby products you can go to Johnson's Baby Chanel by clicking here or http://www.youtube.com/baby.

Happy Anniversary Johnson's!