Camera Bag Giveaway

Jo Totes has some great camera bags for ladies.  They don't look like camera bags at all, just cute handbags.  Some of them basically fit an SLR camera and a lens.  Some will hold the camera, a couple of lenses, a laptop, and an iPad.

MagnoliaElectric is giving one away.  Enter by April 7.

Quick and Entertaining

Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper was a great quick read that was very entertaining.  I was probably more interested in the setting than some others because I used to live near there so I was familiar with it already.  Roper did a great job developing the characters and making them very believable.  Carrie was a great main character with an interesting history.  The romance between Carrie and Greg was perfect.  It didn't move to quickly and was very realistic.  I appreciated that it wasn't delivered like a fantasy but something that could really happen.   I enjoyed the plot and found the book difficult to put down.

**I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Mercy Come Morning by Lisa Bergren

This is a great story of a the forgiveness a daughter can have towards her mother after years of pain and suffering. In the story, thirty-something Krista comes home to the Southwest to care for her dying mother who has suffered from Alzheimer's for decades. While spending time at her mother's side, she discovers things about her mother that she never knew and learns more about why their relationship had been so difficult. 


**I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Me gusta Sisterchicks in Sombreros by Robin Jones Gunn

This is a great book about the relationship between two sisters and an adventure of a lifetime.  It's a great beach read, light and easy but thought-provoking.  It's a great piece of women's fiction that shows how God can work in our lives when we least expect it.  Reading it made me want to take a cruise to Mexico someday with my girlfriends.

Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh

Restless in Carolina tells the story of thirty-something Bridget Pickwick Buchanan who is still deeply grieving the loss of her husband four years ago.  From a well-established family in the south, she is something of a wild flower in a field of lilies; just as beautiful but sticks out.  Due to financial troubles and the desire of her uncle to pay retribution for a long-standing dispute with another family, the family estate needs to be sold. Her love of nature and environmentalist beliefs cause her to seek out a buyer for the estate who has earth-friendly plans for development.  

Enter J.C. Dirk, the developer Bridget is seeking.  His plans seem acceptable and his price is right but is it too good to be true?  Is everything as it seems?  Can Bridget learn to trust God to take care of her after seemingly ignoring her request to heal her husband?

This book is a great summer read.  It is very entertaining, mildly thought-provoking, and easy to read.  Although it was a little predictable, I still enjoy the way the author unfolded the plot.  She depicts Bridget as an authentic person who is struggling with her faith in God.  If you are looking for a good piece of chick-lit, this book is for you.

 **I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Thoughts on Faith

As I drove home today I was listening to K-Love and a couple of my favorite worship songs came on the radio.  I sang along and began thinking about my relationship with God.  See, I've known God my whole life.  I was raised in a Christian home and can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't going to church and spending time with God.  Now don't get me wrong.  I am far from the perfect Christian.  I go days without reading my Bible.  (That's something I'm trying to fix.)  Many of my prayers are one or two liners, not an hour long or even a half hour.  I've often wondered how much I rely on Him because there was no obvious life-changing experience for me.  He has just always been there.  As I thought about this and listened to the music, I realized something.  I am FREE!  I always heard people talking about being free from various forms of bondage because they placed their trust in Christ but I never felt free from anything before.  I guess it's just that I usually hear about bondage such as substance abuse or addictions so I never realized that I am free, as well.  Not only am I free from those things because He has kept me from them but I am free from a life of constant worry over finances and my family's health and well-being.  Yes, I still worry sometimes about those things but it's always temporary because I know that my faith and trust in the Lord.  He will not give my any difficulties that He will not carry me through.   I know this doesn't seem like much to many of you but for me it was a wonderful realization.  Thanks, God!

A Trip to Rite Aid and CVS

I got some great deals at Rite Aid and CVS this week!  I only purchased items for which I had a coupon (or two) and only bought items that we need and will use.  (Yes, I know we don't NEED the coffee and chocolate but they were completely FREE with coupons!)

$17.17 for all this! (Possibly, $12.17.  I have to wait and see if I get a rebate for part of it.)

4 bottles of Pantene

4 bottles of Head & Shoulders

4 bottles of Gillette body wash

4 tubes of toothpaste

4 toothbrushes

2 Gillette Pro-Glide razors

2 bottles of John Frieda Full Repair 

2 bottles of Renu

2 cans of Seattle's Best Iced Coffee

1 Hershey bar

That's an average of $.60 per item.  (or $.42 per item if I get the rebate)