My not so hurried life

Thursday, November 19, 2009

I love handmade and I love Etsy!

I love handmade things- I dabble in various craft projects but my mind spins so fast (I think I have ADHD) that I want to make everything that I see or like. I want to sew, quilt, paint,knit, make candles, soap, pottery, you name it I want to do it but unfortunately I can't. That's why I just go to Etsy and look at all of the beautiful things that I wish I could make. Here are a few of the things that I love.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33777555

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31925059

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34816651&ref=sr_list_1

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34630548&ref=cat2_list_3

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26719749&ref=sr_list_6

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34836886&ref=cat2_list_7

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34402259&ref=cat2_list_17

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Great giveaways for Christmas

Here are some great giveaways that I have run across while blog surfing- be sure to click the highlighted site to enter the giveaway- HURRY some are ending soon

*Between naps on the front porch- Giveaway: Lisa Leonard- 3 gorgeous leaf ornaments and they are going to be customized for the winner. Ends November 23rd.

target gift card giveaway at Oodlekadoodle primitives

One lucky winner has a chance to win $25 Target gift card from Oodlekadoodle Primitives. Go to her site and enter by Sunday November 29th.

Wilton Christmas cookie exchange giveaway

I am so excited about the giveaway at Amanda she is giving away a huge hostess cookie package. I love making cookies and especially at Christmas. Go now to Amanda's site now and enter for your chance to win this great prize. This giveaway ends November 21st.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Book Review: What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
What The Bayou Saw
Kregel Publications (March 24, 2009)
by
Patti Lacy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Though Patti's only been writing since 2005, she thinks her latest profession of capturing stories on paper (or computer files) will stick awhile.

The Still, Small Voice encouraged Patti to write after a brave Irish friend shared memories of betrayal and her decision to forgive. In 2008, An Irishwoman’s Tale was published by Kregel Publications. Patti’s second novel, What the Bayou Saw, draws on the memories of two young girls who refused to let segregation, a chain link fence, and a brutal rape come between them.

The secrets women keep and why they keep them continue to enliven Patti's gray matter. A third book, My Name is Sheba, has been completed. Patti's WIP, Recapturing Lily, documents a tug-of-war between a Harvard-educated doctor and an American pastor and his wife for a precious child and explores adoption issues, China's "One Child" policy, and both Christian and secular views of sacrifice.

Patti also facilitates writing seminars in schools, libraries, and at conferences and has been called to present her testimony, "All the Broken Pieces," at women's retreats. She also leads a Beth Moore Bible study at her beloved Grace Church.

Patti and her husband Alan, an Illinois State faculty member, live in Normal with their handsome son Thomas, who attends Heartland Community College. On sunny evenings, you can catch the three strolling the streets of Normal with their dog Laura, whom they've dubbed a "Worchestershire Terrier" for her "little dab of this breed, a little dab of that breed.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Segregation and a chain link fence separated twelve-year-old Sally Flowers from her best friend, Ella Ward. Yet a brutal assault bound them together. Forever. Thirty-eight years later, Sally, a middle-aged Midwestern instructor, dredges up childhood secrets long buried beneath the waters of a Louisiana bayou in order to help her student, who has also been raped. Fragments of spirituals, gospel songs, and images of a Katrina-ravaged New Orleans are woven into the story.

The past can't stay buried forever Rising author Patti Lacy's second novel exposes the life of Sally, set amid the shadows of prejudice in Louisiana.

Since leaving her home in the South, Sally Stevens has held the secrets of her past at bay, smothering them in a sunny disposition and sugar-coated lies. No one, not even her husband, has heard the truth about her childhood.

But when one of her students is violently raped, Sally's memories quickly bubble to the surface unbidden, like a dead body in a bayou. As Sally's story comes to light, the lies she's told begin to catch up with her. And as her web of deceit unravels, she resolves to face the truth at last, whatever the consequences.

If you would like to read the first chapter of What The Bayou Saw, go HERE

Watch the Book Trailer:

*I just received my book in the mail yesterday and I have not had time to read it. It looks like a wonderful book and I plan on getting started right away.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Look what bloomed

I walked outside today to find this iris blooming- it is a rebloomer that is suppose to bloom in the fall but it is definitely late. How pretty to see this flower blooming. It amazes me and makes me smile when I see such beautiful things that God has created.

Great Smoky Mountain's scenery

Aren't these elk gorgeous! We saw them Saturday morning on our way over The Great Smoky Mountains into Tennessee. Just before starting up the mountain there is a huge field where they were grazing at 8:00 in the morning.

I love the mountains! On Saturday morning, my husband, son and I decided to ride over the Great Smoky Mountains into Tennessee. The guys wanted to go to Bass Pro and my son wanted to go to the Underarmour and American Eagle outlets, me I justed wanted to go along for the ride. I love to shop especially the kitchen outlets but I also enjoy the company of my family so this was going to be a fun day. This picture was taken almost on top of the Smokies, I'm not sure how high the elevation but it makes for a cool picture.

We had a great time, the road and the stores were so crowded. I didn't buy much except for 2 pie cutters- you use them to cut out cute designs on your pie crust- 1 had little birds and the other had hearts- too cute and they were on sale for $2.49 each.
Just wanted to share some pics with you, hope you enjoyed them.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Clay by Clay giveaway

Monkeys on the Bed is having a Fabulous Friday Giveaway: Clay by Clay and you get to pick out which pair of earrings you would like if you win. Click here to enter by November 14

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner Book Review

Book: White Picket Fences

Author: Susan Meissner

Summary:

Amanda Janvier’s idyllic home seems the perfect place for her niece Tally to stay while her vagabond brother is in Europe, but the white picket fence life Amanda wants to provide is a mere illusion. Amanda’s husband Neil refuses to admit their teenage son Chase, is haunted by the horrific fire he survived when he was four, and their marriage is crumbling while each looks the other way.

Tally and Chase bond as they interview two Holocaust survivors for a sociology project, and become startlingly aware that the whole family is grappling with hidden secrets, with the echoes of the past, and with the realization that ignoring tragic situations won’t make them go away.

Readers of emotional dramas that are willing to explore the lies that families tell each other for protection and comfort will love White Picket Fences. The novel is ideal for those who appreciate exploring questions like: what type of honesty do children need from their parents, or how can one move beyond a past that isn’t acknowledged or understood? Is there hope and forgiveness for the tragedies of our past and a way to abundant grace?

My Review: *I enjoyed this book*
Everyone wants the house with a white picket fence because it is the picture of a perfect family or that's what Tally thought.
Sixteen year old Tally doesn't come from a very stable family. She is left at home with her grandmother in Arizona while her father runs off to Poland for some family drama. Her grandmother dies and she ends up at her Aunt Amanda's house.
Tally and her cousin Chase interview 2 holocaust survivors in the local nursing home for a class project and end up uncovering family secrets that past ancestors had hidden long ago. I don't want to give anything away by telling you anymore.
If you like captivating, suspenseful reading then this book is for you, it is well written and believe me you won't want to put this book down until you finish.

Click on the link below to find out where you can purpose this book online
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074570&ref=externallink_wbp_whitepicketfences_sec_0916_01

I was provided this book for review purpose from Waterbrook Multnomah, I did not receive any compensation for my honest review.