This week Chuck and I are celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary. Thanks to the graciousness of a couple in our church we are spending the week in a condo in the mountains and we are having a fabulous time. Some of our accomplishments have been:
Not using an alarm clock. At all.
Looking for constellations while relaxing in the hot tub.
Taking a hike on an old logging road in the rain.
Sitting in front of a real snapping, popping fire in the fireplace.
Knitting. Lots and lots of knitting.
Watching it snow.
Watching lots of movies.
Watched the series finale of both Lost and 24 on a very large screen tv.
Ate a pot of the best chicken and wild rice soup ever.
Reviewed the past 32 years.
Dreamed about our future plans.
Calculated that in another 32 years I will be 83 and he will be 86.
Planned to start a new savings account for our next trip to Hawaii.
Sat together on the same side of a booth in a little local coffee shop.
Marveled that even after being together 24/7 we would still take more of the same.
Counted our blessings.
And realized that God has been so very, very good to us. We are happy. We are blessed. We are in love.
I don't think we can ask for anything more in this lifetime.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Weekend Checklist
My weekend accomplishments included:
Vacuuming and dusting the living room - Check
Changed furniture around - Check
Planted the flower beds and hanging baskets - Check
Mowed the nearly 1/2 acre lawn - with the push mower - Check
Treated blisters on hands caused from mowing the nearly 1/2 acre lawn with the push mower - Check
Trimmed with the weed whacker - Check
Watered the flowers - Check
Had dinner with daughter, son-n-law and sweet granddaughter - Check
Dessert at DQ - Check
Went to Church - Check
Dinner with family - Check
Trip to Wal*mart to pick up prescription - Check
Finished sewing layette for niece's baby who is arriving SOON - Check
Fell exhausted into bed so I can go to work tomorrow and recuperate! - Check
Vacuuming and dusting the living room - Check
Changed furniture around - Check
Planted the flower beds and hanging baskets - Check
Mowed the nearly 1/2 acre lawn - with the push mower - Check
Treated blisters on hands caused from mowing the nearly 1/2 acre lawn with the push mower - Check
Trimmed with the weed whacker - Check
Watered the flowers - Check
Had dinner with daughter, son-n-law and sweet granddaughter - Check
Dessert at DQ - Check
Went to Church - Check
Dinner with family - Check
Trip to Wal*mart to pick up prescription - Check
Finished sewing layette for niece's baby who is arriving SOON - Check
Fell exhausted into bed so I can go to work tomorrow and recuperate! - Check
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Report Card
So I have had my Kindle for about a week now. I have wanted one for a really long time but I have to admit I did have some nagging little doubts in my mind about what it would be like to read a Kindle instead of a "real book". Obviously, those doubts weren't big enough to keep me from purchasing one - but they did nag at me a little bit.
So in case any of you are considering plunking down about two hundred and fifty George Washington's, I thought I would share my thoughts so far.
What I Love:
I love that I can hold it in one hand and drink a cup of coffee at the same time with my other hand. I love that I can pet the dog or scratch an itch or turn down the volume on the tv remote and never take my eyes off the page. It just works.
I love that I can adjust the size of the font for my eyes. The longer I read, the bigger I can make the font. I can change the number of words in a line as well. It is very light weight and it is easy to hold if you are sitting, reclining, or laying down.
I love that I was in Wal*mart yesterday and saw a newly published book that I want to read, "From the Heart" by Laura Bush. Typically I would wait until it came out in soft cover or until I found it at the used book store. This time I simply pulled my Kindle out of my purse, searched for the book, purchased it at a price that was less than the soft-cover edition will be and downloaded it all in less than a minute. I can peruse a bookstore anytime, anywhere. Technology - it's just AMAZING!
I love that it is small and light enough to carry in my purse. I am planning on making a quilted sleeve for it to fit into to prevent any scratches - but it is the most compact thing imaginable. And it has the capacity to hold 1500 books! That means that right now I am carrying more than 30 books in my purse!
I love the free books you can download from Ama*zon. I couldn't believe how many there are. Many classics and many contemporary.
I love that it keeps my place for me. I stop reading, lay it on the nightstand and the next time I turn it on - voila' - there I am. No more searching for my place. No more lost bookmarks.
I love the dictionary feature. If I read a word I don't know all I have to do is put the cursor in front of the word and a window pops open at the bottom of the screen with a full definition.
I can go online with it. If a book or an article has a link I can go to it on the WWW. Wow.
What I would Improve-
I wish there was a light feature for nighttime reading. I know that the reason there is not a back light is so that reading the screen is identical to reading a paper page. I do have a book light I clip on it so mostly that is not a problem. Well, I had a book light clip until Tyler dunked it into my glass of water that it was sitting beside.
I wish there was a way to loan a book to someone else. If I read a really good book I would have to loan my entire Kindle for someone else to read it. It makes me sad to not loan a book.
I would make the page turner button silent. It has a very quiet clicking sound each time I turn a page. I don't know why it has to click.
I wish you could print a page from it. If a book has a pattern or a recipe it would be really cool if you could make a copy of it.
I wish that pictures were in color - but they are black and white, like newsprint.
Although there is a bookmark feature that allows you to mark a page or highlight a section, I have to admit it is much easier to just thumb through a book to find something you want to re-read.
Overall -
I love it. I am happy I saved all these months to purchase it. I envision many, many happy hours of reading. I already have 31 books downloaded just waiting for me to read. And all but four of those were free ones. I will still buy paper books. So many of my books are my friends really. I love having a full series sitting on the book shelf. I love the way a book smells. But there are many books that I don't necessarily need to have on a shelf. Those are the ones that will go on my Kindle.
Now, if my Kindle could just manage my life, allowing me time to actually read the books on it - I would be a happy camper!
p.s. You might wonder why I don't get books at the library. We live in a rural town and our library fits in a single wide trailer! I could order books using the inter-library loan system, but I am much more of an impulsive reader than that. I could also order them from the library at the University I work at, but same thing - I am an impulsive reader. I don't like waiting for books and I don't like having to have them finished by a certain date. I don't always know what books I want to read until I see them and I can't see them if they aren't there - LOL!
I know. Just indulge me, please.
So in case any of you are considering plunking down about two hundred and fifty George Washington's, I thought I would share my thoughts so far.
What I Love:
I love that I can hold it in one hand and drink a cup of coffee at the same time with my other hand. I love that I can pet the dog or scratch an itch or turn down the volume on the tv remote and never take my eyes off the page. It just works.
I love that I can adjust the size of the font for my eyes. The longer I read, the bigger I can make the font. I can change the number of words in a line as well. It is very light weight and it is easy to hold if you are sitting, reclining, or laying down.
I love that I was in Wal*mart yesterday and saw a newly published book that I want to read, "From the Heart" by Laura Bush. Typically I would wait until it came out in soft cover or until I found it at the used book store. This time I simply pulled my Kindle out of my purse, searched for the book, purchased it at a price that was less than the soft-cover edition will be and downloaded it all in less than a minute. I can peruse a bookstore anytime, anywhere. Technology - it's just AMAZING!
I love that it is small and light enough to carry in my purse. I am planning on making a quilted sleeve for it to fit into to prevent any scratches - but it is the most compact thing imaginable. And it has the capacity to hold 1500 books! That means that right now I am carrying more than 30 books in my purse!
I love the free books you can download from Ama*zon. I couldn't believe how many there are. Many classics and many contemporary.
I love that it keeps my place for me. I stop reading, lay it on the nightstand and the next time I turn it on - voila' - there I am. No more searching for my place. No more lost bookmarks.
I love the dictionary feature. If I read a word I don't know all I have to do is put the cursor in front of the word and a window pops open at the bottom of the screen with a full definition.
I can go online with it. If a book or an article has a link I can go to it on the WWW. Wow.
What I would Improve-
I wish there was a light feature for nighttime reading. I know that the reason there is not a back light is so that reading the screen is identical to reading a paper page. I do have a book light I clip on it so mostly that is not a problem. Well, I had a book light clip until Tyler dunked it into my glass of water that it was sitting beside.
I wish there was a way to loan a book to someone else. If I read a really good book I would have to loan my entire Kindle for someone else to read it. It makes me sad to not loan a book.
I would make the page turner button silent. It has a very quiet clicking sound each time I turn a page. I don't know why it has to click.
I wish you could print a page from it. If a book has a pattern or a recipe it would be really cool if you could make a copy of it.
I wish that pictures were in color - but they are black and white, like newsprint.
Although there is a bookmark feature that allows you to mark a page or highlight a section, I have to admit it is much easier to just thumb through a book to find something you want to re-read.
Overall -
I love it. I am happy I saved all these months to purchase it. I envision many, many happy hours of reading. I already have 31 books downloaded just waiting for me to read. And all but four of those were free ones. I will still buy paper books. So many of my books are my friends really. I love having a full series sitting on the book shelf. I love the way a book smells. But there are many books that I don't necessarily need to have on a shelf. Those are the ones that will go on my Kindle.
Now, if my Kindle could just manage my life, allowing me time to actually read the books on it - I would be a happy camper!
p.s. You might wonder why I don't get books at the library. We live in a rural town and our library fits in a single wide trailer! I could order books using the inter-library loan system, but I am much more of an impulsive reader than that. I could also order them from the library at the University I work at, but same thing - I am an impulsive reader. I don't like waiting for books and I don't like having to have them finished by a certain date. I don't always know what books I want to read until I see them and I can't see them if they aren't there - LOL!
I know. Just indulge me, please.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Catching Up
It feels like it's been so long since I've blogged. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I have been going through a whirlwind of busyness and over-commitment these last few weeks. I have been looking forward to the first of May because then I would be through the busiest part of it - and I must say, things are beginning to look a lot more normal around here. Although normal is a relative term of course.
I have some happy news to share - Michelle and Brad have found out they are going to have another healthy baby boy! Two grandsons and one little granddaughter - how blessed we are. We are thrilled and we know that Tyler and his yet un-named little brother will be the best of friends. This is so different for us as we only ever had "pink" at our house. But we are fast getting used to cars, trucks and footballs. Tyler has learned so many words and is talking up a storm. He is a very verbal little guy (takes after his mama) and his favorite word these days is Poop. Anything yucky is poop. His stuffed animals are always going poop. Anything he doesn't want to do is poop. He even makes up songs about poop! He cracks us up!
Miss Ava Claire prefers to use the word "ucky" when she finds something distasteful to her. She is as feminine and sweet as can be. I marvel at the tiny-ness of her little hands in comparison to her cousin. They are as different as night and day but they are just the best of friends.
This weekend Tyler's mama bought him two big Tonka trucks off of Craig's list. Immediately Tyler labeled one as his and the other one as Ava's. Ava doesn't seem to be overly impressed with her cousin's generosity, but Tyler is sticking with it all the same!
The ladies retreat I spoke at was this last weekend. While I felt completely stretched and out of my comfort zone all weekend, I think it went well. I simply asked God to fill in all the gaps and the areas I missed and He was so faithful to do so. He is so faithful. When I was invited to be the speaker my immediate response was "Oh thank you but no, that's not what I do." Yet something checked me and told me I should pray about it. So I did. And I asked a couple of friends to pray too. And I just felt that God was asking me to do it. So I did. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if He didn't ask me to do it again though. I much prefer writing.
Which reminds me, I don't think I have shared that in the midst of all my over-commitment these last couple of months, I signed up to take an online writing course! I am learning so much about writing and about myself. My favorite thing about the course is that I have been matched up with a published author who is my mentor. What I am learning from her is invaluable. She is kind but she is serious about her task and she has helped me so much. She is helping me with my book and while it is seriously hard work, I know it is just what I needed. I have discovered however, that I rebel a little about writing by deadline. Which is not a good trait for a serious writer. That is probably the one thing about this class that has helped me the most. I am learning to write under pressure, not just when I feel like it. Good stuff.
I have been bitten badly by the knitting bug. I just can't get enough of it and I find that I have collected more yarn and patterns that I will finish in a couple of years. I think I love it so much because it is easy to pick up and put down, it's very transportable and most of my projects are quick. Right now I am working on a pattern called the Cedar Leaf Shawlette. I am working on the leaf border and it is so addicting. I still have the same sock on the needles that I have had for a few weeks now. I'm not sure what compelled me to pick out a lace pattern for my first pair of socks ever - but I'm on the turning the heel part(I just accidently typed hell instead of heel and I'm thinking it may have been more accurate!). I'm not going to give up but I need to have time to take a deep breath and just dive into it. I also have just gotten the yarn for a beautiful pattern called the Shipwreck Shawl. There is something about that name that just speaks to me - I love it! The yarn color I ordered is called Dolphin and the most challenging thing about this pattern is that it includes 5000 beads. Yep, you heard me. 5000 little seed beads. I am crazy. But I think I'm going to love it and I am in no hurry to get it done. This will be my project that I work on when I have time in the early evenings, before I get too tired. I can't wait to start. I also have the yarn to knit a blanket for my new little grandson. Even though Michelle has all of Tyler's little things, I think every new baby deserves something new and handmade all of his very own.
At the end of this month my husband and I are taking a week off to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary. We are going to stay in a condo up in the mountains and I cannot wait. I am envisioning lots of knitting, lots of reading and lots of walks in the woods. No responsibilities at all. I simply cannot wait.
Oh, and I am so excited! I have been saving my pennies here and there for a long time and I finally have saved enough money to purchase a Kindle! I ordered it this morning and it will be here on Wednesday. I was extra excited to see that there is free shipping this week - Yay! I can't wait to get it and take it with me on our little get-away this month.
This week my goal is to finish the nursery layette I am making for my neice. I don't have much left and it should be a very attainable goal. Then I am going to pack my sewing machine away and spend the month of June painting my sewing room. Little Tyler has been enjoying that room as his while they have been staying with us, but at the end of the month Tyler and his mama and daddy will be moving to their own home and I will get to reclaim my sewing room. It is badly in need of some paint and I have some changes in mind for it so there will be no sewing for the first part of the summer. But after I get it all put together again I have in mind to make some of these cute litte stash baskets. They look so cute and easy and I think I could use a few of those around my sewing room.
One of the things I love so much about the blog world is the friends I make. Do you know that I often pray for you? I keep a list on my desk and when I see the names on it I pray for you and whatever you have going on at the time. One of the blogs I read is called Our Journey of Love. I don't remember how I found it but Adrienne's situation has captivated me for a long time. She and her family are in desperate need of prayer. They have gone through so much heartache and I cannot believe what she is going through now. When you have time go over there and read her story of loss, infertility, adoption and hope. And then spend some time praying for her. Adrienne doesn't know me at all and I have only commented on her posts a few times. But she is always on my mind when I pray. I am just always so inspired by her faith and trust in Jesus.
Well, it has felt good to blog again. Next time I will have some pictures of my sweet babies to share. In the meantime, Happy Monday!
I have some happy news to share - Michelle and Brad have found out they are going to have another healthy baby boy! Two grandsons and one little granddaughter - how blessed we are. We are thrilled and we know that Tyler and his yet un-named little brother will be the best of friends. This is so different for us as we only ever had "pink" at our house. But we are fast getting used to cars, trucks and footballs. Tyler has learned so many words and is talking up a storm. He is a very verbal little guy (takes after his mama) and his favorite word these days is Poop. Anything yucky is poop. His stuffed animals are always going poop. Anything he doesn't want to do is poop. He even makes up songs about poop! He cracks us up!
Miss Ava Claire prefers to use the word "ucky" when she finds something distasteful to her. She is as feminine and sweet as can be. I marvel at the tiny-ness of her little hands in comparison to her cousin. They are as different as night and day but they are just the best of friends.
This weekend Tyler's mama bought him two big Tonka trucks off of Craig's list. Immediately Tyler labeled one as his and the other one as Ava's. Ava doesn't seem to be overly impressed with her cousin's generosity, but Tyler is sticking with it all the same!
The ladies retreat I spoke at was this last weekend. While I felt completely stretched and out of my comfort zone all weekend, I think it went well. I simply asked God to fill in all the gaps and the areas I missed and He was so faithful to do so. He is so faithful. When I was invited to be the speaker my immediate response was "Oh thank you but no, that's not what I do." Yet something checked me and told me I should pray about it. So I did. And I asked a couple of friends to pray too. And I just felt that God was asking me to do it. So I did. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if He didn't ask me to do it again though. I much prefer writing.
Which reminds me, I don't think I have shared that in the midst of all my over-commitment these last couple of months, I signed up to take an online writing course! I am learning so much about writing and about myself. My favorite thing about the course is that I have been matched up with a published author who is my mentor. What I am learning from her is invaluable. She is kind but she is serious about her task and she has helped me so much. She is helping me with my book and while it is seriously hard work, I know it is just what I needed. I have discovered however, that I rebel a little about writing by deadline. Which is not a good trait for a serious writer. That is probably the one thing about this class that has helped me the most. I am learning to write under pressure, not just when I feel like it. Good stuff.
I have been bitten badly by the knitting bug. I just can't get enough of it and I find that I have collected more yarn and patterns that I will finish in a couple of years. I think I love it so much because it is easy to pick up and put down, it's very transportable and most of my projects are quick. Right now I am working on a pattern called the Cedar Leaf Shawlette. I am working on the leaf border and it is so addicting. I still have the same sock on the needles that I have had for a few weeks now. I'm not sure what compelled me to pick out a lace pattern for my first pair of socks ever - but I'm on the turning the heel part(I just accidently typed hell instead of heel and I'm thinking it may have been more accurate!). I'm not going to give up but I need to have time to take a deep breath and just dive into it. I also have just gotten the yarn for a beautiful pattern called the Shipwreck Shawl. There is something about that name that just speaks to me - I love it! The yarn color I ordered is called Dolphin and the most challenging thing about this pattern is that it includes 5000 beads. Yep, you heard me. 5000 little seed beads. I am crazy. But I think I'm going to love it and I am in no hurry to get it done. This will be my project that I work on when I have time in the early evenings, before I get too tired. I can't wait to start. I also have the yarn to knit a blanket for my new little grandson. Even though Michelle has all of Tyler's little things, I think every new baby deserves something new and handmade all of his very own.
At the end of this month my husband and I are taking a week off to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary. We are going to stay in a condo up in the mountains and I cannot wait. I am envisioning lots of knitting, lots of reading and lots of walks in the woods. No responsibilities at all. I simply cannot wait.
Oh, and I am so excited! I have been saving my pennies here and there for a long time and I finally have saved enough money to purchase a Kindle! I ordered it this morning and it will be here on Wednesday. I was extra excited to see that there is free shipping this week - Yay! I can't wait to get it and take it with me on our little get-away this month.
This week my goal is to finish the nursery layette I am making for my neice. I don't have much left and it should be a very attainable goal. Then I am going to pack my sewing machine away and spend the month of June painting my sewing room. Little Tyler has been enjoying that room as his while they have been staying with us, but at the end of the month Tyler and his mama and daddy will be moving to their own home and I will get to reclaim my sewing room. It is badly in need of some paint and I have some changes in mind for it so there will be no sewing for the first part of the summer. But after I get it all put together again I have in mind to make some of these cute litte stash baskets. They look so cute and easy and I think I could use a few of those around my sewing room.
One of the things I love so much about the blog world is the friends I make. Do you know that I often pray for you? I keep a list on my desk and when I see the names on it I pray for you and whatever you have going on at the time. One of the blogs I read is called Our Journey of Love. I don't remember how I found it but Adrienne's situation has captivated me for a long time. She and her family are in desperate need of prayer. They have gone through so much heartache and I cannot believe what she is going through now. When you have time go over there and read her story of loss, infertility, adoption and hope. And then spend some time praying for her. Adrienne doesn't know me at all and I have only commented on her posts a few times. But she is always on my mind when I pray. I am just always so inspired by her faith and trust in Jesus.
Well, it has felt good to blog again. Next time I will have some pictures of my sweet babies to share. In the meantime, Happy Monday!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Happy Thoughts
Just thought I would take a few minutes and reflect on a few happy thoughts.
Things like:
Eating grilled pork steaks and pasta salad on the patio last night!
Watching Tyler help his poppa get the sprinkler system up and going. He LOVED it and kept saying "BIG Water!" He ended up soaking wet. And deliriously happy.
I have a new project on the needles - a pair of socks. It will be my very first pair of socks to knit. I know, I know. I wasn't going to start a new project. But it calms me. It relaxes me. I need to do it.
A beautiful weekend with temperatures in the 70's. Ahhhhh.......... I can't tell you how happy that makes me.
Knowing that every time I sit down, my little dog Willow jumps in my lap and snuggles right in.
When Jess has a big test at school, she always calls home and asks us to pray for her. I love that she knows where her Source of Strength and Wisdom comes from.
Diet Dr. Pepper. 'nuff said.
Knitting podcasts on my iPod. I found the KnitPicks podcasts and I love listening to them in the car as I travel to and from work. I have learned so much about knitting by just listening. I also love Never Not Knitting's podcasts. So relaxing and just what I need to take my mind of work on my 30 minute ride home each day.
Took the studded snow tires of my car this week. Can I just say hallelujah! I sure appreciate them when I need them but I appreciate that I don't need them even more.
Financial Peace University. Dave Ramsey has helped us immensely. Retirement is not that far away and we will be ready. The techniques and information we have learned from this class are invaluable. Thank you Dave!
Sweet Ava Claire. I love having a granddaughter. She is just a little bundle of sugar and I could just eat her with a spoon. Her sweet little voice just melts my heart and yes, it's true - she could get by with nearly anything when she flashes that precious smile at me.
Tulips. My very favorite flower of all. And they are almost ready to pop at my house.
Couponing. I just get so happy when I coupon. It's like winning a game show or something. I can't explain it - you just have to try it and then you will know.
Book giveaways! I have two winners. The winner of This Little Prayer of Mine is Denise from A Grandmother's Heartbeat. And the winner of Forget Me Not is Nancy. Send me your addresses girls - rgryan(at)nnu(dot)edu and I will get them in the mail to you.
Have a happy weekend everybody!
Things like:
Eating grilled pork steaks and pasta salad on the patio last night!
Watching Tyler help his poppa get the sprinkler system up and going. He LOVED it and kept saying "BIG Water!" He ended up soaking wet. And deliriously happy.
I have a new project on the needles - a pair of socks. It will be my very first pair of socks to knit. I know, I know. I wasn't going to start a new project. But it calms me. It relaxes me. I need to do it.
A beautiful weekend with temperatures in the 70's. Ahhhhh.......... I can't tell you how happy that makes me.
Knowing that every time I sit down, my little dog Willow jumps in my lap and snuggles right in.
When Jess has a big test at school, she always calls home and asks us to pray for her. I love that she knows where her Source of Strength and Wisdom comes from.
Diet Dr. Pepper. 'nuff said.
Knitting podcasts on my iPod. I found the KnitPicks podcasts and I love listening to them in the car as I travel to and from work. I have learned so much about knitting by just listening. I also love Never Not Knitting's podcasts. So relaxing and just what I need to take my mind of work on my 30 minute ride home each day.
Took the studded snow tires of my car this week. Can I just say hallelujah! I sure appreciate them when I need them but I appreciate that I don't need them even more.
Financial Peace University. Dave Ramsey has helped us immensely. Retirement is not that far away and we will be ready. The techniques and information we have learned from this class are invaluable. Thank you Dave!
Sweet Ava Claire. I love having a granddaughter. She is just a little bundle of sugar and I could just eat her with a spoon. Her sweet little voice just melts my heart and yes, it's true - she could get by with nearly anything when she flashes that precious smile at me.
Tulips. My very favorite flower of all. And they are almost ready to pop at my house.
Couponing. I just get so happy when I coupon. It's like winning a game show or something. I can't explain it - you just have to try it and then you will know.
Book giveaways! I have two winners. The winner of This Little Prayer of Mine is Denise from A Grandmother's Heartbeat. And the winner of Forget Me Not is Nancy. Send me your addresses girls - rgryan(at)nnu(dot)edu and I will get them in the mail to you.
Have a happy weekend everybody!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Forget Me Not - A Book Review
Recently I read Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinze. Believe it or not, this is the first mystery/suspense Christian novel I have ever read. I'm not sure why, but I've just never gotten into that genre of books before.
The back cover of Forget Me Not says:
Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man- in his faith, his work, and his family. Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away. His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith. Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too. Why had he survived? He'd failed to protect his family.
Now a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help - a victim who eerily resembles Ben's deceased wife, Susan. A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith - and Susan's necklace.
The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill. Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman's situation from dangerous to deadly. Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will that be enough to save their lives and heal their tattered hearts?
What I thought:
Since this is my first venture into the mystery/suspense genre, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it so much. In fact, after reading the first couple of pages, I found it very hard to put the book down. I was a little surprised at the violence it contained - although nothing was graphic or even very discriptive - I still wasn't expecting it. I was pleased that there was such a strong salvation message in the book without being overly preachy or simplistic. Even though it was easy to guess some of the mysteries in the storyline, there were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. By the end of the story there were several characters that kind of came out of nowhere and it made it a bit confusing to keep everyone straight. It's ending leaves the reader knowing that there will be a sequel. I love sequels.
Overall, I recommend this book. It was very entertaining, well-written and kept the reader throughly enthralled with the story.
Would you like a chance to read this book? I have an extra copy I would like to give away. Leave me a comment telling me you would like to read it and I will do a random drawing sometime next week. I will also announce the winner for the children's book I reviewed last week at the same time.
By the time May rolls around, I hope to be back to my regularly scheduled life, which means I plan to be blogging more. I miss it. I truly do.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
The back cover of Forget Me Not says:
Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man- in his faith, his work, and his family. Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away. His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith. Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too. Why had he survived? He'd failed to protect his family.
Now a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help - a victim who eerily resembles Ben's deceased wife, Susan. A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith - and Susan's necklace.
The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill. Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman's situation from dangerous to deadly. Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will that be enough to save their lives and heal their tattered hearts?
What I thought:
Since this is my first venture into the mystery/suspense genre, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it so much. In fact, after reading the first couple of pages, I found it very hard to put the book down. I was a little surprised at the violence it contained - although nothing was graphic or even very discriptive - I still wasn't expecting it. I was pleased that there was such a strong salvation message in the book without being overly preachy or simplistic. Even though it was easy to guess some of the mysteries in the storyline, there were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. By the end of the story there were several characters that kind of came out of nowhere and it made it a bit confusing to keep everyone straight. It's ending leaves the reader knowing that there will be a sequel. I love sequels.
Overall, I recommend this book. It was very entertaining, well-written and kept the reader throughly enthralled with the story.
Would you like a chance to read this book? I have an extra copy I would like to give away. Leave me a comment telling me you would like to read it and I will do a random drawing sometime next week. I will also announce the winner for the children's book I reviewed last week at the same time.
By the time May rolls around, I hope to be back to my regularly scheduled life, which means I plan to be blogging more. I miss it. I truly do.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Catching Up ...Book Review....And a Giveaway
So do you ever have those times when everything just seems so overwhelming? I know you do - and I'm there right now. I have over-committed myself in several areas - do you think I would ever learn? The sad thing that happens when I do that is that I don't feel like I do anything well. I just get by - and I really hate that. Hopefully by the first of next month things will be slowing down and I hope to take a deep breath and just be. Not do. Just be. Doesn't that sound lovely?
In the meantime, you wouldn't be wasting a prayer on me. Truly.
In the midst of all the things I am doing I came down with a horrible case of the stomach flu. Yuck - it knocked me down for 4 days. And it was the strangest flu- it made me very irritable and everything seemed so depressing. I've never experienced that with the flu before and I was so relieved on the fifth day when the clouds left (figuratively speaking anyway) and the sun came out again. I was getting a little worried about myself. I was nice enough to share it with family members so it hasn't left our house yet.
While I was sick I was laying in bed and I kept staring at my huge yarn stash that has started multiplying and creeping out all over my bedroom. When the kids moved in with us in November I gave my sewing/craft room to Tyler and my knitting took up lodging in my bedroom. It was to the point that it really needed to be dealt with. So on my first day of feeling human again I got a box of zip lock bags and organized all my yarn into projects and put each one into a zip lock bag with a copy of the instructions for whatever it is going to be inside with it. I love this idea - now I just have to grab a bag and I have an instant project. But I am not allowing myself to start a new project until next month, because, ahem, well, because of the aforementioned overcommitment issues I have.
One of my commitments is a sewing project I promised to my niece who is expecting a baby in June. I promised to make her nursery layette and I have finished the crib sheets and the bumper pads but I still need to finish the crib blanket and start the dust ruffle. I absolutely will not start another project until that is done. It's a bit more challenging these days to sew since I no longer have my sewing room. My sewing machine is in Jessica's room, the ironing board is in the laundry room, and the only space large enough to cut fabric is the island in my kitchen. It spreads me out all over the house! I think I can finish fairly quickly though and it will be good to have that project behind me.
I also had really good intentions of getting our taxes done early this year, but let's see, my calendar tells me April 15 is next week and I have yet to even start them. I guess we know what I will be doing this weekend.
And the biggest thing I have been dealing with is that I committed to speaking at a Woman's Retreat at the end of this month. I have never done this before for another church and I am scared to death! It didn't seem like that big of a deal about 6 months ago - but suddenly - wow - what was I thinking?!
And the yardwork, people. Oh the yardwork. It just mocks me everytime I glance out the window. I really need to do something to clean up my gardens and pond and fencelines, and well, just everything.
Well, thanks for listening to me whine! It feels better just to tell you all about it :)
In the meantime I have a fun book review to share.
In the meantime, you wouldn't be wasting a prayer on me. Truly.
In the midst of all the things I am doing I came down with a horrible case of the stomach flu. Yuck - it knocked me down for 4 days. And it was the strangest flu- it made me very irritable and everything seemed so depressing. I've never experienced that with the flu before and I was so relieved on the fifth day when the clouds left (figuratively speaking anyway) and the sun came out again. I was getting a little worried about myself. I was nice enough to share it with family members so it hasn't left our house yet.
While I was sick I was laying in bed and I kept staring at my huge yarn stash that has started multiplying and creeping out all over my bedroom. When the kids moved in with us in November I gave my sewing/craft room to Tyler and my knitting took up lodging in my bedroom. It was to the point that it really needed to be dealt with. So on my first day of feeling human again I got a box of zip lock bags and organized all my yarn into projects and put each one into a zip lock bag with a copy of the instructions for whatever it is going to be inside with it. I love this idea - now I just have to grab a bag and I have an instant project. But I am not allowing myself to start a new project until next month, because, ahem, well, because of the aforementioned overcommitment issues I have.
One of my commitments is a sewing project I promised to my niece who is expecting a baby in June. I promised to make her nursery layette and I have finished the crib sheets and the bumper pads but I still need to finish the crib blanket and start the dust ruffle. I absolutely will not start another project until that is done. It's a bit more challenging these days to sew since I no longer have my sewing room. My sewing machine is in Jessica's room, the ironing board is in the laundry room, and the only space large enough to cut fabric is the island in my kitchen. It spreads me out all over the house! I think I can finish fairly quickly though and it will be good to have that project behind me.
I also had really good intentions of getting our taxes done early this year, but let's see, my calendar tells me April 15 is next week and I have yet to even start them. I guess we know what I will be doing this weekend.
And the biggest thing I have been dealing with is that I committed to speaking at a Woman's Retreat at the end of this month. I have never done this before for another church and I am scared to death! It didn't seem like that big of a deal about 6 months ago - but suddenly - wow - what was I thinking?!
And the yardwork, people. Oh the yardwork. It just mocks me everytime I glance out the window. I really need to do something to clean up my gardens and pond and fencelines, and well, just everything.
Well, thanks for listening to me whine! It feels better just to tell you all about it :)
In the meantime I have a fun book review to share.
This children's book was sent to me to review by Waterbook Multnomah Publishing. It is just the sweetest little book for kids. The first thing that struck me was the beautiful and colorful artwork. The pictures are large and life-like and every child has such great expression on their faces. The storyline teaches children how you can talk to God about everything - what is happening in your life - what you want to be when you grow up - relationships with your friends. It demonstrates how prayer is just as natural as breathing - a great lesson for kids to learn. I think the book is geared to kids in the 4 - 8 year range. I love how one of the pictures shows a child playing with a handheld game system - very relevant to the day. Would you like a copy of this book? I have one for you. All you have to do is be #8 to email me telling me you want it. My email address is rgryan(at)nnu(dot)edu.
I'll announce a winner soon. I hope. At least it will be on my list of things to do!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter 2010
Just thought I would share a few snapshots of my sweet little "grand-bunnies" on Easter morning. 
I finished knitting Miss Ava Claire's dress in time but I didn't get a picture of the top of the dress - it was SO cold outside we didn't even think to take off her sweater. Ava and her mommy had matching gold shoes - so pretty!
Believe it or not, the girls did not intentionally match the kids outfits. But it made us all kinds of happy that they ended up that way.
I knit both the babies these sweet little bunnies - they are Susan B. Anderson's pattern Hop. I just love that name - Hop. Somehow I neglected to get a picture of both of them.
Even though the weather didn't cooperate - not even one little bit - it was a great day and everyone had fun. We all had enough food and candy to last us for the next 6 months.
We had 461 in church this morning. 461 in our little town in our little church that used to think breaking 100 was a miracle. 461 people heard my husband preach about the hope of the Resurrection today. 461 people heard that God sent his only Son to die in place of us, and on the third day He came back to life and He lives today. 461 people heard how all they have to do is ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins and they too can live forever in Paradise. 461 people were given just a glimpse into what Paradise could possibly be - even though our minds cannot even begin to imagine.
All in all, I'd say we had a very good day.
I finished knitting Miss Ava Claire's dress in time but I didn't get a picture of the top of the dress - it was SO cold outside we didn't even think to take off her sweater. Ava and her mommy had matching gold shoes - so pretty!
Believe it or not, the girls did not intentionally match the kids outfits. But it made us all kinds of happy that they ended up that way.
I knit both the babies these sweet little bunnies - they are Susan B. Anderson's pattern Hop. I just love that name - Hop. Somehow I neglected to get a picture of both of them.
Even though the weather didn't cooperate - not even one little bit - it was a great day and everyone had fun. We all had enough food and candy to last us for the next 6 months.
We had 461 in church this morning. 461 in our little town in our little church that used to think breaking 100 was a miracle. 461 people heard my husband preach about the hope of the Resurrection today. 461 people heard that God sent his only Son to die in place of us, and on the third day He came back to life and He lives today. 461 people heard how all they have to do is ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins and they too can live forever in Paradise. 461 people were given just a glimpse into what Paradise could possibly be - even though our minds cannot even begin to imagine.
All in all, I'd say we had a very good day.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Let Me Introduce You
This weekend I am staying with my four grandchildren-in-love. They are grandchildren that we chose with our hearts. We have been a part of each others lives ever since they were born. Their mom and dad went away for a much needed anniversary weekend celebration and so I was put in charge. Or they were put in charge of me. I'm not sure which.
This is Jeremiah:
He is 10 years old and is one mean bar-b-que griller. He made us all hotdogs and hamburgers for dinner and we agreed that he can grill for us anytime. Jeremiah likes to play GameCube and DS. He is a really good Bible Quizzer at church and he has many, many medals to prove it. His favorite movie is Avatar and his favorite food in the world is a big hamburger. With Cheese. He would love to play the guitar and be in a band someday. Jeremiah is a fine young man.
I would like you to meet Chloe.
Chloe is 8 years old. Chloe is the only sister and she has three brothers. I recently taught Chloe how to knit and she is doing a very good job. She practices her knitting for 10 minutes every day. It won't be long and she will be an awesome knitter. Today Chloe and I spent some time knitting and one of her younger brothers wanted her to come play with him. Chloe said, "Boy's, we're knitting, you'll just have to deal with it." Ha! I loved it! Chloe loves to do all kinds of crafts. When Chloe grows up she wants to be a mom. I know she will be a good one. Chloe loves all the stories in the Bible and she can't pick a favorite. Her favorite movie is Tinkerbell. Chloe loves her little dog Molly and she always takes good care of her.
This is Jordan.
Jordan is 5 years old. Jordan likes to paint and draw with markers. When Jordan grows up he wants to be a rock star. He also loves to play ring around the rosie. His favorite movie is Alvin and the Chipmunks - the Squeakual. Jordan is full of energy and he keeps everyone entertained. Those are good qualities for rock stars. He tells me his favorite Bible story is a secret and his favorite song is Jesus I Know You Died for Me. That is a song he will be singing in the Easter program.
And finally, meet Josiah.
Josiah is also 5 years old and tells me that he loves candy most of all. I think he is telling the truth. His favorite super hero is Batman. His favorite Bible story is when Jesus died on the cross. He is learning how to play Badminton and he is doing pretty well. He loves to play on the McDonald's playground and he always orders chocolate milk and apples.
So this is a busy weekend. I'm pretty sure I will have to go to work next week so I can recuperate. There's nothing like living with four little ones to make you feel your age. Which right about now is feeling pretty old indeed :)
This is Jeremiah:
He is 10 years old and is one mean bar-b-que griller. He made us all hotdogs and hamburgers for dinner and we agreed that he can grill for us anytime. Jeremiah likes to play GameCube and DS. He is a really good Bible Quizzer at church and he has many, many medals to prove it. His favorite movie is Avatar and his favorite food in the world is a big hamburger. With Cheese. He would love to play the guitar and be in a band someday. Jeremiah is a fine young man.I would like you to meet Chloe.
Chloe is 8 years old. Chloe is the only sister and she has three brothers. I recently taught Chloe how to knit and she is doing a very good job. She practices her knitting for 10 minutes every day. It won't be long and she will be an awesome knitter. Today Chloe and I spent some time knitting and one of her younger brothers wanted her to come play with him. Chloe said, "Boy's, we're knitting, you'll just have to deal with it." Ha! I loved it! Chloe loves to do all kinds of crafts. When Chloe grows up she wants to be a mom. I know she will be a good one. Chloe loves all the stories in the Bible and she can't pick a favorite. Her favorite movie is Tinkerbell. Chloe loves her little dog Molly and she always takes good care of her.This is Jordan.
Jordan is 5 years old. Jordan likes to paint and draw with markers. When Jordan grows up he wants to be a rock star. He also loves to play ring around the rosie. His favorite movie is Alvin and the Chipmunks - the Squeakual. Jordan is full of energy and he keeps everyone entertained. Those are good qualities for rock stars. He tells me his favorite Bible story is a secret and his favorite song is Jesus I Know You Died for Me. That is a song he will be singing in the Easter program.
And finally, meet Josiah.
Josiah is also 5 years old and tells me that he loves candy most of all. I think he is telling the truth. His favorite super hero is Batman. His favorite Bible story is when Jesus died on the cross. He is learning how to play Badminton and he is doing pretty well. He loves to play on the McDonald's playground and he always orders chocolate milk and apples.
So this is a busy weekend. I'm pretty sure I will have to go to work next week so I can recuperate. There's nothing like living with four little ones to make you feel your age. Which right about now is feeling pretty old indeed :)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Another Week
Whew! It's been so busy around here. I think last time I checked in my husband had left for Peru. He was gone for two weeks. Two weeks is a long time for a husband to be gone. Everything went surprisingly well. Nothing broke. Nothing bad happened. And the alarm company from the church only called in the middle of the night once. I told them to call the associate pastor and went back to sleep :) No way am I going on a walk through of the building in the middle of the night.
The Peru trip went well other than most of the team ended up getting the flu. They were all pretty sick by the time they got back. But they said they would do it again so I guess that's a good sign that it went well. My husband said he thought he had been back to boot camp - they worked them pretty hard. And at 11,000 feet altitude it was hard to breath. They were all happy to be back in America again.
In the mean time, I was busy with this project:
I offered to make Ava Claire's Easter dress this year. I should say I offered to knit Ava Claire's Easter dress this year. I have decided that I don't like knitting on a deadline very much. This is my first adventure into knitting any kind of a garment. And it's also my first try at knitting lace. I re-did the lace section three times and I have done the skirt section twice. Whew! That's a lot of knitting. But I'm on the homestretch now and I think it's going to be just adorable. I am using Blue Sky Alpaca Skinny Organic Yarn which is a yarn comprised of many strands of cotton twisted together. The result is that it is really "splitty" and fussy to knit with. I love the feel and the look of the finished project but I don't think I will make any more big projects with this yarn. I have spent a lot of time correcting stitches that have split. As soon as I get this project off the needles I am going to start a smaller, simpler toy project. I love knitting toys. And I like instant gratification!
I am also still doing a lot of couponing. I just don't know why anybody wouldn't do it. I got all this for about $27 this weekend. I just love finding a good deal. And besides with all the money I save on groceries, just think of the yarn I can buy!
And just look at these two:
I can't believe how much they are growing. They are the joy of my life and every moment spent with them is just so wonderful. They provide tons of laughter and fun and even lots of work. But I wouldn't have it any other way. They are such blessings. They are both beginning to talk so much and they absolutely love each other. Tyler is about as "boy" as you can get and Ava Claire is all girl. They love to play together and they especially love to get into trouble together. Michelle calls them Thing One and Thing Two. They are quite a pair. It will be interesting to see how the equation changes when Thing Three arrives on the scene late this summer. The blessings just keep raining down.
The Peru trip went well other than most of the team ended up getting the flu. They were all pretty sick by the time they got back. But they said they would do it again so I guess that's a good sign that it went well. My husband said he thought he had been back to boot camp - they worked them pretty hard. And at 11,000 feet altitude it was hard to breath. They were all happy to be back in America again.
In the mean time, I was busy with this project:
I offered to make Ava Claire's Easter dress this year. I should say I offered to knit Ava Claire's Easter dress this year. I have decided that I don't like knitting on a deadline very much. This is my first adventure into knitting any kind of a garment. And it's also my first try at knitting lace. I re-did the lace section three times and I have done the skirt section twice. Whew! That's a lot of knitting. But I'm on the homestretch now and I think it's going to be just adorable. I am using Blue Sky Alpaca Skinny Organic Yarn which is a yarn comprised of many strands of cotton twisted together. The result is that it is really "splitty" and fussy to knit with. I love the feel and the look of the finished project but I don't think I will make any more big projects with this yarn. I have spent a lot of time correcting stitches that have split. As soon as I get this project off the needles I am going to start a smaller, simpler toy project. I love knitting toys. And I like instant gratification!
I am also still doing a lot of couponing. I just don't know why anybody wouldn't do it. I got all this for about $27 this weekend. I just love finding a good deal. And besides with all the money I save on groceries, just think of the yarn I can buy!
And just look at these two:
I can't believe how much they are growing. They are the joy of my life and every moment spent with them is just so wonderful. They provide tons of laughter and fun and even lots of work. But I wouldn't have it any other way. They are such blessings. They are both beginning to talk so much and they absolutely love each other. Tyler is about as "boy" as you can get and Ava Claire is all girl. They love to play together and they especially love to get into trouble together. Michelle calls them Thing One and Thing Two. They are quite a pair. It will be interesting to see how the equation changes when Thing Three arrives on the scene late this summer. The blessings just keep raining down.I just love how the days are longer now and the leaves are starting to appear on the trees. I spent some time yesterday raking up what is left of last year's leaves. I'm starting to think about what flowers I will plant this year and whether to do another salsa garden or not this year. I want to keep it simple, whatever I do.
Time to get ready for another week. I sure do wish the weekends were longer.
Time to get ready for another week. I sure do wish the weekends were longer.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Unscheduled Hiatus
I'm still here. Just crazy busy. Between knitting on an Easter project, writing assignments, a new Bible Study I'm facilitating and a husband just home from Peru, well, there's just not much time for blogging right now.
But I do have some things I want to share so I will be back real soon. I promise.
In the meantime, all is good at the Nest. God is good. All the time.
But I do have some things I want to share so I will be back real soon. I promise.
In the meantime, all is good at the Nest. God is good. All the time.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Thank You Dr. Dobson
Because of my working schedule I am not able to listen to radio broadcasts of Focus on the Family. But I do often download episodes on my iPod and listen to them at my leisure, often while I am sewing. Just today I listened to the episodes that honored this fine and Godly man who is leaving Focus. He has been such a major part of my life. As I listened to people who called in to share their sentiments, I wished I had been able to do that. Instead I am going to share my sentiments here on my blog and share a story I have never shared before.
I began listening to Dr. Dobson when we were in seminary and living in Kansas City in the early 1980's. We had two young daughters at that time, one quite strong-willed and the other very compliant. I remember listening to those broadcasts feeling like I had found a life-line. Somebody understood the situation I found myself in as a young mother and helped me understand my daughters. I listened faithfully every day and subscribed to the free issues of Focus on the Family magazine that came every month. I devoured those magazines from start to end and often read them over and over again.
I needed to hear that my job as a mom was full of value and honor and that the strong feelings I had to stay home and raise my children were natural and right. Even though I always had to work some outside the home, I felt encouraged as I found jobs that worked around my husband's schedule so that our children were always with one of us.
I learned and applied the disciplining techniques taught in The Strong Willed Child, Dare to Discipline and Hide or Seek. Our children were raised in love and discipline and while certainly not perfect, we knew we could take them out in public and be proud of their behavior. Dr. Dobson taught me how to tell the difference between childish irresponsibility and willful defiance. I loved how he taught me how to "shape the will without breaking the spirit" of my kids. I learned so much from listening and reading the words of this very wise and Godly man. More than anything I took from him the challenge to "Be There" , meaning that there is nothing more important that being There all together, a family unbroken, when we go to Heaven. It is the deepest desire of my heart to this day.
This brings me to the story I have never shared. It was 1989 and I learned that I was pregnant with my fourth child. We were pastoring a very small church that included a very small salary, my husband was bi-vocational, we had three daughters who were growing and demanding things we found hard to financially supply and I was exhausted and discouraged. The thought of a fourth child was simply overwhelming to me and to be quite honest, I did not want this baby. I felt much guilt over feeling this way because I knew that life was a gift from God, but I could not imagine how we were going to make this all work. After going to the doctor on my initial maternity visit we were handed a bill, the amount the insurance would not cover, and told it had to be paid before the baby was born. It was a few hundred dollars, but it may as well have been a million. There was no way we could come up with that much money.
During this time I received in the mail one of the monthly letters from Dr. Dobson. It often told news of what was happening at Focus and in our country along with much appreciated parenting advice. But this letter was a bit different. It was a letter from the heart of Dr. Dobson as he and Shirley were facing the empty nest. Their children were moving away from home and they were struggling with the feelings and emotions that were occurring because of it. Something in that letter pierced my heart like an arrow and God used those words to help me stop looking at our situation in terms of dollars, to have faith that He would provide and to look forward with joy and anticipation the birth of our fourth daughter. An amazing transformation took place inside of me and I sat down and wrote a letter of thanks to Dr. Dobson. I told him my story and I thanked him for helping me to accept what God was doing in my life.
It was just 3 or 4 weeks later, about 4:30 in the afternoon when the phone rang. I picked it up and it was a man's voice that I did not recognize. He asked for me and then proceeded to tell me that it was Focus on the Family calling. I did not believe it and thought that my husband was playing a trick on me. After the man finally made it clear that he was not my husband and indeed worked for Dr. Dobson he told me a most remarkable thing. He told me that Dr. Dobson had read my letter and been very touched by it. He was sending me something in the mail and I was to be sure to look for it.
I was so excited! What would it be? One of his books perhaps, and I even dared to hope that it would be autographed. Maybe it would be a set of his cassette tapes. I went to the post office every day eagerly looking for my package. Finally, just a few days later a letter appeared in my mail box from Focus on the Family. I must admit my excitement was just a bit deflated as obviously I was not receiving a book or even a tape. I took the letter to my car and opened it and a check fell out of the letter. A check for the exact amount of money we needed to pay the doctor before our baby was born. Tears filled my eyes and I could hardly read the letter from Dr. Dobson that asked me to accept this gift from Focus as though it were a gift from the Lord. And it had to have been because in my letter to Dr. Dobson I had never mentioned any amount of money at all.
God used that incident in my life to grow my faith. I am so grateful to Dr. Dobson for what he did for us. Years later, after we were more financially secure, I began giving a monthly donation to this great ministry and I still do to this day. We have given way above and beyond the dollar amount we received that day, in faith believing that this money has gone on to bless other people as it had blessed us.
I will never be able to repay the debt of gratitude I owe to Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family. I can't imagine how my kids will raise their kids without hearing his kind and comforting voice on the radio every day. But this I know, God will make a way.
Thank you Dr. Dobson for being a man of honor, integrity, faith and wisdom. You have blessed my life.
I began listening to Dr. Dobson when we were in seminary and living in Kansas City in the early 1980's. We had two young daughters at that time, one quite strong-willed and the other very compliant. I remember listening to those broadcasts feeling like I had found a life-line. Somebody understood the situation I found myself in as a young mother and helped me understand my daughters. I listened faithfully every day and subscribed to the free issues of Focus on the Family magazine that came every month. I devoured those magazines from start to end and often read them over and over again.
I needed to hear that my job as a mom was full of value and honor and that the strong feelings I had to stay home and raise my children were natural and right. Even though I always had to work some outside the home, I felt encouraged as I found jobs that worked around my husband's schedule so that our children were always with one of us.
I learned and applied the disciplining techniques taught in The Strong Willed Child, Dare to Discipline and Hide or Seek. Our children were raised in love and discipline and while certainly not perfect, we knew we could take them out in public and be proud of their behavior. Dr. Dobson taught me how to tell the difference between childish irresponsibility and willful defiance. I loved how he taught me how to "shape the will without breaking the spirit" of my kids. I learned so much from listening and reading the words of this very wise and Godly man. More than anything I took from him the challenge to "Be There" , meaning that there is nothing more important that being There all together, a family unbroken, when we go to Heaven. It is the deepest desire of my heart to this day.
This brings me to the story I have never shared. It was 1989 and I learned that I was pregnant with my fourth child. We were pastoring a very small church that included a very small salary, my husband was bi-vocational, we had three daughters who were growing and demanding things we found hard to financially supply and I was exhausted and discouraged. The thought of a fourth child was simply overwhelming to me and to be quite honest, I did not want this baby. I felt much guilt over feeling this way because I knew that life was a gift from God, but I could not imagine how we were going to make this all work. After going to the doctor on my initial maternity visit we were handed a bill, the amount the insurance would not cover, and told it had to be paid before the baby was born. It was a few hundred dollars, but it may as well have been a million. There was no way we could come up with that much money.
During this time I received in the mail one of the monthly letters from Dr. Dobson. It often told news of what was happening at Focus and in our country along with much appreciated parenting advice. But this letter was a bit different. It was a letter from the heart of Dr. Dobson as he and Shirley were facing the empty nest. Their children were moving away from home and they were struggling with the feelings and emotions that were occurring because of it. Something in that letter pierced my heart like an arrow and God used those words to help me stop looking at our situation in terms of dollars, to have faith that He would provide and to look forward with joy and anticipation the birth of our fourth daughter. An amazing transformation took place inside of me and I sat down and wrote a letter of thanks to Dr. Dobson. I told him my story and I thanked him for helping me to accept what God was doing in my life.
It was just 3 or 4 weeks later, about 4:30 in the afternoon when the phone rang. I picked it up and it was a man's voice that I did not recognize. He asked for me and then proceeded to tell me that it was Focus on the Family calling. I did not believe it and thought that my husband was playing a trick on me. After the man finally made it clear that he was not my husband and indeed worked for Dr. Dobson he told me a most remarkable thing. He told me that Dr. Dobson had read my letter and been very touched by it. He was sending me something in the mail and I was to be sure to look for it.
I was so excited! What would it be? One of his books perhaps, and I even dared to hope that it would be autographed. Maybe it would be a set of his cassette tapes. I went to the post office every day eagerly looking for my package. Finally, just a few days later a letter appeared in my mail box from Focus on the Family. I must admit my excitement was just a bit deflated as obviously I was not receiving a book or even a tape. I took the letter to my car and opened it and a check fell out of the letter. A check for the exact amount of money we needed to pay the doctor before our baby was born. Tears filled my eyes and I could hardly read the letter from Dr. Dobson that asked me to accept this gift from Focus as though it were a gift from the Lord. And it had to have been because in my letter to Dr. Dobson I had never mentioned any amount of money at all.
God used that incident in my life to grow my faith. I am so grateful to Dr. Dobson for what he did for us. Years later, after we were more financially secure, I began giving a monthly donation to this great ministry and I still do to this day. We have given way above and beyond the dollar amount we received that day, in faith believing that this money has gone on to bless other people as it had blessed us.
I will never be able to repay the debt of gratitude I owe to Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family. I can't imagine how my kids will raise their kids without hearing his kind and comforting voice on the radio every day. But this I know, God will make a way.
Thank you Dr. Dobson for being a man of honor, integrity, faith and wisdom. You have blessed my life.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Two New Book Reviews and a Giveaway
And the winner is . . . . . Julie from Journal for Women. I'm so happy you won - I have enjoyed your blog for a long time.
Thanks for playing everyone - I always think it is so interesting to get emails from people I had no idea read my blog. Fun!
Relationships. We all have them. Some are easy and some are hard. Some go up and down and all around. Waterbrook Press sent me two books to review and they are all about relationships.
The first one is called Mother-Daughter Duet and it is written by a mother-daughter team, Cheri Fuller and Ali Plum. I was born the oldest of five daughters and I am the mother of four daughters and now the grandmother of a precious granddaughter. I know a little bit about how complicated female relationships can be. Every mother of a newborn daughter holds that bundle of pink and dreams of ribbons and bows, dance recitals and girl scouts. We don't think of all the times ahead of us that are filled with tension and strife. We can't imagine being anything but the best of friends with our little girls. But growing up is hard and this book is full of good advice on how to make it through the challenges that often occur. As a daughter, mom, sister and grandmother I highly recommend this book.
The next book is called Dancing With My Father written by Sally Clarkson. This is a beautiful book that concentrates on the pure joy in our relationship with God. It's about taking the time each day to spend in the presence of our Creator. It's about setting aside all the "stuff" in our day and intentionally choosing to be with the One who finds so much joy in us. It is refreshing and encouraging and a very good read. Sally's writing style is like sitting with a good friend and listening to her share. This book is a true delight.
If you would like an opportunity to read these books, be the fifth person to email me at rgryan(at)nnu(dot)edu. Include your mailing address and I will mail these to you right away. If you would like to buy one or both of them, click on the titles above.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
A Few of My Favorite Things
Becky had a great post this weekend on what some of her favorite things have been in her life lately. It was such a good post that I decided to copy her. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all!
So some of my favorite things lately have been. . .
My friend Wendy, who's husband happens to be in Peru with my husband, brought me a gift bag of sunshine to church on Sunday. She didn't even know she picked my favorite scent of all - Coconut Lime Verbena - YUM!
The days are getting longer which can mean only one thing: winter is almost over! I can't wait to eat dinner on the patio again!
This is my new favorite knitting blog. I absolutely love the exquisite knitting Alana does - she is amazing. I have downloaded some of her podcasts and have enjoyed them so much. It is so much fun to challenge myself with new projects.
My next knitting project involves this luciousness that came in the mail today:
Today was a good mail day. These came too:
I will be leading this Bible study on Wednesday nights for the next 6 weeks. There's nothing like a brand new Bible Study. I love to leaf through the pages and wonder what truths it will hold.
I also got this book this last weekend:
Don't you just love that title? Looking forward to the words in these pages too.
And today my most favorite thing was . . . .Skype! Because for the first time since last Thursday I got to speak to him:
So some of my favorite things lately have been. . .
My friend Wendy, who's husband happens to be in Peru with my husband, brought me a gift bag of sunshine to church on Sunday. She didn't even know she picked my favorite scent of all - Coconut Lime Verbena - YUM!
The days are getting longer which can mean only one thing: winter is almost over! I can't wait to eat dinner on the patio again!
This is my new favorite knitting blog. I absolutely love the exquisite knitting Alana does - she is amazing. I have downloaded some of her podcasts and have enjoyed them so much. It is so much fun to challenge myself with new projects.
My next knitting project involves this luciousness that came in the mail today:
Today was a good mail day. These came too:
I will be leading this Bible study on Wednesday nights for the next 6 weeks. There's nothing like a brand new Bible Study. I love to leaf through the pages and wonder what truths it will hold.I also got this book this last weekend:
Don't you just love that title? Looking forward to the words in these pages too.
And today my most favorite thing was . . . .Skype! Because for the first time since last Thursday I got to speak to him:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Ain't No Sunshine When He's Gone
Tomorrow morning at dark thirty o'clock, my husband is getting on a plane and flying to Peru for two weeks. He is going with a group of people from our church to build buildings and relationships with people. It is a good thing.
But I am staying home. Without him.
And that is always hard.
I won't be alone because how can you be alone with a daughter, son-in-law and an almost two year old in the house? Not to mention three dogs and some horses to care for.
I will just feel alone.
I never like the feeling that it is my responsibility to hold down the fort. My husband does that much better.
I don't like knowing that something is going to go wrong in the next two weeks. Because something always does when he is gone.
I don't like knowing he will be not only in a different country, but a different hemosphere as well. That feels much too far.
I don't like night time without him.
I will miss our coffee/prayer time in the morning. Although I will drink coffee and pray and he will do the same - it just won't be the same.
I will miss him at church. Although I never, ever, ever walk through the doors with him or sit with him or hardly even talk to him on a Sunday morning, the building will just not feel the same because he won't be in it. And my heart will feel that.
I will miss hearing him preach on Sunday. I love sitting in the second row watching him preach. I always think to myself "You are the best thing that ever happened to me".
I will miss eating popcorn together. Even though I can now add extra salt, it still won't taste as good.
I will miss talking with him on the cell phone as I drive home from work. I don't know why we do that because we get home about the same time and we talk then too. I guess we just always use that time to "de-brief" before we are together.
I will miss the little yellow low-dose aspirin he always, always puts on my sink for me every morning because I can never remember to take it on my own.
I will miss his snoring. Okay, I will miss his snoring just a little bit. I wonder if he will miss mine?
I will miss him when I have to let his dog out in the middle of the night. And I will miss him again when I have to get back up to let him in.
I will miss him when the alarm clock doesn't go off in the morning because I have never figured out how to set it - that's his job.
I will miss him every time Tyler calls "Poppa? Poppa?" I swear I have never heard such adoration uttered in one single word before in my life.
I will miss him at Sunday dinner when our family is all around the table. His chair will be empty.
I will miss the everydayness of life - because now it is all going to feel weird and strange and different.
Hurry home babe. I need you here.
But I am staying home. Without him.
And that is always hard.
I won't be alone because how can you be alone with a daughter, son-in-law and an almost two year old in the house? Not to mention three dogs and some horses to care for.
I will just feel alone.
I never like the feeling that it is my responsibility to hold down the fort. My husband does that much better.
I don't like knowing that something is going to go wrong in the next two weeks. Because something always does when he is gone.
I don't like knowing he will be not only in a different country, but a different hemosphere as well. That feels much too far.
I don't like night time without him.
I will miss our coffee/prayer time in the morning. Although I will drink coffee and pray and he will do the same - it just won't be the same.
I will miss him at church. Although I never, ever, ever walk through the doors with him or sit with him or hardly even talk to him on a Sunday morning, the building will just not feel the same because he won't be in it. And my heart will feel that.
I will miss hearing him preach on Sunday. I love sitting in the second row watching him preach. I always think to myself "You are the best thing that ever happened to me".
I will miss eating popcorn together. Even though I can now add extra salt, it still won't taste as good.
I will miss talking with him on the cell phone as I drive home from work. I don't know why we do that because we get home about the same time and we talk then too. I guess we just always use that time to "de-brief" before we are together.
I will miss the little yellow low-dose aspirin he always, always puts on my sink for me every morning because I can never remember to take it on my own.
I will miss his snoring. Okay, I will miss his snoring just a little bit. I wonder if he will miss mine?
I will miss him when I have to let his dog out in the middle of the night. And I will miss him again when I have to get back up to let him in.
I will miss him when the alarm clock doesn't go off in the morning because I have never figured out how to set it - that's his job.
I will miss him every time Tyler calls "Poppa? Poppa?" I swear I have never heard such adoration uttered in one single word before in my life.
I will miss him at Sunday dinner when our family is all around the table. His chair will be empty.
I will miss the everydayness of life - because now it is all going to feel weird and strange and different.
Hurry home babe. I need you here.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Away For the Weekend
Monday, February 15, 2010
No More Puppies
You may or may not know that for the last 11 years I have bred Yorkshire Terrier Puppies. My decision to breed dogs was about as ignorant as it could be - I didn't know a single thing about it. It was born from the need to put our daughter through college and after trying a paper route for 6 months - in addition to our day jobs - we determined that raising puppies had to be easier.
Well, yes and no.
We did get much more sleep which made us much more pleasant to be around, but dog breeding certainly contained its own challenges. First of all, it requires that you own dogs. We have always had a family pet, usually a sweet non-purebred that fit into our family very well. But in December of 1998 we purchased two Yorkies and set up business. Back then I didn't understand that I should have been looking for as perfect of a specimen of the breed I could find. To be honest I didn't even know what the standards were. Dumb. Really dumb.
But I learned as I went, sometimes the hard way, and eventually ended up with a breeding program I have been really proud of.Birthing puppies was overall a fun experience. A dog's pregnancy lasts only 9 weeks. It seems like puppies are almost always born in the middle of the night. They don't mind keeping you up all night even though you have to be to work in the morning. They also don't mind keeping you home from work because there is one last stubborn puppy that hasn't been born yet. Out of all my years of breeding we only had to go to the emergency vet twice - once for a c-section and once for a shot of pitocin. My vet and I developed such a good relationship over the years that he often gave me syringes and medications to keep on hand which really cut back on office calls. My vet became one of my best referral systems - she loved the puppies we produced. I also learned how to dock tails and cut dew claws by myself which was easier on the puppies not having to be transported to the vet at just a few hours old.
Losing a puppy or two is inevitable and is such a hard part of the job. Usually they would be the tiniest of the litter and at only a couple of ounces in weight - there just wasn't much that could be done much of the time. I would sometimes have to tube feed and it was the most rewarding thing in the world to save a puppy that didn't have the strength to drink milk on its own. It totally made the getting up every two hours at night worth it. Several times I have held a tiny little sweet thing in the palm of my hand as it took its last breath. Those times were never easy. Letting the mama lick a final goodbye always brought tears to my eyes.
This tiny one in my hand was one that didn't make it - we discovered it had a severe cleft palate.I would only use a female for breeding for five years and then I would have to replace her. It soon became apparent that I could not keep every dog I had. A breeder has to look at owning dogs differently than a pet owner. After a few years of good and faithful service I would find a new owner for my females. Usually it would be an older woman who I knew would treat my little friend very, very well. Even though it is hard to give away a dog that has worked so hard for you, I have never regretted any of the homes they have gone to and they are all living lives of luxury now. I see them occasionally and even dog sit for them, and trust me, they hardly even remember me!
The daily care of puppies is a tremendous amount of work. We kept them in a portion of our laundry room and the cleaning and feeding and washing seemed never ending. We kept them for 10 weeks. I had as many as 6 in a litter and as few as 1 with 4 being the average sized litter.
People always think that the hardest part would be when you actually give the puppies away. Surprisingly, for me it never was hard. I think it was a combination of being so relieved to finally be done with all the work involved and seeing the excitement and happiness of the new owners. It was always a happy day.
New owners are a time consuming ordeal. They come to the house to choose a puppy which turns into an hours long process. They play with them all. They watch them. They hold them. They all have their own system of choosing a puppy. No system was ever the same. We would set up visitation hours - so they could come over and spend bonding time with their new little family member. They would bring toys and items of clothing that would hold their scent. Finally the day would come that they would go to their forever home. Like I said, it was always a happy day.
In my last breeding experience I had two litters at once. I had eleven puppies in my laundry room! It nearly did me in. One of the puppies - the smallest and the cutest of the two litters - became very sick. I truly thought she was going to die. She was lethargic, wouldn't eat and spent hours standing with her head pressed against the wall. I had never seen anything like it. The vet pumped her full of medicine and fluids and did several tests on her but never could determine what was wrong. She finally told me that she thought perhaps she had some neurological issues. Of course I couldn't sell her so I resolved to take care of her and love her until she died. Within a couple of weeks she perked right up. By then my heart was already attached and even after I knew she was going to be completely fine, there was no way I could sell her. So I broke my first rule of business - I kept one of my puppies as a pet.
I named her Willow and she is my shadow. If I sit in a chair she is sitting with me. In fact she is sleeping beside me right now. She follows me from room to room. She weighs all of 4 pounds and she is as fiesty as can be. She will never be bred - she is not big enough. She was born into her forever home.
The time has come to end my little dog breeding business. It is time to slow down some and enjoy life more. My heart and extra time is for my grandbabies. I have retired my female dogs and they have gone to their new homes and are very happy. I just got an email this morning from a dear lady that has one of my girls:
Hi Robin. I just wanted you to know that Sunday when I said Maggie was high maintenance I meant it in a good way. She is so alive and human-like. You mention "bye bye" and she's there. When Len puts on his shoes her ears perk up and waits for those words. He takes her every where. She stares at me when it's bedtime and is so cute when she jumps into her own bed. She talks to me now in a very sweet high voice but she talks. She hates baths but she doesn't mind grooming. I just really enjoy her company. She also exhibits many emotions, sadness, happiness, humiliation, anger and bossiness (which is really cute). Anyway, best give I have ever received.
It was a good decision don't you think?
So now I am just a regular pet owner with a sweet little dog who thinks I hung the moon. And I must admit I am rather partial to her as well.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sweet Valentine's
Today we met with my family to celebrate all the February birthdays. We had seven this month. With families as big as ours you have to resort to monthly celebrations or we would be celebrating all month long!
Since it was also Valentine's Day my mother gave us all boxes of chocolates - such a sweet thing that she has done for years.
But I think I was touched the most by two of my little neices. Kaitlyn and Miah have been working for two weeks making valentine's for all of us. Every single one of us. They passed them out to us as we were standing in line to get our dinner. Each valentine was carefully drawn and colored and reflected our individual personalities.
This is the one my husband received:
Be on my side - gallop with me!
Perfect for her Uncle Chuck who takes her to 4-H and is teaching her how to show a horse.
This was mine:
I'll give you yarn - before I give it to you I will knit you a sweater.
I'm the skinny one - sitting in my chair knitting with a yarn basket at my side. That's exactly what I look like -wink wink. And I hope I really do get a handknit sweater from those two - I will love it!
I hope your Valentine's Day was as sweet as mine.
Since it was also Valentine's Day my mother gave us all boxes of chocolates - such a sweet thing that she has done for years.
But I think I was touched the most by two of my little neices. Kaitlyn and Miah have been working for two weeks making valentine's for all of us. Every single one of us. They passed them out to us as we were standing in line to get our dinner. Each valentine was carefully drawn and colored and reflected our individual personalities.
This is the one my husband received:
Be on my side - gallop with me!
Perfect for her Uncle Chuck who takes her to 4-H and is teaching her how to show a horse.
This was mine:
I'll give you yarn - before I give it to you I will knit you a sweater.
I'm the skinny one - sitting in my chair knitting with a yarn basket at my side. That's exactly what I look like -wink wink. And I hope I really do get a handknit sweater from those two - I will love it!
I hope your Valentine's Day was as sweet as mine.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Random Dozen - 2/11/10
I'm joining in this week on Linda's Random Dozen. I've been reading them for weeks and I finally decided to jump in on the fun. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the sweet apron give-away if you join. Really.
1. Are you pleasant when you're ill, or are you a grumpy, fussy patient?
Um, I don't know that I'm pleasant, but I prefer to be a loner in my room, in my bed, with the tv on and did I mention I prefer to be alone?
2. When you find out that school is canceled (due to inclement weather) what is your gut reaction?
Yay! It's a holiday! Let's stay in our pj's all day and play Monopoly!!!
3. What is one domestic skill you wish you could improve?
I wish I was a more organized housekeeper. My house is usually picked up and "looks" clean, but the deep cleaning doesn't happen. I think if I were more organized then maybe the deep cleaning would happen on a more frequent basis.
4. Do you decorate your home for Valentine's Day?
I do try to put little things up to celebrate the day. I love Valentine's Day - it's so simple and sweet - not overwhelming like Christmas is. But I like to scatter vintage valentines around, and by vintage I mean valentine's I received when I was a little girl.
5. What song is on your mind today?
This morning on my way to work I was thinking of the words to the old hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus".
6. Do you prefer contemporary movies or classic?
It depends on what mood I'm in but probably contemporary would win out over classic.
7. How well do you "compartmentalize" your feelings? For example, how well can you put aside a really trying moment to deal with the immediate situation which is not related to the trying moment, e.g., putting aside a tiff with your spouse in order to finish wallpapering a room.
I like to think I'm like most women - I don't compartmentalize at all. How's the saying go: Men are like waffles - women are like spaghetti.
8. What is the first thing that attracted you to your spouse? (Or if you're single, to your best friend.)
His personality - he just seemed to nice to be true.
9. When was the last time your heart raced?
Yesterday when I had to park in the south forty at Costco. It was a long way to walk. :)
10. What are your memories of Valentine's Day at school?
I remember how we always had to make a Valentine's box for classmates to put valentine's in. I loved making my box every year - it was when I first knew I loved making things.
11. If you were going to receive candy for Valentine's Day, which would you prefer?
I think I love Gheredelli's chocolate the very most. But the older I get the less I like chocolate. Weird, I know.
12. Red or pink?
Pink. I am more a pink personality - not a red personality. But I like red - on other people.
1. Are you pleasant when you're ill, or are you a grumpy, fussy patient?
Um, I don't know that I'm pleasant, but I prefer to be a loner in my room, in my bed, with the tv on and did I mention I prefer to be alone?
2. When you find out that school is canceled (due to inclement weather) what is your gut reaction?
Yay! It's a holiday! Let's stay in our pj's all day and play Monopoly!!!
3. What is one domestic skill you wish you could improve?
I wish I was a more organized housekeeper. My house is usually picked up and "looks" clean, but the deep cleaning doesn't happen. I think if I were more organized then maybe the deep cleaning would happen on a more frequent basis.
4. Do you decorate your home for Valentine's Day?
I do try to put little things up to celebrate the day. I love Valentine's Day - it's so simple and sweet - not overwhelming like Christmas is. But I like to scatter vintage valentines around, and by vintage I mean valentine's I received when I was a little girl.
5. What song is on your mind today?
This morning on my way to work I was thinking of the words to the old hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus".
6. Do you prefer contemporary movies or classic?
It depends on what mood I'm in but probably contemporary would win out over classic.
7. How well do you "compartmentalize" your feelings? For example, how well can you put aside a really trying moment to deal with the immediate situation which is not related to the trying moment, e.g., putting aside a tiff with your spouse in order to finish wallpapering a room.
I like to think I'm like most women - I don't compartmentalize at all. How's the saying go: Men are like waffles - women are like spaghetti.
8. What is the first thing that attracted you to your spouse? (Or if you're single, to your best friend.)
His personality - he just seemed to nice to be true.
9. When was the last time your heart raced?
Yesterday when I had to park in the south forty at Costco. It was a long way to walk. :)
10. What are your memories of Valentine's Day at school?
I remember how we always had to make a Valentine's box for classmates to put valentine's in. I loved making my box every year - it was when I first knew I loved making things.
11. If you were going to receive candy for Valentine's Day, which would you prefer?
I think I love Gheredelli's chocolate the very most. But the older I get the less I like chocolate. Weird, I know.
12. Red or pink?
Pink. I am more a pink personality - not a red personality. But I like red - on other people.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Be Still My Heart
I was over at Amazon today looking for a book - when this popped up:
I nearly died.
This is the first book Francine Rivers has written since 2003. TWO THOUSAND AND THREE!!!
That's a long time without a Francine Rivers book to read.
She is my all-time favorite author in the whole wide world and you can imagine my joy when I read that this book will have a sequel.
So not one, but TWO new Francine River's books to look forward too. The first one will be released March 16.
Here is what is being said about them:
From Publishers Weekly
Romance Hall of Famer Rivers (Redeeming Love) returns with her first full-length novel since 2003 with this two-generation saga of a mother and daughter, the first of two parts. Ambitious, strong-willed Marta Schneider leaves her home in rural Switzerland at the beginning of the 20th century. She's determined to flee her abusive father, loving but weak mother, and the constraints placed on women. Meeting interesting characters all along her journey, she works her way to Canada. There she buys a boardinghouse and meets her match in Niclas Waltert, a German engineer with a farmer's heart. Through Marta's sharp elbows and the sweat of Niclas's brow, the family eventually arrives at an increasingly comfortable life in California's Central Valley. The second half of the story, told from the point of view of constitutionally timid daughter Hildemara Rose, is less deeply imagined. So many events happen as history rapidly unrolls in the background that the narrative feels too much like an outline for a Lifetime TV offering about a couple buffeted by the winds of WWII. Writers like Rivers are why people buy Christian fiction: it's dramatic, engaging, and acknowledges the bedroom without going inside. This well-told tale will have readers eagerly awaiting the story's resolution. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Description
The first in an epic two-book saga by beloved author Francine Rivers, this sweeping story explores the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters over several generations. Near the turn of the 20th century, fiery Marta leaves Switzerland determined to find life on her own terms. Her journey takes her through Europe and finally lands her with children and husband in tow in the central valley of California. Marta’s experiences convince her that only the strong survive. Hildie, Marta’s oldest daughter, has a heart to serve others, and her calling as a nurse gives her independence, if not the respect of her mother. Amid the drama of WWII, Hildie marries and begins a family of her own. She wants her daughter never to doubt her love—but the challenges of life conspire against her vow. Each woman is forced to confront her faulty but well-meaning desire to help her daughter find her God-given place in the world.
Sounds good. I can't wait.
One month and one week to go.
Let the countdown begin.
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