When Strawberries Bloom - Linda Byler

Summary from FSB Media: New love and even more questions enter Lizzie Glick's life in When Strawberries Bloom, the second novel in this series written by an Amish writer and based on true life experiences.

Lizzie's dream of teaching school has finally come true. She loves the brand-new school building, the sound of the children singing, and the independence she has in the classroom. Even the occasionally unruly boys can't ruin the excitement she feels each morning when she starts the school day.

But at home things are in turmoil again. What do Dat's sudden health problems mean for the future of their farm? And what about Lizzie's future? Emma and Mandy are so certain that Joshua and John are their perfect matches, but Lizzie doesn't know what to think about Stephen and how he might fit into her life.

What will Lizzie decide? Will she continue to teach school? Or will she give up that dream so that her wish for marriage and a family can come true?

Stephen says he loves her, but Lizzie isn't sure he really understands her. Can she hope to find anyone within her Amish community who loves her bright mind, her ever-active imagination, her competitive spirit and her stormy humor?

This is the second book in the Lizzie Searches for Love series.  Lizzie becomes a school teacher like she has always wanted.  Her sister Emma becomes a member of the church and gets married.  This has Lizzie questioning love, life and faith.  Since Lizzie is a little older in this book than in Running Around (And Such), this book focuses on becoming a young woman.  She questions God's will, the meaning of scriptures and the true meaning of love.

I love the attention to details that Ms. Byler provided in this book.  She described the wedding and Amish customs with precise details.  I think I have learned more about the Amish community by reading her books.  I am looking forward to reading the third and final book in this series called Big Decisions which is scheduled to be released in March 2011.

A special thanks to FSB Media for allowing me to review this book before it is released!

Hump Day Inspiration #22

Happy Hump Day!  This week's challenge over at Inktegrity is a recipe challenge.  It is to use ribbon and/or flowers.

Here is my card:

I made these flowers using a digital cutting file from Darcy's Designs called Bitty Bloom.  I love making my own flowers this way, they will always match your card!

Supplies:
Stamps: Inktegrity - Doll, Papertrey Ink - Mixed Messages (Sentiment)
Paper: PTI White, Gina K Luxury White, Basic Black, SU Summer Picnic Dp
Ink: Archival Jet Black, Copics
Accessories: Cricut, Darcy's Designs - Bitty Bloom, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Brads

Squigglefly Challenge #74

This week's challenge over at Squigglefly is Music to Your Ears!

Here's my card:

I thought this moose was absolutely adorable!  I am using this card to send as a Thank You card to my husband's counsin since we now own their black lab, Simba.  I will be posting pictures soon along with his story!!!

Supplies:
Stamps: Squigglefly - Moose-ical Genius, My Favorite Things - Essential Sentiments
Paper: PTI White, GP White, Basic Black, Bo Bunny DP
Ink: Archival Jet Black
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Blending Stumps, Baby Oil

Running Around (and Such) - Linda Byler

Summary from Good Reads: A romance novel by an Amish writer, based on true experiences!

It isn't that Lizzie doesn't want to stay Amish. It's just that there is so much to figure out.  Like why can't she let her hair a little looser on top?  And why can't she wear shoes with a little bit more of a heel?

And will she ever really just know for a fact who she is going to marry like her next-older sister, Emma, does?  And how does it happen that her just-younger sister, Mandy, is going on a date before Lizzie ever has a real one?  So does it matter at all if she eats one more whoopie pie? Amos seems to like her a lot when she pounds out the ping-pong games. He even asks her to be his partner in doubles. But then he asks Ruthie if he can take her home!  It has been this way Lizzie's whole life.

She has too hot a temper. She hates housework and dislikes babies. She loves driving fast horses but is petrified of going away from home for a week to work as a maud (maid).  Now that Lizzie is running around, will she scare off the Amish boys with her hi-jinks manners?  She has certainly attracted the attention of the egg-truck driver. A scary thrill runs through her every time the worldly man comes to pick up an order, each time extending his stay a little longer. How long will she keep this a secret from Emma-and from Mamm and Datt?  What will become of Lizzie? Is she too spirited, too innocent, and almost too uninhibited for a young Amish woman?  Told with disarming humor!

Lizzie is the second of six children in an Amish family.  Her older sister, Emma, is the perfect Amish child.  She loves to cook, clean, sew and do anything domestic that Mam wishes.  Lizzie longs for "fancy" things such as high heel shoes and shorter dresses with ruffles.  She is always feeling that Emma is her parent's favorite.  She is a typical teenager dealing with her appearance and her weight while her sisters do not.  Once Lizzie turns 16, she starts going to Sunday signings with Emma and meeting new friends and boys.

I really enjoyed this book!  It is juvenille fiction instead of adult fiction but it was still fun to read.  I found it to be easy to read and it went by very quickly for me.  It reminded me of the Little House on the Prairie books which I loved as a child.  I enjoyed more details of everyday Amish living from an author who is Amish herself.  I am looking forward to starting When Strawberries Bloom tonight.  I am hoping that this book gets more into Lizzie and her "boy problems."

A special thanks to FSB Media and Good Books Publishing for allowing me to review this book for them.

Hump Day Inspiration #21

Happy Wednesday to everyone!  This week's challenge over at Inktegrity is a sketch challenge.  Here it is:

Here is my card:

Supplies:
Stamps: Inktegrity - Mouse, Papertrey Ink - Daily Designs Sentiments
Paper: PTI White, Gina K Luxury White, Lovely Lilac, Pixie Pink, Lovely Lilac DP
Ink: Archival Jet Black, Copics
Accessories: SU Ticket Corner Punch, Ribbon

Hidden - Shelley Shepard Gray

Summary from Good Reads: When Anna decides it's time to leave her abusive boyfriend, she doesn't know where to turn. Rob has completely won over her parents, and the entire community, with his good looks and smooth charm. Only Anna has seen his dark side. Desperate, she runs to the only place she's ever felt completely safe -- the Amish Brenneman Bed and Breakfast, where Anna met life-long friend Katie Brenneman. The family welcomes her in, and with few questions asked allows her to stay, dressed in Plain clothing, and help around the inn.

Katie's older brother Henry is the only one who doesn't take too kindly to the intrusion. He tries to ignore Anna, knowing no good would ever come from caring for an Englisher like her. But as he gets to know Anna, he discovers her good heart and is surprised with her readiness to accept their lifestyle.

The more time Anna spends with the Amish, the more she feels she's found a true home. But how can she deny the life she left behind? And will her chance for happiness be stolen away by the man from her past?

Anna runs to Amish country to hide from her abusive boyfriend.  She lives at an inn that her friend Katie's family runs.  She does her fair share of chores, cooking and cleaning to earn her keep.  She even dresses Plain so that she is not noticed.  While she is there she creates a bond with Henry, Katie's older brother.  She also learns more about herself, her priorities and her faith.

I really enjoyed reading this book!  I read Grace last week and I had to start the series from the beginning so that I could learn more about all the great characters.  I really love Shelley Shepard Gray's style of writing.  I find that I read it quickly but still feel the depth of each and every character.  The next book in the series is Wanted followed by Forgiven.  I would highly recommend this series to anyone who loves Amish fiction!

Sad News

Unfortunately, I have some sad news to share.  On Friday, we had to put down our 5 year old dog, Rusty.  He had been really sick, vomitting and diarreha, for about 2 weeks.  We brought him to the vet on Tuesday and without doing tons of tests, they had no clue what was wrong with him and sent us home with some medicine.  Well the medicine helped him hold things down, but he was not eating.  He also went from 29.5 pound last year to 19.3 pounds.  That is a dramatic weight loss for such a small dog.  Since things weren't improving, we transferred his records to an animal hospital for a second opinion.  She was baffled too so we agreed to start doing some tests, x-rays, blood work, heartworm test and lyme disease test.  When they did the x-rays, they noticed that there may be a blockage in his stomach so they wanted to do a barium test to see if it would flow through him.  If not, we agreed to pay $3 to $4 thousand to have surgery to remove the blockage.  That afternoon, we got a call from the doctor saying that the barium made it through him and that surgery was not needed.  Finally, a ray of hope until we got the second phone call.  They tested his blood and they discovered that he had critical kidney failure.  The doctor believed that he has been sick for a long time and possibly had it since birth.  At this stage in his disease, endless amounts of money would not help him and would only extend his life for 3-6 months in enormous amounts of pain.  We could not do that to him.  So unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our dear friend.

Rusty was a wonderful and sweet dog!  He loved to go camping, kayaking, chasing my husband on his mountain bike and most importantly, he LOVED playing FRISBEE!!!  I'd like to share some pictures of Rusty with you.

My Christmas Present 2005

Playing Frisbee in Wells Beach, ME

Kayaking

Camping

Eating Birthday Cupcakes

Hiking

Singing

Being Goofy

Rusty, we both love you more than anything and we miss you so much!  We could not let you suffer and you deserved better than that out of life.  We had a wonderful life with you even though it was only for 5 short years.  We miss you singing, barking at the pans, chasing squirrels, chasing bikers, sleeping in bed with us and sharing ice cream and popcorn with you.  You are in heaven now with your big brother, Brandy so you are not alone.  You will never be forgotten!  We love you!

Love, Mom & Dad

Christmas Project #2

Here is my second, and final, Christmas project using dgital cutting files from Filekutz by LisaJane:

I thought that a snowman bookmark would bring some festive reading to someone special!

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Background Basics: Retro, Papertrey Ink - Daily Designs, Papertrey Ink - Daily Designs Sentiments

Paper: PTI Spring Rain, PTI Kraft, GP White, Creamy Caramel, Real Red, Basic Black

Ink: PTI Vintage Cream, PTI Enchanted Evening, PTI Tea Dyeing Duo

Accessories: Cuttlebug, PTI Bookmark Die, Cricut, Filekutz by LisaJane - Dancing Snowmen (LK000115)

Hump Day Inspirations #20

Happy Wednesday!  Today's challenge over at Inktegrity is an Anything Goes!  Please stop by and play along for your chance to win a $5 gift certificate to the Inktegrity store.

Here is my card:

This image was available for FREE from the Inktegrity blog.  If you missed it, grab it HERE!

Supplies:
Stamps: Inktegrity - Spooky Gate & Sentiment
Paper: PTI White, Gina K Luxury White, Only Orange, DCWV Rock Star DP
Ink: Copics
Accessories: None

Sofa Table Runner

I made this runner for our sofa table this weekend.

I purchased the pattern from Connecting Threads called Geese in the Posie Patch.  It was the only runner that was narrow enough to not hang over the sofa table.

Since I have difficulty doing triangles, I thought that this was a small enough project to practice with.  I am very happy the way this came out!

My next quilting project is to make 2 place mats to match our living room for the pull up coffee table we just bought.  We are using the blue ones from the kitchen so I want to make some brown ones.

Squigglefly Challenge #72

Today's challenge over at Squigglefly is to make a Halloween or fall card.  Here is mine:

I thought that these stacked pumpkins were adorable.  I also colored the entire background for the first time to add some dimension to the colored image.  I really like the way it came out.

Supplies:
Stamps: Squigglefly - Stacked Pumpkins, Papertrey Ink - Fillable Frame #7
Paper: PTI White, Gina K Luxury White, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, Unknown DP
Ink: Always Artichoke, Archival Jet Black, Copics
Accessories: Cuttlebug, PTI Fillable Frame #7 Die, Leaf Brads

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a non-craft related note, today is my dog Rusty's 5th birthday! I cannot believe that I have already had him for 5 years! Every year for his birthday, I make a batch of yellow cupcakes and leave 2 unfrosted for him. I know, he is spoiled rotten!!!

Happy Birthday Rusty!!!!

Grace: A Christmas Sisters of the Heart Novel - Shelly Shepard Gray

Summary from Net Galley: It’s Christmastime at the Brenneman Bed & Breakfast, and everyone is excited about closing down for the holiday. Anna and Henry will be celebrating their first Christmas as a married couple, and for Katie and Jonathan Lundy, it’s their first Christmas with baby Stefan. Winnie and Samuel Miller plan to stop by as well for a wonderful two weeks of family and rest.

But when two unexpected visitors show up, hoping to stay for Christmas, the family must test their commitment to hospitality. Levi is a widower who lost his wife four years ago and can’t bear the thought of another Christmas alone. And Melody is a young pregnant woman who won’t open up about how she ended up on her own at Christmas at almost nine months pregnant. Anna, who knows a thing or two about keeping secrets, doesn’t trust her, and strives to find out the truth about these two strangers who have disrupted their holiday.

But as the Christmas spirit descends on them all, along with a snow that traps them at the inn, a healing and hopefulness takes over, allowing new relationships to be built, and the boundaries of family to be extended.

 

I loved how there were several stories unfolding at once.  First there was Melody.  She was a young unwed mother with a very sad story.  She went to the inn to have some relaxation before the baby is born.  Then there is Levi.  He was looking to forget his bad memories of Christmases past.  Along the way, Melody and Levi help each other get through the holiday.  Leah is Melody's English friend from home who travels to be with her on Christmas.  She has her own troubles and meets Zach along the way.

This was the first book that I have read by Shelley Shepard Gray and I loved it!  Although, in this book, the past three books of this series are mentioned quickly, I am eager to read all of them.  I am looking forward to starting Hidden next.

A special thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins publishing company for allowing me to review this book before it is released on October 26, 2010.

Santa Face Tag

Here is my first project using a Christmas digital cutting files from Filekutz by LisaJane:

I thought that I would use the Santa Face (LK000114) cutting file to make a Christmas tag.  I added some Ice Stickles to give his cap some texture.

Supplies:

Stamps: SU - Bitty Backgrounds, Papertrey Ink - Mixed Messages (Sentiment)

Paper: GP White, Basic Black, Blush Blossom, Old Olive

Ink: Always Artichoke, Archival Jet Black

Accessories: Cuttlebug, PTI Tag Sale #1 Die, Eyelet, Cricut, Filekutz by LisaJane - Santa's Face (LK000114)

Hide in Plain Sight - Marta Perry

Summary from Good Reads: She couldn't turn her back on her family in their time of need.  So when her sister was injured, financial expert Andrea Hampton traded the big city for Amish country to help turn her grandmother's house into an inn.

But life with the Plain People took a treacherous turn when a string of accidents and pranks threatened her family. Someone didn't want the secrets the old house harbored to come to light. Trusting anyone— even the handsome carpenter who seemed so genuine—was a battle for Andrea, but her life depended on her ability to find the truth.

Andrea did not want to come to Amish country to help her grandmother and sister get the house finished for the grand opening of the inn.  When she arrives, the family is hit again and again with trouble.  Someone does not want this inn to open.  Thankfully, Cal is renting from Grams and lives in the barn.  Andrea relied on Cal for help and created and bond through it all.  In the end, Andrea finds a strong family bond, a new friendship and God while helping the family through several tragedies.

This is the first book that I have read from Marta Perry and Harlequin Love Inspires novels.  I was very pleased with the story!  For me, it was not the typical Amish stories that I am used to since the story took place in Amish country and the neighbors were Amish.  I am more used to having more Amish characters and culture than this book provided.  I am looking forward to reading the other two books in this series, A Christmas to Die For and Buried Sins.

Hump Day Inspirations #19

Happy Hump Day!  Here's another challenge from Inktegrity.  This week's challenge is a sketch challenge.  Here it is:

Here is my card:

I colored this image first and realized that when I cut it out that it was larger than I originally thought it would be.  I do like the way this looks anyways!

Supplies:
Stamps: Inktegrity - Everything's Okay Bouquet, Papertrey Ink - Fillable Frames #7 (Sentiment)
Paper: PTI White, Gina K Luxury White, GP White, PTI Raspberry Fizz, Always Artichoke, Unknown DP
Ink: Archival Jet Black, Copics
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Circle Nestabilitites (Classic)