It's STILL snowing!

It's snowing outside!

What's the deal with chihuahuas?

Hubby fell in love with our friends' new puppy! Personally, I don't understand what the deal is with people who love chihuahuas - our friends have three! They are possessive, yippy, and often mean! To each his own, I guess, but give me a big, friendly dog any day!

Snow

Did I mention that though we didn't have snow on Christmas morning, we did get some the week of Christmas?

The herb garden on a snowy night.

The chicken coop.

Our spring and summer clothes dryer.

Some of the gardens covered in snow.

Christmas pics - at the end of January

I love Christmas because we get to see all our friends and family members. We always spend the Saturday before Christmas with Hubby's dad and stepmother and his sister and her kids, then Christmas Eve with Hubby's mom and stepfather and his sister and her family, then Christmas morning with our own kids, then Christmas afternoon with my brothers and their wives and the four nieces I have between them, and then the weekend after Christmas with our friends the Marsh family in S.C. These dates are tradition and rarely ever change.

Hubby's father and stepmother with the kids (at their house).

The boys with Hubby's niece on Christmas Eve (at Hubby's mom's house).

From left to right, Hubby's mom, his nephew, his brother-in-law, and his sister. You can see a piece of his stepfather on the far right, lol.

My daughter, Alli, on Christmas morning. Our dog, Leo, looks on.

My son, Adam, and Jack the cat on Christmas morning. Wrapping paper everywhere!

My son, Justin, on Christmas morning.

From left to right, my niece (by my younger brother, my son Adam, and my niece by my older brother) on Christmas afternoon. They are playing in Adam's room.

My older brother, Jon, and my younger brother, Tim. Hubby is in the background in his recliner, lol. My three favorite men!

From left to right, my younger brother's wife, my daughter, and my other niece by my older brother. I think I'm missing a photo of one of my nieces, my younger brother's sweet baby, Alexis. We were eating pumpkin pie at my house on Christmas afternoon.

Our friends the Marsh family, the weekend after Christmas, at their house.

My daughter, Alli, with the youngest Marsh (Hunter).

Blogging again - update on trials of life

In the midst of our unnamed family crisis, the blog has gone by the wayside. As things as starting to settle down, I look forward to writing and sharing my life with you again!

Although it will probably be at least six months before we know the full results of our "family crisis," we are trying to move on. Regarding our other family crisis - Hubby's job loss - let me bring you up to date.

He was terminated due to low sales. He filed for unemployment benefits. His company denied the claim (we were expecting this as it is the company's unspoken policy to deny every such claim). Hubby had to give a statement to the Employment Security Commission. We received a letter from them this past Saturday stating they had determined that the "low sales" Hubby was terminated for resulted from a bad economy and not anything he did or did not do. His unemployment has been approved and we should start receiving benefits in the next 10 days. It's already been a month since he lost his job, so we could really use it!

In the meantime, we have decided that our best course of action at the moment is for Hubby to stay home and play Mr. Mom and homeschool the kids while I find a full-time job. I already have a part-time job, so I'm hoping to find another job that is only 30 hours a week. That way, I can keep the part-time job that I love at my church.

We have decided that this spring Hubby will step up the homestead activities even more, including expanding our garden space again. We hope that he will then be able to make a little money at the Farmer's Market. This will be an experiment that we are nervous about, but you will be able to follow our progress! Our local Farmer's Market requires a $100 yearly fee as well as a $15 a day booth fee, so this will not be without investment. Our main concern will be our ability to grow enough to make a profit on only 1/3 acre, as well as feed our own family from our garden. Impossible? We don't think so. We already grow hundreds of pounds a food a year.

ANSWERED PRAYERS: Unemployment has been approved, I still have a part-time job, we have the skills to try a new venture at the Farmer's Market later this year, we will still be able to homeschool the kids, and we have a wonderful church family that has provided a lot of spiritual and emotional support.

PRAYER REQUESTS: The results of our unnamed family crisis, that I find a good job and am able to keep my job at the church as well, that our new venture with the Farmer's Market goes well this year.

In the meantime, prepare to see photos from the past couple of months that I haven't been able to post yet - including Christmas pictures like above of the kids.

Book review: Kelly's Chance

is introducing

Kelly’s Chance Barbour Books; Reprint edition (January 1, 2010)

by

Wanda E. Brunstetter


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Note From Wanda:

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. When I was in the second grade, I wrote my first poem about a moth. Luckily, I received encouragement from my teacher. During my teen years, I wrote skits that my church teen group performed during special holidays.

It wasn’t until 1980, that I took a course on writing for children and teenagers. I became serious about a career as an author. Soon after that, I began to write stories, articles, poems, and devotionals, which appeared in a variety of Christian publications. Later, I had 5 books of puppet/ventriloquist scripts published. *These books are currently available by contacting me. (wanda@wandabrunstetter.com)

My first novel was released by Barbour Publishing’s book club, Heartsong Presents, in Dec. 1997. I have now written nearly fifty books, with over 4 million books in print. Many of the novels I've written are Amish-themed.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Life for Kelly McGregor is a daily drudge of driving her overbearing father’s mules along Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Canal. She dreams of one day owning an art gallery where her own drawings and paintings are on display. But these dreams don’t include marriage. . .not after seeing what her father has done to her mother. How then can Mike Cooper, a general store owner, make her realize he is different than her father and wants to support her artistic talent? Will Kelly learn that dreams can walk hand in hand with a love created by God?


If you would like to read the first chapter of Kelly’s Chance , go HERE.

Book review: A Lady Like Sarah

A Lady Like SarahThomas Nelson; Original edition (December 22, 2009) byMargaret Brownley



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Thrills, mystery, suspense, romance: Margaret penned it all. Nothing wrong with this, except Margaret happened to be writing for the church newsletter. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her former pastor took her aside and said, "Maybe God's calling you to write fiction."

It turns out God was and Margaret did. She now has more than 20 novels to her credit. In addition, she's written many Christian articles and a non-fiction book. Still, it took a lot of prodding from God before Margaret tried her hand at writing inspirational fiction which led to her Rocky Creek series. "I love writing about characters at different stages of faith," she says of the new direction her writing career has taken, "and I'm here to stay."

Happily married to her real-life hero, Margaret and her husband live in Southern California.




ABOUT THE BOOK

Sarah Prescott has never known a respectable life; just a hardscrabble childhood and brothers who taught her to shoot straight.

Justin Wells left Boston in disgrace, heading out alone on the dusty trail to Texas. But when the once-respected clergyman encounters a feisty redhead in handcuffs with a dying US Marshall at her side, their journey takes a dramatic turn.

His high society expectations and Sarah's outlaw habits clash from the start. With a price on her head and a sweet orphan in tow, Justin and Sarah make the difficult journey toward Rocky Creek. There justice will be meted out hopefully with a portion of grace.


If you would like to read the first chapter of A Lady Like Sarah, go HERE


Watch the Book Trailer:

Wordless Wednesday: Jack

Book review: The Silent Governess

The Silent Governess
Bethany House; Original edition (January 1, 2010)
by
Julie Klassen


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julie says: My background is in advertising and marketing, but I am blessed with a dream job—working as an editor of Christian fiction. I have been writing since childhood, but Lady of Milkweed Manor was my first novel. It was a finalist for a Christy Award and won second place in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards. My second novel, The Apothecary's Daughter, was a finalist in the ACFW Book of the Year awards. I am currently writing one novel a year.

I graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoy travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends.

My husband and I have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.





ABOUT THE BOOK


Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear his.

But now that she has, what is Lord Bradley to do with her? He cannot let her go, for were the truth to get out, he would lose everything--his reputation, his inheritance, his very home.

He gives Miss Keene little choice but to accept a post at Brightwell Court, where he can make certain she does not spread what she heard. Keeping an eye on the young woman as she cares for the children, he finds himself drawn to her, even as he struggles against the growing attraction. The clever Miss Keene is definitely hiding something.

Moving, mysterious, and romantic, The Silent Governess takes readers inside the intriguing life of a nineteenth-century governess in an English manor house where all is not as it appears.

If you would like to read the prologue and first chapter of The Silent Governess, go HERE.