Seasons of Opportunities

This week was full of birthday's around our house. My grandson had one. This is his Sonic cake I made by following the instructions on this blog . It was really not hard. My soon-to-be son-in-law had one, and my dad had one! Of course, they were not all on the same day, and my father lives quite a distance away so wasn't able to celebrate with him in person, but we enjoyed the ones that were close and communicated with the ones who weren't via modern technology!

Made this quilt end of 2014 and beginning of 2015 for a friend's daughter. These are all her ball t-shirts from her high school ball playing years.  We put t-shirts on front and back. The back is a more random pattern but still has the fabric around the t-shirts. We also made shams to match with the fabrics so it would tie it all together.  Her daughter picked out the fabrics of her choice that matched her school colors and coordinated with the t-shirt colors also.  It took me about 4 months to do the front and back, then she took it somewhere to have it quilted because on my little home machine that was just not possible. 

The author in this book reflects on the luster of her life filled with wonderful success yet tarnished with feelings of emptiness and sorrow. Many women know this life. We appear good, whole, and complete on the outside while sadness fills the depths of the heart on the inside. We often wonder if we will ever experience complete happiness, joy, or peace in our lifetime. Our soul cries out in anguish. When we are younger, we take on a barrage of messages, many of which are lies when applied toward the truth of our identity.  Monica Schaefer reflects on how a lie twisted her purpose and identity for over 35 years until a crisis required her to face the lie, her shame, and self-hatred. The journey brought her to the life of Eve and a woman known in the Bible as “the Bride” in the book of Revelation. The mix of written reflections, contemporary portraits and scriptures relays a

WINNER chosen by random.org is comment #4 Charis Z. Four Best Friends.  And Then One Went Missing . . .  In college, Griffin McCray and his three best friends had their lives planned out. Griffin and Luke Gallagher would join the Baltimore Police Department, Declan Grey would head to the FBI, and Parker Mitchell would study to become a crime scene analyst. But then Luke vanished before graduation and their world--and friendships--crumbled.  Now years later, Griffin has left the police and his friendships behind. Still trying to forget a case that went bad when he was a SWAT team sniper, he's living a quiet life as a park ranger at Gettysburg. Quiet until skeletal

I have been a fan of Dani Pettrey's book since I first read Submerged from the Alaskan Courage Series. She is an amazing and talented author, definitely God-gifted. I am inspired that a fellow homeschool mom can write such incredible novels. (And a just teensy-weensy bit jealous - grin) When I was once again invited to share Dani's newest series and the first book - Cold Shot - I was delighted to accept, because this is one author I am happy to back up and promote! Today, I am simply sharing Dani's Cold Shot Sweepstakes  ,  as well as some fun "stuff" from Dani's website that accompanies the book. The information is below and easy to enter, just click on the link and hop on over to place your entry.

Peter Ryan  wakes up on a typical morning only to find his house empty, his wife and daughter nowhere to be found. His world is shattered after a phone call to a friend confirms the impossible: his wife and daughter died in a car accident he does not remember.  Haunted by faint memories and flashes of details, Peter becomes convinced that something isn’t right and begins to question reality. When he discovers a note in his daughter’s handwriting, strange memories begin to surface that cause him to second-guess nearly everything he once believed. Suddenly armed men show up at Peter’s home, turning the mysterious puzzle of his past into a dangerous game of cat and mouse.  On the run and unsure whom to trust, Peter has to discover what’s real and what isn’t . . . before he loses everything.

Welcome Spring!! Well, at least a few sunny warm days, until winter comes again. I am so thankful for those beautiful sunny days we had this week. I couldn't help but slip outdoors and take some deep breaths. It seems like the week went by in a flash! I am just barely staying caught up. Between school activities, a shorter school week due to the holiday and a funeral I attended, as well as, time spent studying for two extra classes I had to teach this week, I don't feel very accomplished.

In the VeggieTales Bible, Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, and all their VeggieTales friends invite children to join them and get to know the Bible. In this   full-text   New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) Bible, each feature is specially designed to help children understand and love God’s Word. As well as,  learn more about God and how He wants them to live.  Written at a third-grade level and specifically designed to help early readers discover the Bible for themselves, it's the perfect steppingstone to the NIV.

If Ginny Reed is still alive--who is the woman buried in her grave? After losing her parents and her sister, Christy Reed has been mired in grief. Now, life is finally starting to feel normal again--until an envelope addressed in her sister's handwriting arrives in the mail. And the note inside claims she is still alive. FBI Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force operator, is assigned to reopen the case . . . but he's coming up with more questions than answers. Is Christy a pawn in a twisted cat-and-mouse game--or the target of a sinister plot? As Lance digs deeper, one thing becomes clear: someone in the shadows has a deadly agenda.

First in a series of modern whodunits from an accomplished author with a worldwide following A former Scotland Yard detective, Father Gilbert knows about death. But, now a priest of a modest Anglican church in the small town of Hailsham, he didn’t expect it to show up like this--in the suicide of a man who threw himself off the church tower, and in the discovery of a two-hundred-year-old body beneath an ancient bridge. The deaths are linked. The mummified corpse under the bridge, a murder victim, reignites a centuries-old battle between two local families--the Todds and the aristocratic Hayshams. Then both David Todd and Lord Haysham begin to act strangely. They are fearful for reasons they won't explain. When Lord Haysham is murdered, David Todd is the prime suspect. But Todd is maniacal, claiming great forces of evil are at work. An entire history of violence

All of the angels in Heaven are preparing for a big event, and Crystal, a little angel, wants to be a part of it. But the more she tries, the more the angels tell her that she is just too little. That is, until God himself gives her the biggest, most important task of all ... going with the Archangel Gabriel to Mary, and bringing God’s greatest gift to the world. But can Crystal do what God asks? Journey with Crystal as she discovers that God sometimes chooses the most unlikely for the greatest tasks. Crystal also discovers that you are never too little to do great things. You just need to believe and never give up. Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble   or    Amazon .

Happy Valentines Day! a little late but I hope you had a great one. and  Happy Presidents Day   Hope you were one of the lucky ones to get a day off work.  We had a good week and busy weekend. Valentine's Day was just a regular Sunday, but we added a special touch of naming our food "love" names, giving each other cards and candy, and having a houseful of kids. 

Is technology drawing your family together or driving it apart? In this digital age, children are spending more and more time interacting with a screen and less time playing outside, reading a book, or interacting with a parent. While technology can benefit us, it can also erode a sense of togetherness and hinder a child’s emotional and social development. In  Growing Up Social , Gary Chapman and Arlene Pellicane will empower you with the tools you need to make positive changes . . . starting  today . Through stories, wit, and wisdom, you’ll discover how to take back your home from an overdependence on screens. Plus, you’ll learn to teach the five A+ skills that every child needs to master: affection, appreciation, anger management, apology, and attention.

What happens when a woman becomes the wife God desires her to be? In today's world, women are often rewarded for having type A personalities. Driven, demanding women achieve higher positions, better salaries, and praise for their ambition. They learn to be confident, take-charge leaders who can handle anything on their own. Yet when it comes to their marriages, those same traits can backfire. After all, no one goes into marriage hoping for a promotion. What is a wife to do? April Cassidy knows this struggle firsthand. She thought she was a great Christian wife and begged God to make her passive husband into a more loving, involved, godly leader. Instead, God opened her eyes to changes that she needed to make, such as laying down her desire for control and offering genuine, unconditional respect —not just love —to her husband. The Peaceful Wife focuses on Cassidy's experience and its life-changing properties, providing a template for others to follow.

From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny.  Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at the Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a Depression-era love story change everything? This book is available on  Amazon  and Deeper Shopping

Do you know when I write my best posts? In my mind, while I am in the shower, washing dishes, walking or when I am laying in the bed at night almost asleep.... Yeah... Any time or place when I cannot get to the computer to type what my brain is composing. Then, when I do sit down to write... the words don't flow, I forget what I came up with... etc...etc... Sooooo.... What you see is what you get... (smile) I am seriously thinking of getting myself a digital voice recorder that I can carry around with me. But do I want to get caught speaking my thoughts out loud? In a quiet room, it would be awkward, and even more awkward to play back myself. On the street, someone might think I'm nuts. And I don't suppose those recorders are water proof for the shower, nor that my family would appreciate me talking to myself when they are trying to sleep. I will have to come up with a better plan. Well, since I had what I was going to say all figured out, until I sat down to write, I ...

Super Bowl Sunday reminded me of this book. Aaron Hill has it all---athletic good looks and the many privileges of a star quarterback. His Sundays are spent playing NFL football in front of a televised audience of millions. But Aaron's about to receive an unexpected hand off, one that will give him a whole new view of his self-centered life.Derrick Anderson is a family man who volunteers his time with foster kids while sustaining a long career as a pro football player. But now he's looking for a miracle. He must act as team mentor while still striving for the one thing that

Grace Blauch is skilled at midwifery—and crafting quilts that help others pass on messages of enduring family love. But a disfiguring birthmark keeps the young Amish woman from a husband and home of her own—until Mark King arrives from another community. His helpfulness and independent nature earn Grace’s respect. And he finds her outspoken ways and determination to do right irresistibly appealing. Soon Grace is planning a wedding quilt of her very own . . . until her father discovers that Mark’s shunned brother is hiding somewhere in town . . .  Grace can well understand why Mark took such a risk once she hears his wrenching reasons. But she fears even prayer will not convince her father to restore his blessing on their union. She wills herself to face the end of her dreams, but sudden danger and an impossible act of generosity will show her that abiding hope can inspire the most precious of miracles  . . .

 Strange creatures are popping up all over the place on Farmer White's farm! What is a little pig supposed to do? Does she have to be polite? Should she just ignore them? And what if they're scary? How can you tell the difference between dangerous, or just different? That's what Sassy Pants has to learn when she wanders off by herself in places she isn't supposed to. But sometimes she learns the easy way, and sometimes the hard way. Which one will it be this time? And will she learn what's right in time to stay safe? Follow along with Sassy Pants and Friends, as they try to figure things out.

Master Hugh, Kate, and their children attend the Midsummer’s Eve fire. The next morning Hugh hears the passing bell ring from the Church of St. Beornwald, and moments later is summoned. Tenants collecting the ashes to spread upon their fields have found burned bones. Master Hugh learns of several men of Bampton and nearby villages who have gone missing recently. Most are soon found, some alive, some dead. Master Hugh eventually learns that the bones are those of a bailiff from a nearby manor. Someone has slain him and placed his body in the fire to destroy evidence of murder.

This past year I had a blast making a T-Shirt Quilt from some High School Sports T-shirts and Jerseys. I made this quilt for a mother was giving her daughter and son-in-law for Christmas. We used a combination of both of their t-shirts from the sports they played and mixed them up to make this beautiful quilt incorporating their school colors.