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Renovating Our Homes and Hearts, Part 3
If you’ve been following along with our kitchen remodel story (now on day four), you can only imagine how eager we were for Monday to come. Having already waited an extra two days to use our kitchen, I silenced my alarm when it went off and ignored the snooze button. “Hurry up and get over!” I told the day. Yet once it started, the day dragged by. Pound. Whack. Thud. Pound. Pound. All. Day. Long. We started to get nervous when the crew wasn’t done by dinner time. Then the project manager arrived, and James and I offered Gatorade and snacks to the workers. Finally, they reached the last part…
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Renovating Our Homes and Hearts, Part 2
Day one of kitchen renovations went so quickly that we had high hopes day two would complete the job and let us get our home back to normal. Seriously, have you tried not using the kitchen sink for a full day? Go to your kitchen right now and thank God for your sink. Okay, back to the story. Around noon on the second day, we started getting worried. “He is coming, right?” I asked James. Although the AC duct guy was almost done, the electrician had just arrived, and we hadn’t heard a word from the project manager. “He’s supposed to,” James said and shot off a text. By two…
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Renovating Our Homes and Hearts, Part 1
My kitchen is currently two different colors: blue and chestnut. From an outside perspective, it looks ridiculous. From where I’m standing, it’s a huge win. Last March, my husband and I bought our first home together. Cosmetically, it was a real fixer-upper. Both bathrooms were pink, the kind of pink that only belongs in Pepto-Bismol bottles. The kitchen sported a cave-like drop-down ceiling and baby blue cabinets. Dear 90s, if only you knew the pain you’ve caused. I’m incredibly blessed that God gave my husband the ability to watch almost any YouTube video and figure out renovations himself. I don’t possess that gift but am more than happy to embrace…
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Author Chat with Jerusha Agen on Romantic Suspense, Fighting Fear, and Her Next Release
I’m excited to introduce you to today’s featured author, Jerusha Agen! This gal has been such a blessing to me as we’ve gotten to know each other through our writing journeys, and today, it’s your turn to be blessed by her. I hope you enjoy this author chat as much as I have! Q: What prompted you to first write Christian romantic suspense? The first novels I wrote, which became the Sisters Redeemed Series, were romantic women’s fiction. But a curious thing happened as I was crafting those stories—each book in the three-book series leaned increasingly toward suspense! I realized when I finished that series that I might as well…
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Peace Pirates: Review & Giveaway!
You might be surprised to see this book on my blog. I’m kind of surprised myself. After all, this is not a mom blog. (Hello, I’m not a mom yet!) However, this blog is all about thinking truthfully and living daringly in everyday life, and when I reviewed the book concept for Peace Pirates, I realized it fit our theme here perfectly. Ashley Willis’ premise with this book is to fight the “pirates,” or anything that steals the peace from motherhood, by using biblical truth. It’s such a simple concept but so powerful, because every day, all of us (mothers or not) face choices, confront thought patterns, and deal with…
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The Better Yes: Beating Your Fear of Missing Out
One of my greatest joys as an author has come through getting to know other writers, and Jerusha Agen is one of those writers. Although we’ve never met in person, I’ve read some of her inspirational suspense novels and had the privilege of writing for her Fear Warrior blog. Recently, she invited me to be a guest blogger again and share what’s on my heart that might encourage readers who are facing their fears. Below is a re-post of my piece that published on The Fear Warrior blog today. You will definitely want to hop over to The Fear Warrior blog to take advantage of a giveaway I’m offering there…
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The Marriage Ark: Review & Giveaway!
Are you single seeking a relationship, dating, engaged, or married? If you fall into any of those categories, The Marriage Ark is relevant for you. Author Margaret Phillips, a licensed marriage and family therapist, uses Noah’s ark as a metaphor for building a marriage that will last. The preparation, choosing a foundation to build, applies to any reader, single or someone with a significant other. She makes the case that before we can do anything else to ensure a strong, healthy relationship, we must first examine ourselves. She says, “When I think of preparing the ground for marriage-the building site-I find the site is YOU. Yes, you and the heart…
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Win a Year of Free Books
A year of free books? Unlike Aladdin’s story, there’s no genie required for this wish. Although we don’t have magic carpets to take us to exotic places, we do have books, and I’m excited to share about my publisher’s unique giveaway which might just open a whole new world to you. That has been my experience with books. You see, as a child, I devoured most of my local library’s Nancy Drew series and borrowed unashamedly from my Aunt’s personal collection. On an ongoing basis, my mom had my brothers and me participating in the Book It program where we earned personal pan pizzas through Pizza Hut. Those were good…
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Two YA Authors to Read this Spring PLUS a Giveaway!
Spring weather in Florida is blissful and hints that summer is just around the corner! Maybe you have an official spring break, or maybe, you’re in my camp and don’t technically get one. Regardless, you can still hop in to some spring reading. If you’re a sunshine girl like me, I suggest grabbing a beach towel, some sun protection, and a book you’ve been wanting to read to enjoy the best of both worlds (in my case, Florida and fiction). Perhaps you’ve finished your current read and are looking for something new. If you enjoy young adult fiction, here are two authors worth adding to your list. Also, be sure…
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The Revolutionary Blog Tour and Starbucks Giveaway
Hey, friends! If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed The Revolutionary is on tour. Through April 23, a different blogger is sharing a personal review and information about how to participate in a Starbucks giveaway (gift card). I’d love for you to take advantage of this chance to win some coffee, plus hear what readers are saying! After all, coffee does make the world “smell better,” as my character Portia once said. To enter, visit any of the blog stops along the way or simply click here: Among the Reads, April 10 Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 10 Moments Dipped in Ink, April 11…
