A mother’s worst fear is for something to happen to her child. When I was younger, I remember my mother saying that she would walk through fire for me.  At the time, it sounded like such an odd thing to say.  Why would she need to walk through fire, and why for me?  Now that I’m a parent, I realize the meaning behind that declaration.   Loving a child so dearly that there is no thought for yourself, instead your child is the number one priority in everything.  The willingness to sacrifice everything, including your own safety, for the love of your child — that is the gift of being a mother.  I now understand what my mother meant.  As I said before, a mother’s worst fear is for something to happen to her child.  Perhaps even worse, what if she didn’t have the chance to walk through that proverbial fire?  What if a terrible event occurred and the parent didn’t have an opportunity to try to save her dear one?   In The Searcher, that terrible event happened to Joaquin Bridger.  He was a police officer and felt that he should have been able to protect his beloved daughter and wife from a senseless crime.   Joaquin punishes himself daily by refusing to accept kindness, human interaction, or even to give himself the blessing of noticing the beauty of the world around him.  He lives in a self-inflicted isolation that breaks the heart of those who loved him.  When Joaquin witnesses the kidnapping of a child, he doesn’t hesitate to try to get her back.  [Read more…]

In his latest novel, Darkness Before Dawn (Abingdon Press), Ace Collins leads readers on an emotionally charged ride from revenge to forgiveness.   I participated in the book tour for Darkness Before Dawn to find out what it was all about.

You know how I keep saying that Christian fiction isn’t what it used to be? Read Darkness Before Dawn to see what I mean. This isn’t your book about sweet romance and praying together before holding hands. This book goes down deep into a grieving woman’s heart, tests the oil stick and finds that she’s running on empty.  Meg Richards is widowed at a young age and on the day she learns she is pregnant with her first child.  Although the characters in a Christian novel are usually people I really like, I have to be honest and say that I didn’t really like Meg.  At least, not at first.  She was abrasive and seemed a little too self-pleased to be the kind of girl I’d want to hang out with.  In the beginning of the story when the phone rings in the middle of the night, Meg starts out being disgruntled and kind of whiny.   If the phone rings at my house at an early hour, I instantly set into panic mode wondering what is wrong.  Because of this, I didn’t feel like I had that instant connection with Meg that I normally enjoy with a  main character.  Even after she was in the depths of her despair, she was checking herself out in the mirror to verify that she still looked hot.   I think, though, that those random emotions were typical of her mental ups and downs as a widowed, soon-to-be single parent.  Author Ace Collins made me feel every emotion right along with Meg.  Wow.  My heart still feels a bit heavy because of her loss. [Read more…]

Welcome to the Non-Fiction Giveaway Blog Hop hosted by Rikki’s Teleidoscope.   This giveaway takes place from from April 26 to 29, 2013.  That doesn’t give you a lot of time to enter, so let’s get started!

Tales of the Defended Ones is one of those stories that changes you. Without question, I felt a connection to these parents who wanted to love children that weren’t from their own gene pool.   After all, isn’t that a side effect of being a teacher?  Don’t get me wrong. This is not a feel-good story at first.  Each child highlighted in this book comes from hard circumstances.  Whether they live in the United States or in a remote area of Africa, the children in Tales of the Defended Ones are beyond hope.  Until they meet their defenders, of course.  [Read more…]

There comes a point in my gift-giving when I become a bit apathetic.  Mother’s Day usually hits around that time.  We have our state testing at school at the end of April, which should really serve as a red flag that Mother’s Day is approaching.  Do I take the hint that I need to get my big tushy in gear with the gifts?  No.   Instead, I usually just use the testing as an excuse to blow off everything else in my life for at least a week.  So here we are staring down May in the face and what do I have to show for it?  There were my big plans to make my mom a photo book of the grandkids.  I still might do that for her, but time is a’ticking.   Now is the moment of the “Oh Crap” mode, knowing that I’ve gotta make a decision and fast.  Take a peek at these items from the Layla Grace Mother’s Day blog post.  Aren’t they just spiffy?  I know mom would love the relax handcreme, which she really does need.   She cleans offices and her hands get so dry and irritated from the chemicals in the cleaners she uses.  Plus there’s the fact that it’s spelled “creme” instead of “cream” which probably means it is better quality or something.  At least it sounds fancy!  I’d love to give mom the earl grey earrings, too, with the hopes of borrowing them from her at some point.   For my mother-in-law, I’d love to get the Antique Rose Blue Teapot because she loves having her hot cup of tea after dinner.  She won’t care that I got 15% off with the code 4URMOM (valid through 5/1). You’ll keep my secret, won’t you?  

I love giving my daughter a little something for Mother’s Day, too.  I think it’s a great time to celebrate all girls, not just moms.  My daughter will get a cute little pack of hairties from Maddyloo.  The presentation of these little hairties is adorable; they come in this little plastic heart that will be perfect for holding her erasers and what-not in her desk at school.  The nice thing about Maddyloo hairties is that they are thick so there’s no hair bump after wearing these in a ponytail.  You know what I mean….that big crease in the back of your head when you try to take the ponytail down.   Maddyloo hair ties are also cute as bracelets.

She’s getting the Silver Orchid mini heart box because the colors will look amazing in her dark hair. My next purchase will be the mermaid box.  I think these would be great as birthday and holiday gifts, so the site is bookmarked in my favorites.  Go ahead and do it too so you can find it in December when you’re scrambling for stocking stuffers! 

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Welcome to the Mama’s Got A Brand New Babe Giveaway Event!  This giveaway will run from April 24 through May 8.  Please look over the generous prize packages offered below and take a moment to enter to win!

Savings in Seconds has several sponsors who are offering excellent prizes for moms with new babies.  There are THREE prize packages available!  Enjoy! [Read more…]

My sister-in-law and mother-in-law were visiting when The Heiress of Winterwood arrived.  We all looked at the beautiful cover, which as you know always gets my attention.  My dear sis asked if she could read it and of course I was happy to share!   She said it was an uplifting story against all odds.  There was enough suspense to keep the reader guessing; she didn’t know until the last chapter how the story would end.  [Read more…]

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Comfort and Harmony. All opinions are 100% mine.

So you want to give the baby shower gift that’s totally adorable and also practical, right?  I have the perfect thing in mind.  What about giving mom the extra support she needs?  No, no, I don’t mean babysitting so she can take a nap (don’t get me wrong, she’d love that, too.)   If the new mom is planning to breastfeed or even just wants to put baby down for a moment of tummy time, she’ll need a good supportive pillow for those moments.   Check out one of the options for the Mombo nursing pillow for babies (pictured below).  Is this not adorable?!  I love the bold contrasting colors and the attached accessories. This would be good for tiny little ones and will carry them through the infant stage.

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Welcome to the Showers of Books Giveaway Event hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer.  I love book giveaways because there are always so many new authors that I haven’t read yet.  I also enjoy reading the book reviews that are often shared on these giveaway posts.  At Savings in Seconds, you have a chance to win a copy of It Happened at the Fair by Deeanne Gist.
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I love getting deals for meals.  Working full-time then coming home to kids that need loving, a house that needs cleaning, and a garden that needs tending is sometimes too much.  To face the food that needs cooking can be the straw that broke this mama’s back.   This deal on Fazoli’s dinners is FABULOUS and just the kind of savings I need on a Tricities Tuesday.  For only $23, I can get $50 worth of Fazoli’s vouchers.  My kids love the Fazoli’s kids meals and I think their fettuccine alfredo is delicious.  Remember the days when you and the hubs just went out for a nice dessert?  Stop on your way home and get a couple of slices of their layered chocolate cake to enjoy after the kiddos are in bed.  I promise you won’t miss the high price of a cafe, but you’ll be surprised at how decadent their cake is!!  Fazoli’s also has the best Coke in the world; it’s always fizzy and has the perfect amount of sweetness.   If the $50 vouchers are too much for you to spend by July, consider the $15 amount (which still gets you $30 in vouchers).  Such a great deal!  There are only a few hours left to take advantage of this special.

One last yummy deal for you — Cakes in a Cup!   This would make such a great end-of-year teacher gift for Johnson City, TN residents.  For $12, you get 3 separate $8 vouchers (enough for a delicious treat!) and the vouchers don’t show the amount paid.  All of their cakes are homemade, fresh, and you can even find some gluten-free options.  What a deal! [Read more…]

Thinking back on all of the wonderful things about childhood, fresh new crayons is one of those happy memories that never got old.  Did you ever have one of those big boxes that was full of sharpened crayons just begging to be used in a coloring book?   My kids still while away the hours with Crayola products all around them.  Few things can entice my children away from an electronic device like the promise of an hour of coloring with Crayola crayons.  Normally I charge a much higher fee than a box of crayons for a sponsored post but decided it would just be wrong for a teacher not to post about something as extraordinary as Crayola’s 110th birthday.   Isn’t that an event worth celebrating?!   The 8 original crayons are throwing a birthday bash at the new fun-omenal Crayola Experience.  It’s the world’s only interactive Crayola family attraction.  You’re invited to the party, of course! [Read more…]