The Loving Kitchen - A Cookbook Review

The Loving Kitchen is a cookbook by food blogger Leann Rice and is chocked full of delicious recipes that your family is sure to love!  

When it comes to cookbooks I am pretty picky.  I want recipes that I will actually use with ingredients that I actually have.  Is that really too much to ask?  I think not!  The Loving Kitchen offers exactly what I always look for in a cookbook.  Not only is it full of delicious recipes with ingredients that I usually have on hand it is centered around family and God.  It has Bible scriptures throughout and little notes from the author on how to make your kitchen a loving, family atmosphere.

Extending hospitality to family and friends through the recipes you make can be a blessing to both the giver and the receiver.  This great cookbook is an awesome resource to help extend the love of God to others.  Even if the only people you cook for is your immediate family this cookbook will help you show your love and appreciation with the meals you prepare for them.

It has recipes for every course including:  Morning Fare (breakfast), Bountiful Breads, Starters and Salads, Soups and Sandwiches, Entrees, Vegetables and Sides and Desserts.  I loved all the categories but I was particularly fond of the Vegetables and Sides section and the Dessert section.  I get tired of making the same side dishes and this cookbook has some great new recipes that I know will be a hit with my family.  The dessert section has so many yummy recipes that I literally want to try them all!

I hadn't heard of Leann Rice up until I got this cookbook, but I will be looking up her blog now and her cookbook is one that I will be using for years to come!

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

All for a Sister - A Book Review

All for a Sister by Allison Pittman is the first novel I have read by this author.  It is the third book in the "All for" series but you don't need to read them in order as the only thing that is similar is the fact that they are all set in the roaring 20's.  I was excited for the chance to read this book for review.  I have never read a novel set in the 20's and thought it would be a pleasant read.  I don't like to give negative reviews but I just did not care for this book.

First of all I must say that one thing that really bugs me is when a book is classified as a "christian" novel but has a story line that is not christian material.  There are no curse words and that is good, but there are a lot of references of adultery.  I do think the story could of been written without a lot of that and it really irks me when I get a book from who I think is a christian author only to find it full of worldly sins.

Second of all, I really disliked the set up of the book.  It jumped around so much that it kept me confused most of the time.  It jumped form character to character and time period to time period.  I found it confusing when it went from past to present to past again and again.  Some of the chapters were set up like a movie script and I didn't care for that either.

Thirdly, it was fairly predictable.  I pretty much figured out where the story was going after just a few chapters and the longer I read the more I realized that there were no surprises.

The story is about Celeste and Dana who have found out that they are sisters.   Celeste's mother was an evil woman who put Dana in jail at the young age of 12 years old.  Now Dana is 32 and out of prison.  Celeste's mother has died and her inheritance has been split between the two girls.  Also left is a 100 page confession of sins and regrets.  As Celeste and Dana share their stories and begin to get to know each other a movie producers wants to make a film of their lives.  Each chapter jumps between Celeste, Dana, the producer and the mother's confession.

***This book was provided to my by Tyndale Publishing in exchange for my review.

Garden Joys

I am starting to see the fruit of my labor and I am loving it.  We are having plenty of fresh produce straight from the garden to go with our meals each day!  Tonight I fried up our first zucchini and I've been picking green beans like crazy!  The cucumbers our tasting so yummy and everything in the garden looks so healthy.  The corn looks great and the tomato plants are loaded with green tomatoes.  This year I have been using Epsom Salt on the tomato plants and I really think it is making a difference.  We have caught four raccoons and we know there is at least one more that is out-smarting us, but hopefully we can get him soon too.  I am so happy that the garden is producing so well this year especially since last year was not so great (major raccoon problems that destroyed my entire garden).  

This year I have tried freezing some of my green beans.  This is a first for me and I hope they turn out good.  (I plan on doing a post on the procedure soon)  I've frozen 3 gallon bags so far and I picked so many beans today that I think I'll get the pressure cooker out this week.  The cucumbers are just starting to come on but if my plants produce well I would like to can some relish.  I've never done that before, but I love trying new things and I'm sure it will turn out great!

Lots of Kale!  So easy to grow and so yummy!

Lots of green beans to pick!

My little "field of dreams"!

SUNFLOWERS!!!!  Can't wait till they bloom!

Four Weddings and a Kiss - A Book Review

I love to read well written short stories.  In Four Weddings and a Kiss you get just that.  Four well written short stories by four different authors.  It's a great way to sample some writings from different authors.  The authors featured in the book are Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy and Robin Lee Hatcher.  Each novella is set in the west and features a young lady and gentlemen who seem mismatched for each other, but somehow find love and make it to the alter.

The book begins with four pastors sitting around a fire and they begin to share stores of some mismatched couples that they've married and the four stories shared are the stories of the pastors.  I thought it was a cute way to start the book out and a neat way to connect all the stories.

The first story was Spitfire Sweetheart by Mary Connealy.  I knew I would like this story because I really like Mary Connealy writing's and you know what?  I was right.  It was a cute story about rough and tough Maizy who was raised by her pa and would rather wear britches than dresses, and about Rylan a young rancher who get's hurt because of Maizy.  Her pa decides that Maizy will take care of Rylan until he is better - while dressed and acting like a woman.

The second story is A Love Letter to the Editor by Robin Lee Hatcher.  It is about Molly who is a columnist for her father's newspaper.  Her father hires Jack to edit the newspaper and Molly resents his position, but it doesn't take long for sparks to fly between them.   I really didn't care for this story.  For some reason I couldn't seem to connect with the characters and the story line.

The third story was my absolute favorite!  A Cowboy for Katie by Debra Clopton is about Katie who lives on a ranch with her dad, but when a tornado hits their ranch and destroys her home and kills her father Katie seems to go over the edge.  Most of the town people thinks she's crazy and Katie is beginning to wonder the same thing.  She hires Treb, a cowboy with wanderlust to rebuild her home and the sparks that fly between them are undeniable.  This book is filled with compassion and romance that had my heart fluttering.  I am definitely going to be looking in to more of Debra Clopton's books as this was the first one I have read of hers.

The fourth and final story is Courting Trouble by Margaret Brownley.  This story is about Brock, a lawyer who is called to defend Grace aka the black widow.  She is on trial for the death of her husband.  This is her third husband and the other two have also died in a suspicious way.   The law states that you our innocent until proven guilty, but this is the wild west and not everyone plays by the rules.  I thought this was a cute story and would of been even better had it been longer.

I would definitely recommend this book if you like quick reads and are a fan of any of these author's!

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Portraits of Modesty - The Modest Gardener

Modesty is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  I know different people have different visions of what modesty is and this Portrait of Modesty series is just a glimpse of my vision.  I choose to dress modestly in a way that I feel is pleasing to God.  For me that is in wearing dresses and skirts, but just because I wear dresses and skirts does not mean that I think everyone should dress like I do.  Everyone has to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.  :)  With that being said I hope my modest series is a blessing to you and helps you to see the beauty of feminine modesty.

Portraits of Modesty - The Modest Athlete

Modesty is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  I know different people have different visions of what modesty is and this Portrait of Modesty series is just a glimpse of my vision.  I choose to dress modestly in a way that I feel is pleasing to God.  For me that is in wearing dresses and skirts, but just because I wear dresses and skirts does not mean that I think everyone should dress like I do.  Everyone has to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.  :)  With that being said I hope my modest series is a blessing to you and helps you to see the beauty of feminine modesty.

Modesty is a matter of heart not a matter of rules and restrictions.

Portraits of Modesty - The Modest Mommy

Modesty is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  I know different people have different visions of what modesty is and this Portrait of Modesty series is just a glimpse of my vision.  I choose to dress modestly in a way that I feel is pleasing to God.  For me that is in wearing dresses and skirts, but just because I wear dresses and skirts does not mean that I think everyone should dress like I do.  Everyone has to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.  :)  With that being said I hope my modest series is a blessing to you and helps you to see the beauty of feminine modesty.

The most precious jewels you'll ever have around your neck are the arms of your children.

Portraits of Modesty - The Modest Bride

Modesty is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  I know different people have different visions of what modesty is and this Portrait of Modesty series is just a glimpse of my vision.  I choose to dress modestly in a way that I feel is pleasing to God.  For me that is in wearing dresses and skirts, but just because I wear dresses and skirts does not mean that I think everyone should dress like I do.  Everyone has to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.  :)  With that being said I hope my modest series is a blessing to you and helps you to see the beauty of feminine modesty.

"Authentic femininity is a combination of class, tenderness and virtue. When a woman possesses these traits, a man will naturally want to be more of a gentleman around her." -Jason Evert

Portraits of Modesty - The Modest Homemaker

Modesty is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  I know different people have different visions of what modesty is and my Portrait of Modesty series is just a glimpse of my vision.  I choose to dress modestly in a way that I feel is pleasing to God.  For me that is in wearing dresses and skirts, but just because I wear dresses and skirts does not mean that I think everyone should dress like I do.  Everyone has to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.  :)  With that being said I hope my modest series is a blessing to you and helps you to see the beauty of feminine modesty.

"To me, a lady is not frilly, flouncy, flippant, frivolous and fluff-brained, but she is gently, she is gracious, she is godly and she is giving.  You and I have the gift of femininity...the more womanly we are, the more manly men will be and the more God is glorified.  Be women, be only women, be real women in obedience to God." ~Elisabeth Elliot