Book Review: Road Food by Jane & Michael Stern

Book Review: Road Food...The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 900 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More by Jane & Michael Stern

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review”.

Book Review: For road warriors and armchair epicures, the updated ninth edition of Roadfood is your indispensable guide to more than 900 of America's best local eateries--now with more than 200 completely new listings. 

Explore the affordable, enjoyable, one-of-a-kind dining destinations along America's roadways with this essential guide. In this fully revised edition, Jane and Michael Stern introduce the Roadfood Honor Roll--a tip sheet to the 100 must-visit stops--just in time for your next road trip, no matter what state you're driving through. With up-to-date information on restaurants' hours of operation, phone numbers, and websites, you will never go hungry on the road or get lost finding the best off-the-highway gems.

My Review: I was so excited to find this book available when I went for a new review copy! I am always looking for those hidden places where you can get the very best of something...especially food! When the book arrived, the cover alone made me want to go out and grab some ribs! As I began reading the book, my mouth was watering just thinking of the future places I would be hitting during road trips with our kids. Now in it's 9th edition, I was very excited to see places in our area that are listed and in my hometown where my parents still live. I may just let them in on my new found "secrets" of the best places to dine on the simplest (and complex) of great food! From Barbecue to Lobster, to Ice Cream and even chef fixed formal meals, this book has it all!!! I can't wait to dive in......oh, the book is finished, I mean the food!

Book Review: The Bridge Tender by MaryBeth Whalen

Book Review: The Bridge Tender by MaryBeth Whalen

"I received this book for free from BookLook Bloggers for this review”.

Book Review: A surprise gift from her late husband will give a young widow the chance to do the hardest thing in the world...move on.

On their honeymoon, the new Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Shaw made a pact: No matter the sacrifices along the way, one day they would return to Sunset Beach, NC--this time to buy their own home.

But that dream was not to be. Seven years into a beautiful marriage, Emily is left a widow, heartbroken, and way past caring about anything.

Until a man approaches her, claiming to have something left to her from Ryan. Something Secret.

Unsure if she can ever embrace a new life without her husband, but even less sure about continuing to stay where she is, Emily heads to the coast to keep her end of the promise she once made.

Without delay, she becomes immersed in the lives of the locals, including the reclusive bridge tender with an unexpected past. As the community debates over building a new bridge, Emily must decide whether she will build a bridge of her own, one that will take her out of a painful past and into the new life--and new love--that her lost love made possible. 

My Review: Romance and more romance....this book was a great one!! When the book arrived, I was immediately drawn in to the gorgeous photo of a sunset and 2 lovers walking across the bridge which led to the quaint little cottage. Simply breathtaking! The story begins by taking you to Sunset Beach where Emily Shaw and her husband Ryan are enjoying their honeymoon. Hanging on the beach, enjoying the local life and dreaming about one day owning their own place right at the beach. Sadly, the story takes an unknown turn and you realize that life for the Shaw's will no longer be that wonderful honeymoon. Little did Emily know that Ryan had a huge secret kept from her that could lead her life in a completely different, even wonderful direction. Within this secret lies a new start, a new place...a new life. Will she choose to keep her promise that she made to Ryan so many years ago...without him? Take a look and be swept away in this story of everything new and proof that happiness can be made, even from heaven :)

Book Review: Seasons of Tomorrow by Cindy Woodsmall

Book Review: Seasons of Tomorrow...Amish Vines and Orchards, Book 4 by Cindy Woodsmall

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review”.

Book Review: As love restores Rhoda, a sudden tragedy is the test of faith she never saw coming.

More settled in her heart than ever before, Rhoda Byler feels a newfound confidence living in the Old Order Amish settlement she helped establish in Orchard Bend, Maine. Time has helped to head the wounds of Rhoda's recent severed relationship, and she finds that even her unusual gift of profound intuition is less of a burden as she continues to seek God's wisdom for her future. She is happy to be working alongside the King family and the love of her life as they tend and nurture the settlement's orchard.

Yet when Leah King's involvement with Englischer Landon Olson becomes known outside of the Maine community, her disregard of the Ordnung could threaten all the Orchard Bend Amish are building. In the midst of addressing the discord, a shocking tragedy challenges the young settlement as never before, threatening to uproot Rhoda's peace. 

When several members of the Orchard Bend Farms are displaced, the estranged King brother is called upon to return. Can those who founded the new Amish community in Maine unite? Or will the lingering pain of past hurts and present struggles result in the end of their dreams? 

My Review: Rhoda and Jacob...Rhoda and Samuel...The King Brothers who are different in their own ways. Rhoda falls for one and then the other. Jacob leaves the area to deal with his loss of Rhoda and soon meets a woman very different from anyone he has ever been near. Could she become a friend he needs during this difficult family time or could she be even more? Rhoda wants a life with Samuel that the King father threatens on an everyday basis due to Rhoda's intuition that he believes to be witchcraft. Leah King, the sister of the King boys, falls for Landon, a worker in the Orchard who is an Englischer. When her father finds out, he asks Landon to not have any contact with her for one year. Will Leah and Landon's love survive a year apart?  The cover shows a beautiful blue eyed Amish beauty that gives you a visual of what Rhoda looks like. I like when the author does this as it gives you at least one person that you feel as though you know already when the story begins. Flowers in the background shows the beauty of what you will make out to be the orchard. A wonderful love story and a new favorite author for me. 2 thumbs up!

Book Review: Murder...Simply Brewed, An Amish Village Mystery by Vannetta Chapman

 

Book Review: Murder...Simply Brewed, An Amish Village Mystery by Vannetta Chapman

"I received this book for free from BookLook Bloggers for this review”.

Book Review: When the coffee shop manager is murdered in Middlebury's Amish Artisan Village, two women from different walks of life must join forces to solve the mystery.

Spring has arrived in Middlebury, Indiana, and Amber Wright is optimistic about the growing profit from her collection of Amish shops--until she receives a call that Ethan Gray is dead. Hurrying over to A Simple Blend, she finds a solitary hole in the front window and the store manager lying next to the espresso machine, dead from an apparent heart attack. All the money is still in his register.

When Amber hires a young Amish woman, Hannah Troyer, to take over the shop's duties, the two women become fast friends--as well as amateur sleuths. The police believe Gray's death is a by-product of vandalism, but Amber and Hannah aren't convinced. 

Clues that don't add up, a neighbor who is pulled into the midst of the investigation, a town with secrets to hide, and a blossoming romance--all will combine to push Amber and Hannah into unfamiliar roles in order to reveal answers to the mysteries around them.

My Review: Intrigue, Romance, Murder....this book has it! Just spotting the front cover of the book made me went to curl up with my own cup of coffee and dive in! Amber Wright is owner of a village filled to the rim with everything Amish; Quilt shop, homemade coffee, bakery, etc...a fine idea indeed. Yet when she receives a phone call that something has happened at the Amish coffee house and finds Ethan dead next to the register, the idea has turned horrid! As time goes by, other strange things begin happening on the property and within other shops. Was someone against the idea of the Amish Artisan Village? Amber moves Hannah from the quilt shop to the coffee shop in hopes of returning the business back to its original splendor, but dealing with nasty delivery men and others could scare her from the establishment and back to the quilt shop where all is quiet. Once the funeral comes about, there are many strange reactions by some within Ethan's family....his wife, sister, friends...were any of them tied into this or was it just a bunch of unruly teenagers up for a good laugh? While trying to make her way through the mystery, Amber befriends a man who lives on the other end of the property and sparks begin to fly. Hannah and Amber also become friends while trying to decipher what could be happening to cause all of the commotion in the village. Will everything become seen once the the coffee steam clears?

Book Review: A Still of Chimes...A Novel by Meg Moseley

Book Review: A Stillness of Chimes...a novel by Meg Moseley

"I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for this review”.

Book Review: What if the echoes of past heartaches uncovered an unknown sacrifice that changes everything? 

When teacher Laura Gantt comes home to Prospect, Georgia, to settle the household of her recently deceased mother, the last thing she expects to encounter is a swirl of rumors about the father she lost to the lake twelve years ago--that he has reportedly been seen around town. Elliott Gantt's body was never found and he was presumed dead.

Reeling from the sharp loss of a parent, Laura must now grapple with painful memories surrounding her father's disappearance and the sense of abandonment she experienced after his report death. Life-long friend and former beau Sean Halloran wants nothing more than to protect Laura from the far-fetched stories of Elliott's resurrection and to care for her, but he has his own reasons, troubling echoes from his childhood, to put Elliot's disappearance to rest. 

Working together, Laura and Sean begin to uncover the truth, one mired in the wooded peaks and deep waters of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding Prospect. Can they fathom how many secrets the steep hills hold? With surprising facts revealed, will Laura be able to understand the sacrificial choices made that forever changed her life? And can love and a peace with God be rekindled in her heart after so much time has passed?

My Review: Berries...is that juice or blood?! When this novel arrived and I had a look at the cover, it intrigued me. Is this an innocent story that involves lovely juicy berries or is the juice of those berries a metaphor of murder?

Laura Gantt arrives home just after her mother passes away to take care of the family home and get things in order when she begins to hear rumors that her father, that years back was lost in a drowning accident, was seen by many around town and is, in fact...alive. Does she want to relive the bad memories surrounding his death as being either an accidental drowning or a possible murder and dwell into the past that is now present to find her father? Now feeling abandonment since she believes that is alive, what are the answers behind his reasons? Her life-long friend and former love, Sean Halloran tries to keep her away from the rumors to avoid the pain and hurt that she may endure if the rumors turn out to be true, but once he begins to believe the rumors as well, the only thing to do is join the love of his life in a search that could bring her closure....and that much closer to the happiness she wants. Will she find her father and true love? 

My take on things...

Just yesterday, I was reading a blog that someone had written and a few friends shared on Facebook. It had to do with when is "enough enough" when it comes to the Elf on a Shelf, Leprechaun, etc... Those friends agreed that, yes, they had enough. I was kind of perplexed as to the attitudes when it came to this subject. 

In our house, yes, we have an elf, although ours was sent from the North Pole and has a different look than the ones you see in stores...Pixy is an "original." 

We also do a "Countdown to Christmas" that involves filling little stockings during the 12 Days of Christmas.

Mommy, Daddy or the kids are able to slip something into the other's stocking just to let them know they are thinking about them....a note, piece of candy, etc...

In February, we did a "Countdown to Valentine's Day" by baking a different dessert everyday up until hearts day! Check out our Valentine Skewers! Just use 2 different kinds of jelly candies in a heart shape (one sugared, one not), some mini marshmallows and wooden skewers...voila!

We have a leprechaun who visits 1 week before St. Patrick's Day and causes all kinds of mischief! 

We try, but have yet to catch him before he leaves our house for the year. Mommy is also a baking creator this same week. Leprechaun food anyone? Simply green grapes tossed with lime gelatin powder and frozen!

Don't get me started on the fact that I do still make homemade Halloween costumes (give me a box and some spray paint and I can make just about anything) and Valentine Boxes. 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions...that is what freedom of speech is all about :)

In the meantime, we will continue our world of fun in the King House. Do our kids expect it? No. Is it something we have continued to do because it adds that extra little smile to their already smiling faces? Absolutely!!

 Hmm....which holiday is next?!! ;)

The Towel Test

So, as everyone knows, I lost 50 lb in 2012 on Weight Watchers (193 lb to 143 lb)...go me!!! I absolutely loved having all of that excess weight gone...goodbye!! My clothes fit better, I had more energy to run around with my kids, etc...but what was the best thing in the world? Are you ready for this?!! My towel actually went all the way around me when I got out of the shower!

I know that to most people, this means nothing, but it was one of those "take for granted" things that meant the world to me!

We have decent sized bath towels, not pool towels, but not puny bath towels. Anytime I would ever get out of the shower, I would pull the towel from front to back and tuck it in right at my chest area to keep it on while I did my facial routine. I had major issues with the fact that it would tuck well on top, but when I would look downward towards my hip area, I could see that the towel was not fully shut in the front. Shut to where I was covered, but not evenly measured shut from the top of the towel down. Once my weight came off, it was completely even all the way. Aaah!!!! Like a breath of fresh air!

After getting pregnant with my 7th child and wanting to enjoy the pregnancy (and I did ;), I put back on that 50 lb (+1). I have since lost 25 lb of it and am working to get off the other 26 still hanging around like a house guest that overstays his welcome....get out!!

I am now using "The Towel Test" as my inspiration to get it all back off again. I am back on Weight Watchers, have made another goal chart and am doing 15 minute cleanings along with Just Dance to get it all off once again and am as determined as always! Starting at 25 lb lighter this time around, I have found that the towel is once again open, but not nearly as much as a few years back. Pressing forward and awaiting the day that the towel will be fully closed once again :)