Book Review: Be Thou My Vision

"The church was empty when I dragged myself out of the pew and headed out the door. As I opened the door, the corner of my eye caught a flicker of movement which I chose to ignore. I walked down the steps and was nearly bowled over by two wild boys. With arms grown strong and quick from man-handling two brothers growing up, I grabbed the two boys before they had a chance to escape me.

Anna Stuart is comfortable with her life. She may be a 30 year old spinster, but she has her routine and enjoys taking care of her father and older brother. One letter shatters all her routines, comfort, and enjoyment. After learning of her brother’s death, Anna feels like her life will never be the same again.

Then she meets two motherless boys. Did God place them in her life to lead her to a new vision of life? Can she trust God to give her the desires of her heart before she even knows what they are?"

I picked up this book by Faith Blum partly because I had always been interested in trying out her writing but mostly because the Kindle version is free to download through today. And who doesn't love free books? I wasn’t really interested in reading the first book, so I skipped to this book second in the Hymns of the West series. Here's what I thought...

The Setting:
I loved the Ol’ West setting.

The Story:

Interesting story that can also stand alone without the first book if you choose to read them out of order. I loved the conversations of spiritual matter, Anna’s journey, and the sweet friendship-based and Christian romance. It was also very neat how the song the book is named after worked into the story. I did think that the story ended on an abrupt note, but it seems like it overlaps somewhat with the next book so I’m sure everything gets resolved.

Tbe Characters:

I enjoyed Anna. She was both realistic and interesting, and her eventual servant’s heart was inspiring. I loved how complicated and nice both Caleb and Miles were. Other favorite characters included James, John, and Wilma (everyone should have a friend like her!).

The Concerns:

Parents may want to have caution in considering this book for younger readers because of some mild romance and adult themes. It is mentioned in passing that an outlaw character in the previous book “violated a young woman” and murdered people but nothing in much detail. Also, a father in the story very much hates his children and is a drunkard. My biggest concern, however, was the jealous women of the town are falsely accusing the main character of committing adultery (possibly even with the person she is engaged to), and they go into detail about what they think she did.

 

Altogether, I enjoyed this book for its sweet and hilarious moments where Anna is mothering the boys and for its godly romance!

And it has a great cover!

 

The Little Things

Over the last few days, so many wonderful things have happened. They've been small, so I find it easy to let them slip by unnoticed. That's why I've decided to sit down and list all the things I am grateful for...

• Books! Books from the library, books to sell online, books to dream of getting, and books to get for free! (I can't wait to download this one onto our Kindle and test it out!)
• The fact that I'm over halfway through my last Grammar textbook. : )
• My nephew nicknaming me "Cakie". He calls us all by names of his own creation. : )
• Our DQ adventure. Yesterday, they were passing out free ice cream cones to celebrate the anniversary of their chain. We, um, visited two in a night. Don't tell anyone.
• The other nephew learning to walk!! (And say "yeah" and "oh, wow".)
• My writer's block was over for a bit. I wrote a story called "The Red Notebook" and started another. Now I have to muster my creative juices for that contest...
• Weeds. No really, they are a lot of fun. Especially when you are out picking them with your mom and your brother by the light of the moon and the arena lights. Great discussions too.
• Popsicles.
• Swinging. So much fun. Especially when you slow down and your nephew commands you, "Go!" (He was enjoying watching me...) ; )
• All of us scrapbooking together. That was a ton of fun! I got to rip up two pages of old love songs and turn them into something really pretty. : )
• Dad's expository narrative sermon at church about the Israelites crossing the Jordan. Paul got to help out a bit by asking what the stones mean.
• Decorating books to look through. Cupcake books to look through. Cookie books to look through. Ah...
• Correspondence to catch up. Sending out letters means that in about a week, I just might start getting replies!
• Hilarious and meaningful family devotions.
• God's love and thunder. 'Nuff said.

Today, what are you grateful for?

Spring Writing Contest on Noble Novels

Time to put on your crazy writer thinking caps and start scribbling out a story for this contest! I've really enjoyed the two contests on there I've participated in in the past, and I'm so excited that there is going to be another. All you need is enough paper and a good idea for a historical fiction story! You don't even need to be an author on this blog to participate! I look forward to seeing your stories! : )



Ultimate Monopoly

For a stretch of time that seemed like one hundred years, we played Monopoly every day. It speedily went very low on our list of favorite games, but recently we've added a few house rules to make it a little more interesting. (We also thought it would make it faster, but that is apparently impossible.)

1. If a player lands on a monopoly that has none of its properties owned, they may buy the entire monopoly.

2. If someone rolls snake eyes or double six's while rolling to move:
    a. Everyone moves their piece to the position of the piece to the left of it on the board.
    b. Everyone moves to the chair to the left of them leaving their properties and money behind and possessing those of their new position.
    c. The player who rolled the doubles may then roll again for their turn.

3. If someone rolls a seven while rolling to move, everyone slaps the middle of the board. (We usually have free parking money there.) Player with hand on the bottom passes Go and receives their money, while the player on top goes to Jail.

4. If a player is in jail and a second player joins them, the first player is bumped into Just Visiting and loses all houses and hotels on one monopoly.

5. If a player must pay rent, they must roll the dice. If the player rolls doubles, they are released from the debt. (This rule does not apply to taxes and fines.)

Optional rule: If players are slapping the middle when a seven has not been rolled, they must pay a fee of ten dollars.

This version of the game can get pretty crazy especially when it is down to just a few players who are battling it out and building dynasties only to have their places switched. : ) We played a game of it today and enjoyed it a lot--well, actually it's not over yet. If anyone comes up with a way to significantly shorten the playing time, I'd be very grateful. : ) I'd also love to see your house rules in the comments!

My World of Words

Last June, I had the amazing privilege of publishing my first book The Treasure Hunt. Since then I have finished the first drafts of three more stories I hope to publish in the near future.

First there was "The Book of Dreams". This is one of my stories that just thrills my heart more than all the others. It is based on all the concepts I have ever learned or loved from C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle and his essay "The Weight of Glory", Andrew Peterson's poetic songs, and a bit from George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind. This is when I first discovered the power of setting the mood with a little description. I started with a small concept and then let my mind run wild with the possibilities.

From the beginning...

Now she sat in the front room with her own book in her hands. The firelight danced on the walls and caused her hair to shine golden. A little table separated her chair from the one belonging to the Keeper of Dreams, but he was near enough to watch her closely as she read. And watch her closely he did. From the first moment she had opened the golden pages, his eyes never moved; but his smiled deepened.

             After admiring the cover for a long while, she finally flipped open the book and fingered the first page as she read the words written in golden script. Here and there throughout the book there were pictures and her smile would grow as she murmured pleasantly, “Yes, that is how I remember it.”

            The shadows grew and still Lindsay read. As she looked at all her dreams from the time she was a baby until the very night before, she realized that they all wove together into one big dream. The Keeper of Dreams still smiled on her and watched as she read on, caught up into the story.

            All before she wanted it to the book ended, and she closed it with a happy sigh. When she looked up she saw that the Keeper of Dreams had been watching her and she said politely, “Thank you very much for letting me read this and especially for recording it all.”

            He smiled and took the book from her outstretched hands then showed her to the door. The spring day was as lovely as when she had come to his house, but now it seemed all the more beautiful. The sky was a clear blue dotted with puffy white clouds, and a slight breeze blew across the flowers making them dance together. There were ever so many colors to look at as she walked home: greens, and blues, and every shade of pink imaginable. The apple and the pear blossoms rained down about her onto the path, and each thing her eyes lighted on reminded her of something she had seen in one of her dreams.

After that I worked on a story called "Letters for Victory" a mixture of my own experiences of home life and fictional story set during World War II. It was a lot of fun to write and (at that point) my longest story yet. I loved the story so much that instead of doing a typical epilogue narrating everything in 50 or so words, I wrote a (really long!!) bonus chapter to give myself a chance to say "goodbye" to the characters. : )

Here's a snippet...
“So you think we should write to him,” Jake stated with excitement written all over his face.

            “Exactly! I asked mother and she said we could as long as we pay the postage and let her look over the letters first. This all depends of course, on if Tommy wants to be pen-pals,” Kathryn answered in a business-like tone.

            “Let’s do it!” Jake replied, jumping up from the couch.

            “Can I draw the pictures?” Hanna asked.

            “Yes, dear,” her older sister said and was rewarded with a toothy smile.

            “Kathryn should be the ‘editor’,” Jake offered, taking a huge bite of his apple at the exact moment that everyone looked at him.

            “What do you think, Avery?” Kathryn said and they all turned to look at him.

            Ever the practical one, Avery stroked his chin and said, “And how will we pay for the postage?”

            Kathryn answered by reaching up and taking their general piggy bank off the mantle and emptying it onto the floor. “There’s enough here to send a few letters and then we’ll have to figure out some way to make money,” she pronounced.

            “Then I’m all for it,” Avery replied, with vigor.

            And so they decided to write the letter. After several minutes of haggling, crossing out, and rewriting Kathryn was ready to read the finished project aloud.

            “Dear Tommy,

            We are the Moorbank children—Kathryn (14), Avery (12 ½), Jake (8), and Hanna (4). We live on Currant Street in Willoughby Village with our mother and older sister who is married to a soldier, Peter Kilroy. We have a nice big house with rose bushes that bloom pink when they do. We also have the best tree house in the neighborhood that we love to play in. We can’t play in it right now since it is raining so much, but we have grand times during the summer. In autumn and winter we play in the living room. That's where we're writing this letter from now.

            We were wondering if you want to be pen-pals. We are quite sure we can think of plenty of interesting things to tell you, though you should have some things to say too. Don't worry about postage, we have it all figured out.

            Enclosed is a photograph of us all and Avery would like you to know that he has grown a whole inch since that was taken so Kathryn isn't really so much taller than him. Kathryn says that doesn't matter much. Jake would like to know what war is like. Hanna says that if you will pretend to be her big brother she will send you a piece of her candy on Christmas.

            Please write back as soon as possible, though we will be patient since you are probably busy. Goodbye now, we have to go snap green beans.

             Sincerely,

            Your Friends"

After that I started a story called "Mara". It was once again a mixture of lessons from my life and story I came up with. Wonderful experience, and I was so excited to finish it last December (in the midst of moving and Christmas). It's my longest story ever, but I hope to break that record someday once I get over my writer's block. : )

An excerpt for ya'...
Sienna stood near her father with her hands clasped around the handle of a small brown satchel. Her thick black hair was parted in the middle and pulled back from her face by a dull colored ribbon. Her dress was a sort of golden brown that would have been nice if it had been paired with another color, but the fact that it was too big and too brown made her look almost swallowed up by it. The only thing interesting about her were her eyes. They were dark brown and very big and stared at Mara with admiration and contempt.

            Mara was reclining on the low-backed couch with a white crocheted afghan tucked around her. Her dress and her cheeks were the color of the roses on the table beside her, and her eyes held a bright sparkle of welcome for the timid young girl that stood in front of her. Beckoning, so she would not disturb her parents’ and Mr. Rhames’ conversation, she smiled at her new student and prayed that they would get along.

            “Just like a queen,” Sienna thought as she studied her new teacher and her thought was seemingly rationalized by Mara’s kind beckoning. “I wonder if she can actually teach. She looks as if she had never worked a day in her life.” Sienna’s mind sped on in this disagreeable fashion, but she made her feet walk towards the young woman.

            Mara tucked a pile of letters that had occupied the footstool into a basket nearby, and said, “There, would you like to sit down? We have so much getting acquainted to do.”

            Sienna sat down stiffly on the footstool but turned her face in undisguised interest to the speaker. The frank, welcoming words spoke somehow into the lonely girl’s heart and softened it a little.

            “So, you are Sienna. I’m Mara (it’s said like mare with an ‘a’ on the end), and I am so excited to get to be your teacher,” Mara said smiling and tucking her light brown hair behind her ear.

 

 

So which story do you think sounds the most interesting?

How to Spell "Aimee"

How do you spell Aimee?

Affectionate

She is such a good friend...big sister...and is always smiling.

Intelligent

She can make anything from scratch as long as it is sparkly. She can also remember everything she has read especially random historical facts.

Mischievous

Always ready to do something funny during a photo shoot (especially  on the spur of the moment), always ready to be in on some joke, and always ready to throw the first snowball.

Energetic

She loves action. Nuff said.

Egg-nog

And she's random. That's probably the best part. : )

(Cereal earrings...)

(Yam decorating...)

(Anatomy lessons...)

(Posing for a fake prison picture...)

And she's my older sister--that's definitely the best part. 

Happy Birthday, Aimee! Love you!!!

Book Review: Home at Last

"Orlena Mavrich little dreamed what winter on Triple Creek Ranch would be like. Her awakened conscience and inability to “be good” are not the only cause for tears. Will the long winter days ahead bring only trouble and quick tempers? Join Mr. and Mrs. Mavrich, Mrs. O’Connor and the ranch hands as they face winter’s storms within and without, relying on the Lord’s help to bring some wanderers home at last."

It’s been a long time since I posted my review of book one in The Triple Creek Ranch series. Since then I have read three more books in this series by Rebekah A. Morris. Each book is just as wonderful (or even better) than the first! I really enjoyed this second book. The cover is, as always, very beautiful and accurately portrays the tone of the book. (And red is such a good color.)

The Setting:
This story is set on a ranch in the Midwest during winter and the beginning of spring (which added an extra danger and excitement to the descriptions of ranch life). It was great to be able to learn more about the setting of the series, and their cute little town featured more into the story this time. The illustrations are just fabulous and really bring to life the world of cowboys and prairies.

The Storyline:

The storyline was really great! I loved “watching” the continued journey of Orlena and those around her. The plot was very interesting (and even set up some more for the next book!!!), and I loved how there are things (especially in their ranch life) that mirror the struggle going on in Orlena’s life at the time. Lessons in controlling a temper, loving difficult people, and leaning on Christ for help (as well as a clear Gospel presentation!!!) were integrated into the book. And it was so awesome that Christmas got to be in the story. (That illustration was my favorite. Enough said. Read the book.)

The Characters:

The characters were delightful, (though there almost were too many ranch hands to keep track of). As always, I very much enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Mavrich, and their relationship was a beautiful reminder of how wonderful marriage can be under Christ’s headship.  Once again, Mrs. Mavrich was sooo sweet, and Mr. Mavrich was awesome in his own way! : ) Their friends, ranch hands, and housekeeper Mrs. O’Conner (as well as a few new people added) made up the rich group of side characters. Orlena has definitely improved since the last book, but she still has lots to learn. (I love the way that turns out!)

The Concerns:
Parents should have caution in considering this book for younger readers because of some things that Orlena says in her arguments with her older brother. Also, although the marriage relationship between two of the main characters is very sweet and godly, some parents may not want younger readers to read this yet because there is a lot of married kissing throughout the book. : ) Also, a small scene takes place with a drunkard in the town, and there are small mentions of drinking and gambling throughout the book (but the character comes around! Hooray!).

(People in general should have caution, because if they read this book they will definitely have to read the next one. So terrible.)

I was very excited to read this book! My older sister very conveniently had a copy on hand for me when I wanted to read it a month after the other one. (I was supposed to pace myself. Didn’t I do a good job?) It tells the continuing story of the transformation Christ can bring to our lives and added to that it is such a good story! I bought the third book almost as soon as it came out (Two months after I read the second one—I only waited that long because I had to), so be looking for a rave review of it!!! : )

You can find the book here. The author’s name is Rebekah A. Morris. Shipping is only four dollars. The book is twelve. It came earlier than Amazon told me it would. Such good customer service. What are you waiting for?