Loved It!

The Wedding Dress

By: Rachel Hauck

I loved The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck and did not want to put it down! Unfortunately, I had to work so reading it straight through was not an option.

Charlotte is the owner of a bridal shop who is engaged to be married after knowing her fiancé, Tim, for about two months. She is unsure of a lot of things and simply goes up the mountain to think. Unfortunately there is an auction going on and she gets roped into seeing one of the items, actually she gets swarmed and is unable to get away. She ends up bidding on an old trunk from 1912 without even really realizing what she is doing. When the trunk is delivered she has no idea what to do with it or even how to get into it because it is welded shut. Besides this, her fiancé is not too happy with her frivolous purchase.

The story begins to unfold when she is finally able to get the trunk open and finds a perfect wedding dress dated to 1912. With nothing but a satchel in the trunk she wonders where it came from as well as the story behind this unusually well preserved dress. Charlotte and her friend Dixie, along with Tim, now her ex- fiancé, follow the clues to find the hidden message behind the dress. In the end, Charlotte finds love in more ways than one.

I am definitely a sucker for love stories but the way that Hauck wrote this book and intertwined the history of the dress from 1912 to present day is wonderful. Like I said I did not want to put the book down and I was excited to see the how all the pieces of the puzzle came together.

I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze for my honest thoughts.

Dawn Comes Early

By: Margaret Brownley

Dawn Comes Early by Margaret Brownley was a fun story set in the West on a Cattle Ranch. Kate Tenney, from Boston, is a writer, but not just any writer. She writes dime novels and when she chose to write a scene that some thought was too “riskay” her book was banned, and frankly, so was she. So, she applied for a job in Cactus Patch Arizona to be a heiress to a cattle ranch. When Kate first arrived she meets up with Cactus Joe, an outlaw, trying to be like the famous Jessie James. Kate finally gets to the ranch with the help of Luke Adams, a handsome blacksmith. Notice the word handsome, yes, this is a love story! At the ranch, Kate learns from the cowhands what needs to be done and how to do it, but her learning comes with spills and dumps, from her horse that is.

Kate finally begins to feel comfortable at the ranch, but also keeps bumping into Luke Adams. She knows that in order to own the ranch she must never marry and she tries to keep her eyes set on her prize. But, the Lord, always the Lord, has different plans for her.

Read this fun romance, and you will not be dissapointed. One underlying message that is always a joy to read is this: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” says the Lord.

I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze for my honest thoughts and opinions.

God Gave Us Love

God Gave Us Love

By: Lisa Tawn Bergren

A good reminder of Gods's Love.

God Gave Us Love By Lisa Tawn Bergren is a sweet story about a little cub asking a lot of really good questions to her Grandpa.

Little Cub is curious why she has to love the otters. So she starts to ask “What is love?” Grandpa explains that love comes from God, God is love, and God is the one who created us to love. Grandpa then goes into different examples from Little Cubs life of when she should show love because God has given her love to show.

Overall, the story is sweet and has a good simple message for young readers. I thought that pages of the story jumped rather quickly, but the author seemed to want to get several messages about love across in a short picture book. The illustrations are sweet with mellow colors that are not over stimulating. I also enjoyed the fact that it was Grandpa explaining what love is. Not all children grow up with their parents, so this is a sweet way for children to feel loved when reading this book.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program for my honest thoughts.

It's Past Valentine's Post

So I know Valentine's Day is past but I just had to post a picture of my gorgeous flowers and yum-e chocolate covered strawberries. Such a thoughtful gift from my hubby...and quite unexpected! Always the best kind of gifts! :)

These were sooooo good! There were four and then I decided I better capture the picture before they were all gone!

Gorgeous!

Papa Moose-ism #2

So today was one of the worst days I've had at school in awhile....the kids didn't listen and it felt like I was repeating the same thing over and over again.

It made me think of something my dad always said to me when I talked about how much I hated working with him. (This never made him happy by the way.) He would tell me that I should never quit the job I have until I have another one. This was good advice....certainly hard to take on days like today...but I am looking elsewhere for work...work that I think I will be good at...stuff involving fitness...I'll keep you posted.

Love you PapaMoose....Thanks for 26 years of good advice.

Good Read

Beauty for Ashes

By: Dorothy Love

Beauty for Ashes by Dorothy Love was enjoyable. This book takes place in the years that followed the Civil War. Amidst depression and heartache, love still is able to find a way.

Carrie Daly, a widow, lives in Hickory Ridge with her brother, where they tend to their farm. Carrie Daly is “promised” to marry Nate Chastain, however, the timing always seems off and she can never seem to set a date for the wedding. Everyone in town thinks and knows it will happen. Everyone in town loves the idea of them getting married, until Carrie meets a traveler, Griffin Rutledge, who “rocks her world” so to speak. They meet the day before her brothers wedding to whom other but “Cruela DeVille” a nice modern day term for Mary.

Shortly after the wedding, Carrie leaves the farm knowing that she doesn’t have a place anymore and knowing that she will not be able to handle living there with Mary’s boys whom terrorize her in every way. She begins to build a friendship with Griff and begins to lose Nate. Her heart doesn’t know what to do or think and she begins to lose hope, especially when her brother leaves to find work, Mary becomes pregnant, and Carrie has to come back home to work the farm and care for Mary and her boys.

Carrie does everything for everyone else and doesn’t receive much in return. Eventually she finds love in several different ways, much different than she ever expected.

I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze for my honest thoughts.

PapaMoose-ism Number 1

My dad used to say a lot of interesting things. Some silly, some serious. He always joked that he would write them down...I told him he better hurry. Well, unfortunately for me, it never happened, so I want to try to remember some of those things.

Here is the first. I was just eating a banana, and my dad always said "Did you know Bananas may be natures most perfect fruit?"

Now, I am not the only person he would tell this to. My friend Kacie, who went on a cruise with my parents, and our friend JJ heard this every morning from my dad. Needless to say, when JJ, who was living in Reno at the time, would write an email to my dad, he always signed it JJ McDonald III, and DYKBMBNMPF. Yes, these letters stand for "Did you know Bananas may be natures most perfect fruit." Haha...this was a fun story to hear from my dad, hope you enjoyed it as well.

Love you PapaMoose.