Fairer Than Morning a Review

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Fairer Than Morning

Ann dreams of a marriage proposal from her poetic suitor, Eli-until Will Hanby shows her that nobility is more than fine words.

On a small farm in 19th-century Ohio, young Ann Miller is pursued by the gallant Eli Bowen, son of a prominent family. Eli is the suitor of Ann's dreams. Like her, he enjoys poetry and beautiful things and soon, he will move to the city to become a doctor.

Ann travels to Pittsburgh, accompanying her father on business. There she meets Will Hanby, a saddle-maker's apprentice. Will has spent years eking out an existence under a cruel master and his spirit is nearly broken. But Ann's compassion lights a long-dark part of his soul. Through his encounters with Ann's father, a master saddler, Will discovers new hope and courage in the midst of tremendous adversity.

When the Millers must return to Ohio and their ministry there, Will resolves to find them, at any cost. If Will can make it back to Ann, will she be waiting?

Read an excerpt here: http://www.rosslynelliott.com/

About the Author~
Rosslyn Elliott grew up in a military family and relocated so often that she attended nine schools before her high school graduation. With the help of excellent teachers, she qualified to attend Yale University, where she earned a BA in English and Theater. She worked in business and as a schoolteacher before returning to study at Emory University, where she earned a Ph.D. in English in 2006. Her study of American literature and history inspired her to pursue her lifelong dream of writing fiction. She lives in the Southwest, where she homeschools her daughter and teaches in children's ministry.

For more about Rosslyn, visit her website: http://rosslynelliott.com


My Thoughts ~ I wish I would have written this review sooner since it has been almost month since I read the book. I began reading this book as soon as I received it and I couldn't put it down. The story is well written with a little secret buried within the story regarding Ann's father ~ keep a look out for that! I think my most memorable part of the story is how Ann came across the letters and gave them back to Will. Without going in detail of the story, you would not want to pass this book up. It is absolutely a little gem!


I received this book for free from Litfuse in return of my honest opinion.

Fairer Than Morning, Saddlers Legacy Series #1 By Rosslyn Elliott / Thomas Nelson In 1826, Ann Miller travels to Pittsburgh with her widowed father and two young sisters, only to find that a mysterious man has pursued them all the way from Ohio. Is Ann's father just a circuit minister, or is he hiding something that may endanger them all? Will Hanby indentures with a Pittsburgh saddler maker, only to discover that his master is a cold-hearted tyrant. After years of abuse, Will becomes a prisoner of his own mind. But then lovely Ann Miller comes to stay next door and her compassion lights a long-dark part of Will's soul. His renewed courage puts his life in jeopardy as he begins to assist fugitive slaves. Will's murderous master and Ann's questions about her family may keep both of them bound in the shadows forever. Or will they find freedom-together?

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week… 
It's been pretty normal. I missed last week's journal, so I thought I better try and make our life sound interesting today. Which is not happening, because we are just not interesting people.



In our homeschool this week…
We started a new chapter in our history book. We finished up studying about Canada and we started studying about the eastern Indians and of course Geography. We also finished up the book study on  Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. If you have never read the book ~ I highly recommend it. We did start the book The Bronze Bow on Wednesday. We're really enjoying it.  I have a feeling, I'll be finding myself curled up with it on the couch one day soon.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
BE FLEXIBLE! ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES! We all have had those days where  it seems like we should not have gotten out of bed. When I face a day like this, I have to remember to pick myself up, dust myself off and keep moving. This too shall pass.

I am inspired by…
  A Primitive Place & Country Journal I could so live in some of the beautiful homes that are showcased throughout the magazine and websites.

What’s not working for us…
Sequential Spelling. After working with this for several weeks, I just don't see it helping my son. So while I research another program, I'll be using an online list along with vocabulary words from History and Science.
 
Things I’m working on… 
I'm busily working on stocking my online store. I have several cute t shirts ready and I'm creating Thanksgiving and Christmas shirts this week. I even started a cute denim bag, I'll be finishing up today.

I’m cooking… It's Friday! We usually try and eat out one night every other week and it's usually a Friday night. And today is that Friday!

I’m grateful for… A heavenly Father who answers prayer.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

                                        

Is Your House Guest Ready? Is It a Realistic Goal?

Is your house guest ready? Is it a realistic goal? These were two questions I was asked recently. Is it a realistic goal to keep a guest ready house? YES! It may not be easy for everyone, but it is realistic. Guest ready is not the same for everyone, it depends on what an individual calls guest ready. For example what I see as a mess, someone else may not see it as anything but a few books and toys lying around.

IS YOUR HOUSE GUEST READY?

Ask yourself this question, “How would you feel if you walked into someone’s house and saw what they would see upon entering your house?” Would you feel comfortable in that scene or would you rather run for the hills?
I was invited to a home for a luncheon where I had to fight the urge to turn around and leave. The large piles of matted dog hair lying around on the floor, the thick coating of dust everywhere along with piles of stuff here and there; I was sickened at what I saw. Thankfully, I knew who brought what food and ate from a good friend’s bowl along with what I took. The hostess showed no shame in how her house looked. She laughed it off and said she was too busy to clean, although she was a homeschooling mom of two teen daughters. I thought to myself, “What a shame, God provided a beautiful home for your family and you can’t keep it clean to honor Him?”

A CLEAN HOUSE IS GOD HONORING

Right this minute, my house is not guest ready to my preference. We have a very small house. The living room, dining room and kitchen are all together and small. My kitchen is clean; the dining room table where I’m sitting is ready for school to start. The living room has some of A Pocketful O’ Posies’ stock lying about where I was brainstorming earlier this morning.

Keeping our house guest ready is not difficult. It takes discipline in everyone to help keep our houses ready for guests.

6 TIPS ON KEEPING A GUEST READY HOME

• Make Your Bed Daily – with a made bed no matter what has gone on during the day it brings peace and comfort to you and your husband. It’s easier to keep a tidy room when the bed is made.
• Create a Cleaning Routine that Works for You – my cleaning routine is not going to work for others. Find what works for you and stick with it.
• Speed Clean – spend five minutes in each room tidying up. Before your husband comes home from work, send out a Search and Recover team to do a last moment clean up. Let him come home to peace and harmony.
• Teach Your Children to Clean – children need to be taught from an early age to clean up their mess. It takes discipline from you to train them to clean. You will have to remind them and often to pick up their rooms and toys. Don’t allow them free range of the toys; keep them confound to one room. If our children see we don’t have any discipline, they are not going to take us seriously. LET THEM SEE DISCIPLINE IN YOU!
• Acknowledge Your Responsibility – If you are at home full-time, don’t send your husband off to work to have to return home to cook and clean. When my husband and I agreed for me to be at home full-time, I accepted the fact I would be caring for our son and our home. That means on top of all my motherly duties, cleaning the house would be my job.
• Don’t Procrastinate – for several years we have been without a dishwasher. I am the dishwasher! That is the one chore I dislike the most. I’d rather clean the bathroom than wash dishes, it’s that bad. When I am cooking or baking I wash dishes as I go. I don’t leave a huge mountain of dishes in the sink or on the counter until after dinner. I would literally have a conniption fit if I was faced with all those dishes. Also, when dinner is finished, I immediately start the clean up process. I dislike the thought of leaving everything until almost bedtime. I want to enjoy my evening without the stress of something to clean up hanging over me.

Time management and discipline are keys to keeping our house guest ready. If we don’t spend our time wisely and use some discipline throughout the day, then we are bound to have a house that could be shown on an episode of How Clean Is Your House.

"If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.

 And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.  If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed." 

- Naval Adm. William H. McRaven, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command

One Call Away

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One Call Away


Brenda’s life has taken twists and turns that are stranger than fiction. It always seemed as if she was just one phone call away from the next explosive change. Each time her plans fell apart, she had a choice: would she give up, or would she press forward and learn from the unexpected? One Call Away is the inspiring story of a woman who has prevailed through many of the circumstances that discourage women: tragedy, poverty, betrayal, and humiliation. But unlike most women, her life has been on display in the media.

Brenda’s faith and God’s strength enable her to face challenge after challenge: an accident that leaves her son blind and brain damaged, a crumbling marriage, a tornado that kills her parents, a new relationship with promising football player Kurt Warner, and the pressures his sudden success brings to their growing family.

Through food stamps and funerals, Super Bowls and serving others, Brenda’s strength is unwavering. Her determination to dream new dreams, willingness to learn from her mistakes, and commitment to giving back to her community make her a role model for women of all backgrounds.

Her dreams haven’t materialized as she had imagined, but Brenda has found that God has a much bigger plan for her. Conversational and candid, One Call Away invites readers facing their own difficulties to trust God and discover hope in the future.

There's not a whole lot that I can say about One Call Away other than I did not like it.  This book has been on the table ready for me to write a review and the issues with what is written on the inside has been the big hindrance.  I felt like I was being drawn into Brenda's "It's all about me" pity party.   The only thing that kept me reading  was  Zack's story about his injury and recovery along with his life long complications.

Brenda was raised knowing she was the "pretty one" while her sister was the "smart one." She made sure to point out that idea several times throughout the book. I'm not sure if she feels because she was the pretty one, life was suppose to be a bed of roses for her. Well, I hate to tell her... life is hard ~ get up, get over it and get on with it!

There were two things about this book that rubbed me raw. The first was the sin that she lived in, openly.  While she was living this lifestyle, Brenda was reminded by her Mother about what she was doing and that it was wrong, Brenda showed no remorse for it.  Even when she and Kurt were living together before they were married, there was no "this is wrong, I can't help him see that he needs the Saviour," while doing this.  Kurt does come to her after he became a born again Christian and showed her from the Bible that sex before marriage is wrong.  Instead of making some other living arrangements,  they spent the next year sleeping in the same bed without the added benefits. As a healthy human, I really have a hard time believing that... maybe it's possible. I got the impression that Brenda believes that it is alright to do whatever you want because you can always say, "Lord, I'm sorry. Please forgive me," until it happens again.  

The second big problem was when Brenda asked the father of her first two children to give up his parental rights to them. She chose him to be a husband and a father to her children. His parental rights should have been respected even if he was a louse. Those children were his flesh and blood, whether or not he was in their lives and supported them. She was selfish and immature while he was foolish. I know she stated that this was for the future of her children if something happened to her. She wanted to make sure that they were going to be cared for by the person that was around and loved them. There are ways around this kind of predicament.  I can't help but think about what if they (especially the daughter) want to have a relationship with him and want to take his name again.

Brenda Warner is not perfect and neither am I.  It is easier to just call out a prayer during a time when we are going through something that seems unbearable.  In reality, as Christians, we need to stop what we are doing, open and read our Bibles. The Lord doesn't speak only through prayers. He speaks to us through His Word. This is something that is not pointed out in the book. Brenda talks about prayer, but she never mentions opening her Bible nor uses any verses for encouragement. Writing a book is a perfect opportunity to intertwine biblical encouragement. There will be people reading the book looking for that one Bible verse to show them that much needed encouraging word.

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have people reading this review and thinking that I am judgmental when I am not. Brenda stated many, many times that she was committed to God.  If she never pointed that out, then I would not have such an problem with her lifestyle. This book is perfect in showing that Christians are human and make mistakes.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com http://booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

One Call Away: Answering Life's Challenges with Unshakable Faith - eBook By Brenda Warner / Thomas Nelson

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week…   A LOT HAS GONE ON!!! Not really ~ just being a regular mom and housewife and all that goes with being at home.




In our homeschool this week… I've decided that no matter what time we start school, whether it be 8:30 or 11:00 it will be alright! As long as everything is completed, I'm not going to have stroke. That is a freedom of teaching at home!
 
What’s not working for us… Sequential Spelling is not working. I really wanted to love this program, but after being with it for several weeks, it has me aggravated as a termite in a steel factory.

Things I’m working on…  I've opened an online store! I do a good bit of sewing and knitting, so hopefully, I'll be able to bring in a little spending money. You can find the store at A Pocketful O' Posies. There's not much there at the moment, but I'll be adding more next week.

I’m reading…  A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher.

I’m cooking… I'm not too sure for supper tonight. I went to the grocery store this morning, so I have many things to choose from. I really don't stick with my weekly menu for exact days, since I usually cook what my family is in the mood for.

I’m grateful for… The little surprises that my husband brings me when he is out running an errand.

I’m praying for… Several things that are on my list for friends and family.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

I recorded Jamie's first bull ride. My stomach was up in the my throat, watching him. When you hear all the "ohs" that is where he was stepped on. He received nothing more than a bruise and a good learning experience.


You can read more journals by clicking on the picture at the top of the post.

Riding, Shopping and Saving

I'm stopping by for a short update. We had a wonderful weekend! We spent Saturday morning rodeoing with my junior steer wrestler and now steer rider. He loves it! And I love it for him.




 He really loves this sport. We videoed the two events and my husband is learning how to pull pictures from the video, so I should have some pictures later this week. I do have some pictures from the last couple of months that can be found HERE.

I hit the grocery stores on Saturday evening and walked away with the golden goose! Really, I did! I had coupons that I was saving for just the right moment and was able to use them. For example... I had a $3.00 coupon for any Pepperidge Farm item, so I used it on the B1G1 frozen cakes for $3.88 and only spent $.88 on both cakes. I usually don't buy margarine, but Land O' Lakes had $.40 coupons on their website so I printed two. The store had LOL margarine B1G1 for $2.19 and I was able to use the coupons and they doubled! So I was able to get two boxes of margarine for $.59, that's $29.5 cents per box.  I bought almost $200. worth of groceries for right at $80. Two of the stores (Food Lion, Kroger) I had to use their card, while at Publix I was able to walk away with some really good savings without having to have a card. ** If you don't have a shopper's card for your store, I highly recommend you doing so. Food Lion shows on the receipts how much you saved by using just the card. I saved $20. for just using the card and then all the coupons. It really is a helpful little tool!

Also, I was asked about my denim yo-yo bag. Here's a picture.  I've made a couple more since I made mine and changed a few things. The thread I used was a lime green, orange and magenta/ hot pink.

I hope your days are going well. Today is laundry day here (the busiest day of the week due to the largest mountain of laundry seen on this side of Friday- the other laundry day), so I'm going to go get busy.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

I am so excited to find this new to me journal. I found it a couple of weeks ago and decided today would be the day I journal about my home educating week...

In my life this week…

I've really had a hard time staying up after my husband leaves in the morning. I found myself crawling in the recliner with a book and going back to sleep for a couple of hours.  Yesterday, I would not go near the recliner for fear of sitting down. After my devotions, I piddled on the internet, until it was time to wake my young'un.




In our homeschool this week…

We've been busily working. Really, did I just say that? I don't know a family that home educates that does not work hard at their schooling.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

ORGANIZATION, ORGANIZATION, ORGANIZATION!! Do I really need to say more?

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Tomorrow's the big day for the month. Jamie has another Junior Rodeo  in the morning. He's been working really hard for the past month on a bucking barrel, so he can give a go at riding steer. Yep, I'm all excited for him. I was informed that I will be videoing the event while my husband helps him with his rope and all the other important stuff.

Sunday, my husband is preaching in a church that does not have a pastor. We've been praying about this and we're waiting to see where the Lord leads.

My favorite thing this week was…

I have so many things that go on during the week that could be considered my favorite. It's really hard to pick just one. I think my favorite thing this week would be,  my quiet time with the Lord. Then of course all the little hugs, kisses and "I Love You", I get during the day from my family.

What’s not working for us…

I'm really not liking Writing Strands! I tried something different this week. I had Jamie write about anything that he wanted.  He wrote a short composition on a computer game that he has been playing. I'm shocked at how well he did! He had only a couple of small errors in the grammar department. Now if I can just get him to slow down on his hand writing!

Questions/thoughts I have…

Do we encourage our children to be picky?  This is something that I've been rolling around in my mind and hopefully, I'll be posting on it in the future.

Things I’m working on…

I really want to do something to help make a little spending money. I love sewing and knitting, but I just can get my groove in trying to sell on line. I've been trying to put together a site, but I'm just not feeling it, yet.  I do have a few t shirts that I need to try and sell, since I have spent the money, time and effort in creating the too cute little things.

I’m reading…

I'm still plugging away at my last set of books from the library. Right now, I'm reading A Matter of Character by Robin Lee Hatcher. I just started it Wednesday night, so I'm still trying to get into it. So far it is really good.

I’m cooking…

For supper tonight, we are having Taco Rice. I can't remember if my Facebook account is set where you can read my notes. If you can get to it, let me know and I'll post the recipe here. I'm going to be making another batch of homemade mayonnaise today.

I’m grateful for…

A wonderful husband that loves me and Jamie. He works so hard to provide for our family.

I’m praying for…

The Lord's direction in our family's lives. I want for Him to guide us in all we do and not be the doing our own thing.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks.~A.A. Milne

If you'd like to participate in The Homeschool Mother's Journal hop right on over to The Homeschool Chick and have a look around.

Honoring Our Husband: What We Say About Him

I’ve noticed over the past year or so about something that women say regarding their husband. These women are not just ordinary women, many of these are Pastor’s wives. Wives, who I’m giving the benefit of the doubt, are not thinking clearly. It matters what we say about our husband in public and to others in secret.

What We Say About Him Matters

I've seen on the internet the word HOT being used in describing husbands. While in reality your husband maybe h*t to you but, he is not to me. I don't want to imagine someone's husband as "HOT". I don't even want that kind of thinking to start in my mind. I have my own husband and I love him dearly. I want to only think about him. My husband would crawl in a hole and pull the dirt in around him, if he knew I said something about him being "HOT" for others to hear and read. In fact, I would do the same if it was said about me.  We love and honor each other enough to not do this.

Think about it ladies, do you really want another woman to think this about your husband? I don't! I don't want another woman to have one small indecent thought regarding my husband. Because that "small" thought can turn into a "HUGE" problem. Don't say it won't happen; because it will, it has and it does all the time.  Look around, we hear about marriages failing all the time. In fact, it is happening more and more with families in the ministry. Why? Because Satan is on the prowl to do what he can to destroy our marriages. It burns him up knowing a man and wife along with their family try to live for the Lord. Satan is going attack at all costs.

Yes, we love our husbands. Yes, we want to do all we can to protect our minds and bodies. But what about protecting the minds of others?  It is our responsibility to not make another stumble in weakness. Would you be willing to give an alcoholic a drink? I don't think so. So why would you plant the wrong kind of thoughts in the mind of someone? Is it wrong to use the word H*T? Not at all, use it in the privacy of your own home, not for the entire the world to read and think on. We need to remember that others are watching and listening.

Our husbands are a blessing from the Lord and we need to honor them.