A Worthy Pursuit

I don't know how Karen Witemeyer keeps writing great books, but she's done it again.  This book is funny, endearing, with a touch of romance.  A school teacher putting her life on the line for a few of her students that have become like her own children and a bounty hunter with great conviction and morals but no roots.

The dynamics in this book are very unusual, but it really keeps you entertained and rooting for the happy ending you know has to be coming.

I'd recommend this and all of Karen's other books as well.

I was given a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

In Good Company

In Good Company is an endearing story about a nanny named Millie whose unorthodox ways seem to always get her into trouble.  Everett, a wealthy man who is given guardianship of three young children, finds that he can’t keep any nanny and surely doesn’t want unusual Millie coming on his staff.

The interaction between Everett and Millie is laughable at time and engaging the next.  

There was just the right amount of romance and mystery to make it a very enjoyable read.

I would highly recommend this book and I’m looking forward to Ms Turano’s next book. 

I was given a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

From the Start Book Review

From The Start is a book I thoroughly enjoyed and hope there are several more in the Walker Family series.  The characters are quite realistic and are easy to relate to.  

Like most Christian fiction, the story line is fairly predictable, but the author did a very good job keeping it interesting and throwing in a few twists and turns.  

I would definitely recommend this book as an entertaining and clean read.

I was given a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Kitchen Remodel

When we bought our house 3 years ago I was so excited because I knew our kitchen needed a complete remodel and my wheels started spinning before we even put an offer on the house!  Well it has taken about two years of weekends...but it is FINISHED!

Can I just say that one more time?  It's Finished!

I'd like to share our journey of making our kitchen into a place we love, but first I'll show you the "before" picture...it wasn't much to look at and even less to work in!

It was tiny, hardly any storage space and very dated...1970's anyone?

I knew there was something that we could do to help the small space...well behind this set of cabinets happened to be a den...

And a beautiful bay window.

So we did what any sane person would do...knocked out the wall.  And thus began our journey!

That wall happened to be a load-bearing wall so we had to build two false walls on either side of the wall we were taking down and put a beam in, but we had some great little helpers!

A little sheetrock to cover the beam and we were ready to rip out flooring and put new cabinet in.  My hubby and I built the new ones and he painted them with his airless spray gun.

The existing cabinets were pretty beat up, but we were able to reuse and fix most of them because they were solid wood.  We built an additional 16 cabinets and drawers, but sanded and rearranged the existing ones.

These wall cabinets looked awkward to me so one day while my hubby was at work I took a Japanese hand saw to the face of the cabinet and cut it out.  My sweet forgiving hubby came home and built the shelves for me and fixed the whole thing to look like this:

I love to display my tea set!

The corner glass was the dated 1970's diamond pattern, so I carefully took it out and brought it to our local glass shop and they cut us a new clear piece for under $15.  

Tiling is something that I love to do.  This medallion behind our stove was made from lots of little tiles that my husband painstakingly cut every time I marked one of them!

It was a lot of work, but after sealing it and using epoxy grout...we loved how it looked.

We also used standard 4x4 travertine tiles for the backsplash, which are very inexpensive, but can be cut in different ways to make and interesting backsplash.  Our total cost was about $100.

We had to put in all new appliances.  Jeff built an inset spice cabinet for easy access to seasonings while I'm cooking on the stove.  He also put in this nice range hood and ducted it to the outdoors and concealed it by extending the cabinets to the ceiling:

I love having the cabinets to the ceiling...makes the room feel taller, and I don't have to dust up there!

I've always wanted a cast iron farmer's sink...and here it is.  Jeff custom built the cabinet for it and made a roll-out concealed trash can just left of the sink.  

Can I just say that my hubby is awesome?  I had the idea to use the space above the fridge for storing large pans and cookie sheets...and he came up with this and built it from scratch.  Sometimes I think he worries when he hears me say, "Hon...I have a great idea."

Remember that wall we took out?  This is what it looks like now after adding a peninsula/island with stool seating.  The granite counter tops are something that I looked for months for.  We live in an area where there are quite a few granite yards.  I was able to find enough and exact matches of black galaxy granite from scraps to be able to do our counter for under $1000.  

Jeff also built an awesome work station in our breakfast nook area:

I love having tons of extra storage and the perfect work space for baking, sewing, or whatever!

Our original floor was three layers of this stellar linoleum...all of which had to be taken up.  I got a screaming deal on this tile at Lowes (they were discontinuing the color) and we were able to put it down ourselves for under $1.00 a sq ft!  Not for the faint of heart, but after we got the floor level, put the backerboard down...it was only a month of weekends laying tiles...might have had something to do with my being 6-months pregnant at the time!

Directly across from the wall we opened up is our dining room.  It started out with the same brick linoleum and plain white wall with everything very dated.  

We've finished that as well, and we love having a dining room, but right now it's doubling as our homeschool room!

I love spending time in our kitchen now! Over the two years that we worked on it we were really able to transform it into something we love...and also stay within our budget.  We did everything for under $8000 including buying all the appliances.  

Thanks for sharing our adventure with us!

Full Steam Ahead

Karen Witemeyer has done it again! Every book I read of hers is unique and fun to read.  “Full Steam Ahead” delivered an endearing tale that was hard to put down.

Nicole, the leading lady, is more than just the typical spoiled rich girl; she has spunk, ingenuity, and drive.  She is witty and goes after what she wants, but isn’t the overbearing character that grates on the nerves. The brooding Mr. Darcy…oh I mean Darius... has a rough eccentric edge that makes everyone on the outside think he’s a mean crazy man, but Nicole and those closest to him can see beyond his quirky ways to the brilliant man he truly is. 

The chemistry between the two is laughable at times and endearing moments later.   I loved the history of the era that was weaved into the story, and the message of forgiveness and redemption that knit the tale together. 

I highly recommend this book as a clean fun read.  I look forward to Karen’s next book…she has yet to disappoint!

I was given a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Meant to Be Mine

Not very often is a second book in a series better than the first, but Meant to Be Mine blew Undeniably Yours out of the water! The storyline is fairly predictable, but the dialog and banter between the two main characters (Ty and Celia) keep you turning the pages and wanting more! 

Becky Wade does a very good job keeping the book from being just another sappy Christian romance novel.  Ty’s personality is extremely likable and his struggles are ones that people can relate with.  The same goes with Celia.  The tension between the two and the desire for control is almost laughable. 

I greatly enjoy a well-written book and this is one book that I wish didn’t end quite so soon.  There aren’t very many books that I’ll stay up into the wee hours of the morning to finish, but I couldn’t put this down!  I’m looking forward to the third book in the series!

I was given a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.  

A Sensible Arrangement

This is one of the first books I’ve read by Tracie Peterson, and it won’t be the last.  The storyline, albeit predictable, was entertaining and fun to read.  I enjoyed that the characters seemed more like real people, not your typical “Christian romance” character that is pretty much perfect except for one minor flaw. 

The main character Marty is struggling spiritually and personally and it is very enjoyable to read how she is dealing with it and how the others around her respond and interact with her.  Her maid, Alice, is another character you can love…may we hope a book in the series will have her as the leading lady???  

I didn’t feel like the book quite “ended” though.  There were so many things that I wanted to know more about what happened, so I’m hoping that the second book in the series will answer some of those questions. 

In all honesty, this book was mostly about the interaction between Marty and her staff…there was not a whole lot of depth built between Mary and Jake’s (her husband) relationship.  Something seemed to be developing between them, but it just wasn’t the amount of interplay I’ve come to expect between leading characters.

Overall it was a very enjoyably read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I was given a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.  

Not Just Another Amish Fiction

You know those books you can’t put down and stay up all night reading?  Well sadly this isn’t one of them.  I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn’t relate with the characters.  The lead character, Molly, is not very likable and is an obsessively controlling person.  Her best friend, isn’t really a friend at all and the men in the story are incredibly fickle. 

I did like the Amish culture weaved into the storyline; it wasn’t like every other Amish story that I’ve read.  It was one of the few books that I didn’t know right away who the “heroine” was going to end up with.  The grammar in this book may have profited from a bit of editing, but that’s forgivable!

This book is a good Amish retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but I couldn’t get into it.

I was given a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.