Happily Ever Laughter edited by Ken Davis is a compilation of several funny stories from Christian comedians on the subject of marriage. Each vignette also includes a famous quote or two, a laugh lesson that ties the story together and information about the author including a website. The authors touched on many aspects of marriage including weddings, holiday adventures, cooking, technology, camping, extended family and much more.
I really enjoyed this book and liked to read about the humorous side of marriage. I laughed alot and read many stories to my husband. I also loved the quotes sprinkled throughout the book. What I liked most was that even though it was a Christian book, it was very light and inviting. It would make a great gift for any married couple whether Christian or not. The message of having fun in your marriage is really an idea to keep on the forefront with your loved one. Live, love and laugh!
*This book was provided to me free of charge for purpose of this review. This is my honest opinion of this book and no monetary compensation was received for my opinion.*
Win it: I am having a giveaway for this book. Open to US only and giveaway ends Friday, July 9.
To enter: Be sure to click on all the links before filling out the entry form.
1. Mandatory: Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Put my button on your blog and provide the link.
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (top right corner)
4."Like" The Knowlton Nest on Facebook (link on my blog).
I had the privilege of reviewing a fabulous table runner made by Brooke who is the creator of Silly Mama Quilts. I first noticed Brooke's talent when I visited her blog and saw this adorable Caterpillar Quilt that she made with Eric Carle characters. I absolutely love these characters and think this quilt is a keepsake!
Brooke generously sent me a gorgeous table runner entitled "Flower Shower."
It has bright, snazzy colors with flashy flowers that seem to be twirling along the border of the runner. The complimentary colors bring together the theme of flower shower. Brooke has also quilted a wavy design in the middle and a more intricate pattern along the edges. She uses one of the middle squares with polka dots as the backing for this trendy table runner. I can tell that she takes great care to be precise and exact to make a very professional masterpiece of creativity!
I chose to display Brooke's Flower Shower table runner on my hutch cupboard so I can gaze at its beauty every day! Here are pictures of the front and back.
Let's get to know Brooke a little bit:
*Where did you come up with the name Silly Mama Quilts? The name Silly Mama Quilts comes from having 4 kids ages 5-22. So I often call myself a silly, silly mama.
*How long have you been quilting? I started when my oldest was 2- so a very long time!
*What do you like best about quilting? I discovered how much I enjoy experimenting with colors and fabric that I wouldn't normally choose for me. I truly enjoy making handmade projects with the latest fabric lines and ideas.
*What is the focus of your shop? Fresh and fun!!
Thank you, Brooke!!
*This product was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of this review by MomMadeThat.com. This is my honest opinion of this product and no monetary compensation was received for my opinion.*
Buy it: You can visit Brooke's Etsy shop- Silly Mama Quilts and enjoy her selection of beautiful products. She also offers FREE shipping. Not only that, but *****CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE!! For the entire month of JULY I am offering 10% my ENTIRE shop! Convo me if you would like to take advantage of this special offer!*****
Win it: I am proud to have a giveaway for my readers. The winner will receive a $20 gift certificate for anything in Brooke's Etsy shop. Open to US. Giveaway ends Friday, July 9.
To enter: Be sure to connect to all the links before filling out the form for entry.
1. Mandatory: Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Visit Silly Mama Quilts and tell me which product you would choose to spend with the $20 gift cert. (required)
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Audra Jennings of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***
About the Author:
Marybeth Whalen is the general editor of For the Write Reason and The Reason We Speakas well as co-author of the book Learning to Live Financially Free. She serves as a speaker for the Proverbs 31 Ministry Team and directs a fiction book club, She Reads, through this same outreach. Most importantly, Marybeth is the wife of Curt Whalen and mother to their six children. She is passionate about sharing God with all the women God places in her path. She has been visiting the mailbox for years.
List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (June 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781403693
ISBN-13: 978-0781403696
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Sunset Beach, NC
Summer 1985
Campbell held back a teasing smile as he led Lindsey across the warm sand toward the mailbox. Leaning her head on Campbell’s shoulder, her steps slowed. She looked up at him, observing the mischievous curling at the corners of his mouth. “There really is no mailbox, is there?” she said, playfully offended. “If you wanted to get me alone on a deserted stretch of beach, all you had to do was ask.” She elbowed him in the side.
A grin spread across his flawless face. “You caught me.” He threw his hands up in the air in surrender.
“I gotta stop for a sec,” Lindsey said and bent at the waist, stretching the backs of her aching legs. She stood up and put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at him. “So, have you actually been to the mailbox? Maybe the other kids at the pier were just pulling your leg.”
Campbell nodded his head. “I promise I’ve been there before. It’ll be worth it. You’ll see.” He pressed his forehead to hers and looked intently into her eyes before continuing down the beach.
“If you say so …” she said, following him. He slipped his arm around her bare tanned shoulder and squeezed it, pulling her closer to him. Lindsey looked ahead of them at the vast expanse of raw
coastline. She could make out a jetty of rocks in the distance that jutted into the ocean like a finish line.
As they walked, she looked down at the pairs of footprints they left in the sand. She knew that soon the tide would wash them away, and she realized that just like those footprints, the time she had left
with Campbell would soon vanish. A refrain ran through her mind: Enjoy the time you have left. She planned to remember every moment of this walk so she could replay it later, when she was back at home, without him. Memories would be her most precious commodity. How else would she feel him near her?
“I don’t know how we’re going to make this work,” she said as they walked. “I mean, how are we going to stay close when we’re so far away from each other?”
He pressed his lips into a line and ran a hand through his hair. “We just will,” he said. He exhaled loudly, a punctuation.
“But how?” she asked, wishing she didn’t sound so desperate.
He smiled. “We’ll write. And we’ll call. I’ll pay for the longdistance bills. My parents already said I could.” He paused. “And we’ll count the days until next summer. Your aunt and uncle already said you could come back and stay for most of the summer. And you know your mom will let you.”
“Yeah, she’ll be glad to get rid of me for sure.” She pushed images of home from her mind: the menthol odor of her mother’s cigarettes, their closet-sized apartment with parchment walls you could hear the neighbors through, her mom’s embarrassing “delicates” dangling from the shower rod in the tiny bathroom they shared. She wished that her aunt and uncle didn’t have to leave the beach house after
the summer was over and that she could just stay with them forever.
The beach house had become her favorite place in the world. At the beach house, she felt like a part of a real family with her aunt and uncle and cousins. This summer had been an escape from the reality of her life at home. And it had been a chance to discover true love. But tomorrow, her aunt and uncle would leave for their home and send her back to her mother.
“I don’t want to leave!” she suddenly yelled into the open air, causing a few startled birds to take flight.
Campbell didn’t flinch when she yelled. She bit her lip and closed her eyes as he pulled her to him and hugged her.
“Shhh,” he said. “I don’t want you to leave either.” He cupped her chin with his hand. “If I could reverse time for you, I would. And we would go back and do this whole summer over.”
She nodded and wished for the hundredth time that she could stand on the beach with Campbell forever, listening to the hypnotic sound of his voice, so much deeper and more mature than the boys at school. She thought about the pictures they had taken earlier that day, a last-ditch effort to have something of him to take with her. But it was a pitiful substitute, a cheap counterfeit for the real thing.
Campbell pointed ahead of them. “Come on,” he said and tugged on her hand. “I think I see it.” He grinned like a little boy. They crested the dune and there, without pomp or circumstance,
just as he had promised, stood an ordinary mailbox with gold letters spelling out “Kindred Spirit.”
“I told you it was here!” he said as they waded through the deep sand. “The mailbox has been here a couple of years,” he said, his tone changing to something close to reverence as he laid his hand on top
of it. “No one knows who started it or why, but word has traveled and now people come all the way out here to leave letters for the Kindred Spirit—the mystery person who reads them. People come from all over the world.”
“So does anybody know who gets the letters?” Lindsey asked. She ran her fingers over the gold, peeling letter decals. The bottom half of the n and e were missing.
“I don’t think so. But that’s part of what draws people here— they come here because this place is private, special.” He looked down at his bare feet, digging his toes into the sand. “So … I wanted to bring you here. So it could be our special place too.” He looked over at her out of the corner of his eye. “I hope you don’t think that’s lame.”
She put her arms around him and looked into his eyes. “Not lame at all,” she said.
As he kissed her, she willed her mind to record it all: the roar of the waves and the cry of the seagulls, the powdery softness of the warm sand under her feet, the briny smell of the ocean mixed with the scent of Campbell’s sun-kissed skin. Later, when she was back at home in Raleigh, North Carolina, she would come right back to this moment. Again and again. Especially when her mother sent her to her room with the paper-thin walls while she entertained her newest boyfriend.
Lindsey opened the mailbox, the hinges creaking as she did. She looked to him, almost for approval. “Look inside,” he invited her.
She saw some loose paper as well as spiral-bound notebooks, the kind she bought at the drugstore for school. The pages were crinkly from the sea air and water. There were pens in the mailbox too, some
with their caps missing.
Campbell pointed. “You should write a letter,” he said. “Take a pen and some paper and just sit down and write what you are feeling.” He shrugged. “It seemed like something you would really get into.”
How well he had come to know her in such a short time. “Okay,” she said. “I love it.” She reached inside and pulled out a purple notebook, flipping it open to read a random page. Someone had written about a wonderful family vacation spent at Sunset and the special time she had spent with her daughter.
She closed the notebook. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. She couldn’t imagine her own mother ever wanting to spend time with her, much less being so grateful about it. Reading the notebook made her feel worse, not better. She didn’t need reminding about what she didn’t have waiting for her back home.
Campbell moved in closer. “What is it?” he said, his body lining up perfectly with hers as he pulled her close.
She laid the notebook back inside the mailbox. “I just don’t want to go home,” she said. “I wish my uncle didn’t have to return to his stupid job. How can I go back to … her? She doesn’t want me there any more than I want to be there.” This time she didn’t fight the tears that had been threatening all day.
Campbell pulled her down to sit beside him in the sand and said nothing as she cried, rocking her slightly in his arms.
With her head buried in his shoulder, her words came out muffled. “You are so lucky you live here.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I guess I am.” He said nothing for a while.
“But you have to know that this place won’t be the same for me without you in it.”
She looked up at him, her eyes red from crying. “So you’re saying I’ve ruined it for you?”
He laughed, and she recorded the sound of his laugh in her memory too. “Well, if you want to put it that way, then, yes.”
“Well, that just makes me feel worse!” She laid her head on his shoulder and concentrated on the nearness of him, inhaled the sea scent of his skin and the smell of earth that clung to him from working
outside with his dad.
“Everywhere I go from now on I will have the memory of you with me. Of me and you together. The Island Market, the beach, the arcade, the deck on my house, the pier …” He raised his eyebrows as
he remembered the place where he first kissed her. “And now here. It will always remind me of you.”
“And I am going home to a place without a trace of you in it. I don’t know which is worse, constant reminders or no reminders at all.” She laced her narrow fingers through his.
“So are you glad we met?” She sounded pitiful, but she had to hear his answer.
“I would still have wanted to meet you,” he said. “Even though it’s going to break my heart to watch you go. What we have is worth it.” He kissed her, his hands reaching up to stroke her hair. She heard his words echoing in her mind: worth it, worth it, worth it. She knew that they were young, that they had their whole lives ahead of them, at least that’s what her aunt and uncle had told her. But she also knew
that what she had with Campbell was beyond age.
Campbell stood up and pulled her to her feet, attempting to keep kissing her as he did. She giggled as the pull of gravity parted them. He pointed her toward the mailbox. “Now, go write it all down for the Kindred Spirit. Write everything you feel about us and how unfair it is that we have to be apart.” He squinted his eyes at her. “And I promise not to read over your shoulder.”
She poked him. “You can read it if you want. I have no secrets from you.”
He shook his head. “No, no. This is your deal. Your private world—just between you and the Kindred Spirit. And next year,” he said, smiling down at her, “I promise to bring you back here, and you can write about the amazing summer we’re going to have.”
“And what about the summer after that?” she asked, teasing him.
“That summer too.” He kissed her. “And the next.” He kissed her again. “And the next.” He kissed her again, smiling down at her through his kisses. “Get the point?
“This will be our special place,” he said as they stood together in front of the mailbox.
“Always?” she asked.
“Always,” he said.
Summer 1985
Dear Kindred Spirit,
I have no clue who you are, and yet that doesn’t stop me from writing to you anyway. I hope one day I will discover your identity. I wonder if you are nearby even as I put pen to paper. It’s a little weird to think that I could have passed you on the street this summer and not know you would be reading my
deepest thoughts and feelings. Campbell won’t even read this, though I would let him if he asked me.
As I write, Campbell is down at the water’s edge, throwing shells. He is really good at making the shells skip across the water—I guess that’s proof that this place is his home.
Let me ask you, Kindred Spirit: Do you think it’s silly for me to assume that I have found my soul mate at the age of fifteen? My mom would laugh. She would tell me that the likelihood of anyone finding a soul mate—ever—is zero. She would tell me that I need to not go around giving my heart away like a hopeless romantic. She laughs when I read romance novels or see sappy movies that make me cry. She says that I will learn the truth about love someday.
But, honestly, I feel like I did learn the truth about love this summer. It’s like what they say: It can happen when you least expect it, and it can knock you flat on your back with its power. I didn’t come here expecting to fall in love. The truth is I didn’t want to come here at all. I came here feeling pushed aside and unwanted. I can still remember when my mom said that she had arranged for my aunt and uncle to bring me here, smiling at me like she was doing me some kind of favor when we both knew she just wanted me out of the picture so she could live her life without me cramping her style.
I tried to tell her that I didn’t want to come—who would want to spend their summer with bratty cousins? I was so mad, I didn’t speak to my mom for days. I begged, plotted, and even got my best friend Holly’s parents to say I could stay with them instead. But in the end, as always, my mother ruled, and I got packed off for a summer at the beach. On the car ride down, I sat squished in the backseat beside Bobby and Stephanie. Bobby elbowed me and stuck his tongue out at me the whole way to the beach. When his parents weren’t looking, of course. I stared out the window and pretended to be anywhere but in that car.
But now, I can’t believe how wonderful this summer has turned out. I made some new friends. I read a lot of books and even got to where I could tolerate my little cousins. They became like the younger siblings I never had. Most of all, I met Campbell.
I know what Holly will say. She will say that it was God’s plan. I am working on believing that there is a God and that he has a plan for my life like Holly says. But most of the time it feels like God is not aware I exist. If he was aware of me, you’d think he’d have given me a mom who actually cared about me.
Ugh—I can’t believe I have to leave tomorrow. Now that I have found Campbell, I don’t know what I will do without him. We have promised to write a lot of letters. And we have promised not to date other people.
A word about him asking me not to date other people: This was totally funny to me. Two nights ago we were walking on the beach and he stopped me, pulling me to him and looking at me really seriously. “Please,” he said, “I would really like it if you wouldn’t see other people. Is that crazy for me to ask that of you when we are going to be so far apart?”
I was like, “Are you kidding? No one asks me out. No one at my school even looks at me twice!” At school I am known for being quiet and studious—a brain, not a girl to call for a good time. Holly says that men will discover my beauty later in life. But until this summer I didn’t believe her. I couldn’t admit that no one notices me at school because, obviously, he believes I am sought after. And I knew enough to let him believe it. So I very coyly answered back, “Only if you promise me the same thing.”
And he smiled in that lazy way of his and said, “How could I even look at another girl when I’ve got the best one in the world?”
And so now you see why I just can’t bear the thought of leaving him. But the clock is ticking. When I get home, I swear I will cry myself to sleep every night and write letters to Campbell every day. The only thing I have to look forward to is hanging out with Holly again. Thank goodness for Holly, the one constant in my life. In math class we learned that a constant is something that has one value all the time and it never changes.
That’s what Holly is for me: my best friend, no matter what.
I wonder if Campbell will be a constant in my life. I guess it’s too soon to tell, but I do hope so. I’m already counting down the days until I can come back and be with Campbell. Because this summer—I don’t care how lame it sounds—I found my purpose. And that purpose is loving Campbell with all my
Here's my review:
Marybeth Whalen's debut novel The Mailbox is a story of love lost and and found connected by a mysterious mailbox on the beach of North Carolina. Lindsey writes her first letter to the unknown "Kindred Spirit" of her budding summer romance with Campbell. Over the years, as Lindsey continues to visit the beach she recounts her life in the private letters only meant for the Kindred Spirit to read. Lindsey's life takes many ups and downs as she is gently pursued by a God who knows her deepest longings and desires. Lindsey and Campbell reunite many years later after their special summer as teenagers, burdened by life circumstances, but still willing to rekindle love. But will Lindsey be able to handle the secret her lost love holds?
I was hooked on this book. The story of second chances and a mysterious Kindred Spirit who tends a mailbox hosting heartfelt letters drew my attention. The writer kept me guessing who the Kindred Spirit could be and how she was connected to the characters in the story. Even though the story had Christian references, I felt that was too subtle for the characters to really embrace a committed relationship to Jesus Christ. I loved the connection between Lindsey and Campbell and as the other characters joined the story, my heart was still drawn to this young couple. I really enjoyed this book and was so impressed with this author's first novel. I especially liked that it was based on an actual landmark in North Carolina. It's a must read!
*This book was provided to me free of charge for purpose of this review. This is my honest opinion of this book and no monetary compensation was received for my opinion.*
Win it: I am having a giveaway for this book. Open to US only and giveaway ends Friday, July 9.
To enter: Be sure to click on all the links before filling out the entry form.
1. Mandatory: Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Put my button on your blog and provide the link.
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (top right corner)
4."Like" The Knowlton Nest on Facebook (link on my blog).
I have really been humbled as I read Courtney's Woman Living Well blog and her challenge for our marriage this summer. This week we are being asked to pray for our husbands. I regularly do that, but lately I have been slacking because my priorities have been off, but I read this statement and it struck me raw-
If you don't pray daily for him, who will?
Hmmmm, well, I know I am the #1 prayer warrior for my husband so I commit to pray for him daily. I have several resources that I use. One of them is the Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian which Courtney recommends. I also found a great PDF file for 31 days of prayer and I have bookmark that I picked up at church from Family Life Today that has prayer suggestions for my husband. I am without excuse and I love to pray for him. I also need to ask him what he needs prayer for. I do this by saying- "how can I pray for you today?" It's a wonderful question and really helps my husband to open up to me.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Jennifer Nelson, PR Specialist, Hannibal Books for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Author Kay Wheeler Moore has written and spoken widely on the subject of relationships and family life. She is the author of Way Back in the Country; When the Heart Soars Free, a book of Christian fiction; and Gathering the Missing Pieces in an Adopted Life, based on her Houston Chronicle newspaper series that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She has also been a newspaper city editor and a reporter for United Press International.
List Price: $14.95
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Hannibal Books (May 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1934749710
ISBN-13: 978-1934749715
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Chapter 1: “We Were Rich”
The screen door to the farmhouse creaked open and then quickly slapped shut.
Without glancing up from her ironing board Grandma Harris knew the next sound would be that of feet pit-patting from the front porch into the living room and halting abruptly at her dining table.
Those feet, Grandma knew, could belong to any of several of her grandchildren, whose stopovers at her house were part of their regular home-from-school itinerary.
“Oh, yum, she’s got a fresh bowl full,” Grandma heard a high-pitched squeak emerge. That would be Mable, the youngest of Grandma’s daughter, Mattie, who lived across the pasture with her family.
“I was here first, Mable,” a slightly older voice cajoled. Frances, Grandma’s namesake, got irritated easily with her smaller sibling. “Don’t hog the crackers so I can have the first dip.”
“We’ve all gotta be quick before the others get here,” the oldest one, Bonnie, warned her younger two sisters. They glanced over their shoulders to see whether any of their cousins were hungrily making their way onto Grandma’s porch.
“Girls, I got plenty of tomato preserves fer ever’one—for you and yer cousins,” Grandma gently chided. She stepped from the kitchen to hug her granddaughters, who competed for the first taste of the thick, sweet treat that awaited them as an afternoon snack. “Take turns, now, so I won’t have t’ tell yer mama ya didn’t share politely.”
Grandma Harris had put out the new batch of tomato preserves earlier that day after Grandpa fetched several jars from the storm cellar which had housed them since the summer’s canning. Grandma’s long, hot days of putting up delightful red tomatoes from their garden had yielded a treasure trove of preserves Grandma could share throughout the fall and winter.
In mid-afternoon Grandma had opened the first jar and ladled its contents into a wide-rimmed, cutglass compote that stood on a gleaming, glass-stemmed pedestal in the center of her dining table. The cutglass glistened like diamonds as it reflected the sun’s light filtering through the room. Into a separate dish Grandma had set out some saltine crackers. On this particular afternoon her red-haired granddaughters—Bonnie, Frances, and Mable Miller—were the first snack-seekers.
No doubt they’d soon be followed by some of the youngsters of her other sons and daughters whose homes were also nearby.
Ultimately Grandma Harris would go on to begat 52 grandchildren in all, but she never ran out of treats for them or resourceful ways to prepare the many vegetables that she and Grandpa Harris grew in their everlastingly prolific garden. Every Sunday Grandma prepared an enormous, after-church dinner for all of her 11 children and their families who could attend.
Because their farmhouse was closest to Grandma’s, the “Three Red-Haired Miller Girls”, as many in their community of Brushy Mound knew them, hardly ever missed a Sunday—or an after-school afternoon—at Grandma’s house, where her good cooking always abounded.
* * * * * * * * * *
A century later the Harris farmhouse built on the rich, black soil of Delta County, TX, has long ago crumbled down. Grandma’s abundant garden has been plowed under with only a few derelict weeds to mark the spot where those sweet-ascandy tomatoes grew so bountifully. For more than 65 years grass has grown unbidden around the tombstone marked “Frances E. Harris”—the Miller girls’ beloved “Grandma”.
But down all the decades, the memory of Grandma’s delectable tomato preserves served in the sparkling, pedestaled compote would remain fresh in the mind of her namesake—little Frances, who was still recounting the tomato preserves story well into her 103rd year on this earth.
“We were rich,” Frances recalled to us nieces and nephews, who discreetly pumped her for just one more of her “olden-days” country tales before night would fall on her memory forever. This font of family lore was the last surviving member of that generation of our kin. At 102 years and 1 month of age Frances could still describe picking melons the size of basketballs, okra rows that were city blocks-long, and cornstalks that seemed to stand tall as skyscrapers.
Although farm families such as hers usually lacked financial means, the garden insured that no one would go hungry. Just before supper each night Mama faithfully sent Frances and her sisters out to see what was ready to be plucked from the vine and cooked up for that night’s meal.
“We had no idea we were poor,” Frances mused from her wheelchair, “because we always had food from the garden.”
* * * * * * * *
At the time Frances related her last tomato preserves story before her passing in May 2009, people everywhere were turning to backyard patches of earth again for the same reason the Miller girls and their mama and grandma did in the early part of the last century.
Economic woes in the United States and around the world have caused family incomes to plummet. Home-gardening has become a passionate new interest for people who have never planted a seed or worked a hoe. Even the wife of the U.S. President at the time, as an example for others, grew vegetables in her own White House garden. Heads of households can gaze on small stretches of garden dirt and comfort themselves in the same way Frances’ family did. After all, the Great Depression, which clouded the Miller Girls’ youth in rural northeast Texas, did not sting as much to those who could till the soil and cultivate its yield. With food from the garden, they could always feed their families and feel “rich”, no matter how lean the times or how thin the pocketbook.
My earlier cookbook, Way Back in the Country, emphasized that food, the recipes for how to prepare it, and the stories of people who cooked them are all interwoven into the fabric of family life. Way Back in the Country encouraged families to preserve not just their legendary recipes but the lore of the loved ones—such as the indomitable Grandma Harris—who made them popular. Through tales of the Red-Haired Miller Girls—my mother, Mable, and her two sisters, Frances and Bonnie—and six generations of their farm kin and the recipes that have been regulars at family gatherings for decades, Way Back in the Country inspired others to get their tape-recorders out and investigate why “Great-Aunt Gertie” always brought lemon pound cake whenever their extended families dined.
With gardening surging in popularity once more, the time seems right to revisit the Miller-Harris legends and recipe chests—this time to celebrate the role that food from one’s own soil has always played in American homes and how, in the Tight Times of this Great Recession, it makes us feel “rich” with hope and comfort afresh. Way Back in the Country Garden again will intertwine six generations of my family’s anecdotes with cooking instructions that will probably remind you of some of your own family favorites.
So prepare to laugh, cry, and traipse down memory lane once again with the Red-Haired Miller Girls and their progeny—through yarns my family told—yarns that I didn’t always witness firsthand but can try to recreate as I can envision them happening in my mind’s eye. May you soon be preserving some country gardening tales of your own and savoring the memories and tastes of yesterday.
All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.
Here's my review:
Way Back in the Country Garden by Kay Wheeler Moore is a compilation of stories from "The Three Red Haired Miller Girls" and the generations since in her family. Kay delightfully reminisces about life in the simple times as well as the modern day adventures. She accurately weaves short vignettes including a recipe at the end of each chapter. Kay's portrayal of The Three Red Haired Miller Girls is humorous and heartwarming. She leaves you with pictures of strong family bonds all centered around love and food.
I loved this book and as I read it, I wished that I lived in those simple times when families lived close together and shared meals and fellowship daily. This book introduced so many characters that I finally had to draw a family tree to keep everyone straight. Just as I was about finished with the book I looked at the index and saw that there was a printed family tree and photo album as well. Not only are there recipes at the end of each chapter, but the last third of the book has recipes specifically using ingredients from the garden. It's very appropriate for this time of year. What a precious memory book!
*This book was provided to me free of charge for purpose of this review. This is my honest opinion of this book and no monetary compensation was received for my opinion.*
Win it: I am having a giveaway for this book. Open to US only and giveaway ends Friday, July 9.
To enter: Be sure to click on all the links before filling out the entry form.
1. Mandatory: Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Put my button on your blog and provide the link.
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (top right corner)
4."Like" The Knowlton Nest on Facebook (link on my blog).
Prepare to indulge your skin and and your senses to the natural fragrances of organic Premium French Perfumes from The Creme Perfume Company. I was privileged to receive a bountiful package of 3 body moisturizers (Lavender Ecume, Coconut Vanilla and Rose De Rosee ) and 2 solid fragrances (melon d' eau and mango poudre').
The Creme Perfume Company works exclusively with perfumers known throughout the world and local artisans to create the uniquely blended organic oils. All products are chemical free and all natural. The ingredients are made to give your skin the delight of restoration with exotic scents.
After my shower each day I slathered on either the Lavender or Rose body moisturizer and was enchanted by the pleasant scent and also the smooth lotion that made my skin feel silky. I also loved the subtle aroma of the solid fragrances that I applied to my wrists and behind my ears. I enjoyed the sweetness of the solid fragrances and much prefer the "creme" to regular perfume spray. It was easy to apply and comes in a small, unique jar that is environmentally friendly made from Canadian birch.
*This product was provided to me free of charge for purpose of this review. This is my honest opinion of this product and no monetary compensation was received for my opinion.*
Buy it: You can visit Kaponga.com and enjoy the selection of beautiful products. They also offer FREE shipping to the US and Canada.
Win it: I am proud to have a giveaway for 2 of my readers in US and Canada. The winners may choose 1 product from Kaponga.com. Giveaway ends Friday, July 9.
To enter: Be sure to connect to all the links before filling out the form for entry.
1. Mandatory: Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Visit Kopanga.com and tell me which product you would like if you won. (required)
3. Put my button on your blog and provide the link.
4. Subscribe to my blog by email (top right corner)
5."Like" The Knowlton Nest on Facebook (link on my blog).
6. Follow on Networked Blogs (link on my blog)
7. Post about this giveaway on another site (your blog, facebook, twitter, etc) (1 entry for every site)
I just received my summer Bible study book the other day and I just watched Beth Moore's video on her blog. I'm so excited to study about Ruth. Today I'm going to take some time to write a letter to God on the front cover of where I am in life and what I want to learn from this Bible study. I will let you know what I'm learning and how I'm growing in my God's Nuggets posts on Fridays throughout the summer.
If you are doing this study too, let me know. I would love to chat! Have a great day! -Shonda
Recently I reviewed the Suddenly Delicious Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad pack. I was so overjoyed when my package arrived with a a beautiful large insulated tote bag, a pyrex storage container, a cute serving bowl and a box of Limited Edition Greek Tossed Pasta Salad. Wow! I quickly made the pasta salad to go with my chicken dinner for the evening. It was so easy to whip up. The box mix had a bag with multi colored pasta and a seasoning packet. I added some oil to the seasoning and after I stirred in the pasta I added chopped tomatoes and mozzarella cheese bites. My husband loved it! What a fun way to spice up a regular pasta salad.
This is the Garlic Lime Chicken dinner complete with Greek Tossed Pasta Salad! Yummo!
I love this pasta salad mix because it was so easy and good to quickly make and serve as a side to any great entree that you have planned. Betty Crocker has 6 other great pasta salad mixes: Ceasar, Chipotle Ranch, Classic, Creamy Italian, Creamy Parmesan and Ranch & Bacon. There are also many ideas for add-ins for each unique pasta salad. Make your own creation and enjoy the smiles on the faces of your family!
*This gift pack, information and giveaway was provided to me by Betty Crocker through My Blog Spark. I was not compensated for this review and the opinions I expressed are my own.*
Win it: It is now your chance to win this great prize pack provided by My Blog Spark and Betty Crocker! Open to US. Giveaway ends Friday, July 2.
To enter: Be sure to connect with all links before filling out the entry form.
1. (Mandatory) Be a follower on my blog. 2 entries
2. Tell me what summer fun get together you would use with this prize pack.
3. Subscribe to my blog by email. (top right corner)
4. Put my button on your blog and provide link.
5. "Like" Knowlton Nest on Facbook (link on blog)
6. Follow on Networked blogs (link on blog)
7. Follow me on Twitter (@shondaet)
8. Post on another site like Facebook, Twitter, your blog (1 entry for each site)
Her Last Plea by Adriene Jones is the true story of Sylvia Jones and the short life she lived with horrific abuse and eventual death. Sylvia was one of the daughters of a large loving family. She was beautiful, outgoing and had a passion for life. Her greatest downfall was loving violent men and letting them take advantage of her. After she endured such wrath from her first boyfriend, Sylvia was charmed by Joseph Black. Sylvia's yearning to be loved cost her her life and in the end, even though her family tried to save her, she became a victim. Sylvia's story was written by one of her sisters who cared so deeply for her and chose to share this story for other women to learn to get out of damaging relationships.
This book spared no detail in language or events. It consisted of a lot of strong dialogue and sometimes it was hard to read because the conversations didn't flow so easily There were also a lot of family members in this story and I couldn't keep all the relationships in order. But what I really noticed about Sylvia's story is the devotion of the family to protect her from who eventually took her life. It was a sad story and I hope that women who read this book can learn the signs for an unsafe relationship and get out and move on.
I received a complimentary copy of (Book Title) as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.
Win it: I am having a giveaway for this book. Open to US. Giveaway ends Friday, July 2.
To enter:
Be sure to link to each item you want as a entry before you fill out the form.
1. Mandatory: Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Put my button on your blog and provide the link.
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (top right corner)
4."Like" The Knowlton Nest on Facebook (link on my blog).
5. Follow on Networked Blogs (link on my blog)
6. Post about this giveaway on another site (your blog, facebook, twitter, etc) (1 entry for every site)
I recently was given the opportunity to review Truvia which is a natural sweetener that comes from rebiana, the best tasting part of the stevia plant. I just learned about the stevia plant because we have it planted in our greenhouse! Stevia comes from Paraguay and has been used to sweeten foods and beverages for more than 200 years. Truvia can be used just like sugar but it is much better because it has zero calories. And because it is so sweet, one packet of Truvia is the same as using 2 teaspoons of sugar. Truvia is available in grocery stores and sells for $3.99 for a 40 count package box.
Since I like to cook I decided to try Truvia to make some yummy dishes to share with you: I found these recipes on the Truvia website.
1. Assemble all ingredients.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, TruviaTM natural sweetener and salt.
3. Add milk, melted butter, eggs, cocoa powder and vanilla; whisk mixture until very smooth.
4. Place batter in fridge for one hour to allow flour to absorb liquid.
5. Place skillet or crepe pan over medium heat; heat until hot.
6. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.
7. Pour 1/4 cup batter in pan and swirl to form thin layer.
8. Cook for about 1 minute or until golden brown on the bottom, flip and cook other side for 30 seconds.
9. Place cooked crêpe on a towel; cool for about 2 minutes.
10. Stack crêpes with wax paper between each layer to prevent sticking.
Serving Suggestion:
Place several rows of
fresh or frozen raspberries, strawberries,
banana slices or a fruit sauce down the center
of the crêpe and fold it up. Top with light whipped
topping and dust with cocoa powder to garnish.
I approve of both of these recipes! Hope you can enjoy the great taste of Truvia too! Oh, wait, yes, you can! I'm having a giveaway!
*This product was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of this review. This is my honest opinion of this product and no monetary compensation was received for my opinion.*
Win it: You can enter to win one 40 pack box of Truvia for yourself! Open to US. Giveaway ends Friday, July 2.
To enter: Be sure to connect to all the links before filling out the entry form.
1. Mandatory: Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Tell me what how you would use Truvia if you won.
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (top right corner)
4. Put my button on your blog and provide the link.
5."Like" The Knowlton Nest on Facebook (link on my blog).
As a new Pearista I get the privilege to have giveaways once a month from the fabulous Pear Tree Greetings Company. Their desire is to create fun stationary designs at affordable prices. You can choose anything from photo cards to invitations. The choices are endless!
Not only that I will be giving away address labels to 5 lucky Knowlton Nest readers this week! Look at some of these cute labels to choose from:
So here is the fun part!
Win it:
What else could you do with an address label? Think outside the box, what are other ways to use these fabulously stylish stickers? Add your comment for a chance to win one set of address labels (up to 24 labels!) from Pear Tree Greetings!
Five lucky winners will be selected at random!
See Pear Tree Greetings' entire collection of address labels!
Giveaway open to US and ends Wednesday, June 30!!
To enter: Be sure to click on all the links before filling out the entry form. Thanks!
1. Mandatory: Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Tell me what other ways you can use address labels. (required)
3. Put my button on your blog and provide the link.
4. Subscribe to my blog by email (top right corner)
5."Like" The Knowlton Nest on Facebook (link on my blog).
I'm so happy, I just ate cake and we didn't smash each other's faces!
Our wedding was Friday, July 16, 2004 and it was the most beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest. We had our pictures taken in the Rose Garden at Pt. Defiance Park. That was the first time Jeremy saw me in my wedding dress.
Our ceremony captured what was in our hearts. We wrote our own vows and my friend Laura sang "I will be here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Both of my parents walked me down the aisle and I was ready to say "I do."
What I remember most was that we had breakfast that morning and just talked about joining our life together and later during the song at the ceremony we held hands and talked and I was trying not to cry, but I did. Despite all the overwhelming tasks of preparing for a wedding, I was able to enjoy the day.
One thing that my husband and I have committed to never say is (divorce). We vowed before God to be together no matter what so we don't even speak that word in our house- EVER!
Also, last week, I had a link up for LOVE stories and Shasta is the winner!! She gets a $50 Gift card for Restaurant.com. Shasta is also a good teacher friend that I worked with and has now moved away, but we still keep in touch by blogging and facebook. Shasta's story is beautiful. Check out her blog: Scripted by Shasta.
Several weeks ago, I was listening to the radio and this song came on and I stopped dead in my tracks. It is called Lead Me by Sanctus Real. It's a father singing about his life and how he thought it was perfect on the outside, but on the inside his family was begging him to be the spiritual leader in their home. He sings about his wife and his children. Then he sings a prayer asking God to help him be the leader. It is so powerful for fathers. I had my husband listen to it when he came home. Here is the video on YouTube:
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying
"Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone."
I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying
"Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone."
So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I am called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't you lead me?
To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love
Chasing dreams that I could give up
I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this out home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone
