The Last Bride --- Book Review

I received this book from Family Christian for review. All opinions are honest and are my own.

I've been reading Beverly Lewis books for years---I've read every adult one she's published so far! While The Last Bride wasn't up there with my favorites of hers, I must say that there was more than one surprise in this one---which is surprising in itself since I found most of the story pretty predictable.

Book Description: In The Last Bride, the sixth book in the Home to Hickory Hollow series from bestselling author Beverly Lewis, nineteen-year-old Tessie Miller is the youngest of her Old Order parents' five daughters - and the only one yet to marry. She has her heart set on Amishman Marcus Smucker, and come wedding season, they plan to tie the knot and start a family together. But Tessie's father disapproves. Ammon Miller has his reasons, and he has put his foot down: the marriage will not go forward. 

Impetuously, Tessie and Marcus take matters into their own hands, eloping to exchange their vows in the English world. After a secret honeymoon, they return to their Plain community to live as singles, hoping that, in time, they can convince the Millers to give their love a chance. But when the unthinkable happens, Tessie faces the biggest challenge of her life - and the almost-certain censure of the People. 

My Thoughts: First off, I must say that what I thought the cover meant by "the unthinkable happens" is not actually what happened. Well, it was---but there was more to it which definitely surprised me. See, now you can stop right there and go buy the book because that's just enough vagueness to get you interested, right?

No? Ok, so this was the first Lewis book I read after being in Missouri's Amish country earlier this fall. I saw my first Amish man, horse and buggy, and Amish-made goods for sale in September in Mansfield. It gave me some real faces to imagine on these made up characters and that was a neat experience. 

Without giving too many spoilers away, I'll just say that while the book definitely did have a happy and redeemed ending, this didn't move me to tears like most of hers normally do. There were several holes left open and the plot line wasn't tight enough to keep me from asking question after question about the scenarios that didn't make complete sense. Still, Lewis is and will probably always be up there in my top five favorite authors, so I'll proudly place this book on the shelf with the rest of the collection and enjoy it for years to come.

10 Festive Sweet Treat Recipes -- Great Christmas Party Finger Foods

We've scoured Pinterest for 10 of the most beautiful and tasty festive sweet treat recipes---all for you to get you in the holiday party spirit! Enjoy and don't forget to pin!

Christmas Tree Brownies from Betty Crocker.com.

Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups from The Gunny Sack.

Strawberries and Cream Pinwheels from Made From Pinterest.

Brownie Butter Cake from Rasa Malaysia.

Marshmallow Popcorn from One Good Thing.

Dark Chocolate Drizzled Cashews from What's Gaby Cooking?

Rainbow Layered Jello Jigglers from Tried and True Favorite Recipes. These look like Christmas ribbon candy!

Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites at Cooking Classy.

Amish Chocolate Covered Cherries from Tastes of Lizzy T's.

Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip from Food, Folks and Fun.

Make sure to check out these 10 Festive Christmas Party Finger Food Recipes, as well!

Stocking Up For Sick Days at Sam's Club #SimplyHealthy #shop #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SimplyHealthy #CollectiveBias

As much as I love the cold weather, it's also the start of flu season and that is not fun. In our family, sickness never seems to hit us all at once. Instead, it attacks just a few of us at a time---which has its pros and cons. While it's nice that there are still a few unaffected to help those who are down, it also means that sickness stays around the house for a long time. Luckily, there are some things I can do to prepare for the sick season---like stocking up on essentials at Sam's Club.

In addition to the common flu go to items like tea, soup, and lots and lots of tissues, I also like to stock up on a few fun things to help the invalids pass the time and maybe get their minds off their ailments a bit. Last week, I went to Sam's Club and picked out a couple things to set aside for when the sickness hits our house. One thing I picked up was a new movie for the kids. They love the Barbie fairy tale series---and so do I!

A great resource for tips on keeping your home healthy is Sam's Club's Healthy Living Made Simple online magazine. This month they've got an article on flu vaccines that some readers may find helpful. Sam's Club's pharmacy offers flu vaccines, so make sure to contact them for immunization schedules if this is something you desire for your family. 

You can read the article online or download the app to your iPhone or iPad.

I love shopping at Sam's Club because it's the one place I can take all my kids and not feel like we're hogging the aisle! Plus, my kids love all the big boxes and cans of things. It's a great place for big families to do their weekly shopping and for smaller families to stock up on all the essentials---like over the counter products for flu season. You can shop for cough, cold, and flu medicine, as well as visit the pharmacy for prescription refills and flu vaccines. 

Most everyone has a medicine cabinet that they keep stocked with syrups, pills, and first aid supplies, but how many people have a cabinet stocked with toys, craft items, and snuggly blankets---all set aside for sick days? An available shelf or basket in your home is a great place to hide away a few fun things to surprise your kids with when they're feeling down. I remember my mom sometimes pulling color books or snacks out of nowhere when I was a kid. When I was really little, I really did think she was magic! I think she just had a secret stash of fun stuff that she set aside for a time when my brother and I needed a little extra love.

Books they haven't seen in awhile are great to pull out on a sick day, as well as things they don't use often like markers and special stickers.

A new movie is always a treat when your little one doesn't feel like leaving the couch. Coupled with a snuggly blanket, it can make all the difference in raising their spirits. What kinds of things do you do to make flu season more bearable for your family?

Please note: The opinions on immunizations expressed in any of the articles linked here are not necessarily my own. However, I do wish to provide this information to my readers, should you choose to seek vaccinations for your family.

The Homemaking Party: The Beginning and End of Fall

Welcome to the Homemaking Party! Wow---before I could even do this fall season justice on the blog, it's already come and just about gone! We're supposed to be hit with our first Arctic Blast next week---sounds like Gatorade, but nope---it's code word for COLD!!!

Time to stock my cupboards and prepare for the inevitable snowing-in! Last winter, Jamie worked from home just as much as he went in, due to yucko roads. That's really not so bad...

Thanks for linking up at the Homemaking Party! 

George Washington's Secret Six --- Brian Kilmeade Book Signing Nov. 15th #FCEvents #FCBlogger #FoxNews

   This post is part of a promotion for Family Christian. I was compensated for sharing this information. All opinions are honest and are my own.

Those who live in the northeast Texas and southeast Oklahoma areas have the opportunity to attend author and Fox News personality, Brian Kilmeade's, book signing November 15th. Kilmeade will be signing copies of his new book co-authored with Don Yaeger, George Washington's Secret Six.

Family Christian bookstore of Plano, Texas will host the event at noon on 11/15. Address details are listed below.

About the Book (from Family Christian): When George Washington beat a hasty retreat from New York City in August 1776, many thought the American Revolution might soon be over. Instead, Washington rallied—thanks in large part to a little-known, top-secret group called the Culper Spy Ring. He realized that he couldn’t defeat the British with military might, so he recruited a sophisticated and deeply secretive intelligence network to infiltrate New York. 

Drawing on extensive research, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger have offered fascinating portraits of these spies: a reserved Quaker merchant, a tavern keeper, a brash young longshoreman, a curmudgeonly Long Island bachelor, a coffeehouse owner, and a mysterious woman. Long unrecognized, the secret six are finally receiving their due among the pantheon of American heroes.

About the Authors (from Amazon): "Brian Kilmeade cohosts Fox News Channel’s morning show Fox & Friends and also hosts the nationally syndicated radio show Kilmeade & Friends. He lives on Long Island. Don Yaeger has written or co-written twenty-three books, and lives in Tallahassee, Florida."

Meet Brian Kilmeade at Plano Family Christian bookstore at noon on November 15th:

601 W PLANO PKWY #153

PLANO, TX 75075-8968

(972) 423-9568

Hope to see you there!

Littlest Pet Shop Party Ideas #LittlestPetShop #MC #sponsored #birthday

 I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Influence-Central for Littlest Pet Shop. I received a sample to facilitate my review and a thank you item for participating.

Last week, Selah hosted a Littlest Pet Shop party and we all had a blast! It was a fun time for everyone with great treats, games, prizes and more! See how we partied with LPS---you're in for a treat!

Special guest Blythe Baxter, the cartoon's main character, showed up as a surprise for the guests! She helped Selah host the party and led games and snack time.

The kids started out by playing a couple of fun games. This one is called "Penny Ling Says". You can read all about how to play it in my post, Littlest Pet Shop Party Game Ideas.

 After that, it was time for a few rounds of Musical Paw Prints. Again, directions for this one can be found in my party games post. We used a YouTube track of the LPS theme song for our music on this one.

Avalon was pretty excited to be the big winner of the Blythe's Bedroom Style Set! It's her first LPS toy, as only her older sisters had some before this. 

I put one of these together to display on the party table and was impressed with how easily it came together. The directions made sense and featured clear photos, and the parts all snapped together well. Blythe decorated it for me and we had it all ready to set out on display in less than 30 minutes.

This new line of Littlest Pet Shop style sets allows kids to customize their own Pet Shop world in a way that is unique to them. Fans can make their own Downtown City, with stackable style sets and little accessories that plug into them for adorable accents. The sets can sit next to one another to make a city skyline scene, and there are stickers and other decorative pieces to make it perfect for play time.  Kids can also collect and customize 100+ new pets to live with Blythe in their Pet Shop world!

After game time, we enjoyed several LPS themed snacks. Sunill's Blue Mongoose Punch, Zoe's Perfect Puppy Chow, Russell's Hedgehog Treats, and Mrs. Twombly's Raspberry Parfaits, all made for some fun Littlest Pet Shop treats!

You can get the recipes for all our treats on my post called, Littlest Pet Shop Party Snack Recipes. They're all fun and easy ones to make and I offer a couple ideas for variations, as well.

After snack time, it was photo booth time! All the kids got to take turns posing with Blythe for fun photos!

A great time was definitely had by all! Do you have a Littlest Pet Shop party coming up in the future? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section below.

Littlest Pet Shop Party Game and Activity Ideas #LittlestPetShop #birthday #crafts

Last week, Selah hosted a Littlest Pet Shop party. We had yummy snacks and played some great games! Make sure to check out our Littlest Pet Shop Party Snacks post, as well!

We came up with a couple of fun games. The first was Musical Paw Prints. Special guest, Blythe Baxter, (aka Lynzie) made these adorable paw print pieces and arranged them in a circle on the floor.

I found the Littlest Pet Shop theme song on YouTube and played it as the kids walked from paw print to paw print. When I hit pause, they all had to stop on a print. As the game went on, we took away one print at a time, so that the person who didn't find a print when the music stopped was out. The last person standing on a print was the winner!

Our second game was, Penny Ling Says. We found this image of Penny Ling online and made a badge that the "caller" could wear during the game.

The caller pretended to be Penny Ling and called out commands to the group saying, "Penny Ling says _____."

The kids were full of giggles as "Penny Ling" told them to do silly things like balance on one foot or touch their noses to the floor. It was a fun way to celebrate in true Pet Shop style!

For more Littlest Pet Shop Activity Ideas, visit these fun sites:

Pin the Tail on the Kitty
Several Animal-Themed Games
Adorable LPS Egg Craft Idea
Pet House Craft
Build an LPS Playground
Travel Houses for Your Pets---super cute idea!

When Calls the Heart Series --- Review & Giveaway

When I was given the opportunity to review Volume One of the When Calls the Heart series, I was beyond thrilled! I've been reading Janette Oke's Canadian West series since I was a brand new bride---back in 1997! Her books are so inspiring and, while filled with love and romance, they're done in a tasteful way that reflects true Biblical standards for modesty, propriety, and Christian marriage.

I'm excited to see her books come alive in film, as well. This 3-DVD set includes the first six episodes that tell the beautiful story of Elizabeth Thatcher, a young teacher assigned to a small mining town in the Canadian West. She experiences a simple life in her new home---but it's definitely full of challenges. You'll enjoy watching her love story unfold and be encouraged in your faith.

Family Christian is giving away a free set to one US winner! Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below to snag your own free copy! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Littlest Pet Shop Party Snack Recipes #LittlestPetShop

Last week, Selah hosted a Littlest Pet Shop party with some adorable snacks and games! Be sure to visit our post on Littlest Pet Shop party games to round out your event. Check out these great ideas and let me know if you host your own Littlest Pet Shop party!

Zoe's Perfect Puppy Chow

9 c. square-shaped rice cereal 

1 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Measure cereal into a large bowl and set aside. Melt chocolate, peanut butter, and butter and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal and stir well to coat. Put mixture in a 2-gallon size zip bag, along with powdered sugar. Shake until well-coated. Pour out on wax paper to cool. You can also stir the sugar into the cereal mix, but it's way messier and clumpy.

Russell's Hedgehog Treats

1 c. real butter

8 oz. cream cheese

2 lbs. powdered sugar

1 pkg. chocolate almond bark

1-2 c. chow mein noodles

Mix butter and cream cheese until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar completely. Spoon out oval-shaped clumps onto wax paper and refrigerate 1 hour. Melt almond bark and dip the pieces to coat well. Set on wax paper and immediately top with chow mein noodles. Let cool on the counter. A variation would be to either mix coconut into the cream cheese mix or top the candies with toasted coconut instead of the dry noodles.

These are just your average flavored gelatin in a cup, topped with whipped topping. You can use some of the almond bark to make little chocolate shapes to stick into the dessert.

Just pour your melted chocolate into some semblance of your desired shape and let harden in the fridge a couple minutes. Remove with a spatula and try to handle them as little as possible as they do melt in your hand.

Here are a few more Littlest Pet Shop snack ideas from around the web. Happy partying!

Pet Themed Snacks & Creative Serving Ideas

Healthy Hedgehog and More

Assortment of Cute Food Ideas

Sweet & Healthy Food Tray Ideas

$1650 Christmas Cash Giveaway!!!

Thanks to some amazing bloggers we were able to come collectively together with a

 CASH PRIZE of $1650.  

Yes, you read it correctly, $1650!   

What could you do with a little extra cash 

this holiday season? 

 Enter our giveaway and good luck. 

Giveaway to run November 1st - November 22nd  with the winner receiving their cash on Black Friday so they can start shopping for the Christmas Holiday.

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Giveaway will run from October 31st 11:59 PM CST to November 22nd, 12 AM CST

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