Sixty Acres And A Bride | Regina Jennings | Book Review, Blog Tour & Author Giveaway

She's Finally Found a Place to Call Home... How Far Will She Go to Save It?

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to their Texas family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have just three months to pay.

Though facing eviction, Rosa falls in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. They welcome her vivacious spirit and try to help her navigate puzzling American customs. She can't help but stand out, though, and her beauty captures attention. 

Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, Rosa must decide to what lengths she will go to save her future. Read an excerpt: http://ow.ly/9sK2C.

Join me after the jump to read my review of Sixty Acres and a Bride, and learn how YOU can WIN a Kindle Fire and other prizes from Regina Jennings on March 27th!

Beauty For Ashes | Dorothy Love | Book Review, Exclusive Author Interview & Giveaway, Blog Tour & Author Giveaway

She’s a beautiful young widow. He’s a Southern gentleman with a thirst for adventure. Both need a place to call home.

After losing her husband in the Civil War, Carrie Daly is scared she will never have the family she longs for. Eligible bachelors are scarce in Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, but Carrie has found love. Not the weak-in-the-knees kind, but something practical. Still, she isn't quite ready to set a wedding date with Nate Chastain.

Griff Rutledge is a former member of Charleston society, but has been estranged from his family for years. He’s determined to remain unattached, never settling in one place for too long. But when asked to train a Thoroughbred for an upcoming race in Hickory Ridge, he decides to stay awhile.

Despite objections from the townsfolk, and her fear that true happiness has eluded her, Carrie is drawn to Griff's kindness and charm. It will take a leap of faith for them to open their hearts and claim God's promise to give beauty for ashes.

Join me after the jump for my review of Beauty For Ashes, an exclusive interview with the author, an exclusive giveaway just for readers of Our Little Bit Of Wonderful, and info on how you can win a Kindle Fire and other prizes from Dorothy Love!

Gimme Shelter | Guest Post by Shannon Godby

Please welcome to the blog my friend Shannon, author of the sweet blog, Shannon On The Prairie! If you enjoy her guest post as much as I do, please be sure to leave her some comment love *smiles*...

Gimme Shelter

by Shannon Godby

To bring up the subject of sheltering our children, and the extent to which we should, would incite lively debate. There are extremes at both ends, from extreme religious fundamentalists to those who think nothing should be withheld from our children. I believe it is safe to say that most of us fall somewhere in the middle, even though the middle is a very big ocean in which to swim! As for me, I frequently turn to things in my life that are easy to understand in order to clarify the weightier issues.

Take, for instance, horticulture, or the study of plants.

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“Uhhh…yeaaahh…” you might be thinking, and rightly so. I assure you, however, that there is a lot of enlightenment to be had among plants….please bear with me…

A greenhouse is a shelter made of materials through which light can penetrate. Commonly they are used to start and grow plants for personal satisfaction or commercial gain. A greenhouse environment is tightly controlled, from light and water needs to air circulation and nutrient uptake. These conditions allow a grower of plants to grow them when the weather conditions would not otherwise allow it. Like our human children, these plants are utterly dependent on their human caretakers to provide for their needs.

Most plants are not meant to live their lives in tightly controlled environments. The hope is that one day the plants will find a forever home or be sent out into the wide world to make their way to retail centers and gardens everywhere. The problem is this: if you take a plant out of a greenhouse right into harsh, natural conditions, that plant will likely perish. It does not know how to regulate its own water intake, it is not used to gleaning and storing nutrients when they have always been readily available, and wind, sun, cold and rain will beat it down because it has not learned to be strong. It has never had to be.

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Good growers know that plants must be hardened off after living in sheltered conditions, and we have just seen why one cannot just stick a greenhouse-grown plant out to fend for itself. It’s a harsh world out there! So the grower will gradually expose plants to natural conditions. Artificial lighting will slowly be reduced, watering rates will be slowed, and fertilization will be tapered off. Plants will begin to harden and toughen in exposure to regular, gradual episodes of stress. Plant stems thicken and toughen, root systems stretch out and increase in number in their search for water, and leaves develop deep, green pigments to absorb and convert what they need from the sun and soil.

So it is with our children. It is our job to nurture, protect, feed and teach them. Our goal as parents, though, is to produce good citizens capable of living in a harsh world, being able to seek and meet their own needs. We do our children no favors by sheltering them their whole lives them shoving them out the door “Buh bye! Have a nice life! Live long and prosper!” As is appropriate for their ages, LET them feel some stress. LET them figure out how to solve basic life problems. As they get older LET them feel the sting of defeat so that they can learn, adapt and grow strong. It is a harsh world out there and their very survival depends on it.

{photo by Leif Brandt}

I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister. I love plants, horses, words and naturescapes. I have been a nanny and a stay-at-home-mom; a writer and a photographer; a student, a landscaper and a restorer of Illinois grasslands. I am only truly defined, however, by my relationship with Christ my Redeemer. You can find me online on my own blog, Shannon on the Prairie.

Who Am I? | Guest Post by Cindy Belleque

Please welcome my dear mother-in-law and friend, Cindy Belleque, to Our Little Bit Of Wonderful! Cindy is an amazing woman who has a lot of wit and wisdom to share with those around her, and is a talented crafter (you may remember her from this post, debuting her new softwares line). If you love her guest post as much as I do, be sure to leave her some comment love *smiles*...

Who Am I?

by Cindy Belleque

Who am I?

In my twenties I was...

Single, engaged, newlywed, a mother once, twice, three times...

Housewife, cook, pot-scrubber, bath tub washer, laundress...

Washer of hands and faces, changer of diapers...

In my thirties I was...

Mother of number 4, mother of a child with autism, advocate, helper...

Still changing diapers, but now the Conductor of the Potty Train!

Child care provider, kisser of owies, maker of playdough...

Pastor's wife, missionary... 

In my forties I was...

A student, a learner, a mentor...

A grandmother, one time then two and now almost three!

A graduate from college, a fighter of the middle age spread! 

Who am I?

I am so much more than the sum of the tasks I accomplish...

I am so much more than my successes or failures...

I am so much more than my husband, children, or home...

When I was five years old, I became...

A child of the King of Kings...

Foreknown, predestined...

Redeemed and restored...

Why am I?

To the Praise of His Glorious Grace!

Mother of 4, wife of 1, grandma of 3... 

If you asked her, Cindy would say that those are the most important "numbers" in her life! Cindy's family has been the largest source of entertainment, inspiration, joy and tears AND she wouldn't trade it for anything! 

Married for 28 years to the "one", Cindy and Brett have raised "four" terrific children. They love spending time with their kids and their kids families. Brett and Cindy both believe that their grandchildren are far more entertaining that any television show or movie! So they spend as much time as possible being entertained by the "Cinda and Nico" Show! They are looking forward to having the "Serenity" show to watch in the Spring. 

Cindy and Brett are full time missionaries with InFaith, An American Mission. They are the Directors of the Summer Staff program and Brett is the National Director of Children's Ministry Resources for the mission. 

Cindy works for the Illinois Parent Mentor Project  as the Northwest Region Parent Mentor. She is an advocate for parents of children with special needs and works with families in the public school system to build partnerships with school staff and local agencies. 

In the fall of 2012, Cindy will begin teaching and directing the Heart and Hands Early Learning Center, a preschool for low-income families, developed in partnership with InFaith and the Evangelical Free Church of Mt. Morris. 

But while all that keeps her busy, she still finds time to read, quilt and watch her favorite tv shows!