"Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Winner!!"

For the drawing on my blog, Tina is our winner of the five books by Christian authors. And from Lena Nelson Dooley's blog post about me, Michelle from MO won my little Sweet Pea doll. Congratulations to both of these ladies!! Tina tried to leave a comment on my blog, but it wouldn't let her, so she sent me an email instead. Thanks so much to those that participated in both contests!! And I hope to have more in the future. Stay tuned. . .

A Little Ditty About my Doll-Making Hobby and a Chance to Win one of Them!!

It all started when my daughters saw a reborn doll and decided they had to have one!! I did lots of research, buying paints, supplies, and vinyl baby parts. I painted dolls for each of them, and a hobby was born! My babies are painted to look real. They all have personality, and have been mistaken for real babies on numerous occasions. I took one of my babies to the ACFW conference for a donation to the Silent Auction. In the airport, I put the baby in the bin to go through the x-ray machine. A security guard tried to stop me, looking very distressed. He had to actually touch it to believe it wasn't real!! And on the same trip, people stopped me over and over, asking about my baby. Imagine their surprise when they realized it was a doll! The dolls are painted with details such as veins, fingernails,eyebrows, etc. I hand root the hair and eyelashes, strand by strand, and fill the soft body with glass or poly pellets for weight. This gives the baby a "real feel." They are dressed in real baby clothes, and are usually given a pacifier, toy, and blanket. My mother helps with the painting, and making clothes fit!! Sometimes I take orders, but mostly I just sell the ones that I complete. Mrs. Lena Nelson Dooley, an award-winning Christian author, has ordered a doll from me, and I've almost completed it's hair. She has red hair, and wanted curly red hair on her baby. It's turning out really well. Lena also hosted me on her blog today, where we are giving away one of my painted babies. It's called "Sweet Pea." She's asleep, and is so adorable that I may have to paint another one for myself!! So if you would like to win a beautiful hand-painted doll from me, visit Lena's blog at http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment!!! AND if you follow my blog this week, and leave a comment on this post, I'll enter your name in a give-away from my blog. I'll be giving away a package of 5 books from bestselling Christian authors, one of them being Lena Nelson Dooley!! But remember, you must become a follower, and leave a comment!! Thanks!! Here are some pics of my babies. The third one is the giveaway on Lena's blog! So hop on over there and get yourself in the contest!!!

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Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings--My Take On It

First of all, let me say that I LOVE this cover!! It really goes with the character, and the colors and design are gorgeous!!! This is Regina Jennings debut novel, I've been told, and she has done an excellent job of pulling me into her story. It's a tale of woe that turns to love, as two people learn to trust again. Rosa is a young Mexican widow, and Weston is her husband's widowed cousin. In this stirring story, the two are constantly thrown together, making it virtually impossible for a few romantic encounters not to surface. Weston feels compelled to protect his cousin's beautiful widow, and she, in turn, feels indebted to him as well as drawn to him. But there's always Molly, who is constantly throwing herself at Weston, and there's the back taxes, and the fiend of a man who is threatening to take the farm for his own. With plenty of conflict and just enough romance, this book is definitely a winner. My only con is that there were times where I couldn't tell who was talking. Past that, I give Kudos to Regina Jennings for a great first book!!! I love Rosa and Weston, and found myself rooting for Weston until the end. If you like Historical Fiction, this is definitely a book to add to your list!!! I received this book free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

My Review of "A Lasting Impression" by Tamera Alexander

Tamera Alexander's writing shines in this post-Civil War novel about Claire, a young painter, trying to escape from her past to have a fresh start in a new place. The story is set in the phenomenal Belmont Mansion in Nashville, Tennessee, and includes the character of Adelicia Acklen, owner of the mansion. Sutton, a young lawyer and employee of Mrs. Acklen, has suspicions about Claire, but can't help liking her, even though he has an understanding with another girl. Sutton has his own set of perils, and has some lessons to learn as well.
I couldn't wait to read on, as each chapter endeared me to these characters more and more. I found myself reading until 2:30 in the morning! Imagining myself at Belmont, I "saw" the statues, danced at the reception, tasted lemon teacakes, and traipsed across the grounds through Tamara's expert storytelling.
The cover is my favorite from Bethany in quite a while. Claire's dress on the cover matches the description perfectly. And I love the little Belmont on the spine.
I live in Tennessee, but I've never visited the mansion before. After reading this book, I simply have to go there, so I've planned a homeschool field trip with my five children in January! We are excited about it. And from the sounds of it, I'm assuming that there will be more Belmont Mansion novels. Of course, I will have to read them all, and look forward to other novels by Tamera Alexander.
If you've never read a Tamera Alexander book, this one would be an excellent first!!
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

My Review of "A Whisper of Peace" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I've read almost every book that Kim Sawyer has out there, and I had to have this one too. It looked different, and it is different. Set in Alaska, this book is about Clay, Vivian, and Lizzie. All have obstacles to overcome, and all learn from the journey that they take through the story.
Clay and his step-sister, Vivian, move to a native village in Alaska to be missionaries. On their way to the village, they meet Lizzie, a village outcast who lives on her own. Clay and Vivian reach out to Lizzie, and risk the disapproval of the tribal leaders, and being forced to leave.
Lizzie plans to leave Alaska and reunite with her father in the states, but is torn by her attraction for the white missionary. And Clay is torn between his affection for Lizzie, and his calling from God to minister to the village people.
Vivian has her own set of problems too, and while I was interested in Vivian, I felt that she carried me away from Clay and Lizzie, whom I really wanted to stay with more than her.
I really enjoyed learning about the Athabascan culture, and about native village life in 19th century Alaska. As I said before, this book is very different from any other Kim Sawyer book I've read.
Kim has done an excellent job of intertwining the element of faith by showing the reader how simple the gift of salvation really is. This is one of the things I love about her writing.
"A Whisper of Peace is a good book, and I gave it five stars, but in giving an honest review, I have to say that like some of Kim's other books a little bit better.

New template!

Okay. I have been very busy working on my new template, and I still think I'm going to change it. The expert says that your blog should be simple, and this is my attempt at simple. Don't know if I'm there yet, but I'm aspiring. Let me know what you think.

To Win Her Heart by Karen Whitemyer--My Review

I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review, and I must say that this was a good read! I really enjoyed Karen's writing voice, as well as her characters'. Eden is practically an old maid librarian with a jilted past, and Levi is a blacksmith with a shady past. Even though both of these characters have been redeemed by God's grace, they can't seem to let go of their previous hurts. They strike up a friendship by discussing something dear to both of them-literature. A romance blossoms, but becomes compromised when Levi is honest about his violent past. There are secondary characters such as Verna, Chloe, Duncan, and Ornery who add a lot of spice to the story, and prove that they story could turn out much differently if not for them. I loved this book, and highly recommend Karen as an author. This is my second Karen Whitemyer book, and won't be my last. I really liked her first book a little better, but that's probably just me. The covers of all of Karen's books have all been breath-taking! I would peruse the pages just to see what the cover teases about. If you're looking for a new author's books to read, then look no further. Karen Whitemyer is one to watch!!!

I found this book available on Amazon and CBD in paperback and Kindle.