Follow Faithfully

To the moms in my life…

Happy Mother’s Day!

To my mom - aka Nana - I owe you eternal gratitude. You have given me roots to grow and wings to fly. You have taught me what it is to be a mom - how to love with my whole heart and still let go with both hands when the time comes knowing that it’s okay. You’ve been the voice of reason, the arms of comfort and the source of strength for me more times than I can count. You’ve been my rock through all my years and I love you so!

To my step-mom- aka Dorothy…aka MiMi - you came into my life almost twenty years ago and I have been so blessed to know you, love you and be loved by you. I cherish all the times we’ve laughed and cried or laughed until we cried. You always bring a ray of sunshine with you. We have so many little jokes that we share and we’ll always have Mitford! THANK YOU for being you! I love you!!

To my mother-in-law Linda - aka Grammie - I know I’ll never have any of those “horror stories” about my mother-in-law because you have taken me in as one of your own since day one. You have a kindness and compassion about you that radiates in everything you do. Because you loved your son and taught him to love, he can share that love with our own family. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done and all you do. You’re a blessing and I love you!

To my Gran - aka GranGran - What would I do without you, Gran? My Pearl! There’s never been a facet of my life that you weren’t there to share. Some of my favorite childhood memories were made right there with you and Pop. You tell me like it is when I need to hear the truth. You also let me “just talk” when I’m in a chatty mood. You inspire me to deeper faith and good works and service to others. And, I love you thiiiiiiiiiiiis much!

To my Grandma - aka Grandma Teapot - You have taught me more than you know. You helped instill a work ethic in me which I value to this day. You gave me my first “job” when I was just a little girl. I would go to the cleaning shop with you on Saturdays and use a magnet to pick up straight pins from the floor. That dollar or two you gave me was all the money in the world back then. Later on, you got me a job at the candy store and that was another blessing. You’ve made me feel so special and have given me many happy memories. I thank you! Love you!

To all the moms in my family and all my mom friends - I learn so much from you. Thank you for sharing your lives, your hearts and even your kiddos with me and my family. May we all grow and learn together as we go along.

Hope today is a blessing all around!

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Now through May 11th, spend $25 at a Godiva Boutique and receive a chocolate tablet FREE. Spend $50 and get two tablets! Offer valid at Godiva Boutiques through 5/11/08 only; not valid in department/specialty stores, at Godiva.com, or through 1-800-9GODIVA. Offer valid on purchases made during a single visit / transaction. Not applicable to previous purchases, and cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. Not redeemable for cash.

Click here for a Baskin Robbins coupon to receive $3 off any cake. They have some really CUTE (and delicious!) Mother’s Day cakes. This offer expires on May 12th.

Snapfish is celebrating its 8th birthday with a FREE SHIPPING promotion! Enter the promo code “NOSHIP08″ at check-out to receive free shipping through May 11th.

Christian Book is offering free shipping on orders over $35. Just enter promotion code 282035BSXFKQ when you begin checkout. Act fast, this offer expires at 11:59 PM ET on Friday May 16, 2008!

Just a friendly reminder, I am an affiliate with Christian Book, so if you ever want to order books through me, follow the links provided in my Book Reviews threads. Thanks and happy shopping!!

Poor Mariana is sick. She caught a cold while we were away a couple of weekends ago. We thought it was nipped in the bud, but it wasn’t. She has RAD (reactive airway disease) and whenever she gets colds, she always winds up with terrible bouts of coughing, etc. And, she typically develops sinus infections secondary to colds too. The poor girl can’t ever have “just” a cold. So, we’re in the throws of a cold/RAD flare/sinus infection these days. She’s going to the pediatrician tomorrow. I have to hand it to Mariana, she’s being quite a little trooper. Kids are so resilient, aren’t they? I always think that I have so much to teach the girls, but I could really learn from them a lot of times too. Anyway, I just pray that our girl is all better soon. And, if you care to join me in that prayer, we’d greatly appreciate it.

Dawn’s Light, Restoration Series #4 By Terri Blackstock / Zondervan In the final book of the Restoration Series by bestselling author Terri Blackstock, the end of a global electrical blackout signals the beginning of the Branning family’s ultimate test. Murder and affairs of the heart form the backdrop for a family sifting through the lessons they have learned-and how well they have truly learned them.

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Kelly’s Review:

Dawn’s Light is the fourth and final novel in Terri Blackstock’s Restoration series. I have read each of these books almost as soon as they came out, so I was especially anxious to read this last installment and it did not disappoint. The series is incredible and, to me, this is the best book of the series. Terri Blackstock really saved the best for last. Don’t get me wrong, the other three books are outstanding, but I definitely feel that this book had every possible element to be the perfect conclusion to this series.

The thing that touched me the most in this book was the way the central family in the book, the Brannings, deals with the many trials and tribulations that have come their way as a result of the global power outage. In this novel, the Brannings’ faith is put to the ultimate test and the way Terri Blackstock has written it, every element is emotionally riveting and powerful. The way the family, and in particular the mother (Kay), handles this huge test of faith is just so real. Again, I appreciate that this wasn’t written like “cleaned-up Christianity”, but is emotionally raw and true. The way the family works through the trial is inspiring and definitely brought to mind how I think I would react in a similar situation. I was drawn into this element of the story and it was just incredibly powerful.

The other elements of the story are superbly written as well. There are elements of suspense, romance, excitement and renewal. Terri Blackstock ties it all together just beautifully. My reading of this book just flew by. It never had any points that felt like they were dragging or weighing down the story. Everything moved at just the perfect pace and I didn’t want to put it down once I started it.

If you haven’t read the other three books in the Restoration series, I highly recommend reading them first. Save this one because it’s worth the wait. And, if you have read the others and haven’t gotten to this one yet, get it! This book delivers and is one of the best books I have read all year! Kudos to Terri Blackstock for another excellent novel and terrific series!!

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To purchase this book, please see the link above. To purchase others in the series, you can click on the following links:

Last Light, Restoration Series #1 By Terri Blackstock / Zondervan Terror reigns when electrical power is cut off across the world-creating a global crisis that reveals even deeper darkness within human hearts. What would you do? Whom could you and your family trust, especially if there was a killer in the neighborhood? The first book in this exciting new series from Terri Blackstock.

Night Light, Restoration Series #2 By Terri Blackstock / Zondervan * As global catastrophe plunges the world into darkness, survival becomes everybody’s new lifestyle. The Brannings must choose between hoarding their possessions or sharing with others. When young thieves raid their pantry, Jeff Branning tracks them down, uncovering a trail of desperation and murder—and a new purpose that’ll transform their family and the community! 352 pages, softcover from Zondervan.

True Light, Restoration Series #3 By Terri Blackstock / Zondervan On so many chilling levels The “what if” question arises as a global catastrophe affects the residents of Oak Hollow. They now have had to deal without electricity for eight months and the deep winter nights have set in. Tension mounts when a young man is murdered. Is Mark Green the killer? The darkness from the blackout also reveals the darkness in human hearts as the survival of the fittest gets more intense.

I had my first Red Box movie rental experience today. I was at Walmart with the girls and remembered they had a Red Box there in the front of the store. So, I pulled up Inside Redbox on my phone and got the promo code list. The first code that was listed for today didn’t work for me, but the second did. So, I rented Enchanted since I’ve wanted to see it for awhile. Renting with the code was super easy and FREE. All I had to do was enter the code, select the movie, swipe my debit card, enter zip code and my email address. Then I got the movie. Couldn’t be easier and you can’t beat free. So, I have an at-home movie date with Mickey after the girls go to bed. Yay!

Tonight is 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins from 5p-10p at Baskin Robbins!

Participating Baskin-Robbins stores will have this special promo going on in honor of America’s firefighters. In some locations, patrons will be given opportunities to donate to their local fire charities.

The first deal I have to post about today is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s!! Click here for a list of store locations and be sure to check the box that shows the stores that are participating in Free Scoop Day.

The second is a coupon for Family Christian Stores which you can get by clicking here. This coupon entitles you to buy one item, get one 50% off with certain exclusions. This coupon expires on June 15th, but would be GREAT for Mother’s Day which is coming right up!

The Shack By William P. Young / Windblown Media Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his “Great Sadness,” Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant “The Shack” wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!

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Kelly’s Review:

I purchased this book over the weekend after reading a recommendation for it in a friend’s online journal. I actually didn’t set out to get it, but we were at Lifeway and when I saw it I remembered her recommendation, so we bought it. I’m so glad we did!! This book tells an amazing story and the messages contained within it are truly powerful.

I am mixed on how to properly review The Shack because at different points in the book, I had different reactions to it. There were times when I was saddened by the events of the story. There were times when I was moved. There were times when, honestly, I was confused. There were even times when I felt it was going way out in an weird direction. But, it kept pulling me in and pulling me back to reading. The story and the messages are powerful. Even through sadness, confusion, oddity and even elation, I just felt like I was supposed to be reading the book. I felt that I needed to take in the overall message and not get lost in the subtleties elsewhere. And, I did. I had to force myself to put it down at times and take a break from reading. I had to make myself slow down and embrace the message. And, yes, sometimes I had to make myself pick it back up again. It was worth it all. I came through this book with such an uplifted spirit.  I’m so glad I read it and I can recommend it without any reservation whatsoever. This book didn’t change my life, but it touched my heart and gave me some beautiful insights that I appreciate so much. That is what I would like to see shared with others.

I may have more to share on this later. But, for now these are the words that have come to me and I hope they are adequate to express how much I enjoyed this book. It blessed my heart and I have no reservation in recommending it to others.

The Book of Jane By Anne Dayton / Random House, Inc Jane Williams knows just where she’s headed in life. She has a dream job, lives in a ritzy Manhattan apartment, and plans to wed the love of her life. But in a heartbeat her perfectly planned world falls apart. Has God forgotten her? A witty, contemporary retelling of Job’s story with a sophisticated twist! 294 pages, softcover from Broadway.

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Kelly’s Review:

The Book of Jane is a modern-day take on the Biblical story of Job. Jane Williams, a New Yorker who seems to “have it all”, is the central character. Jane has a job she loves, a boyfriend she adores, a great apartment and more. Everything in her world is just perfect and she is thankful for all the blessings in her life.  The tables start to turn and Jane is met with one disaster in her life after another. Whatever can go wrong for her does.  Jane knows that she has to continue to rely on God and believe in His graciousness, even in the darkest of times. But, will she?!

I don’t mean to leave a cliffhanger in the book description above, but I just don’t want to give away anything in the plot.  The way Jane’s trials and reactions are written in this book are very believable.  Jane’s trials have a domino effect - first one, then another, then ANOTHER and so forth. Her reaction to those trials is not oversimplified which I appreciated. The book is written in a way that illustrates that Christians suffer too. Too often I think that some novels are guilty of “cleaning up” Christianity and making it seem as though all it takes is a prayer heavenward to set things straight. That’s simply not the case as we all know. I found it encouraging to read a novel in which the character had so many trials and faced them with God’s guidance, but also with her own human emotions showing.

This was a great read. It was what some would call “chick lit”, I’m sure, but definitely chick lit of great quality.  The read, for me, was enjoyable and inspirational. I will be sure to read more books by these authors in the future.