Savvy Mom

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Who Made You a Princess
FaithWords (May 13, 2009)
by
Shelley Adina


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award-winning author Shelley Adina wrote her first teen novel when she was 13. It was rejected by the literary publisher to whom she sent it, but he did say she knew how to tell a story. That was enough to keep her going through the rest of her adolescence, a career, a move to another country, a B.A. in Literature, an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction, and countless manuscript pages.

Shelley is a world traveler and pop culture junkie with an incurable addiction to designer handbags. She writes books about fun and faith--with a side of glamour. Between books, Shelley loves traveling, playing the piano and Celtic harp, watching movies, and making period costumes.

The All About Us book series has its own home over on the Hachette website. Stop by and see what the five fabulous girls at Spencer Acadenmy are up to! Series Website.

Her other books in this series includes book one, It's All About Us, oook Two, The Fruit of my Lipstick, and book three, Be Strong & Curvaceous. This present book is book four.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Shani Hanna returns to SpencerAcademy for her senior year after an amazing summer spent with her friends Lissa, Gillian, and Carly. But the best part about summer was meeting Danyel Johnstone. Danyel is cute, smart, cool, and super nice. All Shani has to do is get him to see her as more than just one of the gang.

But when the girls return to school, they find a new addition to the distinguished student body: Prince Rashid al Amir of Yasir, an oil-rich desert kingdom in the Middle East. Prince Rashid moved to California to prepare for an eventual MBA at Stanford...and to romance his future wife: Shani Hanna!

It turns out, Shani's family and the prince's go back for generations, entwined in tradition, obligation, and family honor. In each generation, members of the two families have expanded their business interests through arranged marriage. Will Shani put aside her feelings for Danyel to pursue her family's wishes? Or will God answer her prayers for an intervention?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Who Made You a Princess , go HERE

Colds

My boys both have colds.  I never know what to give them these days - you hear so much about medicines and how giving them certain ones could hurt them.  I think it was motrin you shouldn't give them while giving them a certain cold medicine.  I tried looking it up and found apidexin reviews but nothing on Motrin.  I tried a home remedy for coughing - putting vapor rub on their feet and it worked!

Finding My Way

The kidney transplant coordinator said that I needed to lose about 20 pounds before they put me on the list. I suppose I could try a diet pill such as Apidexin but really, do I REALLY need to take another pill? My best bet is going to be exercise but first I have to get some energy back. In a couple of weeks I will be going back on manual exchanges and I'm believing that is going to make me feel better.

I've been really praying that I would be able to find God in all that I am going through. Don't get me wrong, I know He is there - I know it, but I think in times like these you have to dig deep. It would be easy to say "Why me?" and believe me, I have asked that a time or two also. I think I'm finding my way.

Weddings!

Tomorrow we are going to a wedding and I am very much looking forward to it. I love seeing the bridal gown and there's something about tuxedos that I really love! I think we should all have proms or formals way past the time of high school! Wouldn't that be fun?

My friend Parke is marrying off his daughter. Parke is one of the elders at our church and he performed our wedding ceremony. I think that is the last wedding he had officiated at and that has be 16 years. My hubby and I were talking about whether or not we thought he would cry at her wedding. I think he will. I am sure I will! I love weddings!

I Have A System

When it comes to pumping gas, I have a system to get me in and out as quick as possible so I don't have to get my boys out of the car. I always use a gas station that lets you pay at the pump. It doesn't get much easier than that, right? I swipe my card, pump my gas, grab my receipt and get out. So you have go to know that when the receipt printer doesn't work, I'm not too happy.

I guess that doesn't sound like a big deal but for me it is. You see, I use a check card which means I have to keep my receipts so I can enter them in my checkbook. If I don't do that, I am in a lot of trouble. When the gas pump doesn't give me my receipt I have to go inside to get one which defeats the purpose of paying at the pump. Just one of my little pet peeves.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Bride In The Bargain
Bethany House (June 1, 2009)
by
Deeanne Gist


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called "I Did It!® Productions" and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.

Since the debut of those novels, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, two RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.



ABOUT THE BOOK

The Wedding Is All Planned...
Someone Just Needs to Tell the Bride
In 1860s Seattle, redwoods were plentiful but women scarce. Yet a man with a wife could secure 640 acres of timberland for free.

Joe Denton doesn't have a wife, though. His died before she could follow him to Seattle and now the local judge is threatening to take away his claim. In desperation, he buys himself a Mercer bride--one of the eastern widows and orphans brought to the Territory by entrepreneur Asa Mercer.

Anna Ivey's journey west with Mercer is an escape from the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on to become a cook--not a bride. When she's handed over to Denton, her stubborn refusal to wed jeopardizes his land. With only a few months before he loses all he holds dear, can he convince this provoking, but beguiling, easterner to become his lawfully wedded wife?

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Bride In The Bargain, go HERE

Play Room

The boys have a play room that I would like to completely make over. Actually the boys call it "The Drawing Room". My oldest likes to draw and when we first moved in, he dubbed it The Drawing Room and it kind of stuck. The only thing bad about that is that you have to constantly explain to people why you call it that!!

It's a good size room but it has three doors in it that makes it a bit inconvenient when it comes to arranging things. There's a door to the hallway, a door to the kitchen and a door to the outside deck. Right now we have a couple of toy boxes lined up around the walls and some cubbies against another wall. I would love to put up a TV wall mount to get the TV off the floor. It doesn't have stand or anything. Of course my hubby paints but who knows when he will actually paint at OUR house!

Reviewing.

I write a lot of book reviews. In exchange for a free book, I write my review of the book. It's a good deal because I like to read and the company gets a little free advertising. I've often wondered if diet pill companies do the same thing for phenphedrine reviews. I bet they would get a lot of volunteers!! Just a suggestion for them - I wonder if they have ever though about it. I guess they get their best word of mouth advertising through their testimonials - people who have tried the products and tell everyone how they liked it.

Atlanta

This weekend we are headed off to Atlanta for a few days to visit my husband's mother. I feel like we are packing up the whole house. Because I have to take my dialysis supplies, I am packing up everything that I use and it is taking up quite a bit of room. At least the boys are older and we aren't packing up Bob strollers and play pens! Last night before bed I made a list of everything I need and I am going to check it off as I pack it. It would be disastrous if I forgot anything. We're only going to be gone for two nights. While there, we are hoping to take in the Atlanta Zoo. I know the boys will really enjoy that.