Thankful Thursday

We will soon be saying good bye to July!  I told Caleb this morning that in one month it will be the day before he starts school.

Today I am thankful for...
~ time to watch Netflix with my hubby.  We don't often have time most weeks so it feels like a fun treat to watch our show.

~ working on birthday plans with my big boy.  He will soon be a teenager.  He drew the picture for the invitation and did so well on it.  He's very talented.

~  my sweet baby boy loving and needing his Mommy.  I know this won't last forever and sometimes he just wants me.  It makes me feel loved.

~ my Mom able to watch the boys while I got continuing education hours. I went last Friday and then saw another one to attend this week so they stayed with her again.

~ visiting at a new church that we all like.  We are looking fora new church home.

~ air conditioning in the van and house.

Have a day of blessings!  
Bethany

Heart on the Line

Today I have another wonderful read to share with you from Karen Witemeyer.  It is book #2 in the Ladies of Harper's Station series.  

About the book:
Grace Mallory is tired of running, of hiding. But when an old friend sends an after-hours telegraph transmission warning Grace that the man who has hunted her for nearly a year has discovered her location, she fears she has no choice. She can't let the villain she believes responsible for her father's death release his wrath in Harper's Station, the town that has sheltered her and blessed her with the dearest friends she's ever known.

Amos Bledsoe prefers bicycles to horses and private conversations over the telegraph wire to social gatherings with young ladies who see him as nothing more than an oddity. His telegraph companion, the mysterious Miss G, listens eagerly to his ramblings every night and delights him with tales all her own. For months, their friendship--dare he believe, courtship?--has fed his hope that he has finally found the woman God intended for him. Yet when he takes the next step to meet her in person, he discovers her life is in peril, and Amos must decide if he can shed the cocoon of his quiet nature to become the hero Grace requires.

My thoughts:
I believe I enjoy each Karen Witemeyer book a little more than the last one!  The characters and story lines are always unique and a little different from your typical historical fiction romance. When you start reading you can sort of guess what will happen but lots of unexpected things are thrown in along the way which make for a great read!  I like the characters of Heart on the Line and how the reader gets to know them.  I appreciate that the hero of the story, Amos, does not fit with the qualities of your stereotypical hero.  I thought the story line having these two "meet" over the telegraph wires was a fun idea and made for a great story.

This was a fairly quick read for me because I wanted to find out what would happen next.  This is a great series, and I highly recommend this book to you if you enjoy historical fiction.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.  Thank you.
Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Is today Thursday?  I feel confused by which day of the week it is after our traveling!  We went to my high school reunion on Saturday and then Sunday came home and loaded back up to go out of town with my husband for a business trip until Wednesday.

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband being so compassionate and caring towards me.  I appreciate so much that he cares for me and my feelings and physical well being.

~ my big boy being okay after feeling sick after working out.  At the hotel Tuesday night, the boys went swimming and then when Titus was going to sleep Caleb and Dad went to the hotel gym to work out.  He came back and got ready for bed but didn't feel well and thought his heart was racing.  He felt bad for a while but then improved.  We thought about going to the ER but then he started feeling better.

~ my baby boy telling me "I love you Momma" when I picked him up.  It made me smile that he said it so unexpectedly!

~ having a successful 20 year reunion.  I organized the reunion and it turned out well.  I was pleased with how it all came together.  Everyone seemed to have a good time.

~ receiving books to review.  It is always fun to get new ones in the mail to review....some I know that are coming and others are unexpected and just show up.  I finished Heart on the Line by Karen Witemeyer on our trip home (review coming soon) and then started Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle.  I love having good books to read!  I've read some good ones from the library too lately.

~ safe travel in all our travels the past week and now being H O M E!!!



Have a day of blessings!

     Bethany

The Farmers' Market Mishap

The Farmer's Market Mishap is the sequel to The Lopsided Christmas Cake by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter.

Elma is the main character in this book.  She is living alone after her twin Thelma marries. She lives across the street so the sisters see each other often, but Elma still misses their closeness.  Elma is happy for her sister but longs to find her own love.  Thelma things Elma and her husband's friend Delbert will make a good match.  When a man from out of town (Ben) begins to show interest in Elma after they meet at the farmer's market, Thelma is concerned her sister will move away.  She wants her sister nearby since she is expecting a baby and will need Elma's help.  Can Ben and Elma have a relationship even though they do not live in the same city?  

I did not read book one in this series yet but was able to follow along with these characters.

Read more and find other Wanda books at her site here.

I received this book from the author and publisher for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday!

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" Psalm 100:4

Happy Thursday!  It has been a beautiful week for us in Ruidoso, NM. We left last Friday, staying one night at my Dad's home in Lubbock. Then Saturday we went to Ruidoso for our vacation. I'm thankful for the time we've had together away and making memories as a family. 

This week I am thankful for....

~ my husband having vacation time saved up at work for us too enjoy this time away. 

~ my big boy convincing me to race go karts with him. He was so excited I said yes and loved that he beat me!  It was very fun and a memory together!

~  my little boy bringing me flowers. Anytime he sees flowers in the hard he will bring them to me. He saw purple thistles on the trail of our horse ride and said flowers for Mommy.

~ spending time with my Dad for a couple days. 

~ paid for vacation!  We save a little from each pay check all through the year using the Dave Ramsey envelope system.  I divided the money based on each day's meals and activities as well as our cabin. We put gas on the debit card, and everything else was covered. It is a blessing and a wonderful feeling to come home without vacation debt as so many do! 

~ seeing more beauty of God's creation this week and enjoying the cooler temperatures. (And no mosquitoes!!) 

Have a day of blessings!   
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday!  It doesn't feel like Thursday to me with the holiday on Tuesday this week!

We had a nice 4th and enjoyed a neighborhood parade followed by ice cream.  We had hot dog lunch at my Mom's and stayed the afternoon.  We all enjoy being there and relaxing!  It is so nice to have them close.  We had a delicious supper with brisket, macaroni salad, cucumber salad, cantaloupe, fresh corn on the cob and watermelon.  Then some peach cobbler too. It was all so yummy!

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband's love and dedication to me and our marriage and family.  I love him!

~ my big boy giving me hugs at random times when I'm not expecting them.  Also, I am thankful for how he makes us laugh.

~ seeing my little guy wave so big and proudly when Caleb was pulling him in the parade.  He was so cute how excited he was when he saw us!

~ a fun 4th with family!

~ seeing my Dad last week.  I forgot to write this last week! He'd stopped by to see us on his way home.

~ my cousin coming for a visit. We went to eat pizza and had a fun time.  I had not seen her for a while.


Have a day of blessings!  
  Bethany

Thankful Thursday

It's the end of June already!  We are enjoying summer.

This week I am thankful for...
~ the love my husband and I share.  Today on the radio I heard George Strait's "I Cross My Heart." This was a song in our wedding.  It made me smile to hear the words and  realize how true they still are.

~ my big boy doing well at the dentist with his teeth extraction.  He had to get two baby teeth pulled. The permanent teeth have been grown through for some time and the baby teeth were not budging so we had them pulled.  There are two more on the bottom but they are a little wiggly so he is trying to get them out on his own before school starts.  He did great through the procedure.

~ hearing my little boy learning to pray.  He has started saying more words in his prayers, and it is so sweet to hear.

~ that my big boy enjoyed his time at camp last week.  We sure missed him and are thankful for the great time he had.  We've enjoyed hearing his stories.  He showed me how he learned to make friendship bracelets and made some for us.

~ a nice week at home!  We have not had much going on this week which is fun.

~ plans coming together for our 20 year class reunion. We will have a fairly good turnout it looks like.  It is in a couple of weeks.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany