Rebecca Irvine

Congratulations Sue

2011-11-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who participated in the November Giveaway Hop. According to random.org, the winner of the amazon.com giftcard (from comment #7):

Sue

I will be e-mailing the giftcard to you shortly Sue. Have fun shopping!

November Giveaway Hop

2011-11-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the November Giveaway Hop!

A big thank you to Kathy @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Tristi Pinkston for co-hosting this hop!

There are over 400 blogs each signed up to host a giveaway. This hop runs from November 8 - 11.

The winner of the giveaway on my site will receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Use it to buy one of my two books (Adventures with the Word of God or Family Home Evening Adventures), or anything else you like.

To enter:

1. Follow this blog
2. Like my author page on Facebook (here)
3. And leave me a comment about one of the topics in either of my books that interests you most (click on linked titles below to read more about my books - see under book description for some topics listed):

Adventures with the Word of God

Family Home Evening Adventures

Good luck!

Scripture of the Day: Psalms 75:1

Halloween Winners

2011-11-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Halloween - I know our family did. Below are some pictures of our Hallowee-related activities.

But first, according to random.org, the winner of the Amazon giftcard for the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop is

Mo of Mo Unleashed

Congratulations, Mo! I will be e-mailing the giftcard to you shortly! Thanks to all those who participated in the hop.

Here are the kids in their costumes: Patch is mustard (again - 4 years in a row now, I think), Kitty is a Greek goddess and Sweetie Peach is Alice in Wonderland. Thanks to my mom for buying the costumes for the girls this year (she spoils us)!

Sweetie Peach and her jack-o-lantern.

At the neighborhood pre-trick-or-treating block party.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop! A big thank you to Kathy @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Rhianna from Diary of a Bookworm for co-hosting this hop!

There are over 400 blogs each signed up to host a giveaway. This hop runs from October 24 - 31.

The winner of the giveaway on my site will receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Use it to buy one of my two books (Adventures with the Word of God or Family Home Evening Adventures), or anything else you like.

Adventures with the Word of God

Family Home Evening Adventures

Good luck!

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 3:19

My Head is Under Water

2011-10-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yep. I am buried over here. I am working on a big research report about black and earl grey teas (yuck!). So far the powerpoint report is over 500 slides long. And I would not be surprised if it needed a few hundred more. So, although I did not intend to take a blog break, please forgive me as I take a few more days to get this report wrapped up. If it weren't for fall break and the kids out of school I might have been able to finish it faster, but spending a little time with them on their holiday is more important than a yucky tea report. So, please bear with me.

See ya soon!

Book Review: Not My Type

2011-10-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I reviewed Melanie Jacobson's book The List (which I adored - read my review here). And as soon as her newest book, Not My Type, was released a month ago I bought the e-version to read. And I have to say Jacobson has real talent. I love her wit and humor, her character development (especially the dad in this book), and her use of thank you notes as a literary device. Such great work! So great I have already read this book several times and have been referring to it (more like dissecting it) as I try to improve my own writing skills. I can't wait for Jacobson's next book!

From the back of the book: Twenty-three-year-old Pepper Spicer is not living the dream. She ended her engagement at the last minute because her fiancé — a musician and soon-to-be reality TV star — wanted her to sacrifice her own career ambitions for his.

Now she's stuck at home sharing a room with her little sister, trying to pay off massive debt for a wedding that didn't happen, and spending Friday nights Facebook-stalking everyone who has a better life. Her therapist father urges her to choose her career dreams and count her blessings by writing weekly thank you notes, but gratitude is a tall order when she botches an important job interview and has to settle for writing an undercover dating web-zine column — the last thing in the world she wants to do. Still, as Pepper (byline: Indie Girl) chronicles her bizarre and hilarious blind dates, she gives her father's challenge a try and slowly finds herself leaving self-pity behind. Life takes a major upswing as Pepper's column hits the big time and she tastes the exhilarating thrill of success. But there's one tiny problem: the intensely hot man she's falling for is having issues with her job (again). Will Pepper trade her personal ambition for another chance at love?

Read the first chapter of Not My Type here.

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: Psalms 37:8

Ask the Editor #4

2011-09-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

This episode of Ask the Editor tells about some of the new words included in the 2011 version of the dictionary. I was surprised to hear cougar (as an older woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man) was only added this year. And there were a few others I had never even heard of before. As always, these videos help me learn something new!

Scripture of the Day: Alma 5:46

Dear Wal-Mart,

2011-09-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

I know we have not had the perfect relationship over the years, but I wanted to take a minute to thank you for what happened this past week. I will be the first to admit it - I am truly thankful for the Wal-Mart employee who found and turned in the iPad my DH left in the cart last Thursday night. By the time I realized the iPad was not to be found (late Friday night), my DH (at that point it stood for dog house rather than darling husband) was gone camping and had not taken his cell phone. So by the time he returned home Saturday afternoon and realized he had left it at your store, we were almost certain the iPad was a gonner.

My hopes were raised when the Mobile Me app couldn't find it - I began to reason it must be in a safe at the store if the homing device was being blocked. Maybe it was me wishful thinking - I mean, I truly and desperately did not want to tell my mother the iPad she had gifted me was already missing. But when the weekend manager was not able to contact the head manager and give a definitive answer about the iPad, and the Mobile Me app wasn't tracking it all weekend, I have to admit my hopes grew.

Sorry to drone on like this. Really, I just want to say I could have kissed the feet of that manager when she called this morning. Only, being on the phone and all, I couldn't see her feet. And when I got to the store to pick it up and saw the dirty floor in there, I just decided to go with a handshake and a gushing "thank you."

Although I have doubted at times, there are really a few good points about shopping at Wal-Mart.

Too Much Change

2011-09-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

So, is anyone out there liking the new Blogger interface? I tried it for a week and found I preferred the old version. And I thought the new version looked too sterile or boring. I miss the blue and find the orange kind of meh. If you like it, please share what you like. Maybe I am missing something.

And then there are the facebook changes, which I am not hip on either. I do like the idea of video chat options--totally nice. But the news story concept is just not needed. Facebook people are totally messing with a good thing. And they are making changes every month it seems. Are they not aware that some people out there need time to adapt to change? Not everyone is as high tech as Mark Zuckerberg.

Scripture of the Day: Revelations 1:4

Book review: Minor Adjustments

2011-09-19T08:08:00.001-07:00

Minor Adjustments is Rachael Renee Anderson's third book. I loved her first two (Divinely Designed and Luck of the Draw), so I was excited when this new book was released recently and downloaded it on my eReader right away.

Although Minor Adjustments has a fun romantic element to its plot, similar to Anderson's first two novels, it is different in that it tackles the serious topic of child custody. This marks new territory for Anderson and shows she has the depth of talent for thought-provoking literature.

One thing I especially liked about Minor Adjustments was that the plot did not take the hard challenges facing the characters and then provide them with an easy out. The long distance relationship and custody battle were not wrapped up simply; the decisions made by the main characters were complicated and emotional. I found myself wondering what I would do if I were faced with such a situation. And although I questioned an unethical decision made, I honestly could not say I would have not considered that option myself if I had been walking in their shoes. (Probably I am getting a touch too ambiguous now... sorry! I don;t want to give away too much.)

Needless to say, this was an enjoyable book. I am very interested to see what Anderson comes up with next.

Amazon's product description: Chicago businessman and bachelor Devon Pierce doesn't want to be appointed guardian of Australian four-year-old Ryan Caldwell - but Ryan's solicitor, Stella Walker, won't take no for an answer. Little does Devon know that this "minor" adjustment will grant him a future he never expected to have. Told in a fast-paced, poignant, and witty style, Minor Adjustments will take you on a journey filled with humor, growth, romance, and love.

Watch the Minor Adjustments book trailer here.

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: 1 Cor. 12:3

Top 10 Things I Did This Weekend

2011-09-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

In no particular order...

1. Watched Project Runway - (pretty boy won again; not sure how I feel about that.)

2. Went to the temple - a definite highlight

3. Supported an eagle scout project (now if I could get Patch to work on his!)

4. Took my girls and four other neighborhood kids on a slushy run to Sonic. (Kitty called me the best mom ever for doing this.)

5. Had my annual fold-laundry-while-watching-You've Got Mail fall celebration - and now I am totally in the mood for fall weather!

6. Made French Puffs for the kids for breakfast. (See recipe here.)

7. Went for a walk Saturday morning and enjoyed a nice breeze.

8. Read a novel by Marcia Lynn McClure -a short, but sweet, one.

9. Worked on the outline and background materials of a new novel I had an idea for (not sure if this will ever go anywhere).

10. Did not have a fight with my DH even though he was majorly in the wrong!

Scripture of the Day: John 16:13

Ask the Editor #3

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

My DH kinda got me hooked on these Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor videos. I have learned something from every one I have watched, and have even begun using some of this new-found knowledge in my writing. So, I thought I would start sharing some of them with you. Enjoy!

This installment is about adding slang to the dictionary, which is something many complain about. I have even questioned this practice. But I do like the added sense of history we get when we keep track of slang word over the course of time. What do you think?

Scripture of the Day: Matt. 7:7

Book Review: Jane Austen Ruined My Life

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Mary recently watched an episode of Hoarders, which ultimately resulted in my inheritance of three boxes of books. After taking several days to sort them into three piles, I now I have a good supply of "to read" books on my list. And Jane Austen Ruined My Life was one of them. {Thanks, Mary!}

Written by Beth Patillo, Jane Austen Ruined My Life is one of three similar books about smart, modern-day women who are obsessed with Austen books and characters. I have read two of them now, and prefer the first one I read (Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart, which I will review for you soon). The most recent one, The Dashwood Sisters Tell All, came out in April of this year and was not in Mary's treasure trove. And I am not sure I will buy it. "Why," you ask? Because, although I liked Jane Austen, I did not love it. I found myself skimming rather than reading, and have little desire to reread sections of it.

My main issue with this book is the ending. ***WARNING: Skip the rest of this paragraph if you want to keep the end of the book a secret.*** The main character cries early on when thinking about her broken marriage and her unfulfilled dream of having children. But in the end, instead of commitment and the life she has dreamed of, she chooses another road. I am probably giving away too much of the ending here, so I won't say anything more--but this did not make sense to me.

To be honest, the cover of this book is great. I love the photograph, the red dress in particular, and the contrasting font color in the title. The cover alone sucked me into reading this book.

From the back of the book: English professor Emma Grant has always done everything just the way her minister father told her she should -- a respectable marriage, a teaching job at a good college, and plans for the requisite two children. Life was prodigiously good, as her favorite author Jane Austen might say, until the day Emma finds her husband in bed with another woman. Suddenly, all her romantic notions a la Austen are exposed for the foolish dreams they are.

Denied tenure in the wake of the scandal and left penniless by the ensuing divorce, Emma packs up what few worldly possessions she has left and heads to England on a quest to find the missing letters of Jane Austen. Locating the elusive letters, however, isn't as straightforward as Emma hoped. The owner of the letters proves coy about her prize possessions, sending Emma on a series of Austen-related tasks that bring her closer and closer to the truth, but the sudden reappearance of Emma's first love makes everything more complicated.

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here. Jenny has a review there, too.

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 29:18

Catching Up

2011-09-09T18:37:00.003-07:00

I thought I would share a little about what I have been up to lately in this post. But first things first: thanks to all those who left a comment for the giveaway. The winner (according to random.org) is:

LENA

Congratulations and happy shopping!

Okay, now back to what I have been up to lately.

First of all, teaching seems to be going well this semester. I have three classes all back to back in the middle of the day. Perfect for me because it is while the kids are at school. The students are fun as usual, although I have one with restless leg syndrome who keeps standing up during class. This drives me nuts, but I don't know what to say. I did tell him he has to stand at the back of the room so he isn't blocking anyone's view. But otherwise I am at a loss. Any advice? Please?

My writing has been slow as a result of work hours. Plus I had to finish a required online course for work (so glad that is done now). And then Primary has been somewhat busy, too. I really need to nail down a set time to do my writing. I miss it and have things buzzing in my mind that want to get out and about. I did get another article accepted by Mormon Times yesterday, so that will be coming out soon. But, on the down side, I also had a manuscript turned down recently. I think I am getting more used to rejection though as I did not take this one too hard.

Patch has hit the teen scene harder lately. Attitude-wise, I mean. After a few experiences I won't detail here (I am sure he would prefer to avoid that embarrassment) I realized it was time to shift gears with him and back off a little. He is needing his autonomy more and more as he gets older. And it seems it is time for him to take it to a new level. Not that I am ready for him to do that (would I ever be?)--just that he is ready for it.

I read two great books this week and am looking forward to doing reviews of them on my blog here in the next few weeks. I am beginning to be convinced that there are some really great new fiction writers emerging on the scene. And I kinda wish I was one of them (my green-eyed monster is showing a bit now).

And lastly, I saw these were going up for auction soon in New York. I'll take one of each, please...

Scripture of the Day: Deut. 8:3

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop

2011-08-31T18:57:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop! A big thank you to Kathy @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Heather from Buried in Books for co-hosting this hop!

There are 300 blogs each signed up to host a giveaway. This hop runs from September 1st to 7th.

The winner of the giveaway on my site will receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Use it to buy one of my two books (Adventures with the Word of God or Family Home Evening Adventures), or anything else you like.

To enter:

1. Follow this blog
2. Like my author page on Facebook (here)
3. And leave me a comment about one of the chapter topics in either of my books that interests you most (click on linked titles below to read more about my books - see under book description for some chapter topics listed):

Adventures with the Word of God

Family Home Evening Adventures

Good luck!

Scripture of the Day: D&C 68:25-28

Book Review: Matched

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

I recently hosted a book club meeting where we discussed Ally Condie's book Matched. I had bought an ebook version of this while in Yellowstone this past summer - we were staying in Snow Lodge and had a wonderful time relaxing, enjoying nature, and reading (of course). I finished this book in a day or two because is was imaginative and had a quick moving plot. What was particularly interesting was Condie's ability to take good ideas and turn them bad through the use of extremism and a dysfunctional society (qualifying this book to be part of a new genre called 'dystopian'). I look forward to the upcoming two books of this trilogy.

From the back of the book: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Read additional reviews of Matched on Goodreads here.

A few other books by Ally Condie include: Freshman for President
Crossed (second book in the Matched trilogy)
Yearbook

Check It Out

2011-08-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the latest article I have had published by the Deseret News. Enjoy!

A Smile for Your Weekend

2011-08-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

I majored in advertising in college, so I love to look at funny ads. Here are a few fun print ads (taken from here) that made me smile. Enjoy!

Tires That Grip the Road

Cafe Rico, an Intense Wake-Up Call

Rowenta: 2100 Watt Vacuum Cleaner

Folgers: For Mornings Less Complicated

Duende Azul Costumes

Never Let Their Toys Die

Scripture of the Day: Mormon 8:23

Ask The Editor #2

2011-08-24T06:00:00.008-07:00

My DH kinda got me hooked on these Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor videos. I have learned something from every one I have watched, and have even begun using some of this new-found knowledge in my writing. So, I thought I would start sharing some of them with you. Enjoy!

This installment is about ending sentences with prepositions, a problem we all worry about :-). I love the quote attributed to Winston Churchill at the end!

Scripture of the Day: D&C 26:1

Book Review: The List

2011-08-22T06:00:00.001-07:00

Some of you may recall that The List by Melanie Jacobson was on my list of books to read for the summer. I bought the Kindle version to read on my iPad and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I would have to say this is the best LDS romance I have read in a while! (I confess I have already read it three times, it was that good.) And i am so looking forward to Jacobson's new book being released next month.

But back to The List - I was impressed with the dialogue. I read on Jacobson's blog that she is a fan of Gilmore Girls, which I love as well. If you love quick witted, fun banter, then this book will impress you. And the use of IM-ing was a nice touch, as well.

The main character in The List, Ashley Barrett, was a more complex character that I typically find in LDS romance. She was very well rounded and was motivated by factors many relate to. As for the male lead, Matt Gibson, I loved his grand gesture to win over Ashley's heart (a la Pride and Prejudice).

From the back of the book: Ashley Barrett doesn’t want to get married. At least, not anytime soon. She doesn’t care how many of her friends and family members and fellow churchgoers had weddings before they finished college—the last thing she needs in her fun-loving twenties is the dead-weight of some guy. And that’s why she created The List. By the time she completes all twenty-five goals—from learning a language to skydiving to perfecting the art of making sushi—she’ll be more ready to settle down. Maybe.

This summer in California is a prime time for Ashley to cross two items off the list: learn to surf (#13) and have a summer romance (#17). And Matt Gibson, the best surf instructor in Huntington Beach and the most wanted guy in the singles ward, is the perfect man for the job. Ashley hatches a plan to love him and leave him before heading off to grad school in the fall (#4, get a master’s degree). But when Matt decides he doesn’t like the "leaving" part, Ashley’s carefully laid plans are turned sideways. Now Ashley faces an unexpected dilemma: should she stick to the safety of The List, or risk everything for a love that may tie her down—or might set her free?

Read additional reviews of The List on Goodreads here.

Also by Melanie Jacobson: Not My Type

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 13:11

Preparing LDS teens for seminary

2011-08-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Here is the link to my latest article picked up by Deseret News. And a huge thank you to my friend Lori for contributing - she was a lifesaver!

Hate that Autocorrect

2011-08-19T06:00:00.001-07:00

This morning on Good Morning America they showed some funny text autocorrect gaffes that got me laughing. After checking out the website I thought I would share a few. Too bad the website these are pulled from isn't cleaner - I would check it out more regularly. As it is, I will not likely go back. But, here is a laugh to get you ready for the weekend.

Scripture of the Day: Deut. 6:7

The missing website

2011-08-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks all for checking out my article on Mormon Times - it had over 9000 hits! Here is the website that was edited from the article. I had blogged about this site several years ago. But I still think it is worth a second mention. Variety is definitely the spice of life when it comes to family scripture study.

inephi.com

Have you ever wanted to see a first edition copy of the Book of Mormon in person? The next best thing is already available online at inephi.com. This site has page-by-page digital images of a first edition available for viewing. Why not also use it for some of your family scripture reading? If it feels like your family has read the story of Nephi and the brass plates one too many times, try reading it from this online first edition Book of Mormon. It feels like a whole new experience.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 9:8

Book Review: A Better Reason to Fall in Love

2011-08-15T06:00:00.002-07:00

On a recent boring Friday night I bought an ebook version of Marcia Lynn McClure's book A Better Reason to Fall in Love.This was the first book I have read by McClure and my lackluster evening was certainly brightened by her fun-loving, humorous style. I loved her incorporation of the six-degrees of separation as related to Kevin Bacon - a clever device I have never seen used in a book before. McClure's main characters were charming, although I kept waiting for a roadblock or challenge to overcome in their relationship; it never came. So, although it was a bit idealistic, I will likely be reading more of McClure's work in the near future. {Sadly, I have a lot of humdrum Friday nights to fill.}

Book Excerpt:
“Boom chicka wow wow!” Emmy whispered.
“Absolutely!” Tabby breathed as she watched Jagger Brodie saunter past.
She envied Jocelyn for a moment, knowing he was most likely on his way to drop something off on Jocelyn’s desk—or to speak with her. Jocelyn got to talk with Jagger almost every day, whereas Tabby was lucky if he dropped graphics changes off to her once a week.
“Ba boom chicka wow wow!” Emmy whispered again. “He’s sporting a red tie today! Ooo! The power tie! He must be feeling confident.”
Tabby smiled, amused and yet simultaneously amazed at Emmy’s observation. She’d noticed the red tie, too. “There’s a big marketing meeting this afternoon,” she told Emmy. “I heard he’s presenting some hard-nose material.”
“Then that explains it,” Emmy said, smiling. “Mr. Brodie’s about to rock the company’s world!”
“He already rocks mine…every time he walks by,” Tabby whispered.

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 88:118

Back to School

2011-08-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday the kids started back to school. I always have mixed feelings about this--it makes me sad to see them getting so mature and grown up (I miss my babies!). But they are always so excited to start back that it is contagious. And I have to admit I love having a cleaner house and some more quiet personal time.

Here is Patch (middle) with his friend (and friend's sister). This year Patch starts high school and is going to the same HS I attended. Honestly, this makes me feel OLD! I love how his expression in this picture reads, "Get it over with already, Mom!" He is such a teenager now.

And here are Kitty and Sweetie Peach. Kitty starts sixth grade while Sweetie Peach is in third. Sweetie Peach is wearing her bling-ed out tennis shoes, which Patch said had "too many sprinkles" on them. Kitty has been wearing t-shirts she got from Justice these first few days of school, including this hedgehog one. I'm not a fan of Justice, but the girls love their t-shirts.

This should be a good year of school. I have an easy go of carpool this year and kids in only two schools. Next year, though, I will have kids in three different schools - YIKES! I won't worry about that today though (so the Scarlett O'Hara in me thinks); I will think about that next year.

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 13:11

Ask The Editor #1

2011-08-10T06:00:00.007-07:00

My DH kinda got me hooked on these Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor videos. I have learned something from every one I have watched, and have even begun using some of this new-found knowledge in my writing. So, I thought I would start sharing some of them with you. Enjoy!

This first one is about pluralizing the word 'octopus.' It is nice to know there is more than one right answer for this mystery. Although, octopolese (sp?) sound kinda cool...

Scripture of the Day: D&C 90:15

Deseret News Article

2011-08-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I had an article accepted for publication on Deseret News' online site. It went live this morning, so here is a link for you to check it out. Be sure to leave me a comment!

PS, They actually cut out one of the websites listed in the article (originally it was six). Next week I will publish my original draft of the article here on my blog so you can get the full effect.

Book Review: Montana Summer

2011-08-08T06:00:00.003-07:00

My good friend Jen let me read this book, which was written by her relative Jeanette Miller. Montana Summer, published by Covenant Communications, is an LDS romance that addresses breaking up an engagement more seriously than any other book I have read previously. The author handles the challenging emotions of the situation in a believable and morally-grounded manner. And the emotional quality of the writing was potent without being overwhelming. I was pleasantly surprised by this debut novel and look forward to seeing more from Miller.

From the back of the book: "Life has never looked so promising for Shelby Hamlin. After weathering a lonely childhood, her father's death, and her mother's rejection for joining the Church, she is now engaged to someone who appears to be the ideal man: Brad Thompson, an ambitious BYU student who's stalwart in the gospel. And when Shelby travels alone to Brad's hometown in Montana while he's in California, she's warmly embraced by her future in-laws--with the exception of Cameron, Brad's resentful brother whose own engagement recently ended in bitter scandal. But as Cameron becomes Shelby's increasingly frequent companion in Brad's absence, their initial sparks of irritation become the glowing beginnings of a complicated romance. And as the two explore the breathtaking scenery of Big Sky country, Shelby's heart pulls her away from her carefully laid plans. Can she have the love she's always wanted without destroying the family of her dreams?"

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: 2 Timothy 2:15

Lighten Up!

2011-08-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am saddened by the news of the passing of Sister Chieko Okazaki today. Sister Okazaki made a tremendous impact on my life during the time I transitioned from young women to Relief Society. I remember looking forward to her talks and feeling her optimism.

I am one of many who purchased and read her book Lighten Up! In fact, it still sits on my bookshelf, dust jacket in near perfect condition, despite my use of her book in a number of talks and thoughts. I am sure I have read it two or three times, but I think maybe it is time to read it again. Here is one of my favorite quotes from her book:

"Let's remember that charity begins at home. Let's focus on loving our children for who they are right now and eliminating the feeling for them that they have to compete and struggle and achieve to be good enough. Let's focus on loving ourselves for who we are right now. We don't need to compete with an image of impossible perfection. Let's focus on letting love flow to our sisters and brothers. Let's accept and rejoice in their diversity. Let's offer the gift of understanding and acceptance. We don't need to judge. We don't need to compare. There's room for all of us. Let's allow our love for Jesus take the form of simple kindness and courtesy whenever we see a need."

Just a few weeks back a friend brought me three boxes of books she was getting rid of, and there among many others was Lighten Up! I remember thinking, "Oh, how could anyone get rid of such a great book?" But, she did.

So I have an extra copy of Lighten Up! In honor of Chieko Okazaki's memory I thought I would pass it on to any of my readers who might be interested. Leave me a comment telling me your thoughts and memories of Sister Okazaki if you would like this free copy. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

Scripture of the Day: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

What? A new blog post by who?

2011-08-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know it has been a while. Let's just call it a summer vacation.

Truthfully, what really happened was burn out. Last month I finally turned in a manuscript--after pushing quite hard to wrap it up. I decided to take a break for a few days, but it ended up stretching into several weeks. I was just worn out, sick of writing. So it was totally unintentional that my little vacay would last so long. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, though!

But I think I am ready to get back into my writing. I have been working on my fiction manuscript, debating what to do as my next big project, and even wrote an article (which has been accepted-yay!-but not posted yet) for Mormon Times. And now I am back to my blog.

It's good to be back.

Scripture of the Day: 3 Nephi 11:15

Have you seen this yet?

2011-06-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Too, too funny!

Scripture of the Day: Moses 1:39

Remembering Joseph Smith

2011-06-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

The very first prophet of the latter days was Joseph Smith. Born December 23, 1805 to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph was an outgoing and athletic boy. He worked hard on his father’s farm growing up, but always enjoyed having fun. As a young man Joseph Smith was called as a prophet and directed to restore the true gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. He did so, establishing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830. In addition to restoring the Church, Joseph’s greatest accomplishments include the restoration of the priesthood authority and power to the earth, translation and publication of scripture (the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Bible), and the restitution of temple covenants. During his lifetime Joseph saw the Church grow from a small handful to over 26,000 members. Today is the sad anniversary of the death of Joseph Smith. He died at the hands of a mob in Carthage Jail in 1844.

Here are a few ways you can remember Joseph Smith in your FHE this evening:

1. Sing or listen to "Praise to the Man" (Hymns #27).

2. Read D&C 135, which recounts Joseph Smith's deaths and major accomplishments.

3. Review the Study Topic about Joseph Smith on lds.org.

4. Look at some of the historic photographs from Joseph Smith's life on JosephSmith.net.

5. Take a virtual tour of the Carthage Jail room where Joseph Smith died (also on JosephSmith.net).

Scripture of the Day: Hebrews 12:9

We Have a Winner!

2011-06-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Raelena of Through The Haze book reviews blog! She is the winner of the $10 Amazon.com gift card, which I will be e-mailing shortly.

Thanks for all those who participated in the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop this past week. I enjoyed reading all of your comments. Have a great weekend!

Scripture of the Day: 3 Nephi 25:6

The Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop

2011-06-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop! A big thank you to Kathy @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer for hosting this hop!

The winner of the giveaway on my site will receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Use it to buy one of my two books (Adventures with the Word of God or Family Home Evening Adventures), or anything else you like.

To enter:

1. Follow this blog
2. Like my author page on Facebook (here)
3. And leave me a comment about one of the chapter topics in either of my books that interests you most:

Adventures with the Word of God

Family Home Evening Adventures

Good luck!

Scripture of the Day: D&C 68:25-28

Book Signing

2011-06-15T08:53:00.001-07:00

Come and see me this Friday at the grand re-opening celebration of Latter Day Cottage in Tucson, AZ (7012 E. Broadway). All week long there has been an extravaganza of authors at signing events there to help celebrate. With me there on Friday will be Margaret Turley (Save the Child), Anna Arnett (Lolly's Yarn & Baby Boomerang), David Arnett (The Baltimore Principles), and Roger Stark (The Waterfall Concept). See you there!

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 10:1

Our Trip to Yellowstone

2011-06-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Some bison we saw on our way into the park. The kids were so excited to see babies.

It was pretty wet and cold while we were there.

Us AZ people find anything lower than 70 cold!

Kitty and a beautiful blue geyser.

Old Faithful area from up on a scenic viewpoint.

Not long after this we were caught in a rainstorm.

We finally caught Old Faithful going off after being there a day and a half.

A female elk we saw on the way out of the park.

One animal we did not see in Yellowstone was a bear. However, in Wyoming outside of the park we saw this mama bear with her 2 cubs. This was the best zoom job I could do with my camera, so it's not a great picture. Still, we were excited to see them.

Where I am headed today

2011-06-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

The last time I was here I had 18 stitches in my foot and had to wear duct tape wrapped around my sock as a make-shift shoe. It stunk. So I am hoping to have a better experience this go around... Especially because I am so excited to show it to my kids. I have wanted to do this trip for three years.

More later...

Yes, I am still alive

2011-06-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know it seems I have fallen off the planet. But really I am still here. Somehow I always think life will slow down and I will be able to take a breath. But for the past year or so it has been extra crazy. Here is what I have been doing in the past week or so:

- Wrote a research report - this took 24 hours to write. Yikes.
- Started teaching summer school.
- Running the kids here and there. (Now that they are out of school I am a taxi driver.)
- Housework.
- Finished my Shutterfly 2010 family photo book.
- Prepping for a vacation.

To be honest I am really in need of that vacation. I am worn out from working too much and don't feel like spending time on the things I want to do as a result. For example, I only have one chapter left of my manuscript, but I am having a hard time feeling like writing it. So close, and yet so far away?

Scripture of the Day: Genesis 49:2

Loving this quote

2011-05-23T08:16:00.001-07:00

I am tempted to put this on a canvas and hang it up in my house. What do you think? Too long?

“There is no such thing as instant greatness. This is because the achievement of true greatness is a long-term process. It may involve occasional setbacks. The end result may not always be clearly visible, but it seems that it always requires regular, consistent, small, and sometimes ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time. . . .

“True greatness is never a result of a chance occurrence or a one-time effort or achievement. It requires the development of character. It requires a multitude of correct decisions for the everyday choices between good and evil. . . .

“As we evaluate our lives, it is important that we look, not only at our accomplishments, but also at the conditions under which we have labored. We are all different and unique individuals. We have each had different starting points in the race of life. We each have a unique mixture of talents and skills. We each have our own set of challenges and constraints to contend with” (“What Is True Greataness,” in Brigham Young University 1986–87 Devotional and Fireside Speeches [1987], 115).

Scripture of the Day: D&C 88:44-45

Cultivating Gratitude #12

2011-05-22T09:28:00.001-07:00

We have been having the most beautiful weather the past few days and I would be remorse if I did not say how grateful I have been for it. I have loved hearing the birds sing outside my window when I awake. It has been the perfect walking weather, too; I have walked and biked more this past week because it is so inviting outside. Nothing makes me more grateful for nature than a beautiful day.

Spring it is with us and Summer is near
And beautiful weather for the time of year
Such beauty the poets and the artists inspire
Of talking of Nature could one ever tire
Her green of September Mother Nature wear
And the perfumes of blossoms in the evening air.
-Francis Duggan

Scripture of the Day: D&C 89:11

Book Review: Blank Slate

2011-05-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I purchased Heather Justesen's new e-book Blank Slate and installed it on my Nook. I was really in the mood for a good read and this one had a nice twist to it. Although a bit longer than most LDS romances, I enjoyed the plot and found the main character, Adriana, to be well written. Her thoughts and feelings were believable in the unusual circumstances of the plot. Her character was three-dimensional for me.

Synopsis: Adrianna Mueller may be a world-renowned concert pianist, but when she wakes from her coma after a serious car accident, her ability to perform has disappeared as completely as her memory. As she recovers from her injuries, she struggles with the expectations of everyone—her family, friends, and fiancé, Brock—who all want everything to go back to the way it was.

Everyone except Gavin, Adrianna’s brother’s business partner, who finds himself drawn to the woman she is now. But he has his own problems. As he tries to get a handle on a former employee’s embezzlement, he fights his growing feelings for Adrianna.

And then a trip to the emergency room shakes everything up, leaving her to stumble as she tries to regain her footing all over again.

Read additional reviews of Blank Slate on Goodreads here.

Other books by Heather Justesen include Rebound and The Ball's in Her Court.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 59:18

Whitney Award Winners

2011-05-11T07:54:00.002-07:00

Late last week the winners for the Whitney Awards were announced. I always like to see which books won because I can count on these books being good, clean reads. And, as it is time to start putting together my summer reading list, the Whitney Award winners help point me in the right direction.

Best General: Band of Sisters - I have already read and reviewed this book, which was excellent and well deserving (read my review here). Congratulations to Annette Lyon!

Best Historical: Trespass - I have not yet read this book by Sandra Grey, but will likely add this to my summer list.

Best Mystery/Suspense: Cold as Ice - Have not yet read this either; looks scary.

Best Romance: Cross My Heart - Cute book! You can read my review here.

Best Speculative: The Way of Kings - Haven't read this, but might give it a try. It looks like something my son would enjoy. This book also tied with another book (Mr. Monster) for novel of the year.

Best Youth - General: The Healing Spell - May have to check this out on behalf of my kids.

Best Youth - Speculative: Matched - This book is at the top of my summer to-read list. It was a NYTimes best seller and is on my book club list to read as well.

Best by a New Author: Paranormalacy - Looks so good!

Novel of the Year: Tie between The Way of the Kings (see above) and Mr. Monster - The cover on this book does not attract me . . . but I am considering it as a summer read.

Congrats to all the winners! I hope this list provides my readers with some great ideas for what to stock their Kindle or Nook with before heading out on vacation.

Scripture of the Day: Eccl. 3:1

Mom's Day

2011-05-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

My girls and me

First off, congratulations to Tamara for winning the $10 Amazon.com gift card in the Spring Blog Carnival hop I participated in last week. I appreciated all the participants who left a comment. The winner was chosen using random.org.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day! Although I was a bit under the weather it was still a fun day. The best part was that I had the day off at church. Being Primary president usually makes for busy Sundays, but yesterday the priesthood took over. One of the bishopric counselors even told me from the podium in sacrament meeting not to go and check up on Primary, but really he did not have to worry about it. I was too intent on enjoying my time off!

Other good parts of my mom's day:

A NAP!
Visiting with friends in RS while eating cheesecake. (Loved seeing you there, too, Nancy.)
My dh and the kids made frozen pizzas after church so I did not have to make dinner.
Went to visit my mom and we had fun talking and then watched the season finale of The Amazing Race.
Getting another gasoline gift card--thanks Mom and Dad (I have been collecting these for all the holidays and my anniversary since the beginning of the year to make sure I can take the kids on a good summer vacation).

Hopefully your day was as fun as mine!

Scripture of the Day: Jacob 5:27

Shifts in Reading Patterns?

2011-05-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

If you are looking to participate in the Carnival, scroll down to the next post!

Another interesting article from Shelf Awareness... I am finding it easier not to pick up books again that I have on my Nook as well. Although, for the most part these are free books--so I do not feel the necessity to read them if I don't have to. Those I have paid for I make sure I read all the way to get my money's worth.

"Since getting an e-book [reading device], I've found myself spending more money on books than I did a year ago, and spending it faster.... It's also changed me as a reader. For one thing, it eases, to a potentially dangerous degree, the switch from one book to another. Like many readers, I read half a dozen or more books at a time, dropping one and picking up another according to mood. And, like most such readers, I sometimes find that when I put aside a book I choose not to pick it up again.

"For those who read this way, the e-book presents extra temptations. You need only press two buttons and Book A will disappear, making room for Book B; automatically, the page you were reading on Page B when last you turned to it magically appears. I've self-imposed rules against the behavior this encourages, lest I find myself never finishing anything." --Robert Fulford in his National Post column, "Death of the book: Long live e-books.

Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 61:11

Welcome to the Spring Blog Carnival

2011-04-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Spring Blog Carnival - a giveaway hop that is all about books! Thanks to Lori from Pure Imagination, Candace from Candace's Book Blog, Mary from The Book Swarm, and Reading Angel who have joined together to throw this fun blog party!

Now for the Carnival part: During the giveaway hop different blogs will be hosting booths. Each booth will have a fun challenge for you to do to enter their giveaway! Here are the booths...

Reading Angel has the Haunted House and will be giving away Paranormal books.
Lori has the Kissing Booth and will be giving away Romance books.
Mary has Rollercoasters and will be giving away a contemporary book.
Candace has the Food Court and will be giving away Giftcards (or books of winners choice).
Reading Teen has the Fortune Tellers Booth and will be giving away Witch Books.
Mod Podge Bookshelf is hosting the House of Mirrors and will be giving away Book Prints.
Actin’ Up With Books has the Karaoke Booth
Lovely Lit with Once Upon a Time Booth
Awesomesauce Books with the Gaming Booth
Books R Us Medieval Booth
Extreme Reader Book Reviews with the Guessing Booth (or Riddle Booth?)
Colloquium with the Cotton Candy Booth
The Minding Spot with the Teacups Booth
Miss Remmers Review with It’s a Bad World Booth

Here on my blog I will be giving away a $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com! Use it to buy one of my two books (Adventures with the Word of God or Family Home Evening Adventures), or anything else you like.

To enter:

1. Follow this blog
2. Like my author page on Facebook (here)
3. And leave me a comment that one of the chapter topics in either of my books that interests you most (Adventures with the Word of God or Family Home Evening Adventures).

That's it! Good Luck!

This and That

2011-04-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week and I have been lame at posting. But here is a good catch up post.

First, congratulations to Aimee, the winner of Adventures with the Word of God from the Hoppy Easter Giveaway Hop that ended a few days ago! Please e-mail me with your address so I can drop it into the mail. I hope you enjoy it.

Second, my mom and I have been laughing at the cuteness of the formula for knowing what your guest name is for attending the royal wedding.

Lord/Lady + (one of your grandmother's first names) + (your first pet's name) hyphenated with (the name of the street you first lived on).

So, for me, my name works out to be Lady Helen Fritz-Drumm. I think my daughter's name is cuter - Lady Patricia Rose-Peppertree. What would your name be? Let me know in a comment.

Speaking of royal weddings, do you plan on watching it tomorrow morning? I remember getting up in the wee hours of the morning to watch Diana and Charles get married. I am not sure it was worth it. Plus I am a lot older now and suffer much more from being sleep deprived. I am thinking I will go with the replay version on television, but am not sure yet...

Lastly, I had some good news today: I learned I get to teach a class this summer. I had thought I would not be teaching because there are only limited classes offered in the summer. Plus, the comms building will be under renovation. But I spoke with the dean today and she asked if I could teach an evening class twice a week, which is perfect since the kids will be out of school. Yay for steady summer income!

Hope you are having a good week, too.

Scripture of the Day: Matt. 25:27-29

Interview on MyLadyWeb.com

2011-04-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

(Looking for the Hoppy Easter Giveaway Hop? Scroll down to the next post!)

Please check out this interview Teresa Bohannan did with me and posted on MyLadyWeb.com. Teresa is the author of the Regency Romance novel A Very Merry Chase (which I reviewed here).Teresa's site has lots of great information--interviews with authors, information on self publishing, and really interesting historical info on women. Take a few minutes to read the interview, browse her site, and be sure to leave me some love at the end!

Scripture of the Day: Luke 10:25-37

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop

2011-04-20T00:01:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop. Thanks to I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and Once Upon A Twilight for hosting the hop! This hop runs from Wednesday April 20 through Monday April 25.

In a giveaway hop each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we link up together allowing our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another. Here on my site, I am giving away an autographed copy of my book Adventures with the Word of God, an LDS family scripture study aid.

Synopsis: Do your children's eyes gloss over as soon as family scripture study starts? Adventures with the Word of God is exactly what you need to get them excited about scripture study. Interactive scripture reading makes family study fun for the whole family. Help your children learn and understand gospel principles directly from the scriptures with a year's worth of scripture study themes, such as:

The family proclamation

Pioneers

President Hinckley's "Be's"

Charity

Testimony

Together, your family can study and learn from sets of verses on similar topics, which helps children to better understand the language of the scriptures. Helpful hints are included to provide additional ways to encourage children to pay closer attention during family study time. With this handy helper, children can gain the tools they need to begin personal scripture study and increase their individual testimonies.

To enter this giveaway:
- Become a follower
- Like my facebook author page (Rebecca Irvine - author)
- And leave me a comment on this post

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 2:17

And the winner is...

2011-04-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Krinn

Congratulations Krinn on winning Miss Delacourt Has Her Day! I will get that to you asap.

Happy Birthday Kitty

2011-04-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today this kid is turning 11 and I can hardly believe how quickly she is growing up! She is a lovely, talented sweetheart. Even with a fish on her head ;-).

Scripture of the Day: D&C 24:7

I is for Interview and Irvine

2011-04-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Deirdra Allen recently interviewed my as part of her alphabet series. I was lucky enough to qualify for the letter 'I'. Be sure to check it out on her blog astorybookworld.blogspot.com.

And don't forget to enter the giveaway for Heidi Ashworth's new novel Miss Delacourt Has Her Day. Scroll down to the next post for further details!

Scripture of the Day: D & C 24:7

Time for a Giveaway!

2011-04-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

I recently reviewed Heidi Ashworth's new book Miss Delacourt Has Her Day (read my review here). In the process of doing so I entered several contests as part of MD2's blog tour. And, guess what?!? I won two of the contests (yay me!). One was for this gorgeous basket of goodies:

(Doesn't Heidi have fabulous taste? She recently opened her own store called Dunhaven Place and I am so wishing I lived in the San Fran area to go and visit it in person. Guess it is time for a visit there...)

And the other was an autographed copy of Miss Delacourt Has Her Day. So now that I have 2 copies, I have decided to do a giveaway of one to my readers.

- To enter become a follower
- Leave a comment
- And become a fan of my author page on Facebook (Rebecca Irvine - author)

Good luck to all!

Scripture of the Day: 2 Chron. 35:2

On My To-Read List

2011-04-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

I recently read about this book that looks interesting and have added it to my to-read list (which, of course, is always longer than I have dollars to spend). Do you have any good books on your to-read list? Share them with me in a comment. FYI--This article was originally posted here.

Pennie Picks My Name Is Mary Sutter

Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Costco's book buyer, has chosen My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira (Penguin, $15, 9780143119135) as her pick of the month for April. In Costco Connection, which goes to many of the warehouse club's members, she wrote:

"Did you know that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War? I hadn't given it much thought until I read this month's book pick, Robin Oliveira's debut novel, My Name Is Mary Sutter.

"I've never been what you might call a history buff, but Mary Sutter is such a well-crafted and interesting character that I was immediately drawn into her life and determination to pursue a career in medicine.

"It's fascinating to look back and see how far medicine has advanced--along with women's careers in the field. Oliveira also succeeds in examining the implications of being driven to achieve one's goals to the exclusion of other obligations.

"When you combine such a strong character with thorough research, you get a historical novel that educates while it engages."

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 2:16

A Busy Weekend

2011-04-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was quite full, but very enjoyable. Here's what I did...

Dog sat this cutie for my parents who were out of town. He missed him real mom and dad a lot.

Studied up on this great man and began writing a chapter about him. Did you know he did not have even one baptism on his mission to England? (Made me feel a bit better about my mission there...)

Watched 8 hours of this -- my favorites were this one, this one, and this one.

Played around with this new toy. I am learning how to use it and having fun in the process.

I hope your weekend was great as well! Stick around... because in a day or so I will be posting a fun giveaway of Heidi Ashworth's new book (read my review here). I won a copy, so now I have one to give away.

Scripture of the Day: 2 Chron. 12:8

Cultivating Gratitude #11

2011-03-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while working, I was listening to a Mormon Channel latter-day prophets discussion about David O. McKay. Did you know he is the first prophet in these latter days to be a college graduate? This surprised me somewhat. I would have thought a few earlier prophets would have gone to college. I do recall hearing that Heber J. Grant could have gone to West Point, but that he chose to stay home to take care of and be near his widowed mother. But, generally, this little factoid was eye-opening.

Anyway, all of this thinking about who went to college and who did not has made me realize how grateful I am to have had the chance to go to school to earn two college degrees. Not everyone has had such blessed opportunities. And of those who did, not everyone enjoyed it.

I loved almost everything about going to college--the atmosphere, roommates, the professors, the growth I experienced (everything except the being poor as a church mouse part). And my education has opened a lot of doors for me. I am a better, more confident, well-rounded, secure person because of the six years I invested in my education. The rewards have significantly outweighed the challenges, costs, and struggles that came with attending college. And I am incredibly grateful for that.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 104:18

An Update on Harrison

2011-03-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

Recently my nephew, Harrison, turned 12 and was ordained a deacon. A deacon's responsibility (one of several) includes passing the sacrament to the congregation. Because of his cerebral palsy, passing the sacrament is not a standard procedure for Harrison. To help the process, Harrison's father made this special apparatus that connects to his wheelchair and allows him to participate in this special ordinance. The hooks help to hold the trays for him. Today, Harrison's home teacher pushed his wheel chair as he passed the sacrament.

I have to admit I get teary-eyed seeing this.

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 3:10

I think this guy is on to something...

2011-03-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

(Peter Glassman, owner of Books of Wonder in New York City, encourages publishers to bundle e-books and books together and predicts that the "app-book" will overwhelm e-books; from here)

I'm curious about when publishers are going to wake up and recognize what film studios realized a couple of years ago--the power of bundling physical product with a digital version. If movies can be sold on DVD with a digital download for a few extra dollars, why can't books? Seems to me that way book lovers could have their cake and eat it, too! And it would give bricks-and-mortar stores something to put on their shelves.

As for apps, I think we've barely seen the tip of that iceberg. The "app-book" (as I call it) is going to steamroller right over e-books as more and more developers realize what they can do and how they can transform the experience of reading into an event that takes full advantage of the digital platform. Of course, heaven help us if publishers think they're going to rule this world. The amount lost on CD-ROM will be nothing compared to that! The smart publishers will be looking for brilliant app developers to buy the sub-rights to their books and make the most of it rather than trying to create an industry from scratch. As Hollywood discovered long ago, collecting fees to let others create new products from yours is a sure fire way to add to the bottom line.

What do you think?

Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 58:11

Book Review: Miss Delacourt Has Her Day

2011-03-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I read Heidi Ashworth's regency romance Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind (see my review here) and fell in love with the two main characters, Ginny Delacourt and Sir Anthony. I had honestly thought Ashworth had set the book up for a possible sequel, and made mention of this in a comment on her blog, only to learn that was not the case. But Heidi was intrigued by the idea and set to work on what is now affectionately known as MD2 (for Miss Delacout 2). Well, finally, that dream has come to fruition and Miss Delacourt Has Her Day has arrived. I just had to order a copy to read right away and am now here to share.

So what did I think? Once again, I loved the main characters. What was impressive was that Ashworth gave greater depth to Ginny and Sir Anthony through the use of new situations and circumstances. I was clearly able to see growth and change in both of them. The continued use of foil characters Lucinda and Lord Avery were also an added bonus for the humorous themes of the book.

I also enjoyed the creative plot elements in Miss Delacourt Has Her Day. Sir Anthony has some fun challenges to overcome in order to be able to wed his lovely Ginny--these led to plenty of laughs and even a bit of suspense. The slight plot twist involving one character with whom I share a name (Rebecca) was a nice curveball thrown in by Heidi.

All in all, I just love Heidi's style of writing. She has an intellectual quality in her use of words that I envy. And her ability to be witty and humorous (just check out the dialogue alone!) is on par with (if not better than) Sarah Eden's work.

Synopsis:
Ginny Delacourt felt the course of true love could not have run smoother. After all, it required only a fortnight, a pair of highwaymen, a pox quarantine, a sham betrothal, and a masquerade ball to bring Sir Anthony up to snuff. When her beloved suddenly becomes the heir to his uncle, the Duke of Marcross, protocol dictates that he drop the "Sir" from his name. It's his uncle who insists Ginny, daughter of a lowly vicar, is not the proper bride for a future duke.

Lucinda and Lord Avery arrive on the scene to stir up trouble, and Ginny's normally manipulative Grandaunt Regina seems helpless to arrange anything, least of all a frowned-upon wedding. It's up to Anthony, with help from his fussy valet, to see to it that Ginny has her day.

The road to true love just got a little bumpier.

Read additional review of Miss Delacourt Has Her Day on...
Temporary? Insanity
Dreams of Quill & Ink
Regally Blonde
Syncopated Musings
I Am a Pistachio
And on Goodreads, where there is a giveaway of the book (enter by the end of the month).

PS, check out the top of page 102 for a tribute to moi.

Scripture of the Day: Jacob 2:18

The Newest Thing in Paperbacks?

2011-03-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

I recently read this article on Shelf Awareness (a publishing blog) and it piqued my interest. Sound interesting to anyone?

Dutch Flip for 'Flipback' Book

A new paperback format?

The "flipback" book, introduced in the Netherlands in 2009 and "all the rage" there, is being touted as the "new Kindle," smaller and lighter than an e-reader but made out of paper, according to the Guardian.

Flipback books are printed on extra-thin paper; the spine stays open easily; text is printed "parallel" to the spine so one reads the book longways; and the whole thing is small enough to fit in a pocket.

Hodder & Stoughton is publishing a series of 12 flipbacks in June that will cost £9.99 each.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 59:16

Funeral Plans

2011-03-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my 90 year old grandfather passed away. You may recall the short (true) story I wrote about him and my father, which I posted last December (read it here). We are all grateful for the wonderful life he lived and the heritage he provided for his family. I am off to his funeral and a celebration of his life. See you in a few.

Cultivating Gratitude #10

2011-03-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard on my manuscript of FHE lessons taken from the lives of latter-day prophets. Their experiences are so uplifting and inspiring. I am so grateful today for the many things I am learning from this work. In fact, there is so much I am learning that it is impossible to include it all in the manuscript. I am having to pick and choose the best, which is often so hard to do.

Here is one story of George Albert Smith I am unable to include, but would love to have in the manuscript:

President George Albert Smith gave this promise to Church members that we may all remember in times of trouble:
“There are two influences in the world. The one is the influence of our Heavenly Father and the other is the influence of Satan. We can take our choice which territory we want to live in, that of our Heavenly Father or that of Satan.
“I have many times repeated what my grandfather said. He, too, talked from this stand, and it was he who gave me his name. In advising his family he said, ‘There is a line of demarcation, well defined. On one side of the line is the Lord’s territory. On the other side of the line is the devil’s territory.’ And he said, ‘If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line, you are perfectly safe, because the adversary of all righteousness can not cross that line.’
“What does that mean? It means to me that those who are living righteous lives, keeping all of the commandments of our Heavenly Father are perfectly safe, but not those who trifle with his advice and counsel” (George Albert Smith, in Conference Report, Oct. 1949, pp. 5–6).

Scripture of the Day: Matt. 16:25

Stand By Me

2011-03-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Stand By Me | Playing For Change | Song Around The World from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

I think I have watched this video about a dozen times in the past few days. Just love it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Scripture of the Day: 2 Nephi 4:35

What I've Been Up To

2011-03-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have not felt like blogging or writing a lot lately. I am not sure why or what is going on, other than I was so busy in February that when things finally slowed down last week that I just completely stopped. Part of the problem, I know, was that I was a bit under the weather as well. Nothing serious--just embarrassing female stuff you all would consider TMI if I divulged the details.

So what have I been doing lately? Well, the teaching is going well. One of my students today complemented me, saying, "You're a really good teacher." This made me feel fabulous because I worry I am not doing as good a job as I could. I am also glad that this week I only have to lecture once (there is an exam for my classes on Thursday).

My dh is out of town, but will be back later today. Having him gone is stressful, but I go and buy junk food for the kids' lunches and I plan easy meals and try to do something fun with the kids. Last night for FHE we made some blueberry quick bread and cards to take to an injured ward member. We had fun riding out bikes and scooters over to deliver it together. i am beginning to appreciate these times together.

Tomorrow is our 15th wedding anniversary. We do not have big plans, although we are going to Alabama together for part of spring break (which I sold to him as an anniversary trip ;-). Maybe we will go out to eat, though, tomorrow. Any recommendations from my Mesa counterparts out there?

And as for writing, I did get one manuscript submitted last week. I should be working on another manuscript, but need to get re-motivated asap. My goal is to get this second manuscript submitted by the end of April. This is quite ambitious, but I know I can do it. I just need to get my focus back and get to work.

Which maybe I should do right now...

Scripture of the Day: Psalms 144:15

ANWA Writer's Conference

2011-02-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

This past week was extra busy with work and Sweetie Peach getting sick--but I had signed up to attend the American Night Writer's Conference in Phoenix and was not about to miss it. I had never been to a writer's conference before, although there are many I would have loved to attend (O, to live in Utah!). I committed to myself last summer that I would definitely be at the ANWA conference this year. And can I just say, I am so glad I went!

My favorite two classes were taught by Elana Johnson, author of the upcoming book Possession (which I am so going to read). She was such a fun presenter; I loved her relaxed style that had me laughing through 4 (count 'em F-O-U-R) hours of class time. And not only that, I learned so much. I was talking to my friend and carpool partner afterward and we were both so impressed.

I was also able attend a class by Janette Rallison (one of my favorite authors whom I aspire to write like). I admit I did not go up and meet her personally, but someday I plan to gush all over her and get her autograph. In another class I attended, though, Janette Rallison was only two seats away from me.

And I have saved the best news for last. During the conference I had a pitch appointment with a senior editor at Covenant Communications that went fabulously. Yes, he called one of my manuscript ideas "brilliant" and said to send it to him right away. (And I somehow did not fall out of my chair or start drooling all over him--don't even ask me how I was able to accomplish that.)

So all in all I would say my first writing conference was a huge success. And I must admit I am very much looking forward to the next.

Book Review: Makeover

2011-02-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

I bought Shannon Guymon's book Makeover late last year and enjoyed it. Makeover is a light read about an LDS hairdresser who has to deal with being abandoned by her father at a young age and poor treatment from the paternal side of her family. As she learns to maneuver these (often humorous) family realtions, she also meets a great guy to date. I enjoyed the different family interactions Guymon presented in the plot--it added a lot of dimension and took what could have been another stand-by chick-lit novel to something a bit more.

Synopsis:
Ten years ago her father abandoned her and her mother for a younger, richer woman. The majority of boys her age ignore her. And now her boyfriend - the missionary she waited faithfully for over the last two years -- dumped her at the airport for a beautiful brunette he met in the mission field. Hurt and humiliated, Sophie vows to get even with Blake and get over him - fast. Desperate for a full-scale makeover, Sophie is determined to shake off the girl she was and become the woman she wants to be. Standing up to her incredibly snobby relatives and getting back into the dating game proves to be easier than she thought, but can she trust the men she dates? Paul seems nice, but Sophie suspects he might be in love with another girl, and she's not about to put up with that again. Sam makes her heart flutter, but what about his psychotic ex-girlfriend - is Sophie in any danger? And to top it off, it appears that Blake may still love her. But will she allow herself to trust him again?

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 121:11

This had me laughing

2011-02-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Patch (age 13) asked if he could wear cologne to church. After warning him about wearing too much cologne, the DH sent him to our bathroom to find it and a short while later Patch came back asking if it smelled okay.

I sniffed him and couldn't smell it hardly at all.

So he came closer and lifted his arm for me to sniff.

Apparently he thought cologne was worn in the armpits!

Scripture of the Day: Moroni 7:47

Sweetie Peach's Baptism

2011-02-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

It took me a while to download the pictures off my camera, but I wanted to share a few of Sweetie Peach getting baptized last Saturday. Here she is with Patch, who was not happy about speaking at the baptism!

Here she is immediately after being baptized (and getting her hair re-done).

The traditional bounce house each kid was rewarded with after getting baptized (courtesy of the grandparents) was a actually a big slide this time. Sweetie Peach loved it, as did all the neighborhood kids!

Some of the friends and family at a get-together after the baptism.

Scripture of the Day: John 14:15

Book Review: Cross My Heart

2011-02-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

My good friend Mary passed this LDS romance novel on to me a bit before Christmas. Cross My Heart is the first book I have ever read by Julie Wright, and I really enjoyed it -- although it's possible I found this book entertaining because I majored in advertising in college and the main character, Jillian, works in the advertising industry.Still, the writing is upbeat and the plot has a good ending. This would make for a good summer read on the beach (yes, I am already looking forward to a summer vacation).

Synopsis:
The first man is Geoffrey--in Boston, which is Jillian's hometown. Hazel-eyed Geoffrey, the brilliant ad exec whom Jillian would've married if he hadn't stolen some of her best work and gotten her promotion as a result.

The second man is Jack in Los Angeles. Insecure Jack, who signs Jillian up for a love study at a local university "just for fun" but secretly intends to find out if she still loves Geoffrey. Flaky Jack, who splits as soon as her brain neurons fire and emphatic yes.

The third man is Allen on the airplane from LA to Boston, where Jillian's boss has ordered her to investigate the underhanded dealings of a competing agency and where Jillian's crazy parents still live. Allen, the electric-blue-eyed dentist who hates the advertising industry because his ex-girlfriend, Nicole, recently dumped him for some hotshot ad exec.

Head spinning yet? Well, forget about love triangles--this turns into a full-blown love quadrangle that quickly becomes a high-stakes game with savvy players, snappy dialogue, and a plot that won't stop twisting...until another love study delivers surprising results.

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 130:19

Cultivating Gratitude #9

2011-02-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 99th anniversary of Arizona becoming a state - happy birthday AZ! So today I am grateful for Arizona. I love living here and all the benefits my state provides. Here is what I love most about my state:

~ Today's weather: 79 degrees!
~ Sunsets
~ The Grand Canyon
~ Variety in landscapes (mountains, desert, rivers--it's all here)

~ Swimming 6 months out of the year
~ Close proximity to LA, LV, UT, NM, and CO
~ Pioneer, Native American, and Hispanic heritage all rolled into one
~ Bandits (although I have never been to Tombstone)

Scripture of the Day: 1 Samuel 20:17

Book Review: A Very Merry Chase

2011-02-09T08:00:00.003-07:00

Note: To enter the Follower Love Giveaway, scroll down to the next post!

Last month I won an e-version of A Very Merry Chase, a fun regency romance written by Teresa Thomas Bohannon. I have to admit I admire Ms. Bohannon--in the intro of the book she tells that this was 30+ years in the making. Personally, I am not sure I would ever have that much patience with the process; however, I think the end result was worth the effort because A Very Merry Chase has memorable characters and fast moving plot. I particularly liked Sabrina St. Clair, the lead character in the novel. She is a spunky woman who more than meets her match in Lord Branderly.

Synopsis:
AVMC is a mostly light-hearted tale with just the tiniest taste of Napoleonic era intrigue. The heroine is the Right Honorable, Lady Sabrina St. Clair, who is wealthy, beautiful, and most independently minded, and who also happens to be on the verge of becoming--according to her less generous peers--an ape-leader and antidote. Sabrina is a bit anachronistic in that she does some things that no well-bred lady of the Regency era would ever do more than dream of doing; but she's not particularly blatant about it. For Sabrina, the rebellion is more passive-aggressive in style, manifested, I would imagine, much the same as the small rebellions of most women actually living in the Regency (or any other historical era). The hero of the story is Brenton, Lord Branderly, Duke of Brensted, an unusually tall gentleman, who has returned to England in search of a bride and heirs, after spending most of his adult life wandering the world. They meet under rather unusual circumstances, clash repeatedly and eventually fall in love--she reluctantly, he determinedly--against a comfortably Regency backdrop of witty repartee, beaux, belles, dancing, mishaps, mayhem and misunderstandings. (Included as part of an interview Ms. Bohannon gave with Joyce DiPastena, which you can read here.)

Following is a book trailer of A Very Merry Chase.

Read additional reviews of A Very Merry Chase on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: John 13:34

Follower Love Giveaway Hop

2011-02-08T00:01:00.003-07:00

***This giveaway is now closed!***

Welcome to the Follower Love Giveaway Hop! This fun giveaway promotion runs from Tuesday, February 8th through Sunday, February 13th and is sponsored by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

Each of the 100+ participating blogs is hosting their own giveaway with their own entry requirements. All participating blogs are linked up through a Follower Love linky (see below). After you have entered one giveaway, hop to the next giveaway on the list.

For this giveaway I am offering a free CD-rom version of my book Family Home Evening Adventures.

Here is a synopsis:

Scripture study during family home evening is no longer stressful! Family Home Evening Adventures is the perfect way to help your children stay focused on the scriptures while building their testimonies. Filled with 12 fun seasonal activities and lessons, this book will help you effectively plan for the year by setting up a theme for each month. Learn more about the Atonement, feasting upon the word, preparing for baptism, having reverence, and feeling love in the home. Together, your family can have a testimony-building family home evening based on the scriptures without all the stress, boredom, and inattention. This handy aide is sure to help your children to actively learn from and appreciate the scriptures while also increasing their faith.

To win a copy of the CD version of Family Home Evening Adventures become a follower and leave me a comment about a fun FHE your family has had.

Good luck!

Scripture of the Day: D&C 133:52

Cultivating Gratitude #8

2011-02-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for fun family traditions. Yesterday was our annual Super Bowl Sunday tradition. My parents started this years ago--here's what we do:

~ We get together with extended family.
~ We eat Sunday dinner out of large bowls instead of on plates (not soup; usually a roast, mashed potatoes, salad, etc.)
~ We eat guess before the game starts what will be the combined scores of the teams playing at the end of the game. The winner gets a prize from Mimi and Papa (Yesterday Kitty won!).
~ We have a good time laughing at commercials.
~ We (or maybe I should say I) pretty much ignore the game except to add up the scores here and there.

So, what was once a tradition of my family growing up, it is now a tradition involving my children. And I love that I can see the family fun passed on to a new generation. I look forward to seeing if this, and other family traditions, will be passed on to even more generations yet to come.

Scripture of the Day: 1 Corinthians 13:4

Happy Friday

2011-02-04T10:49:00.001-07:00

Just a little something that made me smile today. Hope your day is going well.

Scripture of the Day: 1 John 2:15

The Whitney Awards

2011-02-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Whitney Award finalists have been announced and I am looking forward to finding a few more good books to read. If you have not heard of the Whitney Awards before, basically it is an awards program for fiction written by LDS authors. There are a number of different categories, including romance, paranormal, historical, and youth. I have already read about 10 of the novels nominated this year, but I have a good many more to choose from for new reads. Here are a few I am considering:

Lucky Change, by Susan Law Corpany

The Sheen on the Silk, by Anne Perry

The Legend of Shannonderry, by Carol Warburton

and

Murder by Design, by Betsy Brannon Green

Scripture of the Day: Malachi 1:2

Book Review: The Widower's Wife

2011-01-31T19:00:00.002-07:00

This is another recent Nook acquisition I obtained for a vacation I took over the holidays (I put four books on my Nook to read--and read all of them). Prudence Bice's book The Widower's Wife I read in a day or so. I really liked the concept for the story in this book and felt the author handled it well. The romance was excellent, but I felt the challenge the main character faced with the children could have been ramped up a bit more to make it more realistic. Bice also does a good job of writing the protaganist; he was definitely scary!

Synopsis:
When Jillian Grey answers Dalton McCullough s newspaper advertisement requesting a mail-order bride to take care of his three young children, they both agree that their marriage is one of convenience and nothing more. But when they realize their growing attraction for each other, they must decide if giving in to their feelings is worth the risk of upsetting their new family s delicate balance. This engaging debut from Prudence Bice is a wholesome love story that satisfies and uplifts while reaffirming your faith in the human spirit.

One other thing--one of the negative aspects of this book for me was that there were too many flashbacks. I really wish the author would have trimmed these down a bit.

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

BTW, this book was included in LDS Publisher's contest for the best cover designs of 2010. I agree that this cover is well done!

Scripture of the Day: D&C 88:63

Cultivating Gratitude #7

2011-01-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

When I saw this cute little picture (credit here) I decided today I would be grateful for carrots. Did you know I eat carrots pretty much every day? They are portable, healthy, tasty, and fast (especially if I use baby carrots). Occasionally I pack some dip to eat with the carrots, but mostly I just chomp away at them plain. Since I have to eat at least one meal on the go during the weekdays, carrots have become a go-to item for me. And on Sundays I pretty much always throw some in with our roast.

So today when I am eating my carrots I will feel extra grateful the Lord has provided me with such a great food option.

Scripture of the Day: 2 Nephi 25:26

Happy Birthday Sweetie Peach

2011-01-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

To my ever-smiling Sweetie Peach,

I hope you always have flowers to smell and brighten your days.

I hope your skirts always whirl when you twirl about.

I hope you are always willing to dive in and get your hair wet (even if you are missing a tooth or two).

And that your smile never fades away.

Happy birthday! All my love, Mom

Scripture of the Day: 3 Ne. 13:33

Book Review: The Kiss of a Stranger

2011-01-24T06:00:00.001-07:00

I was so excited for Sarah M. Eden's newest book to be released--and even though it was not available for my Nook, I bought it anyway. And I am happy to report I was not disappointed by The Kiss of a Stranger! Eden's fun sense of humor remains in full play in this book (love the whole fairy cakes episode), despite a heroine who has suffered greatly at the hands of an unkind uncle. Definitely a fun, worthwhile read.

Synopsis:
When Crispin, Lord Cavratt, thoroughly and scandalously kisses a serving woman in the garden of a country inn, he assumes the encounter will be of no consequence. But he couldn’t be more mistaken— the maid is not only a lady of birth, she’s the niece of a very large, exceptionally angry gentleman, who claims Crispin has compromised his niece beyond redemption. The dismayed young lord has no choice but to marry Miss Catherine Thorndale, who lacks both money and refinement and assumes all men are as vicious as her guardian uncle. Trapped between an unwanted marriage and a hasty annulment, which would leave his reputation tainted and Catherine’s utterly ruined, Crispin begins guiding his wife’s transformation from a socially petrified country girl to a lady of society. Their unfolding relationship reveals encouraging surprises for both of them, and privately, each of them wonders if theirs may become a true marriage of the heart. But their hopes are dashed when forces conspire to split asunder what fate has granted, and as a battle of wits escalates into a life-threatening confrontation, will it be possible for Crispin and Catherine to live happily ever after?

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

PS, If anyone has a copy of Sarah Eden's book Seeking Persephone, I would love to borrow/buy it!

Scripture of the Day: Alma 27:18

Cultivating Gratitude #6

2011-01-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

I am thankful today is Saturday because Saturday means pizza for dinner. Lame, I know... but still, I am grateful for pizza.

Pizza night means no real cooking, kids not complaining about their dinner, and yumminess.

Even pineapple and ham pizza. Yum.

And tonight we have the missionaries coming for dinner. I have contemplated serving them something better than take-out pizza. Having been a missionary myself, I know they would likely much prefer more of a home-cooked meal. I know I should feel more guilty for not living up to my heritage of Mormon motherhood (not to mention Relief Society).

But I don't. Because I am grateful for it being pizza night.

Maybe I will add a salad and some cut up fruit to the meal to salve my conscience.

Yay for pizza night.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 88:63

Sweetie Peach's Baptism Pics

2011-01-20T06:00:00.002-07:00

Just a few sweet pictures we had taken of Sweetie Peach for her baptism that is coming up. Thanks so much to Sunshine and Shade photography for taking these--she did a great job despite being handicapped by my choice of location. Here are some of my favorites.

I like seeing her teeth in this next one--she has been doing the tooth-less smile a lot lately because of missing teeth. She even lost one more since this was taken last week.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 38:39

Book Review: Finding Rose

2011-01-18T06:00:00.002-07:00

I won Finding Rose on a blog tour over the holidays--actually, I hit them up for an eBook version instead (my bookshelves are overflowing!). Written by Stephanie Humphreys, a first time author, this was a fun read. I found her characters to have well-rounded personalities (although Rose herself was a bit immature--but she starts off as a 19 year old, so maybe she would be immature at that age) and the plot moved at a good pace. Although not a perfect book, I applaud Humphrey's on her first novel and look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

Synopsis:
On his deathbed, Rose Sterling’s father asks her to consider Miles Crandall as a suitor. Then Rose is sent to live with an uncle in Spring Creek, Montana, far from her carefree life with her family in Utah. Miles is returning to his hometown of Spring Creek to set up a medical practice, so Rose is certain her being sent there is a setup. Yet Miles doesn’t seem interested in her, and after Rose falls ill in Montana, he seems content to act as her physician and friend. When Rose captures the attention of Miles’s younger, flamboyant brother as well as the town sheriff, Miles retreats even further from
any attempt at courtship.

How can Rose honor her father’s last wish if Miles doesn’t even try to court her? Will she have the courage to put her heart on the line and fight for the one she really loves.

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: 1 Timothy 4:7

Cultivating Gratitude #5

2011-01-16T18:00:00.002-07:00

Note: The Giveaway Hop is still underway. Scroll down to the next post to read more and enter to win a free copy of Adventures with The Word of God.

Today I am feeling grateful for the small promptings of the Holy Ghost. They are often as soft as butterfly kisses, so it is not always easy to feel/hear them, let alone act on them. Thursday night I had a small prompting to do something on Friday I would not normally have done: let Patch stay home from school to help his foot feel better. What's more, I thought I should take him to work with me at my mom's office.

Now, normally I am a stickler for rules and would never have let Patch miss school for a slightly achy foot. I don't like to have the kids miss school unnecessarily and then have extra schoolwork to take care of later. But for some reason I decided to follow this prompting. And I was blessed for it--in more ways than one (it did help his foot feel better, but there was an additional blessing for me personally that I can't share here).

Scripture of the Day: D&C 46:8

Dreaming of Books Giveaway!

2011-01-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

I had such fun with the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop that I decided to participate in another one! Last time I gave away an autographed copy of Family Home Evening Adventures--and I won a copy of Finding Rose (which I will be reviewing next week!). This go around I have decided to give away an autographed copy of Adventures with the Word of God.

The family proclamation

Pioneers

President Hinckley's "Be's"

Charity

Testimony

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment about your family's experience with scripture study: do you find it hard to fit in? What works for you? What challenges are associated with studying scriptures?

Please note this giveaway ends on January 17 at midnight!

Scripture of the Day: 2 Nephi 31:20

Downton Abbey

2011-01-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note about Downton Abbey, which has been a highly praised BBC period drama. It started last night on PBS, but I had to turn it off an hour into it when a homosexual relationship became one of the plot lines (complete with kissing). Not one article or ad I read beforehand mentioned this as part of the show. So sad that even Masterpiece Theater is something I have to question before watching.

Scripture of the Day: Phill. 3:14

Book Review: It's a Mall World After All

2011-01-08T11:41:00.003-07:00

Confession: One of my favorite author's is Janette Rallison (who has also written under the pen name Sierra St. James). So although It's a Mall World After All is definitely a teen/tween novel, I had a lot of fun reading it. Rallison has such a great sense of humor and comedy in her writing style. I often find myself laughing out loud when reading her books--and this one was no exception.

Synopsis:
If they gave out diplomas for what you learn at the mall, Charlotte could graduate with honors. Ever since she got a job as a perfume spritzer, she’s become an expert on all things shopping related—oh and she’s getting really good at spying on her classmates who hang out there. What she hasn’t mastered is the art of convincing her best friend Brianna dump her boyfriend Bryant, after Charlotte catches him flirting with a mysterious, blond-haired stick figure. Now Brianna is taking his side! Charlotte must prove who is right, once and for all, and that means catching Bryant in the act. This is where her mall roaming skills will come in handy. Perfume anyone?

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to someone looking for a fun, clean read. It was both uplifting and charming.

Read additional reviews on Goodreads here.

Scripture of the Day: 3 Nephi 27:23-25

Cultivating Gratitude #4

2011-01-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Today I am grateful for the kindness of strangers. The other night, when I went out to eat with my high school friend, we went to use a gift card I had for Olive Garden. The only problem was that the wait was 40 minutes. We had decided to go elsewhere to eat, but as we were leaving a couple asked us how long the wait was--and we told them 40 minutes. They asked us if we would like to take their place in line, offering us their pager device, because they could not wait any longer. We decided to take them up on the offer. They said they had already been waiting for 20 minutes and to expect them to call then name "Sandy." Then they gave us a coupon for $4 off the purchase of two entrees. It was so nice to have a stranger be kind!

Today I will pass on this kindness to strangers with whom I come into contact. Maybe I will be able to brighten someone's day as "Sandy" brightened mine.

Scripture of the Day: John 6:27

Old Friends

2011-01-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last night I went out to dinner with an old friend--one of the closest I had in high school. It was nice to see her. She lives out-of-state and comes to visit once a year or so, so our time together was a sweet reminder of yesterdays.

It was interesting to me as I got ready to go pick her up, and even afterward, how I started to see our old neighborhood through different eyes. I was looking at things and wondering what she would think--trying to see the subtle changes she might notice. Was she sad to see how things are looking so old (might I say rundown)? Or was she just glad to be back in a place that felt like home? Maybe both?

We talked about husbands and children and life's challenges. We had read a lot of books in common and seen some of the same movies--our tastes are still similar. We even ordered the same meal at the restaurant: minestrone soup and a side salad.

She didn't laugh at the hair-coloring mishap I have had quite recently (I was going for medium brown, as usual, but somehow ended up much darker).

I enjoyed hearing all about her family and what life is like 4,000 miles away.

It's nice to know that although the years have gone by, and the world has changed in so many ways, that good friends somehow are still there.

[Image Credit]

Scripture of the Day: Matt 6:33

The Christmas Rescue

2011-01-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

Last month you may recall I asked readers to vote for their favorite short stories in LDS Publisher's Christmas story contest. Unfortunately, I did not win one of the guaranteed spots in the anthology to come out next year, but thought I would post mine here anyway. It is based on the real life experiences of my grandfather, Don Spiers.

The sound of the tires on the pavement made a low, dull humming sound as the car sped forward. Only 700 miles left until I would be ‘Home for Christmas’ as the song said.

‘Home’ was not exactly the right word to use, though. As a sophomore in college, and an Air Force brat, I was headed to my parents’ first owned home in San Antonio. In my twenty years of life I had lived in more than half of the contiguous United States and in Great Britain. So, for me, ‘home’ was not a definite place, just wherever mom and dad happened to be living.

“Mom and Dad must be glad to finally have moved in,” I thought to myself. “Especially Mom.”

I was just glad to have Dad back home, safe and sound. As a hospital administrator for the Air Force, he was sent all over the world setting up field clinics, base hospitals, and everything in between. He had recently returned from the Philippines and was scheduled to go back soon.

“As long as it’s not Korea,” I voiced out loud to the empty station wagon.

With only the charcoal gray pavement and the flat, brown New Mexico landscape in front of me my mind wandered to stories my father had told me of his early days in World War II as a medic and an ambulance driver in North Africa. No matter how much I had begged for reports of battles and Rommel and the Allied victory there, Dad would never say much. Instead he spoke of visiting the Sphinx and of his experiences assisting in a remote field dental clinic.

“Spiers, pedal faster,” the dentist repeated for the third time. “If General Fredendal’s root canal is going to be finished by the end of the war, I need the drill to go at top speed.”

Spiers pushed harder against the pedal. Muffled groans of pain from the General’s open mouth and the sound of the drill against the tooth made it hard to concentrate on pedaling to keep the drill going. Sweat ran down his back as the hot African morning shifted into midday and heated the room to sauna-like temperatures.

Suddenly, the general’s moans turned into a piercing scream.

“Ahh,” the dentist noted, “Now we are getting somewhere. It will all be over soon, General. I know it’s difficult without anesthesia, but I am working as fast as I can. Keep pedaling, Spiers.”

Nearly five o’clock in the evening. The Socorro radio stations were beginning to transmit more static than Christmas carols as I headed further and further east toward my destination. The sun was beginning to set in the sky behind me, casting flame colored hues across the horizon. A Spanish-style ranch along the side of the highway had lit luminaries to celebrate the holiday season. The soft glow of the candles radiated a feeling of peace and calmness despite my rush to get home.

I switched off the radio and thought more about Dad and his experiences during the war. How much more had he experienced, but never spoke about, I wondered? So few family members seemed to really know what Dad had experienced in his many years at war. Not even Mom. There was the incident that made the newspaper, though.

Grandma Rose fainted upon reading the headline of the Ogden Standard Examiner: Local Boy Declared a Hero. The photograph of the burning plane is what had stunned her the most. Grandma Rose’s dream of a few days prior had seemed so real and frightening—Don was running into a scorching fire. The dream had wakened her with its life-like clarity. She had prayed he would never have to experience such an incident in real life. And she had certainly never expected he would survive it.

But he had. And he was a hero. The article read: --

“On November 10 PFC Donald J. Spiers, a native of Ogden, Utah, was declared a hero after braving a burning plane to rescue several injured enlisted men. The downed two-engine plane, a C-47, had crash landed near the runway of the Lancaster Air Force base and immediately burst into flames.

“Despite the potential of personal injury, Private Spiers immediately rushed into the plane in an effort to save surviving passengers. His efforts helped to save the lives of three injured men: Sergeant David Williamson of New York, PFC Christopher Daniels of Pennsylvania, and PSC Brett Simonds of Arizona.

“In honor of his bravery, PFC Spiers will be the recipient of the Air Force Cross, which is awarded for extraordinary heroism. The medal is to be awarded to Spiers in the presence of his wife and family during his upcoming two-week leave of absence.”

The night sky was dark with only a sliver of the moon to light the night. The Texas landscape seemed to go on for miles and miles. Silently I cursed the flat tire I had had to fix earlier in the day. It had cost me some of the money I’d budgeted for fuel. I skipped dinner and used the last of my money to buy gasoline in a next-to-nothing town called Sonora. Only a few hundred miles to go on half a tank of gas. I did the mental math and hoped it would be just enough to get me home.

I checked the radio again only to catch bits and pieces of Elvis’ Blue Christmas and Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. I knew with near certainty it would not be a white– all the more reason to leave Utah and the snow behind for a holiday break—or a blue Christmas in San Antonio. A tinsel-decorated tree would be glowing and shimmering in the living room at home. Mom always decorated to the nines and cooked a feast for the family to enjoy over the holidays. I imagined the smell of her pies cooking and my stomach growled noisily.

“Darn that flat tire!” I muttered aloud.

In an effort to distract my mind from my hunger I thought back on the conversation I had had with the Dean of the Business School earlier in the week. Dean Lewis had served with Dad in Italy, and I had asked about their time together there. He was surprised I knew so little.

December 2, 1943. The bay shimmered reflections of the city lights cast down from the surrounding Italian hillsides. Sergeant Spiers and Medic Lewis leaned casually against a stone wall at the dock, smoking and watching a fleet of seventeen ships as they slowly made their way into the bay of Bari. The calm night was quiet and serene with only the lapping of water and the occasional car passing by to be heard.

“How much longer before they dock?” Lewis asked Spiers between drags on his cigarette.

“Not too long before they dock. But how long it will take them to unload the hospital supplies is anyone’s guess. Hopefully before dawn,” replied Spiers.

Silence resumed between the two again.

A short while later they could hear the low pitch of an engine rumble.

“What’s that noise?” Lewis asked as he tried to determine the direction from which it came.

“I’m not sure, but it’s getting louder.”

The two men looked at each other and then to the north. The sound was growing by the minute.

“It sounds like an airplane. Actually, a lot of planes,” Sergeant Spiers paused before adding, “German planes.”

Just then a squadron of over one hundred German aircraft came into sight, flying low and quick over the water. Within seconds the bombing began, whistling torpedoes blasting into the convoy of ships that had entered the bay. Spiers and Lewis dove behind the stone wall to wait out the deafening attack and protect themselves from the diving planes.

Broken glass, fires, and screaming men made the next hour nearly unbearable. Again and again the planes swooped over the harbor, shooting and bombing until every one of the ships was severely damaged and quickly sinking.

Then, as quickly as they came, the planes were gone. And the night air was full of the wailing injured.

“Quick, get into that rowboat. There are men out there who need help,” Spiers commanded as he and Lewis rose from their hiding place to see the devastation.

“Wait! That garlic-y odor—that’s mustard gas. There must have been some on one of the ships. We can’t go out there,” Lewis exclaimed in fear.

“We have to go out there. Too many people need help. The sooner we get there, the more we can save from the gas. Come on!” Spiers dragged Lewis to the boat and threw him a life jacket.

Finally, the lights of San Antonio came into view. I sighed audibly to myself. But my heart was racing as my mind urged the wood-paneled station wagon to keep on going. The gas gauge had been on ‘E’ for more than 20 miles. Realistically it was not going to be much longer before I ran out of gasoline and would be left stranded on the outskirts of town.

A sudden realization struck me: I don’t know where Mom and Dad’s new home is located. All I have is an address. But having never been to San Antonio before, I had no idea how to find it.

I took the first exit hoping to find a telephone to use, but the late hour revealed very few businesses to be open. A few had brightly shining Christmas lights along the roofline, but the windows were dark and empty.

My engine started sputtering about the time I spotted a Texaco station a half a mile ahead with its sign still lit. Using the last of the station wagon’s momentum I pulled the car part way into the gas station’s lot before coming to a dead halt. I pulled my stiff but lanky, 6’4” frame from the car and walked up to the attendant.

“Can I help you?” he asked as I came closer. His blue work-shirt was stained with oil and grease, but bore a name patch that read ‘Hank.’

“I ran out of gas,” I sheepishly admitted.

“Kinda’ thought so,” Hank replied in his heavy Texan accent.

“I am out of money, but my parents live here in town. I’ve been driving home for Christmas from college in Utah. Could I borrow a dime to call home? I’ll repay you after my Dad comes to get me.”

I hoped my rambling explanation would be convincing enough. Hank was eyeing me warily.

“Please?” I added as an afterthought.

“I suppose so. What’s yer name, son?” he asked as he led me to the office and the pay phone on the wall.

“Jim. Jim Spiers,” I replied with gratitude in my voice. Then I added, “Thank you, sir,” as he drew a dime from his pocket and placed it in the machine.

The phone rang once, twice, three times before Dad’s groggy voice answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Dad. Sorry to wake you. I made it to San Antonio, but I’ve run out of gas and I’m broke. Can you bring a gas can and come help me?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m not exactly sure. I took the first exit off of the highway and then coasted into a Texaco station a mile or so into town.”

“What are your cross roads? Can you see the street signs?” His voice was sounding more awake now.

“Well,” I craned my neck to see what signs I could read. “It looks like I’m on the corner of Walk and Don’t Walk – no, wait! Now it’s Don’t Walk and Walk.”

“Smart aleck-y kid. Stay where you are, I’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I replied and hung up the phone.

Twenty minutes later Dad arrived to rescue me with a gas can in hand and $20 pressed into my palm. He even repaid Hank for the borrowed dime.

“Glad you’re home safe,” Dad said as we filled the gas can.

“Me too, Dad,” I replied.

***

Nearly fifty Christmases later and Dad is still rescuing people. At nearly 90-years-old he is painting a collection of pictures showing the meaningful times in his life. His gift to me this year was one of these watercolors. It is not of a burning plane, the front lines, or field hospitals. It is of a 1951Chevy station wagon that did not quite make it to the pumps on that December night so long ago.

And Another Thing... Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop

2010-12-20T22:00:00.002-07:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Midwinter's Eve is the longest night of the year so why not spend it entering some great book giveaways!?!
The is a quick hop that runs from 12:01 AM on Tuesday, December 21st to 11:59 PM on Wednesday, December 22nd. It is sponsored by I Am A reader, Not A Writer.

Each of the 125 participating blogs is hosting their own giveaway with their own entry requirements. All participating blogs are linked up through a Midwinter's Eve linky. After you have entered one giveaway hop to the next giveaway on the list.

Here on my blog I am giving away an autographed copy of my latest book, Family Home Evening Adventures. All you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment on this post naming one of the chapter topics covered in Family Home Evening Adventures. Hint: you can read more about my book here.

Good luck in winning lots of fun things! And Merry Christmas!

One More Thing... Please Vote!

2010-12-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I entered a short story into LDS Publisher's 2010 Christmas Story Contest. Now that all of the stories are posted it is time for voting. I am not supposed to say which story is mine, but you can vote for two entries by unpublished authors and two entries by published authors. Plus, I am sending you all a telepathic message. If you aren't receiving it, something must be wrong with you ;-).

To vote, simply leave a comment that has the word "vote" in it. For complete voting instructions, click here.

Scripture of the Day: Matt. 1:18

Christmas Break

2010-12-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

I am taking the next two weeks off for the holidays. I hope all of you have a merry Christmas and a wonderful new year! Catch you in 2011!

Scripture of the Day: Luke 2:1-15

A Busy Week

2010-12-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just a few quick notes on what is going on over here in my corner of the world. Mostly I have been swamped with work. On Tuesday I worked 4 jobs! And none of them were even writing :-(. It was awful, but had to be done. One of the jobs was a one day deal, so that is permanently over. I almost have my grading done for MCC, so that will also end soon. Can I tell you how much I am looking forward to the Christmas holiday?

Today Kitty is in the school spelling bee. I may actually be more nervous for her than she is for herself. I hope she does not get out too quickly or on a word that is too easy. I was recently watching a rerun of Psych and laughed when one of the main characters said he lost the school spelling bee when he misspelled the word 'failure.' Now I do not think it is so funny!

I also have my annual exam today. Yuck. Love doing that every year.

I have been spending money like it's going out of style (although, with the possible devaluation of our national currency, maybe it is going out of style). Christmas time is always like that, though. I will spend probably another good amount before I am done.

Today is is cloudy and might rain--at least the weatherman says so, and it smells like rain outside. I love rainy days, so I am enjoying it.

And lastly, M&Ms have been a downfall for me these past two weeks! At my mom's office, where I put in a few hours of work each day, a co-worker of hers keeps putting out this big bowl of them. And I just can't seem to resist. But I think I have found a solution: buy a bag of Skittles and dump them on top of the M&Ms. I do not like Skittles and know I would not dig through them for the M&Ms (embarrassing!).

Hope your week is not as crazy as mine and that you are enjoying the holiday spirit!

[Image Credit]

Scripture of the Day: Alma 7:10

Cultivating Gratitude #3

2010-12-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

I finally got my Christmas shopping started today and I am feeling so much better about things. I think my lack of Christmas spirit earlier was stress due to feeling behind the curve. I am not exactly caught up, but now I am feeling better. The best part was the shopping I was able to do over the Internet -- which is what I am thankful for today!

Here are the top ten reasons I am grateful for the Internet:

1. Shopping -- 3 gifts bought online today and sent directly to those I would have had to send via mail. And no driving or lines to wait in (yay!)
2. Email (how did we ever live without email?)
3. Facebook -- I love keeping touch with friends from the past.
4. News -- I admit that I love reading up on the news online--maybe because the kids always have control of the TV.
5. Selling -- occasionally I sell unneeded things. So easy to do.
6. Recipes -- always able to find a good recipe to try.
7. Movies -- instant watch on Netflix is fabulous.
8. Maps -- no need to get lost ever again.
9. YouTube -- I have used a number of clips for teaching purposes, I love watching the shorts made by the LDS Church, and (of course) just for fun.
10. Blogging!

Scripture of the Day: John 1:14

I Need a Little Christmas

2010-12-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Remember that song (I don't know what show it is from), but it says, "Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. Need a little laughter, happy ever after..."? I could use a little of that same Christmas umph over here.

Maybe I should get started on the Christmas shopping--that might get me more into it. About all I have bought thus far are two teacher gifts for the girls' school teachers and two {darling! thanks Mimi!} necklaces for my SIL and niece.

Or maybe I should finish decorating the tree. The kids started it over a week ago and I have not taken time to finish it (as if I had much time--although, I did read a whole book this past week, I confess).

Don't get me wrong. I have been thinking a lot about the reason for the season, about Christ's birth and the spiritual implications of His coming. I have been listening to lots of Christmas carols and have been enjoying the lights in the neighborhood.

My problem is just getting into the decorating and the present buying and the baking and all the other stuff that will make Christmas traditional and magical for my children (but makes it a lot of work for me).Somehow I wish there was a way to make Christmas look like all those magazine ads and television commercials without me as the mom have to spend oodles of time and money. Realistically I know it will never be that picturesque, but the mountain of effort before me has my brain putting up a wall that prevents me from doing much.

So all you moms out there, send me a little Christmas spirit. Preferably right this very minute. I need it.

Scripture of the Day: Luke 1:31

Cultivating Gratitude #2

2010-12-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

(If I had the gumption to take my picture while working I might look a bit like this--okay, maybe not so pretty!)

Here it is at 8:30 at night and I am still so busy that taking time out to write this post is questionable. And yet, if I do not write it, I will feel guilty about not taking time to cultivate gratitude in my life. So, here I sit typing away and have decided to be grateful that I am busy. I have the opportunity to work--to earn a little extra Christmas money. For this I am grateful, especially after reading headlines this morning that unemployment numbers in the country rose again last month. How hard it must be to want to work, to want to provide for one's family, and yet not have a job to go to--or even sit at one's computer to do at 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday night.

I am truly grateful for opportunities to work.

Scripture of the Day: 2 Nephi 19:6

Coming to the End

2010-12-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I gave my last class lecture of the semester. There is still another week of classes, but group presentations, exams, and other scheduled assignments have made it so that all my lecturing is complete for the semester. And I can feel a physical sense of relief from being released from that burden of preparation time. Whew!

Now, I do not mean to imply that I dislike lecturing. I actually rather enjoy teaching, especially when the students have good comments, ask good questions, and seem engaged in the discussion. [All things I need to work on developing.] However, teaching two different classes and having to do the prep work from scratch for each was very time consuming. I have felt much too busy for the past four months--as though I was thrown into the fire head first.

But I am coming out of it alive--and with only minimal burns that I will work on next semester.

And I am counting the blessing of being able to teach two sections of the same class next semester. Yay for having the prep work cut in half!

Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 7:14

New Family Pics

2010-11-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

It had been two years since we had a family photo taken, so I knew I had to get it done this year. I finally found something to wear and got us organized with an appointment with OneHM. Considering the material she had to work with (some family members are less cooperative than others), these pics turned out great :-). Above is my favorite family shot, although I may even like it better in black and white. You may also notice I have a new profile picture (finally).

Here are a few other good pics of the kids, as well.

And I love this one of me and the girls.

Scripture of the Day: Ephesians 1:15-16

Cultivating Gratitude #1

2010-11-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

Kitty claimed a drumstick right away!

Well, my year of Saturday morning cartoons finally ended last week -- #52 marked that anniversary. So now it is time to start a new series, which I have decided will be Cultivating Gratitude. As Thanksgiving was this past week it is an easy (or rather appropro) week to begin it.

Sweetie Peach showing me her hand at Cad. She came in 2nd place!

Of course, what I am most thankful for in this world is my family, especially my three sweet kiddos. I was happy to see them playing so much with their cousins (a very rare treat for them as they only have a few). We spent two and a half solid days in activities with cousins, and they were in heaven. Especially, because Mimi (grandma) rented this fun thing all day on Thanksgiving:

But back to my kids--they are good students, responsible, respectful, and very loving. I have been tremendously blessed with such great kids. Sometimes I run out of patience with them (which is why I need to cultivate gratitude), but they are so willing to forgive. I love them for that quality. Someday I hope to be as good as my children.

Patch getting a head start on dinner with a roll.

Scripture of the Day: Jacob 4:3

Our Primary Program

2010-11-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally happened! Of course it went well (although not without a hitch) and the spirit was in abundance. The children did a super job saying their parts and the music was uplifting. At one point we had the senior Primary boys sing Master, the Tempest is Raging, which was a highlight of the program. I also loved a solo performed by one of our sweet 9 year old girls.

Best laugh: one Sunbeam was supposed to say "I know Heavenly Father and Jesus love me." Unfortunatly, it came out sounding like, "I know Harry Potter and Jesus love me." Talk about a shock!

Minor hitch: Another Sunbeam got to crying during the program and had to go down to sit with her mom. She came back up later in the program.

Worst hitch: The CTR 7 class was supposed to say the 4th Article of Faith together, followed by two of them saying their individual parts. I rushed things accidentally and had one of the individual parts go first. My counselor had to walk over to remind me to have them say the 4th article of faith. I was embarrassed for the flub, but don't think anyone will remember it for too long.

Scripture of the Day: Psalms 140: 13

Thanksgiving Daily

2010-11-21T05:02:00.000-07:00

Just a thankful message for this Thanksgiving week!

Scripture of the Day: D&C 136:28