Monday, March 17, 2014

Free e-book! Forget Me Not by Amber Stokes

Free e-book! Forget Me Not by Amber Stokes
Today through Friday the e-book version of Forget Me Not by Amber Stokes is free! I haven't read this one yet, but it's on my list :)

Get it at Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

(Prequel to Bleeding Heart)

Old hurts, new betrayals, and a love that survives them all...

Summer 1885

A startling revelation sends Elizabeth Lawson escaping into a stormy night - and tosses her into the arms of a young mountain man with secrets of his own. When he offers to take her to the Nevada mining town where her long-lost brother lives, she accepts. Suspicions and uncertainties are pushed aside as she struggles to forge a future for herself by meeting her past.

David has been hiding from his painful memories for years. The solitude and wildness of the Rocky Mountains are challenge and comfort enough for him - until Elizabeth's arrival. Fueled by anger and a sense of obligation, he strives to take control of his new situation...only to find control slipping from his grasp with each new emotion Elizabeth evokes in him.

When their journey leads them on unexpected paths, can two lonely hearts find the strength to remember the good amid the heartbreak?

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Balanced Challenge Day Six - Do What You Can


"Do you have an extra fifteen minutes before you need to hop in the car to pick up your kids? Make the most of them! Do a little laundry, organize a stack of papers, do a quick sweep of the kitchen. Those five, ten, and fifteen minutes add up throughout the day!"

At the end of a busy day I usually look back and wonder how productive I really was. Even when I manage to use my spare time to catch up on the small stuff, it's not always noticeable when I look around the house- probably because things are where they belong and I tend to notice the mess, not lack thereof :) Having a working checklist of things to get done helps me remember when I do have some spare minutes what some options are for spending my time.

This post is part of the Balanced challenge with Tricia Goyer—and you can join, too!

Get Balanced!
Tricia Goyer Balanced

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Balanced Challenge Day Five- Rank those Priorities


In chapter five, Tricia talks about first forming your calendar with the things of highest importance, then filling the spaces with the rest that needs to get done. Otherwise, what is urgent will always come before what is important.

This reminds me of an analogy on time management- You have a jar that represents your day. Some rocks represent the most important things, pebbles- less important, sand- trivialities. If you start by putting in the biggest rocks, you can add in the pebbles and then the sand that will fit in around the larger rocks. However if you start with the smaller less important things first, not everything will fit into the jar.

Some things I would like to form my calendar with before I fill it are family dinner each night, family home evening on Monday nights, and scripture reading and prayer with my older daughter in the morning before school.

This post is part of the Balanced challenge with Tricia Goyer—and you can join, too!
 
Get Balanced!
Tricia Goyer Balanced

Friday, March 14, 2014

Balanced Challenge Day Four- Believing God

What have you been called by God to do? Take a few minutes away from work and family to sit with your Bible and talk to God. Believe that God placed your dreams and passions in your heart. Find a verse that speaks to you about this, and post it today on your blog.

While I love creating art, photography and crafting, at this time in my life I'm focusing more on the children in my life. I have two perfectly wonderful daughters that joined our family through adoption, and also provide daycare for two fun little boys. The steady additional income has been a blessing for our family, and it feels good to know that I'm helping their mothers in their callings as middle school teachers. They are entrusting me with their child- I don't take that lightly. It's my responsibility to provide their sons with a loving, nurturing, and stimulating environment during the hours they are away from their mother. These are a few of the first pictures I remember as a young child depicting Jesus and his love for children.


13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

This post is part of the Balanced challenge with Tricia Goyer—and you can join, too!
Get Balanced!
Tricia Goyer Balanced