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Belated Father's Day for two fabulous fathers

6/25/2013

My husband, Elmer, and my dad, Gary

    This post isn't "belated" because I'm just late in getting it written.

    We literally just celebrated Father's Day tonight! Yup, June 25th, nine days after Father's Day.

    Sometimes, the "special day" calendar and our family calendar just don't coincide all that well. Such was the case on the real Father's Day on our calendar. My dad, Gary (right) was working out of town for a couple of weeks and wasn't able to get back home to celebrate Father's Day with us.

    Our daughters were actually out of town at CYIA (Christian Youth In Action) camp. You heard right...camp was scheduled for Father's Day weekend. Gulp!

    So - tonight was the evening to par-tay!

    ☺

    My dad was my #1 source of wisdom (besides God) for 26 years of my life. My mom comes in at a very close second place to Dad.

    At age 26, when Elmer and I married, Elmer took over that guiding role and has taught me a lot since that sunny December day almost 19 years ago.

    I have a lot of respect for my husband and my dad, for the ways that they seek the Lord's wisdom, live honorable lives, and take responsibility seriously.

My mom, dad, Brittany (13), husband Elmer, and Kelsi (15).

    We enjoy hanging out together. When the six of us get together, we don't necessarily do anything extra special, out of the ordinary, or weird.

    Well, okay, we do act weird. And goofy sometimes. And just plain weird some more.

    Basically, we have a lot of fun together!

    Tonight, to get us into the mood of Father's Day parties, I downloaded and printed off Printabelle.com's free "Best Dad" Free Father's Day Printables. They are so easy to use and so classy!

Here's how we used them to decorate the dining room:

What was on the menu? Well, definitely some man-friendly food, of course!

Pork Tenderloin
Sauteed Cabbage
Broiled Asparagus
Homemade Applesauce
Blueberry Cobbler
Homemade Chocolate Mocha Ice Cream

    Yum! We enjoyed it all while laughing and hearing about each other's last couple of weeks.

    Then, it was time for the dads to open cards and gifts.

    We gave my dad a gift card to Lowe's for all of his many projects. That way, he can choose exactly what he needs next.

For my husband, the girls and I gave him two games that were new to us, made by the company Luminaris. I was so impressed with their beautiful "Made in U.S.A." products that I happily bought a couple of games for my husband and a couple of felt craft kits for the girls. I'll have to tell you about this company sometime. Their booth was my most favorite booth at the state homeschool convention I recently attended. Wow!

While the rules are different, The Golden Wilderness has some similarities to "Settlers of Catan."

This game is basically like Pictionary, except that we get to use cool wooden shapes to "draw" with!

    We decided to play Abstractables after dinner. Wow - that game is fun! Lots of laughter. Neat! And even I can figure out how to play. That's even better!

    After dinner, the game, and dessert were finished, we settled in on the couches to view a crazy fun DVD about the girls' week at CYIA camp. It was neat to see so many youth on fire for Jesus and learning how to share the Gospel with children. This program is so amazing! I wish more local teens took advantage of the incredible life-changing training and missions practice that our girls have been privileged to join.

    We don't have any specific traditions that we do together for each Father's Day. But that is a thought for the future...

    How did your Father's Day go? Do you have any specific traditions for Father's Day in your family?

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Book Review: Claudia, Wife of Pontius Pilate

6/23/2013

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(This post contains affiliate links. Click here for my full disclosure policy.)

    Claudia: here is a novel well worth reading by anyone! Who knew that from one tiny little reference to Claudia in Scripture, such a well-researched story could emerge that would be an eye-opener to the lifestyle of Roman society during the time of Jesus Christ! It was a fantastically challenging time for those in power (as well as those NOT in power); it was a time of spies and intrigue, of power-hungry and mentally imbalanced individuals. It was a time of which we have all done a little study but have possibly gained little real knowledge of the culture and ideas of the times. It had to be a very scary time for those who had no control over their own lives, whether they be slaves or wives!

    Claudia’s story begins when she is a small child, being raised by a grandmother, with a mother who was prostituting herself and was seldom coherent. Claudia never knew who her father was, but her grandfather was Caesar Augustus, the Emperor. Eventually, Claudia was brought to the Emperor’s castle in Rome to be raised as his ward. She was given in marriage at about age 16 to a complete stranger, Lucius Pontius Pilate. Pilate was ordered to move to little Judea, home of the Jewish people, where he became governor of these sometimes unruly people. There was much problem-solving involved in his duties and little time for his wife and child. However, Claudia knew how her own life depended on making her husband comfortable and supported; they were in love and cherished their time together.

    During their 10 years in Judea (divided between Jerusalem and Caesarea), the political and religious conflicts sometimes escalated to a dangerous level. Claudia was often curious about the Jewish people and learned their history and the meaning of their rituals through slaves in the palace, who came to trust her and answered her questions. When Jesus arose as an imposing figure in the small nation, Claudia became very interested in his ministry and visited in the crowds where he was teaching and performing miracles. She dreamed about him. She slowly began introducing her thoughts about Judaism and Jesus to her husband, who scoffed but did not forbid her to continue with her contacts.

    Claudia is a fabulous story from Scripture, a great teaching tool of the history of the Jewish people, with many references from the Old Testament; it also clearly defines the role of Jesus and points very definitely to the need for forgiveness and salvation. The author has done an superb job of creating clarity of a sometimes very confusing history, and has blessed this reader with her authenticity in telling the story.

Diana Wallis Taylor has been writing since the age of 12 when she sold her first poem to a church newspaper. Her third novel, Mary Magdalene came out May 2012 and she recently completed her fourth novel of Biblical Fiction for Revell, Claudia, Wife of Pontius Pilate. She won first place in the San Diego Book Awards for her short story, “Phipps and the Jay”; First place in Christian Romance for her book Smoke Before the Wind. First place in Christian Fiction for her manuscript, “House of the Forest”; Second place last year for Martha all in the Reader’s Favorite Book Review and Award Contest. Her collection of poetry, Wings of the Wind came out in 2006. Her writing contributions appear in various compilation books and magazines. Diana wrote the words and melodies to an Easter cantata called “Glorious” recently completed with her fellow collaborator, Carolyn Prentice, who did the orchestration. Diana lives with her husband Frank in San Diego, California. Between them they have six grown children and ten grandchildren. She enjoys speaking and sharing her heart with women of all ages.

Claudia is available as of June 2013 at your favorite bookseller - from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive a small affiliate commission, although your cost stays at the regular price. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support.

I received one copy of Claudia in exchange for my honest review of this book. No other compensation was provided.

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Snickerly Good No-Sugar Candy Bars

6/18/2013

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This post contains affiliate links.

    Chocolate, peanuts, and caramel, all wrapped up in one sweet dessert that won't add to your waistline.

    Now how is that possible?

    How do I get all these delectable flavors together in one bite of goodness that will probably make you slobber for more? You know, a Snickers bar type of flavor in a no sugar, low carb recipe?

    I'd been looking for some kind of candy-bar-like sweet treat that would work well with the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle of eating. After reading through a bunch of recipes, I combined this and that and came up with my own:

Snickerly Good No-Sugar Candy Bars!

("S"/Satisfying snack if you are following Trim Healthy Mama)

    Actually, this recipe is a two-in-one...meaning that if you don't care for chocolate or want to try some type of peanut caramel fudge, just don't dunk these into chocolate!

    I almost didn't make it to the chocolate-dunking stage. These were so good even before being dipped in chocolate.

    Burp.

If you're short on time or prefer to make these without the chocolate bath, go for it! You'll love the peanutty caramel fudge flavors. Yum!

But if you enjoy the taste of a dark chocolate Snickers bar, minus the stringy pull-out caramel, you'll love the Snickerly Good Candy Bars dunked in chocolate.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup erythritol, Swerve Sweetener, Truvia, or other erythritol
1 cup water
1/4 cup erythritol, alternative sweetener, or xylitol
stevia extract, to taste
2 tsp. molasses
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup creamy, no-sugar-added peanut butter
1/4 cup 12% defatted peanut flour
1 cup chopped peanuts
5 oz. 90% chocolate

Directions:

1. Line an 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1" overhang on the sides so you'll be able to lift out the cooled candy bars.

2. Combine 3/4 cup erythritol (or Swerve, Truvia, etc.), water, 1/4 cup xylitol (or other sweetener), and molasses in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sweeteners dissolve and are no longer grainy in appearance.

3. Bring mixture to a boil - and here's the easy part: gently boil for 10-15 minutes until mixture is darker in color.

4. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in whipping cream and butter.

5. Add baking soda. Vigorously stir in peanut butter until well combined. Stir in peanut flour until well combined, and then stir in chopped peanuts. Taste, and if you would like it sweeter, add stevia extract to taste, a tiny amount at a time.

6. Spread caramel-peanut mixture into prepared baking pan and chill until firm, about 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes.

7. Remove chilled caramel-peanut mixture from baking pan by lifting the overhanging parchment paper out of the pan. Cut chilled mixture into at least 16 pieces. (You can tell in my photo that I cut mine into 32 bite-sized pieces.) Place bars on an ungreased cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.

Now, if you just want to keep these caramel-peanut fudge bars without the chocolate, just enJOY these as they are. However, if you want to dip these in chocolate:

8. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Or, melt chocolate in your microwave on the "melt chocolate" setting.

9. Dip frozen caramel-peanut bars into the melted chocolate, rolling with a fork to coat completely with chocolate. Place dipped bars onto a waxed paper-lined plate or baking sheet to set.

    These are fine to store in the refrigerator, although we chose to store ours in the freezer. You are going to love these treats!

    Feel free to take a look at my Trim Healthy VISUAL SHOPPING LIST to get a better idea of some of the quicker food options available in your stores!

    The Snickerly Good No-Sugar Candy Bars recipe is a link-up to Trim Healthy Tuesday found on Gwen's Nest. Check out Gwen's site for many more Trim Healthy Mama-style recipes and ideas!

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Slow Moon Rising: Christian fiction book review

6/16/2013

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(This post contains affiliate links. Click here for my full disclosure policy.)

    Good fiction stories about families often center on just one or two of the members of that family. I found a very good book that treats each member of this diverse family equally, and skillfully brings the reader into that family as if they were also a family member. In Eva Marie Everson's new book, Slow Moon Rising, she has done an excellent job of telling each family member’s story, and making each one important.

    The book starts with Ross, a doctor who has recently lost his wife to cancer. He meets Anise, who is in her late 30’s and has never married. They fall in love; after a whirlwind courtship, they marry, and Anise then gets to meet the rest of the family: four daughters, each with their own secrets and life challenges.

    Ari, the youngest, is still in school and wants to be a dancer. She accepts Anise, but when she inadvertently learns a devastating family secret, she leaves her home to follow her career.

    Heather is the “difficult to get along with” sister. She manages to put her foot in her mouth and hurts other’s feelings regularly.

    Jamie-Leigh is a doctor and shares an office with her father.

    Kimberly is the family caretaker, and feels responsible for the others in her family. The secrets that each daughter is keeping will either bring them together or forever tear them apart.

    The family owns a special get away home on Cedar Key. This is the place where the family members truly become a family again in spite of the secrets each one is keeping; this is the place that brings healing to each family member.

    This is a book you will want to return to again to learn for yourself the lessons that it teaches. You will enjoy reading this very modern novel, Slow Moon Rising, by Eva Marie Everson.

Book Club Discussion Guide:

1. Slow Moon Rising is a story of family dynamics and secrets. Beginning with Anise (the newcomer), what do you think drew her to Ross Claybourne?

2. Do you think Heather was justified in the way she felt about Anise? In the way she treated her?

3. In spite of difficult beginnings, Anise kept the Spirit of Christ in her. How difficult is this to do in the face of such opposition? Have you ever experienced such a time?

4. The oldest Claybourne daughter, Kimberly, is willing to give her husband a second chance after his affair. He is not interested, however. Life, on the other hand, gives Kim a second chance through Steven (their story is told in Chasing Sunsets, Revell 2011). How do you feel about divorce and remarriage within the church? Do you think Kimberly and Steven were “clear" to date? When has life given you such a second chance?

5. Why do you think Jayme-Leigh wanted to keep her family in the dark about her medical condition? Was Ross right to keep the secret from the rest of the family?

6. Heather has control issues. When she loses it, she goes on a spending binge that she eventually has to deal with. In many ways, this was the best thing that could have happened to her. Why?

7. Taking into consideration Ami's age, had you been Ami and had witnessed the confession of Joan and overheard the conversation between Ross and Eliana, could you have confronted Ross?

8. Ami's story is a good example of what happens when we refuse to confront and choose to ignore. How might her life have been different if she'd chosen otherwise?

9. Had Ross not become ill, do you think the truth about his relationship to Rosa would have been revealed?

10. How do you feel about Anise's decision to call her father at the end of the book?

Slow Moon Rising is available as of June 2013 at your favorite bookseller - from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based solely on my experiences while reading this book.

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That Certain Summer: Christian Fiction book review

6/13/2013

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This book review contains affiliate links, which do not affect the price you pay for this product.

Summary of the new book, That Certain Summer:

    Karen and Val are family—yet they’re anything but close.

    Karen has carried the burden of responsibility for her aging mother ever since her gorgeous sister left town years ago to pursue a career in theater. But Val had darker reasons for leaving town—as well as a secret to keep—and coming home has never been an option . . . until their mother suffers a stroke.

    Once reunited in their hometown, Karen and Val must grapple with their past mistakes, their relationship with each other, and their issues with a mother who is far from ideal. When a physical therapist raising his daughter alone and a handsome but hurting musician enter the picture, the summer takes on a whole new dimension. As their lives intersect and entwine, can each learn how to forgive, how to let go, and how to move on?

    And during this summer of grace, might they also find the courage to love?

About the author, Irene Hannon:

That Certain Summer, by bestselling author Irene Hannon, is a departure from her trademark romantic suspense. Hannon brings her considerable talent to tell the story of two sisters who must come back together after years of separation when their mother suffers a stroke. Secrets will be revealed, and both must learn how to forgive and move on to allow love into their lives. This uplifting story will remind readers of Karen Kingsbury and Debbie Macomber.

Joy In Our Journey's review of That Certain Summer:

    I have long enjoyed reading Irene Hannon’s mystery trilogies and so was interested in reading her newest novel, That Certain Summer, to see if her romance novel could live up to the finely drawn characters in the mystery novels. I am pleased to say that Ms. Hannon has more than lived up to my expectations.

    That Certain Summer is the story of two sisters, both with secrets to hide and problems to overcome. Their mother is a ”piece of work”. No one can live up to her expectations and standards, and she rarely gives any praise or support to her two daughters or anyone else who comes into her orbit. She is taken down by a stroke, and needs to be cared for 24/7. Her daughter, Val, steps in to help her sister Karen care for their mother and to bring healing to a deep hurt from years ago. How God works in His mysterious ways and brings Karen and Val the deep desires of their hearts makes for a great read.

     I also appreciated the godly wisdom the author used to help her characters through their difficult circumstances and to come to know Him better.

     There is one scene that is a little intense, but it is what can happen to an unwary young girl in this fallen world.

     I am sure you will enjoy this book and the wisdom that Irene Hannon has placed in the pages of That Certain Summer, available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller - from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

I received one copy of That Certain Summer in exchange for my honest review of this book. No other compensation was provided.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive a small affiliate commission, although your cost stays at the regular price. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support.

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Deadly Devotion: Christian fiction book review

6/13/2013

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This book review contains affiliate links.

Summary of Deadly Devotion

    Research scientists Kate Adams and Daisy Leacock were on the brink of a breakthrough for treating depression with herbal medicine when Daisy was suddenly found dead. Kate knows that her mentor’s death wasn’t suicide or a careless accident—and she’s determined to do whatever it takes to unearth the truth about what happened to the woman who changed her life.

    Former FBI agent Tom Parker is finding it hard to adjust to life back in his hometown of Port Aster. Though an old buddy gave him a job as a detective on the local police force, not everyone approves. Tom’s just trying to keep a low profile, so when Kate Adams demands he reopen the investigation into her friend’s death, he knows his job is at stake. But despite his attraction to her, Tom thinks Kate herself may have something to hide.

    As evidence mounts, a web of intrigue is woven around the sleepy town of Port Aster. Can Kate uncover the truth? Or will Tom stand in her way?

Joy In Our Journey's thoughts:

    Kate Adams has a problem. It seems as if she can’t shake the bad things that just seem to follow her everywhere. Deadly Devotion, a new book by Sandra Orchard, and the first in her Port Astor Series, tells Kate’s story. Kate is an orphan, and has been working as an herbal researcher with Daisy, a woman she has come to think of as her very best friend. Daisy suddenly is discovered to be dead, and the police are thinking she committed suicide, but Kate knows better. Daisy would never drink an herbal tea without knowing exactly what was in the tea and whether or not it was safe to drink.

    Someone has murdered her best friend, and the police will not believe her! Especially the new cop in town Detective Parker who thinks she … well, who knows what HE thinks. As Kate works her way through the possible suspects, her life is in danger several times, and she is even suspected of killing Daisy herself. She is, well - you will have to read the book for yourself to see the amount of trouble one determined lady can get into.

    I know that you will enjoy this book and the ones to follow. Ms. Orchard has written a fast paced story with plenty of surprises to keep the reader guessing clear to the end. Remember Deadly Devotion by Sandra Orchard. Read and enjoy.

About the author, Sandra Orchard:

Author Sandra Orchard

I live in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada with my husband of over twenty-five years, two of our three twenty-something children, and too many pets. I also have a married daughter, fabulous son-in-law, and adorable granddaughter.

We (minus the animals) live in a hundred year old farmhouse (a.k.a. the money pit) that I was having great fun renovating until I blew a disk in my back. However, this unfortunate accident afforded me the time and motivation to pursue a long-neglected aspiration.

From a young age, I dreamed of being a writer, even as I majored in math at university. When the children were young, I took a writing course and wrote numerous reviews and articles for our homeschooling newsletter, but never pursued publication beyond that. And I never thought I’d be able to write fiction!

Deadly Devotion Book Extras:

Here's an excerpt from Deadly Devotion if you'd like to take a closer look!

If you're a part of a reading group or club, you'll enjoy using this group discussion guide.

Learn more about Deadly Devotion and author Sandra Orchard!

You may also connect with Sandra on Facebook.

I received one copy of Deadly Devotion in exchange for my honest review of this book. No other compensation was provided.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive a small affiliate commission, although your cost stays at the regular price. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support.

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Low-carb homemade Mocha Ice Cream

6/10/2013

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This blog post may contain affiliate links.

    Yum!

    Coffee + sweet + creamy + chocolate =

            Low-carb Dreamy Mocha Ice Cream!

    But wait...you thought I'd removed sugar and fattening foods from my diet, right?

    You are correct! But who says I can't have some delicious homemade ice cream that actually helps bring on the weight loss?

    Here's my new favorite homemade ice cream recipe that works really well if you are wanting to lose weight. That is, if you eat this after a lunch or dinner that contains almost no carbs. For those of you using the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle eating plan, this means that you'll be able to eat this ice cream after an S meal (S = Satisfying).

    If you choose to eat this after a meal full of carbs, you'll find that this will just stick to your waistline.

    So. Don't do it!

    Here's the quick and easy recipe. Takes literally 5 minutes to throw this together in your blender and store it in the fridge until it's well chilled. Then, pour it into your ice cream maker, and within 20 minutes, you'll have delicious ice cream!

Low-carb Dreamy Mocha Ice Cream

2-1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk ("30 calories per serving" type)
1/2 cup Truvia or non-GMO erythritol
4 dashes (using 3 smallest holes) NuNaturals NuStevia Pure Extract - or to taste
4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
3 tsp. instant coffee
1 tsp. liquid coffee extract
2 tsp. liquid chocolate extract
1 Tbsp. cream or half-n-half
2 small squares Lindt 90% dark chocolate
1/8 tsp. sea salt

    Add all ingredients to your blender. Blend for a minute or so and taste to adjust for sweetness (add another shake or two of stevia extract if needed). Store blended mix in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or overnight until well chilled.

    When ready to make ice cream, remove frozen ice cream "bowl" from freezer and place in ice cream maker. Pour mocha ice cream mix into frozen bowl and turn on ice cream mixer. In about 20 minutes, you'll have a heaping amount of mocha ice cream for yourself and some guests! Serves 6.

    What other flavors of ice cream are your favorites?

    Feel free to take a look at my Trim Healthy VISUAL SHOPPING LIST to get a better idea of some of the quicker food options available in your stores!

Today's delicious, low-carb dessert recipe is a part of Trim Healthy Tuesday, a series of weekly blog posts containing Trim Healthy Mama recipes, kitchen tips, how-tos, menus, and/or exercising with Trim Healthy Mama. You can find more delightful and helpful ideas shared each Tuesday at Gwen's Nest.

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The Confession DVD Giveaway (Beverly Lewis)

6/9/2013

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(Affiliate links may be contained within this post.)

Summary of "The Confession":

    Raised by an Amish family, Katie Lapp (Katie Leclerc, TV’s “Switched at Birth”) always felt the call of another life.

    Now, her quest to find her birth-mother, Laura Mayfield-Bennett (Sherry Stringfield, TV’s “ER”), has drawn her into world of the “Englishers.”

     Along the way, two very different men try to help her overcome a devious scheme to steal her rightful inheritance. Business-minded but kind-hearted Justin Wirth (Michael Rupnow) reaches out to discover Katie’s hidden secrets, while her childhood companion Daniel Fisher (Cameron Deane Stewart) sacrifices his own happiness for her future.

    Katie’s heart is divided between two worlds as love reveals the truth in the moving saga based on the hit novel from New York Times bestselling author Beverly Lewis.

    Based on the novel by Beverly Lewis and directed by Michael Landon, Jr., the film has a screenplay by Brian Bird and Michael Landon, Jr. The film was produced by David R. Kappes and executive produced by Brian Bird, Maura Dunbar and Michael Landon, Jr.

Julieanne's Review and Thoughts:

    I was excited to learn that The Confession is now available! I watched the first movie in this series, The Shunning, in 2011 and thoroughly enjoyed it a couple of times.

    The acting and everything about this film is professionally done. You can watch The Confession without having seen the first movie, but you may find yourself a bit unclear on some of the past details.

    Here is a quick summary of The Shunning, just so you'll be able to catch up with Part One:

Before she succumbs to cancer, the dying wish of Laura Mayfield-Bennett is to be reunited with the daughter she never knew. Unfortunately, that daughter, Katie Lapp, is a member of the Amish order. Katie is about to be married, but uneasy about the path ahead. Now she discovers the secret her parents have kept from her: she's adopted.

The film is based on the celebrated first novel of the best-selling "The Heritage of Lancaster County" book series from author Beverly Lewis.

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the story line, the acting, and everything about this movie. I think you'll enjoy it as well!

Giveaway for "The Confession"

Please, only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway. Thank you.

Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.

I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).

I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one copy of "The Confession" DVD in exchange for my honest thoughts of this movie. No other compensation was provided.

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A Simple Song: Christian fiction book review

6/9/2013

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Affiliate links may be contained within this book review.

    When selecting a book for teen age girls to read, Melody Carlson is always an excellent author choice. Her newest book, A Simple Song, certainly will be one you and your teen will not want to miss.

    Katrina is a young Amish girl, who discovers there is much about her Mammi that she never knew. Katrina has always loved to sing, and had been told that she had a beautiful voice. But, because she is Amish, she isn’t permitted to call attention to herself with her singing, so she sings just when she is alone when outside working around the farm. Then her Mammi dies, and she is given a wooden chest that has been nailed shut. What that chest contains leads her to audition for a television show. Not very Amish!

    However, there is a very important lesson she must learn, and this is a way she can help her Daed when no one else can. How will this sheltered Amish girl get along in, of all places, Hollywood? Could this be where God wants her to be? What about the gift from her grandmother? Could this very unusual gift be the means to help her family in a serious financial crisis? The answers to these questions provide the reader with some guidelines to make their own decisions more Christ-centered.

I am certain that you will enjoy A Simple Song as much as I did. Melody Carson is an awesome author that leaves me glad to have read her new books!

My husband Chris and I live in a cabin-style home next to the National Forest in the beautiful Cascade Mountain area of the Pacific Northwest. Our two grown sons and granddaughter live nearby and we try to see them as often as we can. We also have two “re-homed” pets to make life more interesting—our yellow Labrador retriever Audrey and a Maine coon cat named Harry.

My writing studio is in a separate building next to our courtyard (a garden area that’s off limits to the voracious deer). The window behind my desk looks out into the ponderosa pine forest, where I see deer, squirrels, rabbits, and an occasional raccoon. The other windows in my office overlook the courtyard which is frequented by numerous hummingbirds in the summertime—one August evening we counted nearly fifty of the little hummers.

I received one copy of A Simple Song from Revell Books in exchange for my honest review of this book. No other compensation was provided. Additionally, you may notice affiliate links contained within this review.

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Simply Natural Essentials - Non Toxic Skin Care Giveaway

6/4/2013

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    If you've been following Joy In Our Journey for a while now, you know that I don't usually talk about makeup, perfumes, the fashion industry, and the like here. Not because I don't like makeup, but just because there's so much media hype with the cosmetics industry already.

    When I was contacted by Celina at Simply Natural Essentials, however, about taking a closer look at her homemade natural cosmetics, toothpaste, and bar soap, I was interested!

    Our family has needed to use homemade types of bar and liquid soaps for years now, due to our skin sensitivities. Natural makeups that don't contain toxic ingredients?

    Sure! Sounds wonderful to me!

Simply Natural Essentials' goal is to provide others with 100% truly natural and affordable beauty and skin care products that are both effective and luxurious. Celina has been concerned about the abundance of unnecessary chemicals in the products being sold today that, in her opinion, can be harmful to all.

I'm excited to show you what Simply Natural Essentials was able to send for me to try:

Dreamsicle Bar Soap

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Safflower Oil, Glycerin (kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Soy bean protein (conditioner), orange mica (mica is naturally sparkly), and orange valencia essential oil.

    As I already mentioned, our family has been using either castille soap (purchased) or homemade goat's milk-castille-coconut oil soap for several years now. We've left them unscented, because we weren't sure how our skin would react to scents, even those from essential oils.

    When I unwrapped this delectable bar of Dreamsicle Bar Soap, its aroma was so amazing! Now, you have to know that when I walk down the aisles of candles, air fresheners, or cleaning products in the store these days, I literally have to hold my breath. I just can't stand the odor of artificial scents anymore.

    Strange, right? I know. I never thought I'd be like that - one of those people. But when we began to remove scented products from our home, my husband's and daughter's year-round congestion due to allergies began to improve...and the artificial scents began to bother me. They just smell so fake to me now.

    Celina's Dreamsicle Bar Soap is absolutely amazing. I love this!

    (If you have ever used Trader Joe's Citrus Air Freshener, the Dreamsicle Bar Soap's fragrance is even better than that - truly!)

Simply Natural Essentials Minty Cinnamon Bentonite Clay Toothpaste

    Unless you're into buying or making your own bentonite clay toothpaste these days, you may think I'm just plain CRAZY to put this brown clay mixture into my mouth...and attempt to call it toothpaste.

    Well, the girls and I began using a purchased version of bentonite clay toothpaste about a month ago. I told the girls they didn't have to use it. They could keep using their normal natural care toothpaste that we buy locally in our stores here. I warned them that toothpaste made from bentonite clay wouldn't contain foaming agents (sodium lauryl sulfate), so it would have a completely different texture than regular toothpaste. It also wouldn't be bright white in color, from added titanium dioxide.

    Surprise, surprise - they liked it! I've already had to purchase a second tube of the clay toothpaste.

    I kind of wished they hadn't liked it. Ha! Bentonite clay toothpaste is more expensive than regular toothpaste! But it has some unique properties that make it worth using:

Bentonite clay (food grade) is actually a polishing cleanser with antibacterial properties that has been used for centuries to promote digestive health
Xylitol is a natural sweetener that has been shown to promote healthy teeth
Sea salt
Essential oils means no unnatural flavors!

Simply Natural Essentials Minty Cinnamon Bentonite Clay Toothpaste is much like the product I've used from the local vitamin store in town. It contains no foaming agents or harsh flavors or colors. The cinnamon flavor is just how I like cinnamon-flavored foods: not too overwhelming, but enough to notice it and enjoy it. Celina can flavor this in a variety of choices to match your preferences.

Celina wanted you to know that because her toothpaste contains bentonite clay, metal utensils shouldn't be used to scoop up the toothpaste. Bentonite clay toothpaste needs to be stirred occasionally, so Celina has included a little wooden paddle that can be used both as a stir stick and to place toothpaste onto your toothbrush. Handy!

Simply Natural Essentials' "Plum" Loose Eyeshadow

This loose plum eye shadow was designed by Celina to match the color of a product I'm currently using. I scanned a sample of the color I was interested in receiving, and described to her that it needed to have slightly blue tones instead of red tones, since my skin tends to turn purple eye shadow into a garishly reddish eye shadow. The color turned out well, and I like being able to have the color customized to fit my needs.

Here are some of the colors Celina has made:

pinks and purples

blues

greens

natural and white

The particular "Plum" Loose Eye Shadow I received contains:

mica
titanium dioxide
magnesium stearate
ultramarine blue
iron oxides
boron nitride
boron glow

I found the loose eye shadow easy to use, and it glided onto my eyelids smoothly and gently.

Simply Natural Essentials Lip Glosses . . .

I had asked if Celina could make a reddish lip gloss that had a pink tinge to it, so it would go with pinks and most any color. Red is a difficult color to make using natural ingredients. The photo shows the lip gloss as being quite red . . . but it was actually quite pink - bright pink. I tried it anyway, in tiny amounts. While I still prefer my purchased red lip gloss, it's only because I just love that one color. When I wear pink lip gloss, I'll wear this! Celina is able to make lip glosses in many colors, but just know that red is a tough color to develop without using artificial ingredients or chemicals.

Simply Natural Essentials' lip gloss contains:

castor seed oil
cetyl stearyl alcohol
olive fruit oil
beeswax
hydrogenated castor oil
soybean lipids
lauryl laurate

carnauba wax
candelilla wax
vitamin E
mica
iron oxides
carmine

"Minty" Lip-Luvin' Calendula Lip Balm

"Minty" Lip-Luvin' Calendula Lip Balm is just what it claims to be - refreshing! It's a nice little tin of spearmint goodness! It's a smooth lip balm that stays on my lips about the same length of time as regular chapstick, although this lip balm isn't as "heavy" as those waxy products.

Ingredients:

calendula flower
jojoba oil
beeswax
coconut oil
spearmint essential oil

shea butter
stevia
mica
iron oxides

Simply Natural Essentials "Fair" Foundation Powder

Celina sent me the color, "Fair" Simply Natural Essentials' Powder Foundation. It's a light ivory for my pale complexion. It wasn't an exact match to what I've been using these days, but I do like the look of it. When I get a bit more sun on my face as the summer progresses, this will be perfect for me.

Muscle Rub and Green Healing Salves

    I didn't receive these for review, but Simply Natural Essentials also makes salves for healing and for sore muscles. I'd like to try these sometime.

    If you've been thinking about switching some of your beauty products to a more natural version, please consider Celina at Simply Natural Essentials. She is delighted to begin developing custom-made natural skin and beauty products for you! I found that she was easy to work with and had great customer service.

    Simply Natural Essentials offers choices of color in eye liner, eye shadow, nail polish, lipstick, tinted lip balm, and bars of soap made out of these colors:

Simply Natural Essentials not only is concerned about developing skin care and beauty products that are good for your skin, they are also wanting to provide products that are much less expensive than the average line of cosmetics found at the cosmetics counter in department stores, or even online with other natural cosmetics companies. Simply Natural Essentials are up to half the price of most online natural beauty products!

Prices for custom made, natural beauty products:

Foundation: $10
Eye Shadow: $5-8 depending on size
Lipstick: $8
Tinted or plain lip balm: $5
Nail Polish: $8
Eye Liner: $5-8 depending on size
Soap Bar: $3.50
Minty or Cinnamon toothpaste: $8 in glass jar; $5 without glass jar

Now, for the giveaway!

Celina from Simply Natural Essentials has offered to give two of Joy In Our Journey's readers a wonderful gift of a bar of soap (your choice of color and scent) and one cosmetic in the color of your choice. This giveaway will end on Friday, June 14th, 2013 at midnight (Pacific time). The selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to my notifying email that they have won; if no response is heard, I'll select another winner.

If you're interested in speaking with Celina from Simply Natural Essentials about their natural, homemade beauty and skin care products, she may be contacted at SimplyNaturalEssentials.

or https://www.facebook.com/SimplyNaturalEssentials

Please, only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway. Thank you.

Entrants must be 13 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.

I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).

I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one of each of the products shown in this review, except for healing salves and sore muscle salves, in exchange for my honest thoughts about these products. No other compensation was provided.

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Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.

Find
Joy In Our Journey on:

I'd love to share your product with my readers. If you would like me to do a review and giveaway, just contact me via email and let me know how I can help.

Disclosure: Some content includes links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale without costing you anything extra. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so, it helps to support this site, so thank you!

Snickerly Good No-Sugar Candy Bars! ("S"/Satisfying snack if you are following Trim Healthy Mama)

Book Club Discussion Guide:

Summary of the new book, That Certain Summer:

About the author, Irene Hannon:

Joy In Our Journey's review of That Certain Summer:

Summary of Deadly Devotion

Joy In Our Journey's thoughts:

About the author, Sandra Orchard:

Deadly Devotion Book Extras:

Summary of "The Confession":

Julieanne's Review and Thoughts:

Giveaway for "The Confession"

Dreamsicle Bar Soap

Simply Natural Essentials Minty Cinnamon Bentonite Clay Toothpaste

Simply Natural Essentials' "Plum" Loose Eyeshadow

Simply Natural Essentials Lip Glosses . . .

"Minty" Lip-Luvin' Calendula Lip Balm

Simply Natural Essentials "Fair" Foundation Powder

Muscle Rub and Green Healing Salves

Now, for the giveaway!

​​Hi! I'm Julieanne!You'll find me in the kitchen​trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters. ​

FindJoy In Our Journey on:

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Snickerly Good No-Sugar Candy Bars!

("S"/Satisfying snack if you are following Trim Healthy Mama)

Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.

Find
Joy In Our Journey on:

Search
Joy In Our Journey