What could go wrong when Mommy leaves the house for an evening out with her friends...and leaves the children with Daddy? 

    What's the worst thing that ever happened with your children when you left home for a getaway evening with friends or family while your husband was watching the children?

    Ha! 

    I'm trying to think of anything horrific that ever happened when my dear husband, Elmer, stayed home with the girls when they were young. 

    Hmm...I do remember a Sunday School teacher telling me once that Elmer would be a great father to the girls if I passed away or was too ill to care for them - except that their clothes would be mismatched and definitely not color-coordinated.  ☺

    I thought that was funny, and we had a good laugh about that.  She pointed this out to me after I'd been away on a Sunday morning due to a reading curriculum conference I'd attended out of town. 

    IF you haven't seen Moms' Night Out yet, starring Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton, and Trace Adkins, you are in for a big laugh!  This is the kind of story where you can basically figure out some of the plot, knowing that Daddy is going to have a disaster on his hands in taking care of the kiddos at home by himself, but there are some great twists and turns in Moms' Night Out that we all thought were quite funny. 

    And yes, even Elmer laughed a good, hearty laugh or two when we watched this together.  ☺  He's the greatest guy, to go to the theater and watch Moms' Night Out with his wife and two daughters on Mother's Day.  Awwwww...!!!

Disclosure: Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

    I don't know about you, but my experiences learning history in school were incredibly boring.

    I don't use that word lightly.  Teachers who require students to read a basic, uninteresting summary of a portion of history, chapter by chapter, assigning questions at the end of the chapter and then giving students a chapter test, is the most unimaginative way to teach a subject that I can think of, especially history.

    And that is what I experienced throughout all of my grades in school - and in college. 

    Boring.

    I actually learned very little of the 12 years of U.S. history that was presented to me in this way.  I truly remember very little except the pioneer field trip in 3rd grade.  Sad. 

    When I stopped teaching in the public schools and began educating my children in our home, I decided that we weren't going to learn history in that manner. 

    We haven't.  ☺

    Our years of learning history, from Creation through modern times, has consisted of:

• listening to music (see below to watch the short video of my daughter fiddling for you!)
  
• making foods from countries and eras
• art projects
• models
• timeline figures
• crafts
• reading biographies and historical fiction
  
• writing

...and much more, as well as working through several history texts that were actually written in a manner that was interesting and poignant to work through.

    When I heard that Diana Waring had written some new historical books with accompanying CD's that would bring the Old West, a new nation, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to life, I was all for that!

    I wanted to share this with you because if you are a home educating family, or you know someone who is - or you know someone who is a teacher and could benefit from a fun, well-designed addition to their U.S. history/pioneer curriculum, this is a great option to add for some learning fun!

    If you have children or grandchildren, or other children in your life, and they haven't yet learned the folk songs that you'll see listed below, this would be fun to read through and listen to some fun and fabulous folk music that accompanies each historical vignette. 

Experience History Through Music contains 3 book/CD sets:

• America 1750-1890:The Heart of a New Nation
• Westward Ho!: The Heart of the Old West
• Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder

    As the name of this series implies, these book and CD sets allow you to Experience History Through Music. Each title contains one book and one CD. The pages of the books hold dozens of historical pictures, bright and interesting stories connecting each of the songs to its moment in history, and even sheet music and chord charts! The CDs are rousing, professional recordings that draw in all listeners. The two combine for fond memories and a grand, knee-slapping good time.

    These books are available for $18.99 each, but during July 2014, all 3 books with CDs are available for $50 as a set.

    Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY! You could WIN your own copy of these books, along with a huge list of other great resources!

One Little Word by Amanda Cabot
Lorraine Caldwell will lose her family fortune to a reckless cousin if she doesn't marry quickly. When she learns her long-lost brother is alive, she hopes she's found the answer to her problems. What she finds instead is a mysterious carousel carver who turns her life upside down.

A Saving Grace by Jane Kirkpatrick
Grace Hathaway must rescue a dear friend from a remote and notorious clinic that promises healing but delivers only heartache. In a place laced with deceit, where lives hang in the balance, whom can she trust to help her?  Jane Kirkpatrick is having a special giveaway on her website!  Please sign up to win, HERE! 

    These four short stories are each very different from the other, but each is unique in its setting and subject.  “A Moonlight Promise” by Laurie Alice Eakes is an adventure, romance, and mystery taking place in October 1825 on East River, between New York City and Albany, New York.  Steamboats on the river were popular and the Erie Canal was ready to open just as this story takes place.

    Camilla, recently arrived from England, is attempting to get to Albany to join her friend, Joanna, who is heading west.  Camilla has a complicated past and is running from her previous life of wealth and protection to an unknown future.  Nathanial is the young steamboat captain whose boat is the last to leave for Albany as Camilla desperately boards his boat in spite of his threat to take her back and leave her at the dock. He finally relents and of course, becomes attracted to her.  There are villains and heroes in this story and it is exciting to the very end.

    “Lessons in Love” by Ann Shorey is a story set in Chicago in 1858; it involves a young single woman, Merry Bentley, who has set her life goal as being a writer (in a time where women are not highly thought of if they have or desire a career outside of home and marriage).  She has accomplished obtaining a job for Kipler’s Home Weekly where she writes articles on Christian marriage and family; the editor of this magazine assumes she is a man since she only signs her articles a M.M. Bentley.  This leads to many complications which make it difficult for Merry to maintain the Christian integrity she so wants to present.  She is sure the editor will not accept her articles if he knows she is a woman.

    Merry has a piano teacher, a nice Christian man, who tries to help her in her efforts.  The story becomes even more complicated with the two of them involved in secrecy and subterfuge; it is interesting to the end!

    “One Little Word” by Amanda Cabot is set in May 1892, somewhere near New York City; a nice little romantic story with many facets.  A young woman is faced with losing her inheritance unless she marries a cousin she detests---and soon!  A young man from England is set on completing his goal in America and returning to England to fulfill his parents’ wishes.  The two come together in a most unexpected way and make this an exciting and wonderful story.  Carousels become an important part of the story and make it even more fascinating to the reader.

    “A Saving Grace” by Jane Kirkpatrick is a short story set in 1911 in Washington State, actually relating to real places and events of that time.  A mysterious, insidious tale of people going into an institution where they could overcome physical “ailments” as diagnosed by the woman doctor in charge, who happens to have a very strong personality.   Some died in their struggle to overcome their “ailments”.

    This is a story of a woman attempting to rescue her good friend from a desperate situation and the help she received while accomplishing her task.  An eye-opener of a conclusion awaits the reader.

   I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while reading these books.

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   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!

    Ann Gabhart has written a delightful follow up book to her series beginning with Scent of Lilacs and Orchard of Hope.  Summer of Joy continues the story of Jocie Brooks and her family.  Set in 1964, Gabhart wisks you back to a time when living was a little slower and a little less complicated, than it is today.  But still there are the problems, the hurts, and the difficult situations that are a part of life no matter when or where you live.

    Jocie has reached her freshman year in high school.  She still works for her father at his newspaper, taking pictures and writing the occasional article for publication.  However, her English teacher keeps giving her F’s and much criticism for the papers she turns in to him.  She can’t fail English; she needs an A to get the scholarships she needs for college.

    Jocie is still friends with her father’s employee, Wes, who has Jupiterian roots.  He arrived one day by motorcycle and is Jocie’s "best ever" adult friend. He is always there with good advice and a listening ear.  Very wise people must live on Jupiter!

    Jocie’s father seems to be interested in a serious way with Leigh.  Could he be maybe thinking of her as a wife?  Jocie sure hopes so.

    This is an altogether fun to read book, with a little nostalgia thrown in for those of us who remember the 60’s.  A cozy winter’s afternoon, a warm fire, a cup of hot chocolate and a copy of Ann Gabhart’s book Summer of Joy, it just couldn’t get better than this.

     I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while reading these books.

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   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!

     In Holland, I began my life as a stay-at-home mom. For the first time in my life, I was able to seriously pursue my dream of writing full-length historicals. During my six years there, I completed three manuscripts. The second one gained recognition when it was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Contest in 1994.

     We moved back to the U.S., to the down east coast of Maine to a small village where I had spent childhood summers. Maine has been a place of discovery—from discerning the varying faces of the sea and likening them to the color of my current hero or heroine’s eyes, to observing the changing seasons and the wonders of a flower or leaf or icicle, to simply learning how to say, 'yes, Lord,' when I hear His still, small voice."

    Nothing brings to mind beauty and romance more than a book set in England during the Regency Period.  Ruth Axtell, in her book A Heart’s Rebellion, sets the stage for a slightly different take on this time period.  It often wasn’t all beautiful gowns, dinners with many courses, dancing until the early hours, and above all finding the “right” man to marry.  It was often a time when the ‘wrong’ word, the wrong color gown, or - heaven forbid - the wrong partner, could destroy the hopes and plans of the fairest lady.

    That said, this delightful novel about two young girls, Jessamine and Megan, who have received a completely unexpected invitation from Lady Bess to have a London Season at her expense are thrilled.  Just imagine, a season! 

    But all is not as perfect as it seems.  Jessamine is still smarting over what she perceives is a broken heart when the man she thought would wait for her has married another woman; in her mind, Jessamine is still in love with him.  To make it all worse, he is the big brother of her best friend, Megan.  How this works out is part of this interesting book.

    When you are looking for a well written novel to while away a rainy afternoon, A Heart’s Rebellion by Ruth Axtell will be an excellent choice.  Outside of wanting to shake some common sense into Jessamine’s mind, ☺ you will enjoy this look back at earlier times in Regency England.

    I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while reading these books.

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   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!

    Do you enjoy reading?  I do, too!

    From time to time, I'll share with you some book reviews of books that I've been reading, or that a couple of friends have read for me and written up a book review. 

    If you aren't big into reading book reviews, that's okay!  Just delete that email, and stay tuned for more content later that week that you enjoy receiving!

    Economies have fallen, freedom has been suppressed, and peace is a distant memory. The world is falling apart. Joshua Jordan’s protégé Ethan March, along with Jimmy Louder and Rivka Reuban have been left behind in a world that is rapidly coming under the complete influence of the Antichrist.

     Technology is growing by leaps and bounds, with BID-Tag implants, robotic police units, and drone-bots flying overhead . . . all designed to control and dominate those who resist the Antichrist’s reign of evil. As Biblical prophecy is fulfilled each new day, Ethan and the others in the Remnant struggle to eat, to procure necessary goods, and to avoid the Global Alliance---in short, to survive.

     But when the forces of evil attempt to pervert the world’s most powerful information system to their own sinister ends, eliminating everyone who gets in their way, it’s up to Ethan and the Remnant to subvert their dark ambitions. From New York Times best-selling author Tim LaHaye, creator and co-author of the world-renowned Left Behind books, and Craig Parshall, Mark of Evil is the final thrilling chapter in The End series.

     With high-tech thrills against a background of prophetic events that seem to leap from today’s news, this is the story of global tribulations bringing the world one step closer to the reign of the Antichrist and the return of Jesus Christ in glory.

    If you have been wondering if maybe after the rapture, things would be OK if you were maybe left behind, then you need to read Mark of Evil by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall.  It sounds far out and techno crazy, but the way our world is going, it could happen.

     Those who were “left behind” are working diligently to save lives and bring more people into a saving relationship with Christ.

     However, it isn’t easy!  Far out technical inventions that are so sophisticated that you are sure the enemy might be able to read your mind have been put into use! Then there is a decidedly demonic and murderous former Vice President who became president under very suspicious circumstances. She has now set her sights on being head of the Global Alliance for Region One, The United States, Canada and Mexico.  She will stop at nothing to reach her goal.  Can she succeed?

     Meanwhile, plans are being made to take over the internet and to insert Global Behavior Modification, with the goal of trying to control everyone’s behavior.  Well, you see what I mean.  You simply do not want to be here!  Reading about this is fun, but to have to live through it, No way!

     LaHaye and Parshall have taken The End series one step up from Left Behind and added complicated technology to write a compelling, scary tribulation story.  Could evil really be this evil?  Read Mark of Evil to find out.  But before you do, you will want to make very sure that you will not be “Left Behind.”  See John 3:16,17 for complete instructions.

    I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while reading these books.

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   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!

    Here is an Old Testament novel based on the time of the “famous” Jezebel, her daughter Queen Athaliah, and a young adopted daughter of Athaliah, Princess Jehosheba.  King Ahab ruled over Israel and the conflicts between Israel and Judah become more and more entangled with the web of Jezebel attempting to make Baal worship supreme over the true worship of Yahweh.  It is a time of huge conflict, intrigue, mystery, murderous conduct, unexplainable personality defects, and on the other hand, the overpowering love of God and of one woman (Athaliah) and one man, the high priest of the Temple in Jerusalem (Jehoida).

    There are many Old Testament characters featured in this story, and it is sometimes difficult to remember which one belongs to which group.  However, the story is totally Biblically-based and authentic, though of course there are many fictional pieces to fill in the missing parts of Biblical testimony.  In The Shadow of Jezebel is an exciting novel which was hard to put down and one that will surely enhance the Bible readings of this period!

    I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while reading these books.

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   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!

 

   
Do you like weddings?  Most every woman does!  Janice Thompson has written a fun to read series called Weddings by Design.  Book number three in this series, The Dream Dress, keeps up with her tradition of just plain, interesting to read, funny books.

    All the angst, nerves, and to be certain, the excitement of a wedding, are an integral part of this new book.  Gabi Delgado is a young lady who dreams not of her own wedding; she doesn’t even have a boyfriend, but of the beautiful wedding dresses that she can design for other brides to be. 

    But this doesn’t seem to be what is going to happen for her, neither the wedding or the chance to design beautiful wedding dresses for other brides.  Instead, she is locked up in a dead end job, doing alterations on bridal dresses for her temperamental boss.  Life isn’t fair!  And her boss is a tyrant!  His ego is so fragile that he cannot even see that anyone else can even come close to the beautiful dresses he designs!  It is so frustrating, Gabi can just see what each bride dreams for when her special day comes.

    So Gabi is stuck until one day...well, I guess that you will have to read this funny book, interspersed with witty sayings, a bad tempered boss, and just maybe a what!?!  No, not someone who Gabi might be interested in, no, it won’t happen for her, no, not ever!  Or will it??

    Look for Janice Thompson’s newest book, The Dream Dress, for a fun read!

    I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while reading these books.

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   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!

    If you're a fan of medieval fantasy, A Draw of Kings is a winner!  This book has more twists and turns than a thrill ride at the amusement park.  A Draw of Kings is the third book in Patrick W. Carr’s The Staff and The Sword series.  In order to understand the plot and the twists and turns of the story, you will want to read the first two books in this series:  The Hero's Lot and A Cast of Stones.

     Errol is the main character in this trilogy, and he has become a warrior.  He is willing to give his life so that the proper man can replace the old king who has died. Duke Weir has taken the old king’s place by force and is willing to kill anyone who stands in his way.  Lots are cast to find out who is to become the new king.  How this affects Illustra and its people is an important part of the story.

     Adora is the old king’s niece, and she is being sought by Duke Weir to bear his son to give him the royal blood needed so he has the right to be king. Of course, she's not on board with this idea!

     Understanding the unusual terms and names will be easier if the previous books have been read.  Patrick Carr is an imaginative writer and has written a book that holds your attention and keeps you reading.  If you enjoy medieval fiction, this is a great series to read, but please do read the first two books.  ☺

    To help out readers of The Staff and The Sword trilogy, I've reformatted a glossary and list of characters and geographical locations found on Patrick Carr's website so it's easier to view.  You'll find the printable PDF below!

Click on the image below, to download and print out your free PDF glossary for
The Staff and The Sword trilogy!

    I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while reading these books.

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   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!

    “When Calls the Heart” tells the captivating story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow), a young teacher accustomed to her high society life, who receives her first classroom assignment in Coal Valley, a small coal mining town where life is simple, but often fraught with challenges.

    Lori Loughlin plays Abigail Stanton, a wife and mother whose husband, the foreman of the mine, along with a dozen other miners, has just been killed in an explosion.  The newly widowed women find their faith is tested when they must go to work in the mines to keep a roof over their heads.

    Elizabeth, the new teacher, charms most everyone in Coal Valley, except Constable Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing) who believes Thatcher’s wealthy father has doomed the lawman’s career by insisting he be assigned in town to protect the shipping magnate’s daughter. Living in a 19th century coal town, Elizabeth will have to learn the ways of the frontier if she wishes to thrive in the rural west on her own.

   To enter this giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below.  (Email subscribers may need to click back to the original post to enter this giveaway via the Rafflecopter form.)

    The giveaway for the When Calls the Heart DVD ends on Friday, February 28th, 2014 at midnight Pacific time...

    ...and please read the requirements for entering.  If you're randomly selected as the winner, and you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll need to select a new winner instead.    U.S. entries only, please.  Thanks!

    I received a copy of this DVD for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while reading these books.

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   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!