Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert (book review)

From the back cover:

Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?
A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.

So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.

As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.

With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.

My thoughts:

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert is a not to be missed read. It is a great story that is full of romance, suspense, heartache, intrigue and questioning. The story follows the stories of Robin Price a young widow who is struggling with her grief from her husbands death, to being a young single mom, to being a business woman in a town where many businesses are falling apart. She is entrenched in her town and will fight to all ends to make sure that her business and her son's livelihood will live on. Then enters Ian McKay who comes to town with the intention of buying up property to develop a condo complex for families, all done with the mayor's approval. As the story progresses we see that Ian has his own demons and grief that he is dealing with. What comes about in the interplay of these two characters is a heart warming story of personal growth, love and understanding. It a story that allows for the acceptance of grief and the moving on with that grief still a part of your life but not allowing it to overwhelm your life.

I was enthralled with the characters and felt that Mrs. Ganshert did an excellent job in character development and that that was what makes this story such a huge success. The characterizations of all the characters (a few of whom I hope Mrs. Ganshert brings back in future novels) lends itself to the plot line and adds something to the book that may not have been there before.  So often the lead character(s) steal the scenes from the book while making the minor characters not needed. However this was not the case in Wishing on Willows. All the characters from Robin and Ian to Caleb (Robin's son) to Mayor Ford to Mimi and many others offer just the right touch to this story.

I love that this story has a lesson. It teaches that no matter what God is in control. As humans we cannot control diseases, deaths, or what the future holds. What we can do is allow God to be in our lives and entrust that things will work out the way that they are supposed to. Just as Robin finally had to come to the realization. Life may not work out as she had envisioned it to, but there was a greater power on hand to see that life is the way that He intended it to be.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from WaterBrook Publishing as part of their "Blogging for Books" program. All opinions expressed are my own.

http://www.BloggingForBooks.org

Instead of blogging....

I have been immersed in life.

I have been trying to spend more time with my kiddos.

I have been trying to get some things sorted out in my brain.

I have been reading a lot.

I have been sick (again).

I have been busy with work schedules and family schedules in relation to my hubby's work schedule.

I have been trying to keep up with housework.

I have been chasing after a 1 year old who loves to get into EVERYTHING!

I have been dealing with work issues.

I have been dealing with the craziness that comes with the last month of school.

I am still here though.

I hope to get back to blogging regularly soon. :)

Weighed myself this morning....

and I am NOT happy with the number I saw.

226.0 lbs.

That is right, two hundred and twenty six pounds!!!!

YIKES!!!!!!

I know that I have been eating like crud lately. I have been eating way too many muffins and chocolate. I knew I had gained weight because my capris for work are kind of tight.

Well as today is May 1, 2013....things are going to change!

I have decided to start counting calories and watching portions, etc.

In reality, I have decided to change my way of eating and focus on eating healthier.

Oh and Dear Hubby informed me this morning that we are going to have a weight loss challenge this month, because he didn't like HIS number on the scale either.

So I have to come up with terms today and we will get on it.

Oh and did I mention that I lost the March madness challenge and have to run a 5K within the next year?

I think if I can work on eating better and adding in some exercise I will feel so much better and I will be able to move things in the right direction.

Wish me luck.

Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist (book review)

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes

From the inside flap:

This is what I want you to do: tell someone you love them, and that dinner's at six.

Bread & Wine is a collection of stories about life around the table--about family, friend- ships, and the meals that bring us together. It's about Bacon-Wrapped Dates and Mango Chicken Curry and Blueberry Crisp. It's about the ways God teaches and nourishes us as we nourish the people around us. It's about recipes, entertaining ideas, and meals to share with friends and family, made by hand and with love.

Many of the most sacred moments in my life, the ones in which I feel God's presence most profoundly, when I feel the goodness of the world most arrestingly, take place around the table. Something extraordinary happens when we slow down, open our homes, look into one another's faces, and listen to one another's stories around the table.

This is my love letter to life around the table.

My review:

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table is a collection of essays and life stories from Ms Niequist in this journey that we call life. It is a collection of life stories about how entertwined lives are with one another and how food and eating around a table add another fundamental element to life. Niequist writes about all things of life…good times (such as baby showers) and bad times (such as dealing with medical issues and children’s sicknesses). I enjoyed reading Niequist’s personal stories and could relate to many of them on many levels. I laughed throughout this book. I cried. I smiled and I thought.

Intertwined in her stories were many yummy sounding recipes that Niequist shares with her readers….everything from blueberry crisp to white bean soup to farmer’s market potato salad. I have not tried any of her recipes, but it has set a fire under me to start making recipes instead of just relying on pre-made food.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone!

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, from the publisher and from Handlebar Marketing..

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Time once again for Sunday Night Chit-Chat...hosted by our friend Carla! 

 

To play along simply start your post with a photo or quote... Copy and paste the starters and link up to Carla so she and others can visit you and see what you've been up to!

SO HERE GOES:

 





My in laws were over on Saturday and wanted a family picture of us as the last one they have only has Bill, me and 2 kids. I asked that they take one with our camera too.



What are you.....

Reading?

What a Son Needs From His Mom by Cheri Fuller

Watching?

 Right now the kids are watching "Team Umizoomi" on the DVR.

I have been watching episodes of "19 Kids and Counting" that I have on the DVR.

 

Listening to?

 Rebecca is talking. Benjamin is banging toys. Jacob is eating a snack. The TV is on.

The dryer is going. Bill is talking to Rebecca.

 

 Cooking/Baking?

 I haven't done much cooking per se.

I made pumpkin muffins today.

Happy you accomplished this week?



 I got to work. I did some work at home.

 

 Looking forward to next week?

One week closer to summer break.  

 

 Thankful for today?

For my husband and kids.   

Bonus question:
What is your preferred method for contacting someone? (email, text, phone, letter, etc...)

 I prefer text and email I think. And messages on facebook.
I know they are a bit impersonal, but I always feel guilty calling someone knowing I might be interrupting them. And with 3 young kids it is hard for me to take time to call.
 

So there you have it. A little glimpse into my world on this Sunday night! Hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember to link up to our wonderful chat host Carla! :)

Kroger Spring Dinners (Review)

 

A couple of weeks ago for dinner our family had the opportunity to try some new to us food, thanks to being a bzzagent.

We were given the opportunity to try Kroger Moist and Tender pork tenderloin, Kroger Crescent rolls, and Kroger Macaroni and Cheese. We were also able to try Kroger cake mix and frosting, which I used for Benjamin’s birthday cake.

First our family had a nice family sit down dinner that consisted of the pork, crescent rolls and macaroni and cheese.

With the Pork tenderloin, I actually was able to make a few meals. The first meal that I made I cut the tenderloin into chops and baked it in the oven. My hubby and I agreed that the pork was very lean and very moist. (I was also able to freeze some of the chops for a future meal. I also used about ½ of the tenderloin and made bbq pulled pork in the crockpot last week that turned out amazingly tender and yummy!)

I have bought and prepared Kroger Crescent Rolls in the past. My children love the rolls! They are nice and flaky and delicious. And I love that they are priced less than their national brand competitor and taste just as good, if not better!

We also had the opportunity to try Krogers’ premade macaroni and cheese. (We could have tried the macaroni and cheese or the mashed potatoes. As my children are not fans of potatoes, I chose the macaroni and cheese.) The macaroni was very easy to prepare (microwave for a few minutes) and the container had enough for 4 servings for our family. My kids and hubby LOVED the macaroni and my husband has requested that I add it to our grocery list regularly. Personally, I thought it was just okay (but I am a macaroni and cheese snob and really only care for the national brand that comes in the blue box!).

A week later, we had Benjamin’s birthday party and I made his cake using a box of Kroger brand white cake mix, a box of Kroger brand chocolate cake mix and Kroger brand vanilla frosting that I tinted using non-flavored food coloring.

The cake was yummy and moist and the frosting was so flavorful without tasting fake. I was even asked for my frosting recipe because Benjamin’s Godmother thought I had made the frosting from scratch. Everyone loved the taste of the cake!

Overall, my family and I were/are VERY pleased with Kroger brand of foods that we were able to try and it was great being able to eat a healthy, yummy meal together as a family!

Disclaimer: I received Free products from Bzzagent.com to try in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

Johnsonville Sausage Company= GREAT customer service!

I will admit it. I like to get stuff in the mail. I sign up for free samples that I know that the family will use. Sometimes I get them, sometimes I don't. I also have been known to sign up to host parties where you get a chance to try new products and share them with your friends.

A couple months ago, I saw an opportunity to sign up to host a Johnsonville Cajun party. I signed up and didn't think anything about it. I apparently got an email saying that I was selected to receive a package, but I never did so I thought there was an error. Not a big deal.

Fast forward to today:

UPS knocks on the door with a package for me that contained this:

In it was a letter from Johnsonville, saying that they were sorry for the confusion and that THEIR system generated acceptance emails to an additional 10,000 participants than the 1,000 that was supposed to be registered. However, they were able to get kits that were almost identical to the first 1,000 sent to all those who received the email saying that they were enrolled, because they strive to do the right thing to their customers.

In the kit, there were several free product coupons (including one for Johnsonville sausage), an apron, a reusable shopping bag, measuring spoons, a can of red gold tomatoes, a bottle of Louisiana Hot sauce, mardi gras beads and masks, a flexible cutting board and a shopping list pad, as well as recipe booklets.

How is that for customer service?!? They did not have to send kits. They could have just said too bad. But they didn't.

To me that is why I will stay a Johnsonville Sausage customer.

Disclaimer: I was sent this kit free, however they did not require any publicity or blog posts for it. I just wanted to write this out of my own opinion for a company that I believe went above and beyond.