My Accomplishments (52 Lists)

This year is just about over and I'm sure many of us are ready to see it in the rear view mirror and steam ahead into 2017.   For me, the year actually went buy pretty dang fast.  It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating New Years and we blinked and Christmas is only days away.

For this week's 52 Lists, we were asked to make a list of our accomplishments we achieved through the course of 2016.  Don't forget, if you want to make your own list, just link up over at Beauty full Slow and join in the fun :)

I wish I could say I had so many of them, but honestly, I can't say that I did anything spectacular over the course of the 366 days (it was a leap year after all)..  But hey, I'll list what I did accomplish ;)

• I haven't murdered anyone in my family yet!! ;)
• I've manage to have meals on the table every day, keeping tummies full and happy, even if it was Dominos more times than I care to admit
• read my Bible and studied scripture more 
• helped bring my husband and children closer to God
• read 50 books (at least, it will be 50 once I finish the one I'm currently on)
• Started celebrating the Advent season tradition with the family
• enrolled Ash in Awana 
• found a home school system that worked for the kids
• reviewed and wrote reviews for more than 70 different products
• blogged more than 170 entries here at Counting Pinecones
• didn't gain any weight (didn't lose any either though.. lol)
• stopped smoking cigarettes
• stuffed a shoebox of goodies for Operation Christmas Child
• checked camping in Yosemite off my Bucket List
• taught my teenager how to drive
• Did I mention I haven't killed anyone yet???? lol

Now!! (Five Minute Friday)

This week, Kate at Heading Home has offered up the word Now for the word of the week.  If your interested in joining in with the Five Minute Fridays, be sure to click the button below  

Starting Now (no pun intended)


Now??  There's a word that has a lot of meaning.

We often live in the Now.. Everything is so rushed, everything is in the moment.  We want to be there NOW!!!  We want it NOW!!

However, a lesson I learned this week is that sometimes Now isn't possible and instead you gotta work for a future "now" rather than the "now" of the very moment.

Today, I accomplished a 2 minute plank.  That is my "now".. However, four days ago, that "now" wasn't possible at all.  A week ago, it was hard to accomplish a 45 second plank.. 4 days ago, I failed miserably at a 90 second plank.  Today's "now" of 120 seconds wouldn't have been possible if I just wanted it now, instead I had to have the past to accomplish what I did today.

My kids don't understand this lesson.  They want it all now... Christmas is many days away, but they want it now..  They want to be 4th graders now, but don't understand the work that they have to accomplish in 3rd grade to progress to a 4th grade level.

They want to be at a fun place "now" but don't realize that getting there means driving to that location, which means "now" isn't even feasible.

Sometimes, Now takes some work, planning and follow through on our part.  But once it's accomplished, that "now" moment is so much sweeter.

And that is 5.

A Royal Christmas Wedding (Review and Giveaway)

Release Date: October 18, 2016

Genre: Christian Romance/Christmas

Book Format: Paperback & Ebook

Avery Truitt aches for true love—the kind she once shared with Prince Colin. Can she dare to hope for happily ever after, or is a fairy-tale ending beyond reach?

College volleyball star Avery Truitt has not seen her former flame, Prince Colin of Brighton Kingdom, since he suddenly pushed her away five years ago. But now, the sadness of losing her father and the joy of her sister Susanna’s pregnancy have brought Avery back to Brighton just in time for Cathedral City’s enchanting Christmas season.

Avery knows she can’t avoid seeing Colin—now the Kingdom’s most eligible bachelor—whether or not her heart is ready to relive the pain. But seeing him again might bring her the closure she needs after all this time.

When Colin finds himself at the center of a centuries-old Brighton tradition, he must decide whether to follow the path laid out before him or follow his heart to the only woman for whom he would ring the Pembroke Chapel Bell.

Can Colin convince Avery to meet him at the chapel on Christmas morning—as tradition dictates—or will Avery run back to her St. Simons home and pursue a coaching career as planned?

In the fourth installment of the Royal Wedding Series, New York Times bestselling novelist, Rachel Hauck, weaves a charming story of holiday romance as two broken hearts seek the love they once knew.

My Thoughts:

This book is a fairy tale for adults..  Princes, Kings and Queens and the average American girl who finds herself in that world and falls in love with royalty and becomes a princess. Yes, it's not believable but that's the joy of fairy tales - they aren't believable but we still love them.  So long as readers pick up this book knowing it is an unrealistic story, they will find it a very enjoyable read.  If you're one of those who will pick apart a book and say "That wouldn't happen", this book isn't for you.  

Now that you know it's a fairy tale and understand that fact, this is a very quick and enjoyable read.  The story focuses on Avery Truitt, a volleyball star who finds herself in the situation of trying to reorganize and restructure her life after an injury and the death of her father.  As the Christmas holiday's approach, Avery and her mother and invited to spend the holidays with her sister, the Queen of Brighton (remember, fairy tale) where she comes face to face with her former romantic interest, Prince Colin, who vanished from her life without even a phone call five years before. 

When a old kingdom legend resurfaces and is brought to the present, Avery tries to rediscover herself while fighting the feelings that she has for Colin while learning the reasons why Colin left the way he did.   

I really enjoyed reading this book.  Who doesn't like the idea of falling in love with a Prince and living happily ever after in a castle?  I think Rachel Hauck did an excellent job writing believable characters who  aren't perfect but are likable.  There are funny moments that will make you laugh and there are moments where your heart breaks wide open for Avery - a sign of great writing and character development. 

I also really enjoyed the message that God can answer prayers, sometimes with a whisper and sometimes with the loud ringing of a bell where everyone can hear it. Colin and Avery both focus on their faith in God to help guide them in the direction they need to go, even when it goes against what others that we love want for us, a lesson we can all stand to learn at times. 

About the Author

Rachel Hauck is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and

award-winning author.

A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, Rachel worked in the corporate software world before planting her backside in an uncomfortable chair to write full-time in 2004.

She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and leads worship at their annual conference. She is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy and conference speaker.

Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets and writes from her two-story tower in an exceedingly more comfy chair. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card plus a copy of A Royal Christmas Wedding and a copy of The Wedding Shop. Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post to earn 9 extra entries in the giveaway! https://promosimple.com/ps/aaeb

Blog Stops

December 8: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader

December 8: New Horizon Reviews

December 8: inklings and notions

December 9: Reading Is My SuperPower

December 9: Redeemed Hope Dweller

December 9: Book by Book

December 10: His Grace is Sufficient

December 10: Blossoms and Blessings

December 10: Pause for Tales

December 11: Quiet Quilter

December 11: Ashley’s Bookshelf

December 11: Reviewing Novels Online

December 12: Bibliophile Reviews

December 12: Lights in a Dark World

December 12: Splashes of Joy

December 13: Moments Dipped in Ink

December 13: Neverending Stories

December 13: Through the Open Window

December 14: The Power of Words

December 14: Counting Pinecones

December 14: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS

December 15: Book Bites, Bee Stings, and Butterfly Kisses

December 15: Genesis 5020

December 15: CTF Devourer

December 16: Lighthouse Academy

December 16: God’s Little Bookworm

December 16: Christian Bookaholic

December 17: Smiling Book Reviews

December 17: God is Love

December 17: A Simple Life, really?!

December 18: A Holland Reads

December 18: The Scribbler

December 18: Faith * Love * Books

December 19: By The Book

December 19: Karen Sue Hadley

December 19: Southern Chelle

December 20: Faithfully Bookish

December 20: Books. Books. And More Books

December 20: A Baker’s Perspective

December 21: ASC Book Reviews

December 21: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

Winter Bucket List (52 Lists)

I love winter.. The cooler weather, the chance of snow, the crisp air.  My husband is a sun bum but I am a snow bunny deep in my soul.  It's one of the reasons I hate living in the high desert as much as I do - too much sun and not enough cool nights where I can just open the windows and enjoy the cool night air.

This week, for the 52 lists blog hop from Beauty full Slow, participants were asked to share their winter bucket lists - things they hope to accomplish during the winter season.  While many of these we accomplish several times during the winter months, they will forever be part of my winter bucket list.

• Lots of hot chocolate and marshmallows
• special winter popcorn with marshmallows, m&m mini's and chocolate drizzles. 
• sledding and playing in the snow up in Techachapi 
• reading all 12 Left Behind books before Spring  
• Buy a new pair of flannel/fleece pajamas
• make suet feeders for the birds 
• nature hikes in the desert (it's too hot in the summer months)
• put out the air mattress with the electric blanket and a thermos of coffee and watch the Geminids meteor shower  (we will actually be doing this tomorrow night even though the moon will spoil the view)

Yeah, it's not a huge list lol

What Am I Reading (December Edition)

It's been a while since I updated on what I've been reading, but boy have I been turning the pages.. I've got a few really great reads for you this month.

Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst

This particular book really hit home with me.  Maybe you've felt alone and uninvited in a room filled with people? I know I have.  

Lysa TerKeurst writes from the heart as she describes the struggles that she's felt feeling alone and vulnerable even when surrounded by others.  She describes the feeling of rejection that stemmed from a broken home with a father that left her at an early age and the guilt she felt growing up feeling she was the root cause of why.  But Lysa also reminds us that no matter where we are or how we feel, the Lord is always with us and is always wanting us to be near him and to have a relationship with him regardless of any actions we might have taken to push him away.   

In the past, I've really tried to "get into" Lysa TerKeurst's teachings but something about her grates on me - however, I didn't feel that way reading this particular writing.  Maybe it's because it is a topic she feels very strong about, or that she put herself out there for her readers - there's a vunerability to this writing that many can relate to.  There's no deep philosophical preaching - just a rawness that touches the heart and makes you realize that even someone like Lysa TerKeurst can feel out of place and away from God at times.

I also highly recommend the video study that goes with this book.  Both are pretty amazing.

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike Massimino

Who hasn't thought at one point or another, especially as a child, of becoming an astronaut? I know

growing up, the unrealistic dream of flying in a space craft to realms unknown crossed my mind. Well, I never achieved that dream and as I got older, that dream was replaced by others (some also not met). Astronaut Mike Massimino also had that dream, spurred on by the first lunar landing and watching Neil Armstrong take those first steps on the moon's surface on a grainy black and white screen.   While other aspirations and life choices veered him off course from time to time, eventually all things led back to that dream.  In Spaceman, Massimino tells of the hardships, sacrifices and obstacles  he had to face in order to fulfill that dream.  He also talks of the heartbreaking losses of his fathers death as well as the Columbia disaster that killed 7 friends he trained with. Through it all, he learns that family doesn't necessarily mean related by blood.

Massimino is a great writer who brings humor with the heartache as he walks you through his education, astronaut training and two space flight to repair the Hubble telescope.  He talks of the disasters that rocked NASA and the Space program to the core and he speaks of how so many people along the way helped him to achieve his dreams, even when he didn't know what those dreams might be. 

The Ruby Moon by Trisha Priebe and Jerry B. Jenkins

In this delightful sequel to The Glass Castle, The Ruby Moon continues the story of Avery and the hidden thirteen year olds as she searches for her brother.  Geared for the young reader genre, both my daughter and myself found this book (along with the first in the Thirteen series) delightful.  

Ruby Moon picks up where The Glass Castle lets off, with Avery and the other orphaned thirteen year olds trying to discover the long lost heir as well as avoid detection by the King and Queen.  When situations arise that require the colony to relocate into the tunnels below the castle, Avery soon discovers that there is more to who she is and who her friends are than meets they eye.  Avery puts her life in danger in order to gain audience with the King by disguising herself as a boy in order to run in his race. 

Priebe and Jenkins are great at including both Biblical as well as life lessons in this story as we see growth with the main character.  Teenagers and preteens will both be able to relate to Avery's story and learn these lessons with her.  Overall, this is a great book that lacks and questionable material and would be suitable for readers around age 11 upward. 

A Primary Decision: A Novel (The Worthington Destiny) by Dr. Kevin Leman  and Jeff Nesbit

I am a huge fan of Dr Kevin Leman and his various non fiction selections on both relationships and

parenting but I was completely unaware that he had entered the fiction realm until I picked this book up and started reading.  

A Primary Decision is the third book in the Worthington Destiny series.  This series focuses on a wealthy family, the Worthingtons and the various skeletons hidden in the family's closet.  I had not read the two previous books of this series, which focus on the two bothers of the family.  

This book focuses on Sarah Worthington, the youngest and only female of the family.  Sarah is currently being vetted for the position of US Attorney General after being nominated by the current President, while also investigating government corruption that ultimately led to a bombing.  However, her investigation brings her face to face to many high ups in the government, as well as breaks open the secrets that the Worthington family has worked so hard to protect. 

There were times when I was a bit lost as to the back story, since I had not read the first two books, but the authors do a well enough job of filling in gaps as the story progresses to allow the reader to enjoy this book without the previous knowledge of the other two.  I could definitely recognize Dr Leman's "Birth Order" work as he and Nesbit weave together very believable characters and situations through their writing.   

Wild Montana Skies (Montana Rescue #1) by Susan May Warren

I have a few others books in my reading library by Susan May Warren that I swear I'm going to get around to eventually but this was my first read by this author and I have to say, I really enjoyed this book very much.  

Wild Montana Skies tells the story of Ben and Kacey, lost loves who parted ways after a huge misunderstanding when they were both young.  Kacey is now a single mother who flies helicopters for the US Military, Ben is a country music sensation who has lost his way.  When a natural disaster affects the town they grew up with, the two are reunited as they work together as part of a Search and Rescue team to find those affected. 

This is the first book of the series and it's a good one, building solid characters (both the main characters and the supporting characters) that will prove to be a great series in the long haul.  Warren does a great job making her supporting characters more than just background, helping the reader to relate to them along with Ben and Kacey so that as subsequent books in the series focuses more on those characters, readers will already be familiar with them as part of the story's whole.  The love story between Ben and Kacey is sweet and touching and the storyline between them is not forced, making it believable that the two can reconnect the way that they do as opposed to just throwing them together without a buildup.  The only character I could really do away with was Hollie, Ben's duet partner, as I thought her character felt almost as an afterthought and her behavior towards Kacey seemed very forced, in order to make some conflict.  

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to seeing how Susan May Warren builds upon the existing story and those of the supporting characters in the next installment. 

31 Women of the Bible: Who They Were and What We Can Learn from Them Today by Holman Bible Staff 

When reading the Bible, one comes face to face with the many men written about but the women tend

to take a backseat.  However, that's not to say there aren't many very important women among the scriptures.  There are - and there's plenty of lessons that can be learned from those women, even if they are mostly supporting characters. 

31 Women of the Bible gives the reader a easy to understand biography of 31 women found in both the Old and New Testaments.  Some names are very familiar such as Mary (Mother of Jesus) while others such as Gomer might be a mystery to even the most avid Bible reader. But each of these women and the way they lived their lives offer a great insight to who these women were and what we can learn from them today. 

This full color book offers profiles, discussion questions, and scripture references about each woman.  There's enough information given to whet the appetite in regards to each woman, even some discussion as to how each woman may have felt in regards to their situations.   

This book can be a great platform for launching an even more in depth study of each woman and will be a handy reference to have on hand when coming across each of these ladies during time with the scriptures. 

Dirty Work (Wordless Wednesday)

As we get ready for the holidays, I've been working on deep cleaning various things in my house.. It's amazing how grungy things like tile floors, carpets and laundry can get.. I've spend the last few days "Stripping" hard water deposits out of our laundry (which was a real eye opener for us - all I can say is EWWW) and shampooing our carpets and scrubbing the linoleum floors.

"Clean" Laundry being "Stripped"

Snow in the Desert

Tonight was the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony here at Edwards and so the kids and I bundled up and headed out for a bit of frosty fun.   We've been here for 6 Christmas's now and have yet to attend one, since my husband always works when they happen, but this year I took him to work and kept the car so we could attend.

In conjunction with the Tree Lighting Ceremony, the base also hosts the Reindeer Run, an annual 5K relay as well as Winterfest where people can browse and shop for Christmas gifts, enjoy baked goods and hot cocoa.    As part of her community service for JROTC, Alyssa worked with the Reindeer Run to help guide runners along the correct path for the course.  While she did that, the kids and I did a bit of browsing at Winterfest as well as checking out the giant "Christmas Cards" some of the base units and organizations made.. This year's theme was A Nightmare Before Christmas.

For the lighting ceremony, the base decorates a large tree located in front of the base BX (Base Exchange for those unfamiliar with military lingo).  For years past, the tree was honestly pretty sad looking - with one string of colored lights and a few balls strung on it's branches.  Thing somewhat a reverse Charlie Brown tree where the tree is too little for the decorations.. In this case, the decorations were way too scant for the tree..

Tree in Previous Years

However, this year, I guess the Air Force found some extra money in the budget (or maybe the company who took over the privatization of our housing) found the funds to actually decorate the tree.  The result was very nice.

And, to make it even magical for the kids, yes, that is real snow on the ground..  It had to be made using a snow machine, but every year they cover the ground around the tree with about 2 inches of snow for the kids to play in for the night.   So after a word from the base commander and a countdown, the tree was lit and the kids were allowed to play.  For Garrett and Ashleigh, this was the first time that they can actually remember playing in the snow so it was a great experience for them.

And Alyssa even got a medal from the Reindeer Run for her time and effort, which she was really proud of.