Courting Cate (The Courtships of Lancaster County)

I truly enjoyed this book!
I had never read anything by Leslie Gould before.

Growing up I was always intrigued by the Amish.
That being said, This story is about 2 daughters who grew up without a mother. The one always giving in to the other, putting her first.

Cate reminds me of myself, feisty and quick to loose her temper... When she finds God again she becomes a different person.

Cate was burned by love and so she decided to explore a career instead...But then their father who was worried about Cate so he decided that Betsy couldn't court or marry til Cate did.
  Through alot of scheming...and lies on Betsy's part she does everything in her power to find someone to court her sister

. Pete comes to town and Cate does find him intriguing, they have alot of the same interests especially reading. He seems interested in her--but is it real?

You should,really give this book a read....

I received this complimentary book from Bethany House as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own

Grandmother Says... Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee; "Which are you?"

 

 

Grandmother Says... Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee; "Which are you?"

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard fo...r her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked. "What's the point,grandmother?"

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and


become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?

Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

---AUTHOR UNKNOWN

http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/hope-for-prodigal-children/

Pray - it causes miracles.

Vintage Fun: Alicia Silver Spoon Jewelry Heart Charm Bracelet Giveaway!

http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/2013/01/alicia-silver-spoon-jewelry-heart-charm.html

Great giveaway!

Who couldn't use this!


http://sarahmae.com/2013/01/today-is-the-last-day-to-get-your-free-desperate-gifts-plus-last-giveaway-kitchenaid-mixer-429-mom-heart-conference-ticket/

Woke up early this morning with this song running through my head!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_FtEzxu5J8




God is faithful to be there and bring us through even the  toughest of times, ones we thought we could never make it through but praise God he makes a way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHlOaUcqIWo

When we finally surrender to his will, then we can be truly be happy.

Threefold Promise

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Oh, wonderful promises given
To those who wait on the Lord;
Strength for the faint who have fallen,
Power for weakness outpoured.

Blessed the threefold assurance
Thrilling the soul like a song:
They shall mount up as the eagles
On wide wings and swift wings and strong;

Run with the stride of the racer,
Leaping unwearied and free,
Till he comes to the end of his journey
And the crown of his effort shall see.

But the word for the worn and the weary,
Who know not the rapture of wings,
Who know not the joy of the runner,
What infinite comfort it brings!

Walk and not faint; the slow steppings,
The plodding dull round of the days,
The toil and the heat and the burdens,
The wearying halts and delays.

Oh, promise for those who are walking,
Who falter and stumble and fall,
The courage, the strength and the patience,
This is the sweetest of all.
~Annie Johnson Flint

A Sweet, Beautiful Home

A Sweet, Beautiful Home

“The woman who makes a sweet, beautiful home, filling it with love and prayer and purity, is doing something better than anything else her hands could find to do beneath the skies.”
― J.R. Miller, Home-Making

How are you making your home sweet and beautiful today?

Are you filling it with love, prayer, and purity?

Or are you filling it with complaint, nagging, and bitterness?

Here are a few of my recommended resources if you're struggling with filling your home with love, prayer, and purity:

Large Family Logistics

Tea With Michelle Duggar

A Love That Multiplies

Queen of the Home

Mother

Need a quick pick-me-up? Just open to any page. Feeling discouraged? Just read a sentence or two. Each page just pours out soothing oil. Why is it so amazing? Why am I making such a big deal about it? Because it is just drenched in scripture and biblical truths. You Need This Book!


http://www.noblewomanhood.com/2013/happy-new-year-and-queen-of-the-home-giveaway/

Bulk Herb Store ‘Herban Earth’ Scarf ~Giveaway

Here is another cool giveaway hosted by the Bulk Herb Store, check it out!!





Bulk Herb Store ‘Herban Earth’ Scarf ~Giveaway