The Declaration Review

The Declaration 

by Gemma Malley

 

In the year 2140, it is illegal to be young. Children are all but extinct. The world is a better place. Longevity drugs are a fountain of youth. Sign the Declaration, agree not to have children and you too can live forever. Refuse, and you will live as an outcast. For the children born outside the law, it only gets worse – Surplus status. Not everyone thinks Longevity is a good thing, but you better be clear what side you’re on. . . . Surplus Anna is about to find out what happens when you can’t decide if you should cheat the law or cheat death.


My Review: 6/10

This kind of sci fi is harder to support- I had some issues with a never ending supply (?) of frozen umbilical cords to support the life of the entire world, when 99% of people were no longer having kids. As well as extreme energy, etc tarrifs, that no one seemed bothered by. At least not enough to do anything about it. I tried not to fixate on these issues, among others, because you have to just accept some things in a book like this. But the way Anna flips her opinion overnight, and how -everyone- turns on them was a little more than I could buy. The ending came together too abruptly and cleanly. And I'm not entirely clear on what happened with Sheila. All in all, it was an interesting concept and a fairly interesting storyline. But not one I could lose myself in. And not as "thought-provoking" as trumpeted.

Beth Moore and Revelation

I've had it on my heart the last couple of weeks to write.  The topics keep mounting so in true procrastinator fashion, I will talk about the most recent, the one I'm most excited about, paying no attention to those who have already been neglected for quite a while. I'll get to 'em (probably).

Last night I went to my first meeting for a new Beth Moore bible study. OHMAN! No one gets me excited to study God's word like she does. Although I'll be honest, I don't give many speakers the opportunity. I stick with what I like, and she and I clicked right away. I'm the kind of person who tries the famed sandwich on the menu and then orders the same thing for the next 17 straight visits.

Anyway, a friend of the family invited me to go. I've done several of her studies before (loved 'em all, in varying levels), but I haven't done one in about a year and a half. I had schedule conflicts and joined another bible study with friends. It was a dull ache you kind of get used to and ignore. I have enough on my plate right now that I wasn't actively looking to add anything else. But when Linda invited me, I couldn't resist. I'd missed her; she's always got a good attitude and a kind or positive thing to say and she's just good for the soul. And I'd missed Beth. And I missed a daily, deeper relationship with God. Right now, I'm mostly focusing on me, not on Him. And I feel more centered, more focused, more productive, more peaceful when my sight is on Him, rather than myself. But I really lack the self-discipline and motivation to sludge through it without a guide.

So, I agreed to go. And I had an awesome first night. We take turns putting out a dinner, buffet style, which as Jon pointed out makes sense since the bible study is right around dinner time. This makes me excited on a whole other level, haha. :]

But with or without the goodies, Beth is packing a serious punch with this study. I can't wait to dig in deeper. Our  discussion group was on a shorter schedule since it was the first night, so we didn't have the weekly homework to discuss. But we did briefly share anything that we were especially struck by. Personally, I loved how Beth emphasized that we are holding onto our chains, our bondage, it's not binding us. Christ has already paid the price for us. We have already been set free, and we are clinging to our chains, unwilling to cast them aside. How true! Even when He has helped my pry my fingers loose, I have trouble walking away without looking back, without reaching back for the things that weighed me down. Insecurities, fears, obsessions. I remember them all and they creep back sometimes. And before you know it, I'm picking those chains up again and wrapping myself in them. But oh, how it helps to be reminded that they cannot bind us anymore- it's us that holds onto them. All we have to to do is let go. Hold onto Him instead.

Galatians 5:1 says For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

 Anyway, it was an exciting start. After only one day, I'm feeling refreshed, re-energized, ready to take it on. That's the fruit of the Holy Spirit. :]

a look at NYR

So, to kick off this New Year, what's more appropriate than New Year's Resolutions (NYR)? This past year was the first time that I have been consistent from beginning to end about keeping tabs on these goals. Probably because they were taped right next to my bed. :]

Here is our list of 2012 NYR.

I did not complete #5 Get Degree. It was possible, but not realluy feasible with Jon completing his last semester and job hunting. I had enough on my plate, and to be honest, I have never slacked so much before. It got to the point where I was saying, "Eh, so not doing this paper will drop me from 100% to an 85%? Ah well, such is life." I've been in school for 2 and a half years, almost exlusively full time. I was burnt out. Since I didn't have a career or major life change waiting for me at the end of completing my degree, the motivation was sorely lacking.

#7: Getting the Family Baptized, also did not happen. True, it was hard to find the time. But more than that, the only baptisms that my church offers (as far as I know) is the too impersonal one every year in Spring, when people file up on stage and have the blessing said. There is a program with peoples names and pictures, but this is primarily for new babies. And it is just at the start of the service. Other than that, there is a Believer's Baptism in the Fall, where you are dunked, fully clothed, and you share your story which is recorded and played for everyone. It's emotional and on the opposite end of the spectrum. Neither are fitting what I'm looking for, so yet again, this has taken a back burner.

and #12. Pay Off Half of My School Loans. I think this one could have been accomplished. But at the end of  the year, I had some larger expenses (bought a Tablet, got a Smartphone, and my Premier Annual Fee) which Jon preferred I pay off before paying down school debt. Since I had already payed off the portion of loans that were accruing interest, I agreed. I was $1300 shy of my goal and I'm rolling it over into this year's goals.

Which brings us to:

2013 NYR

1. Learn how to be punctual - This is something Jon and I both struggle with. Part of it is lifestyle. We are always crunched for time because we have too much crammed into life. But part of it is preference. I don't like to be early. This means I'm hanging out somewhere by myself, or with two unruly children. If it's the morning, it means I've lost sleep. Even if it's only ten minutes. Those ten minutes are precious to me. If I'm early, I  feel like Im wasting time. But being late or just barely on time makes me stressed out en route. And when you add the unexpected (courtesy of kids), a lot of times, we end up seriously late. We are ready and wanting to make a change. Our goal is to aim for 15 minutes ahead of schedule, and get comfortable with the concept of being early, of being awkwardly alone or managing our mischievous girls.

2. Learn Patience (Lyssa)- This is an area I really struggle with. I've always been an impatient person by nature. I think it would be better for everyone, myself included if I could be aware of it in the moment and make a conscious effort to change. My brilliant hubby informs me that being aware and acknowledging is not enough; if I want to change, I need a game plan. So my plan is to silently count to 5 (or 10) before responding in irritation with sarcasm. Apart from impatient comments, I need help with always expecting instant gratification (and extreme frustration when it doesn't happen). I don't really have a game plan for this one, aside from attempting to distract myself. Life kind of forces you to learn patience by keeping its own immovable pace. Anyway, while I'm glad that my daughters have learned to appreciate the art of sarcasm at the tender ages of 4 and 6, I think I need patience. It will help me to be kinder (that was a hard fact to face) and should lower my blood pressure, ha ha.

3. Pay off remaining school loan (Lyssa) - I'm really excited about this one, because I get a weird level of satisfaction from paying off debts. Seriously, I LOVE it. I have about 5K left in my own school loans. Since I graduate this spring, and should have a 6 month grace period, if I pull this off, I will be paying it off before any interest starts accruing. *pause for happy dance*

4. Keep home "company ready"- I stole this from a neighbor's NYR. I like this better than "Keep the house clean" because I think the tone is better than the details. The first one speaks (to me) of candles, yummy snacks, general cleanliness, making myself presentable (I have an attachment to PJs) at a reasonable hour of the day (read: before eleven am), and a welcoming attitude. The latter turns me off with visions of bleaching, deep cleaning, never ending scrubbing etc. Which, of course, does need to be done, but if I'm honest, it's not gonna happen every day. Or every other day. And makes me feel set up for failure. As with most things in life, it's all about your perception. And I like the company-ready feel. :]

5. Drink more water - I'm horrible at this, and that's super unhealthy. Most days I don't drink any at all. I'm gonna start with a goal of 2 water bottles a day and see how it goes.

6. Blog more than last year - this should be do-able, since I promptly stopped blogging the last 1/3 of the year. I'd also like to spice the blog up with more pictures. So I'm going to try to remember to take them.

7. Read the Bible at night together - This is a plan for Jon and I. I've studied random portions as they applied to my various Bible studies. And I've heard many bits and pieces over the years at church. And I actually retain a fair amount of the context and message. But I have a hard time reading straight through. In fact, I usually stop right after Noah. Jon has the time to read with me every night and I think the idea of talking about every thing each step of the way is appealing to him, so this is something he wants to do. I'm glad he's pushing me. It's about time I get fully submerged in this.

8. Read the Bible to the Girls (Jon) - The girls have several kids bibles that we've read to them. But Jon wants to implement this routine with them as well.

9. Read 50 books this year (Lyssa) - I think I read something like 60-75 books this past year. That may sound great, but my goal was 25. And I way over indulged and blew off a lot more important things because I have zero self-discipline. So while I expect that I will have a lot more free time this year, I have other things (and people!) I'd rather spend my time on. I think a book a week is plenty so this goal may be necessary to keep me from going over rather than falling short.

10. Make a Will - Believe it or not, this is something we still haven't done. It didn't seem super important, because I guess I just figured if anything happened to me, obviously everything of mine would be Jon's and vice versa. And if anything happened to both of us, everything would go to our girls. No brainer right? Apparently not in the court systems. And there's the issue of who would be named guardian of our girls. These are things that should be documented and kept safe so that we have peace of mind to know that we have done everything  we could do by our girls.

11. Get Life Insurance - This has been on our to do list post graduation for quite a while, and we've had several friends and family members insist that do this ASAP. No worries, we know. It's like a 6-8 week process, but we're on it. ;]

12. Complete my Degree - This should take it's natural course. I only need 9 more credits, all of which I'm scheduled to start in a week's time. I will graduate in May. So this isn't really a goal. Like something I need a game plan and constant motivation for. But it will feel really good to cross this one off. :]

13. Start a Retirement Plan - I have been itching to get this done for quite some time. My dad instilled this value in me when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure I was the only 19 year old at Starbucks making contributions into my 401K. I did the same when I was a medical receptionist, though the amounts were very very small. My dad recommends depositing 10% of our income into our IRA, but we're just not ready for that. We still have a relatively small starter income, we're saving for a house and we have Jon's 70K worth of school debt to start paying on. Plus funding two growing girls' wardrobes? Breaking my bank even with my thrifty-ness. We've decided instead to save 5% this year. I'm pretty pleased with that. And my dad got me a Motley Fool subscription for my birthday (Yay!) so I'm going to be more involved again when it comes to investing our money.

So there are our goals for 2013. Cheers to a productive year!

Twice Loved Review

Twice Loved

by Lori Copeland

 

Willow Madison and her friends Copper and Audrey taught school in neighboring Texas towns until the Yankees rode in and burned them out. In the midst of fear and chaos, survivors banded together to fight for what remained of their homes. Then word reached the people that the terrible war was over.

Now penniless but still hopeful, Willow vows she will take care of her friends, and her ailing uncle, in Thunder Ridge, Texas, even if it means having to marry wealthy Silas Sterling, a man thirty years her senior. But standing in her way is sawmill owner Tucker Gray, with his enticing eyes and infuriating headstrong manner--the man Willow cannot get out of her head . . . or her heart. Even though her friends beg her not to give up her dream of happiness, Willow is determined to do the right thing for those who are dearest to her. But which path does God want Willow to take: a life of duty and commitment . . . or a life of everlasting love?










My Review: 2/10

Two stars for a pretty cover... and that's about it.  

I was really disappointed with this book. I didnt feel that any of the characters were true to their time period. I dont understand why every period piece I read lately seems to think that the only women worth writing about are firey, feisty women, with a soft side just waiting to be revealed.  

But my bigger pet peeve was the idea regarding marriage, that you can choose 'wrong' and then any chance at happiness, love and a successful marriage are just shot. The bible does not say that you must marry for love or that if you choose the 'wrong' person God wont support your choice. What it DOES say is that if you are faithful to God and follow His word, He will bless your marriage. You cant choose wrong if Christ is at the center. I felt like this book really sent the wrong message. And please, her rejected suitor just decides to pay an outrageous sum out of the goodness of his heart? Totally unrealistic,not to mention it cheapens her choice. Life isnt that easy- she ended up making no sacrifices, having no struggles and no challenges.

And I dont think 49 is that old. Its certainly not decrepit, with brittle, achey bones, baldness and indigestion.

Why bother to read the following books? The author made it perfectly clear who ends up with whom. And based on this, i would imagine there wont be any character development.  

A Change of Fortune Review

A Change of Fortune 

by Jen Turano

 

Lady Eliza Sumner is on a mission. Her fortune was the last thing she had left after losing her father, her fiancé, and her faith. Now, masquerading as Miss Eliza Sumner, governess-at-large, she's determined to find the man who ran off with her fortune, reclaim the money, and head straight back to London.

Mr. Hamilton Beckett, much to his chagrin, is the catch of the season, and all the eyes of New York society—all the female ones, at least—are on him. He has no plans to marry again, especially since his hands are full keeping his business afloat while raising his two children alone.

Eliza's hapless attempts to regain her fortune unexpectedly put her right in Hamilton's path. The discovery of a common nemesis causes them to join forces and, before she knows it, Eliza has a whole retinue of people helping her. Eliza's determination not to trust anyone weakens when everyone's antics and bumbling efforts to assist her make her wonder if there might be more important things than her fortune and independence.

When all of Hamilton's and Eliza's best-laid plans fall by the wayside, it will take a riot of complications for them to realize that God just might have had a better plan in mind all along.


My Review:  3/10

I really wanted to like this book. The cover is great, and i actually enjoyed the silly and predictable novella prequel. But i didnt find much, if any, of the plot believable. None of the characters fit the attitudes or prejudices of the time period with the exception of the detective. And for a secret that her whole life depends on, eliza does nothing to protect it. In fact, she practically goes shouting it from the rooftops. Murder, converting prostitutes, catfights, everybodys conveniently wealthy, female journalists, etc. This was just such a sad attempt at Christian historical fiction.

Popping in for a quick Hello!

So, after I completed my goal of more posts than last year, I pretty much stopped blogging. It's been a whirlwind of crazy but I'm back! This is going to be a VERY brief post because it is 2 am and I have to be up with Ella at 7 for school. Christmas vacation cultivated some very bad sleeping habits over the last two weeks- to the point where I can go to bed in 20 minutes and still say that I'm getting on a better sleep schedule (by hours). Initially this was due to time crunching with finals and holiday things, but then I spent the last week just completely vegging out. I mean it, pjs all day, skipping meals in favor of not leaving my heated blanket and books, and not venturing out of the house because of the foot of heavy, crunchy snow that dropped the day after Christmas and has fought to keep it's turf. The girls enjoyed their new toys/games/books and I enjoyed a much needed rest.

But now that break is over and I am ready to rejoin the functional. :]

I've got much to update on and much to look forward to blogging about so, more to come soon!

The Lady of Bolton Hill Review

The Lady of Bolton Hill

by Elizabeth Camden

 

When Clara Endicott and Daniel Tremain's worlds collide after twelve years apart, the spark that was once between them immediately reignites into a romance neither of them thought possible.

But time has changed them both.

Daniel is an industrial titan with powerful enemies. Clara is an idealistic journalist determined to defend underprivileged workers.

Can they withstand the cost of their convictions while their hearts--and lives--hang in the balance?



My Review: 1/10

The cover was beautiful, that's about all I can say. In fact, this seems to be an increasingly frequent occurance; I'm beginning to suspect that a beautiful cover is overcompensating for something, and I think I'm going to need to make an effort to seek out plain, nondescript covers and stear clear of these ones.

Anyway, I read the first 10 or so chapters and as soon as the villain makes his appearance, I thought, you have to be kidding me. So cheesy. And the relationship between Clara and Daniel is completely unbelieveable. They immediately pick up where they left off and clear all the misunderstandings between them in ONE conversation. It didn't give me anything to invest in. So I skimmed the rest of the way through, reading paragraphs or pages at a time, and finished thinking, I am so glad I did not waste my time reading every word. Kind of ridiculous.

Deep in the Heart of Trouble Review

Deep in the Heart of Trouble

by Deeanne Gist (Goodreads Author)

 

Texas bloomer girl Essie Spreckelmeyer (Courting Trouble) is still just trying to maintain her balance. The president of the local velocipede club has had her fair share of pratfalls, but her present situation is unusually perilous. Running her father's oil company in this male-dominated boomtown was difficult enough before arrival of handsome, headstrong Tony Morgan. A robust Christian romance





My Review:  4.5/10


I like Essie SO much more in this book, and the change seemed natural. I do like that Essie was going to be given a family even though she had embraced not receiving one. But the subplot of the lynchings was too much. And though I liked some of the ways that Tony was different and flawed, I felt like he changed unnaturally. I don't know, I didn't completely buy into the relationship. And the way that all the loose ends tied up, with his sister's marriage and the deputy being shot and implicated, and the killer having left and obvious trail, not to mention his older brother's demise to begin with, it was all just too easy. Too simply, too neatly wrapped up.

Redeeming Love Review and a slight tangent on historical fiction

Redeeming Love

by Francine Rivers

 

California's gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.

Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.

Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father's heart in everything, Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.

But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does ... the One who will never let her go.


My Review:  10/10

nothing at all like i was expecting. Painful to read, but also one of, if not THE most powerful book I've ever read.  

I don't understand why more Christian books aren't written like this. It's kind of driving me crazy. It seems that people think that for it to be a Christian romance there has to be an element of self-denial (which supples the sexual tension that the whole book feeds off of until the very end when they marry). I hardly ever come across one that goes into life after marriage, unless it's part of a series, and even then the focus is off the first couple; they're married now, so their story is over.

This attitude is not only boring, it's damaging. Being a Christian does not mean that you're perfect and chaste. I generally appreciate less scandal and vulgarity, but these books take it to the extreme.

And why are all the heroines progress, feisty women? Is there not more than one persona that was appealing several hundred years ago? It seems they are all (poorly) modeled after Jane Austin's Eliza Bennet. But even Jane Austin only did it that one time. Her other characters, and even other lovable characters in Pride and Prejudice, were vastly different. Some were arrogant and self centered, some were meek and shy, some had a servant attitude, some were immature. All of them vastly different. Why are all the women in these historical fiction novels so one dimensional?

How wonderful it would be if more love stories were modeled after ones in the Bible. We could really learn a thing or two about how real love really works, about patience, kindness, too. About how love and healing can find any person, no matter how deep they're standing in sin, and how God can make anyone clean.

Redeeming Love was the most beautiful love story I've ever read. While I'm so thankful that I got to experience it, I'm also a little sad because I don't think I'll come across anything quite like it again. Read this and savor every moment of it.

Courting Trouble Review

Courting Trouble 

by Deeanne Gist (Goodreads Author)

 

Tired of Waiting for a Match-Made-in-Heaven,
She'll Settle for One Made in Texas

Whether it's riding bikes, catching snakes, or sliding down banisters, Essie Spreckelmeyer just can't quite make herself into the ideal woman her hometown--and her mother--expect her to be. It's going to take an extraordinary man to appreciate her joy and spontaneity--or so says her doting oil-man father.
Unfortunately such a man doesn't appear to reside in Corsicana, Texas.
It's 1894, the year of Essie's thirtieth birthday, and she decides the Lord has more important things to do than provide her a husband. If she wants one, she needs to catch him herself. So, she writes down the names of all the eligible bachelors in her small Texas town, makes a list of their attributes and drawbacks, closes her eyes, twirls her finger, and ... picks one.
But convincing the lucky "husband-to-be" is going to a bit more of a problem.
Join Deeanne Gist for another unforgettable tale and find out whether Essie's plan to catch a husband succeeds or if she's just Courting Trouble.


My Review:  4/10

I did kind of enjoy this book at times. Essie was cringeworthy most of the time, but I think that was intentional. I had to skip reading from the moment when Adam almost walks away but she calls after to him, to the moment they are discovered. I knew what was going to happen and I couldn't stomach reading the build up. I was surprised and delighted by how things ended.