Tree Swing Reading

Twenty in Twenty Giveaway Day 3: "Whirlwind" by Cathy Marie Hake

I am giving away 20 books in the next 20 days!

The rules:

1. To enter, post a comment answering the day's random question:

Today's question is: from yesterday's random dozen, what's your favorite breakfast food?

2.  Have an email or blog that you would check to see if you win. Respond within 7 days if you are the winner.

3. Check back again for the next day's giveaway!

Please enter for this book by May 6. The winner will be announced May 7.

Today's book is Whirlwind by Cathy Marie Hake

Description:

Widower Daniel Clark needs a nanny for his 18-month-old son, Arthur. Governess Millicent Fairweather is without a job. When the two meet on a ship to America, things come together---and fall apart---very quickly! What with illness, thieves, and secret codes, how's a person to know what's real and what's not?

I am giving away 20 books in the next 20 days!

The rules:

1. To enter, post a comment answering the day's random question:

Today's question is: from yesterday's random dozen, what's your favorite breakfast food?

2.  Have an email or blog that you would check to see if you win. Respond within 7 days if you are the winner.

3. Check back again for the next day's giveaway!

Please enter for this book by May 6. The winner will be announced May 7.

Today's book is Whirlwind by Cathy Marie Hake

Description:

Widower Daniel Clark needs a nanny for his 18-month-old son, Arthur. Governess Millicent Fairweather is without a job. When the two meet on a ship to America, things come together---and fall apart---very quickly! What with illness, thieves, and secret codes, how's a person to know what's real and what's not?

I am giving away 20 books in the next 20 days!

The rules:

1. To enter, post a comment answering the day's random question:

Today's question is: from yesterday's random dozen, what's your favorite breakfast food?

2.  Have an email or blog that you would check to see if you win. Respond within 7 days if you are the winner.

3. Check back again for the next day's giveaway!

Please enter for this book by May 6. The winner will be announced May 7.

Today's book is Whirlwind by Cathy Marie Hake

Description:

Widower Daniel Clark needs a nanny for his 18-month-old son, Arthur. Governess Millicent Fairweather is without a job. When the two meet on a ship to America, things come together---and fall apart---very quickly! What with illness, thieves, and secret codes, how's a person to know what's real and what's not?

This Week's Random Dozen

1. Ever had any run-ins with the "library police?"

I am the library police!  At least at our church library! :)

2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?

I have a gift bag/wrapping stash in the basement. I don't usually wrap things in a regular spot.

3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?

I was in the vicinity of Mt. Saint Helens when it errupted. Felt it, saw ash fall, helped clean up mountains of it.

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?

"I Made it Through the Rain"

5. What's the best costume you've ever worn?

Geisha girl.  With a black wig and white face no one had any idea who I was.

6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

Thesaurus

7. What's your favorite breakfast food?

Eggs and bacon on English muffin. Or for sweets: my mom's almond flavored cinnamon rolls

8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?

nope

9. Have you ever crawled through a window?

yes. Got locked out of my house once and crawled through a window to get in.

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

I'm not sure...I want to, but have never really witnessed it in anything but movies or books.

11. How man pairs of jeans do you own?

4

12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on "Ace of Cakes.")

A totally crafty themed one, with a pile of books too.

Twenty in Twenty Giveaway Day 2: "Jesus" by Walter Wangerin

I am giving away 20 books in the next 20 days!

The rules:

1. To enter, post a comment answering the day's random question:

Today's question is what song do you have in your head today?

My answer: "Sunshine and Lollypops" from the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movie

2.  Have an email or blog that you would check to see if you win. Respond within 7 days if you are the winner.

3. Check back again for the next day's giveaway!

Please enter for this book by May 5. The winner will be announced May 6.

Today's book is Jesus by Walter Wangerin

Description:

Explore the life of Jesus from the perspective of those who knew him most intimately. Narrated by Mary, his mother, and his disciple John, Wangerin's deeply moving imagining shines new understanding on the humanity of Christ---and on the struggles and joys of those who loved him during his time on Earth.

I am giving away 20 books in the next 20 days!

The rules:

1. To enter, post a comment answering the day's random question:

Today's question is what song do you have in your head today?

My answer: "Sunshine and Lollypops" from the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movie

2.  Have an email or blog that you would check to see if you win. Respond within 7 days if you are the winner.

3. Check back again for the next day's giveaway!

Please enter for this book by May 5. The winner will be announced May 6.

Today's book is Jesus by Walter Wangerin

Description:

Explore the life of Jesus from the perspective of those who knew him most intimately. Narrated by Mary, his mother, and his disciple John, Wangerin's deeply moving imagining shines new understanding on the humanity of Christ---and on the struggles and joys of those who loved him during his time on Earth.

Twenty in Twenty Giveaway Day 1: "False Witness" by Randy Singer

I am giving away 20 books in the next 20 days!

The rules:

1. To enter, post a comment answering the day's random question:

Today's question is from last week's random dozen, what is one of the things that makes you feel like spring has finally come?

My answer: when we put away the snow blower and get out the lawn mower!

2.  Have an email or blog that you would check to see if you win. Respond within 7 days if you are the winner.

3. Check back again for the next day's giveaway!

Please enter for this book by May 4. The winner will be announced May 5.

Today's book is False Witness by Randy Singer

Description:

Hoping to gain some practical insight, three bored law students volunteer at the legal aid clinic. But when they discover that their assigned client is part of a witness protection program and is hiding a destructive Internet code, can they keep it out of the wrong hands and still live to see graduation?

My Thoughts:

I read this book a while ago, but enjoyed it as I do all of Singer's books. An excellent legal suspense, but not a lot of spiritual message.

My Random Mind and Next Giveaway Coming

My craft sale was this weekend and I am in that crazy post busy time let down.  Do you ever get those?  It's like I've been living on adrenaline for so long that my body misses it when it goes away.  The craft sale went well, but I know the next few days will be challenging for me physically.  But even though I know it will be rough and I will feel crummy, I still panic and worry in the midst of it, wondering if I will return to "normal" at some point.  What I need to remember is that it is normal for me to feel crummy after a really busy and stressful time.  And to let myself rest and restore, even if it means I am less productive than normal.

Hey, maybe I'll finally get some more reading done again!

It's also time for me to start preparing plans for our church's summer reading program. This means I need to read a bunch of youth/children/teen books to get some new stuff in for them. Plus I'm working on the theme for this year.  So, my reading choices may veer a bit young in the next month or so.

I've been thinking about my choices for food/exercise too.  A young mom of 3 from our church died unexpectedly this week and it makes me want to do everything I can to be here for my kids.  That means making better choices in what I've been eating.  We as a family have decided to do the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure in June so we are going to train together.

And as for giveaways, well, those are back again too, starting this week!

Winner of Beaded Pen

Congrats to Susan K!  Your name was drawn to win the beaded pen!

Thanks for entering!

Random Dozen

This picture is a clarification for question 1:

1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay?

Sorry, I don't much care for them. I do really like the ballet flats that are in style now though

2. What is your favorite pizza?

Uno's classic pizza. Love Uno's crust!

3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?
[Ex: Hurley's "I Love my Shih tzu" shirt from LOST, the plantation home "Tara" from Gone With the Wind, or Tracy's tambourine from the Partridge Family.]

I'd like Gabrielle's bedroom from High School Musical. Can you tell I have young kids?  I don't seem many other movies right now.

4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for.

Wisconsin cheese of course!

5. What is your current favorite snack?

leftover birthday cake from my daughter's birthday!

6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.")

I would like to say Biggest loser! I would love to lose weight.

A. Dancing with the Stars
B. Biggest Loser
C. Survivor

7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior?

I'd say a 7. It's pretty clean, but not obsessively so.

8. It doesn't feel like Spring until _________.

We put the snow blower away and get the lawn mower out!

9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is ____.

Watching Paul Blart Mall Cop with my daughter recently.

10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward.

Trying to promote my craft sale for this weekend. Also, getting more patrons to use our church library regularly.

11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week.

One of my best friends gave me this one: "Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry."

12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. If you're not a parent, feel free to substitute "friend" or nomenclature that works for you.

Just little things we do together, like painting toenails and fingernails on Sunday nights, taking them to the park, playing games together, stuff like that.

Winner of "Rhythms of Grace"

Congratulations to Katy!

Your name was drawn to win Rhythms of Grace by Marilyn Griffith.

Thanks for entering!

Never a Dull Moment

When you have kids, there's always something...

Friday night was my youngest daughter's bday party, which was great but exhausting.

Saturday I was in line for ballet recital tickets. My oldest got a soccer ball in the gut at her soccer game.

Sunday my youngest fell off the monkey bars and we sat at Urgent Care for hours. Her arm is sprained, not broken.

This morning my oldest woke up with a stomach bug.

This weekend is my craft sale and I'm totally freaked out that the whole family will be sick!

Always something!

Random Dozen

1. Define a great relationship.

Good communication, wanting the best for each other, defending each other, lots and lots of listening!

2. Why is it called a "drive-through" if you have to stop? (Real question: What was the last food/drink you purchased at a drive-through?)

Got my daughter McDonalds after a dr appointment.

3. As I type this, the Butler Bulldogs are getting ready to play in the NCAA championship game. Every Hoosier is hysterical about this except me. So in honor of the Bulldogs ... what is your favorite breed of dog? (I tried.)

chocolate labs

4. If you had to move to a state besides the one you currently live in, where would you move?

Washington

5. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

less performance-based approval

6. Who's the funniest person you know?

My brother-in-law Brent makes me laugh all the time!

7. Did you get enough sleep last night?

I never do! haha!  I always wake up around 3am and start thinking about things and have trouble falling back asleep.

8. What's the first thing you thought about this morning?

plans for my daughter's "spa" birthday party tomorrow night!

9. Grilled or Fried? --HONESTLY

fried for sure!  Wish I could say grilled and mean it

10. Are you afraid of the dark?

I like some light for sure! When my husband travels I leave lights on all over the house

11.When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

a nurse or teacher

12. If you had one word to describe yourself , what would you choose

conscientious