No Ordinary Moments

Korean Beef Tips and Rice {Recipe}

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:21:00 +0000

One of our friends shared this recipe with us a long time ago and it is a favorite when we make it! Lately we’ve been serving brown rice with it {to be a little healthy}, but there are some great sticky white rices that are absolutely yummy with it too.

But we’re using brown rice {sigh}. There are, however, a few meals that are well-deserving of special white rice…and this is one of them {making a note to buy a bag to hide in the cupboard for just this recipe}.

We sometimes use a ‘spicy’ version of the sesame oil with our marinade to give the recipe a little kick {Rick likes spicy foods}. In addition to using it as a stir fry, you can also make use the mix as a marinade to use with your favorite steak and then grill out!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
6 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp pepper
6 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 lbs tenderloin tips
Rice

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except tenderloin tips and mix well. Pour into a marinade dish. 2. Cover and marinade for 2-3 hours, turning occasionally. 3. Stir fry in non-stick pan with the marinade. 4. Serve over rice.

Print off your own 4x6 recipe card for Korean Beef Tips. Once printed, just cut along the line and then fold the recipe card in half.

Strong Character

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:20:00 +0000

Last week during our history lesson we were talking about Eli and Samuel. Our lesson made the point that Samuel was a boy of strong character and Eli’s own sons were unruly and disrespectful.

I asked the kids how they thought others would view them ~ as unruly or as a child of strong character.

And asked Zachary first.

He thought for a moment and then said, “Well, I am strong and I really am a character.”

Isn’t that the truth.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of January 23rd

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:12:00 +0000

Here’s a peek at what’s for dinner this week!

Monday

Breakfast ~ Bagels
Dinner ~ Korean Beef Tips & rice
Extra ~ 4 loaves of homemade whole wheat bread

Tuesday

Breakfast ~ Baked oatmeal
Dinner ~ Ravioli

Wednesday

Breakfast ~ Eggs & toast
Dinner ~ Chicken taquitos

Thursday

Breakfast ~ Whole wheat pancakes
Dinner ~ Leftovers!

Friday

Breakfast ~ Cereal
Dinner ~ Homemade pizza & veggies

Saturday

Breakfast ~ Scrambled eggs, bacon & toast
Dinner ~ Meatball subs {homemade rolls}

Sunday

Breakfast ~ Cinnamon rolls
Dinner ~ Popcorn & chocolate milk

As Always: I’ve linked to any recipes that I’ve already posted. That’s it for the week ~ what on your menu?

Don’t miss my Main Dish Menu Planner and go-along Monthly Menu Planner that you can fill in with your own text and save on your own computer ~ go on and try! I have examples on how I use it to help sort and plan my meals.

Vivid ~ Five Minute Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:19:00 +0000

The word for this week is ‘vivid’.

{go}

If there is one word that could truly sum up the face above, it is vivid. Instense. McKenna is a child that is FULL of life. Emotion. She is passionate in all that she does ~ from one extreme to another.

I often have a difficult time following {and keeping up with} the range of emotions that her 9 year old body goes through. And although it is most frustrating at times with the up and down spikes, there are constant reminders to me to follow her lead.

Love more intensely.

Hold on to the moments and enjoy them with the same passion that she does.

Instead of seeing things in black and white to look at them though different eyes ~ taking in each detail.

To live life more vividly.

{stop}

Five Minute Fridays is hosted by The Gypsy Mama and is a meme where we write for only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. Join in here…

A Mile in His Shoes {Movie Review & Giveaway}

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

On his way to recruit a new player for his minor league baseball team, coach Arthur 'Murph' Murphy {Dean Cain} runs off the road and uses the phone at a local farmhouse to call for help. While there, he witnesses their son’s ‘golden arm’ and convinces the family to allow Mickey {Luke Schroder} play for his team. His parents remains unsure about the situation, since Mickey has Asperger’s syndrome, but the coach is convinced that it will work and benefit not only Mickey but the team as well.

A quick video clip from A Mile in His Shoes:

My Thoughts

Our girls are getting to the age where they want to watch movies that are more ‘real life’ based and often I am at a loss to find movies that are clean and provide a redeeming story line. A Mile in His Shoes is one that I am happy to add to our collection and am not worried about the kids watching without me there. This is a movie that will also encourage conversation about how we treat others and encourage others who may not be just like us, and also how they may influence and change our view of things.

Find Out More
A Mile in His Shoes is now available for purchase through Amazon for $9.99 or as a rental for $3.99.

The Giveaway
Would you like to win a copy of A Mile in His Shoes? I have one copy to mail to one of my readers! Use the widget below {blog feed readers will need to click over and visit the blog to enter}. The giveaway will be open until Wednesday, January 25th at 12:01 am.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This movie was provided for review by Fly Propeller. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. I do not need to return this movie, nor was I paid for this review.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of January 16th

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:10:00 +0000

Monday

Breakfast ~ Bagels
Dinner ~ Loaded BBQ Pork & Potato Casserole

Tuesday

Breakfast ~ Muffins
Dinner ~ Fettucine Alfredo {recipe coming soon!}

Wednesday

Breakfast ~ Eggs & toast
Dinner ~ Parmesan Chicken {recipe coming soon!}

Thursday

Breakfast ~ Whole wheat pancakes {recipe coming soon!}
Dinner ~ Leftovers!
Extra ~ 4 loaves of homemade whole wheat bread

Friday

Breakfast ~ Cereal
Dinner ~ Homemade pizza & veggies

Saturday

Breakfast ~ Scrambled eggs, bacon & toast
Dinner ~ Baked Potatoes w/ fun fixings

Sunday

Breakfast ~ Cinnamon rolls
Dinner ~ Popcorn & chocolate milk

As Always: I’ve linked to any recipes that I’ve already posted. That’s it for the week ~ what on your menu?

Awake ~ Five Minute Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:30:00 +0000

{go}

There have been stirrings of things in my heart. Deep inside. Things I can’t quite put a finger on and name, but things being swirled around.

Awoken.

In some ways I anticipate the stirrings, but there are parts of me that are a bit frightened because I know that there will be changes. And I’m a creature of habit. Things staying the same. Dare I say boring? And truthfully, there is a part of me that knows there is also going to be some peeling back of layers and a need to look at the ‘ugly’ that is in my heart ~ and deal with it.

But I know that these stirrings are from God. I know that His hand is over me and that they are changes for the good ~ not ones that I should be frightened of. Or worry over.

{stop}

My Thoughts on Comparison

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:14:00 +0000

I have a confession to make.

Over the last few months I’ve really, really struggled with the whole comparison issue. Truthfully, issue isn’t the right word. Trap is a much better one.

Because you can get stuck in the depths of comparison and run things around and around in your mind and never emerge. It’s a really dangerous place to be.

Read more here…

Lady Anne’s Quest by Susan Page Davis {Book Review}

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Available April 2012

Lady Anne’s quest to find her uncle continues. Although she has made a long trek via wagon train, her trip now continues on horseback and further into the dangerous, barely settled territory. She is accompanied by Dan, a man who has had his heart set on her from the very moment he met her. Anne has no idea what to expect in the search for her uncle, but her trip is littered with imposters, thieves and worse.

Dan is certain that his affections for her will never be reciprocated, but he is determined to see her safely find her uncle and his whereabouts.

During their time together Anne begins to see Dan from a different perspective. Will her feeling for him change enough for her to remain in America? Or will she return to England…should she ever find her uncle?

My Thoughts

A few weeks ago I posted a review on The Lady’s Maid, the first book in the Prairie Dreams series by Susan Page Davis. While the first book left me hanging and a bit disappointed, Lady Anne's Quest continues the story and left me anxious for the last book in the series! I am so glad that I decided to read it!

Page develops Anne’s character much more deeply in this story and delves more into the missing uncle ~ leaving things at a much more satisfactory point for the readers by the end of the book. Now I’m looking forward to the third book scheduled to release this fall. :)

Find Out More

~ Visit Susan Page Davis' website

~ Buy Lady Anne's Quest ~ Prairie Dreams Book 2 by Susan Page Davis in paperback or Kindle format.

This book was provided for review by Barbour and NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

The Huge Hornet’s Nest

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:02:00 +0000

All summer long we were eagerly waiting for the day that we could tackle the hornet’s nest that we knew was lurking beneath a section of our back porch. Right off our bedroom the underside section of porch was covered {by the previous owner} with some odd plastic sheeting in an attempt to keep bugs from coming up through the porch at night. While his intentions were good, it instead provided a haven and breeding ground for European hornets.

Huge hornets, my friends. Ones that buzzed loudly, were attracted to any type of lights and made it impossible to step out onto the uncovered porch when they were around. Unfortunately, they lived and lived and lived well into the fall until we had a deep freeze and it was finally safe for us to pull the bolts out of the sheeting and attempt to remove the nest.

And by ‘we’ or ‘us’, I mean Rick. Because I was the official look-out for any hornets who may decide to be un-dormant and the official photographer for the entire adventure. The hornet’s nest was HUGE. As in about 16” {or more} long and about 14” wide. And absolutely fascinating.

In another area under the same porch we also found a smaller paper wasp nest ~ see the size difference?

We cut the nests open to have a look inside {hello, science}. See the size difference between the two? Amazing.

Later we cut it into fourths so that we could see the various tunnels and layers in the larger nest. We had to use a serrated knife to cut through it and it was like cutting through cardboard ~ but again, so neat to see how it was all put together. In one of the combs we found a hornet that never lived ~ but was perfectly formed and shaped to the tube it remained in.

Although we wanted to bring pieces inside to examine, we thought twice {just in case there were any dormant larvae or such that would hatch in the warmth} and decided to burn it in the fire pit. Which was fun until it started to really stink. Horribly so.

While I would recommend the fun science project, I wouldn’t recommend the burning. Or the summer living in terror of the wasps. SO very glad to have it done and over with.

Menu Plan Monday ~ January 9, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:49:00 +0000

I have so many recipes that I’ve taken pictures of over the last few months and just haven’t gotten around to sharing ~ something I hope to remedy soon, because they all have been wonderful and need to be shared! :) I’ve also been printing off a bunch of recipes via Pinterest that look tasty and recently activated a subscription to E-mealz to see if there were any yummy ideas there as well.

Monday

Breakfast ~ Bagels
Dinner ~ Sweet & Sour Meatballs w/rice and veggies {making a double batch of meatballs to freeze}
Extra ~ 4 loaves of homemade whole wheat bread

Tuesday

Breakfast ~ Baked oatmeal
Dinner ~ Chicken a la King w/Biscuits {using my chicken pot pie filling as the topping for this one}

Wednesday

Breakfast ~ Eggs & toast
Dinner ~ Spaghetti & salad
Extra ~ make a batch of homemade granola bars

Thursday

Breakfast ~ Whole wheat pancakes
Dinner ~ Leftovers!

Friday

Breakfast ~ Cereal
Dinner ~ Homemade pizza & veggies
Extra ~ prepare next batch of Kombucha tea

Saturday

Breakfast ~ Scrambled eggs, bacon & toast
Dinner ~ Split Pea Soup w/bread or rolls

Sunday

Breakfast ~ Cinnamon rolls
Dinner ~ Popcorn & chocolate milk

As Always: I’ve linked to any recipes that I’ve already posted. That’s it for the week ~ what on your menu?

Monthly Menu Planner ~ an Editable PDF

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:17:00 +0000

In an effort to keep better track of our menus and to save myself a little time and money, I put together a cute monthly meal planner that I can use each month when planning out our meals each month.

And cute is very important in my book!

While I usually plug our meals into my weekly planner, being able to see everything a month-at-a-glance really helps me. I can also ‘recycle’ menu plans from past months. My goal is to have three or four different monthly meal plans so that we’re not eating the same-old, same-old every single month. I can then rotate through the menu plans and copy/past and change the dates as needed.

And all those lovely blue spaces? They don’t show up when you print off the document, but the show the areas that you are able to type into on the pdf document. The date boxes have been left blank so that you can fill it in based on the different dates/months each year.

You’ll have to open the file using Adobe Reader {you most likely already have it on your computer}. In order to use it over and over, just save your initial file as “Monthly Meal Plan Blank” and then use the ‘save as’ feature to save it under a different file name. I’m putting the dates in my file names so they will sort nicely and I can pull them back up later on {12-01 Monthly Menu, 12-02 Monthly Menu, etc…}.

In case you missed it before, grab a copy of my Main Dish Menu Planner {also a pdf file that you can edit/save}. I use it to keep track of all of the meals that we eat {and love} and it makes it easy for me to just drop meals into the monthly grid ~ especially since there are some that I tend to forget about!

Enjoy!! {and I hope it helps you out as much as it does me!}

Menu Plan Monday ~ Getting Back on Track

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:43:00 +0000

For the most part over the last few months, I have been meal planning {loosely}, but gotten a wee bit off kilter in planning meals for a month at a time. Although it means I need to sit down and plan ahead of time and takes a little longer chunk on one day at the start of a month, ultimately it is a HUGE timesaver for me.

I’ve been working on a monthly meal planner page to share with you all ~ and am loving it, since I can save past menu plans and reuse it in future months. I’m all about making life easier on myself! This way I can pull a menu plan from several months prior and just change the dates around to use it again and cut my planning time down a bunch.

Monday

Breakfast ~ Bagels
Dinner ~ White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

Tuesday

Breakfast ~ Baked oatmeal
Dinner ~ Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches w/coleslaw & veggies

Wednesday

Breakfast ~ Eggs & toast
Dinner ~ Chicken with saffron rice & spinach
Extra ~ 4 loaves of homemade whole wheat bread

Thursday

Breakfast ~ Whole wheat pancakes
Dinner ~ Leftovers!

Friday

Breakfast ~ Cereal
Dinner ~ Homemade pizza & veggies

Saturday

Breakfast ~ Scrambled eggs, bacon & toast
Dinner ~ Beef Stew and cornbread

Sunday

Breakfast ~ Cinnamon rolls
Dinner ~ Popcorn & chocolate milk

As Always: I’ve linked to any recipes that I’ve already posted. Don’t forget that you can download my printable Main Dish Menu Planner that you can fill in with your own text and save on your own computer ~ go on and try! I have examples on how I use it to help sort and plan my meals.

That’s it for the week ~ what on your menu?

To Resolve or Not Resolve

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:17:00 +0000

Technically, I’m not making resolutions for the new year…but in some ways I am. I know from past experience that I am horrible at making {ok, maybe keeping} resolutions that are made.

Expectations that I put on myself ~ most well-intentioned, but then after awhile the resolutions tend to get rather discouraging because of what I didn’t do. Not because I couldn’t, but perhaps because I didn’t discipline myself enough or think realistically to begin with.

So this year, I suppose I DO have a few resolutions in mind ~ hopefully ones that will not overwhelm me in the long run, but rather make life easier to manage.

Family ~ need I say more?
Meal planning ~ I haven’t been doing as much monthly meal planning as I have in the past. I know from past experience that the once a month shopping for me was a huge help. Living a bit out of town now, it would definitely be something to save on fuel and time too. This also transfers over into eating better as a family and individually.
Camping ~ as in actually do it and plan some weekends out ahead of time
Visit friends ~ there are several friends that we haven’t seen in quite some time, and instead of saying we’re going to do it ~ we are making plans now to visit with them.
Ferment ~ I’ve been doing more research into fermenting at home {bread, kombucha, and kefir}. We already make and use kefir, so the rest are still works in progress.
Gardening ~ expand our current garden and extend it through more seasons.

I’m also reading through The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer {loving it so far} and have several other non-fiction reads on my MUST READ THIS YEAR list.

Are you making resolutions for the new year at all?

Christmas Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:48:00 +0000

Christmas around these parts was fairly laid back and relaxing. We stayed home all day in our pajamas {one of our Christmas traditions} and the reactions of the kids to their gifts this year were really priceless.

The girls were both SO excited about their new Bibles and carrying ‘purses’ to go along. They’ve been busy reading and making them their very own.

And Legos. The boys are in building heaven. We found an amazing deal on Craigslist for the huge box of Legos below. This was a joint gift for the boys and they are going to have hours of fun with these!!

The girls were also obviously excited at the dollhouse they got as their main gift…right down to the flushing toilet. :)

And call us crazy, but one of the family gifts literally made Zachary leap for joy. A compound bow {Zachary + bow = Trouble}. That sucker really has some power behind it, so it’s under lock and key. :)

I LOVE that a bit of the excitement that morning was captured for us to enjoy and remember as we look back.

Beyond All Measure {Book Review}

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:18:00 +0000

Her father’s death and a broken engagement leave Ada Wentworth heartbroken and penniless. She decides to move from Boston and finds employment as a companion to an elderly woman, Lillian Willis. She quickly discovers that the ad she answered wasn’t quite forthcoming as to the difficulty of the woman, but does all that she can to honor her end of the bargain to Lillian’s nephew, Wyatt.

In her spare time she attempts to put aside money to open her own millinery shop. Unfortunately, Wyatt feels that Ada should be focusing all of her time on his aunt and not any on her hatmaking. Ada’s troubles begin to stretch beyond those with Wyatt, however, when she befriends a local orphan and stirs up anger with many in the community over her actions. Wyatt is drawn to protect her and his feelings for her grow, but will their love survive the growing problems?

My Thoughts

Beyond All Measure, set in 1871 Tennessee, deals with the issue of the racial tension and the struggles that Ada faced when she befriended an orphan that many in the town thought unworthy of her attention. Ada has a hard time understanding why the townspeople are filled with such prejudice toward one so innocent in the matter.

Somehow I managed to hide this book and forgot to post the review. I was browsing through some upcoming book releases when I saw the newest book by Dorothy Love and immediately added it to my ‘wish list’. I loved Beyond All Measure and cannot wait to read more from the author. Although somewhat predictable in places, the characters, setting and plot will keep you turning pages until the ending.

Find Out More

~ Visit Dorothy Love’s website

~ Buy Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love in paperback or Kindle format.

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Fall Into Reading 2011 ~ The Wrap Up Tally

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:25:00 +0000

While I didn’t set a specific book goal for myself and Fall Into Reading 2011, I did try to set a few overall goals to work on over the last few months ~ and when all is said and done, I think I did pretty well. Katrina asked a few questions for her ‘wrap up’ post and I picked the following one to answer this time around ~

What was your favorite book you read this fall? Least favorite?

Favorite book out of all of them…hmmm….a bit tough, but I have to say that the two books by Maureen Lang were my favorites this go round. I loved both The Oak Leaves and On Sparrow Hill. Completely. The two books flip back and forth between a story in the past and how it ties in with present day circumstances. Maureen Lang also weaves parts of her personal life into the stories and both just pulled me in ~ and made me want more. Two absolutely amazing books. A close second would be Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland by Roseanna White. It’s one of the few paperback books that I bought this fall and it will definitely stay on my bookshelf!

Least favorite…I think The Lady’s Maid ~ mainly because it seemed to drag out the story line and then had a sudden {and rather disappointing} ending with no actual resolution…and it’s part of a series. Don’t get me wrong, I love books that are part of a series, but somehow this one just didn’t sit well with me. I think I expected a bit more after the drawn out journey the characters had taken. All that said…I am still planning on reading the other book(s) in the series to see how it resolves. I have the next book on my Kindle and will be reading it in the next few days. :)

Here were my overall goals and what was/was not accomplished:

Goal #1: Re-read the entire O’Malley series by Dee Henderson. ~ CHECK!!

Goal #2: Read at least five of the books that I’ve downloaded for free on my Kindle. ~ CHECK! {actually read 15 books on my Kindle}

Goal #3: Read some more great books {and review them} from Bethany House and Barbour. ~ CHECK!! {although I still have a few reviews to write!!}

Goal #4: Re-read the entire Mitford series by Jan Karon. ~ not so much….I never got around to checking out the first few books in the series out from the library, so I’ll have to work on this later!

Amazon.com Widgets

Total book count {best I can tell, because I didn’t do well keeping a list this time} ~ 32 books. I’m loving the cooler weather and curling up in bed at night with a book to fall asleep, so I have a feeling that this winter is going to be rather lovely. :)

Fall Into Reading 2011 has been hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days. Starting Thursday, December 22nd, others will be sharing their reading updates. Katrina will be hosting the Spring Reading Thing 2012 starting this March, so stay tuned for that!

Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist {Book Review}

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:51:00 +0000

Georgie Gail is the switchboard operator in a rural area of Texas, but her job allows her independence that few women of her time have. She isn’t very happy when the telephone company send someone out to oversee her work and do some line work in her area.

What Georgie isn’t aware of is the new telephone salesman and repairman is actually an undercover Texas Ranger. Luke Palmer is working to break up a gang of train robbers that are believed to be hiding out somewhere in the area of Brenham, Texas.

Georgie and Luke immediately begin to butt heads over the most trivial things. She considers him fairly uncouth in his overalls and mannerisms, but as she begins to spend more time with Luke and learns more about him, she feels herself drawn to him. Luke is cautious, knowing the danger that could entail if Georgie discovers his true identity ~ not only for himself, but especially for her. Will their budding relationship survive her longing for independence and his undercover project?

My Thoughts

Deeanne Gist is truly one of my favorite historical romance writers. She always manages to create quirky and fun characters that are memorable. Love on the Line introduces a few more characters and adds another book to my bookshelf that I love!

Part of the fun from this book involves the quirks of the characters ~ Georgie’s love for birds and the stir that she causes in town with a local hatmaker, Luke’s true profession and the local’s perceived understanding of the Ranger, and the hilarious happenings from party-lines {makes me so thankful we have privacy today!!}. Gist throws several twists into the plotline, so just when you think you have things figured out, a new factor is put in the mix.

Gist has done some wonderful research into the history of telephone switchboards, birdwatching and more. If you are looking for a book that combines quality writing with clean romance, you will enjoy Love on the Line. Read an excerpt from Love on the Line or any of Deeanne Gist’s other books by clicking here.

Find Out More

~ Visit Deeanne Gist’s website

~ Buy Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist in paperback or Kindle format.

This book was provided for review by Bethany House. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

The Lady’s Maid by Susan Page Davis {Book Review}

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:37:00 +0000

Lady Anne has lost most of her family and most recently her father. According to British law, she cannot inherit her father’s estate and instead it will be turned over to her uncle, David Stone. Unfortunately, her uncle left for America years ago and hasn’t been heard from in years. If he cannot be found, the estate will turn over to another relative.

Determined to find him, Lady Anne sets out with her personal maid, Elise Finster on a journey across the American frontier, beginning in St. Louis. They discover that David headed West years ago and the only way to see if he is still alive is to travel with a wagon train headed to Oregon. What the ladies do not know is they are being followed and someone is trying to find David Stone before they do.

Neither lady has much experience to offer, but they do find help in one of the scouts leading the train, Eb Bentley. As much as he thinks they should not be on the wagon train, he does all he can to make things easier for both of them, but especially one of the ladies in particular. Will they both survive the trip to Oregon and will one of them find a reason to stay in America instead of returning to England?

My Thoughts

I do love the premise of the book series and the adventure that the two ladies take to find Anne’s uncle. I cannot even begin to imagine the challenges that so many faced as they headed West to settle ~ surviving the trip alone would have been a feat. The two traveling in this story came from a proper upbringing and were accustomed to all the modern conveniences of the time. Their attitudes in the process were absolutely wonderful, not wishing for others to think differently of them or know who they really were. They ended up giving up and selling much in the process to try to better fit in with those around them.

I have to admit, however, that this wasn’t my favorite book read lately. While I loved the overall plot of the book, I was a little frustrated at the end of the book because things weren’t all ‘neatly’ tied up and finished. It is a part of a series {it says ‘Book 1’ on the front cover ~ I missed that} and while one part of the plot was wrapped up, it was done rather quickly and almost a bit too hastily in my opinion. Not to give anything away, but if you are hoping for resolution on the finding of David Stone…you’ll have to wait until more of the books are released.

That said, I already have my hands on the next book in the series {Lady Anne’s Quest} where the adventure to find the missing uncle continues {and I attempt to appease my curious mind}. I have no complaints at all about Davis’ writing style or the book otherwise, but I suppose I’m being stubborn. :)

Find Out More

~ Visit Susan Page Davis' website

~ Buy The Lady’s Maid ~ Prairie Dreams Book 1 by Susan Page Davis in paperback or Kindle format.

This book was provided for review by Barbour and NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Christmas Ornament Show & Tell 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:59:00 +0000

Last year I shared a few of our special ornaments from our Christmas tree and I’d love to share a few more with you this year ~ and also see and hear about some of yours. Each year it’s becoming more fun to hang the ornaments on the tree as the kids remember the stories behind the ornaments that we pull out of our box.

This year we have a new ornament on our tree that we picked up somewhere south of Mexico on a little island we stopped on during the cruise that Rick and I took in January. The store that we bought it in was initially one we stopped in to get a respite from the pouring rain, but we were so excited to walk in and hear worship music playing so far from home.

The classic Pooh ornaments are truly some of my favorites. Rick and I bought a few when we were dating {right before we get engaged} and it reminds us of the trip we took to Colonial Williamsburg with friends that year. Much fun and laughter. :)

Each of our children also has a special ornament from the year that they were born. I wanted something unique for each of them and love the one that we found for McKenna ~ the baby s’more. Just makes me smile every time that I see it!

<a href="http://www.noordinarymomentsblog.com/search/label/Christmas%20Ornament%20Show%20and%20Tell" target="_blank" _blank?="_blank?"><img style="margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv146/homeschoolcreations/ChristmasOrnamentShowandTell.jpg" /></a>

Ready to share your ornaments and the stories behind them? Write a post on your blog and share pictures of your favorites ~ then link up below. Grab the button coding above to add to your post, so that others can join in the fun too. :) The linky will be open until December 23rd, so start linking!

Please note: this is NOT a linky to share how-to crafts {although those are fun}. This is to share special memories from over the years that we retell every year or remember each year when we pull out all those ornaments to decorate our trees.

Reading and Drinking?

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:38:00 +0000

On the bright side, Zachary is really trying hard to read any and everything around him and really showing interest in what things say.

On the down side, we went out to eat tonight and when the waitress came to the table, he handed her the bottle of ketchup and asked if he could trade it for a Bud Light {via a sign on the table}.

She laughed a bit and then said, “Oh, the things they pick up in school.”

Most likely didn’t help any when I mentioned we homeschool.

{sigh}

Christmas Ornament Show & Tell 2011 ~ Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:06:00 +0000

Last year I hosted the Christmas Ornament Show & Tell and it was so much fun visiting so many of your blogs and hearing the stories behind some of the special ornaments hanging on your trees.

Would you like to do tell a few more stories? I only share a few of our ornaments last year and would really love to hear more from you all as well!

<a href="http://www.noordinarymomentsblog.com/search/label/Christmas%20Ornament%20Show%20and%20Tell" target="_blank" _blank?="_blank?"><img style="margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv146/homeschoolcreations/ChristmasOrnamentShowandTell.jpg" /></a>

Write a post on your blog and share pictures of your favorites, and on Thursday, December 8th, I’ll be posting a linky where you can link up your posts and we can have fun telling a few stories. The linky will stay open until December 23rd, so you have plenty of time. :)

Go grab your camera, snap some shots and get ready to share! If you’d like to include the button above in your post when you link up, the coding is right below it. I can’t wait to read your posts!

Tired ~ Five Minute Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:29:00 +0000

{go}

We’re rushing around and getting ready to leave the house early this morning. The light is barely peeping through the windows. One of the kids is still missing and everyone needs breakfast still.

As I look around the house I can see several things that need attention today and am making a mental list of what I should do this afternoon. I should really be making a physical list because my brain is never going to remember all of the things that I need to do today.

Teach co-op.

Bake bread.

Finish decorating the mantle.

Hang the ornaments and decorations in the dining room.

Wash the kitchen floor.

Rest.

At the moment I’m just feeling incredibly tired. Exhausted. Wiped. A wee bit overwhelmed. A few weeks ago I thought to myself “Things will slow down in a bit.” Now I’m looking forward to the time after Christmas and thinking…”in a few weeks.”

I want to rest. Relax. Enjoy. Soak it all in during the season. No rushing.

Today I’m pondering this verse and repeating it in my mind:

“Come to ME all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28

{stop}

Don’t Put it Past Me…

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:46:00 +0000

All I need is a partner in crime and a wee bit of caffeine...

My Pitiful Fashion Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Jolanthe Erb) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:27:00 +0000

I’ve never claimed to be a fashionista. Although I’ve been known to dress up on occasion, my typical ‘dress’ involves jeans, some type of a tshirt and my favorite pair of Sambas.

Not exactly runway material.

We had family pictures scheduled last week and I bought a lovely new scarf to wear. Ten minutes before pictures I was ready to scream because I have NO idea how to make a scarf look super cute. So I did what any normal mom would do.

I called in my 10-year-old daughter and had her do it for me.

My fashion life could be looking up in the upcoming years as she gets older and helps her momma dress.