An Amish Heirloom: A Novella From Some Favorite Fiction Writers

*I received a free copy of this book through Zondervan Fiction on Netgalley in exchange for my honest review, All the review opinions below are my own :)

An Amish Heirloom

Four Novellas by authors Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Irvin.

I was so pumped to get a chance to review this book, written by four of my favorite authors. I've read each of their novels before and love how they always interlock these shorter stories into their regular novel storylines. You get to hear about secondary character's lives, the same Amish community and how connected everyone is inside...

A Legacy of Love by Amy Clipston

Description: Local volunteer firefighter Leon King agrees to repair his ex-girlfriend Susie Bontrager’s grandparents’ antique rocking chairs for her future home with her fiance and is forced to acknowledge that his feelings for her have not quite gone away. As Susie spends time with Leon, she begins to recognize she is marrying the wrong man for all the wrong reasons.

My Review: In A Legacy Of Love, we get to see another member of the volunteer firefighter squadron we hear so much about throughout Amy Clipston's books. Recognizing characters from other novels like Jamie King (another volunteer firefighter starring in another novel) is always fun, and I love Leon and Susie's story - one that's relatable for any couple. Once you find that one true love, nobody else can hold a candle to them. 

The Cedar Chest by Beth Wiseman

Description: Decades after inheriting her great grandmother’s cedar chest, Emma Fisher decides to pry it open only to discover a beautiful love story in the form of letters between her great-grandparents. But as Emma immerses herself in their story, family secrets are revealed, and she must decide whether to share them to preserve family history or honor her great-grandparents’ decision to leave them hidden. 

My Review: This was absolutely my favorite story in the book. Getting a glimpse into these old letters the characters read and how it coincides with their own coincidences is such a thrill! Especially since the letters have some pretty shocking truths in them - and a really exciting story! Couldn't put this one down for long, and I'm sure you'll feel the same way!

The Treasured Book by Kathleen Fuller

Description: For the past two years, Shane Broyles has felt God leading him to join the Amish. He’s staying with his friends Noah and Ivy Schlabach in Birch Creek, OH, where he is reunited with Lucy Fisher, an old friend of Noah’s family. Shane and Lucy have never revealed their feelings for each other, but when they stumble upon an antique Bible at a flea market, they feel drawn to each other and to the mystery of the contents found within.

My Review: This story was a romance all the way through! I absolutely love it when Amish fiction authors bring 'Englishers' into the story and especially love it when they join the Amish faith for love. I won't reveal whether this character actually does in the end, but Shane has a big-city life to leave with a lot of success. Moving from New York to Birch Creek is a big step and I love how this story progresses from two old friends to two people realizing they could be more, despite differences. 

The Midwife’s Dream by Kelly Irvin

Description: Iris Beachy serves as a midwife in her district where she longs for a family of her own. When her friend’s brother Mahon Kurtz seeks her help in delivering the baby of two young teenagers who have sought refuge in their town, they begin to see each other in a different light. Unprepared for parenthood, the young couple leaves their baby girl behind in an antique crib quilt resembling the one destined for Iris when she becomes a mother. Mahon and Iris come together to take care of the baby as they try to find her parents, and they begin to see new possibilities for their future.

My Review: Once again we get to peek into the lives of secondary characters, this time in Kelly Irvin's book Upon A Spring Breeze. Main character Aidan ended leaving his fiance Iris for Bess in the novel, and in this story, we get to see Iris's story unfolding. It's really a beautiful love story about two old best friends, patience, and forgiveness. I love Iris's character as she gets through one storm of emotions after another and still stays strong. Also loved the buggy ride in chapter 8 - the conversation will have you laughing at times!

If you'd like to grab up a print or e-book copy of this book, you can find it on Amazon, BN or Indie Bookstore. I just know you'll be glad you did!

Some Really Cozy Shoes

Let me begin by saying that I am typically NOT a cozy shoe kind of gal.

I love shoes and I love all kinds - flats included - but seeing as how I can't shell out thousands for a pair of designer shoes that combines the comfort and style I love together - I usually end up sacrificing the comfort. That's why I just had to try these out! These shoes from Hotter claimed to combine them both.

I slipped this on just this morning to head out to the park with the kids. Now let me be clear - I play with my kids at the park. I get in the sand, I push the swings and I even get in on the sliding action sometimes. So needless to say I'm not easy on my shoes.

So these shoes were really put the test when I ventured into the sandbox with my 4-year-old to hunt for rocks. Rocks of all kinds. And I will say for certain these shoes did not disappoint. 

Not only were they sturdy and stable, but the soft insoles were absolutely incredible! It's been a while since I've felt so comfortable in a pair of shoes actually...

Featuring beautifully soft leather materials, cushioned insoles (and I mean cushioned!) these slip-one were a dream! Not only that, but they are so cute too! I especially love the giant bow on them - makes them feel a little less practical, a lot more fun.

Want to grab a pair for yourself? There’s plenty of styles to choose from and some great sales happening over there right now, so go and check it out —> https://www.hotter.com/us/en/womens-casual-shoes 

A post shared by Debbie Jean (@debbiejeanmcmullen) on May 14, 2018 at 11:19am PDT

Snowflake's PetTastic Dog Collar Review

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It's finally starting to warm up around here. The plants are sprouting, the trees are blooming and we've been spending most of our days out in the sunshine! Of course, Snowflake, our Maltese Bichon always comes with us and loves his walks, especially to the park where he can sniff absolutely everything to his heart's delight!

We got to review this nifty dog collar from a company called PetTastic. The collar itself features a neoprene lining that whisks away sweat and eco-friendly plastic buckles.  It also has a little loop for an ID tag (a requirement where we live), and quite a few cute designs to choose from. Ours was from their Spring/Saint-Patrick's day collection. But there are a ton to choose from on Amazon.

via PetTastic

Snowflake is a small dog and so it's often difficult to find a collar for him that will be both comfortable and practical - as in one that will not be too tight, but not slip off on our walks. So far this collar has done its job well - and I really love how simple it is to take on and off with its huge plastic buckle. 

It also has a great leash loop - typically they're really small and hard to latch o smaller dog collars, but this one is big enough to easily clip the leash on and off.

I must say, he looks pretty stylin' in it too! ❤

If you'd like to check these out for yourself (well, your dog!) they're sold on Amazon here 👉 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0799MFZNQ

Teaching Your Child To Read Curriculum Review

There is nothing I love more than sitting down with a good book! That's why it's so important for me to have my kids reading on their own. I can't count on both hands the number of times a great book has gotten me through a  tough time in life, daydream an hour away, or just made me laugh.

Both of my oldest kids started reading before age 5. They just caught on quick, and seeing as how we do so much reading in this house, I think they just naturally took a liking to it. My youngest is different though. She wants to read and loves having stories read to her but can't sit still for very long. Unlike her older siblings, we don't just sit there and sound out words together. She wants to know what it says and know it NOW! So picking up words and sounds can be tough for her.

"She wants to know what it says and know it NOW! So picking up words and sounds can be tough for her."

So when I got the opportunity to review this book, Learn to Read - 101 Fun Lessons To Teach Your Child To Read, I was excited. And not disappointed either!

Not only is this workbook full of fun, colorful lessons with games and activities to teach reading, it's also full of lesson plans to use with your child. Short lessons :) 

The book gives small instruction as you move through each lesson. It has you review a previous lesson a little bit to reinforce concepts, and then move onto something new. I also love that it teaches through both phonics and sight words, something that I find has helped my kids to read much more fluently and quickly.

 "I also love that it teaches through both phonics and sight words, something that I find has helped my kids to read much more fluently and quickly."

It also uses something else I love - dotted reading. As shown in the picture above, there's a dot under each word which your child must point to when reading it. This is great for reinforcing concentration and sight words. It's also used to break words up phonetically is earlier lessons (see photo below), something very important to grasp when learning to read!

It also features great guidelines for parents or teachers at the beginning of the book, along with some additional resources you can use alongside the book to help your child even further. Although I have to say that the book by itself is pretty good. It's also great to use as a reading curriculum guide, using the lessons in the book to start, and printing additional worksheets you can find online to reinforce concepts. I've found books like this to really be helpful in our homeschool.

"It's also great to use as a reading curriculum guide, using the lessons in the book to start, and printing additional worksheets you can find online to reinforce concepts. "

It's also inexpensive. You can pick up a copy off Amazon for just a few dollars - a small fraction of the price that most phonics programs cost!

You can get yourself a copy here.

Hope you enjoy and happy reading! **Please note that I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions are my own.**

12 Week Fitness Journal Journey

**Please note: This a product review I wrote in exchange for a free product. However, all opinions are my own and honest.**

Let me start out this review by saying one thing: I have tried a LOT of fitness journals!

Seriously. Mainly apps on my phone to record workouts, calories, etc, etc. I've also tried a few printable ones - some free and some not - and even just using a pretty notebook. But I've never actually continuously used any of them.

The apps I think because I'm really just more of a pen and paper girl. There is something about actually writing something down - committing pen to paper - that makes it so official. That's why I was so excited to try out this 12 Week Fitness Journal.

I've only officially been using it for a few days now, but truly am loving this thing! Here are just a few of the highlights, along with how I've been using it.

• It has a place to set 12-week goals, along with a space to record your weight and measurements.

• It has room to plan out your weekly workout goals and weekly meal plan. I'm using a Tracy Anderson workout video, along with recording my steps with a Fitbit and cardio using my stationary bike or a video. For meal plans, I'm not setting out a specific plan since I tend to like to shop by the day when the weather is warmer. We have a grocery store on the corner and I love to walk there and get all of our ingredients fresh for dinner. So I'm setting calorie goals instead, for each meal and snack. On the weekend I've allowed more calories for dinner since we usually have bigger meals then, or my husband and I might get out on a date.

• It has room to record your workouts - whatever kind you do that day! This can include strength exercises with sets and reps, cardio (class or machine) as well as anything else you did that day. I'm using mine to record the workout video I did (I'm using Tracy Anderson's Method Express right now.)  
• You can rate yourself! There is a space to record how closely you got to meet your goals. This is great for looking back and seeing how certain things affected your eating and workouts. 
• Many fitness journals only have space to record calories and fat. This journal gives you room for calories (or points!), fat, carbs and an empty column for any additional nutrient you may want to record. This can be really handy if you're lacking something, like Vitamin D or Iron.

All in all, it's a fantastic way to track your fitness and health goals, especially if you're not an app girl.

You can get a copy yourself on Amazon here.

Candy Subscription Box Giveaway

Welcome to an amazing giveaway that I'm helping to promote! Who wouldn't love to get a huge box of candy every month! I know I certainly would love to - although it would take some sneakiness to hide it from the kids...

This giveaway prize is a full 3-month subscription to Nostalgic Candy Club. What is Nostalgic Candy Club you may ask...well it's exactly what it sounds like! A great subscription box service that curates a monthly box of candy for you - but not just any candy! They choose people's favorite classics from the past 50 years and surprise you with them every month. They also give you a little bit of sweet candy history and a few other small surprises in the box. According to their website, each box contains 4-6 full-size candies and a few other smaller ones.

So what are you waiting for? Enter!

And let me know if you win!!

Sponsored By: Nostalgic Candy Club

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

Co-Hosted By:
Pellerini and Tom's Take On Things

Winner Will Receive:

a 3-Month Subscription to Nostalgic Candy Club! ($54.99 RV)
A $109.98 TRV Giveaway!

Open To US entries and must be 18+ to enter

Giveaway Dates ~ 4/24 9:00 AM EST through 5/18 11:59PM EST

Entry-Form

Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winners will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winners have 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

5 Inspiring Quotes For This Week

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Can I get a whooooot! Spring has finally sprung in our neck of the woods and we couldn't be happier! We're going out in our shoes and throwing off our jackets and all sorts of crazy things like that. There are a ton of mud puddles to splash in, birds to watch and green things already popping up out of the ground everywhere.

Needless to say - I'm happy!

This week I wanted to share some more inspiring quotes with you to get you through your week. I don't know how yours is going, but I hope it's going well. And if not, then hopefully one of these can help to turn that frown upside down. And if these don't do it for you, be sure to check out the archive page of quotes I've made here.

As always please feel free to share these quotes anywhere you'd like - Pinterest, Facebook, a group, your blog - just please leave my watermark on :)

Enjoy the sunshine (and rain too!).

To Inspire Your Workout: You'll never know how it could've been Unless you get out and Do It!

-Unknown

To Inspire Parents: Children learn more from what you ARE Than from what you TEACH. 

-W.E.B. DuBois

To Get Through A Hard Time: Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.

-CS Lewis

To Get You Through The Work Week: Either you run the day or the day runs you.

-Jim Rohn

To Pump Up Your Morning: You've been given THIS DAY for a reason. Now go find out what it is!

Have a great week!