Songs for a Sunday ~ a book review

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Songs for a Sunday by Heather Norman Smith, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

About the Book

Title: Songs for a Sunday

Author: Heather Norman Smith

Publisher: Iron Stream Fiction

Release Date: February 7, 2023

Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction/Southern Fiction/Split Time

Two sets of sisters, generations apart–can one big sister’s sacrifice teach the other about love and forgiveness?

1963: Twenty-year-old Annie dreams of managing the dance studio where she has trained since childhood and of marrying her high-society boyfriend. But when her younger sister with special needs gets pregnant, Annie is forced to set her dreams aside for the sake of family.

Present Day: Missy Robbins has always lived in her younger sister’s shadow. When given the opportunity, Missy steps out of her comfort zone as stay-at-home mom of four to prove she’s as good a singer as Erica. Missy’s new pursuit puts her on a path to self-discovery and reclaiming her discarded faith. Until she discovers her grandmother has a sixty-year-old secret.

Will Missy conceal Grandma Annie’s deception or will she be forced to reveal the hidden truth?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BookDepository | IndieBound | Christianbook | BookBub
(none of these are affiliate links for this blog)

My Summary and Thoughts:

This novel is set in multiple times and explores the lives of two sets of sisters. The sisters influence each other, for good and otherwise, though that influence is not always seen until later. Annie’s life is changed suddenly when her mentally challenged sister has a major need, her job disappears, and her fiance drops her. Where does she go from there? In another time, her granddaughter Missy is struggling with her self-image as the “average” stay-at-home mom of 4. She feels she doesn’t live up to expectations. Can she step up and bring about the change she wants to see? But what about when she finds out more about Grandma Annie’s past? What now?

This is a beautiful story that shows the power of love and goodwill. When a family member steps up in a moment of need, you cannot help but find hope in that love, especially when it is nothing like the dream that existed in that space before. Dreams change and grow and morph into something even more beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed this process through the story because it is so easy, in our world, to just let go of a dream when things go awry. Throughout this story, the characters sought their own growth and that of those around them. Taking on dreams of another that you love can grow that dream and bring strength in the midst of heartache.

How beautifully this story shows these themes and ideas. Family is more than what we initially imagine and dreams grow in the midst of it all. As we follow the family trying to grow and change amidst shocking secrets and dreams gone awry, we fall in love with the love they have for each other. This is one to add to your must read list.

About the Author

Heather Norman Smith is a Christian fiction and devotions author. Her goal is to use the written word to entertain and encourage while illuminating the redemptive love of God. She also enjoys singing about Jesus. Heather is a proud life-long North Carolinian and aims to present the beauty of the Tar Heel State in her fiction. Her home is just outside Winston-Salem, N.C., where she lives with her husband and their four children, and several pets.

Connect with Heather by visiting heathernormansmith.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight February 6, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 13, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

The Lifeway Women’s Bible ~ review and giveaway

Disclosure: Many thanks to Lifeway Christian Resources for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

The Lifeway Women’s Bible is a CSB (Christian Standard Bible®) translation and study Bible, and it would make a lovely Christmas gift for women of any age. (Hint: You can get 50% off your copy of the CSB Lifeway Women’s Bible today using the code SAVE50LWB!)

There are several features to this Bible to assist with study and diving deeper into God’s word. Also, there are some that placed in this Bible specifically to speak hope and truth into women’s hearts.

• over 100 articles placed alongside corresponding Biblical texts to help in study and to foster deeper reflection on the topics and passages, many focusing on the needs of women
• close to 100 short devotionals placed throughout the Bible
• short Bible genre introductions with an overview and reading plan highlighting key sections in that genre
• book introductions for each of the 66 books of the Bible, including an overview and book-specific timeline
• character profiles of over 40 women in the Bible with study questions for application
• reflections questions to help women engage more deeply with the Bible
• about 100 brief inspirational quotations sprinkled throughout
• over 25 word studies on meaning and significance
• over 30 charts, graphs, and maps
• multiple reading plans, including 90 days, one year, and three year plans
• concordance

This lovely Lifeway Women’s Bible comes in genuine leather, LeatherTouch, or cloth-over-board covers. The marigold LeatherTouch that I received is bright and beautiful. It is a heavier Bible with wide margins for note taking or illustrating. Each page contains a single column with cross-references and text notes at the bottom. The text is a black on white print in a 9.5 point size. There are 2 ribbon markers sewn into the binding, which is a Smyth-sewn, lay-flat binding. All-in-all, this is a lovely Bible that I can’t wait to begin using.

How To Purchase:

Get 50% off the purchase of (1) Lifeway Women’s Bible with code SAVE50LWB
(Only available on Lifeway.com. Limit 1 Bible at 50% off retail price, any Lifeway
Women’s Bible sku. Limit one offer per person. Cannot be stacked with any other
offer. Valid 11/15/22-12/31/22.)

Giveaway:

1 (one) copy of the Lifeway CSB Women’s Bible (Marigold LeatherTouch
Edition) Note: This is limited to US winners only. Winner will be drawn on December 13. Enter through the link below.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6ac1648a20/?

Good Luck!

Blessings,
Lori, At Home.

Where Jesus Slept ~ giveaway and review

Our family adores books that relate the story of the birth of Jesus. This is a precious picture book about Jesus’ birth. Told in cumulative story form, all of the pieces of the story come together to tell us of the harsh conditions of the night that brought us the most precious gift in the world. Ever.

This is the bed where Jesus slept.

This is the straw that lined the bed where Jesus slept.

These are the first two lines in the retelling of the birth of Jesus. From the bed in which Jesus was laid to the angels rejoicing in heaven to the visit and gift of the wise men, this story will delight readers of all ages. While we don’t know the exact time of year Jesus was born, this story reminds readers of the joyful event that we often celebrate in December at Christmas.

The pages are beautifully illustrated with vivid colors and lovely images. These images bring the story to life.

 

This book is written by Norma Lewis, who is the author of 10 books and lives in MI with her marmalade cat named Scalawag. She enjoys spending time with her six grandchildren. The book is beautifully illustrated by Katy Hudson. Where Jesus Slept brings joy to all who experience it.

I get the privilege of sharing this beautiful books with one winner. Unfortunately, this giveaway is for US addresses only. One winner will be chosen from all entrants and notified by email. Giveaway will end at midnight on 11/16/16. Winner must respond by email within 48 hours of notification. Click the link below to be taken to the form for the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

At Home.

Wordsmithy ~ a review

“a writer down book-worder”

Yep. That is what Miss E wanted to be when she was four years old. And books are still some of her very best friends. But, to be a “writer down book-worder”, what do you need to do? What will help you on your way?

Douglas Wilson, author of Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life, tell you just what will help you in this fascinating, funny, and filled book. Timberdoodle sent me Wordsmithy and asked me to review it. It was such a fun book to read. Non-fiction books don’t often get that moniker but this one deserves it.

Whether you are a writer working on your hundredth book or a youngster who is wanting to be a “writer down book-worder”, Wordsmithy has a ton of encouragement and practical suggestions just for you. Broken down into 7 tips that each have 7 parts, Wilson has wasted no extra words just for the sake of it. Clear, clean, and concise, you will enjoy learning about how to learn about words.

Beginning with knowing the world outside of books, Wilson encourages the hopeful author to “do”. Learn from the world around you and not just the different, exciting things but the day-to-day, as well. He encourages us to learn from books – all kinds of books, from the stuff you want to tell others about to the ones that you want to tell no one about. Read the real, the imagined, the boring, the exciting. Read the dictionaries (yes – he really said that and I totally agreed with his reasoning!) and books of quotations. Read and then read some more.

From learning another language, even if you don’t master it, to writing down things that inspire or sound fun, the tips in Wordsmithy were a major encouragement for me. And I can see how they will be of great value to students, especially ones who enjoy words of all kinds. Timberdoodle has included this book in the 11th grade curriculum kit since it is such a good instruction book. If you have a student who enjoys sounds, words, and how they all work together, this is a book for them to read. I believe that I will be having Miss E, age 12, read it this fall.

Creating a commonplace book (I didn’t even know what that was until reading this!) is now on my goals list. Simple, easy-to-incorporate ideas such as this make Wordsmithy a book that is worth your time to read and share with anyone who will have to do any writing. Even essay writers will benefit from the wisdom of Wordsmithy.

Visit Timberdoodle to read an excerpt from the book or to get your copy of Wordsmithy.

At Home.

GIVEAWAY:

Timberdoodle has offered one copy of this book for a giveaway. This giveaway is open to US residents only. Please click the link below to enter the giveaway through Rafflecopter. The giveaway will end at midnight on 9/03/16 and the winner will be contacted through email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Night Night Farm ~ a review and giveaway

Sweet bedtime books are just about my favorites. Especially for newborns and infants. I was given Night Night Farm by Amy Parker, illustrated by Virginia Allyn to review for Flyby Promotions.

This board book is just perfect for cuddling with your sweet little one as sleepytime approaches. Featuring bright, vibrant images and cheerful, rhyming verse, Night Night Farm brings nighttime to the farm and to your home. With all the animals small children love – cows, pigs, horses, owls, cats, sheep and chickens – saying good night has never been more fun. Your children will revel in the antics the animal babies go through on their way to bed.

As the farm says “good night,” each animal prominently takes the time to say good night in their own special ways. From getting their baths (messy little pigs!) to a sweet lullaby (sung by mama cow) to snuggling down with daddy to watch over (as daddy owl does), the farm goes through the same bedtime routine each little boy or girl does.  But my very favorite part is the last page where the reader, or listener, is reminded that God made not only these very special animals who each have their own special place on the farm but he made the special listener or reader as well. And it is important to say “good night” to God, too.

I would definitely be happy giving this book as a gift to a family who is expecting a new baby sometime soon. Vibrant, fun, and colorful, Night Night Farm by Amy Parker is a joy.

At Home.

 

About the Author:

Amy Parker’s children’s books have sold more than 800,000 copies including two Christian Retailing’s Best award-winning books and the bestselling A Night Night Prayer. She lives outside Nashville with her husband and two children.

You can purchase this book online at this retailer:  http://bit.ly/Blogging-NNF

Facebook @AmyParkerAuthor

Facebook @TommyNelsonBooks

Twitter @AmyParker

Twitter @TommyNelson

Instagram  @TommyNelsonBooks

Pinterest Tommy-Nelson- Books

 

 

Want to Win a Copy? There will be one winner of Night Night Farm and this is open to residents of the US or Canada. The form will be open from 8/12/2016 through 8/20/2016. Here’s the nitty-gritty requirements posting:

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Click below to be taken to the Rafflecopter form for this giveaway.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

FishFlix.com – I forgot their giveaway!

So, when I wrote the review for The Gospel of John DVD from FishFlix.com, I forgot to include the giveaway that they have offered to the readers of the Review Crew blogs. It is a simple entry – just go sign up for their newsletter HERE. They are giving away $80 in videos just for signing up. You have about 3 weeks to do this but it is simple so go sign up right now! There are also ways you can get additional entries.

The videos being given away by FishFlix.com are:
War Room
The Ultimate Gift
Superbook: A Great Adventure
My Son, My Savior and
Owlegories 2

Writing about this giveaway was not required as part of the review but who doesn’t want a chance to get some free movies when they are THIS good? So, I thought it deserved it’s own quick little post so that you, my readers, don’t miss out on this as you would have if I had just updated my post. So, please go enter by signing up for the newsletter offered by FishFlix.com.

At Home.

FaithGirlz books ~ a Family Christian review & giveaway

A couple of weeks ago, these two books from Family Christian landed in our mailbox for review. They have been thoroughly enjoyed by both of the older girls and myself. They are fun and adventurous without all the nonsense that is normally a part of junior high girl books – meaning all the boy stuff and crushes and gossip is missing. I love that!

The books begin by introducing us to the Glimmer family. What a fun name! The Glimmer family has mom and dad and three girls: twins Mia and Maddie and their younger sister Lulu. The family travels the world to accompany her mother, a singer, to her concerts which Mr. Glimmer plays at. This provides amazing learning opportunities but also leads to tons of fun with Miss Julia, their fun-loving nanny. It also offers up lots of adventure and mysteries to solve. With the truth of God guiding the family and mom knowing that young girls need lots of love and encouragement, the family is able to find the clues and grow closer.

London Art Chase is the first book in the Glimmer Girls series. The family is in London for Mom’s concert and they get to visit some amazing sites. At the art museum, Maddie notices a strange behavior by a visitor and begins to formulate a mystery art theft in her head. Or is it all in her head? Chasing all over London to find clues and prevent the loss of famous pieces of art, Maddie, Mia, and Lulu find all sorts of interesting people and seeing all sorts of site. But the reality of making decisions becomes difficult. Can Maddie make the right ones and solve the mystery all on her own? Or should she call in her sisters and Miss Julia and her parents to help her?

A Dolphin Wish is the second book in the Glimmer Girls series. This time, we find the Glimmer family in San Diego. With an extra day before the concert responsibilities begin, the family visits the local adventure park: Captain Swashbuckler’s Adventure Park. With all the animals they get to see, it is a fun and exciting place for Mia and her sisters. While visiting the dolphins and wishing hard she could swim with them, Mia overhears tidbits of a conversation between volunteers at the park about animals out of their habitats. This is just the challenge that Mia is looking for, hoping to be more confident and find a way to connect more with Maddie. The relationship had been strained since the art mystery in London. Can Mia find clues or is she reading more into what she overheard than is actually going on? Are the animals, including her favorites-the dolphins, in danger and can she save them?

The Glimmer Girls series by Faithgirlz and ZonderKidz is a fun new series for pre-teen and young teen girls. The focus is really more on the adventure, though some Christian values and perspectives are included. It is a clean, fun series that my 9 and 11 year old girls really enjoyed. Mystery surrounding art and animals? Both are fun and we will be keeping our eyes open for more of these as they come out.

Now for the Giveaway!

Family Christian will send one winner a copy of BOTH of the Glimmer Girls books in this review. It is open to US residents only. Ends 2/19/16. Click the link below to be taken to the giveaway entry form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for reading and entering the giveaway.

At Home.

 

The Everywhere God – book review and giveaway

My children are enthralled with rhyme. I think most children are. The Everywhere God by Bob Nelson and edited by Cricket Nelson Hater employs the joy children find in rhyme and word play to impress upon the hearts and minds of the children that God is everywhere, all the time, and that He Loves Them.

I love simple children’s books and illustrations that help my girls learn and remember the precious gift that we are given through God’s love. In The Everywhere God I see such a joy in God’s love that I just want to share it! The rhymes bring out spontaneous laughter and sighs of understanding.

The poem shows the love of God whether a child is happy and joyous, exploring the world, or feeling somewhat blue. Covering all aspects of our lives in ways children can grasp, this book is a work of art. The illustrations by Robin Tillman are bright, cheerful, and do a wonderful job of enhancing the poetry.

I feel so blessed that Cricket Nelson Hater chose to share this wonderful poem with the world. Written by Bob Nelson for his granddaughter, we see his believe in the unending love of God and his great desire for others, especially his granddaughter, to see it, too. With surprising child-like faith, this joyous book brings God’s love into the heart, mind, and life of children of all ages.

This is a book that I am delighted to have in our home.

At Home.

 

This giveaway will have 4 winners. The grand prize winner will receive a new Fire 7″ Tablet loaded with the Kindle edition of The Everywhere God.  The Fire tablet includes:

• Beautiful 7″ IPS display (171 ppi / 1024 x 600) and fast 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. Rear and front-facing cameras.
• All-new Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games and even in-app items are actually free – including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs and more
• Enjoy more than 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps and games
• 8 GB of internal storage. Free unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices. Add a microSD card for up to 128 GB of additional storage.
• Updated user interface – Fire OS 5 designed for quick access to your apps and content plus personalized recommendations that make it easy to discover new favorites
• Up to 7 hours of reading, surfing the web, watching videos, and listening to music
• Stay connected with fast web browsing, email, and calendar support

Three more winners will each win a print copy of The Everywhere God.

The Everywhere God is a book about hope for children of all ages. Written for his young granddaughter during a particularly difficult time, the late Pastor Bob Nelson wanted to be sure she knew God was with her no matter what else was happening. Despite people and circumstances, his message is clear, God never leaves or forgets about us and His love never ends. Upon it’s completion, he knew it was something special and wanted to make it a children’s book. Unfortunately, time passed and things never fell into place for his vision to come to life. He passed away in 2008 before he could see it happen.

More than 20 years after it’s original writing, Bob Nelson’s daughter remembered this treasured poem and like her father, felt it needed to be shared with the world. For many years she kept this special story in the back of her heart and always dreamed of making his vision for a children’s book a reality.

To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter below after reading the terms and conditions. Click on the link to be take to the giveaway form.

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Terms and Conditions:

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.  Void where prohibited by law. Must be at least 18 years of age. This giveaway is in no away associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. No purchase necessary for entry. Odds are determined by the number of entries. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. Entry into this giveaway will subscribe you to The Everywhere God email list.

Kwik Stix – review and giveaway

Close your eyes. No wait – if you close your eyes you won’t know what I want you to imagine so scratch that. Just think about something.

Painting.

What is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, it is always the water that inevitably spills and the covering of the tables that needs happen prior to starting. Those are the two biggest issues for me with painting and allowing the girls free reign with the paints.

Kwik Stix has fixed this for me. Well, to some extent. I do still put something underneath the page in case the pictures goes over the edges of the paper but there is no water needed! Seriously.

Kwik Stix is tempera paint in stick form. It is bright, vibrant colors. It is easy to use and has a quick dry time. Roll up just a little bit, use it, and roll it back down. Click the top closed and it is ready for next time. That is the extent of the clean-up, too. Make sure they are all closed and put them away. It really does make painting easier. And, Miss J (age 6) really enjoyed using the paints.

Kwik Stix was a fun activity for the rainy afternoon on Thanksgiving when the girls couldn’t go outside and run off all the cherry pie and chocolate pie. Miss J must have been thinking about desserts still because she created a big pink birthday cake.  Requiring so little prep and clean up, this paint can be pulled out often. Need a short activity? Put the Kwik Stix out.

Kwik Stix are made by The Pencil Grip, Inc. They are solid tempera paint. They are easy to use for even very young children and they require little to no preparation or clean up. They are fast drying. They are a fantastic preschool and lower elementary age product. There is even some really good application to upper elementary ages.

One project we did included making a background for a nutcracker project. We were making torn paper nutcracker collages and we used the Kwik Stix to create colorful background pages to glue the nutcrackers onto. The bright colors and versatility of the sticks made it pretty easy to create these backgrounds.

You can find a video about Kwik Stix on YouTube.

I definitely would recommend these to parents of preschool and early elementary aged students. They are fun, easy, and a change of pace for little ones who love art.

At Home.

 

GIVEAWAY:

The Pencil Grip, Inc. will send one winner a set of 6 Kwik Stix. Click below to be taken to the Rafflecopter form to enter. Open to U.S. residents only. Winner must respond within 24 hours of notification or an alternate winner will be chosen. Starts 12/9/2015; ends 12/15/2015 at midnight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

$5 Limit (and a giveaway)

So as the holidays approach, money always becomes tighter, doesn’t it? We try to stretch that dollar farther and farther. With that in mind, I was visiting Family Christian the other day and looking for items with a $5 price limit. I found some interesting things that I want to share and then I will have a giveaway for a $5 gift certificate for three (3) of you! I know it doesn’t do your shopping but it might help Santa out a bit.

Books:
I found a number of book possibilities at Family Christian for under $5. One of my favorites was The Berenstain Bears The Very First Christmas. I added this to our Christmas book tradition this year.

There were also these little activity books that are pencil rubbing books. The giggly girls love these! I got each of them two. However, I can’t find them on the Family Christian website.

Videos:

Every time I go in, there seems to be a VeggieTales video or an Iesodo video on the $5 table. These are the ones on sale on the site at this time: VeggieTales: Noah’s Ark, Buck Denver Asks…Why Do We Call It Christmas?, Veggie Tales:It’s A Wonderful Life/Christmas Sing Along Songs, Iesodo: Faith, Iesodo: Love. There are also a choice or two of more grown-up movies on the table, including Courageous and Fireproof.

Gift Giving:

What about some notepads? There are a selection of three notepad sets. There is Good News of Great Joy, Celebrate The Savior, and Celebrate Christmas.

Do you make goodies in the kitchen to give? Here are some cute containers you could package them in. There is a bowl , a tub, and a tray.

Miscellaneous:

There are pencils, erasers, little toys, and more that can be found in the children’s section of our local Family Christian. These are always fun little additions to a gift if you need something more. Or if you are looking for several items to get with the $5 appreciation certificate you are going to win, these will fit the bill. They are not something typically shown on the website, though.

I will be purchasing some stickers soon and they all fall under less than $5 in cost. The ones I am going to get are the names of God because that is an upcoming monthly theme for Write the Word. These stickers will be a fun addition. There are a number you can choose from for whatever might fit your needs. I know that our girls have all enjoyed stickers, even now as they grow older. So, here is the page for the stickers sold on the website.

If your child is a reader, a bookmark might be a good choice. And Family Christian has a large selection. These could also be given as gifts to other children you know since they come in packs of varying numbers.

Looking for a highlighter that won’t bleed through? These Accu-gel Bible highlighters look pretty good. I haven’t used them but am always on the lookout for something like this.

 

A few ideas, right? There are many more available on the website and in store. If you are an email subscriber or part of the 1:27 program, you also probably have a coupon that will help you find some great stocking stuffer ideas.

At Home.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Three winners will be selected to each receive a $5 appreciation certificate to Family Christian Stores. This is open to US/CAN residents only.