Ramblings-n-Writings

Archive for September, 2011

ABOUT THE BOOK

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. —Matthew 5:7

When eighty-five-year-old Adele Woodmore moves to Les Barbes to be near the Broussards—and her namesake, their daughter—she wants nothing more than a comfortable, quiet life. Employing men from Father Vince’s halfway house for the homeless to do odd jobs and landscaping, she delights in the casual conversation she has with them, the fledgling friendships, and the idea that she is helping them get back on their feet.

A series of murders in Les Barbes has cast a pall over the town and, in fact, one of Adele’s handymen becomes a person of interest to the police. But Adele cares for these young men, she knows them, and continues to show them kindness in spite of her friends’ concern. And then one day a murderer walks through Adele’s defenses, sits down at her kitchen table…and they begin to talk…

If you would like to read the first chapter of Dangerous Mercy, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.

She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.

Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she’s added sixteen more titles to her credit, including four bestsellers: All Things Hidden, The Real Enemy, The Last Word, and The Right Call.

Kathy’s husband Paul is her manager and most ardent supporter, and the former manager of the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five almost-perfect grandchildren, a cat named Samantha. They enjoy cruising, deep sea fishing, and birdwatching—sometimes incorporating these hobbies into one big adventure.

Baby bathtubs. Who knew they could be so different?

We are on our 2nd bathtub for the twins. No, they didn’t wear the first one out. I just found it increasingly difficult to bathe the girls as they got bigger and more active in the tub.

The First Years Sure Comfort Newborn-to-Toddler Tub

I really liked this tub when the girls were newborns up until about 4 months old.

The sling was perfect for introducing the girls to water baths instead of sponge baths. The sling attaches easily to the tub and is simple to remove for cleaning – throw in the washing machine for a thorough cleaning. The sling fits around the baby nicely to keep her/him from tipping to one side or the other. With adjustable straps, the sling lowers for the baby to sit low enough in the tub to get used to the bump.

Once our girls were too big for the sling, they loved to kick and splash in the water. The slope of the infant side of the tub is ideal for little ones to lay back and be able to move their legs. (I’m beginning to think that LG is part frog or a future Olympic swimmer!)

However, after about 4 months, the girls really got active and I found myself constantly holding one hand on their stomachs to prevent them from sliding down in the water. If you ever tried to bathe a baby, sometimes you just need two hands – one to hold a little hand while you wash under a arm – but with The First Years tub, this was a challenge.

To me, the bump is misplaced or not high enough and fails to keep their backside in place. The other side of the tub, not sloped, is probably great but it was too straight for my girls to sit in at 4 months old.

Another plus for this tub is that it fits perfectly across a double kitchen sink. Our counter space wasn’t ideal for putting the tub on the counter so I was very pleased with how securely this tub fit in the sink.

Fisher Price 3-Stage Aquarium Bath Tub

The best thing I can say about this tub is that I love it! The shape and contour of the tub seems very fitting for infants.

Since the girls were older when we started using this tub, we did not use the sling. I’m not even sure how it attaches. And I’ve only ever used the tub in the bathtub, but it does have the insets on the bottom for use in a sink.

The water temperature thermometer on the bottom of the tub is a great feature! It’s simple to understand with smiley faces – water too cold or too hot has frowns, just right gets a smile. The thermometer is definitely useful for first-time parents or for those who don’t frequently bathe infants. No reasons to wonder if the water is too cold or too hot.

As the girls learn different things, such as pulling themselves up from a reclined position, I’m discovering that this tub still works for them. I don’t have to worry about keeping a hand on them at all times. Eyes – yes, hand – no.

Other features of this tub are a turtle and starfish toys and a hanging hook to keep the tub out of the way when not in use.

I really don’t have much else to say about the Fisher Price 3-Stage Aquarium Tub other than if you have a choice, definitely go with the Fisher Price tub over The First Years tub. There is a price difference, but you get what you pay for.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Audrey Cunningham’s father proposes that they move to Bridal Veil Island, where he grew up, she agrees, thinking this will help keep him sober and close to God. But they arrive to find wealthy investors buying up land to build a grand resort on the secluded island–and they want the Cunninghams’ acreage.

Contractor Marshall Graham can’t imagine why the former drinking buddy of his deceased father would beckon him to Bridal Veil Island. And when Boyd Cunningham asks him to watch over Audrey, Marshall is even more confused. He has no desire to be saddled with caring for this fiery young woman who is openly hostile toward him. But when Audrey seems to be falling for another man–one who has two little girls Audrey adores–Marshall realizes she holds more of his heart than he realized. Which man will Audrey choose? And can she hold on to her ancestral property in the face of overwhelming odds?

If you would like to read the first chapter of To Have and to Hold, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels. She received her first book contract in November, 1992 with Barbour Publishings’ Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership’s vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row. In 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers. She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests. Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family–especially her three grandchildren–Rainy, Fox and Max.

Judith Miller’s first novel, Threads of Love, was conceived when she was commuting sixty miles to work each day. She wanted to tell the story of a pioneer girl coming to Kansas and the faith that sustained her as she adjusted to a new life. Through a co-worker, she was directed to Tracie Peterson who, at that time, worked down the hall from her. Having never met Tracie, Judith was totally unaware of her writing career, but God intervened. The rest is, as they say, history. Since that first encounter many years ago, Judith has been blessed with the publication of numerous books, novellas and a juvenile fiction book. Joyously, she and Tracie had the opportunity to develop a blessed friendship. In fact, they have co-authored several series together, including The Bells of Lowell, the Lights of Lowell and The Broadmoor Legacy.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free  via Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

LG and DJ are my first babies so introducing them to solids was a new experience to me. To the mommies that already have a youngster before twins, some of this will be the obvious. Being a first time mom, it wasn’t to me.

Solids

We started solids at 1 week shy of 6 months.The twins began eating oatmeal cereal at 4-1/2 months, but we held off on fruits and veggies.

I had various reasons for waiting – less chance of allergies, easier on their digestion, not wanting to mess up their feeding schedule again (we had finally plateaued with the amounts and times) etc.

We didn’t waste any time trying to get them to take a spoon or like the new textures or flavors! DJ acted like a little birdie wanting a worm from the very first spoonful. LG struggled with tongue reflex for a bit but was still eager to eat!

Feeding two with a spoon is time consuming! One piece of advice I read about feeding twins is to feed them simultaneously – one bite to twin A, one bite to twin B, one bite to twin A, etc. That totally didn’t work for us in the beginning. Twin A was distracted by twin B eating and vice versa or got mad because she wasn’t getting her food fast enough.

Now that they are a little more accustomed to food, I sometimes feed them simultaneously and it is definitely faster but more challenging.

Food

Now for the most important part – the amount of food to have …

The best advice I can give – More than you think you need!

We had quite a bit stocked up but one thing I never paid attention to was how much we had of each flavor. The “rule” is to feed a new food for 3 to 5 days to check for allergies. With two little mouths, that’s 6-10 jars of one flavor. For some reason, I never considered that. That means 6 jars of peas, 6 jars of apples, 6 jars of green beans, 6 jars of pears, etc. And that’s only 3 days worth of each flavor.

When I finally comprehended just how much food was necessary, I sat down with our supply and laid out a rough feeding plan. Here’s an example of how we built up flavor variety quickly …

We had some Stage 1 or Supported Sitter foods, which are single ingredients, and we had Stage 2 or Sitter foods, which are mixed ingredients. For the first week, I fed apples for 3 days. Neither girl had a reaction so on the 4th day I added sweet potatoes. For the next 3 days, I fed both apples and sweet potatoes. Once I knew sweet potatoes were safe, I added Stage 2 Apple Sweet Potato mixed meal. So, after 1 week, the girls were eating apples, sweet potatoes, and the mixed meal.

The next week, I added a new fruit on Monday, waited the 3 days, and added a new veggie.

This plan works for us and I feel safe following it simply because neither DH nor I have food allergies or sensitivities, and we have no family history of allergies on either side. If there are allergies in your family, you should definitely follow a slower schedule for introducing new foods.

If you do notice anything suspicious that might be connected to a new food, stop feeding it and reintroduce it later on. On the 2nd day of trying carrots, LG developed a diaper rash and a slight rash on the right corner of her mouth. I wasn’t 100% convinced it was the carrots, because both girls were beginning the teething process, but I stopped the carrots and plan on waiting until LG’s rash is completely cleared up for at least a week before reintroducing carrots.

Curious about the picture? It’s actually kinda hard to tell how much food is really there. The jars are stacked 4 deep and 3 high in most cases. The pouches are about 6 or 7 deep. The tubs are 3 deep and 6 high. I’m guessing it’s about 30 days worth of food. The cereal, next to the flower, will likely last longer – maybe 2 months? I’ll let you know if my guess was right for how long this supply will last us.