G.R.I.T.S.

As has become a tradition, and a permanent fixture on this site...I want to give you some Legend/History of Thanksgiving...and this year....the Proclamation that President Lincoln presented in Washington on Oct. 3, 1863

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation
Washington, DC—October 3, 1863
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.


This was found @ About.com
Check back next Year, for some more Legends/History of Thanksgiving!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
G.R.I.T.S.
Thank you Julie @ One Rainy Afternoon for giving me this award! Now What I'm supposed to do is pass it along to 15 other blogs....so this is going to be a tough one! But here I go...



Lori @ Some of my Favorite Things

Rene @ Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Spot

Maggie @ The Polka-Dotted Apple

Kayla @ A Southern Girl's Beauty Shop

Christy @ Southern Sassy Things

Maybe more to come......Enjoy the award ladies!
G.R.I.T.S.
I received this Award from Lori @ Some of my Favorite Things
Since I've received this award, I have to now tell you 10 honest
things about myself, as well as, pass the award along to
10 more bloggers of my choice.


Here are 10 honest things about me:
1.I'm scared of the Dark (I mean when I'm outside alone)
2.My Dream is to become a Pro. Makeup Artist
3.I hate Chinese Food
4.but I love Mexican!
5. I was Saved June 10,2000
6.I'm not that crazy about Thunderstorms while I'm trying to sleep.
7. I Love being around Children!
8. I never forget a Book that I've read.(and let me tell you, I've read a lot)
9. Christmas is my FAVORITE time of year....except for the cold!
10. I blush easily....lol
Now for the 10 Bloggers:
Ok so I'm going to be lazy, lol....I'm passing this on to all of my followers!
So if you follow this blog....take the Award!
and...
Ashley@ After all...Tomorrow is another Day
I'll add some other names later...but I got 2 get ready to go!


G.R.I.T.S.


Challenge Requirements:
1- Challenge will start Friday, November 20 and will end Thursday, December 31.
2- You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, if you're like me, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.
3- And now, here's the clincher... they must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.
4- The size of the book does not matter, nor does the genre. It is also okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing I ask is that they are not children's books. YA is okay. And so are re-reads. I for one tend to read the same books every Christmas - they are tradition.
5- To sign up - leave a link back to your challenge post. There will also be a post for review links as well as one for challenge wrap-ups.
6- And.... there will be goodies. That's right, we'll call them presents. At the end of every week that the challenge is running I will choose one winner from the review links and I will allow them to pick a book of their choosing (of course, I will provide a list). Meaning the more books you read, review and link up, the more chances you have at winning a "present".

I Saw this on Lori's Blog, And I have a ton of Christmas Books, and I do read a lot of them as tradition...So I can't wait to start this challenge!!! I'll have to start On the 22nd, because I'm headed to See my Best friend at College, and wont get back till the 21st, so I'll start the 22nd...but I'm pretty sure I'll end up reading more than 5 books!
Here's my list so far that I want to read...
-The Christmas Shoes Series (there r 4)
-I have at least 4 Christmas Novella's
-Forever Christmas
And Many More!

If you would like to join this Challenge, click the photo at the top of this post!




G.R.I.T.S.


Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson
Weddings By Bella book 1
(click photo to have a look inside)
Back Cover:
Bella Rossi's life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding-planning business. Bella quickly books a Boot-Scooting' Wedding that would make any Texan Proud. There's only one catch-she doesn't know a thing about country music. Where will she find a deejay on such short notice who knows hit Alan Jackson from his George Strait? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding?
Fun, Fresh, and full of surprises, this flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex highlights the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?
Talk about a GREAT book! I personally love the Cover! (I'm pretty much the type of girl, that you show me any book that is about cowboys...I'm there! And this is no exception!)

Bella's Story all starts when her Uncle Laz experience a Damascus Road experience (You're probably thinking 'huh'....but that's as much as I'm going to say about that...except, you'll get the full story of his Damascus Road experience on Pages 1 & 2) And that sent the family packin' to Texas! Now picture this, A True Italian family (they all speak Italian, and love Dean & Frankie!) moving to Texas...If that hasn't already put a funny Picture in your head...keep reading, I'll try to get that picture there!

Now this is a regular Italian family...So the only logical this is, The whole clan move to Texas...

Bella's Parents opened up a Bella's Wedding Facility (Because her pop was lactose intolerant, and was tired of helping Uncle Laz)

Uncle Laz Opened up his own Pizza/coffee place called Parma John's

While Aunt Rosa took care of the house. Now in the Rossi family, there was always a fight going on between Aunt Rosa and Uncle Laz on whether Dean Martin was better for Cooking & Cleaning or Frank Sinatra was the best...And this leads to Bella's Dilemma, When Planning a Boot-Scottin' Wedding, she's gotta come up with some Country Music, and a Deejay fast!

When she finally gets a number for a deejay...Duh-wayne Neeley...She's thrown into a whirlwind of problems, from Too many boots, to Falling in love.

I Highly Recommend this book, and I can't wait to read Swinging on a Star (Book 2). In the mean time, I suggest you grab a copy of this book, and get ready for some Texas Twang, and Two-Steppin'!
And Stop By This Blog, to get a different take on Fools Rush In!
Book Trailer:











G.R.I.T.S.

Hi Y'all,

I'm not sure how many of you Remember me starting the 100+ Challenge that I started in Feb. of this year. And Boy was it hard to get 100 different books.....I'm the kind of person that LOVES to re-read good books....But I have read a ton of books this year...and since the computer I used to use for my blogging went down, and I had to switch computers...things got in a jumble...So I'm probably missing some books on my list, but that's fine I'm still having fun!!!


And I have a nice big stack waiting next to my bed to be read in the next couple of weeks!

To See what Books I've read this year: 100+Book Challenge



G.R.I.T.S.

I received this awesome award from Angie at Never a Dull Moment

I am to list 7 of my favorite things and send it on to 7 other bloggers, so here goes...
1)Reading
2)I love to Crochet
3)Scrapbooking
4)Writing
5)Spending time w/my family
6)Baking
7)Doing makeup (check out blog... Rollers, Ribbons, & Rouge
And I pass it on to any of you that Haven't received this award yet!



G.R.I.T.S.
And November's CFRB Tour is......

Talking to the Dead by Bonnie Grove!


Back Cover:
Twenty something Kate Davis can't seem to get this grieving-widow thing down. She's supposed to put on a brave face and get on with her life, right? Instead she's camped out on her living-room floor, unwashed, unkempt, and unable to sleep-because her husband, Kevin, keeps talking to her.

Is she losing her mind?

Kate's attempts to find the source of the voice she hears are both humorous and humiliating, as she turns first to an "eclectically spiritual" counselor, then to a shrink with a bad toupee, a mean-spirited exorcist, and finally group therapy. There she meets Jack, the warmhearted, unconventional pastor of a ramshackle church , and at last the voice subsides. But when she stumbles upon a secret Kevin was keeping. Kate's fragile hold on the present threatens to implode under the weight of the past...and Kevin begins to shout.

Will the voice ever stop? Kate must confront her grief to find the grace to go on in this tender, quirky story about second chances.



A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?
I have to say that this book was not exactly what I was thinking it would be when I said I would review it. But I'll Start with the Positives, before I go on to what I didn't like...
- I really got into the book once I started to read it! The first couple of chapters are not as 'catchy' as the rest of the book, but once you get started reading it, it can be hard to put down.
-Bonnie does a great job with being descriptive...she allows you to be apart of this woman's grieving...from the fears of going into the room she shared with her husband, to how she let's the house go (house cleaning....).
-I love how she shows that grieving isn't just something you 'get over with'. It's something you have to work on...the ups and downs. From wanting to leave the house, to staying inside for 2 weeks at a time, not wanting to see another living soul.

Negative(s):
- Bonnie has her main character, Kate, use a lot of phsycology, medication, and mental hospitals...instead of good Biblical Counseling...She does have a salvation 'break through' at the end of the book...but I would have preferred (this is my own opinion, and you may feel differently about this)some more biblical aspects through out the book.

Now a more in depth look at the book:









It opens with You finding out that Kevin (Kate's Husband) had died from a hear attack at the office. Kate's in shock, and everyone is trying to help her through this time, but she's basically just running on automatic.
After about 2 weeks of being holed up inside the house, Kate's mom (also recently a widow) starts to worry about her daughter, and tries to help, by bringing over some books for Kate to read. A Friend stops by to offer her sympathies, and a list of counselors for Kate to look into...and all this time she's yet to step foot upstairs!
And then, the Voice starts to invade her thoughts and house. But it isn't just any voice...It's Kevin's!
Now Kevin isn't saying anything important really, he's just talking like he would every other day...like 'You burn the toast' ,'the teapot is whistling', and things like that...But Kate doesn't know how to keep him talking...and then she learns a terrible sercret!
As a result of knowing this secret, and realizing everyone (so she thought) she trusted was in on it., Throwing her off the deep end...sending her for mental help...and a long road to the Lord.
With the help of a young man she befriends one day, and the faith of a good friend...She finds herself on the road to recovery. Will Kate learn to 'shut off' Kevin? Or will she be a Mental patient her whole life?


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.






Want to Join CFRB? And Review Some great Authors like Bonnie Grove? Then Click Here!

To the FTC and whomever else it may concern, I received this book (for free) as a member of the Christian Fiction Review Blog group. In return, I have promised to review the book but have been given the freedom by Bonnie Grove to give my honest opinions whether they be positive or negative.

I'm a member of...

Other Great Blogs!!!