Our Disney World Vacation 2015

We've had a VERY busy summer so far, which is why you haven't seen many posts from me other than book reviews. In between baseball games, VBS, and 4-H projects, we took a much needed vacation to Disney World. Here's a little scrapbook to show you what we've been up to.


EPCOT

Here we are in Canada, watching
the rain clouds approach. 

We visited Epcot the day of our 14th wedding anniversary. The weather was hot and muggy but most of our day was spent indoors enjoying the great attractions this place had to offer. After the rides, we toured the World Showcase.

In France, we devoured a Croque Glace` 
at L'Artisan des Glaces. This amazing dessert is 
a warm brioche filled with white chocolate coconut ice dream...I mean cream. 

And this is us, taking the world's worst selfie. Unfortunately, the rest of our evening got rained out and we weren't able to see the other countries, but we had a blast at Epcot all the same. 





DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Tow Mater

Here, we saw all the stars! The kids loved meeting their favorite characters and being part of the movies on The Great Movie Ride, Star Tours, and The Tower of Terror (though the little guy wasn't a fan of this last one). 

Phineas and Ferb

Me and the boys are Singing in the Rain. If only my voice and dance moves were as graceful as Debbie Reynolds's. But the "rain" sprinkling off the umbrella was a nice break from the hot sun. 

MAGIC KINGDOM

Cinderella's castle

We celebrated little guy's 5th birthday at the Magic Kingdom. It blessed my heart to see him enjoy his favorite characters' rides, like Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo, and Aladdin's Flying Carpets. The older boys loved Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, and exploring Tom Sawyer's Island. 

Happy Birthday!

Again, we enjoyed meeting our favorite characters!

Buzz Lightyear

Rapunzel's tower

And seeing where they live!

It was a fun-filled and long day with amazing fireworks to end the journey. Goodbye, Disney!

We ended our trip with a relaxing day on Siesta Key, Beach, Sarasota, before the long drive home. I can't wait to see where our next adventure awaits! 

Laugh Out Loud Pocket Doodles for Boys by Rob Elliott

Rob Elliott's Laugh-Out-Loud joke books have brought laughter to more than half a million households. His last book invited kids into the action as he teamed up with cartoonist Jonny Hawkins to create "Laugh-Out-Loud Doodles for Kids." Now the dynamic duo is back with two brand-new books for boys and girls who love to draw and love to laugh! Packed with jokes that will keep boys and girls giggling for hours, and unfinished doodles for them to complete any way they want, these books keep little hands and minds busy. Perfect for road trips, lazy summer days, or anytime the kids say, "I'm bored!"

Publisher: Revell, 2015
Author: Rob Elliott
Illustrator: Jonny Hawkins


This review was so much fun, as I was able to get the kids involved. Good, clean entertainment, perfect for a rainy day or long road trips. My boys did many of the pages in the car while traveling to Disney World. Others, they finished when we got back home. This book is perfect for ages 5-12. Have a sharpened pencil and crayons handy, and be prepared to laugh!

My boys give this book four thumbs up!

(Five stars in the book review world) 

"My favorite part of this book was the jokes. I can tell them to my friends." -- Silas, age 11

"I like to draw." -- Hudson, age 5


As a mother, my favorite sound in the world is my kids' laughter. If they're laughing that means they're happy, and happy kids make a happy mama. I highly recommend this book. 

A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer

A teacher on the run. 

A bounty hunter in pursuit. 

Can two enemies learn to trust each other before they both lose what they hold most dear?

Stone Hammond is the best tracker in Texas. He never comes home empty-handed. So when a wealthy railroad investor hires him to find his abducted granddaughter, Stone eagerly accepts.

Charlotte Atherton, former headmistress of Sullivan’s Academy for Exceptional Youths, will do anything to keep her charges safe, especially the little girl entrusted to her care after her mother’s death. Charlotte promised Lily’s mother she’d keep the girl away from her unscrupulous grandfather, and nothing will stop Charlotte from fulfilling that pledge. Not even the handsome bounty hunter with surprisingly honest eyes who comes looking for them.

When the teacher he’s after produces documentation that shows she’s the little girl’s legal guardian, Stone must reevaluate everything he’s been led to believe. Is Miss Atherton villain or victim? She acts more like a loving mother than an abductress, and the children in her care clearly adore her. Should Stone break his perfect record?

Then a new danger threatens, and Charlotte is forced to trust the man sent to destroy her. Stone becomes determined to protect what he once sought to tear apart. Besides, he’s ready to start a new pursuit: winning Charlotte’s heart.


Publisher: Bethany House, 2015
Cover Design: Dan Thornberg, Design Source Creative Services
Author is represented by Books & Such Literary Agency

My Review

A fun, high-stakes adventure in life and love. Karen Witemeyer never disappoints with her unique plots, spunky characters, and witty dialogue. 

Charlotte Atherton flees the Sullivan Academy in the middle of the night with the child Stone Hammond has been hired to retrieve. She outwits him, but not for long. He finds the schoolmarm, along with the child, on a secluded Texas farm. His presence is less than welcoming, especially when Charlotte proves she's the child's legal guardian. Will Stone finish the job he came to do? Will Charlotte trust his help when an even larger issue presents itself?

I recommend this book to those who love historical romance and fast-paced stories. I gave this book 5 stars!

My New Book!

I'm tardy in announcing this, and for that I apologize. Last month, I signed a contract with Pelican Book Group for my debut novel How to Charm a Beekeeper's Heart. This story is a 2012 ACFW First Impressions finalist and a 2014 Seekerville Pitch Perfect winner. This story has truly been a labor of love, and I couldn't be more excited to see it in print (and e-book).

Here's a sneak peek...

Isn't this cover stunning? 

Set in the fictional town of Summerville, Maine, Mt. Desert Island, beekeeper Huck Anderson is reunited with Arianne Winters when he inherits the building her bridal shop occupies. He's prepared to evict his tenant so he can open a sporting goods store. Instead, a life-threatening injury sidelines Huck, and Arianne turns his plans upside-down. Now the key to his building isn't the only thing Huck wants back.


Author Jericha Kingston says, "Candice Sue Patterson delivers another sensational romance for readers of Christian Fiction. Awash with compassion, Patterson lets us walk in the boots of one without Christ, in the high heels of one trusting Christ, and in the hearts of both."


Look for How to Charm a Beekeeper's Heart, coming soon!

In Firefly Valley by Amanda Cabot

She's lost her dream job--

But has she found the man of her dreams?

Marisa St. George is devastated when she is a victim of downsizing and has no choice but to return to the small Texas town where she grew up. Though it's a giant step backward, she accepts a position as business manager at the struggling Rainbow's End resort. The only silver lining is Blake Kendall, a new guest who is making her believe in love at first sight. But will her dreams of happily-ever-after be turned upside down when she discovers who he really is?


Publisher: Revell Books, 2015
Cover Design: Peter Gloege | LOOK Design Studio
Cover Photo: Aimee Christenson


My Review

Like the first fireflies of summer, this story brings light to the darkness, brings promises of things to come, and is delightful while it lasts. 

Marisa St. George became successful despite her rough upbringing. So when her employer downsizes, forcing her to return to her hometown of Dupree, Texas, she accepts--a little begrudgingly--a position as business manager at Rainbow's End resort. Blake Kendall--AKA Ken Blake--has lost his creativity. With a deadlines looming, he grasps at straws, doing everything he can to regain his muse. When Blake discovers his friend, Greg, is getting married in Texas at Greg's newly owned resort, Blake heads to Dupree, hoping a change of scenery will renew his spirit. What he doesn't expect is the enchanting Marisa St. George. 

As Marissa's past returns to haunt her, will she forgive those who've wrong her and move on with her life? Can Blake keep his secrets from Marisa and continue his career? 

I recommend In Firefly Valley to anyone looking for a great summer read. I gave this book 4 stars. 

______________________________________________________

With both parents avid readers, it's no surprise that Amanda Cabot learned to read at an early age. From there it was only a small step to deciding to become a writer. Of course, deciding and becoming are two different things, as she soon discovered. Fortunately for the world, her first attempts at fiction were not published, but she did meet her goal of selling a novel by her thirtieth birthday. Since then she’s sold more than thirty novels under a variety of pseudonyms. When she’s not writing, Amanda enjoys sewing, cooking and – of course – reading.

Visit Amanda's website at https://www.sff.net/people/amanda.cabot/.

Eye of the Storm

Image courtesy of George Stojkovic
freedigitalphotos.net

The last month has been eventful for our family, to say the least. We've had enjoyable times together, cheering at ball games and track meets, working as a team around the farm. We've also had times of devastation, where an unexpected life event sweeps in like an F-5 tornado and leaves so much debris you don't know where to begin cleanup. Sometimes it takes the tornado to make us appreciate the clear skies, as we tend to take our days for granted. The storm forces us to slow down and reflect, perhaps enlightens us to much needed changes.

I'm blessed to know the One who can calm the storm, the One who holds tomorrow. 

During our difficulty...     Read the rest of this article at Quid Pro Quills.  

~Candice posts twice a month at Quid Pro Quills, a blog she shares with her writing partners-in-crime. For more articles like this one, author chats, and insight into the crazy life of a writer, visit their website. 

A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade

Former Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships.

When Lyndie James, Jake’s childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion’s reluctance to run.

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake’s will, Lyndie’s sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he’d thought he’d lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?


Publisher: Bethany House, 2015
Cover Design: Jennifer Parker
Cover Photography: Mike Habermann Photography, LLC


My Review
An inspiring journey of beauty from ashes. These characters had my heart from the first chapter and proved how God can take our fragile lives and repair us to reflect His glory. 

Jake Porter is one beautiful disaster. For eight years he's suffered from PTSD, after an IED explosion took the lives of three of his men in Iraq. His thoroughbred racehorses and Whispering Creek Ranch are the only things motivating his dark days and even darker nights. Then Lyndie, his childhood best friend, returns to Holley, Texas, and forces Jake to see the world under a new light. As they pass their days working together to solve the mystery of Silver Leaf's apprehension to race, Jake catches a glimpse of all the things he's missing out on, the life he could lead--if he deserved it.  Though Lyndie's specialty is nursing wounded things back to health, Jake's wounds are seemingly irreparable. But God....

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresh author who's gifted with insight into the human heart. A Love Like Ours will appeal to horse lovers, as well as readers who're searching for a strong, yet clean, romance. 

I gave this book 5 stars!

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Becky's a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas.  She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children.  When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction.  She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance!  She's the Carol Award and Inspirational Reader's Choice Award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, Undeniably Yours, Meant to Be Mine, and A Love Like Ours. Visit Becky at www.beckywade.com.