Friday, August 23, 2013

A Change of Plans.....

I just finished the most wonderful book and I couldn't wait to review it here... As writers network with each other there are chances to meet other authors and that is how I met Donna Weaver.  She hadn't been published yet but was working on her first book--a novel--and it is a best seller.

A Change Of Plans
            by Donna Weaver

This story grabs your attention right from the start with the two main characters getting on a cruise ship to share in a great vacation.  One woman--the partier--wants to be involved in all the gatherings during their time at sea. The other woman--more subdued and quiet-- wants a peaceful, quiet vacation to get away from a dark time of her life the year before.

Both these women don't get exactly what they expect as the story unfolds and they meet others on the ship for an adventure of a life time..... All the characters are so real, the story line keeps moving forward for a great adventure and the dialogue is entertaining.  It's a clean romance as well so not to worry about the content.

A great story and I'm looking forward to more stories from Donna Weaver in the future.


Part of an interview from an earlier blog Donna talks about her idea for the book:
Donna:  Ideas are everywhere. A Change of Plans began as a dream that had lingered with me. When I decided to try writing a book, I chose the idea from it—then I had to figure out how to get the characters where they were in my dream, which is the middle of the book.
Link to buy "A Change of Plans"

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

An Unexpected Find....

At church last Sunday, the movie "Ben-Hur" was mentioned in a talk which took me back in time.  I remember distinctly, as if it happened yesterday, lying in bed sick from something or other and
the movie Ben-Hur playing on TV. Back in the old days with no video or DVDs invented yet, there were epic movies played on regular television all year round.

At Christmas time it was "It's a Wonderful Life".  At Easter, the Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur played. At this particular time, while I was sick, my father rolled a little black and white TV into my room so I can be entertained.  My family either had just been baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or we were taking the lessons from the missionaries. We were from a Jewish family and I had never heard the stories of Jesus at all growing up.  I knew He had existed but never knew any thing about Him.

When I got to the end of the movie, I was sobbing.  It was so touching to watch the action of what happened so long ago. Others are casual or antagonistic that this took place at all but it did and it is a testimony to me of the sacredness and necessity of our life on earth.

 The clip I  give on the bottom is a part earlier in the film when Ben-Hur (played by Charlton Heston) was put into slavery and met the Christ who helped him.

At the end of the movie, Ben Hur recognizes who Christ is as He is carrying His cross to Golgotha to be crucified. The clip is so moving but is not listed on the YouTube list. You will just have to watch the whole movie or fast forward to the end. I was nine or ten years old back then and as a young Jewish girl was so taken by what the Savior had done for us, it brought me to tears.   I think it will for you too.

Link to Ben Hur clip of "Jesus the Water of Life"

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Stay-At-Home Moms Unite!!!

I discovered a wonderful voice for those Moms who were courageous and said--"No, I do not want to work outside my home, I want to be home with my children"  It is so important....

From my book--Thoughts From the Heart:

Mothers Are Important
This past Sunday was Mother’s Day and to all you mothers, I hope you had a wonderful day. Having children is such a blessing. On a more personal note, most people don’t know I am the mother of nine children.  It sounds unbelievable but I actually planned and wanted all my children and they have been a blessing to me.
 
In this modern society, I believe that many young couples do not believe that children are a blessing. They are afraid of what adding to their union will do to themselves.  If they are selfish, then the children will suffer.  If they are willing to sacrifice something in their life for something better, then children become a welcomed blessing.  What else is there to live for if we do not have people who are important to us in our life?  Certainly, leisure and travel activities become boring after a while.  You can travel around the world many times and still not have joy when returning home.  Our employment can only give us so much satisfaction until even our work takes a back seat to our families.
 
I saw “The Bucket List” last year and it is the perfect example of what I am writing about. In this movie, one man with cancer had a family with a wife of many years.  He wasn’t considered a wealthy man in the financial world but had children and grandchildren whom he spent his time. The other man with cancer had female partners over the years but not one that stuck around by his choice. He even had a daughter by one but they were estranged.  He lived on his own in a very nice condo, had lots of money from his corporation, but really didn’t have much joy.  He seemed happy at first but in the end when the cancer was worsening, he realized what he was missing in his life.  He realized that family was really important and made an effort to visit his daughter to patch things up and see his granddaughter.
 
I hope all you mothers and fathers will realize the importance of raising children to be good productive citizens.  I hope you appreciate who you have given birth to in this life.  Motherhood is a sacred calling. To have so much influence to do good over one person in a life is very powerful.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World!!!!!
 

The words of Washington Irving, an early American writer, rings true: “A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
 
Appreciate the children you have created and help them to see their potential in life for one day they will rise up and call you a great blessing.
                         _______________________________________________


Amanda King is a mom who wants to be a good mom to her two daughters.  She started a wonderful blog/website called the www.lastmomonearth.com which was her ideal of a great mom.  Unfortunately--in June she wrote her last post and will no longer be writing.... We need great moms like her to post positive articles about motherhood. Here is one that made it to the Huffington Post:


What We Mean When We Say We Need a Break
        by Amanda King
As a stay-at-home mom of two small children, when I say that I need a break, I'm not talking about wanting a vacation or a treat as a reward for doing my job. Needing a break doesn't mean that I'm seeking a respite from my responsibilities or that I want to put my feet up. It means that I need a moment to feel like a human being in the midst of a relentless life where I don't belong to myself anymore; where I give my love and energy away, every moment of my existence, and can't figure out how to keep any for myself.
We're all very aware of men who don't understand the point of giving the mother of his children a break. They go to work all day and they don't have fun at work, do they? When they come home and their wives say, "I need a break," they think, When do I get a break? I just worked all day and now I have to come home and give my wife a break?
The point of a break, when you're a stay-at-home parent, isn't fun, or excitement or relaxation, although breaks that contain those things are great, and we absolutely totally deserve them, because everybody does. When a stay-at-home parent says, "I need a break from being a mommy for an hour or two," they aren't trying to swindle you into doing the work of caring for the house and children so that they can get out for some fun and letting loose. Needing a break isn't the same thing as wanting a vacation.


I'm Amanda King and the best and most important thing I've ever done is to be a good mom. Everything else I've ever accomplished is kind of silly, compared to the fact that I get out of bed every morning and I try, so very hard to make these little people happy.

I have two daughters, Scout and Louise. They're three years apart and they keep me very busy. Sometimes I think I'll die of busy-ness, but I never do.

I used to be a misfit.

Read more here.....




I just love what she has to say and I hope we can convince Amanda to keep blogging about being a Mom and how challenging and wonderful it is!!!