Ginnie West Adventures.....

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to read The Secret Sisters Club by Monique Bucheger, two months ago and loved it!!!  A great "tween" or teen book about losing a parent in death or divorce, how adults can handle the situation in an uplifting manner and how young girls can be such great friends.
Here is what I thought:

 This "tween" book is heartwarming and interesting. For any girl who loves horses and "best friends forever", this story has what you are looking for in a novel.

There are other themes the story touches as well such as single parenting and the loss of a spouse by divorce and death. Great themes for children who are trying to understand their own family situations.

A clean and appropriate writing for children of all ages and I would recommend this book to my own children and grandchildren.



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What is really great is that there are more Ginnie West Adventure stories!!!!!  See Below......

THE SECRET SISTERS CLUB: A Ginnie West Adventure (BOOK 1)

Blurb:

Twelve-year-old

 BFF’s Ginnie and Tillie, want to be sisters. Ginnie's widowed dad plus

Tillie's divorced mom could equal a lifetime of round-the-clock girl

talk and slumber parties. Too bad Dad vowed to never marry again. Ginnie

 and Tillie form a secret club and come up with the perfect mission to

change his mind: ‘Operation Secret Sisters’.

Before

 long, Tillie seems happier about gaining a dad than a sister. Ginnie

suspects that Tillie has turned ‘Operation Secret Sisters’ into a scam

called ‘Operation Steal My Dad.’  Things get more complicated when

Ginnie stumbles across her real mom’s hidden journals. Ginnie can

finally get to know the mother she doesn’t remember and Dad doesn’t talk

 about.

When

 Dad discovers she has the journals, he takes them away. Ginnie needs to

 figure out what the big mystery is before her relationship with her

father and her best friend are ruined forever.

If you like farms, friends, horses, and secrets, you’ll love: Trouble Blows West: A Ginnie West Adventure.  So saddle up and be ready to ride with Ginnie as she explores the true meaning of friendship.
Debbie Shakespeare Smith, middle-grade author of The House of Chicken

TROUBLE BLOWS WEST: A Ginnie West Adventure (BOOK 2)

Blurb:

Putting
her body in motion before her brain is in gear creates a mountain of problems for 12 year-old Ginnie West. She is certain that defending her twin brother, Toran, from the biggest bully in sixth grade was the right thing to do. But Ginnie couldn’t be more wrong.

She

 quickly figures out that Toran doesn’t appreciate being rescued by a

girl any better than Charlie likes being knocked down by one. When

Charlie seeks revenge on Ginnie, Toran sets aside his anger and helps

her plot a playback prank at Charlie’s house.

Sadly,

 Ginnie learns that Charlie has a reason for being a bully when she sees

 his dad drop him to the floor like a ragdoll with one awful blow to the

 chest. Realizing he's a boy in big trouble, Ginnie switches gears and

decides to be his ally, even if he won’t let her be his friend.

I loved this book! I didn’t know a book without

zombies could be good! 15 yr-old Amanda

SIMPLY WEST OF HEAVEN: A Ginnie West Adventure: (BOOK 3)

Blurb

Twelve

 year-old Ginnie and her BFF, Tillie, schemed to get Ginnie’s widowed

dad to fall in love with Tillie’s divorced mom. It worked. But before

they could become ‘for real’ sisters, Ginnie stumbled across her dead

mom’s journals. Which was

totally awesome sauce… until her dad took them away and won’t tell her why. Now all their plans are starting to unravel.

If

 that’s not bad enough, Ginnie’s favorite uncle drops the mother of all

bombshells and leaves her in a maze of uncertainty. While her head is

still spinning from that news,  a blast from her late mother’s past

shows up and makes Tillie goes nutburgers. Ginnie realizes her best

friend has her own agenda and Tillie’s plans to merge their families may

 not be so innocent.

SIMPLY

 WEST OF HEAVEN is a contemporary MG novel that follows
Ginnie West as she tries to make sense of one too many curve balls
tossed her way in the most pivotal summer of her life.

Social networking links: 

Monique's blog:http://moniquebucheger.blogspot.com/, 

FB: http://www.facebook.com/monique.bucheger 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoniqueBucheger

Purchase link:

The Secret Sisters Club: A Ginnie West Adventure

Author bio:

Monique Bucheger  
was born in Landstuhl, Germany to active duty Air Force parents. After watching her

creative writing teacher's astronaut son lift off in the Space Shuttle

Endeavor, she recalled a promise to her teacher to write the books only she

could write. In January of 2011, her first book made it through the first 3

tiers of Amazon's National BreakThrough Novel Award Contest to the top 5%. In

November of 2012 Mrs. Bucheger was offered a 3 book contract for her Ginnie

West series. Book one: THE SECRET SISTERS CLUB: A Ginnie West Adventure was

published March 8, 2012. Her second book: TROUBLE BLOWS WEST: A Ginnie West

Adventure was published April 14, 2012. 

Mrs. Bucheger has championed the cause of children as a foster parent to over 120 children and

her books embrace and empower people on all sides of the child abuse issue.

Link to The Secret Sisters Club

Link to Trouble Blows West

Link to Simply West of Heaven

Quotes for a Very Good Year.....

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.....sounds like a quaint saying but it's actually true if you think about it...... Each day we arise, we live a life that will have an affect on the next day and so on and so forth.  

How can we make this year better???
How can we be better citizens and serve our fellow man???

These next few quotes are from wonderful motivators which I have had the opportunity to get to know in some way or another.....  
Find their secret.....What ever works for you....... do it!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!



“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.” ― Mother Teresa

Our present is our future, and it's up to us to choose it. No matter your circumstances, you can truly change and succeed in ways you hadn’t previously imagined. So give it a try. Sit down for fifteen minutes and answer the three questions above. Focus on answering them honestly, from the gut and the heart. Then post the answers somewhere you’ll see them frequently, allowing your heart, mind, and soul to simmer. If you’re a praying person, make this a part of your personal prayers and watch the daily miracles begin.
My deepest desire is to help others create and live their ideal life. To jumpstart your desire to change, email me at connie@8basics.com for a free podcast, “Forget Resolutions! Set, Achieve, and Enjoy Goals that Work!” You’ll also automatically be entered to win my e-book, Create a Powerful Life Plan! 3 Simple Steps to Your Ideal Life.
It’s a brand new year, what will you do with it? An anonymous quotation reads, "If not now, when? If not me, then who?" Make this your year of the change and live the joy!

Secret to Business Goal Setting in 2013 and Beyond

Are you ready for 2013 to be your best year ever? If so, I’d like to share with you the secret to successfully impacting the world and achieving your business goals for the New Year.

Marnie Pehrson....
 
Find your amazing goal setting strategy here..... 

Merry Christmas to ALL.....

 This writing is from my latest book--Thoughts from the Heart. So appropriate for a Christmas Day Message:

Pay It Forward With Kindness

Last weekend I received an email from a dear friend telling me a story of a boy she met a long time ago.  She has always volunteered her time in children shelters as she has such a soft heart for misplaced children.  She has six of her own.  As she told me of Kyle, who was a regular there for over five or six years, tears came to my eyes.

Kyle was born with two parents who should have loved him but didn’t.  They were abusive and decided to put him up for adoption at a young age.  Luckily at seven years old he was adopted by a couple who said they wanted Kyle but after a few days decided they didn’t want a child that wasn’t “theirs” and the abuse continued.  He went back to the shelter at 12 and stayed there until he was old enough to get on his own at 18.  My friend took him home from time to time for a weekend break and then brought him back hoping someone would take him home permanently.

Unfortunate for Kyle, he had no place to go after being on his own and slept in abandoned houses or cars until the he was arrested for sleeping in the wrong car.  He is spending 18 months in jail but has made a way for himself there. He washes the cars for the sheriff’s department and feels trusted. He is so grateful for the job. 

As my friend says, “This young man, now almost 21, was thrown away by his parents when he was a young child, lived in foster homes and a shelter, and has never felt unconditional love.” Yet when he feels trusted by someone, anyone, it means so much to him.

We never know what pain someone is feeling.  We never know what someone is going through in life.  A smile, a kind word, or even a compliment when standing in line at Walmart or McDonald’s may be what someone needs to get them through the rest of their day.  I think we have all been recipients of someone’s kind words and smiles and those unknown angels will never know how much they have touched a life. As Kyle continues to serve his time and learn that being trusted is a great privileged, he can learn to be a contributing citizen to his community and help himself.  There are many Kyles out there trying to find a place in life for themselves.

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.” With all the failing markets and financial institutions we hear about today, the best we can do for each other is be kind. Pay if forward with kindness and a smile because you never know what will help another person who is truly in need.

Merry Christmas to all.....and to all a good night.  Pay it forward with kindness.

Checkin’ It Twice: A Terrific Collection of Christmas Stories

 Congratulations to Donna McNeil Gonzales for winning a free e-copy of Checkin' It Twice

This just out...... a terrific collection of Christmas stories to read each night in December before going to bed.  All of them entertaining and heart warming as this is a wonderful book for the family. There are lots of ways to buy this book and lots of bonuses so read to the end of the post!!!


From the back cover:

Can Santa learn a lesson from the Savior?
Can a foreign exchange student help you see Christmas a little more clearly?
Do things really look better from a distance?
And just how many holiday ornaments does one woman need?

Get in the Christmas Spirit with Volume 2 of award-winning stories from LDS Publisher's 2010 and 2011 Christmas Story Contests! Sixteen short stories from popular LDS authors to help you remember the reason for the season!

What I like about "Checkin' It Twice": 
The stories written are devoted to the true meaning of Christmas and entertaining. One of my favorite from the list is "Foreign Exchange" by Teresa G. Osgood. This story hits your heart as Paul and his family, learn a lesson about opening their hearts to those we don't know well and the blessing of doing the right thing for the right reason.

Fishing Buddy by Rob Smales is a delightful story of a fisherman and his interesting evening with a special fishing buddy.

Broken Things by Angie Lofthouse was a heartwarming story of redemption and forgiveness.  Christmas time is when we think of family and the closeness we feel --even if we haven't been good. It brought tears to my eyes and I thought about it the rest of the day.

Most of the stories have a wonderful, unexpected twist and leave you wanting to read more. This collection is a great combination of humor and thought provoking ideals.


Featuring LDS Authors:

Amie Borst • A Soldier’s Christmas
Angie Lofthouse • Broken Things
Brenda J. Anderson • Milkshakes and Mittens
Brian C. Ricks • Third Strike Christmas
Gussie Fick • Substitute Santa
Janice Sperry • Slushballs
Jennifer Carson Shelton • With Wondering Awe
Jennifer Ricks • Christmas Stash
Jennifer Ricks • The Two Hundred Forty-fourth Ornament
Kasey Eyre • Gifts from Jesus
LeeAnn Setzer • Christmas Bus
LisaAnn Turner • The Real Magic
Michael Young • Checkin’ It Twice
Rob Smales • Fishing Buddy
Teresa G. Osgood • Foreign Exchange
Weston Elliott • Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Win A Free E-book Copy: 
Comment below on your favorite Christmas tradition you and your family do every year and your name will be entered to win a free copy of "Checkin' It Twice".


There are even bonuses when you buy!!!
 Anyone who purchases a print copy of Checkin' It Twice from Amazon.com before December 15th can get the Bonus Goodies package. All they need to do is send a copy of their Amazon receipt to citbonus@rosehavenpublishing.net. Details can be found at: http://bit.ly/UgfMTi

Check out other links with reviews:

• Amazon (print & kindle): bitly.com/ViEc22

• 5 format ebook bundle: http://www.ldsebookstore.com/checkin-it-twice

Check out the "Checkin' It Twice" blog

Lots of Giveaways.....

Click to Buy the Book Here

A Letter To Al Franken

As I was reviewing some of my WORD files--I came upon this letter that I wrote over 3 years ago when Al Fraken "won" the senate position in Minnesota. I found the letter  quite amusing and I remembered that I actually mailed it off to his office because I was so disguised with his cheating .  I wonder what he thought......

August 4, 2009

Dear “Senator” Franken:

  I write weekly editorials for a local paper in Alabama.  Several weeks ago I wrote a piece on the importance of integrity and surprisingly on the same page, a political cartoon was published about you right next to my editorial.

Al Franken

How appropriate I thought this was as I feel that you, among other senators, should review and ponder the importance of integrity in all aspects of life.

As a comedian, you are a funny person and I have enjoyed watching you on Saturday Night Live---but as a Senator, you are no senator.  You basically stole the votes from the other candidate and lied your way through to the Senate floor.

You wrote a nasty book (Rush Limbaugh Is A Big, Fat, Idiot) to belittle another person which, by the way, was all untrue.  By calling other people names, especially in public, shows your true character as one who has no integrity.  So, take a tip from this mother, your mother, and many other mothers trying to teach their children to be honest in life; lying and cheating might get you some where in government but it won’t get you anywhere in the life hereafter.

Sincerely:

 

 Valerie J. Steimle

Being Thankful.....

A blurb from my latest book: Thoughts from the Heart: Writings from the Gulf Coast of Alabama

    

Being Thankful

 

       Yesterday was Thanksgiving which causes me to reflect on what I am thankful for in my life.  As our long fought freedoms slowly slip away from us due to legislature, I have to remember to be thankful for living in this country.  I don’t know what the end result will be for our lifestyle in the next few years but right now I am thankful for all the freedoms that I am enjoying in my life.

            Alfred North Whitehead, who is an English Mathematician and philosopher, once said: “No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”  So true a word has been spoken.  We are all dependent upon each other for successes in our careers, hobbies and pursuits. How ungrateful we would be if we didn’t feel truly thankful for those people who have helped us get to where we are today.

            Those who complain incessantly about everything are not taking the time to ponder about the blessings received over the last year: our health, our family, the place where we live, the food we eat and our jobs.  Now, if you don’t have any of those things then maybe you would have reason to complain but for most of us, we live in a great world and whatever short term trials we have to live through, they soon will be over.

            It’s too bad we don’t have Thanksgiving more than once a year because as a people we only seem to be thankful when we are reminded. We live in such a great country, it’s easy to take it for granted.

            Another thought for being thankful is by Jim Rohn who says: “To receive more you must first be thankful for what you already have.  Thanksgiving opens the doors for good ideas to flow, while cynicism blocks the door of good ideas.”

            Jim Rohn was just a regular guy back in the ‘30’s who wanted a better life for himself and his family.  He teamed up with another man who was an entrepreneur and became very successful at motivating people to work towards a better life.  Through his “Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle, he has influenced many for good.  These five pieces are:

Philosophy-how you think.

Attitude-how you feel

Action-what you do

Results-measure often to see if you are making progress and,

Lifestyle-the kind of life you can make for yourself out of the first four pieces.

            So whether you need motivation for a better life or are living a life of contentment, we should remember to be thankful for what we already have and tell others in our life how we feel about them.

My latest book......

I have published another book. This one is book number 5!!!  It's called:

Thoughts from the Heart: Writings from the Gulf Coast of Alabama

Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

The Gulf Coast of Alabama has had its share of trials and triumphs. As a Gulf Coast Newspaper Columnist, Valerie J. Steimle, has seen it all: from hurricanes, the BP oil spill to Supper on the Beach, festivals, concerts and beach life.  Living on Alabama’s gulf coast has been an interesting life journey.  “Thoughts from the Heart” was a column especially written for the gulf coast of Alabama with inspirational stories, small town politics and federal government antics.  Read one hundred of the best of “Thoughts from the Heart,” an insightful collection of honest, humorous and heart-felt writing.

Here are a few reviews from a few fellow authors:

Margaret Turley

Valerie Steimle shares her editorial articles written for a newspaper column in Alabama: The Independent, the Gulf Coast Newspaper and the newspaper's website. Her views on family and marriage, local and federal government, education, entertainment and the media, health care, and patriotism are unapologetic and very conservative. Reading her book brings me back home to how I was raised in a different "A-state", Arizona. Though the scenery may be different, and I am from the Southwest part of the United States instead of the Southeast, the issues are the same. It is good to be able to read articles by someone else who thinks like I do. Thoughts From The Heart: Writings From the Gulf Coast of Alabama

Donna K. Weaver:

Mrs. Steimle, in her book, Thoughts from the Heart, Writings from the Gulf Coast of Alabama, takes readers through a series of pieces previously published as columns for the Independent, a Gulf coast newspaper. She opines on a variety of subjects ranging from educating children, families, the media, politics, etc. Mrs. Steimle voices her strong, conservative feelings without apology. In a world where too many people applaud freedom of speech but scorn ideas that don't match their own, this book is a refreshing and open look at one woman's thoughts.

It is possible to glean insight and understanding from other people without agreeing with their personal philosophies. While I have my own strong feelings, I like to think that I am teachable. As a small child who lives close to the ground will notice things I do not, I find that trying to see the world as others do opens possibilities I might have otherwise missed.

Thoughts from the Heart may reinforce your own worldviews or make you stretch. Personally, I think both are good for us.

 Available on Amazon-click here:

My Goldenrod Oil....

Over the past few years, I have become more aware of the availability of food, water and other resources in my area and how I can use them for good.

One of those resources is Essential Oils for medicinal purposes.  Let's face it the world is in turmoil and how can I get food, other supplies and doctor's help for emergencies if we have a major catastrophe.  I certainly can't depend on government and other emergency agencies--as much as they do try to help-- because of the time factor and availability.

Reading about what was happening in the New York/New Jersey area and learning from my own personal experience on the gulf coast during Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, agencies who try to help are sometimes impeded because of availability and travel.

So it is up to us to take care of ourselves as much as possible in all areas of living.  This journey has been both informative and fascinating. One area I was led to learn about was wild plants in our area which can be used for medicinal and eating purpose.

One of those is Goldenrod. This plant grows profusely every where in the area in which I live.
Goldenrods are very common wildflowers throughout Virginia and North America. It is difficult to describe only one, because there are over 50 species of Goldenrod in North America and most of them are very similar and hard to tell apart. All Goldenrods are late bloomers, flowering in late Summer into the Fall. Most species have spectacular displays of bright yellow flowers. (from www.fcps.edu)

With instruction from several sources, goldenrod oil can be produced and used right in your own home.

How To Make Goldenrod Oil:
   First you find goldenrod plants which can be picked for your oil. The best would be away from the road as the car fumes would not make the plant pure.

Pick goldenrod plants away from the road like this one and let dry for a few days
Then you dry the plant for a few days and it looks more like this:
The oil absorbs more when the plant is dried......

      Cut up into pieces and place in pint sized jars.  Pint sized works the best and you don't even need a lid.  Place the flowers, leaves and stems in the jars about an 2 inches down from the top so the oil won't over flow.  Then pour extra virgin oil or castor oil in the jar to cover the goldenrod plant.  I have only used olive oil as I have heard the horror stories of drinking castor oil. But some people use it. Then cover with cheesecloth or burlap squares and rubber band and sit in the sun for 6 weeks.  It seems like 6 weeks is such a long time to wait but it's worthy every minute.  After 6 weeks in the sun, strain the oil through a cheesecloth into a bottle and VIOLA!!!  You have goldenrod oil.

Jim and I both use goldenrod oil. I have allergies and asthma issues and he has urinary tract issues. It works wonders.... Read more about it below.

Uses of Goldenrod Oil

Goldenrod oil is used as an antiseptic and anti inflammatory ointment. Good for the circulatory system, a massage with goldenrod essential oil works wonders for various aches and pains. The oil is also good for the skin, and is effective in healing various skin conditions.

During the Boston Tea Party, the colonist drank Goldenrod tea, which was nicknamed the “Liberty Tea.” In the past the oil was used for treating digestive disorders, throat problems and disorders of the nervous system. The fresh, balsamic and peppery smell of the oil is very relaxing.

 The Genus "Solidago " plant name is derived from the Latin word “solide,” which means “to make whole.

Goldenrod oil is used for hypertension, liver congestion, hepatitis and fatty liver, circulatory conditions, and urinary tract and bladder conditions. Goldenrod is a little-known essential oil made from a plant that grows as a prolific weed in areas of Canada. The oil has a very distinctive fragrance, rather strong but not unpleasant, and its main use is in its anti-allergy properties, for conditions like hay fever, allergic reactions, coughs, and respiratory system infections. It is also reputed to be a lymphatic system conditioner, a regulator of the autonomic nervous system, and a healer of wounds, insect bites and inflammation.

Goldenrod’s most profound use tends to be directly on the muscles, healing pulled muscles in amazing time periods with repeated application (every three hours or so), and often soothing strained or spasm muscles with only a single application.

The oil is used for the treatment of allergies, sinus infections, hay fever and other related respiratory conditions. The calming and soothing effect of the oil has found use in various aromatherapy processes for nervous disorders. It is also used for dispelling stress related effects.

Goldenrod oil promotes the proper functioning of the circulatory system.
If you troubled by acne and eczema try using the oil for treating such skin conditions. It is also beneficial, when applied on wounds and sores.


Tips for using goldenrod oil
Medical Properties: Diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, liver stimulant
The oil should be properly diluted before using. For best effects apply on joints or inhale through the diffuser.
It is best not to use goldenrod oil on damaged and sensitive skin.
It is suggested that you do not use the oil on children.
The usage of the oil should also be discontinued during pregnancy. Conduct a patch test on your skin before applying, to eliminate possibilities of skin irritations and allergies.
Dilute 1 part Goldenrod Oil with 1 part Massaging Oil or other safe oil. Apply 2-4  drops on compress. Directly inhale/Diffuse or take as dietary supplement