La Belle Design

 If you are looking for something sweet to read this winter, you can't go wrong with either of these two books by Christian authors. Both have lots of great faith moments, depth, and clean romance and are short enough to fit into a busy schedule. Christmas Blessings by Judith McNees This is a sweet clean contemporary romance that I read and recommend. It's a great choice if you are looking for a cozy book to read this winter. Description below: Can two opposites look past appearances to see each other’s hearts? Lauren Blessing has a problem. All the men she dates turn out to be jerks. When the latest in a string of bad relationships ends, she takes a break from dating for a while. After all, she has everything she needs to be happy…right? Parker Johnson has a problem of his own. He can’t seem to shake his feelings for his high school crush. When she winds up suddenly single a week before Christmas, her friends do what they can to get them together. But how can he make her fall

  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 ESV Recently my husband put up a temporary fence for our cows to allow them to eat some of the nice green grass in our yard. I should have prefaced this by saying I'm a city girl and 23 years ago my husband "Green Acre'd" me to rural Tennessee. Then we bought land and it was too much to mow, so our neighbor said, "Get some cows and I'll help you when you need it." So here we are on 17 or so acres with a few cows and donkeys. (the cows in the distance are our neighbors)  Back to the story of the fence. With the field drying out he thought it would be a great idea to give them some extra grass. He set up the fence, got a bucket of feed, and lured them over. For the three in the bottom picture, it took little coaxing. They saw that there was nice green grass on the other side and that their owner/protector approved, so they went. Those cows have been happily eating green grass for the

What better way to put Christ back into Christmas than to give Christ centered gifts! When our first child had his first Christmas we decided to give only 3 gifts as a reminder that Jesus received 3 gifts from the wisemen. Each gift had a category: want, need, and spiritual. As the children have gotten older and are adults, the want and need often overlap.  There have been so many benefits from this. Limiting the gifts has been great at keeping the focus more on Christ. Rather than spending this season figuring out what they want, our children's focus has been freed up for other things. They are actually often at a loss, because gifts for themselves are not their top priority. It has been a benefit for us as parents, not just financially, because we don't have to stress out about getting them the perfect gift.  Another special benefit is getting to search for something to help them in their spiritual walk. Through the years the availability of Christ centered things has grown a

I was able to read this great book before it was released, and if you are looking for a fairly quick holiday romance read that is fun but has substance, then this is your book! Check out my review. The Hart of Christmas is a cozy, sweet & clean romance/comedy that draws you in from page 1 and has enough depth to leave you feeling satisfied. I don’t know much about hockey and that didn’t hold my enjoyment back one bit.  🎄  Millie Jane and her ex-crush/enemy, Dex, get snowed in together just before Christmas. Their past has created a wedge between them that Dex is determined to bridge. This book has all the Christmas feels with homemade Christmas decorations, hot chocolate by the fire, old Christmas cartoons, and hymns. It also includes a touching arc of forgiveness and healing.  🎄 Latisha Sexton does a great job weaving in Dex and Millie Jane’s backstory and bringing it all together at just the right moment for a fuller understanding of how they ended up in this place both lit

       Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Collection is complete for 2023! This year collection week started off with a bang when I found out the community nearest us (and much larger) had no collection site because of some last minute changes. After heading up the collection center for my county for the 11 years previous, I thought I was well prepared for the week. When our first day collections were way above normal, I knew I had to reevaluate things. At first I felt overwhelmed and the task seemed impossible. I knew I would have to find more workers and set up more trailer deliveries, as well as collect more packing cartons and tape. Thankfully the Holy Spirit nudged and reminded me that this was not my project, but God's and He can and will do all that is necessary to see that His purposes are accomplished.      I had friends join me in prayer and posting for help, and God quickly filled in all of the gaps. Some of the large churches took their shoeboxes to another collection ce

The Bookish Bandit is a faith-filled dual point-of-view romcom by Erica Dansereau and Britt Howard. Charlie is a small-town girl arriving in NYC. I won’t say how she meets Andrew, so you can be surprised. It’s a perfect setup for comedy but it is never too much and is nicely balanced out with more serious topics and faith. I love the way faith is interwoven in a meaningful way — not just mentions of the characters praying or going to church, but some in-depth conversations that made me ponder things of God. I also enjoyed the characters sharing the hard parts of their lives and that they both had flaws but worked on them throughout the story.  The romance in the story was sweet and tender and I liked that they both had to face their issues before they could get their HEA.  It was a fun and touching story that pulled me along like fall leaves on the sidewalk, straight through winter, into spring, and beyond. But you can read the story to see for yourself.  This is the book description

In The Politics of Love , Drew Taylor has pulled together a number of tropes and meshed them into a compelling and touching story. It has the romcom vibes, with the added tension of real world hurt and brokenness, in a setting that is decidedly not real world for most of us. I have definitely never been the campaign manager for a billionaire presidential candidate. But she has done it in a way that feels organic.   Marriage of convenience, workplace romance, enemies to love, plus the addition of Pride and Prejudice vibes — it was beautifully done.  Hayden and Darcy’s romance was a very slow burn, which was fitting because of where their relationship was at the start. It also seemed that Darcy was mildly on the autism spectrum, though that was never addressed. That alone makes a relationship breakthrough take time to seem realistic.  A couple of things I especially loved about it were the spiritual message and the twist that made their relationship so much more perfect. Both main

     Have you heard of Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Collection by Samaritans Purse? They collect shoeboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items, and toys/crafts for children in impoverished areas around the world and deliver them in Jesus' name.     When the shoeboxes are delivered, area churches and pastors host events where the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ is shared, then the children are invited to follow up with a 12 lesson discipleship program. This ministry impacts not only the children receiving the boxes, but entire communities as the parents, friends, and siblings of the box recipients hear about the gospel through the recipients.      You can participate in this special ministry by packing shoeboxes and dropping them off at local collection centers. I f you have children in your life,  they will love to help with the shopping. This year collection week for the boxes is November 13-20. You can find all of the specifics, including nearby drop off loca

For my Not Quite Mr. Darcy release day celebration it was most fitting to have tea! Though I have to admit, it's not completely authentic because the style of tea I served with finger sandwiches, scones, and petite pastries, would normally be served late afternoon, and ours was for lunch.  It was a joy to celebrate with dear friends (including my daughter and granddaughter). We were 3 generations honoring the one who has gone before. As a table decoration, I included the butterfly card my daughter made after my mom died. I also wore one of my mom's butterfly brooches.  We talked about Pride and Prejudice, and the trivia that can be accessed through a special link in the back of the book. The trivia tells some of the tie-ins with P & P and also where some of the book ideas came from. I also shared what comes next in my writing, but I'll save that for a future blog post. Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books. Through the years, and many rereads, the one thing I

      Not Quite Mr. Darcy is dedicated to the memory of my mom. It hits close to home for me because the main character is a live-in nurse for an elderly woman with dementia. My mom had Alzheimer's for 14 1/2 years before she died. Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are difficult for the individual with it as well as their family and friends. In my book I tried to capture some of the ways it affects the lives of everyone who surrounds the patient, though each individual's path through dementia is different.     The most notable thing for my mom as she passed through the different phases was the kindness she continued to show to others. Even as her vocabulary dwindled, she tried to encourage others around her. And when words finally failed her, she would just smile.       I hope that regardless of what disease or situation brings my life on earth to a close, I will be remembered for showing kindness to others. I always knew my mom's kindness and smiles emanated from

  I'd like to share my review of Meant to Bee with you! Meant to Bee by Storm Schultz is a sweet contemporary romance story set in the English countryside. Single mom Cordy, an American, and her adorable toddler are the stars of the story.  As Cordy works to create a home for her daughter she has the most unusual deliveries arrive at her cottage doorstep, including a bee hive! The way several townspeople gather around her in support of a struggling single mom despite the fact that she had her daughter out of wedlock, is touching and a great example of Christian love as they gently point her to God.  Ronan is sweet, protective, and works hard to help Cordy, whom he just met. Their developing relationship is heartwarming.  The main character learns to be thankful even when many things seem broken, and faith is lightly touched on. This is a fun, clean read filled with endearing characters and a happy ending! Here is the description Storm gives: Single mom Cordy Brown can’t catch a br