What's Your Song? Drifting

Yeah, it's kinda been one of these weeks (months? year?)...

Link up with Goodnight Moon for What's YOUR Song? 

Love,

A little pick me up...

It has been a rough couple of weeks. Okay, so it has been a rough year... Anyway, I received a couple of awards this week and thought it would make me feel better to blog about them.

A big thank you to A Creed and a Psalm for awarding me the Versatile Blogger award. 

This is actually the second time that I have received this, so you can go to this post to read all about me!

I was also honored to be named as one of the Top 100 Military Family Blogs by VeteransBenefitsGIBill.com



It is nice to know that someone, other than my mom and the kids, read my blog! I am very appreciative to you, the reader. Thanks for making this long deployment a little easier.

Linking up this week with As It Were, or Even If It Weren't for the MilSpouse Weekly Roundup.

Love,

"Heiress" Book Review & Giveaway

*While you are here, enter to win Irene Hannon's "Deadly Pursuit" and Julie Lessman's "A Heart Revealed"!

And don't miss, Susan May Warren's "Sons of Thunder", currently FREE for download until the end of September.

I have been doing a lot of book reviews lately, which means (obviously!) - I have been reading a lot of books. You always take a chance with a new book, what if it isn't any good and you just wasted your time?

Trust me when I say, you don't ever have to worry when you pick up a Susan May Warren book!  Except that maybe, you might forget  - hypothetically, mind you - to make dinner for your family... 

About the book: 

They can buy anything they want—fame, power, beauty, even loyalty. 

But they can’t buy love.

The beautiful and wealthy heiress daughters of August Price can buy everything their hearts desire. But what if their desire is to be loved, without an enormous price tag attached? When one sister betrays another for the sake of love, will she find happiness? And what happens when the other sets out across the still untamed frontier to find it—will she discover she’s left it behind in the glamorous world of the New York gilded society? What price will each woman pay for being an heiress?

Set in the opulent world of the Gilded Age, two women discover that being an heiress just might cost them everything they love.

Read an excerpt here.

Watch a "Behind the Pages" Video here!

About the author: 

Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling novelist of over twenty-six novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists.

After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, she returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.

You can find her online at: www.susanmaywarren.com.

My thoughts: 

Heiress is not your typical Christian Fiction, Susan May Warren has outdone herself!

The settings are beautiful, the details amazing - I felt like a guest at the Astor's party and then was transported to the Butte of the Copper Kings! The characters are wonderful and have great depth, you feel for each of them as they learn that everything wealth can give them, isn't enough. Filled with twists and turns you would never expect - from deceit and murder to unrequited love and happy endings.

Ms. Warren is an amazing author and Heiress didn't disappoint. This is the best book I have read since the last Liz Curtis Higgs book! I appreciate that she isn't afraid to touch on subjects most Christian authors consider taboo - and does it with style. 

Heiress is the first book in the Daughters of Fortune series and I am already impatient for the next one! 

But don't take my word for it, read what the other reviews are saying here and then enter the Heiress contest for a great prize package - including $100 gift certificate to ModCloth, a string of pearls and an ipod! 

Now for the giveaway!

  

How to enter:

1. Main entry - Leave a comment answering the following question: Pretend you are an author, who do you dedicate your first book to?

Bonus entries - You must leave a separate comment for each for it to count!

2. Like "Our Crazy Life" on Facebook (or if you already do, leave a comment letting me know!)

3. Share this post on Facebook - or any other Social Networking Site using the "Share the Love" buttons below the post. One Bonus entry per 'share', make sure to leave a comment for each entry! (P.S. You can share 1x a day for each site!)

4. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (or if you already do, leave a comment letting me know!)

5. Add my button to your blog (Worth two entries, leave two comments!)

Make sure you leave a way to contact you, either by having your reply-to email address set or by leaving your email address in your posts.

Contest will end Thursday, 10/06/2011, at 10:00 pm CST and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

The winner will be mailed a copy of Susan May Warren's Heiress via media mail.

*Fine Print: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are all mine and I was not required to give a positive review.

I hope you win! ;)

Love, 

 

"A Heart Revealed" Book Review & Giveaway

*Don't miss my other book giveaway - win a copy of Irene Hannon's Deadly Pursuit. And come back Monday for a chance to win a copy of Susan May Warren's Heiress! 

I love Julie Lessman's books! From the moment I picked up A Passion Most Pure, I was hooked. 

A Heart Revealed did not disappoint and may be her best book yet! 

A Heart Revealed is the second book in the Winds of Change series, but the fifth book in the O'Connor Saga. They are stand alone books, but I promise, you will want to read all of them!

You can currently download the first book in the Winds of Change series, A Hope Undaunted, for FREE until the end of September.

About the book:

The ring on her hand belongs to one man... but her heart belongs to another. As a battered woman, Emma Malloy fled Dublin for Boston ten years ago, seeking shelter for a heart badly bruised by both her husband and guilt. But when she falls in love with Sean O’Connor, a man who wrestles with demons of his own, fear and shame almost destroy her … until she is finally set free by a heart revealed.

About the Author: 

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose books give readers “Passion With a Purpose,” underscoring her intense passion for both God and romance. Julie is the recipient of 13 Romance Writers of America awards and was chosen as #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2011 Readers Choice Awards. She was the winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational. She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son and daughter-in-law. You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

My thoughts: 

Julie Lessman is hands down one of the best authors out there. If you are tired of the overly sweet and sanitized Christian fiction, you will not be disappointed

A Heart Revealed is over 500 pages of amazing story and of course, filled with passion! I have fallen in love with the O'Connor clan and I have been waiting too long to finally read Sean's story!

Emma is hiding her past behind her scars and doesn't mean to fall in love with Sean, a self proclaimed 'bachelor for life'. The story of how God heals them both from past demons and brings them together is well thought out, well written and well, just wonderful! 

I appreciate how she weaves the continuing stories about Katie & Luke, Charity & Mitch and the rest of the family into the book. It really gives it depth that most books lack. 

Thank you Ms. Lessman for another amazing book. I cannot wait for the next one! 

A Heart Revealed is available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Now for the giveaway!

How to enter:
1. Main entry - Leave a comment letting me know who your favorite author is and why!

Bonus entries - Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

2. Like "Our Crazy Life" on Facebook (or if you already do, leave a comment letting me know!)

3. Share this post on Facebook - or any other Social Networking Site using the "Share the Love" buttons below the post. One Bonus entry per 'share', make sure to leave a comment for each entry! (P.S. You can share 1x a day for each site!)

4. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (or if you already do, leave a comment letting me know!)

5. Add my button to your blog (Worth two entries, leave two comments!)

Make sure you leave a way to contact you, either by having your reply-to email address set or by leaving your email address in your posts.

Contest will end Monday, 10/03/2011, at 10:00 pm CST and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

Winner will be mailed a copy of Julie's Lessman's A Heart Revealed via media mail.

*Fine Print: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are all mine and I was not required to give a positive review.

I hope you win! ;)

Love,
 

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In 9/23/11

*Don't miss my current book giveaway. Win a copy of Irene Hannon's Deadly Pursuit. An ex-Navy Seal, a little romance, what else could you ask for? 

 

I love Fridays because I get to spend time reading my fellow MilSpouse's blogs to see all the witty and creative answers. You  know, the ones that I only think of after I hit post... 

If you are MilSpouse, come over and join in the fun at Wife of a Sailor.

1) My favorite thing that happened this week was the fact that I survived it. It has been a rough week.

2) Find a penny, pick it up and all day long you’ll be using hand sanitizer to kill the germs that you picked up with the penny. (Um, mom of six here.)

3) Autumn is officially here and my favorite part of the season is that NCIS has started back up. Okay fine, I like the changing leaves too, but here in Montana we don’t get the pretty leaves. We get snow one day in September or October and the next day, the leaves are all dead and falling off.

4) One of the things I’d like to do before winter arrives is move someplace warmer. I so don’t want to do another winter here! I am thinking Aruba…

5) I –might– be willing to participate in MilSpouse Secret Santa. Totally depends on where the Soldier is in his homecoming/recovery status.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Me

I am not who I used to be. 

When I look in a mirror, I don't even recognize myself. All I see is a disease that has made my life a living hell.

I know it is not who I am, but it is hard to ignore. 

If you saw me, you probably wouldn't notice. Sure there is the rash on my face, but it has it's good days and is easily covered with makeup. You might notice my hair is a little thinner, but hey, I am getting older. You would probably notice the bags under my eyes, but would assume that I just need to go to bed earlier.

What you can't see is the fatigue, the pain, the frustration at not being me anymore.

I now start my days with one of my two daily cocktails (no, not the good kind). Followed by washing a good part of what is left of my hair down the drain and praying that I have enough energy to both shave my legs and brush my teeth in the same morning.

I hate who I am becoming. 

I hate being the mom who can't stand long enough to make dinner each night. I hate that I am so tired - or in so much pain - that I spend most of the day in bed or on the couch. I hate that my kids are getting the short end of the deal.

I spend each day trying to figure out what must be done and making lists so that, in the midst of all the brain fog, I don't forget something really important.

I miss being able to do the things I used to do.

I can't go out to coffee and to the kids' game in the same day. I can't grocery shop and still go to the park. I have to choose what is required and what I say no to.

I miss having friends. 

I wish that my kids understood. I wish that they didn't have to see me like this. It makes me so angry (and sad) when the 4 year old looks at pictures and asks, "that was before you were sick, huh mama?"

I wish I were whole. 

I am scared of who I will become. 

I am scared that my kids will only remember the bad days. I am scared that the Soldier won't know what do with a broken wife.

I am scared of losing me.

What's Your Song? Just Kiss Me!

The kiddos and I are super excited to see Harry Connick, Jr.'s new movie, Dolphin Tale, so we have been listening to a lot of his music this week.

This is one of our favorite HCJ songs. It is so funny to hear the 4 year old sing it :)

Hook up your song for this week with Goodnight Moon.

Love,

Dear Deployment, I Hate You

I am sure that the whole world has conspired against me to drive me crazy. For all my friends who are reading this and are pretty sure I crossed that bridge a long time ago, be nice or I won't share my meds with you...

If a 400 day deployment for the Soldier wasn't enough, I mean, I am sure it is, right? Hello, 400 days! Who thought this up?

Well now the Army, in it's infinite wisdom, has delayed the homecoming. The Soldier is at a U.S. Military Installation, living in barracks (i.e. not at home) on a medical hold. And in the mean time, the kiddos get to watch the news and see that everyone else's daddy has come home.

Today, they had the nerve to ask him if he had the support system in place to send him home for recovery. I mean really, what do they think I have been doing for the past 400 days? Lets just say, hypothetically, if they don't send him home soon, his support system may to take off for an island and spend the next 400 days sipping drinks with little umbrellas.

And it isn't just the Soldier and the Army. There are six kids here hurrying the crazy train along.

The oldest decided to stay home to go to college. First of all, depriving me of my party moment outside her dorm room and secondly, I now have an 18 year old who thinks she is an adult and can do whatever she wants and come home whenever she wants and not pay for anything. For all of my sweet friends who have preschoolers, save enough now for out of state school. It is worth it.

Because one teenager isn't enough, we also have a 15 year old and 13 year old. It's fun. Yes, that is sarcasm. They have jobs and sports and classes and it could be a full time job just driving them around. When you add in the temper tantrums (yes, they start having these again as teenagers) and the crying fits (these too), it makes it so much more fun. Yes, that is more sarcasm.

The 10 and 11 year olds are working double time to see me admitted. They are convinced that I have have it out for them and that when daddy comes home, it will be all better. It might, but I won't be here to see it. Maybe I can get them to bring me pictures in my private room. In the little Soldier's defense, it has got to be hard to be the only boy while the big Soldier is gone, but I thought little boys were supposed to love their mothers. He would sign the commitment papers if he could.

My sweet preschooler turned 4 last month and has spent the last 400 days (give or take a few) sleeping in bed with me. It doesn't matter where she starts out, she has this internal clock that wakes her up at 3 am and tells her to climb in bed with mommy. So that mommy, who has just fallen asleep after 4 hours of looking at the ceiling (or facebook...), doesn't get any sleep. Mommy is so much more fun in the morning when she hasn't had more than 3 hours continuous sleep for 400 days...

If I could, I would take a nap, but instead I will be driving a child to work, two to dance lessons and one to a volleyball game - ALL at the same time. It's a good thing that I am not in the asylum yet, I am too busy being Houdini in my SUV and making it all work.

Is it Friday yet?

Linking up with Crafty Camo Lover for this week's MilSpouse Roundup!

Love,

"Deadly Pursuit" Book Review & Giveaway

I know I have said it before, but as a book addict, I love that publishers will send me books to review. It helps feed my addiction without breaking the bank. And since the Soldier has refused to pack and move any more books for me, I love being able to pass them on to you, the readers. I have several more reviews and giveaways coming up over the next couple of months, so don't forget to follow my blog or Facebook page so you won't miss them!

In the mean time, check out the latest free book posting and go to the Facebook page for any additions since then. 

When I have free time (which isn't often), I enjoy watching NCIS or Law & Order: UK, so I am loving Irene Hannon's Guardians of Justice series. I was able to review and giveaway book number one in the series, Fatal Judgment, back in January. You can read my review here.

About the book:

Alison Taylor is a young, single social worker recovering from a serious accident and a broken relationship, kept busy by her demanding job and her faithful canine companion, Bert. But when her police-detective brother pushes her into a blind date with his new colleague, ex-Navy SEAL Mitch Morgan, she’s not sorry—and neither is Mitch. When she begins to receive anonymous calls and threatening gifts, however, their relationship shifts into professional mode as well. And as Mitch works to protect the woman who is fast stealing his heart, he can only pray they’ll find her tormentor before the man’s game turns deadly.

About the Author: 
Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the CBA bestsellers Against All Odds, An Eye for an Eye, In Harm's Way and Fatal Judgment. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America (she’s a five-time finalist), the HOLT Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier award, and two Reviewer's Choice Awards from Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine. She lives in Missouri. For more information about Irene and her books, visit her website.

My thoughts:  
As with every other Irene Hannon book I have read, I thoroughly enjoyed Deadly Pursuit. Her books tell an intense story with plenty of action and without the unnecessary gore and violence so typical today. I appreciate that I can get a good thriller without feeling like I need a bath afterwards.

I love Mitch Morgan, ex-Navy Seal (um, sucker for a uniform here!) and tough guy with a soft heart. Alison Taylor is a strong woman - well when her protective brothers will let her! - and not the typical damsel in distress. The story of Mitch and Alison is a sweet romance, but the twists and turns of the story will keep you guessing what is going to happen next.  

It was a great read and I am very anxiously awaiting the next book in the series so I can read Cole's story!

Deadly Pursuit is available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Now for the giveaway!

How to enter:
1. Main entry - Leave a comment answering the following question:  I am a huge sucker for a man in uniform. In Deadly Pursuit, Mitch Morgan is an ex-Navy Seal - if you were writing a book, who would your hero be and why?

Bonus entries - Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

2. Like "Our Crazy Life" on Facebook (or if you already do, leave a comment letting me know!)

3. Share this post on Facebook - or any other Social Networking Site using the "Share the Love" buttons below the post. One Bonus entry per 'share', make sure to leave a comment for each entry! (P.S. You can share 1x a day for each site!)

4. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (or if you already do, leave a comment letting me know!)

5. Add my button to your blog (Worth two entries, leave two comments!)

Make sure you leave a way to contact you, either by having your reply-to email address set or by leaving your email address in your posts.

Contest will end Friday 9/30/2011, at 10:00 pm CST and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

Winner will be mailed a copy of Irene Hannon's Deadly Pursuit via media mail.

*Fine Print: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are all mine and I was not required to give a positive review.

I hope you win! ;)

Love,
 

What's Your Song? - Daddy

This Saturday would have been my daddy's 62nd birthday. It's kind of hard to imagine him as an old man, since he has been gone for twenty years.

I still miss him more than I would than I would think possible after all this time. It makes me sad that he wasn't here to walk me down the aisle or to see his grandbabies born.

He was an amazing man who loved his kids more than anything. What I wouldn't give to be able to go back in time and tell him how much he meant to me...

I miss you daddy.

I will admit that I am not much of a Country music fan, but we grew up on Hank Williams, Jr. (it was the 80's and we lived in the mountains of Montana, what can I say?). This was daddy's song. We even played it at his funeral and buried him with his cowboy hat, boots and .45.

Linkup with Goodnight Moon for "What's YOUR Song?"

Love,

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In 9-9-11

Once again, it is time for a new edition of MilSpouse Friday, where you learn things you didn't know you wanted to know about me and I spend half a day doing nothing but reading about my fellow MilSpouses. It's a great way to spend a Friday!

 

If you are a MilSpouse, come over to Wife of a Sailor and join in the fun.

1) My plans for Labor Day included getting the house clean for the Soldier’s homecoming, but what really happened was a whole lot of napping.

2) Call me crazy, but sometimes I just need to dance to the Backyardigans with the 4 year old. (Come on, you know you want to...)

3) One of the funniest things I’ve seen lately is our new kitten (who weighs about ½ lb) stealing the 75lb dog’s food bowl. 

4) It’s strange, but other people’s children drive me crazy while our six are perfectly fine with me!

5) One, two, buckle my shoe… three, four SHUT THE DOOR!  Hey, I’m a mom, I have that line down. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

What's Your Song? Linkup - 19 Years

I am so excited that I am finally linking up with Goodnight Moon for "What's YOUR Song?" I always have great plans, but forget each week. Blame it on deployment brain...

This past week, the Soldier and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. He - of course - wasn't home, but at least he is in the states and we are counting down this deployment in weeks and not months anymore. It has been a long year!

When we were dating, I lived about 90 miles away (in the middle of nowhere) and the Soldier spent a good part of his time driving his old, beat up Nova out after work to visit for few hours and then drive back to town.

Happy 19th Anniversary to my amazing Soldier. I love you! 

Love,

And the winner of "Blue Skies Tomorrow" is...

Tay from Our Military Home!

Congratulations and watch your email :) 

 I will have a few more book giveaways over the next few weeks, including one for Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon. I love her books and can't wait to read this one!



Don't miss the newest free books and the few stragglers that have been posted to the Facebook page. I just finished A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman and it was AMAZING! Don't miss it while it is free.


Love,

Not So Wordless Wednesday #WW - New Orleans

This past week marked six years since the massive levee failures in Greater New Orleans.

New Orleans was our home over 13 years ago and I can't begin to tell you how much love this city. There is just something about the French Quarter, the Garden District, Second Line parades in Treme, the music, food...

I could go on forever.

As I watched the news footage, I so desperately wanted to be there to help. Because my husband was in in Iraq at the time, I didn't feel like I could leave five kids at home and go into, for all intents and purposes, a war zone.

The Soldier and I were finally able to go back for a few days this past November - over five years since the catastrophe. The spirit of NOLA is alive and well, but I was shocked at the neighborhoods that are gone. Stores and schools that have never reopened. It was heartbreaking.

The destruction of NOLA and St. Bernard Parish was not a natural disaster, but caused by poor design, inadequate construction and failed projects by the Army Corps of Engineers (like Mr. Go). For more information on why, visit levees.org or watch "The Big UnEasy".

If you ever have the chance to visit NOLA, do. It is the most unique and beautiful city I have ever seen.

Linking up with Adventures of the K Family for this week's MilSpouse Weekly Round Up!

 

Love,