Rhonda's Doings !

Merry Christmas 2012 from Rhonda's Doings ! Luke 2:1-14 In those days  Caesar Augustus  issued a decree that a  census  should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to  Bethlehem  the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a  manger , because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were...

Review of 66 Amish Recipes: Learn To Cook Authentic Amish Bread, Amish Pies, and Other Delicious Amish Foods! by   Luke Wren 66 Amish Recipes: Learn To Cook Authentic Amish Bread, Amish Pies, and Other Delicious Amish Foods! Here are some of the Amish Recipes you will get inside this Amish cookbook: 1. Amіѕh Brеаd Stаrtеr  2. Amіѕh Frіеndѕhір Brеаd  3. Amіѕh Cоffее Cаkе My review of 66 Amish Recipes: Learn to Cook Authentic Amish Bread, Amish Pies, and Other Delicious Amish Foods!:   This book has recipes for breads, pies, cookies, cakes, casseroles, main dishes, vegetables, salads, and more.    I have made some recipes that are similar to some here but there were definitely some interesting additions to recipes, such as a green tart apple to chicken-noodle soup!  I want to try that one!   I would have loved to see a few pictures of the foods prepared, but the recipes are all wonderful.   I made Shoofly Pies, Peanut Pie, an...

Review of Forsaken Shelley Ring Lara Blake is determined not to fall in love again, but her mother-in-law has other plans. Naomi Blake used to care about God’s will for her life. Then her son died, and her faith with him. Naomi is on a crash course to take her own life next, but Lara isn’t so cooperative. Lara loves Naomi desperately. She will not let the older woman go without a fight, and Naomi proves a worthy adversary. Lara believes if Naomi would just go back to church healing would begin. Fighting the pull of death with the power of life, Lara realizes Naomi isn’t the only one who needs saving. Faith is not easy, but when you throw in a therapy Rottweiler, a knight in spit-shining armor, and a suicidal old woman, it’s downright scary. Lara almost has it figured out when Naomi seems to get her death wish. Have both women been FORSAKEN? My Review of Forsaken:   Shelley Ring's first novel involves a modern-day version of the book of Ruth from the Bible which happens t...

Review of Secret Santa by Amanda Tru It was time for Hailey Rhodes to admit the truth: things were not going well. After losing her job as a teacher, she finds herself broke, unemployed, and tricked into accepting a date from a department store Santa Claus. When new opportunities and new love interests present themselves, will Hailey choose a career and a man she's always admired, or will she wait for the identity of her Secret Santa to be revealed? My Review of Secret Santa: Amanda Tru is one of my newly-discovered favorite Christian authors.  Her other books were all suspenses and this one is full of suspense and surprise from the very beginning as well.   Hailey is stuck wearing bells and a cute little elf outfit when she loses her teaching position in economic cuts, and when she begins to be pursued by the resident Santa, she does even know his name or true identity.   This is a true heart-warming story for the holidays or any old time.     I ...

Review of Buried Treasures by Mary Manners When Caroline flees Chicago following the brutal murder of her husband, the last thing she expects-or wants-is to fall for Matt Carlson, a builder with strong roots in the small town of Mountainview, Tennessee. She needs to focus on raising her six-year-old daughter and protecting both their hearts from ever being shattered again. Matt is struggling with issues of his own...guilt over the death of his wife and the responsibility of raising a cynical teenaged nephew who is dropped on his doorstep, abandoned by Matt's alcoholic sister. He doesn't have time to fall in love, yet he can't help being drawn to the woman who is ready to defend her home-and her daughter-with nothing more than a feisty attitude and a broom handle. Can Matt's help and friendship convince Caroline to trust again...and when Caroline's daughter goes missing, will Matt be able to find the girl before it's too late and he loses everything he lov...

Crowned by the King--Crowning Moment Please visit the website for Crowned by the King Ministries at:   http://www.crownedbytheking.com/  for more information and to purchase your own necklaces to "crown" a special woman...young, old, or in-between.       The Crowned By The King necklace is a tool that reminds women that they are Daughters of the King, beautiful, loved, and purposed to be used by God.    "I am chosen"--John 15:16 "I am wonderfully made"--Psalm 139:14 "I am dearly loved"--Colossians 3:12 "I am a daughter of the King"--Romans 8:14 The above video will give you a brief introduction to this unique ministry.    When I was given the opportunity to review the Crowned by the King necklace and share a  crowning moment with another special lady, I was very excited.  I often review books, and I love the Lord, my King, so this was a golden opportunity for me to share a blessing with someone.    ...

 Review of A Christmas Home by Greg Kincaid  Todd McCray, hero of  A Dog Named Christmas , is now twenty-four years old and working at a local animal shelter, where he meets and quickly becomes best friends with Laura, a young volunteer. Laura, like Todd, has disabilities of her own, but her struggles are more physical than developmental. Their friendship is sealed when Todd—with the help of his trusted companion, the tenacious Labrador retriever named Christmas—trains a beautiful dog named Gracie to help Laura with the day-to-day life tasks that are difficult for her.              Life seems good for Todd, but all is not well in his hometown. Struggling families unable to make ends meet are abandoning more and more dogs, and the shelter is swelling to capacity.  The local government is struggling to meet its obligations too, and in early December, on the cusp of another holiday season, Todd’s bo...

Review of Healing Love (The Amish of Webster County) by Laura V. Hilton                             and GIVEAWAY Winner:                Karen Schulz  is the winner of copy of Healing Love Congratulations!   You will receive email--please send mailing address!   Welcome to the Blog Tour for Healing Love, the first in the new series, The Amish of Webster County, by Laura V. Hilton.  To celebrate this tour, Laura is giving away a basket of goodies, on her blog, all comments left on this blog or on her blog during the blog tour (November 1 -22nd) will be entered for the drawing of the Grate-Fall Basket.  Click on the picture below to go to Laura's blog to learn more about the participants and to enter the giveaway.  Don't forget a comment here also will give you an entry.  This book was provided by Whitaker House for review purp...

Review of An Amish Gift By Cynthia Keller From the author of  An Amish Christmas  and  A Plain & Fancy Christmas  comes a heartwarming novel of marriage and family, new beginnings and poignant homecomings—just in time for the holidays.   After her husband, Shep, loses his latest job, Jennie Davis is grateful to be in a car en route to beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Shep has inherited a house from a distant cousin, along with the cousin’s long-established bicycle shop. The move gives Jennie, Shep, and their two children a welcome chance for a fresh start.   While Shep dives into his new venture at the bike shop, Jennie carefully restores their broken-down house. She loves being a stay-at-home mom but yearns to find some fulfillment outside of her family—particularly as they struggle financially. On morning walks, she forges a friendship with her Amish neighbor, Mattie Fisher, who opens up about her modest way of life. Mattie’s unswerv...

Healing Love book giveaway!     by Laura V. Hilton  Enter now by leaving a comment with your email.  For extra entries, follow my blog, share on facebook, or twitter.   You can leave one comment telling me what you did to enter.  Good luck!    Contest ends at 12:01 a.m. on November 18, 2012.  Review will follow announcement of winner!!!    Life gets a lot harder for Amish midwife Kristi Lapp when a buggy wreck lands her in the hospital and leaves her with a pronounced limp. Among her biggest concerns is the well-being of her dog, Chinook, as she is no longer able to keep up with the high-energy Siberian husky. Adding insult to injury, she fears she’ll never marry for love, for what man would willingly wed a woman who needs help with even the most basic of household tasks?   Shane Zimmerman moved to Seymour for a fresh start. The veterinarian is still reeling from the loss of his young wife, who died in childbirth—an ...

Review of The Amish Family Cookbook  by Jerry & Tina Eicher From the home of bestselling author Jerry Eicher (more than 350,000 books sold) and his wife, Tina, comes this warm and inviting peek into an Amish kitchen, complete with.... Amish recipes: Hannah Byler's Pecan Pie Beat on low speed slightly or with hand beater:  3 eggs 1/3 cup butter, melted 1 cup light corn syrup  ? t. salt 2/3 cup sugar  Stir in: 1 cup pecan halves.  Pour into: 1 pie crust Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes. Amish proverbs: It takes seven to cook for to make a really happy wife. and Amish humor: The Englisha visitor suffered through a three-hour Amish wedding service, sitting on the hard backless church bench.  "Why does it take so long to tie the knot?" he asked afterward. "Well," the bishop said, stroking his long white beard. "So that it takes ?em a lifetime to untie it." Readers will laugh, pray, and eat robustly with The Amish Family Cookbook at their side. ...

Days 7 & 8 of NHBPM  Day 7:  Redesigning a doctor's office:   wow, could I really redesign the doctor's office?   There should be some really comfy reclining massage chairs in here!   Two of them--one for the patient and one for caretaker.    There should be soothing colors on the walls, lovely paintings or murals.    How about a television or computer to use while waiting?   Let's have videos/shows/computer games that educate us about the illnesses we are here to diagnose, discuss, and treat/cure!   This could alleviate a great deal of stress.  Music! Music! Music!  let's have some great music to choose from  to help us pass the time without stressing and our blood pressure going sky high.    I know you need all the medical things and that's okay.  Let's just have a few goodies in the room to make us less fearful and anxious.   It will make your job so much easier!   Day 8: ...

Review of The River                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ...

Review of A Home for Lydia by Vannetta Chapman A Home for Lydia, the second book in a new romantic s eries from popular author Vannetta Chapman, centers again on the Plain community of Pebble Creek and the kind, caring people there. As they face challenges to their community from the English world, they come together to reach out to their non-Amish neighbors while still preserving their cherished Plain ways. Aaron Troyer simply wants to farm like his father and grandfather before him. But instead he finds himself overseeing the family's small group of guest cabins nestled along the banks of Pebble Creek. That also means he must work with the cabins' housekeeper, Lydia Fisher. Lydia is the most outspoken Amish woman Aaron has ever met, and she has strong opinions about how the guest cabins are to be run. She also desperately needs this job. Though sparks fly between boss and employee at first, when the cabins are robbed, nothing is more important to Aaron than making ...