The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer #Review and Kindle Fire Giveaway

A Rup Life received product to facilitate this post. This post may contain affiliate links. 

 I had the privileged of reading The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer this past week.  At first I thought this book might be about kids and the tough mistakes they make.  However after finishing the book I found that it is about God and the hope he can bring in difficult situations.  It is about letting go of the past and finding that hope and love in the future!

Gin is a great Mom who has had to deal with a hard life.  She has a wonderful smart daughter who makes a mistake.  Evie is another strong mom who has had great loss but still raised a wonderful kid who also makes a mistake.  I bet you can guess what that mistake is!  Enter long time family friend of Evie - Dan- a handsome fireman and then you got a story unfolding!

I loved these characters - truly all of them.  I'd love to see more of the Moretti family!  I loved how so many characters wanted to help others - selfishness was not a thing in this book.  Even when tensions where high and things were tough each character handled the situation with grace and maturity.  Love finds a way and I think The Dandelion Field is a book all about love. 

You can purchase your copy at your local retailer or online at an online retailer like  Amazon.com. 

 About:

After Raine’s dad walked out, Ginevieve Lightly never lived in one place too long, a rambling lifestyle that defined her daughter’s youth. When their car dies in Banister Falls, Wisconsin, Gin promises Raine they can stay until she finishes her senior year of high school. Gin will do anything to make sure her daughter has a bright future . . . a future that’s compromised when Raine reveals she’s pregnant.

Dan Moretti has only ever called Banister Falls home. After losing his best friend in a tragic accident, Dan devoted himself to responding to fires, rescuing the helpless, and guiding Cody Bennett, his best friend’s son, through life. With Cody being the epitome of the good kid, it was an easy job. Until he says four little words: “The baby is mine.”

Knowing gossip of Raine’s pregnancy will erupt sooner or later in the small town, Gin’s reflex is to grab the suitcase and escape to a new city, a new life. But with each passing day, Gin’s feet stay rooted in Banister Falls, and she falls a little more for this local firefighter who shows her not all men abandon women at the first sign of smoke.

As Gin and Dan do the best they can to guide the two teenagers through their early entry into adulthood, they discover together that romance can bloom in the rockiest of situations. And God can turn the pieces of a broken past into a beautiful new beginning.

Find out more at Kathryn’s website.

 Additional Information:  


Get ready for Valentine's Day with a new story of romance and falling in love in Kathryn Springer's The Dandelion Field. The handsome firefighter makes a living “coming to the rescue,” but Gin is used to fighting her own battles. Can a woman who doesn't believe in happy endings take a chance on a new beginning? 

Celebrate a second chance at love and family with Kathryn by entering her Kindle Fire giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• The Dandelion Field

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 15th. Winner will be announced February 16th on the Litfuse blog.

  {NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

Motivate Your Child #REVIEW #Heartparenting

A Rup Life received product to facilitate this post. This post may contain affiliate links. 

As you know from previous post I've been working on the launch of a wonderful book called Motivate Your Child.  This book, written by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN- focuses on heart parenting. 

 About the book:

Learn What Internal Motivation is and How to Develop it in Your Child
You will learn:

• How to build a strong conscience to strengthen internal motivation
• How faith changes kids inpractical, down-to-earth ways
• Ways to help self-focused kids think ofothers
• A strategy to help kids who tend to blame, rationalize, or defend
•Ways to use consequences for heart change
• Specific heart-based strategies to develop responsibility and initiative

“We need more books like Scott and Joanne’s—booksthat coach parents to develop strong character in their children that will lastthe rest of their lives.” —Alec Hill, President of InterVarsityChristian Fellowship/USA

My Thoughts:

It is rare that I take a pen and highlighter to a book.  However, I've marked this book up quite a bit.  It is truly a game changer for parenting in my humble opinion.  The book is broken up into two different sections.  The first section Moral Development in Children - shares so many stories of children, their problems and the techniques to use for the solution.

Part two - Spiritual Development in Children focuses on  leading them to the Lord and training them spiritually.  I love that this part was second because honestly it is hard to incorporate these things when you are struggling with basic motivation and doing right.

The whole book takes a biblical approach to parenting which is attune to my beliefs and heart. I feel like the techniques are realistic for both parent and child.  I also feel like it is all to be applied in a loving and kind approach.  No bullying the kids or becoming a task master.  These were things I could easily incorporate into our lives.  Let me add that just because the ideas were simple to implement did not mean that they were not life changing.  I've noticed big changes in our household since reading - and guess what!  It started with me - the mom!  My littlest guy has benefited from the changes I have done already.  A big area I'm working on is getting the brother's to work together and love each other.  The chapter on dealing with kids who makes mistakes was so valuable for me.


I personally plan on re-reading each chapter and working on each chapter with my kids.  I have good boys - but they could be even better!  Certain chapters jumped off the page when thinking about particular children in my family and I took many notes in my copy so that I could really work on these areas. 

I can not recommend this book enough for parents.  It is for parents struggling with their kids and those who are not yet there!  It should be in every Christian parent's toolbox for reference!

You can purchase your copy at your local bookstore or online at stores like Amazon.  

Mid-Year Curriculum ~ Switch up and what is working well! #homeschooling

A Rup Life received product to facilitate this post. This post may contain affiliate links. 

We are a finished two semesters here in RupLand.  I like to take some time after Christmas to sit down with each of the boys and see what is working and what really isn't.

You can see our origninal curriculum choices for 9th and 7th.

For 9th we are now doing:

 History:

Mystery of History Volume 3
(with notebooking pages, and additional readings)

 Science:

Apologia Physical Science
with: Notebooking journal and science kit

Math:
CTC Math (Algebra) -  this was a switch that we made about November.  Teaching Textbooks wasn't working for us anymore and since switching - A has been steadily plugging away and keeping a 92% average.  What is most important is that he feels confident again doing math.

English:

Wordly Wise 9

Fix-It Grammar- Book 2

Lightning Literature -  American: Early to Mid 19th Century 
- this was a switch from the fall.  After struggling to get a hold on Excellence in Literature we knew that it was time to switch to something easier to implement.  This is a half year course so January was a perfect transition time to get it in before the end of our school year.  I already see a big improvement since we started.  


Bible:
LifePac Grade 10 - Old Testament

Additional:

Bible reading
piano lessons
Bible Greek

7th Grade:

History:

Mystery of History Volume 3
(with notebooking pages, and additional readings)

Science:

Apologia Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics text book and notebooking journal.
with experiment kit .

Math:

Teaching Textbooks 7th grade Math

English:

Wordly Wise 7

Easy Grammar Plus
Daily Grams 7

Lightning Liturature 7th grade

Total Language Plus:  Incredible Journey and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 
~ which will be projects in April and May

Bible: 
Lifepac 7th grade bible  - this was a big switch up for us.  He wasn't loving the apologia anymore.  I think it was because he was working independently rather than me reading to him.  Since I'm working with his little brother and older brother I needed a curriculum that would be independent and something he enjoyed so we switched to this one. 


Additional:

Bible reading
piano lessons
 

 Now both boys will be doing crew work for electives this year.  We are looking forward to sharing those with you all starting in February!

The Electrifying Nervous System #REVIEW

A Rup Life received product to facilitate this post. This post may contain affiliate links.

A new year means a new year of Master Books Mom's reviews!  We have an exciting line up of products we will be sharing with you monthly.  This month's book:   The Electrifying Nervous System by Lainna Callentine M.Ed., M.D. is pretty amazing!

About the Book:

Discover Your Design!
Developed by a homeschooling pediatrician, this book focuses on the amazing design and functionality of the human body’s nervous system. You will discover:

• The main areas and structures of the brain and what important role each plays in making your body work
• Awesome examples of God’s creativity in both the design and precision of human anatomy showing you are wonderfully made
• Important historical discoveries and modern medical techniques used for diagnosis and repair of the brain!

Learn interesting and important facts about why you sleep, the function of the central nervous system, what foods can superpower your brain functions, and much more in a wonderful exploration of the brain and how it controls the wondrous machine known as your body!

Chapters:

1. Let's Start at the Beginning: Historical Points of Interest
2. Seeing is Believing: Looking inside the Brain
3. The Basics of the Nervous System
4. Anatomy & Physiology: The Brick & Mortar of the Nervous System
5. The Developing Brain
6. A Case for the Brain
7. The Gate Keeper: The Blood Brain Barrier
8. The Great Stabilizer: The Backbone
9. It's Simply Automatic
10. Take Good Care: Health Facts
11. Facts: The Wacky, the Weird, and Wow

My Thoughts:

This is an awesome book!  You can use this books in three different ways which makes it so versatile.  For our review we used it as a supplemental resource - basically just reading through facts.  It would also be perfect for a unit study or as a whole curriculum.  You can adjust the vocabulary for three different levels of ability.   

The book features great pictures that really tell the story.  I love mixed media style of the pages.  This style breaks up the pages into bite sized readings perfect for natural breaks in the curriculum.  Most of all this is a christian based science book.  On page 19 there is bible references to correlate with what you are learning.

You can purchase this book at nlpg.com or amazon.  There is additional information at nlpg.com, as well.  Join us tonight on Facebook for a special party event where we will discuss this book!

Budget 101: Spending (Week 6) #budget101

 This post may contain affiliate links. 

We've covered a lot of topics for budgeting but one thing that really makes a difference is how you spend your money.  Of course like we learned in Week 2 - you can only spend what isn't allotted for bills.  

So if you have money to spend let's talk about ways to spend wisely.

Don't make impulse purchases over $10 

If you are trying to be careful but you spend $50 here or $35 there you will quickly blow through your money.  Try to keep a mental list of things you legitimately need then focus on finding those items rather than mindless spending.

Shop sales

Target clearance is one of the easiest ways I get things for a decent price.  I like to buy for my boys a seasons/size ahead when things are 70% off clearance.  I've gotten jeans for $4.98 and shorts for $1 in the past doing this.  Toy shopping is great after Christmas for the next year as well. 

Price Match

I love amazon!  So I always look for prices there before buying in stores to be sure I can't get it at a better deal!  I have an amazon Prime membership so I never pay for shipping and things come fast! 



You can find the rest of the series at these posts:

Budget 101: What comes in and what goes out! (Week 1) 

Budget 101: Seperating Funds (Week 2) 

Budget 101 - Giving! 

Budget 101: Thrifty Ideas For Stretching Your Money 

Budgeting 101: Emergency Money (week 5) #budget101

Budget 101: Spending (Week 6) #budget101

 

Weekly Recap

 This post may contain affiliate links.

It has been another busy week here in Rup Land!  I feel like January is flying by!  On Thursday, we celebrated my father's 70th birthday!  What a blessing that we were able to come together for such a wonderful milestone.

The kid's are plugging away at school we made two switch ups with curriculum.  I'm hoping these switches will make the two kiddo's happier.  We went from Apologia Bible to Lifepac for my 7th grader and from Excellence in  Literature to Lightning Literature by Hewitt Homeschooling for my 9th grader.  (I'll blog about why later this week).

Here is what happened on the blogs:

Motivate Your Child Giveaway! #WIN #heartparenting

Budgeting 101: Emergency Money (week 5) #budget101

 30-Day Realistic Resolution Challenge + Gorton’s Giveaway #RealisticResolution #win

 

As They Grow Up:

JAKE AND THE NEVERLAND PIRATES: BATTLE FOR THE BOOK *Now on DVD* Plus Activity Sheets!

ViBites' from ViSalus - Healthy Snack for Busy Lives

 

 

 

30-Day Realistic Resolution Challenge + Gorton’s Giveaway #RealisticResolution #win

A Rup Life received product to facilitate this post. This post may contain affiliate links.

I think eating healthier is on everyone's mind - with the new year being so fresh.  I know in my home we are trying to move more and eat better.  It is not always easy to do that when life gets crazy!  Thankfully Gorton's has some wonderful options for a quick and easy seafood dinner!

 Paring a simple fish fillet with a salad and rice is a quick and easy meal.  This is a win win for me because we are not big fish eaters in our house so I'm not the best at figuring out what to do with fish.  However with Gorton's they have it all figured out for me.  Our favorite is the Italian herb.

You can  Download a coupon to save 75cents off your Gorton's purchase!

Also consider signing  up for the 30-Day Realistic Resolution Challenge with SparkPeople to jump start your New Year's Resolutions! 

Enter the Gorton’s Eat Smarter Sweepstakes for your chance to win some fabulous prizes! 

Stay Connected! :

 Like/Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and reach out to us using hashtag #RealisticResolution


One lucky reader will win a prize package including the following:

 2 full-value product coupons, an insulated tote, the SparkPeople cookbook, the Spark book and the SparkPeople Boot Camp DVD

Entry-Form

Budgeting 101: Emergency Money (week 5) #budget101

We are on week 5 of Budgeting 101!  This is one I'm personally working on.  Keeping some emergency money.

See here is the thing - if you don't - you will have to borrow.  Either from family/friends or from your credit card.  So having an emergency fund is SO important!

Here is my suggestion.

Start with $100!  Put it in a safe place.  It is not "I want pizza tonight money" or "I really like those shoes on sale money"  - it is "my tire busted and I don't have any money to replace it - money"

Then try to add some to it each week.  $5 or $10 if that is all you can spare.

Your goal should be to save at least $1000 up in emergency money.  This way if your heater breaks - your covered.  Your car breaks - your covered.

Once you get to that goal - Set a BIGGER GOAL.

Ideally we should all have 3-6 months salary saved up for emergency.  This is a long term goal of mine but well we are at the beginning again with the $100!  See we have hit those hard times and that money we had saved really helped us to have some breathing room.  Thank God for the wisdom to prepare for that rainy day.


So remember start small - saving just $100 and adding to it slowly.

 You can find the rest of the series here:

Budget 101: What comes in and what goes out! (Week 1) 

Budget 101: Seperating Funds (Week 2) 

Budget 101 - Giving! 

Budget 101: Thrifty Ideas For Stretching Your Money 

Budgeting 101: Emergency Money (week 5) #budget101

Budget 101: Spending (Week 6) #budget101

 

 

 

Weekly Recap

A Rup Life received product to facilitate this post. This post may contain affiliate links. 

Wow time is flying way too fast!  I can't believe we are already 10 days into the new year!  I have some exciting things I will be sharing with you in January!  A book release and a great giveaway from Gordon's!

Our Crew year started up again and you will start seeing those reviews at the end of February!  I'm excited about the wonderful products I will be sharing with you!

A Rup Life joined Instagram in December.  Be sure to follow me on there so that you will get lots of sneak peeks on what is coming to the blog!  

As for the homelife - we are back to the grind!  Homeschooling is going strong and the kids are plugging away at their lessons trying to finish strong and possibly a week or two early! 

Here is what happened on the blog:

Rachel Hauck Fires Up the Romance with “A Brush with Love” #Review & Kindle Giveaway!

 

Quilts of Love | MASTERPIECE MARRIAGE #review & Kindle Giveaway!

1 Word Resolution: Picking a Theme for 2015 #NewYearsResolutions

Pre-Order: Motivate Your Child & Receive $150 Bonus Package FREE!!! #heartparenting

Budget 101: Thrifty Ideas For Stretching Your Money #budget101

 Alphabet Boxables Set by Little Learning Lovies #REVIEW

 

AsTheyGrowUp.com

 

The Identical on DVD - Review & Giveaway! #theidentical

 

 

Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars DVD #Review & Activities!

 

 

Alphabet Boxables Set by Little Learning Lovies #REVIEW

A Rup Life received product to facilitate this post. This post may contain affiliate links. 

This is my first time homeschooling a preschooler.  While I did do preschool stuffs with the older kids - I knew I wasn't going to be teaching them long term.  This time around we will be homeschooling all the way through with our little guy.  I want to make the job easier for myself later on so I'm taking full advantage of his desire to learn.  (4 year olds love learning!)

He has known his abc's for some time now.  I didn't realize he only recognized them as upper case and hadn't learned lower case.  It was as if Little Learning Lovies read my mind!  I had just started looking for something to help teach this when they came out with their latest product - Big Pack of Alphabet Boxables!  


What is it?

Boxables are printable game that forms a folder and can be self contained.  Little Learning Lovies has lots of them!

Big Pack of Alphabet Boxables is a set of 26 (one for each letter) file games that fit in a box (printable box included).  

How did we use it?

First thing I did was print out the pieces for the box and build it.  I have to say it is ADORABLE!  I love that itwas included with the set.

Next thing I did was print the games A-D and E-H.  *MAKE SURE YOU PRINT DOUBLE SIDED* 

The box took about 15 minutes to build and it was about 30 minutes for me to build the games. 

Next is the fun part!  I let my little guy pick the letters he was interested in.  We talked about how the letters came in two sizes and then I showed him the Uppercase and Lowercase sides of the board.  Then I had him sort them. 

What is really neat is the cards are two sided so you could use this game a few different ways.  The second side has pictures that start with the letter.  So adding a phonic part to the game would be neat too!

I plan on using the letters later on as a giant game by taking two lower and two upper and mixing them up then having Jace sort them as well - once he is familiar with each letter. 


My Thoughts:

I think this set is adorable!  I love that it fit the need we had in our homeschool and was something I could easily put together and use.  All I needed was ink, cardstock (which we always have on hand), scissors and glue. 

Jace had a fun time working on his letters.  He happily played with two letters during his school time.  The bright colors and cute graphics drew him in.  In fact I had a hard time keeping him away while I was building the box and games.

If you have a preschooler you will want to sign up for Little Learning Lovies' 30 Days of Preschool Fun!  Sandra has created activities for each letter of the alphabet!  It is a great way to sample what LLL has to offer! 

Budget 101: Thrifty Ideas For Stretching Your Money #budget101 (week 4)

This week in the budget series we are going to talk about some ideas to become Thrifty so that you can make the most of your spendable money.


Thrifty Ideas:

1.  Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping -

Meal planning is a simple way to stay on budget and maximize your spendable money.  Just by figuring out what you will eat each week and trying to make sure you have several thrifty meals you can really save money.

This week I am making two big dishes.  A chicken spaghetti from the Pioneer Woman and a pulled pork shoulder roast.  Those meals will be big so they will feed us for more meals than the additional dinner.  My plan looks like this:

M-
Lunch - lunchmeat sandwiches & fruit
Dinner - Chicken spaghetti and salad

T -
Lunch - leftover chicken spaghetti or sandwiches (personal choice)
Dinner - chicken cutlet, green beans and potatoes

W -
Lunch - salad or sandwiches
Dinner - pork tacos (with pork roast)

Th-
Lunch - leftovers, sandwich or salad
Dinner - ravioli, Cesar salad & garlic bread

Fri -
Lunch - leftovers, sandwiches or salad
Dinner - leftovers

I bet you noticed there is no breakfasts on there.  That is because typically none of us home during the day like to eat very early.  We tend to eat an early lunch (10:30 - 11:30) instead.  I do keep staples on hand to eat though in case.  We always have eggs, bread, yogurt, granola bars, milk and cereal - if anyone should want breakfast.

As for grocery shopping - one of the main things you can do to cut down cost is keep a list and shop your sales circular.  That will eliminate unnecessary spending.   If it is not on the list simply don't buy it! 

2.  Reselling -

Getting rid of your old stuff is a wonderful way of earning a little back into your budget.  There are so many ways to easily do it!

• Craigslist
• Ebay
• Facebook local resale groups
• Posting on your facebook page
• Yard/Garage Sales

We have done really well in all of these areas.  Just be sure to price your items to sell!  No one will pay full price on a used item.

3.  Thrift Shopping -

This is probably one of my favorite ways to save money.  I simply love getting a good deal.  I like to go to stores like Target and shop clearance.  I also go to thrift stores like Good Will.  (Just be sure to check the quality of the item.)

I also check the local FB selling groups and Craigslist when I need something.

A great example was when I needed new chairs for my kitchen table.  We had bought new ones cheaply from Walmart last year and they fell apart quickly.  I knew I needed a good quality chair to last this time but could not afford to pay $150 a chair!

I started looking on Craigslist and finally a table and chair set for $50 came up!!  6 chairs and a big farm table!  I didn't need the table but I couldn't pass up that price.  Now it was about an hour away but that was still a significant saving.

Hope this post was a blessing to you!  Let me know how you stretch your budget spending!  

 You can find the rest of the series here:

Budget 101: What comes in and what goes out! (Week 1) 

Budget 101: Seperating Funds (Week 2) 

Budget 101 - Giving! 

Budget 101: Thrifty Ideas For Stretching Your Money 

Budgeting 101: Emergency Money (week 5) #budget101

Budget 101: Spending (Week 6) #budget101

 

1 Word Resolution: Picking a Theme for 2015 #NewYearsResolutions

I don't do New Year's Resolutions.  The pressure to keep to a goal I haven't previously been able to accomplish is just too hard.

I saw this idea of picking a word for the year - a theme of sorts - and that really resonated with me.

So that is now my way of doing it.

This year's word was chosen entirely by God.  I heard him whispering it almost immediately to me (not LITERALLY) as soon as I began to pray and ponder what it should be.


Trust

I'm not the most trusting person.  I trust myself and my spouse.  That's about it.

I have two goals with this word for the year:

Trust God more -

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  - Proverbs 3:5-6

and to trust people more.

Both will be difficult.  I tend to do things myself because I'm not confident in others.  Trusting the Lord more will be hard - even scary!  I'm not sure what will come my way so I can achieve that goal.  

I'm looking forward to this year long journey.  

I'd also like to recap last year's word LOVE.  I think I've done a good job on this.  I've tried to be a better friend, spouse and parent - in the name of Love!   


So what is your 2015 Word?

Quilts of Love | MASTERPIECE MARRIAGE #review & Kindle Giveaway!

A Rup life received a promotional copy to facilitate this review. This post may contain affiliate links. 

I'm pleased to bring you my latest review in the QOL book series! Masterpiece Marriage by Gina Welborn is set in 1891.  This brings an interesting story because things were very different in the 1800s compared to the 2000s!  Women's roles have changed dramatically as have fashion. 

This is the tale of Mary Varrs and her pursuit of eduction in a time where women were not considered 'educatable'.  In Varrs' world she must choose between the education she wants (and the consequences that go with it) or a traditional family life. 

Enter a meddlesome Aunt/neighbor, a quilting project and one handsome nephew - and the story heats up quick!  I loved this tale!  The characters were likable and I liked how the females were so true to their times.  Often authors take liberties to make the women be defiant towards societal rules and God because of their station in life.  Welborn kept Mary a true lady at all times and I thoroughly appreciated that.

About the book:

He wants to save his business. She wants to be a professor. But are they asking for more than they can really have?

After a flood damages the looms at Zenus Dane's Philadelphia textile mill and the bank demands loan payment, Zenus turns to his aunt for help repurposing his textiles. Trouble is . . . his aunt has already been hired by the lovely yet secretive Englishwoman Mary Varrs.

Eager to acquire his aunt's quilt patterns, Zenus attends the summer Quilting Bee, a social event his aunt has uniquely designed with the secret purpose of finding Zenus a wife. However Zenus only has eyes for Mary, but Mary has no such desire for him.

Though his aunt is determined to design a masterpiece marriage, both Zenus and Mary will have to overcome their stubborn ways. Can he realize that love requires stepping out of his routine? And will she recognize that following her heart doesn't mean sacrificing her ambition?

Learn more about this book and the series at the Quilts of Love website.


 Additional Information:

Don’t miss the newest Quilts of Love book, Masterpiece Marriage by Gina Welborn. December’s QOL release celebrates the ebb and flow of marriage. Enter to win a Kindle HDX!

One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Masterpiece Marriage by Gina Welborn
• Swept Away by Laura V. Hilton and Cindy Loven
• Quilted by Christmas by Jodie Bailey

Enter today by clicking the button below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on January 18th. Winner will be announced on the Quilts of Love blog January 19th.


{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

Enter today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Rachel Hauck Fires Up the Romance with “A Brush with Love” #Review & Kindle Giveaway!

A Rup life received a promotional copy to facilitate this review. This post may contain affiliate links.

Today, for review, I will be sharing a sweet novella by Rachel Hauck.  In A Brush with Love we follow a sweet but hurting girl Ginger.  She was in a terrible accident when she was a pre-teen and still carries the scars with her both literally and figuratively.  Ginger needs to meet Jesus and see that He loves her, can heal her heart.

When Tom her almost high school sweetheart comes back to town Ginger has to deal with the feelings that stirs up.  Tom too has feelings to deal with and has to bring the past to light to help work through all of it.

While this is a short read Hauck manages to tell us plenty about the characters in a way that makes the book flow.  She packs a lot of story in this novella.  I enjoyed seeing how each character finds a closer relationship with God and learns to trust his leading. 




About the book:


 A Brush with Love | A Year of Weddings novella (Zondervan, January 2015) Ginger Winters is a gifted hairstylist with scars no one can see. The last thing she expects from the New Year is a new chance at love. Overcoming a childhood tragedy, Ginger emerges from the pain and trauma with a gift for bringing out the beauty in others. From the top big city salons to traveling the world as personal stylist to a country music sensation, success was almost enough to make Ginger forget her she would never be one of the beautiful people. Almost. Now that she’s back home in Rosebud, Alabama and running her own salon, the truth remains: Ginger is still that girl, forever on the outside looking in. But she needs her confidence this weekend. She’s the acclaimed “beauty-maker” for the Alabama society wedding of the decade. When high-school crush Tom Wells Jr. also returns to town and shows up at her shop looking for a haircut, Ginger’s thinly veiled insecurities threaten to keep her locked away from love, Despite Tom’s best efforts, Ginger can’t forget how he disappeared on her twelve years ago and broke her heart. Can she ever trust him again? When Tom challenges her to see her own beauty, Ginger must decide if she will remained chained to the past or move freely into a new, exciting future. Learn more and purchase a copy at Rachel's website.

Additional Information:


"Fire" up the romance in the new year with Rachel Hauck's newest book, A Brush with Love, by entering her Kindle Fire giveaway! And be sure to catch a sneak peek of the soon-to-be-released How to Catch a Prince!

 One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• A Brush with Love by Rachel Hauck

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway only runs for a week, 12/30 – 1/5. Winner will be announced January 6th on Rachel's blog.
{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}