Purple Moxie Review

It's hard finding time to take care of yourself in today's world.  Like most other moms, I'm a woman on the go.  From the time I get up till I go to bed.  I'm a parent to two special needs kids and am now in the process of training a service dog for them.  So as you can imagine, life is really crazy!

I heard about Purple Moxie from a friend of mine.  She also is the Moxie Lady of the month this month (more on that later).  Purple Moxie is a monthly subscription that describes itself as "a little box of gratitude".  It has various items that come in it monthly for some much needed pampering.

I was really curious and decided to go ahead and get a box!  

 My box came today.  I'm a believer in good things coming in small packages.  So I did what the website suggested.  I got in my nice comfy clothes, made a nice cup of hot tea, put the kids to bed, and got ready to open up the box!

 Can you say wowzers?!  There was a ton of stuff in that little box!  Warm and Cozy was the theme and it was definitely lived up to its name.

 Let's start with the teas.  There were two types of tea.  Chamomile and a winter spice blend.  There was also a packet of hot chocolate (not pictured because after I saw that I ditched my tea and made hot chocolate).  The bags had cute little sayings.  One was All you need is tea and warm socks.  I can't drink certain blends due to my food allergies, but the herbs used in the bags will be put to use as sachets.  I'm a multi purpose sort of gal that way!

 Now lets talk about the mug.  This is my favorite item in the box!!  I mean, seriously how cute is a mug sweater?  I also took the sweater off (for those of you who may be opposed to dressing your cups) and the mug itself has very pretty designs on it.

They also included bath salts.  With lavender.  After I'm done with this I'm going to take a nice long soak!! I'm loving the attention to details as well.  Note the little button and rick rack.

The socks are well made and will come in handy since no one likes me sticking my cold feet on them!

Also lip balms!  This is a super hot commodity in my home.  I have an 8 year old who takes them from me every chance he gets.  I have stashed these in a safe spot.  One is Tahitian Vanilla and the other is peppermint.  I tried the peppermint and it was just right!  Not overpowering at all.

The box also came with recipes to make on cold winter nights.  They looked really good and most are easily modified if you have food allergies.

So all the items were great.  But let me tell you another couple of reasons why you may want to become a Purple Moxie member.

First, every month a new woman is highlighted to be the Moxie Lady.  This woman shows courage, strength, and fortitude.  You can see Katie, this month's Moxie Lady here.  You can also take time to nominate your own Moxie Lady.  I have over 300 women in Virginia that have special needs children that I am proud to know and be a part of.  They will be hearing from me.

Another reason is that if you share a pic of you and your box with the hashtag #purplemoxiesharethelove on their Facebook page here they donate a portion to a charity for women and girls.  Awesome!!

This is a monthly subscription.  You are billed automatically.  It's $29.95 a month and to sign up the link is right here.  You can also send this as a gift to someone.  I already have a few ladies in mind for that!

So take some time and check them out.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

The Forgotten Recipe by Amy Clipston

We are finally seeing signs of fall here in the Old Dominion.  The days are crisper, shorter, and I feel the urge to stock up on books so I'm ready for the long winter months!

Being part of Amy Clipston's Bakery Bunch has been a great way to have one of my favorite authors always at hand.  I was so super excited to receive an advanced reader copy of her newest series.

The Forgotten Recipe is the first of another great new series, the Amish Heirloom Series.  

From Goodreads: Veronica Fisher knows how lucky she is to be marrying her best friend. Seth Lapp is kind, hardworking, and handsome—but most importantly, he loves Veronica.

When an accident on the job steals Seth away from her, a heartbroken Veronica is certain she will never love—or be loved—again. Yet when she discovers a batch of forgotten recipes and opens a bake stand to sell her Mammi’s raspberry pies, Veronica picks up a regular customer who gives her heart pause.

Jason Huyard was with Seth when he lost his life—a memory that haunts him still. So when he seeks out the grieving fiancée to convey his condolences, the last thing he expects—or wants—is to fall in love. Nonetheless, Jason soon finds himself visiting Veronica’s bake stand every week . . . and it’s for more than the raspberry pies.

Now, as Veronica’s heart thaws, Jason can’t bring himself to tell her he was there when Seth died. Can he ever reveal where he was on the day her life derailed? Or will his secret rob them of the second chance at love they both want? 

If you haven't guessed already, I'm a big fan of Amy Clipston and her work.  I knew this was going to be a book I enjoyed and once I pick up one of her books I manage to slip into the story.  And burn dinner.  Twice.  

The characters were so easy to connect with and well thought out.  Veronica and Jason both have so much pain over the loss of Seth.  The way they came together and how the story unfolded was natural and unhurried. Everything falls into place at just the right time.  The epilogue wraps up the story nicely and leaves a great teaser in it for the second book in the series, The Courtship Basket.  I will have a very hard time waiting for it to come out!

Amy's books keep getting better and better.  I truly love seeing how authors change and develop over time.  Amy's writing style grows stronger with each book she writes.  Fans of Amish Fiction and Amy Clipston won't be disappointed with this story.  

So curl up in your favorite chair, grab a slice of pie, and a copy of The Forgotten Recipe.  Happy Reading!  

The Thinking Tree's Therapeutic Coloring Book and Dyslexia Games

We have been busy trying to find a rhythm for our homeschool.  This being my first year it has been a roller coaster!  We have been trying to find really great matches for our son's  learning needs.

When we adopted Marvin we knew he was born meth addicted and had Shaken Baby Syndrome.  The social worker calmly said "Love him and he will be fine."  Well, love has done amazing things but the abuse he suffered pre removal impacted his ability to lean.  Add to that the trauma of abuse and two school who let him fall through the cracks because they could not teach the way he learns you have a mess.

We did have him tested and with support from other special needs moms he's started the home school journey with me.  He has lots of learning blocks some of which are forms of dyslexia and ADHD.  I have spent hours and hours (because sleep is overrated) looking for materials that will capture his unique learning needs and are "cool" for boys.

So one day a mom with a large group of adopted kids mentioned the Thinking Tree.  I was intrigued. So I started looking at there stuff.  Holy Cow!!!  Books for a kid like mine?  Well the first one that caught my eye was this one:

Because who doesn't love coloring.  Sooo I placed it out with some new colored pencils and started school work with Marvin.  I started with math since I know it stresses him out.  Sure enough he started to amp a bit.  So I took the opportunity to introduce the coloring book.  I simply said, how about you color in this while I go over the lesson.  Well, it worked.  Marvin was immediately drawn in (sorry bad pun).  He enjoyed the book because he loves art.  

The best part about this is that there is a whole series of books from homeschool handbooks to Dyslexia Games.  If I had an unlimited budget I would have one of everything just because these are amazing resources.  The next book I hope to get is Multiplication Games because it looks like so much fun (imagine me saying that for math).  

Check out these great books!  Happy Teaching! 

Naomi's Gift: An Amish Christmas Story

So I'm starting to notice a theme around here and it's I read Christmas stories year round:).  But in my defense the weather is cooler, my trees are turning colors and fall is starting to creep into Virginia.

I have been running around to lots of extra appointments with the kids as well.  I normally tote around my Kindle Fire but I just keep forgetting to charge the thing.  I'm just not technology forward so on my way to wait at yet another Dr's appointment for Cary Lynn I needed to grab a more portable book that I could take in my purse.

So I grabbed a copy of Amy Clipston's book, Naomi's Gift.  It was small and fit into my purse.

From the back: Naomi has begun to believe that she isn’t meant to find love, but she might receive more than she has ever hoped for this Christmas.

Twenty-four-year-old Naomi King has all but given up on marriage and children. As Christmas approaches, Naomi is certain that her life will be spent as an old maid, helping with the family’s quilting business and taking care of her eight siblings. Then she meets Caleb, a young widower with a 7-year-old daughter, and her world is once again turned upside-down.

Caleb, a widower, heads back home for the holidays.  He meets Naomi at the farmer's market and they form a connection.  

It was great to see how Naomi has grown and matured through the stories that Amy has told.  I really felt like she had learned her lessons from past hurts and was trying to do it right this time.  The story was full of twists and turns like I have come to expect from Amy's work and I was unhappy to have to stop reading.  I even told one of the Dr's that I had to just finish one more page.  That didn't sit well with him:).  

Caleb and Naomi are meant for each other but it seemed like the harder they tried the more forces tried to pull them apart.  Naomi's mother has doubts, Caleb's sister wants him to find a "proper wife", and Caleb's grief over the loss of his wife.  

So what happens?  Well you'll have to pick up a copy and read it for yourself!  So if you're ready for a nice holiday read (like me) and can't wait for signs of winter pick up your copy today! Happy Reading! 

A Plain and Simple Christmas

 

I was very excited to see this book show up in the mail a few days ago.  It's hot and humid here in Virginia in August so what better time than to turn the ac up and pretend it's snowing.  

I always love my "visits" to the Kauffman Amish Bakery.  You see a lot of familiar faces and check in on characters you have gotten to know. 

This book focuses on Anna Mae.  From the excerpt: 

In the tradition of her widely popular Kauffman Amish Bakery series, author Amy Clipston tells the tale of Anna Mae McDonough who was shunned by her family four years ago when she left her Amish community in Lancaster County, PA, to marry an “Englisher” (non Amish) man and move with him to Baltimore. Now, eight months pregnant when her first child, she longs to return home for Christmas to reconcile with her family, especially her stern father, who is the religious leader for her former Amish church district.

So Anne Mae writes a letter to Kathryn Beiler, her brother’s wife, to enlist her help. Kathryn asks her husband, David, if she should arrange Anna Mae’s visit. David cautions her that a visit would cause too much stress in the family and instead suggests they visit Anna Mae and her husband in the spring. However, Kathryn arranges the visit anyway, believing in her heart that it’s God’s will for the family to heal.

When Anna Mae arrives in Lancaster for Christmas, the welcome she receives is nothing like what she had hoped for.

A book filled with love, the pain of being separated from one’s family, and the determination to follow God’s will regardless of the outcome, A Plain and Simple Christmas is an inspiring page-turner that will keep you guessing what happens next … right to the very last page.

I enjoyed getting a chance to read this story.  As I said, visiting familiar characters is always fun and the book was a quick and easy read (I'm a fast reader and had it done in a day but it's a quick weekend or holiday read if you can wait that long;) )

Anna Mae wants nothing more than to be part of her family again.  She is having a baby and wants to make piece and mend the broken bond.  She enlists her sister in laws help to make that happen.  Kathryn spends time praying and believes that God is leading her to help with the reconciliation.  

I don't want to spoil the book and give everything away but things don't always go the way the characters want.  Anna Mae's father is stubborn and not all the members of the family are ready to welcome her back with open arms.  The story kept me guessing as to what was going to happen and I was cheering Anna Mae on the whole book.  

The story was full of life and I loved the interactions between the feisty Kathryn and her family.  The message of listening to God and forgiveness echoed through the book.  A great holiday (or August) read.  Pick up your copy today and Happy Reading!  

Betrayed by Amy Clipston

I like finding hidden gems.  One thing I enjoy is when you have read an author for a while and then find out they wrote other things before they found a niche.  

That's the case with Amy Clipston.  I found her pre-Amish book Betrayed in my library a few weeks ago.  

Amy Clipston is know for Amish fiction and the Kauffman series.  I have really enjoyed them.  When we were at the library a few weeks ago my awesome son pointed out this book.  While I insisted there were more Amy's in the world he equally insisted that this was one of her books.  My son is a pretty smart cookie.  I made the mistake of putting the book on a table while I was helping the kiddos check out and the next thing I knew the book was gone!  I had to go on a wait list.  But this book was well worth the wait.  

Betrayed tells the story of Lacey, the daughter of a NASCAR team owner who has been in love with Reese for as long as she can remember.  Reese is driver on the team and had grown up with Lacey. He sees her as a kid sister an grew up with her.  He also dates around a lot. 

When Lacey's stepmother and father were killed in an accident she begins to suspect things aren't quite right.  She turns to Reese to help figure out what happened.  The story moves along at a good fast pace keeping you involved and guessing what will happen right until the end.  Will Reese and Lacey learn to trust each other?  Will they uncover what really happened to her parents?  Well, I'm not going to spoil it for you. 

Now I really enjoyed the book but I do want to give fair warning, this is a departure from Christian fiction.  If you are looking for bonnets and buggies you won't find them here.  It is a fiction, mystery, romance combination.  I'm glad my son found this little treasure and that it is still enjoying popularity in my neck of the woods.  Pick up a copy and enjoy!  Happy Reading!  

The Gift of Love One Woman's Journey to save a Life

This summer my son and I are making a point to read more non-fiction this summer.  We both challenged each other to get out of the fiction and into different literary venues this summer. 

So I kicked back and picked up an Amy Clipston book.  She not only writes fantastic Amish and youth fiction she has an amazing story of her own to tell. 

In The Gift of Love, bestselling fiction author Amy Clipston shares her story of almost losing the love of her life to kidney disease and the ultimate sacrifice that kept their family together. An ordinary woman who cherishes family above all else, Amy was challenged in every way―from her strength of character to the depths of her faith to the close-knit family that surrounds her. Enduring the good, the bad, and the really bad, she was determined to help her husband once again be the husband and father their family needed.

Amy’s story will give hope and encouragement to anyone who finds themselves waiting on God. Staring down adversity, Amy and her family received the most important gift of all, the gift of love. And regardless of your situation, this gift can be yours too.

An inspirational story of strength and determination, The Gift of Love is the triumph of one woman’s faith against all odds, and a soul-filling reminder that no matter how hard life gets, it is worth fighting for.

This was a great read and hard to put down!  Amy tells the story in a fantastic way.  She weaves together a car accident and God watching out for her.  I felt like we could be sitting down for coffee (or tea in my case) and talking and following the journey.  

I loved how she was so real throughout the whole story.  How she described the ups and downs they went through and the road that led to the transplant.  Amy's love for her husband shines through.  

This book also shows the importance you can make in another person's life by giving of yourself and becoming an organ donor.  It's such a simple thing to do and can be life changing for someone else.  

So pick up a copy of the book and become an organ donor!  Happy reading!