It's ACT Day!

So Hubs and I have this weird thing that we do. Three times a year, we proctor the ACT. It's part of his job. For me, it's just a nice extra $100ish dollars. I'm not sure what I'm doing with my fun money this time ... maybe getting my hair cut.

Anyway. The ACT is always an adventure.

Once, I caught a girl cheating. Yep. On the ACT. I really think the pressure just got to her ... but we had to kick her out of the test. It. Was. Awful.

Another time, a kid in my room peed in his pants. Right in the middle of the test. Puddle in the seat. Giant wet spot on his pants. Awkward situation. I almost laughed out loud.

I'm not kidding. You can't make this stuff up!

Wonder what will happen today ...

5 Minute Friday: If you met me ...

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

If you met me ...

If you met me for coffee, you'd find I don't actually drink coffee. I love to meet for coffee, but I never order the actual coffee drink. Hot chocolate or apple cider are my "coffee" drinks of choice.

If you met me for lunch, we'd go somewhere near my office ... maybe Chick-Fil-A or Momma G's. If we had some extra time we'd settle in for The Fish Market. Yum!

If you met me for dinner, I'm not sure where we would go. I hate choosing restaurants. I mean, what if you didn't like it? In high school, my friends and I always ... I mean ALWAYS met at Applebee's. We're still carrying on the tradition, since Tricia and I met for dessert there about a month or two ago. I do love Mexican food, though, so I'm always up for cheap, good Mexican food.

If you met me at the movies, we'd go see something funny or romantic or maybe if we're in the right mood something a little sad. Nothing scary or too intense. And nothing terribly crude.

If you met me at the park, there are two great parks between my house and work ... depending on which way I drive. We could walk in the park. I got engaged in one of those parks. I could show you where.

If you met me at the mall, we would definitely shop for shoes. And maybe pajamas ... I love pajamas. And definitely stop in at The Loft ... it's my favorite. And we could watch the kids ride the carousel.

Reporting In

I just realized that I haven't given an update about Jonathan since his surgery a couple of weeks ago. I'm pretty good at asking people to pray ... not so good at giving updates. Sorry about that!

Jonathan and Karla met with his doctors on Monday and got a great report - slow-growing tumor, not much tumor remaining, no additional treatments needed at this time, MRI in three months to keep an eye on things. Isn't God incredible?! You can read their blog if you want additional details.

Thanks for praying for Jonathan and his family during this time!

The Nest

I went outside to check the mail on Saturday. On my way back inside, I noticed some pinestraw in the greenery hanging on our front door. I reached up to pull it out and realized it was a nest.

Yes, a bird's nest.

I ducked down, dashed in the house, and quickly closed the door.

I'm not sure how to say this without being judged. But I don't like birds. They sort of freak me out. I think they're beautiful and love to hear happy bird chirps outside the window. But the thought of Mama Bird swooping down on my head or pooping in my hair totally freaks me out.

And now there's a bird living in the arrangement on my front door. (It usually looks better than this, but I knocked it sideways and didn't want to reach back in there to fix it.)

Hubs was out of town. Based on the information above, I certainly wasn't going to move the nest, so I left it there for him to move.

When he got home and went to move it, we realized that Mama Bird had already laid eggs in the nest. Four of them.

He went all PETA on me and wouldn't move the nest. (For the record, I don't want to kill the baby birds either, but I also want to be able to use my front door.)

He won and we now are going to witness the miracle of life up close and personal ... on our front porch ... on the door, to be more precise.

In the meantime, if you come over, please use the back door. We don't want to disturb Baby Bird Paradise. :)

Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang

Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang provides a unique perspective on life after "The Great War" (better known to most of us as World War I). Set in Germany in 1918, the story focuses on the rebuilding of Germany, with various factions each fighting for a new type of government that will provide a better future for the people.

Analiese and Christophe, childhood friends, find themselves on opposite sides in this battle for freedom and rebuilding Germany. Analiese is devoted to socialism and fairness for all. While Christophe sees some of the good things in socialism, he ultimately believes that God is vital to the success of any new form of government.

I found this book to be truly thought-provoking. It was interesting to see the perspective of each character. Reading the motivation behind why they felt socialism or communism would be the system to rebuild Germany on, reading about their thoughts on how terrible capitalism was and how capitalism was to blame for Germany's involvement in the war, reading about the doubts that Christophe (a Christian) had about his involvement in a war he's not sure he truly believed in, the doctrines of fairness and equality debated between socialists and Christians. It just made me think. A lot. Obviously, the book is fictitious, but I imagine that these thoughts would have been shared by actual people living in Germany in 1918. Most of the books set in various historical periods focus on America's role in events, so this was a refreshing change and gave me a new perspective.

At times I felt like the book was a bit heavy on the speeches and the political views of the socialist party that is trying to come to power. It was a little wordy and sometimes confusing ... causing me to put the book down on more than one occasion. However, once I got further into the book, the pace picked up, and I found it to be quite thought-provoking.


This is a bit more of a "thinker" than I was prepared for, but I enjoyed the book. Additional books in the series focus on characters living in France and Belgium during the Great War.

About the Book
By the fall of 1918, the Great War has ended and the world is at peace, but there is little to celebrate in Germany. After four years of fighting for his homeland, Christophe Brecht returns to find there is little left of what he once called home. So when family friends ask him to travel to Munich to bring back their runaway daughter, Christophe agrees.

When he finally locates Annaliese Duray, he discovers she is far different from the girl he once knew. Headstrong, idealistic, and beautiful, she is on the front lines of the city’s political scene, fighting to give women and working-class citizens a voice in Germany’s new government.

As the political upheaval ignites in Munich, so does the attraction between Annaliese and Christophe. With an army from Berlin threatening to squash everything Annaliese has worked for, both she and Christophe are forced to choose between love and loyalty.

About the Author
Maureen Lang has always had a passion for writing. She wrote her first novel longhand around the age of 10, put the pages into a notebook she had covered with soft deerskin (nothing but the best!), then passed it around the neighborhood to rave reviews. It was so much fun she's been writing ever since.

She is the author of several novels, including Pieces of Silver—a 2007 Christy Award finalist—Remember Me, The Oak Leaves, On Sparrow Hill, My Sister Dilly, and most recently, the Great War series. She has won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award, the Inspirational Readers Choice contest, and the American Christian Fiction Writers Noble Theme award and has been a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. She is also the recipient of a Holt Medallion Award of Merit.

Maureen lives in the Midwest with her husband, her two sons, and their much-loved dog, Susie. Visit her Web site at www.maureenlang.com.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my fair and honest review.

This Week's Top Pick: Go Green!

Pedicures. One of the great indulgences in life. My life at least. And my favorite nail polish right now is OPI's Green-wich Village. I don't think you should take your feet too seriously and this color is definitely not a serious color.

Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl and April Henry

The Triple Threat Club is back in Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl with April Henry. As much as I loved Hand of Fate, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next installment of this series! I was not disappointed! Cassidy, Nicole, and Allison team up again to investigate a string of crimes in Portland. When they realize that several incidences are related, things begin hitting a little too close to home. Personal issues arise as well and the women must figure out how to balance personal and professional crises.

The faith aspects of this novel are more subtle than some, but it's clear that Allison's faith is her lifeline. Her friends know this about her and alternately resist discussions of faith and requests for prayer and support. I appreciated the realistic way faith is addressed in this novel.

Lis Wiehl and April Henry delivered again with a fantastic novel, intense plot, well-developed characters, and an insanely disturbing villain. I can't wait to read the next novel in the series!

5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze blogger review program in exchange for my fair and honest review.