This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing. If you enjoy warm, comfortable, feel-good reads then check out our amazing titles!
Do you have siblings? If you do, are you close to them?
This book was such a treat to read! It’s about three half sisters (different mothers, same father) who spend summers together with their paternal grandmother. Their father is deceased and the story shows how each sister had to go through a unique struggle – partially stemming from their irresponsible alcoholic father. Carson is the main character and she loves swimming and surfing. When she has an accident, she becomes acquainted with a dolphin, and then the story takes on unique twists and turns after that.
She meets Blake, and they share a special bond and love for the ocean. However, their bond proves tenuous as they discover secrets and new information about sea creatures.
I highly recommend this book if you want a nice, comforting read.
So, do you have siblings? If you do, are you close to them?
This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing. If you enjoy warm, comfortable, feel-good reads then check out our amazing titles!
As already mentioned last week – remember to vote! Tomorrow is Election Day!
Halloween!
We only had one trick-or-treater this year. Most of the houses on my street had their lights off. Did you have any trick-or-treaters?
Here’s a little treat for you! My little grandniece with her friend from church on Halloween!
Autumn!
I’ve been enjoying the beautiful fall weather during my daily walks. Here’s a pic of a beautiful tree in our neighborhood. I love seeing the beautiful colors of the leaves this time of the year.
The Blacksmith’s Bride – Preorder
The Blacksmith’s Bride, the third book in my historical Romance Bride Series, is up for preorder on Amazon. I will provide more information about this novel later. I’m so excited to be working on a new story!
Butterscotch Bliss
I hope to have Butterscotch Bliss available within the next few weeks!
Don’t forget to download one of my novels for some cool autumn reading!
I hope your week will be fantastic! Let me know if anything exciting happens! I’d love to hear about it!
Welcome to this episode of Sunday Brunch. The Sunday Brunch blog posts are warm and inviting, encouraging discussion about the Bible.
This blog post was sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like stories about faith and Christianity then you must read Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is about a reunion between Luke and Kim, two childhood sweethearts. It’s a Christmas novel full of love, regrets, and second chances. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Luke and Kim find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Loving Luke has been an Amazon bestselling novel with several 5-star reviews! Purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post! The purchase link for Loving Luke is at the end.
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Ruth 1
New International Version
Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. [Poor Naomi! I can’t even imagine how painful that must have been – losing both of her sons and her husband! I’m assuming Orpah and Ruth did not have any children. I wonder about this – why were there no offspring. I assume it was the Lord’s will. The text mentions a great famine in Bethlehem which caused them to move to Moab. I also wonder why both of their husbands died.]
6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”
Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!” [Did older people NOT get married during these times? Naomi said that she’s too old to have another husband. She may have been speaking from the viewpoint of being too old to have children.]
14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. [This is such a moving, emotional speech. It brings tears to my eyes. Ruth’s and Naomi’s relationship has progress from being in-laws to true mother and daughter. I think about the relationship between daughter-in-law to mother-in-law. A lot of the time when people talk about their mother-in-law it doesn’t appear that the relationship is so close and stable as Ruth’s and Naomi’s. I believe it might be difficult to forge a bond so strong with a mother-in-law since she’d not raised the daughter-in-law. Do you have any friends or family members who have a relationship with their mother in law that mimics Ruth and Naomi’s? If you do, I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment.]
19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” [When I read these two verses, I’m reminded of Saul, who later became the Apostle Paul. His life had drastically changed – he’d persecuted and killed Christians, was blinded, and then became a minister for Jesus Christ. Since Saul changed his name to Paul, that’s why I’m mentioning him.]
22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
So, if you know of someone who has mother-in-law, daughter-in-law relationship that mimics Ruth and Naomi, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment!
This blog post was sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like stories about faith and Christianity then you must read Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is about a reunion between Luke and Kim, two childhood sweethearts. It’s a Christmas novel full of love, regrets, and second chances. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Luke and Kim find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Loving Luke has been an Amazon bestselling novel with several 5-star reviews! Purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post! The purchase link for Loving Luke is at the end. Subscribe to this blog by leaving a reply and selecting “Notify me of new posts by email.”
#romance #beachread #beachreads #newsletter #ceceliadowdy #romancenovel #romancenovels #cleanandwholesome #Christian #inspirational We’ve been back for a week and I still miss the beach! I wish we’d stayed for two weeks instead of one! Here’s a pic of the living room of our beach rented condo. The place felt like home. I loved walking outside straight to the beach each morning! Perhaps we can retire here someday!
Condo – Beach Rental – Living Room
I recently read the sweetest book – The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden! Have you ever wondered about how your life would have been like if you’d made a different decision? Imagine if someone had asked you to get married and you said no – do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if you’d said yes?
Well, this sweet story delves into that very question! Plus, the book had lots of food – and candy – and pie! Give my podcast a listen! If you’ve read The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie, I’d love to know what you thought about it!
This novel is going to be made into a Hallmark movie. I Listened! Many of you have pinged me, wanting to know when/if I would be able to accept credit card payments via my website. I’ve finally updated my site and made the appropriate changes.
Candy Beach Series – $50 for entire set Bakery Romance Series – $75 for entire set Payment can be made with credit card. Email me if you have any questions! Candy Beach Speaking of beaches, be sure to check out The Candy Beach Series for a cool, emotional, delicious and pleasant read during your beach vacation!
Candy Beach & Bakery Romance Paperbacks! As mentioned previously, I’m having a sale on the paperbacks – and it’s now been extended to both of my series!The Candy Beach Series – $50 for the entire 6-book series & The Bakery Romance Series – $75 for the entire 8-book series – must be ordered directly from me – price includes domestic US postage. This deal is cheaper than Amazon’s price. I take payment via credit card, check, or money order. Ping me if you’d like to pay with an alternate method!
Spread the word about my books! Social media is a writer’s best friend! Rocky Road Dreams I hope you have a fantastic week! Let me know if you have any fun plans for the summer!
This blog post was sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy novels such as The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie then you must read Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is about a reunion between Luke and Kim, two childhood sweethearts. It’s a Christmas novel full of love, regrets, and second chances. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Luke and Kim find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Loving Luke has been an Amazon bestselling novel with several 5-star reviews! Purchase today by clicking on the link at the end! Tell your friends by sharing this blog post!
Subscribe to this blog by leaving a reply and selecting “Notify me of new posts by email.”
Have you ever wondered what your life would have been like if – in the past – when you were facing a big decision – if you’d decided differently – what would your life be like today?
Heaven help me, this story was amazing! The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie is about Lolly, a young woman who is dissatisfied with her life. She wonders how her life would have been if she’d made different choices. One of her biggest regrets is that things didn’t work out with Rory Shaw, her childhood crush. Rory was her neighbor and her friend. Her eccentric aunt gives her a gift – 3 magical lemon drops. When you eat one before bed, think about one of the big decisions in your life – what if you’d decided differently? The lemon drop will allow you to spend one day in your “present” life in an alternate-type universe. This “alternate universe” would show how your life would have been like, if you’d made a different decision.
Lolly is full of hopes and dreams – so for three nights – she’s given the chance to see how her lost dreams would have played out if she’d embraced her decisions and pursued her desires.
What I loved most about this book was that it seemed so realistic. I believe most of us wonder – what would have happened if? Do you have certain dreams that you’ve always wanted to pursue?
Lolly is dedicated to her family. Her dedication is over the top, and it really affects her life. The family diner means so much to her and she knows how much her father wants their establishment to be a success. She gets up early every morning to bake six lemon meringue pies – using her mom’s secret recipe. The pies are served in their diner – a favorite for many of their customers.
Another reason I enjoyed this story was that it mentioned food – a lot! I love foodie-themed stories. So, if you’ve enjoyed the novels that I’ve written, then you’ll love this book!
The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie teaches us that sometimes it’s okay to pursue your dreams – although placing the needs of others before your own is noble – it’s not always the right decision.
By the way, I noticed that The Magic of Lemond Drop Pie will be made into a Hallmark movie. The premise sounds like it might be a nice fit for Hallmark Movies and Mysteries!
So, have you ever wondered what your life would have been like when you were facing a big decision – if you’d decided differently – what would your life be like today? Do you regret NOT following your hopes and dreams? Have you thought about pursuing some of your hopes and desires now?
This blog post was sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy novels such as The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie then you must read Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is about a reunion between Luke and Kim, two childhood sweethearts. It’s a Christmas novel full of love, regrets, and second chances. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Luke and Kim find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Loving Luke has been an Amazon bestselling novel with several 5-star reviews! Purchase today by clicking on the link at the end! Tell your friends by sharing this blog post!
Subscribe to this blog by leaving a reply and selecting “Notify me of new posts by email.”
Beef and Bean Burritos This burrito recipe can be made in advance without garnishes and frozen, then heated in the microwave to serve. I freeze the burritos on a cookie sheet then wrap in foil and store in food storage bags. List of 13 items • 1 pound lean ground beef • 1/2 cup chopped onion • 1 clove garlic, minced • 2 teaspoons chili powder • 1 teaspoon dried whole oregano • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon pepper • 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans • 1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce, divided • 6 flour tortillas, 8-inch size • shredded lettuce • Optional garnishes: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, sliced ripe olives, shredded cheese list end
In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion, and garlic until ground beef is no longer pink, stirring to break up meat. Drain well.
Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper; simmer for 5 minutes. Add refried beans and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce. Cook until heated through; keep warm.
Wrap tortillas in foil; bake at 350° for 10 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Spoon about 1/2 cup ground beef mixture on each warm tortilla. Roll tightly and place seam-side down on a shredded lettuce-lined serving platter. When all burritos are made, spoon remaining enchilada sauce over the burritos. Garnish with your choice of toppings.
I celebrated my graduation a month ago & shared photos taken by family members. I recently received the professional video & the pics! I’m sharing with all! Thanks for all the kind words, gifts, and congrats for my major accomplishment!
I hope all of you have been enjoying the first couple of weeks in the New Year!
Thursday was a bit strange in our neck of the woods. Our power went out due to a car accident. I believe someone hit a pole or something.
I’ve been working remotely since the beginning of Covid.
Since I need internet access for my day job, I drove to my workplace – just as I pulled up to my workplace, my son texted me. He told me the power was back on!
So, I ended up returning home. My workplace is only five miles from my house, so, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
But, later, that same day, we lost our internet connection. The lost connection is only affecting our household – our neighbors still have their connection. We can’t watch TV or connect to the internet. What a drag!
We called our provider and was told that something short-circuited and that the earliest they could come out was Sunday.
We’ve been using a hot spot to connect.
It’s funny how you don’t appreciate the simple day-to-day pleasures that are taken for granted, until they are broken or gone.
Working Late & Butterscotch Bliss
My day job continues to be hectic. Yes, it’s great that I’m finally done with my Master’s Degree, but work continues to take up a lot of my free time. I’ve been working 12-hour days and I’m ready for a break!
Some of you have asked what ever happened to Butterscotch Bliss, the free story that I was working on that will only be available to newsletter subscribers. I plan on getting that done later this year. I will keep you posted.
Stress Eating!
Since things have been so hectic lately, I’ve been doing some stress eating. Since I was sick over the holidays, I didn’t get a chance to do any baking.
I made THE BEST CAKE! The cake is so buttery. The recipe calls for 4 sticks of butter – 2 for the cake – 2 for the frosting.
I wish the icing looked smoother. I might take a cake decorating class, when I have time, to learn simple decorating techniques. I googled some methods to smooth the icing – but I was too tired to try! I made this cake on a weekday!
I’m sharing the recipe. If you try it, let me know if you like it! I gobbled 4 pieces of cake in one day! I’m not kidding! This cake was so addictive!
Yellow Butter Cake:
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder until well combined.
Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour in the milk and vanilla extract, then beat the batter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and well combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Frosting:
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to the butter, mixing on low speed until combined.
Add the vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add more cream or milk if needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Assembly:
Once the cakes have cooled completely, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a layer of chocolate frosting evenly over the top. Place the second cake layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining chocolate frosting.
Decorate as desired and enjoy your delicious moist buttery yellow cake with chocolate frosting!
Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend
I hope all of you enjoy your 3-day weekend. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is so special. Take some time to relax, think and reflect on this special day.
If you have a craving for a book, keep The Candy Beach Series in mind. So many nice reviews have been posted on Amazon for this series. All of them are available in both paperback and e-book. Treat yourself, and if you’ve already read them, then purchase copies for your friends!
5-star Amazon review for Bittersweet Dreams – book 3 in the series:
This book was so good I had to read it to the end before I could stop. I even read while eating lunch and supper. This author knows how to write a fantastic story. Great job!!
Have a blessed week! Let me know if you try the cake recipe! If you’ve read The Candy Beach Series, I’d love to know which novel was your favorite! I love hearing from all of you!
As mentioned in my last newsletter, we had cornbread, black-eyed peas, greens, and chicken for New Year’s.
Here’s a picture of our meal! It was delicious! I had purchased a huge bag of greens from the store. The bag was about twice the size of what I’d normally purchase. I don’t think I’ve ever made such a big pot of greens in my life! We were eating greens for days. They were delicious!
We cooked the chicken in the air fryer.
Now that Christmas is over, and winter is here, many of you may have time to settle down and read a good book during the cold winter months!
I wanted to share how I came up with the premise for my novella Sugar and Spice.
Have you ever known anybody who stutters? Do you know what they did to overcome their stutter?
When my son was young, between the ages of 3-7, he suffered from stuttering. His stutter was quite strong, and we had to go to speech therapy for years. We ended up seeing three different therapists for long blocks of time.
When my son was having sessions with his last therapist, I was speaking with her. I asked her if she’d ever had any male adult patients who stuttered. She told me that she had one. She said that this man had stuttered his entire life. The only reason he was seeking help was because he had a high-level corporate job and they required that he get help for his stutter. I believe she said he had to speak to many people, and his stutter caused issues.
Of course, she didn’t tell me the identity of this person. She may not have been at liberty to share the details outlined above.
After our conversation, I thought about it. I thought, how terrible for this poor man! What if he wanted to go out on a date with someone? What if he stuttered so badly that he couldn’t even ask a woman out?
That thought stayed planted in the background of my mind for years. Sometimes, I might get a kernel of an idea and it’s rooted into my head for a long time. I might not even realize I’m actually thinking of a story until years later.
My one conversation with my son’s speech therapist grew into Sugar and Spice. In Sugar and Spice, Mason is a stutterer. He’s also an identical twin. Here are more details about this amazing love story:
Sheila Parks is stunned when Mason Smith, the identical twin brother of her ex-boyfriend Reese, moves to Blue Spring and opens a bakery. Reese’s cruel breakup still bothers her and seeing somebody who looks just like him is a painful reminder of her predicament. Unemployed, Sheila needs financial help and it appears that Mason can assist her with her problem. Can she learn to trust a man who looks just like her ex?
Mason is stunned when Sheila storms into his bakery, mistakenly thinking that he’s Reese. Mason is used to comforting his womanizing brother’s ex-girlfriends. A stutterer, Mason has always had a hard time socializing with others. However, he finds himself smitten with beautiful Sheila. Can he control his stutter so that he can ask Sheila to be his date to his grandmother’s Christmas birthday party?
Both Sheila and Mason deal with past pains as they work together during the Christmas season.
Sugar and Spice is a sweet, emotional Christmas romance that you will always remember! Download now! This is a nice treat for you and all of your friends!
Have you ever known anybody who stutters? Do you know what they did to overcome their stutter?
Have a blessed week! Let me know if there’s anything exciting or troublesome going on in your life right now! I love hearing from all of you!
