A book review for "Where Treasure Hides"

Check out my review of "Where Treasure Hides" by Johnnie Alexander here before reading this blog review if you would like.

I was not too sure when I signed up to review this book for Tyndale House, if I would like it or not.  The cover was beautiful and I love historical romance books, but I still was not too sure about it.  However, from the first chapter I was drawn into the story and fell in love with the main character, a young artist from which the story evolves around.  The author's beautifully written story makes you stay up way to late seeing what happens next.  I was totally enthralled with the story and could not read it fast enough to see what happens next.

The story is set during the days of Hitler.  The main characters are an artist and her family who owns a gallery, a solider who loves the artist but is part of Hitler's army, a young solider who she meets at a train station and falls in love with right then, and beautiful pieces of art and young children (both of which they have to hide to keep safe).  Art, war and love beautifully blend in an intriguing first book by this talented author.  I could tell you so much more, but I honestly think you should just read the book.

I highly recommend the book and look forward to whatever else Johnnie Alexander writes in the future.  She has a fan in me for sure.

I was given a copy of this book by Tyndale House but the review is my honest thoughts.

Cuddle nights

Emma is my quality time child.  She loves to get time with anyone she loves.  It can be just as simple as coloring at the table with her to taking her on special little trips without her brother:)  She craves that time and blossoms when she gets it.  Her favorite thing is to get to fall asleep in my bed on the weekends.  We hold hands and she falls asleep.  She only gets to do that on the weekends.  Then, we move her to her bed after a little bit.  That part is getting harder as she is getting bigger and harder to carry across the house to her room, but we still do it.

Tonight is a Tuesday, but she got to hold my hand tonight and fall asleep on daddy's pillow.  She earned that right for sure today.  Today Emma had to go through a medical test that she does not enjoy at all.  She has had it a few times in her lifetime, and she really hates it.  To be honest, I really don't blame her, it is not the funnest test.  Well, one of her doctors needed the test redone from last year to see what it showed now.  We are working on some future medical plans for a few of Emma's medical conditions and this test would tell us which path we would be starting on.

Which meant early this morning we headed to the fourth floor medical tower of Vandy Children's and had the test.  I went alone with Emma, while daddy had Taylor, this was a first of me going alone with her.  But we did a great job, well once she quit screaming and let the tech do her job.  Luckily it is not a long test and really lucky for us, she stopped screaming once we got started.  However, it did take me and another nurse holding her down to get the prep stuff done.  No mom should have to do that, but sadly it wasn't the first time I have held her done for a medical procedure.

So, yes when she looked at me at dinner tonight and asked can we cuddle tonight, I said yes.  I would do anything to help wipe the tension of the morning from her face.  So, I held my sweet nine year old's hand, while she fell asleep in her princess gown and clutching her duck in her arms.  That sweet duck as been in her arms since her NICU days.  She maybe getting older but she will always be my baby girl.  I just hope I have another year or two of her wanting cuddle nights, minus the morning of medical test for sure however!!!!

Fourth of July

Our fourth of July started on the third, with a trip to Mexican to help celebrate a friends birthday and then fireworks at a local church.  The only photo on my camera was before the fun because it looked like rain and I left my big camera in the car at the church.  But here is my family before our July third fun!!

We had a great time playing on bouncy houses and watching fireworks with friends.  We were also so happy the rain waited till we got home before starting.  I did however get my flip flops stuck in the mud on the way back to the car:)  

July 4th we woke up, ate some breakfast and got dressed to head to a family fish fry for lunch.  It was really yummy and so much fun to see family and catch up!!

The fryers!

 family!

 one of the little cousins drew this and I was so impressed!

 Emma was thrilled that Cousin Brian also fried french fries, her favorite!!

Then, after heading home for a nap and to finish making cupcakes we headed to a friends house for dinner, music and fireworks.  Emma made a new cupcake recipe she got out of the American Girl magazine she now gets in the mail.  They were so good and we had a good time making them for the party.  

The rain earlier in the day made things a little muddy, but some wood to form a walkway helped.

 Emma helping Mr. Kevin in the grill master tent

 sparklers are a lot of fun with friends

 muddy toes

 Playing games with Mrs. Rosanne

 clapping to the awesome music on the screened in porch

 despite the fact that it had been raining pretty hard for an hour, Kevin decided to see if we could shoot the fireworks off still.  It worked!  So five men, an umbrella and a arsenal of fireworks headed out to the field while we watched from the cover of the porch!  It was a great show!  The kids sang Baby your a Firework and clapped after each one:)  Good times! Great friends, yummy food and wonderful memories!!

Today maybe the fifth, but we still had a few fireworks so we sat them off before bed tonight!  The kids clapped and yelled bravo at Daniel every time it was so cute!!!

Sparklers!!

 Batman/shark with his sparklers!

 Fireworks!!

 parachute went way up and came back down this year, last year it landed in a tree and caught on fire:) 

 holding the parachute

It was a great few days despite the rain and mud!  Memories to last a lifetime!!