Wednesday, February 3
Stirrin' It Up With Stacey
Wednesday, January 27
Stirrin' It Up With Stacey
Wednesday, January 20
Stirrin' It Up With Stacey
Wednesday, January 13
Stirrin' It Up With Stacey
Tuesday, December 22
Nose in a Book Tuesday -
I've been wanting to read Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin ever since it was released in October, and I finally got a chance to read it at the end of November. One of the first things that drew me to the book was the cover--it's gorgeous. The story inside the book is beautiful as well.When Harriet Sherwood finds herself cooling her heels in jail during Prohibition, she can't help but reflect on the time her Grandma Bebe landed in jail during her crusade for Temperance. Her Grandma Bebe had greatly influenced her life, and thinking about Grandma Bebe's stint in jail expands to explain how the events of her life got her in that position. In the process, Harriet retraces how her own quest to make a difference in the world put her behind bars. In the end, she understands that her grandmother's example is rooted in compassion for people as exemplified by God, an example she yearns to follow as well.
This was a very good book. I really liked Grandma Bebe's advice to Harriet: when you realize that your efforts to help yourself are only making matters worse, you need to call on the Lord for help. There was also a theme of understanding what your underlying motives are--are they for your own good, or are they for God's good? Grandma Bebe's life is full of purpose, but much of that purpose was influenced by a lot of hardship and sadness. One of the things I really liked about this book was that the characters were strong Christian women who ventured into volunteer work, reform organizations, and political activism to further what they felt was a call from God to help people. I also enjoyed the location (Pennsylvania) and time period (pre-Civil War through 1920) of the story. The organization of the story is unusual--it is told in a series of flashbacks--which can be confusing at times. But I still think it was pretty effective.
I hope you have a lovely Christmas this week!
Katy Wednesday, December 16
Stirrin' It Up With Stacey
Tuesday, December 8
Nose in a Book Tuesdays - The Rose Legacy by Kristen Heitzmann
I ordered The Rose Legacy by Kristen Heitzmann to review from Bethany House on accident, but I am SO glad I did! I picked it up the night before Thanksgiving and started reading, and was really pulled in by the story. I had to force myself to put it down that night, and then finished it on Thursday in the car on the way home from our Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws' house.Carina Maria DiGratia ran away from her family and home in Sonoma, California, to heal her broken heart. She naively chooses Crystal, Colorado, a rough-and-tumble mining town, to start over. Her hopes for a new and better life are crushed by the reality of men hoping to strike it rich and women with few options. As she struggles to adjust to her new life, she also struggles with her relationship with God. Slowly she develops friendships and roots, but when increasing violence threatens the town she finds herself in a dangerous position that could help bring the violence to an end. In the end she learns that she must forgive and let go if she wants to move forward.
I absolutely loved this book. Carina is a spitfire--independent, funny, friendly, and with a quick temper. Just the kind of heroine I adore. The story is suspenseful and heartfelt. It is heartbreaking to watch Quillan, the freighter, work through the ghosts of his own past and his grudge with God while trying to stop the violence in town and deal with those who think he is the prime suspect. This is the first book in a series, so the story isn't really finished at the end of this book. There is still unfinished business for Carina and Quillan, which disappointed me. But this is an older series that is being reissued, so I don't have to wait for the next book to be published. I can just order it! And I will be ordering it--I just have to know what happens next!
★★★★★ This is one of my favorite books this year. I definitely recommend it. 5/5 stars.
**This book was provided for review through the Bethany House Book Reviewers program.**
Wednesday, December 2
Stirrin' It Up With Stacey
Time to catch up....
So much has happened in the last few weeks. It has been a really busy season for us and we are hoping that with Christmas right around the corner it will start to slow down.



Tuesday, November 17
Nose in a Book Tuesday: Holiday Slowdown
We're approaching the busy holiday season and for that reason we're all slowing down on posting. I'm planning to continue posting here, but probably not every week. I'm still posting over at A Few More Pages if you are interested in getting more frequent book news. My book blog is pretty eclectic and it doesn't focus on any one genre. But I am also a bit of a blog addict, and I love browsing through book blogs to see what others have been reading and enjoying. If you're interested in reading some book blogs that focus mostly on Christian fiction and non-fiction, I can recommend a few really great blogs that I enjoy:
Margaret at Creative Madness has a lovely blog where she posts reviews of all kinds of books in the Christian genre, as well as occasional product reviews.
Deena at A Peek at my Bookshelf is another greally great blogger that focuses mostly on Christian fiction and non-fiction, but she also has recommendations for secular adult and children's fiction that don't "have that 'ick' factor."
Deborah at Books, Movies, and Chinese Food reviews books and movies, but focuses mostly on Christian fiction, Young Adult, and chick lit. I discovered The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen through her blog.
One of my favorite things about Nora's blog, Finding Hope Through Fiction, is that it features interviews with authors as well as reviewing books and hosting book tours of new releases.
Those are just a few of the glorious blogs out there that bring inspirational Christian literature to the forefront. I hope you enjoy them!
I hope the coming weeks bring you joy and peace in the Lord, and that we all take the time to pause in the busy holiday rush to enjoy His blessings.
Katy
Wednesday, November 11
Stirrin' it up with Stacey
I will be taking a break this week and possibly next. I am in the thick of it with catering a wedding on the 21 of November. Things have gotten a bit crazy around here! I am trying to keep everything in order and posting a recipe at this point does not fit into the plans. When I next post it will be pics of the event I am catering. Last night I made over 200 peanut butter cups as favors for the wedding. I am also doing the rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow I will be boxing up all of those pb cups. I have a few more trays of pb cups to make.
So until next week I wish you all a very wonderful rest of the week and a blessed day!
Stacey
Wednesday, November 4
Stirrin' It Up With Stacey
Today I am going to post my Mother in-law's Beef Stroganoff. This is a tasty treat, and my kids absolutely love it. It is one of my most favorite comfort foods. The best part is, how easy it is to prepare!!!! That makes me happy.
I serve this with a green salad, and a loaf of french bread, and call it good. Prep time is less than 10 minutes in the morning, and then you have about 10-15 minutes of prep before serving.
Easy Beef Stroganoff
1 package beef stew meat (fresh or frozen)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
pinch of garlic powder
salt and pepper
8 oz. sour cream
egg noodles cooked
Turn crockpot on low setting if you will be gone all day and then load in the meat and soup, no need to stir....add about 1/2 cup water, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cover and let cook all day long. Before serving cook egg noodles and drain, set aside. Stir sour cream into the mixture in the crockpot, serve over hot noodles.
Don't forget the salad and the french bread to round out this meal.
I love the rich wonderful taste this recipe delivers...perfect for a busy fall evening!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Blessings to you and yours,
Stacey
Tuesday, November 3
Nose in a Book Tuesdays - The Centurion's Wife
This week, our nose is in biblical fiction. It has been a few years since I have read a book by Janette Oke or Davis Bunn, but I enjoyed the last books I read by them and hoped this joint effort by these two authors would be equally enjoyable.
The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn and Janette OkeI wasn't sure what to expect, but once I realized who the characters in the story were, I became quite interested. Leah is the niece of Pontius Pilate, who is working as a servant in his household until he arranges a favorable marriage for her. She learns she is to be betrothed to a Roman centurion named Alban, a natural leader with strong ambitions. Alban also turns out to be the Roman soldier who had sought out Jesus to heal his dying servant (from Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10). I found these choices for main characters to be very creative and interesting.
After Jesus's crucifiction Pilate thought he had washed his hands of the whole affair. But when he learns that Jesus's grave has been unsealed and the body is missing, he begins to worry that the Jews are planning a revolt. He decides to use Alban, who has a good relationship with the Jews in the area, to try and find out what is going on, requiring him to learn what happened to Jesus's body before he can marry Leah. Leah is not thrilled about the idea of marrying, but she has little choice as Pilate chose to use her marriage to his advantage. Pilate's wife, Procula, is also worried about what the Jews are planning and sends Leah to find Jesus's disciples to try to learn what she can. So, both Leah and Alban are trying to learn the same information, unaware of what the other is doing until near the end of the book. In the process, they begin to question all they thought they knew and come to believe that what Jesus's followers are saying is true.
Until next week, many blessings to you and yours!
Katy
Friday, October 30
Fridays are for Families
Take some time to watch them all! I am sure there is one that will fit your FAMILY!
Family Song - Laurie Berkner Band
We are Family - Jordan Pruitt
Big House- Audio Adrenaline
Creed - Rich Mullins
Family Time - Ziggy Marley
Thursday, October 29
Thursday Give Away!
Now, you may think eye masks aren't for you, I say give it a shot! You maybe surprised! . If you still think its not for you, why not enter the contest and win it to keep for that friend down the road who just had a baby, or surgery and needs to sleep during the day or with a light on at night? I'm telling you girls, if you don't fall in love with using it someone else you know will!
Wednesday, October 28
Stirrin' It Up With Stacey

They are made using heart shaped cookies, decorated with a royal icing. Make sure you get some meringue powder at your local craft store before starting these cookies. It runs about $4 a can at Michael's. The icing recipes are included in the can. You will need powdered sugar and food coloring as well. I used the gel neon colors for these cookies. If you go to Sally beauty supply you can get the hair color applicator bottles for about $1.89 each. They have a fine tip for decorating your cookies. Some of the walmarts carry decorating bottles in the wilton section I saw them yesterday for $2/2 pack. Fill your bottles with icing and get ready to have some fun.
If you use the meringue powder your icing will set up dry and hard so you can bag them up.
add a sweet tag and use them as favors....
We had a blast making these cookies! When we handed them out the Ladies had just as much fun choosing the ones they wanted to take home. We even had a few of the ladies request to take a set to their husbands. Wouldn't that have been a sweet addition to someones lunch box? LOL!
I use this method for decorating all of our christmas cookies. You might want to try out a recipe for this kind of icing before you start on your cookies this year. Maybe practice for Thanksgiving, write some messages on some leaf shaped cookies or something along those lines. Practice getting your icing to the right consistency for flooding and outlining. Or something inbetween that you are comfortable with.
This is considered the cookie that started it all.... Last year my friend and I were making sugar cookies for Christmas and I came up with this design. After that it was nothing more than a friendly competion to see who could make the most outlandish design to impress the other! We had so much fun, and the memories I will cherish for a very long time.
The kids had a great time helping with these as well! The decorating bottles help to make this a very kid friendly project!!!!
The cookie above in the middle does not say "mercy" it says "merry" we just carried away with the tail on our "y". We still laugh about the cookie that says Mercy....
I hope you enjoy this project! Now get out there and make some memories!!!
Until next week,
Blessings to you and yours,
Stacey



