Yummy Soy Wax Christmas Candle + Nordic Reindeer Hotpad

 I'm in love with scented candles from small businesses, and I just bought this sweet 9 oz candle called Joyful in person at a consignment and tea boutique called Festivitea in Colorado Springs. I couldn't resist lighting it as soon as I got home and I grabbed this red Nordic Reindeer hotpad as background for the photo!Color me thrilled to find that this candle artisan also has an Etsy shoppe,...

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Christian Christmas Reads Haul!

 It's that time of year again!Well, technically I'm a little bit late, but better late than never when it comes to buying some new Christmas Reads, which I did and am waiting to arrive in the mail!If you're looking for an amazing source of Christian (or clean) Christmas fiction then I highly recommend browsing through the Christmas Fiction section of Christianbook.com. I love that website so...

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Excited about the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series!

For numerous reasons, I’m absolutely stoked about HBO’s new Harry Potter series that’s in development! I love magic and fantasy and epic adventures, and stories starring children as the leads. That goes way back to my childhood and has carried on well into my adult years. But, I’m not really a fan of the Harry Potter movies. In fact, I haven’t watched them in years. With a few exceptions, the films...

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Desiring a Husband but no Kids

Jun//Getty ImagesIt seems to be a controversial statement in conservative Christian culture to want a husband, but not want kids.My primary response to people who are upset at the concept is "why do you care?!"It actually is my body, and I do have my own personal reasons for why I don't want kids, my age being foremost in my mind now since I've turned 40. I believe it's called a geriatric pregnancy...

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Paid Vacation Days: Finland vs. the US

Oh my gosh, America is so bad at this! I'm now appalled that the US government doesn't have mandatory paid vacation days. In case you're wondering what I'm talking about, here's the gist.Both Finland and Sweden employed persons are allotted between 5 and 6 WEEKS of paid vacation time every year. This vacation time is mandatory, and to that I say, yes please, absolutely require me to take time...

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Book Review: The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews (2024)

 Official SynopsisLady Anne Deveril doesn’t spook easily. A woman of lofty social standing known for her glacial beauty and starchy opinions, she’s the unofficial leader of her small group of equestriennes. Since her mother’s devastating plunge into mourning six years ago, Anne voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely...

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Household Facelift Time - Painting a Wall Green

My newly painted green wall and my cat basking in the attentionMy sister and I are women of very eclectic tastes, preferring warm tones instead of cool tones, gold and bronze instead of silver, and one thing we've noticed is that we've gotten really tired of having off-white walls in our house. Off-white walls are boring and they show every single weird ding or mark or bump in our drywall. Because,...

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Book Review: The Visitation by Frank E Peretti (1999)

Official Goodreads SummaryTravis Jordan, a widower and burned-out pastor, hoped to disappear into the quiet, unassuming town of Antioch, Washington. Then a man claiming to be the new Christ arrives, performing miracle after miracle, and the national spotlight soon follows.As the town escalates in its religious fervor, Travis must battle with his own questions about his faith and the increasing extremism...

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Canceling the Children's Literature Party

Well, turns out I have a few unexpected commitments that came up in April, one of which will include 10 days of traveling for work (I am quite excited about that, actually, since it's an overseas trip!). Plus, well, as I'm sure ya'll have noticed, I just haven't been very active on this blog for the last 9 months or so. I think I need to be more active before I try to host anything. It just makes...

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We Love Sibling Stories Week Tag

Today is the final day in Rachel's We Love Sibling Stories Week! It's been fun to celebrate on her blog and I encourage my readers to go over and play some of the games and such that she's put together and, of course, read the posts that others have done about their favorite sets of siblings!Here are my answers to her delightful tag. I've enjoyed seeing the variety of responses that people have shared! The...

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Dark Tales: Collection of Short Stories by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson is one of those authors that readers either love or hate. I've only read one of her novels and loved it for its psychologically dark premise. I'll let you guess which one it was. This collection of short stories, published as Dark Tales, has what I consider a mix of her work. Some of the stories sucked me in completely while others just had me rolling my eyes, either because of a non-ending,...

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