Book Giveaway Winner

Wahoo!! Echo has won my giveaway this month! Thanks for commenting folks! I have a better plan for my next giveaway that I think will get more attention. 

Congrats Echo! 

Baby Shower Diaper Cake and Decorations

I recently was invited to join in throwing a baby shower for a friend and I was the lucky one who got to decorate! I had to do a bit of research ( I don't have any kids and haven't been to a baby shower in years). I decided to attempt at making a diaper cake because they are cute and my friend specifically asked for diapers. The party was a jungle theme because that is how they decorated little man's room so I spun it off of that.

I visited Pinterest to look at different types of diaper cakes and decor, but had a limited time and budget.

I got some diapers and if I do this again I would say it is easier to use larger diapers, I used itty bitty ones and that made it more difficult.

I wanted to use ribbon to tie around the outside and was blown away with how little ribbon there is on a roll from Wal-mart! Get extra ribbon if you think you will use it.

Rubber bands is what was suggested that I use and it worked out because I bunched rolls of diapers then put a rubber band around them to keep them from unrolling.

I forgot until the last minute that I would need something to set my cake on (silly me!). I used a piece of cardboard from the bottom of a box and wrapped it in tissue paper and it turned out perfectly!

I wish I would have taken pictures of the entire process but sadly I did not. It took me awhile to get it just right, but for you creative types it would be super simple!

Oh! Also you will need the right topper! I made a mistake with mine and ordered my stuffed animal online, it ended up being way smaller than I wanted.

So here is my finished product:

I bought some baby stuff to add to it, as you can see it's not perfect but it worked!


Another gal did the food and I think she did fantastic! Do you see that watermelon?!

It was a fun time! I have lots of ideas for when I have a little one in the way future.

The Deposit Slip Book Review

This book looked enticing simply because of the cover. Yes, I admit it, I chose a book simply by the cover. This is Todd Johnson's first novel and it is a Legal Thriller.

I am not a legal person, and sometimes I just don't get all of the language and whatnot that goes on within a legal system. Honestly this book was really difficult for me to read. The story line is terrific and characters are decently creative. It took me a long time to "get into" the book and I had to force myself to read the rest of it. All of this sounds bad but the writing is decent and I'm sure many people would be interested in this type of thriller, just not me.

The story is about Erin who discovers her deceased father's deposit slip with ten million dollars on it that no one seems to know anything about. No one is willing to take on the case because of the many issues that go on until Jared Neaton steps into the scene. As the story weaves throughout multiple people's lives, secrets are discovered and the truth revealed at the end.

"I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for this review. This is my honest opinion of the book."

Understanding World Religions Book Review

Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day by Garry R. Morgan is a very interesting read. I took a class where we learned all about different religions and different countries and this book didn't go anywhere near that class. If I hadn't taken the class, this book would be more appealing to me. So, looking at it as someone who has never read anything about different religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, Hinduism, and Christianity, this book would be appealing. The chapter about "Catholic Christianity" I didn't necessarily agree with, as with such books it's difficult to agree with everything that is written.

Each chapter is written about a different religion after an introduction and explanation. This would be a good book for those who want a brief overview on different beliefs. For those who want to look into one particular religion or further information, I would look elsewhere.

"I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for this review. This is my honest opinion of the book."

Be Still My Soul Book Review

Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof is simply splendid. This is Joanne's first novel and I was completely blown away with her dialogue, humor, characters, and setting. The story is set in the Appalachian mountains and brings two very different people together. Lonnie and Gideon end up forced into an unwanted marriage that flips their lives around. Gideon decides they must leave the town. Neither Gideon or Lonnie have any desire to like one another and rarely get along until an unexpected stranger arrives and offers them hope and guidance.


I could not put this book down it's a great story that I'm sure I could read again. The author has a great sense of humor and really adds color to her characters. I can't wait to read more from Joanne Bischof!

You can read the first chapter over here.

Check out Joanne's website. 

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. This is my honest opinion of the book."

August Book Giveaway!!

I'm doing another book giveaway! Bees in the Butterfly Garden by Maureen Lang: A Gilded Legacy Novel. This book has a creative plot and the cover is beautiful!

Here is a link to the author's website where you can read about Maureen and get the info behind her books.

In order to participate all you have to do is comment below with your opinion on how a book attracts your attention. Do you pick up a book because of the cover? Author? Genre?

The giveaway will start Thursday August 23 and end Thursday August 30. 

I will announce the winner on September 1st!

Quick Update

I have been busy this week preparing decorations for my friends baby shower this weekend! I made a diaper cake and hopefully everything will turn out good. I will take pictures and give opinions an diaper cake making.

Also, I will be posting another book giveaway in the next week!

Civil War Reenactment- Lone Jack, Missouri

This past weekend Chance and I drove to Lone Jack, Missouri for a Civil War reenactment. It's been 150 years since the battle of Lone Jack so it was a more popular year.

Lone Jack is near Lee's Summit which is a big city compared to Lone Jack's small town. I was not able to participate personally in the reenactment so I stayed in a hotel and Chance camped.

Chance is a Union Private and was all dressed and ready to fight!

Needless to say it was very exciting! The cannons were really loud, they accidentally broke a window in the house because of the cannon's effect. Chance fought most of the battle but ended up "dying" in the end.

There were tons of people there but I was able to get there early and hold my spot and I knew the battle plans before they played out! That is a perk that comes with being the wife of a Union Private!

It is a beautiful place that reminded me a bit of Kentucky with the trees, fields, and fences.

Hopefully the next reenactment I will be able to dress up and play a part as well!

Corpus Christi Adventures

After visiting San Antonio we drove down to Corpus Christi and stayed for a few days. The first day we didn't do much and were a tad lazy, though we did go to one of my favorite books stores and ended up bringing a suitcase full of books home with us.

One of the first days there we went to visit the USS Lexington, which we both enjoyed! 

 We saw this little sea turtle when we walked out on the pier!

 This was his first time at the beach. It was so fun.

We were able to see the last turtle release of the season one morning. Little sea turtles are so cute!

We also were able to visit the Aquarium which was way cool because my aunt's neighbor works there and we got to go behind the scenes! I don't have any pictures of this but it was neat to see how they do things behind those huge fish tanks. We go to look down into one of the tanks with the sharks swimming and fish and turtles. Also got to see baby stingrays, alligators, fish, seahorses, and sharks!

Eating good food was a top priority and we ate fresh shrimp, crab, and sushi!

We spent another day at the beach and ran through the water, but I didn't take my camera because I've ruined one camera at the beach before. 

Sorry there aren't more pictures but these give you the general idea.

San Antonio Adventures

Our latest adventure took us to San Antonio, Texas where we stayed for two days after flying into the city. I have been there a few times before but Chance hadn't so it was all the more fun to be with someone seeing everything for the first time. The main thing that we wanted to do was see the Alamo and the Riverwalk which are right next to each other downtown.

We ended up meeting my Aunt and her husband and staying on the 12th floor of a hotel not too far from downtown. We were able to walk to everything which was good because driving there is rather hectic and no parking.

 This was a church we ran into on one of our walks that supposedly has buried many people who died at the Alamo. It is rather difficult to know who these people are considering the circumstances surrounding their death, that is why it is unsure. The church is beautiful. 

The Alamo is unique though my favorite part is the grounds around the building itself. The Riverwalk is also a neat place to walk along though it was crowded it was still nice.

We also discovered that there are multiple missions in San Antonio that are more authentic than what is left of the Alamo. These were a grand discovery!

We also ate delicious Mexican and BBQ food while in San Antonio!


Needless to say we were very busy for those two days we stayed in the city and were ready to head to Corpus Christi and the beach.

Next up-Corpus Christi adventures!

Almost Amish Book Review

Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman is about two families that end up being on a reality TV show about the "simple life" based on Amish traditions. The characters are wonderful and portray typical family life, struggles, and joy. The families have a summer to prove to the world what simple living is like and it brings out the best in personalities.

The plot and idea of this story is genius and very creative. I had no idea what this book was really going to be about and it turned out way better than expected! I also really enjoyed how Christ was a big part of this story. This is a great read that I couldn't put down. I will be looking for more books by this author.

If you haven't heard of this author check out her site.

"I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for this review"

God Gave Us Love Book Review

God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren is a wonderful children's book that talks about God's love. The story is about Little Cub and Grandpa having a talk about loving others even when we don't really feel like it. Bergren brings up the questions that youngsters ask and answers them in a Biblical easy to understand matter. The illustrations fill up the entire page and is very cute.

I will be reading this to my kids someday!

Check out the authors' website.
Here is a link to more info about the book.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."