Tuesday, November 22, 2011
20 Weeks
Over the Rhine
Friday night found us once again at The Triple Door. We were there for our annual Over the Rhine concert. It was such a an awesome thing to find that they make an annual trip out here each November. Last year we were able to go with our dear friend Ian. This year we attended with our good friends Matt and Erinn. It was such a fun double date! It's been so long since we've had one of those.
As I sat there, finishing my dinner and enjoying the music I was amazed at how far we've come. Ralph introduced me to Over the Rhine. We've now been married seven years. Some days, that is still shocking to me. I feel like we've only just begun. I suppose when you compare it to my grandparents almost 60 years, it really is nothing.
Over the Rhine always makes me think of our friends. They are the music we would plan parties with and create annual traditions around. Friday I was thinking about all of our dear friends some back in Dayton and some who've moved on as we have that we've enjoyed OTR with. I was also loving that here we have friends who also enjoy them and that we are able to make new traditions, memories and connections here. We are so blessed in the friendships we have.
As I sat there, finishing my dinner and enjoying the music I was amazed at how far we've come. Ralph introduced me to Over the Rhine. We've now been married seven years. Some days, that is still shocking to me. I feel like we've only just begun. I suppose when you compare it to my grandparents almost 60 years, it really is nothing.
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| OTR @ The Triple Door November 2011 |
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| A blast from the past! From the first OTR concert we went to together! It was one of the Christmas shows. |
Sunday, November 20, 2011
The Volga Germans
This is the second book of The Volga Flows Forever Trilogy. I was really looking forward to reading it but due to receiving it a wee bit late, have been unable to get it read in time to review. I did want to tell you about a giveaway for the first book, Catherine. Head on over and check it out! Also, just because I haven't had a chance to review it doesn't mean you can't hear about it. Check out the tour page.
About the Book The Volga Germans
The Meiningers had set out for Russia seeking to improve their lives, to escape the political and religious turmoil often surrounding their otherwise picturesque German homes and villages. They dreamed of the faraway place awaiting them. They colored the soil beneath the vast steppe rich and black in their minds ready to be tilled. And there would be a neat little house ready to receive them. In their wildest dreams, they could not have imagined what actually awaited their arrival. There were no houses, no fields nothing but grass as far as the eye could see. It was almost evening; they were hungry, wet and cold and felt like orphaned children.
The Meiningers had set out for Russia seeking to improve their lives, to escape the political and religious turmoil often surrounding their otherwise picturesque German homes and villages. They dreamed of the faraway place awaiting them. They colored the soil beneath the vast steppe rich and black in their minds ready to be tilled. And there would be a neat little house ready to receive them. In their wildest dreams, they could not have imagined what actually awaited their arrival. There were no houses, no fields nothing but grass as far as the eye could see. It was almost evening; they were hungry, wet and cold and felt like orphaned children.
These German immigrants and their descendants civilized this bleak Russian frontier, converted the harsh steppe into fields of waving grain dotted with wind-driven flour mills, and in this isolated place, developed a culture that was uniquely their own. They survived savage attacks of marauding tribes, the unpredictable often harsh climate, and the vagaries of tsarist edicts. Sigrid tells the fascinating story of these remarkable people in The Volga Germans.
The Volga Germans is the second volume in Sigrid Weidenweber’s trilogy The Volga Flows Forever. Catherine, the first volume, brings to life the fascinating historical character of Catherine the Great who invited her native countrymen to settle the Russian frontier. In the final volume, From Gulag to Freedom, she follows the Volga Germans through the hardships of collectivization and deportation during the Soviet years to finally immigrate to the San Joaquin Valley of Central California.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Memories and Mayhem
A picture of our evening. Zita dressed in Nugget's Pooh costume, sobbing over we're not sure what.
Both girls have colds and are worn out from a busy weekend without their parents. Ralph was running media at a men's retreat and I was working. They were in the care of friends from our LifeGroup.
Nugget says out of the blue, "She's the crying-est Pooh ever." Makes me think about a conversation my Mom and a dear friend, Patty, had one day in the house I grew up in. I can still picture it. We still had the orange carpet and orange counters. Mom and Patty were sitting at the kitchen table. We somehow got onto the subject of changing a baby's diaper. I am not sure if we were talking about one of us or one of Patty's girls (she just had 2 at the time). When Patty made the comment, "She was the pee-ingest baby ever!" All of us got the giggles and laughed until we cried. Such a funny random memory. Makes me smile to this day.
It was nice to have a memory that made me smile in the midst of the tears and crankiness that surrounded us yesterday. Thought I'd share one of the happy moments of Zita playing independently. She is growing so much!
Both girls have colds and are worn out from a busy weekend without their parents. Ralph was running media at a men's retreat and I was working. They were in the care of friends from our LifeGroup.
Nugget says out of the blue, "She's the crying-est Pooh ever." Makes me think about a conversation my Mom and a dear friend, Patty, had one day in the house I grew up in. I can still picture it. We still had the orange carpet and orange counters. Mom and Patty were sitting at the kitchen table. We somehow got onto the subject of changing a baby's diaper. I am not sure if we were talking about one of us or one of Patty's girls (she just had 2 at the time). When Patty made the comment, "She was the pee-ingest baby ever!" All of us got the giggles and laughed until we cried. Such a funny random memory. Makes me smile to this day.
It was nice to have a memory that made me smile in the midst of the tears and crankiness that surrounded us yesterday. Thought I'd share one of the happy moments of Zita playing independently. She is growing so much!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
A Lasting Impression
This book was provided by LitFuse Publicity in exchange for my honest review.
This was such a fun book to read! I could not put it down. I honestly can't remember the last time I read a book set in the Civil War era. For awhile, it seemed every book I came across was using either the Civil War or one of the World Wars for their setting. It got to be where I just started avoiding them. This book caught my eye, however. If you're looking for a fun, light hearted book with a good message this is it. The story is enjoyable and the love story is very sweet. The themes that would naturally follow a Civil War era book are present but not the focus of this book. The characters have their own stories to share. It prominently features one of my favorite coffee drinks, cafe au lait. That's always a win in my world.
I do not believe I have read anything else by Tamera Alexander. I am now curious about her other books and will have to look them up. If you haven't ready anything by her either, I recommend starting with this one. Thanks for the great read, Tamera!
About the book:
A fake. A forger. More than anything, Claire Laurent longs for the chance to live an authentic life, to become the woman she wants to be. And she'll be given that choice. But will it come at too costly a price?
Claire Laurent's greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she's forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville only a year after the War Between the States has ended, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe. She considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But after he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she's sorely misjudged the man. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville's society, Claire believes her dream to create a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach--but only if her fraudulent past remains hidden.
The Federal Army has destroyed Sutton's home and confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family's honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him and to right a grievous wrong reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined--as well as the woman he loves.Set at Nashville's historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, A Lasting Impression is a sweeping love story about a nation mending after war, the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves--and each other--for who they really are.
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About Tamera:
Tamera Alexander is a best-selling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in Nashville Tennessee, along with their two adult children who live near by. And don't forget Jack, their precious--and precocious--silky terrier.
For more information please visit www.tameraalexander.com
Link to buy the book:
About the contest:
Kindle Fire Giveaway and Facebook Party from Tamera Alexander!While Tamera and her book, A Lasting Impression, are traveling across the country virtually
(with a few international stops as well!), she will be hosting a Kindle
Fire Giveaway (11/4 - 11/15) and preparing for a lavish Southern-Style Facebook Party (11/15) (dripping with hospitality, of course). She will be giving away Southern Food Baskets, books, and an array of other fabulous freebies! Don't miss a minute of the fun. Swoon!
Read what the reviewers are saying here.
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A Brand New Kindle Fire (shipped as soon as it releases)
- A copy of A Lasting Impression and 3 other special books Tamera wants you to have (for Kindle)
Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on the 15th!
Friday, November 04, 2011
Catherine
This book was provided by Media Guests in exchange for my honest review
I must admit I was so excited to read this book. The first chapter captivated me. In fact, the whole first half of the book captivated me. Catherine the Great was someone I remember reading about in history. I could not really remember that much about her. I was intrigued to learn more about her in this engaging format (more engaging than as straight up history book).
However, I felt the book climaxed shortly after she was crowned. After that, I felt like it just drug through her reign. Yes, lots of things happened, many wars, etc but it felt purposeless after the struggle of getting her to the throne. The last chapter or so right before she died were also very interesting. However, there was a lot of book between those two parts.
I'm hoping the other 2 books in this Volga Flows Forever Triology flow a little better (pardon the pun).
About the Book: Catherine: Inside the Heart and Mind of a Great Monarch…
“You look astonishingly pretty,” admits Johanna when Sophia steps out of her bedroom dressed in Ulrika’s magnificent gown. Sophia is stunned, halting in mid-step. This is rare praise from her cold mother, so she must, indeed, look very good. At Frederick’s side during the elaborate court dinner, Sophia shines and sparkles with youth and wit. The monarch is very pleased with his choice. Indeed, he is so enamored with the girl that he opens his purse to outfit mother and daughter, both woefully deficient in material matters appropriate for court life.
So begins the transformation of Princess Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst into Catherine the Great of Russia. The personal and professional triumphs and tribulations of this remarkable woman are retold by Sigrid Weidenweber, whose research into the life of Catherine reveals a new perspective on Catherine, from the inside out. Sigrid portrays with heartfeld understanding what it was like to have been such a major European political and military, social and cultural figure during the eighteenth century.
Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/
About Sigrid Weidenweber: Born in Germany in 1941, Sigrid Weidenwber remembers the horrific aftermath of fascism. At the end of the war, she found herself living under communism. After the Berlin Wall was built, she managed to escape the repressive environment with the help of friends and a French passport. To this day she does not speak French.
She holds degrees in medical technology, psychology and an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Concordia University of Portland, Oregon for her trilogy “The Volga Flows Forever.” In her trilogy she brings to life Catherine the Great in her multiple roles as monarch, woman, lover, mother, grandmother and head of the general staff of the army, in Volume one. The following two historical volumes deal with the Volga Germans brought to Russia by Catherine’s edict.
Three years ago she moved to Santa Rosa Valley, California from Portland Oregon. She has passionately embraced California together with her family that also resides here.
Visit the Author’s Website
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