Not So Many Words Wednesday

Ever so often, something interesting happens to pop  up in my life.

What interesting things pop up in your life?

Photo Challenge~ The Beauty of Autumn... Extended

Readers, I have decided to extend The Beauty of Autumn photo challenge for another week. I have already received so many amazing entries, but I wanted to give as many people a chance to enter as I could. Thank you all for entering. 

P.s. Don't forget to tell your blogger friends about this extension.

Photo Challenge~ The Beauty of Autumn

Summer has ended and fall is taking form. Forgotten sweaters and mix-matched socks are making their way back into our wardrobes. Heartier and warmer meals are being prepared. Pencil sharpener shavings and burnt rubber erasers fill our backpacks each day as we head off to school. Leaves have turned  vibrant hues of  red, gold, and brown. Calloused leaves crunch as we walk over them.

There is evident beauty all around us and so... I've decided to host a photo challenge in honor of that beauty.

Be creative. Have fun. Breath in the crisp autumn air and snap your camera buttons for that perfect fall shot. Unleash the inner photographer within you, and snap away.

To enter:
**Link up below a fall photograph taken by you. (mandatory)

***Put my photo challenge button on your blog. (mandatory)

<center><a href="http://kiannaskorner.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd415/kianna_rose/Untitled-4-1-1.png" /></a></center>

****Blog hop around and comment on other entries. (optional)

*****Follow my blog and never miss another challenge. (optional)
******Blog about the challenge so that your friends can enter too. (optional)

After you link up your photograph(s), all you have to do now is wait. The challenge ends in three weeks. (Two weeks to link up a photograph and the last week, I will choose via RANDOM.ORG) Every good challenge needs a prize, and there is one here.

Thanks for entering.

'Twas A Beautiful Autumn Day

Autumn is by far my favorite season of all. The air is so fresh, so crisp, and filled with the sounds of leaves crunch-crunching beneath my feet.

What is your favorite thing about autumn?

You Did For Me...

"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, 

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, 

I was a stranger and you invited me in, 

I needed clothes and you clothed me, 

I was sick and you looked after me,

I was in prison and you came to visit me,

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’"

~Matthew 25:34-40

Book Review: House of Secrets

About the Book:
Bailee Cooper feels the weight of her sisters lives on her shoulders, even from her earliest childhood recollections. The question Bailee is trying to answer is why? Why does she feel like she has to protect her adult sisters?

When their father plans a trip to the family vacation home, the sisters sift through fact and fable to figure out what happened to their ill mother. How did she die? What really happened the last night of their mother's life? What desperate situation lead to the shocking choice to end a life? The three sisters unanimously decide that they need answers. The only person better fitting to answer their questions is their father. Are the three sisters ready to hear the heart-wrenching facts of their pasts? Are they willing to hear the truth? Or will they try to forget the future that may await them? 

One sister knows more than she is leading on. She is unsure whether she should tell her sisters what they deserve to know or harbor them from pain and anxiety.

Mark Delahunt shows an interest in Bailee but she is not ready for an in-depth friendship... or commitment. Did the secrets of her past ruin Bailee's ability to trust? Caught  between the past and an uncertain future, can Bailee let God guide her to healing... or will she risk losing the chance to embrace love? 

My Review:

In this review, I included many question that I myself asked while reading Tracie Peterson's novel, "House of Secrets." In every chapter, readers are confronted with a ever-twisting plot. I felt the thrill and suspense of Bailee's life while I read this book. I enjoyed the fact the the author included many biblical truths.

Bailee's life is an example of someone who is hurt by life's curve balls, blames God for all of their problems and then is in desperate need for His help. I was pained to see Bailee's resistance to God, but nearly cried a sigh of relief when she finally let Him heal her pain.

I would recommend this book to anyone in search of a thrilling and mysterious novel. The ups and downs of Bailee's life are truly entertaining and passionately written. I received this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. If you'd like to read "House of Secrets" you can purchase it from Amazon, Amazon Kindle, CBD, and CBD e-Reader. 

Recipes: Apple Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies.

Do you sometimes crave a sweet treat? Do you always have an hour to bake a cake or pie? Yes and no are my answers. After some recipe research and a bit of testing on my behalf, I've come up with a delicious soft cookie recipe.

• 2/3 cup of softened butter   
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup of flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups of uncooked quick oats
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1-2 medium sized apples

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Peel and slice your apples 

3. Mix all of your dry (sifted) ingredients. {flour, sugar, baking soda, oats and cinnamon.}

4. Add the rest of your ingredients {milk, vanilla, and butter} to your dry ingredients.

5. Add the apples to mixture.

6. Butter your cookie sheet

7. Spoon the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet leaving about and inch between each dallop

8. Place your cookie sheet into your oven and let the cookies bake for 10 minutes.

9. After 10 minutes let the cookies cool and serve with a tall glass of cold milk.

Voila! You have a fast, simple, and delicious snack.

Book Review: His Steadfast Love

(via)

"His Steadfast  Love" written by Golden Keyes Parsons is the riveting novel of young Amanda Belle. 

Life was simple for Amanda and her family, until war erupted. The Civil War. Father against son and brother against brother was the fate of America at this shameful point in her history.

Being raised southern, Amanda's family strictly believes in the south's way of life. Daniel, Amanda's younger brother, enlists in the confederate army to protect his home, rights and views. What pride the Belle's must feel for this brave young man entering into the bloody war that they hope to win! Amanda feels fear. Her mother's last wishes were for Amanda to care for her siblings when she died. How was she going to protect her brother out on the bloody battlefields? What's more, Amanda's heart is torn between her father's wishes and the man she loves. She has fallen in love with the enemy, a handsome Union soldier by the name of Kent Littlefield.

I enjoyed the richly entertaining plot of this book. Through out this read, I learned more on the Civil War period, a stain in our country's cloak of greatness. The author intelligently weaved appropriate romance and history into this book. Several questions, though, were left unanswered. A few friends of mine (Alicia and Aizess) and I agree that the author lacked to include which side Amanda Belle was really on. During the war, she seemed to sympathize with the slaves and the future that awaited them if they were freed.

I'd recommend this book to all who enjoy a well-written historical fiction novel. My reason for choosing this book, was for the fact that it covered one of my favorite eras and time in history. I received this book free from Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review. If you'd like to read this book, I can be purchased from Amazon, Amazon Kindle, CBD, and CBD e-Reader.

Operation Christmas Child

This will be the third year my family and I participate in Operation Christmas Child. This organization is run by Samaritan's Purse. Through this ministry, millions of children in the United States and around the world receive shoe box filled Christmas presents. 

I really enjoy packing gifts each year for children around the world. The first year, our shoe boxes traveled all the way to the Philippines. Last year, children from Ecuador received our boxes along with several children in Nigeria. 

Packing a shoe box is simple. If you'd like to send a shoe box or two, here are the do's and donts of shoe box packing.

Be creative and caring. Most of the children in these countries don't have the basic hygiene items that we comfortably live with. 

Scotty McCreery shows you how he packs his shoe box.

Here are a few pictures of my "shoe boxes" from last year.

Are you ready to pack your shoe box? Here are a few simple things you'll need to know before you get started.

If you can't pack a shoe box, you can still do something equally important. You can pray. Pray that the children may come to know God and the love He has for each one of them. Pray that volunteers can reach these children with no interference from the government. 

We can all be a blessing in one way or another. Will you be a blessing?