Laura V. Hilton's Blog, page 145

Psalms 37:4

Philippians 4;13 / January 2014 new releases

New Releases: January 2014Posted on January 2, 2014 by ACFWJanuary 2014 New ReleasesMore in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Contemporary Romance: Mommy Wanted  by Renee Andrews –A Mother’s Hope Three years ago, Kate Wydell made a big mistake: she ran away, leaving her baby daughter behind. Now Kate’s back in the small Alabama town, desperate to make amends. But she’s afraid to reveal who she is. Especially since her new boss, a widowed father of young girls, is the kind of parent, the kind of person, Kate hopes to be. Mitch Gillespie sings lullabies and teaches his daughters how to be their best. With every passing day, Kate falls harder for him. But once Mitch knows her secret, will she lose him-and her deepest wish-forever? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin]) The Rancher’s Secret Son  by Betsy St. Amant — When her troubled teenage son is sent to Camp Hope, Emma Shaver is thrilled and relieved. The therapy horse ranch in Broken Bend, Louisiana, is well-known for giving at-risk teens a new lease on life. There’s just one problem-it’s owned by her old high school sweetheart, Max Ringgold, who doesn’t know he’s her son’s father. Emma didn’t plan on facing her past to ensure her son’s future. But when old feelings for Max resurface, Emma must decide if she will reveal the truth to him and restore her family for good. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin]) Historical Romance: With Autumn’s Return  by Amanda Cabot –An idealistic lady doctor and an opinionated attorney find love and adventure in nineteenth century Cheyenne, WY. (Historical Romance from Revell – A Division of Baker Publishing Group) A Match Made in Texas  by Mary Connealy, Karen Witemeyer, Carol Cox, Regina Jennings– In the small town of Dry Gulch, Texas, a good-hearted busybody just can’t keep herself from surreptitiously trying to match up women in dire straits with men of good character she hopes can help them. How is she to know she’s also giving each couple a little nudge toward love? (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker] Publishing) The Quaker and the Rebel  by Mary Ellis — When a conductor on the Underground Railroad crosses paths with a Rebel Ranger, everyone expected sparks to fly, but sometimes love is more powerful than any army…North or South. (Historical Romance from Harvest House Publishers) Shadowed by Grace: A Story of Monuments Men  by Cara Putman — Desperate to save her dying mother, Rachel accepts her newspaper’s assignment to travel to Italy to capture images dangerously close to the front lines of WWII. Her real motive – to find the father she never knew — an artist she hopes can offer the comfort and support both she and her mother need to survive. It’s an unlikely situation for love and faith to flourish, but soon Rachel not only finds herself, but also her long-lost earthly father, and ultimately, the man her Heavenly father created to cherish and provide for her. (Historical Romance from B&H Publishing) Romantic Suspense: Crossfire (Love Inspired Suspense)  by Jodie Bailey — After he couldn’t save her brother, army first sergeant Josh Walker isn’t about to let anything happen to Andrea Donovan. Josh may have saved her from one attack, but drug smugglers are desperate to get information about one of Andrea’s patients-a patient who’s disappeared without a trace. Despite the danger, the beautiful counselor refuses to hand over confidential files. Now Josh and Andrea have no choice but to battle on for their lives-and their love-or they’ll be the latest casualty to get caught in the crossfire. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin]) No One to Trust  by Lynette Eason — Summer Abernathy wakes up one morning to find her husband missing, three men in her home intent on finding him, and the life she’s been living based on a lie. (Romantic Suspense from Revell – A division of Baker Publishing Group) Beowulf: Explosives Detection Dog  by Ronie Kendig — Former Navy handler Timbrel Hogan has more attitude than her Explosives Detection Dog, Beowulf, but she’s a tough woman who gets the job done. Green Beret Tony “Candyman” VanAllen likes a challenge and convincing the hard-hitting handler they belong together might just get him killed. When tragedy strikes and Tony’s career is jeopardized, Timbrel must re-evaluate her life and priorities-and fast because a terrorist plots to unleash a weapon of mass destruction on American soil. Can Timbrel and Beowulf track the chemicals in time? Will Tony surrender everything to save the woman nobody wants to love-except him? (Romantic Suspense from Barbour Publishing) Frame-Up  by Jill Elizabeth Nelson — When a pair of murders link them as prime suspects, a single mom and a reformed bad boy must team up to prove their innocence before they become the killer’s next victims. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Psalm 91:11

Today is my birthday!

“For by ME, your days will be multiplied, and years of LIFE will be added to you.” 
Pro. 9:11

Jeremiah 29:11

Job 19;25 / crab spread recipe

Crab Spread Recipe photo by Taste of HomeCrab Spread RecipeTOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 20 min
a favorite at our house for New Years Eve.MAKES: 8 servingsIngredients1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened1 can (6 ounces) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed2 tablespoons mayonnaise1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning1/4 teaspoon minced garlicPaprikaKeebler® Toasteds® Crackers orvegetablesDirectionsIn a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. To serve chilled, cover and refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with paprika.To serve warm, spoon into a greased 3-cup baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 15 minutes or until heated through. Serve with crackers or vegetables. Yield: 2 cups.Originally published as Crab Spread in Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2004, p28
Nutritional Facts1/4 cup (calculated without crackers or vegetables) equals 146 calories, 13 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 51 mg cholesterol, 218 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 7 g protein.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Acts 1:8

Proverbs 3:6

A Teenage Pregnancy by Robin Jones Gunn / Luke 2:13-14

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!



Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.



We’re giving away a pearl necklace in celebration of the holidays, as well as some items from the contributors! Enter now below. The winner will be announced on January 2, 2014, at the Pearl Girls blog.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl, Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace , or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.



***

A Teenage Pregnancy
by Robin Jones Gunn
It was early, early morning, that delicate time of day just before sunrise when it seems as if all of creation is still asleep.



In the cold, gray light she gazed at the infant in her arms. He was less than an hour old and so, so small. Instinct prompted her to draw her newborn close that he might feel the rhythm of her heart. He curled his tiny hand around her finger and she smiled. His eyes closed, and with feathered breath he gave way to the blessed sleep that follows such a long journey.



In weary awe she studied his face, his ears, his nose. He was here. He had come at last.



A single tear fell from her eye and rolled across his cheek. She kissed the tear away but could not kiss away the memories that came with the tears; memories of the day she found out she was pregnant. How exhilarated she felt and yet how terrified. She was young, and there was much she didn’t understand.



Trying to justify her condition to her parents proved more difficult than she’d hoped. But the most excruciating memory was the moment she stood guileless before the man she hoped to one day marry. She had no words to make him understand the awful truth—the child she carried was not his.



Leaving seemed to be her only option. A gracious aunt took her in and welcomed her with open arms. From the moment she arrived she was showered with motherly words of hope and sisterly touches of love. Week by week, month by month, the child inside her grew.



Was it a miracle when she returned home, her belly round, her face flushed, and found him there?



What prompted this man to take her back and make her his bride? Did he now believe what she had tried to explain all along, that none of this was her own doing?



When the time was right they left their small town together, as husband and wife, with her due date rapidly approaching. The labor began—tightening her abdomen with a force she had never before imagined. Perspiration streamed from her forehead. The contractions multiplied with a frenzied urgency until the need to push overwhelmed her young body, and the baby was born.



Nothing of the past mattered anymore. He was here. Naked, perfect, quivering in her arms. With a thrill of hope, she believed that her life, her world, would never be the same.



Now as the first silver streaks of dawn pierced through the cracks in the stable, she tenderly wrapped her sleeping babe in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger.






***
Robin Jones Gunn, bestselling author of the much-loved Christy Miller Series and the award-winning Sisterchicks® series, has had more than 4.5 million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her frequent speaking engagements have taken her around the globe. Robin and her husband live in Hawaii and have a grown son and daughter. You can learn more at Robin's website.a Rafflecopter giveaway