Autumn's Going Strong--and GIVEAWAY!

Do you love the fall? What's your favorite season?

We've lived in Ohio for 19 years. For most of those years I've looked forward to September since it was always my favorite month, weather-wise. 

I now realize that October in Ohio equals September on Long Island. (It only took me a decade and a half to get it!) But now I know. My favorite month, weather-wise, is  OCTOBER. 

How about you?  Leave a comment telling me your favorite season or month and why, and I'll enter you in a drawing for a free DVD, "Becoming Jane." (Christmas season doesn't count--we're talking weather-wise--unless that season's weather is your favorite.) For a bonus entry, send a friend to the blog! When she/he mentions you, you'll get another entry. 

DRAWING ENDS NOVEMBER 9

"Becoming Jane" stars Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy, and I found it delightful. I don't necessarily like it when filmmakers play with Jane Austen's life, but this flick works. It's both intelligent and joyful. 

Unlike "Miss Austen Regrets"--another film supposedly about Jane's life--this script did well at capturing Jane's sense of fun as well as her sharp wit. "Miss Austen Regrets" missed the mark, showing Jane as a bitter spinster, when in fact, her letters and even her books do not convey a sense of personal bitterness. 

Admittedly, there are letters we've never seen, as Jane's sister destroyed many of them. But Jane was writing until only a few months before her death, and I just don't get a sense of bitterness in what she left us. 

This is a great DVD to have in one's collection of period flicks!  

  But first, enjoy another Autumn poem.

 Bits and Pieces

By Joan Leotta

Cool, crisp air and its brilliant

fire hues

are hard to find where

heat simmers until well

into December.

Here, long still-hot

days of October and November

allow early darkness to eat

out the green,

leaving mottled brown

arrayed on branches until

storms wash them

down onto my lawn.

Yet, now and again,

bits and pieces of

autumn glory appear—

a vine, a baby tree hiding

in my palmetto grass,

burst into red

or bright yellow,

defying heat,

                                                                    proclaiming, 

“Fall is here.”

Joan Leotta is an award-winning writer and spoken word performer who lives on the North Carolina coast. Her chapbook, Languid Lusciousness with Lemon is available on Amazon. Please check out her blog, What Editors Want You to Know at www,JoanLeotta.wordpress.com

"Bits and Pieces" originally published in RPG Digest; used by courtesy of E.B.(Gene) Alston, and the author. 

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the drawing! 

AVAILABLE NOW: The Pulse Effex Box Set!

SAVE 50% OFF THE PRICE OF INDIVIDUAL BOOKS

Please note: Due to mailing costs, giveaway is for US residents only, sorry. International commenters can win an ebook, choosing from any of my books.  

The Mad, Mad, World Giveaway Winner!

Much thanks to all of you for your marvelous comments in this giveaway--such fun!

Using random.org, the winner drawn is CAT WILKE. 

Congratulations, Cat!

Please choose a book from my regency series:  

Stay tuned next week as I share "The Metamorphosis of a Novel" and run another giveaway.

I'll be showing the various editions of my first novel, telling a little "behind the scenes" info. about each one. I'll hold another drawing for a free book. 

In the meantime, if you haven't seen the hilarious comments from the original post, take a look. (It will give you a chuckle or two.)

See you soon!

Linore
http://www.LinoreBurkard.com
http://www.LRBurkard.com

No-Bake Brownies and Healthy Mini-Cakes

I promised to begin posting some of our favorite healthy desserts, so today I have two for you. Both recipes fit the bill for when you need something sweet, but don't want to sabotage your healthy eating lifestyle.

 

The Brownies are of the gooey sort; if you like yours more like cake, this may not be the recipe for you. (You could always add 1/4 cup of almond flour to the recipe and see if that makes it more cake-like, but I haven't tried it so I don't know if it will.) 

 

One of my daughters is a true chocaholic and these brownies pass her taste test AND satisfy her chocolate cravings, yet they're free of refined sugar and white flour--I call that a winning recipe. :)

Raw (No-Bake) Brownies & Frosting

1 cup walnuts

1 cup dates, softened

1/4 cup cacao powder, preferably raw

1/4 tsp vanilla 

 

Place walnuts, dates, cacao and vanilla in a food processor and process until a ball of dough forms. (Process well--until smooth)

Place brownie batter into an 8 x 8 in. baking dish and press down to form a consistent thickness.

Frosting  

1/4 cup raw cacao powder

1/4 cup coconut oil, (liquid)

 

Mix cacao and coconut oil by hand or in blender until emulsified. Frost brownie. Freeze for 10 minutes and then cut into squares and enjoy! 

The following recipe would work as a donut if you have the pan for it. If not, just make muffins as we do.  The glaze topping is optional, but it adds a wonderful touch. You won't believe how sweet it tastes--with no sugar!

Paleo Mini-Cakes (Muffins)

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

Mix all together. Bake in muffin cups @ 350 F. for 10-15 minutes, or until brown. Add glaze topping. (optional)

 

Glaze Topping

1 banana

2 Tablespoons milk

 

Microwave 30 seconds and then mash up banana and milk. Add another dash of milk, if necessary, to bring to glaze consistency. Use a knife or pastry brush to glaze muffin tops. 

 

You could also sprinkle cinnamon or chopped nuts, (or even chocolate mini-chips) over the tops of muffins after glazing, if desired.  My favorite is finely chopped nuts.   

In a hurry? 

If you absolutely must have something sweet but don't have time to make something, my go-to solution is organic dark chocolate. Trader Joe's has some good selections. A small piece of chocolate, which I sometimes slather peanut-butter over, is a craving-quencher that is very low on sugar but high in antioxidants.  You may be surprised to find that one or two bitefuls is really enough to give you that feeling of having indulged in something decadent, but without the guilt. Try it!

Giveaway Still Going On

Don't forget that the giveaway of Inspiring Women of the Faith is still going on. Leave a comment to be entered. Each comment counts as one entry.

 

How Kids Think

WE HAVE A WINNER  Did you enter the drawing for the beautiful romantic cupcake set I'm giving away? If so, the winner announcement follows this post, so read on!

How Kids Think

Any mom knows how tough it is to keep the whole family happy when it comes to food on the table, or even in the cupboards, for that matter. I try my darndest not to run out of the staples my husband cares most about, such as eggs, milk and cream for coffee.  But keeping the offspring happy can be tricky.

For instance, anyone following this blog knows how I've reformed my eating habits. I eat mostly organic, fresh foods, and have drastically decreased consumption of processed foods for the family. If anything, it raises the challenge of keeping happy campers because the kids need to re-learn healthy habits, too.

Kids are supposed to learn quickly, aren't they? Ha--witness the list I found on the fridge this morning: 

Older child put up the list. Youngest child added items 2 and 3: "Junk Food" and "Maccoronie"(sic)"

 The youngest knows it would be fruitless to say to me, "Mom, we need junk food!" but apparently putting it on a list is different. (I'm surprised she didn't add "Thou Shalt Buy," before her items.)

Just so you know, I sometimes DO buy food I consider "junk" because it's my fault I've raised junkies, and I don't want their transformation to healthy eating to cause withdrawal pains! (Some people consider sugar to be a drug, by the way. Sally Fallon includes information about this in Nourishing Traditions, a book I've spoken about before here on the blog. Dr. Mercola also warns about sugar as being drug-like; check out his post called "Is Sugar More Addictive than Cocaine?")

At the same time, I believe our penchant for preferring sweets is a God-given thing, so it's not all bad. Fortunately, I'm seeing my older daughter making more and  more healthy desserts, with no prodding on my part. (I'll share some of those recipes eventually.) She benefits in two ways: learning the ropes in the kitchen, (as she experiments with substituting healthy sweeteners for empty calories in white sugar) AND by discovering that eating healthy can be satisfying and yes--even sweet!

Are you trying to re-educate the youngsters in your life? How is that going for you? Maybe you're still trying to educate yourself--aren't we all! Share a comment and you'll be entered in my new drawing for the following:

  
Inspiring Women of the Faith--Stories about Sojourner Truth, Florence Nightingale, Corrie Ten Boom and many others. This is the sort of book I like my daughters to read; books that show women have always had gumption--courage--and used it for God. Recently I noticed in the Book of Chronicles, for instance, that there was a woman named Sheera who is credited with building three cities! A woman--in ancient Israel--BUILT three cities. (I'm not saying she was the actual brick-layer, but she WAS the mastermind, the architect, the visionary and director. I call THAT inspiring.)


Leave a comment and you're in the drawing for the book.

AND NOW: WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE JUNE GIVEAWAY:

   

 The winner of this lovely set (left) is MELODY, "Missionwife." 
Congratulations, Melody! Perhaps you'll find a healthy dessert recipe here or somewhere else (like Wellness Mama) so that you eat well while eating beautifully. :)
 

Welcome to the Regency!

My youngest daughter in front of a regency gown display at the Cincinnati Museum

Just for fun, I thought I'd share some illustrations from my favorite era in history to write about: The Regency, of course! If you're not familiar with this turbulent dawn of the nineteenth century in England, please check out my free PDF, "Welcome to the Regency." It will give you a fun, quick overview so that you'll understand what it means to read a "regency romance" as opposed to Victorian, or Early American, etc.

Far too often, this blog is SERIOUS, so today is just for FUN. I have an eclectic collection of period illustrations, and I'll be sharing some of my all-time faves. 

Here goes!

The "quintessential" Regency Evening Get-Together. Cards and Conversation.

The female waistline shows that this illustration is actually post-Regency (but pre-Victorian) and I love it because it is indicative of a wonderful spirit of worship which existed among the faithful during even the hedonistic Regency.

A Regency Girls' Day Out?

Headgear 1802

 Bonnets! 1812

I use the above as the background of my Twitter profile--gotta love a great bonnet!

 

 

This exquisite outfit fascinates me. The shawl is a work of art in itself.

 

 

This woman's hat looks suspiciously like a mobcap. I love it's exuberance of lace. This portrait, in fact, was the model I used to imagine the housekeeper for Mr. Mornay's residence in The House in Grosvenor Square. 

Quintessential Early Regency Style--feminine and beautiful

I have a weakness for illustrations with mothers and children. I'll do a post someday with this theme. (Btw, look how nicely the serving-man is dressed!)

Lord Grantham. A Regency hunk. :)!

A many-caped greatcoat. (I love to put one of these on any of my heroes when they're at the whip, that is, driving an equipage.)

Men's Fashions 1810

Hope you enjoyed this peek into this beautiful era. Don't forget to download my free PDF "Welcome to the Regency," if you haven't, already. 

CURRENT GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for the current giveaway:

Leave contact information in your comment, please, so I can notify you if you win! Drawing will be held on 
Sunday, June 19th, after midnight.

Sale Ends 11:59pm, Monday, June 10th!

I don't often use my blog for promotion, but this sale was too good not to share. I was pleasantly surprised to hear from my publisher (Harvest House) regarding the current sale of my regencies, as well as to receive the wonderful image (above) that they made. Isn't it pretty?

So now I know the details of the sale, and it's all good: Except it's ending 11:59PM, Monday, June 10th.

Here's the scoop:

They are available at bargain-basement prices wherever the ebooks are sold: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD.com, (The lowest price I've ever seen! Only $1.59 here!)  iTunes, etc.  (Would you believe I didn't even know they were available on iTunes? How neat.) 

A Regency Inspirational Romance Series:

Before the Season Ends – on sale for $1.99

The House in Grosvenor Square – on sale for $2.99

The Country House Courtship – on sale for $3.99

They told me, "That means your readers can get the entire series for less than $9.00, which is a really great deal."

So go get your summer reading on the cheap!

But the sale ends Monday night--please tell your friends.

 

And if you've read my books but are interested in other Christian fiction, check out the rest of the sale Harvest House is doing  by clicking HERE.  Don't go on vacation or relax this summer without a few good books! 

 NEW GIVEAWAY!

 I promised to show a picture today of this month's romantic but fun giveaway, and here it is: 

 Isn't it sweet? The set contains 24 paper cupcake cases & 24 paper cupcake toppers. The toppers read 

"love," "always," "forever," and "yours." 

Adorable!

Leave a comment telling other readers why they would want to get and read any of my books (especially now, while they're on sale!). If you've got the books or one of them but haven't read it yet, tell us what made you buy it, or what you're hoping for from the book. Just share something relevant, reader to reader and you're in the drawing for this lovely, elegant set. 

Thanks so much, and  may you find a great summer read (or two)!

Warmest Blessings,

Linore

Small print: Drawing open to US/Canada Only. People from other countries may enter, but will receive an ebook as their prize (one of my books). All winners are drawn using random.org. Drawing ends Sunday, June 16th.

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid!

One of the things I really enjoy about Nourishing Traditions is a feature in which they have a sidebar that says "Know Your Ingredients. Guess This Product." It goes on to list the ingredients of an everyday product on the shelves of the grocery store, probably an item many of us have purchased in the past.

It's sort of horrifying, first of all, to read the ingredients, but somehow fun to go to the appendix and find out what the mystery product is. Many times I've been able to guess, but there are actually products out there with so many fake "foods" and convoluted-sounding additives that the actual item is really camouflaged. To think, we're eating this stuff!

A better headline to the sidebar might be: Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid! 

Recently I was on the road for a few hours with some of my family and we stopped at a popular fried chicken eatery. I just plain won't eat a lot of fast food, but I was hungry, and it smelled good, and we were far from home....you get the idea. I don't eat biscuits, but might have been tempted if they'd had real butter--which, of course, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a "buttery spread," full of hydrogenated oils and lots of other unhealthy things. What really got me, though, was the "honey" sauce. Check out the ingredients to what should be a fully natural and single ingredient item:

(Fried-Chicken Fast Food Place) Honey Sauce

High fructose corn syrup

Corn Syrup

Sugar

Honey (hooray! There's some in there)

Fructose

Caramel color

Molasses

Water

Citric Acid

Natural and Artificial Flavor

Malic Acid 

From what I've read, "natural and artificial flavor" could mean MSG--by another name, so even this ingredient is suspect.

Notice the first ingredient? I've been on a crusade of sorts to abolish high fructose corn syrup from my home since last year, and it's absolutely amazing how many items in the grocery store contain it. Once you start reading labels, you'll see what I mean. I have one daughter who loves soda, and, even though I've convinced her not to drink diet types, she still asks for the regular type, especially coke. I didn't realize until I started checking labels that not even soda is sweetened with real sugar, however. So, even if you avoid the artificial sweeteners, you can't avoid high fructose corn syrup if you buy most brands, even the big names.

I'm not saying that soda--or sugar--is good for you, mind you, but I'd get her soda with sugar on occasion (if it was readily available. Maybe it's good it isn't!) whereas I won't buy the diet or HFCS ones. Now and then I'd like a soda myself, and guess what--there's a solution! I drink ZEVIA--it's soda sweetened with all-natural, zero calorie stevia. SO glad they came out with this! But it's pricey, so having a can of soda only occasionally works out well. My daughter knows that if she wants a can of soda, she's got to earn it.

Before I go, here's an interesting article I read recently about this subject of what's in our foods. :
Do Healthy Processed Foods Exist?
(If you enjoy this article, click the link to high fructose corn syrup (above) and let Dr. Mercola explain how bad this stuff is.)


All of this reminds me why, when I go to a grocery store, my mantra could be: Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid! (Read labels!)
What about you? Have you taken any steps to put your family on a course towards better eating? I'm working on a free pdf called, "The Top Ten Easiest and Pain-Free Ways to Improve Your Family's Diet and Health."
Watch for it, coming soon. :)

And don't forget to enter this month's free giveaway by leaving a comment! 

Recipe --and Giveaway

Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

You get the same puffy-creamy soap as in the commercial stuff, only you'll know exactly what yours is made of.

Last summer I was at a Bed and Bath Store when they were holding a special sale of their wonderfully scented foaming hand soaps. It was something like 6 for $20, plus a bonus free one for a total of 7. Needless to say, those nice smelling soaps are long gone. With a household of seven, the only ones that lasted any length of time were the two I kept for the master bathroom. (Coconut-Lime, yeah!)

Well, had I known then how easy it is to make my own foaming hand soap, I wouldn't have spent $20 bucks on theirs, good scents notwithstanding. I've also since learned that fragrances are some of the worst offenders when it comes to carrying heavy toxic loads of nasties, and who knows what else is in their soap? Most commercial soaps and skin care products--of all things--have really bad neurotoxins like parabens, sulfates, and propylene glycol. (Check your favorite brand--you'll probably find one or more of these few that I've just listed!)

When I recently discovered how quick and easy it is to make my own foaming style soap, I determined never to buy another commercial concoction unless my dispenser breaks. (You need a foaming soap dispenser to start with, so you'll have to buy one if you don't already have one.)

Foaming Soap Recipe  

(This is so easy, I can hardly call it a recipe.) 

 

Fill soap dispenser 3/4 full with cool water. Fill the rest of the way with Castile soap, leaving just enough space for the pump, so it doesn't overflow when you close it up. Shake to blend, and presto! You now have your own foaming soap.

 

For those who really want a recipe, or if you're a purist, you could do it this way:

Take about 1 cup of distilled or boiled water, and mix with about 1/4 cup of Castile soap.

 

Not a purist, but just want to save money by making your own? Use the 3/4 water to 1/4 soap ratio, but use any liquid soap in place of the Castile. It will still work just as well. The only difference is that you've got commercial dyes and fragrances as usual. 

 

Like homemade but miss the fragrance? Buy some essential oils and add about 20 or so drops to your soap. You may need to experiment to get it to the level of fragrance you want. 

 

I have only one caution if you use my method, which is, the Castile soap. There is a warning on the label not to get Castile in the eyes. For adults, the soap poses no hazard since it's very diluted, and most grown-ups don't go around sticking their fingers or fists in their eyes. Children, who love to play with suds and, in this case--foam--may experience some irritation. So, if you have little ones in the house, you might want to avoid the liquid Castile. 

 

 GIVEAWAY**GIVEAWAY**GIVEAWAY**GIVEAWAY

The current giveaway is still open. Just leave a comment related to any post this month and you could win!  Please include your email so I can notify you.

This month's giveaway is the hardcover: English Country House Murders and, the British CD "More Tea, Vicar?"

English Country House Murders is an exciting collection of some of the very best writing in the genre by top-notch writers of the past century (and the 19th). You'll find names like P.D. James, Wilkie Collins, G.K.Chesterton, and even P.G.Wodehouse. Dame Agatha Christie  is here, of course, as well.  As the insert of the book says, this is the "first hardcover anthology devoted entirely to mystery, crime, and detective stories set in the specialized and surprisingly dangerous world of the manor."

The dust jacket is a bit dog-eared but otherwise, English Country House Murders is in perfectly eerie-reading shape. 

More Tea, Vicar?-- "Gentle Teatime Classic". "Music on the theme of tea, with a hint of coffee thrown in for those who like their caffeine from beans, not leaves! A light-hearted brew of old favourites and familiar songs for tongue in cheek listening while sipping the glorious nectar which is tea!"

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment. Start off by telling us of a lovely house-museum you've visited, or perhaps how you may have been influenced by Billy Graham at some point in your life.

Warmest Blessings,

Linore

 

Contest Winner!

The winner of 365 Ways to Prepare for Christmas is Karen K!  Congratulations, Karen! I'll get your book in the mail right away.


Just Sayin':
The blog has been REALLY quiet, and many of you have missed opportunities to win free books. I've had two readers who have won more than once recently (including, now, Karen) as they have simply taken a moment to leave a comment after a post!

Let me encourage you to participate.

My goal is to run drawings throughout 2013, so be sure to open WOMAN OF FAITH emails when you see them. Read the post, leave a comment, and perhaps win a book. It's that easy.

Besides the chance to win, it helps me get to know you. 

While I haven't had a new full-length fiction release this past year, I have manuscripts with my agent and I'd love to know you're getting the news when one gets picked up by a publisher. So please subscribe now if you haven't already!

Before you go:
Don't forget that my Christmas ebook is still available at a sale price! 

         Regency House Christmas: The Definitive Guide to a Remarkably Regency Yuletide!

Read more about it, or get your copy here.

Find out some fascinating facts about a Regency Christmas from my recent post to "Regency Reflections".

Thanks, and
Warmest Blessings,

Linore

Contest Winner & New Contest!

to Karen K.!

Karen, you've just won a copy of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, by Anne Rice. I sincerely hope you enjoy the book.

New Giveaway

Last week I shared two new (to me) treats to keep me on the path of eating well despite all the temptations that surround us this time of year.

I spoke about planning "cheats" into your healthy lifestyle, such as my favorite, dark chocolate, because no eating plan will work if you aren't enjoying it.



Now I'd like to hear from you.

   
Do you have a favorite guilt-free product you enjoy? Something you consider a treat for the taste-buds but don't have to feel terrible about eating (or drinking) afterwards?It could be a short recipe of your own or just point us at a product you love. I'll pick one winner from among those who leave a comment,  to win GOD HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE: THE MYTH OF THE MODERN MESSAGE, by Ray Comfort.


DOES God have a wonderful plan for your life? According to His perfect plan, yes. According to what OUR idea of wonderful is, maybe not. This is a provocative, thoughtful little book that I think you'll really appreciate. I'm a fan of Ray Comfort's but I recently found that I'd bought two copies of this book by accident, so I have a brand new one to give away to one of YOU.

Leave a comment and share a favorite healthy treat. It could be something you make yourself or just grab from the shelf of a grocery or natural foods store.

LAST DATE TO ENTER IS NOVEMBER 30th. 

When you leave a comment, include your email address so I can contact you if you win, like this: Linore(at)linoreburkard(dot)com.

I look forward to what you'll share! We all need some great ideas to help us not to pack on pounds at the upcoming holiday gatherings. 

Thanks, and Warmest Blessings,

Linore

http://www.LinoreBurkard.com/calendar.html  (Click here to see some regency-era illustrations such as those below. Scroll past the calendar of events)

Do you love the Regency? Visit my Pinterest page to browse the boards loaded with period illustrations, costume, and more!

ENTER THE DRAWING----LEAVE A COMMENT WITH A FAVORITE TREAT OR SNACK OR BEVERAGE THAT IS PRACTICALLY GUILT-FREE. Good luck!

Helpful Products/ Win A Book

Before you read further--There's still time to enter my current giveaway of  CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA by Anne Rice. Go here for details.  (I posted my review of this book on GOODREADS, if you're interested.)

I call this a "practically usable" blog, so now and then I like to make it practical--and usable. I thought I'd do so today by sharing a few nifty products I've recently discovered, to my delight.

As many of you may recall (because you're avidly following my every move, right? lol)  I follow a Paleo eating style. I've lost 26 pounds since I began eating this way and I feel fabulous. Because I don't eat white flour, white sugar, or most white carbs (potatoes, gluten free), I'm always on the lookout for healthy stuff I can eat. I cheat all the time, by the way, because of the difficulty of feeding a family--read: six other people who don't care to cut out all the bad stuff. I also cheat just because I want to.

To make this lifestyle work, I've learned that all you need do is follow the rule of MOST. Eat well MOST of the time. Avoid sugar and white flour MOST of the time. Then, when you cheat a little here, a little there, your body can easily handle the rogues. :) 

The other important MUST if you want to succeed at eating well is make sure that you do, in fact, eat WELL. Eat as much as you want--of the good stuff. Experiment in the kitchen. I make zucchini chips that beat potato chips. I make chocolate brownie bombs to die for and they have NO white flour or sugar in them. (Honestly: I have to hide a few from the kids or they're gone in a flash. The kids DO eat regular brownies, but I don't, so I think it's fair to set a few aside!) 

Incorporating a few "cheats" into your eating plan is well worth it to keep you on the straight and narrow the rest of the time. One of my favorite cheats is dark chocolate. The stuff is loaded with antioxidants. It seems every few weeks or so I see yet another article lauding the wonders of dark chocolate. I've tried quite a few brands, as I don't have a problem with having a tiny bit almost every day.  The best I've found to date is ENDANGERED SPECIES NATURAL DARK CHOCOLATE. (My favorite is Forest Mint.)

It's 72% Cocoa--a pretty good ratio; still sweetened with "water-filtered beet sugar," so it's important not to eat a whole bar at once. But, if you can make do with a little piece a day, then I highly recommend it. A large bar (3 oz) can last me more than a week, sometimes two.

(Next grocery trip I want to try their "Extreme" Dark Chocolate with 88% cocoa!)

In the meantime, another product I want to share with you is STEAZ ORGANIC ICED TEAS. My supermarket had these on sale or I might not have noticed them, but I was so pleased to find they are NOT artificially sweetened. (Stevia is not an artificial sweetener. And unlike sucralose, it hasn't been tinkered with by scientists to make it calorie-free.)


Every flavor I tried is truly delicious, but my favorite is peach-mango. It has a clean taste--if that makes sense. The thing about iced tea that makes it better than stevia-sweetened soda, in my opinion, is that your body really doesn't need the carbonated water of soda.

OK: Your turn! This week's giveaway book is GOD HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE: The Myth of the Modern Message,  by Roy Comfort. DOES God have a wonderful plan for your life? According to His perfect plan, yes. According to what OUR idea of wonderful is, maybe not. I recently found that I'd bought two copies of this book by accident, so one of you will win a copy by leaving a comment and sharing your best healthy treat with us.

In a future post I'll even share my no-sugar, no flour brownie bomb recipe. Right now, I want to hear from you!

Warmest Blessings,

Linore
PS: In the spirit of full disclosure, I mention now and then that if I share an Amazon link, I may get a tiny affiliate payment if you order through it. I'd appreciate it if you do, as it will help support my e-newsletter, which, unlike this blog, is not free. Thanks!    

Contest Winner, New Giveaway & More

The winner of a new stack of (5) books is:
Debbie Mitchell! 

Congratulations, Debbie!
You've won the following five books:

1. Flight of Fancy- Laurie Alice Eakes
2. The Red Siren--MaryLu Tyndall
3. A Simple Winter (Hardcover with dustjacket)--Rosalind Lauer
4. The Ultimate Guide to Darcy Carter--Teresa Slack
5. The House in Grosvenor Square (Hardcover with dustjacket)--Linore Rose Burkard,  Autographed by moi, of course.  

More Books

I've just finished Flight of Fancy, by Laurie Alice Eakes (one of the books in the prize for last week's contest winner). Isn't the cover pretty?

Since many of you have read and enjoyed my regency trilogy, I wanted to mention Laurie's book since it also an Inspirational Regency Romance.

 Flight of Fancy is a lighthearted, fast-moving romp that fans of the traditional regency will enjoy.  As a bonus, you'll learn lots about the erstwhile science of ballooning and how they managed to lift these huge balloons into the skies back then. I enjoyed the main character and I hope Laurie will write a sequel for the delightful younger sister.  Click the book cover to learn more about the book from Amazon.
I didn't want to underline my copy since I knew the book would be included in the giveaway, but there were a few turns of phrase I just adored. LAE is a writer worth watching.

"'Head of the house' did not mean that our father barked out orders, threw his weight around, and demanded submission from his wife. It simply meant that he was the one finally responsible." Elisabeth Elliot

 Another book I'm reading as a devotional is A Woman After God's Own Heart, by Elizabeth George.
 
This is a good book to take in small pieces, underlining as you go. It isn't new on the market, (guess I should mention that) but it's certainly relevant for any woman of faith.
Here's a recent bit I found meditation worthy:

 Speaking of the difficult issue of submission within marriage, Ms. George quotes Elisabeth Elliot (one of my heroes of the faith):
She says, "'Head of the house' did not mean that our father barked out orders, threw his weight around, and demanded submission from his wife. It simply meant that he was the one finally responsible."  Ms. George goes on to explain that headship is not something a husband can demand or enforce by any means of control. True headship occurs only when it is given as a gift, by the wife.
She asks,  "Are you giving the gift of headship to your husband through your heart attitude of submission? Are you experiencing the rightness that comes from a decision to follow God's plan for marriage?"

If you're a woman of faith who doesn't always leave the reins of leadership to your husband, well, join the crowd! Then, join me in striving to submit in a godly fashion as women of God.

You might want to start out with this book. It isn't only about the marriage relationship, but all areas of life.

New Book Giveaway!

What about you? Got a good book to recommend to me and my readers? Leave a comment with your top recommendation and I'll enter you in a drawing for a good read. This week's book prize?

THE ROAD TO CANA, by Anne Rice

(*Yes, Anne Rice is the author of all those vampire books. After her conversion to Christ, she stopped writing vampire stuff and now writes books that are actually edifying. Isn't it wonderful?) 

So--leave a comment and recommend a book you found inspiring or just plain wonderful. Fiction or non-fiction. You'll be entered in the drawing to win THE ROAD TO CANA.

Warmest Blessings,

Linore
http://www.LinoreBurkard.com/calendar.html
(Click through this link to see the newest regency-era illustrations at the bottom of my calendar)