Recent Reads - The Christmas Bargain

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The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield - Banker Luke Granger has been trying to get a local farmer to make payments on his loans for awhile, and is always met with excuses. Finally the derelict farmer makes Luke an odd offer - he could take his daughter Philamena as payment. Luke is shocked and wants nothing to do with this arrangement, but the farmer claims he'll send  the young woman to a house of ill repute in town so Luke finds himself intervening. He knew he had to rescue Philamena from her drunken father's abuse but wasn't sure what to do next. Since her mother's death, Philamena has been subject to her father's drunken rages and neglect, but the kindness of the cowboy banker gives her new hope. 

Luke takes Philamena to his friends, pastor Chauncy and his wife Abby, and agrees to Chauncy's suggestion that they marry. That way Philamena can live at Luke's house, and if the arrangement doesn't suit them by Christmas, they can have the marriage annulled. Philamena also agrees to this marriage of convenience and is determined to work hard so that Luke will have his money's worth since she is the payment. She's surprised when Luke pays for an entire new wardrobe for her, and treats her with such kindness and respect.

The arranged marriage gives Luke and Filly - as she is soon nicknamed - the chance to develop a friendship, and it's not long before their feelings grow much deeper. 

In many ways, the storyline is very predictable, and a variation on a mail-order bride story. The relationship between Luke and Filly moves from stranger to trust and friendship very quickly, especially given the years of neglect and loneliness that Filly has to overcome. Her sudden transformation from silent, downtrodden victim to warm, gracious beauty is a little hard to believe. Still, overall, just like the subtitle suggests, this is a sweet and clean romance. Reasonably well-written, nice, but nothing spectacular or memorable. It's the first of a series of holiday romances all set in the same small town, but I don't feel any compelling interest to read the rest of them.

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Every Thought

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

~II Corinthians 10:3-5~

These are very uncertain days. There is a lot going on, there are heated voices, and there are conflicting claims and views all around us. Whatever we do, if we are believers in Christ, we must submit our own thoughts and decisions to HIS authority. We must trust in our God and we must obey his Word. We must look to him in prayer in everything or we risk being confused and distracted by the arguments and pretensions of the world. 

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Recent Reads - Everyday Confetti

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Everyday Confetti by Karen Ehman & Glynnis Whitwer - Beyond birthdays and Christmas, there are many occasions that call for celebration in our families. Some moms love planning elaborate birthday parties, but that's not everyone's style. For many families, smaller everyday celebrations offer more chances to make memories for kids, and may even become family traditions.

If you need ideas for the kinds of things you can celebrate, and how to mark achievements or special days on the calendar in affordable ways, this little guidebook has those ideas. In addition to some different ideas for birthdays and achievements, there are ideas for many other occasions throughout the calendar year. There are plenty of recipes included as well. 

The book is organized into two parts. The first is Everyday Celebrations and focuses on ways to honour achievements like work or school milestones, or even character development achievements. These are also celebrations of birthdays, spiritual milestones, and special family occasions. Not all family members live close by, so suggestions for staying connected and for reaching out to others are part of this section as well.

In Part Two, Holidays through the Year, there are ideas for celebrating seasons and the special days that we might find on our calendars. There are fresh takes on the well-known holidays like Valentines Day, Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving; and some days that are just for fun like Backwards Day or Best Friends Day. The majority of the celebration ideas are activities that are geared towards families with younger children, but there are some suggestions to get teens involved. I did notice that although Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day are specifically mentioned and there are references to acknowledging 'our neighbors to the south', the authors did not even one time make reference to the neighbors to the north. Surely Canada Day or the Canadian date for Thanksgiving could have been highlighted as well, and since the authors are from Michigan (at least one is, if I remember correctly), I was surprised and rather disappointed at this omission. 

Overall, if you have young children and would like ideas to celebrate everyday joys and make memories, this little guidebook has plenty to get you started and will inspire you to come up with new traditions and fun to bring your family together.

Since my kids are all grown up and my only grandchild (so far!) doesn't live nearby, a lot in this book didn't apply to me in a way. But it was still very encouraging because I've tried to be intentional about finding delight in the everyday and marking all kinds of special occasions. The china should be used more often than just Easter and Thanksgiving! I especially appreciated ideas like writing personal notes or letters of encouragement to others on each of the forty days of Lent, or using the twelve days of Christmas to bless others who may be facing a particularly challenging holiday season.

 

This review originally appeared on Homeschool Coffee Break as part of the Online Book Club for December 2020

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Light of the World

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel."

~Luke 2:25-32~

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

~John 8:12~

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Share Four Somethings - December 2020

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Just barely sneaking in before the end of December to look back on Something Loved, Something Read, and Something Treasured for the month. Let's hope that 2021 holds good things for Something Ahead.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas! Wishing you a Happy New Year!

 

Something Loved

Some general shout-outs for services I've really appreciated recently: Our county library system has been outstanding and greatly appreciated for a long time. Although the buildings have been closed for the majority of the past year, the library system did their best to make their services accessible anyway. We've been able to request books and materials online for pick-up at our local branches just like always, and the staff came up with a system to package our pick-ups to be picked up quickly in the local branch lobby by appointment. The library is also automatically renewing books when possible. 

Online ordering apps for restaurants and stores. This may come as a surprise to some people that know me, but I hate ordering at drive thru windows, especially when I'm the driver and there are other people in my car that I'm ordering for. Very stressful. Using the app and just pulling up to collect my order is the best. And most of the time, the restaurants are getting the orders correct. 

Something Read

I completed four books during this busy month, but still have to post a review for a couple of them. The review for Everyday Confetti should appear in the next few days, but I did write about it on Homeschool Coffee Break as it was my contribution to the Online Book Club. You can see more about my reading in my Monthly Bookshelf Review for December 2020.

To Dwell Among Cedars by Connilyn Cossette

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Everyday Confetti by Karen Ehman & Glynnis Whitwer

The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield

   

  

Something Treasured

It may be the cliche answer, but this has been another month in which time with family was something to be treasured. Early in the month my kids planned a low key Christmas party with a family and a few friends and it was so much fun. I've had opportunities to go shopping with my husband and with my kids and even though shopping isn't my favorite thing, spending time together is. Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with my people at home is something I treasure every year. And after Christmas we were able to spend a few days having another Christmas celebration with our oldest son and his family - reading stories and having fun times with a sweet granddaughter is the perfect way to end the year with a positive experience!

Something Ahead

Happy New Year!

Despite all the uncertainties and chaos around us, when we put our hope in Christ we have hope and peace and look forward to the new things God will do. I pray that 2021 holds good things for our family and for all of us.  

This post will be linked at Share Four Somethings hosted by HeatherGerwing.com

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Monthly Bookshelf Review - December 2020

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

December's Books Completed and Reviewed

To Dwell Among Cedars by Connilyn Cossette -  A young orphan girl runs away from her Philistine homeland and follows the Ark of the Covenant to Israel. There she is taken in by a Levite family and tries to find her place as tensions rise all around her. A beautiful novel of grace, acceptance, and second chances. (Read my full review HERE)

Silas Marner by George Eliot - I read this classic along with the students in my high school Literature class. The lonely and bitter weaver despairs after his hoard of gold is stolen, but he takes in a little orphan girl who softens his heart again. (Read my full review HERE)

 

Everyday Confetti by Karen Ehman & Glynnis Whitwer - I still need to write a wrap-up/review for this book that I read as part of an online book club for the theme "celebrations". It's an idea book geared especially for parents with suggestions for celebrating special events and making memories all throughout the year.

During December I started reading:

The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield - Luke Granger settles the debt of a ne'er-do-well farmer by taking his daughter in as his housekeeper rather than see her further mistreated. Luke and Philamena enter a marriage of convenience, but it isn't long before they are both falling in love.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare - This is what my Literature class is currently working on and plans to wrap up in January!

During December I continued reading:

A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber - I'll finish this one very soon! Verity and Sidney are hunting for evidence sufficient to stop the suspected traitor Lord Ardmore when thefts and a murder at the estate of Verity's aunt also claim their attention.

 

Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks by Diana Butler Bass - I was very close to finished with this one at the beginning of the month but have set it aside temporarily. Will finish soon! It's a thoughtful look at what gratitude really is, and how we understand and express it in different ways. 

 During December I shelved:

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp - I got started on this classic about living a life of gratitude, but had to set it aside when life got too busy. I did manage to renew it from the library, so hopefully I can get it finished at the beginning of the new year!

Coming Up in January!

I really have no idea! I've got several books stacked on my bedside table I want to get to, and we'll be starting on the next novel in the Literature class in a couple weeks, but I'm not sure what I will tackle next.

On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Wordless Wednesday posts

What I'm Reading - December 14, 2020

The Loneliness Solution - A FlyBy Review

And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Five Minute Friday posts

Happy Boxing Day 2020

Twenty-Six Lists - Holiday Traditions

Coffee Break Reading List (December 15, 2020)

Twenty-Six Lists - Winter Fun

Online Book Club - December Theme: Celebrations

Online Book Club - Wrapping Up November: Thankful/Thanksgiving

This post will be linked at the December 2020 Wrap-Up Roundup and Giveaway hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction; (and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.)

 

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. 

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Silas Marner

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Silas Marner by George Eliot - As a young man, the weaver Silas Marner was falsely accused of stealing money and was betrayed by a friend. He moved to the village of Raveloe where he kept to himself and earned a reputation as an odd recluse and miser. He had, in fact, amassed quite a quantity of gold which he kept hidden in his sparsely furnished cottage and comforted himself by counting his little hoard.

One evening Silas's gold is stolen and after applying without success to the villagers for assistance in finding it, he once again accepts his fate and hard luck - but returns to his cottage to find that a little orphan girl has come in. He insists that he will care for the little one himself, as she has no other connections. 

The second part of the novel picks up some fifteen years later, with Eppie, the little girl, quite grown up. The village squire, Godfrey Cass, and his wife, who are childless, want to adopt Eppie themselves, but the bond between Silas and the girl is too strong and she will not leave him. And finally Godfrey allows his secrets to unravel so that the way his life and Silas's have been intertwined is revealed. Godfrey was secretly married to Eppie's mother but would not acknowledge her because of her low status. When this woman died, Godfrey saw his chance to be free of her and instead marry the woman from his own social sphere. As the threads are woven back together, the depth of affection between Silas and his adopted daughter remains strong, other secrets are revealed, and there are second chances and grace offered.

I read this novel and studied it along with students in my high school literature co-op class, and we learned about themes and symbols. We discussed the contrast between Silas and Godfrey, and I suspect that the students all enjoyed the story more than they expected to! I sure did!

Our discussion and study was guided by the textbook Illuminating Literature: Characters in Crisis from Writing with Sharon Watson.

This is a classic I didn't read in school for the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge.

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.