{Book REVIEW of ....}

  THE ANNIVERSARY WALTZ

by Darrel Nelson

So something kind of exciting happened to me last week on the last day of school. I was picking up my kids from orientation last Thursday and one of the teachers there, Darrel Nelson, 

pictures via

who I have known for years and have had the opportunity to work with his beautiful wife, Marsha years ago too..approached me to read his book that he just had published, The Anniversary Waltz.... 

his first debut novel. He told me he had a favor to ask and a request ...I was so excited that he thought of me he said, He would give me a copy {and sign it:) and all I had to do was read it  

{which if you know me I love to read and I love to read books like he has written.} 

 and simply do a review on my blog....

SO

From Darrel's website the overview without giving anything away is this:

"It’s a historical romance, set in Montana at the end of World War II.
Here’s the storyline in a nutshell:
Every year, on the evening of their anniversary, 

Adam and Elizabeth Carlson share
a dance together and recount the story of their courtship and subsequent marriage. The
Anniversary Waltz is that story—the story of love and courage overcoming adversity and
thriving in the face of overwhelming odds."

My Simple Review

Remember I'm not that good at grammar or speaking deep but here is my humble review.....  Thanks Darrel for asking me and giving me the opportunity .... its for sure a five star read in my opinion :)

This book is beautifully written, it touches something deep inside that brings you back into the days of our grandparents and parents. A beautiful love story that takes you on a journey through love,  adversity, forgiveness and deliverance. 

I laughed, cried and found myself whisked away into the world of yesterday. It made me think of my grandparents and parents their love stories, their hard work, their lives, and our future.

 It made me nostalgic for past years. 

It made me think that every old black and white picture, every person has a story and every person has been through so much to get to where they are today.

 It explores the relationships of so many, between mother and son and fathers and sons and people in general.  

It spells true love and the ache that sometimes goes with it, of persevering and pushing forward no matter what happens to overcome the odds and fight for what you want. 

It has riveting metaphors that are so vivid and clear they sweep you into the book, making you feel exactly what the characters are feeling.

I think what touched me so deeply is how the author writes with such simplicity and beautifully portrays that life isn't easy, but its the simple things that get us through all the adversity along the way prayer, service and love of family, pulling together to help each other along the way. That our relationships are so important and worth fighting for. That nothing else matters more than love and family and pulling together through every step of the way. Thats what its all about. 

I LOVE this book these are my favorite kind of novels to read and would recommend you go get it you will not be disappointed its the kind of love story that lingers long after your done reading.  

I can't wait for the next one!

Thank you Darrel for giving me this opportunity. Best of luck in the future and with "retirement" I think this new chapter in life is going to be something new and exciting for both of you....that all your time, talent and efforts over the years will be greatly rewarded for in the the years to come...Can't wait to read your next novels!!

 So Go get it, buy it here, read it

or like all my favorite things enter for a chance to win one I always love a good giveaway:) 

so post a comment and on July 4th I'll pick a winner and send a book out to you!

Tell me a favorite thing you are loving right now anything products, activities, life anything....

HAVE AN awesome WEEK:) 

Lots of fun things happening around here can't wait to share:)
{ **new post below too**:) }

{Home Happenings...}

Morning Dew

morning light

stormy nights

firsts

lasts:(

early morn deck fishing;)

summer fun

grandma's house

family fun

S u m m e r.

What's on your summer to do list?

Ours 

lots of 

boating

camping 

July 1st weekend

Mom's much needed getaway aka SLC:) soon! :)

family fun

basketball camp

swim lessons

birthdays

and lots of fun ideas here

ps my deck is getting built as we speak by my really handsome handy man have I mentioned I really really love having a husband who can do anything love him:)

Happy Summer! What fun things do you have planned?

{I think pinterest killed blogland...}

What do you think??

People spend more time on there 

less time on other things..
Well regardless...

This is what we've been spending time on;)

instagram fun.... I love playing with different edits and pics so fun:)

trying new clean eating recipes:

1| Turkey Meatballs so dang good all the kids loved them too

2| Blueberry Lemon Steele Cut oats for me I loved it...so healthy

3| These we just wanted to try and surprising they they are super good -warm the kids loved them too:)

We are just trying more clean eating recipes and meals around here we all feel so much better {though my kids are hating the sugar cut out way less sugar treats and desserts ....no canned soups... no processed crap...although we aren't huge processed cooking people anyway but we are just adding lots of fruits vegetables and I see my kids grabbing way more F & V throughout the day...and we are all loving it...its fun to kick it up a notch anyway and try new things believe me there are tasteless bombs out there:)

Then Fathers Day crept up on us no pic with kids and Dad - D gets grouchy with pics so I didn't push my luck ha ha!:)

I made 70 fathers day tie's for the primary kids to give to their dads they turned out super cute slide a chocolate bar in it and we had some happy dads I just hate how they don't do anything for the dads in our ward they deserve something just as much as the mothers do ..All in all it was a good day ...

Lots of rain going on around here Sunday all the kids were at the table quietly drawing  it was a miracle ha ha... instagram dump here....

i miss this.

this girl is growing up so fast..she really wants her ears pierced we told her if she improved on her report card that she can now I'm nervous we'll find out tomorrow:) She is reading so good and loves to read to us in the mornings sometimes ....she is so spunky we just love her!!

SUMMER ME THOUGHTS.

Not sure how I'm going to survive summer.... there are some fun things planned.... but its all the time in between the fun stuff that I'm worried about...I love my kids and spending time with them but I also know that they need space and things to do...
I tried to put them in three different things and all were full or didn't work when we needed...So frustrating..... M might drive me to an early grave as the last two weeks have already proven...
This morning he flung a shoe hit a picture and shattered it...oops.... yeah stuff like that he's been doing lots of chores today that is for sure:)

But seriously how do you get kids to not fight with each other? and to listen more attentively or is that only a dream?? a dream a few privileged experience?

Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing wrong then I think back to how my brothers and sisters and I used to fight but by 12 or 13 we quit fighting and become best friends so I guess I'll hold out for that and hope it comes..
I just can't even believe another school year has come and gone tomorrow is their last day...and wow how they have grown learned and developed new skills, thoughts and confidence.  All had great teachers...and its about this time I start worring about next year and where they'll be and who they'll have...
But in the next thought I tell myself worry about today and tomorrow will come and with it all the exciting things that are sure to come...not much I can do about it but I can do a few things to prepare and I'm kind of certain that by doing them good things will come
SO we are going to
make new summer memories
teach them new things
be an example
pray and read together &
find exciting things to do
explore dream and discover
 together...
I'm also quite certain that these are the days they, as well as I, will look back on and smile and remember the fun times and the joys we are learning along the way....
I have great kids and a great family I look around and realize how very blessed I am to have what I do even though some days 

with the way some things are or have gone a certain day or year and whats happened... I know that these are the days to remember and that we all have lots of help along the way..
Not everyday will be easy and one day I'll miss every shattered picture, smudged fingerprints, every wasted shampoo bottle and lingering toothpaste everywhere......every spilled cup of milk...every sloppy kiss and that sweet little head on my shoulder.... I will miss this..

make it a good one. choose it.

{What I've learned...}

source pinterest

So this past week I 've had a lot of thoughts go through my head about a whole lot of things...happens when your husband is on a business trip to Florida for 6 days but anyway....It kind of happens in those long hours lots of thinking ...I decided that since some of my friends did this and had good results I'd give it a try its been around forever but it works so I put it to the test:
a.) to kick start my metabolism
b.) to see if I could do it everyday and carry though to the end
c.) to see what I could actually lose in seven days

I learned that 

a.) I have good friends who helped keep me strong on days I was a little hungry, a little irritated and little unsure of why i was doing this in the first place

b.) how much we snitch a little here and snitch a little there

ie. lunch cleanup ,opening snacks for the kids and sneaking one or two, 

c.) how much we eat cheese, milk, sour cream, etc and how much we bake { since all of what we make is from scratch pretty much from muffins to dinner....we have a habit of thinking that since its that way its much better which it is then prepared junk....but it adds up slowly

d.) how I thought I drank alot of water till I had to drink 10 plus cups a day....yeah I went to the bathroom alot....

AFTER A FEW DAYS

- I started noticing that my skin was clearer, my hair was shinier ,
- I had less cravings for things that I had for earlier
- that a baked potato for breakfast tastes like heaven after a two days of fruit and veggies
- that a frozen banana just past the green stage and a glass of milk mixed in the blender tastes like a milkshake or candy after three days so so good
- that the numbers dropping every morning made me stronger for the next day
- but best of all I felt clean inside like healthy like not stuffed or bloated or icky?? know what I mean?? no, okay never mind ha ha...
- I didn't feel deprived everyday filled something you were missing the previous days
-found a love for grilled zucchini again and discovered ground turkey {never had tried it before}
-discovered that I do have good willpower FOR seven days....
-my clothes started fitting loser ..awesome
-discovered that as each day ended and I crossed it off the next day became easier cause it was that much closer to my end goal...
-that comments from someone today on how she noticed I had lost weight made it all worth it that it did work....... the way I had hoped

I LOST 7 lbs doing it

but more importantly for me as much as cleaning, detoxing and rebooting my body ......was seeing if I could really do it

and I did!!

I then realized how much that one comment meant to me .....like what I was doing was worth it because I knew how I felt but was surprised how much better it felt that someone noticed a difference too that maybe it wasn't all just in  my head..

which got me thinking 

that the despite how trivial how small my situation was that in

 real life situations  

 no matter what we tell ourselves

 being validated... feeling important ......feeling apart of something 

lifts us makes us stronger and sometimes is what carries us through the hardest parts of our lives, through our trials 

through our bad mom days 

through just plain long tiring hard days.......  

its through others

Sometimes through a simple smile, a compliment, a note, a phone call, a thoughtful gesture they mean so much no matter how big or small

Just say it if your thinking it the good, kind, helpful things

 be more  aware of others, help others, encourage others....

build each other up instead of tearing down

don't  judge don't condemn

give.

honesty. love. service. a hug.

it's not going to hurt you..... try it.

Look at that I just turned a body cleanse into a mind cleanse. awesome.

Have a great week!!

oh and 10 for Tuesday maybe a shortened version?

1. tornado warnings and touchdowns severe weather last week kind of fun, kind of freaky...

2. Can't believe this school year is over next week! WOW. grades 1/3/5 coming up.

3. Everything I wanted to put my kids in summer is either full or when we are gone! Major frustrated!

4. Soccer is done next week too :) :)

5. K is enrolled for September football weird already thinking about that.

6.can't wait for July 16th :) time away with D..

7. I can't handle how big K2 is getting talking in full sentences, escaping out the front door, wanting to play with friends and he is so so polite he makes me feel like I'm actually a really good mom and teach my children manners ;) WHY DO THEY  HAVE TO GROW UP SO FAST HE IS GOING TO BE THREE!!!! Seriously 3 in 3 weeks!!!!

8. I'm excited for July 1st weekend means I am a true raymondite doesn't it?? Big party time here... K2 is so lucky every year is a huge party just for him {oh and Canada but we won't tell him that ha ha} and this year the celebrations are actually on his birthday:)

9. I really want the deck built and fence finished this month..... here's hoping.

10. thats all I got ......can't think of another thing!! 

Besides that I just love these kids

Enough from me 

"trying harder to be a little better" in every way was my motto {word} this year..... I'm trying :) how bout you??

{10 on Tuesday.}

 yes he does.

1. Instafun pics of our weekend fun....

Saturday morning piggy back rides| shadows| swings| stories with grandma|

beauty| soccer everyday M-TH|bedtime routine|sports day|

2. read this post.... my thoughts exactly..awesome.

3.M's last day of Kindergarten I can hardly believe this year has gone by so fast! They change so much and grow up so much during a year.... babies become big kids, and this is one big kid....... that makes my life so much fun never a dull moment between his quick thinking and quick feet. But I love his hugs... the love he has for people...for children and life he is an example to me at 6 years old! He pays people compliments smiles at people asks questions I wouldn't even think of asking...helps where he can and wants to learn everything he can {when he wants to of course} and he has a killer smile and twinkle in his eye every. single.day. 

I  ♥ my big boy!!!

4. Funny M story today he got this

 from one of his teachers so I'm down talking to a friend I come upstairs and see scissors and the top cut off the kool aid package {obviously we never buy it in our house} ANyway I go outside and he's out there with red lips and the straw in the package and he 's says

"WHat is this stuff?" 

It was so so funny! He had the sourest look on his face :) Love that kid!

5. I love this picture. the clouds. the grass. the kite. the wind. THE BOY.

6. Love the new song playing....by Taylor Swift.... I really wish my kids wouldn't grow up so fast :( Why does it go by so fast.....Someday these will just all be memories and I love these kids so much!!

{Me thinks Moment here}

7. Why are parents not parents these days???  
We need to teach our children.... not handicap them by coming to their rescue every second...let them pay the consequences of their actions.... 

thats how they learn!!! 

Life is not all butterfly's and rainbows!!

Teach them that....

-There will always be someone in first 

-and there will always be someone in last...

remember how both of them feel 

work harder

-teach them that life doesn't come easy thats what life is

-teach them that people aren't always kind but be kind yourself 

-realize we are all different and its okay 

-help others

Teach them RESPECT

It's SERIOUSLY LACKING these days...

-teach them that OBEDIENCE IS HAPPINESS...

This is our job while they are young its so sad to see how some kids act these days...I want to TEACH my children what is really important yet I want them to learn the consequences of the things they do when they do them they can not be bailed out every time that isn't real life!

I love them to much to waste lessons of life on them everyday there is SO much to learn from and teach them.......
 right now while its most  important...

8. May's PHOTO A DAY Challenge....  I love doing this its fun and 

and June's Challenge

9. Love this....all sorts of fun fathers day ideas links found here

10.

and have a great week:)

{Question? What are some of your summer plans or fun ideas??}