Speak Up Saturday–Book Review–Downfall by Terri Blackstock

There are a few authors whom I love to read and get excited any time they come out with a  new book. Terri Blackstock is one of those.

From the publisher:

Emily Covington has turned her life around after a drug addiction, but her family still has trouble trusting her. Though Emily has committed herself to a year-long treatment program and has been sober for almost a year beyond that, even her mother walks on eggshells around her, fearing she'll relapse. After her behavior during her drug years, Emily realizes she has a lot to prove. When police discover a homemade bomb under Emily's car, and she then learns the wife of one of her friends was murdered that same morning, she knows things are deadly serious. But who wants Emily dead? And why? A conversation she had with two men, an Alfred Hitchcock movie, and a plan for a double murder all conspire for one explosive ride ... and Emily is the only one who can identify the killer and save the life of the next potential victim. As she frantically works to solve this ever more complicated puzzle, Emily finds herself playing right into the killer's hands.

I haven’t read every single one of Ms. Blackstock’s books, but the ones that I have read, I’ve enjoyed. She falls into the Christian/Mystery/Suspense/Romance books. My husband likes to poke fun at these books, but I enjoy them as engaging and fun reads. This book was no exception.

I have not read the other two books in the Intervention series, but I was able to pick up enough of the story to still enjoy it. I plan on reading the other two in this series as soon as I can get my hands on them.

The book draws you in right away and keeps you engaged in the story and guessing who the bad guy is until the very end. The book is full of mystery, good character development, and interesting plot twists. I enjoyed the ending and the way that she tied up all the loose ends from the entire series.

A definite must-read for anyone who enjoys Terri Blackstock or Christian Suspense books!

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Wordless Wednesday–Mmm, sprinkles! and frosting!

 

~S

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Tasty Tuesday–Bread Machine Pizza Dough

Welcome to another week of Tasty Tuesday here at The Young'ns!
There’s a recipe index under the food tab above if you’re ever looking for a recipe I’ve already blogged.
Every Monday, I plan on trying a new recipe. If it goes well, that’s what I’ll be posting on Tasty Tuesday. If not, I’ll post a tried and true (i.e. something I don’t have to think about too hard) ;)
Wow, how can it be that I have not posted this recipe yet?!? This is another great tried and true bread machine recipe, although I bet it would work without the bread machine too. We like pizza around here, who doesn’t? But we like it to be a tiny bit more healthy, so this is my light wheat version of the crust :) This recipe makes enough for two large pizzas or four individual pizzas.
Bread Machine Pizza Dough
{Ingredients}

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/4 warm water (microwave for 40 seconds)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

{The rest of the ingredients}

• Cornmeal
• Olive Oil
• Sauce
• Toppings
• Cheese

{Directions}

• Place in bread machine pan according to your manufacturer’s directions (or your preference, I actually do mine backwards from what my machine says to do)
• Wait 45 minutes (or whatever your machine says) for some tasty goodness. Roll out on a surface lightly dusted with cornmeal. Brush dough with olive oil before adding sauce, toppings, and cheese. Have you tried mixing cheeses, like mozzarella and cheddar? How about adding cream cheese chunks as a topping? So many choices!!
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, depending on your preferences and the amount of toppings. The kids’ plain cheese pizza cooks for 10 minutes, mine with a few toppings cooks for about 12, and hubby’s cooks for 17 (he likes his crust *well* done plus he puts on a lot of toppings).

NOTE: This recipe works great where I live at high altitude (~5000 feet). You may need to adjust yeast, liquid, and flour amounts by a bit to get it to be perfect for you, especially if you live at lower elevations.

What’s your favorite pizza toppings? I get stuck in a rut with chicken and pineapple, looking for some creative ideas; I’d love to hear from you!
~S
Linking up at Beauty and Bedlam and It’s A Blog Party

*EDITED TO ADD* I just started making this in my mixer instead because I now need to make two batches since we eat a ton of pizza AND we like to have leftovers :) So, here's the modifications/steps to make it in a stand mixer instead:

• Place warm water, yeast, and sugar in mixer bowl. Stir to combine and let sit for five minutes.
• Add oil, salt, and one cup of flour to mixer bowl. Using dough hook, start up the mixer on a low speed. Keep adding flour until all is added. 
• Knead using dough hook for several minutes, until a ball is formed and it looks well mixed.
• Divide into two balls. Place in greased bowl in a warm place, like on top of the stove, covered with a towel, for 30-45 minutes. 
• Continue with directions 

Menu Plan Monday–April 23rd

Okay, I know it’s Wednesday, not Monday, but I do have a plan this week, honest! I’ve just been doing other things besides blogging like going to a work out class for the first time in about a year, and having dinner with friends that I haven’t seen in almost two years.

So, here’s what I’m making this week:

Mix-it up Monday (something new) ~ Creamy Chicken Taquitos. Man, these are good. And super easy too. And they freeze well.
Taco Tuesday (Mexican or Oriental) ~ Dinner at a friends house. Made Funfetti Cookies (*gasp* from a box!) and Pure White Frosting so we could make it bubble gum pink and purple cow  
Wow Wednesday (Date night or something like restaurant food) ~ Homemade Pizza
Simple Thursday (Crockpot or less than 30 min prep) ~ Chicken Couscous 
Favorite Friday (A family favorite) ~ Some kind of pasta salad as we drive to a marriage conference in Estes Park
Lazy Saturday (leftover buffet) ~ Frozen Mexican Lasagna. I <3 freezer meals. I usually make a double batch of at least one meal per week and put it in the freezer either for us to eat later or to be able to bless a friend with it. So many of my friends are having babies, or on bed rest, or someone in the family is having surgery. It’s been awesome to just be able to pull something out of the freezer to give to them!
Saucy Sunday (Italian) ~ Spaghetti with Meatballs from this recipe. Didn’t end up making this one last week, so we’ll try again this week! Good thing I put the sausage in the freezer…

So, what are you having for dinner this week?
Link up at Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie or leave me a comment!

I have a recipe index, just for recipes that you can find on my blog. You can also get to it by going to the food tab above.

~S

Speak Up Saturday–Book Review–Mercy Comes Morning by Lisa Tawn Bergren

There are no second chances. Or are there?
Krista Mueller is in a good place. She’s got a successful career as a professor of history; she’s respected and well-liked; and she lives hundreds of miles from her hometown and the distant mother she could never please. It’s been more than a decade since Alzheimer’s disease first claimed Charlotte Mueller’s mind, but Krista has dutifully kept her mother in a first-class nursing home.
Now Charlotte is dying of heart failure and, surprised by her own emotions, Krista rushes to Taos, New Mexico, to sit at her estranged mother’s side as she slips away. Battling feelings of loss, abandonment, and relief, Krista is also unsettled by her proximity to Dane McConnell, director of the nursing home—and, once upon a time, her first love. Dane’s kind and gentle spirit—and a surprising discovery about her mother—make Krista wonder if she can at last close the distance between her and her mother … and open the part of her heart she thought was lost forever.

I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The book is more, um, touchy-feely than I read. I would call this a good girly book, which is actually not what I usually enjoy. But, like I said, I did enjoy this book.

The book flips between Krista’s memories of growing up and the current time. It kept the book interesting and flowing well. However, I felt that the character development was a bit shallow. The story just jumped in and did not provide very much history to the powerful emotions that the characters were experiencing.

I enjoyed the ending and enjoyed the book. I felt like all ends were tied up, and it was not rushed.

I would recommend this book to others who enjoy a nice easy read, very relational in nature, but not too deep.

~S

It would be a great help to me if you would please rate my review. I get the chance to review more books based on my rating, and there are cool contests and such. Thanks!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

And the winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for all who entered my giveaway for The Last Plea Bargain!
~S

Wordless Wednesday–Look, school!

Hey, look at that! We actually did some schoolwork this week!

~S

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