Where's the craftiness?

I know. Slacker, right? Well, I will have several things to show after Christmas. I can't just display Christmas gifts on the blog before they have been gifted, can I?

In the meantime, Brigitte, Anna, and myself had a cookie bake-a-thon/exchange on Sunday. Here is Anna's recipe for White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread.

Brigitte's recipe for Fleur de sel Chocolate Chip Blondie's. And my recipe pick for Chocolate Orange Biscotti with Almonds.

All delicious!!

This Thing of Ours: How Faith Saved My Mafia Marriage by Cammy Franzese

Author Cammy Franzese was a young woman who grew up with a passion for dancing. This passion not only led her to a small part in a movie, but it also led her into the arms of the movie’s producer, Michael Franzese. Her story chronicles how she met her future mafia husband, their life while he was incarcerated, and how through it they came to serve the Lord.

If you are interested to know more of the story of Cammy’s husband and all that he was involved in regarding the mafia, you will not get it from this book. This book is from the perspective of his wife, and she does not go into much detail regarding those facts. I would have liked to know more about the husband’s change and desire to follow Christ, but this was not his story. I did enjoy reading about how her mother was such a godly woman and encourager through her life and that because of her mother she came back to the Lord and began serving Him. In all, this was a short read and an interesting story of how one family came out of difficult circumstances and has chosen to live their lives telling others how God changed them.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://booksneeze®.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks: Confessions of April Grace by K.D. McCrite

Categorized as a children’s book, this story truly belongs to middle school girls. It follows young April Grace Reilly through the many of adventures of being a pre-teen girl; from cliques at school and an annoying older sister, to worrying about her momma and trying to help a family friend put a Christmas pageant together.

Although I believe the first few chapters were difficult to get into, I very much enjoyed the rest of the book. This is probably due to the fact that this is book two of the series. Those who have read book one will probably have a much smoother time transitioning into book two. The character of April Grace was quite entertaining and engaging. She is more of a leader instead of a follower, and I often found her take on things quite amusing. The author shows a family that is very giving and loving, whose faith in God is ever present. The rural setting of the story also played a large part in my enjoyment as I can somewhat relate. All in all, I believe girls of middle school age would greatly enjoy this book and following the confessions of April Grace.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://booksneeze®.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”