JanineThrossel.com

The sun is coming up on this beautiful day after Christmas, golden rays through cloudy, cold windows.  I have a heater going in the bedroom where I'm typing and a fire in the fireplace downstairs.  Our little Daschund, Jack, refuses to give up his bed yet, even after I put a sweater on him. Christmas didn't go quite as I expected this year.  A bad cold kept me from the Christmas Eve party and Christmas Day dinner that I had planned to attend with loved ones.  It's threatened to keep me from my family's traditional tea party this evening as well.  My sewing projects and reading plans were hindered by runny eyes.  A broken oven sidelined the holiday delights I tried to cook for my husband and children. Not quite as planned. Yet, it has been a beautiful time with my guys, who chose to stay with me instead of going out.  My oldest child filled our stockings and read us the Christmas story from Luke 2.  We opened lovingly-chosen and lovingly-wrap...

About six months ago, I made a new friend.   In some ways, we are very different from each other.  In others (like our affections for funny stories, people who are authentic and decent, cute dogs, shopping, and chocolate) we are very much alike.  She is the kind of friend that sharpens me.  She helps encourage me to be a better person and make my corner of the world brighter.  I find myself laughing more, giving more, reaching out to be more friendly to strangers, and being intentional about compassion.  Oh, and I'm even taking care of myself a little better--from skin care to exercise.   This Thanksgiving, one of the many, many blessings that I am thankful for, is my new friend. So, in honor of her, I want to giveaway something this month that she likes a lot. . . Royal Apothic perfume.   I'm giving a rather generous travel-size version (.33 fluid ounces), in the top-selling scent "Noble Carnation."  The Roy...

Jews praying at the Wailing Wall, circa 1870s, photo by Félix Bonfils in public domain. The news these days is pretty much frustrating for all of us--Democrat or Republican, young or old, rich or poor.  What is, perhaps, the most frustrating for me is the reports coming from Israel. Perhaps, in a different post, I will share some thoughts concerning why I stand with Israel.  For now, I want to address the horrific event that happened there this Tuesday. Two Palestinians entered a Jewish temple in Jerusalem and slaughtered four Orthodox Jews who were silently praying.  Their weapons of choice were axes, knives and a gun.  They then entered a gun battle with police and killed one officer (who was the dad of a four-month old) while he was dragging a female coworker to safety.  They themselves were then killed by police. Several news outlets wrote about the deaths as if the fight had been fair.  President Obama talked of "the majority of Palest...

<![endif]-->Remember those 276 Nigerian girls captured in April by militant Islamists?   Remember how horrified and concerned we were ? Fifty soon escaped, and the BBC is now telling the tale of three. As I read, it brought back some memories of my time in Bolivia. I believe God for my own life.  No matter what I've been through--hard days or sleepless nights--God's hand, guidance and presence has been with me.   I can see that good has grown and blossomed from the dark, stinky--yet rich--soil of my most painful days. It has all made me stronger and I don't resent or resist that.    Yet, there have been times when I doubted God's plan.   Can I just be honest about that?  It was hard to believe Him sometimes, when I saw broken and abused children.   When those Nigerian girls were taken, I felt that too-familiar pang of " Why , God ?"   I prayed for their safe return and protection.  I wondered where God's place was...

Tonight, I'm posting my first review for the Bethany House Blogger Review program.  Check it out! Don't you love great books?  What are you reading?  Share with us. . . what is a book that you read this past year that was meaningful, memorable or even life-changing for you?  Leave a comment!

I'll be honest; historical romance novels aren't really my thing.  While other girls swooned over Heathcliff or Mr. Darcy, I was reading books about best friends and their adventures--Trixie Belden mysteries, In Grandma's Attic and so on. Yet, I was drawn to The Brickmaker's Bride .  First, the cover is fantastic.  From the layout to the color scheme to the embossing, this is a beautiful book.  Secondly, the story sounded unusual, unlike other romances I had read.  I want fiction to transport me.  This did--to a world I knew little about.  Facts about the brickmaking process in the late 19th century were woven in deftly and I stayed engaged to the end.  When it came time to put the book down, I didn't want to leave the characters! I only had two strong criticisms.  First, I think the first chapter would have benefited from more editing.  "Brickyard" appeared in it twenty-six times. (That doesn't count additional uses of "bricks,"...

Congratulations to Dria for winning the Bath and Body Works gift card!