The Governess of Highland Hill {Review}

The Governess of Highland Hill by Carrie Turansky was a good read. Julia is a missionary's daughter that is home with her family while her father recovers from an illness. She is hired as a governess by William a widowed father and caretaker of two young girls left in his care by his cousin that passed away.

Julia brings many sweet things to this family. She quickly transforms Williams children into well behaved children. She also helps to transform Williams sister Sarah into a confident woman, something she struggles with due to a deformity of her hand.

William quickly finds that he might just be falling for the governess but wonders if the feelings are mutual. This is the story, intertwined with the normal goings on of family life and the running of an estate.

This book was a good read and I would most likely recommend it to a friend. I do feel that at times the material did not hold my attention like other books I have read but I did enjoy it.

Splitting Harriet {Review}

I had some time on my hands today and had just received this book in the mail yesterday. Perfect! I finished it one evening and part of today. It was a quick easy read, not super deep but decent for a novel.

Review of Splitting Harriet by Tamara Leigh 

After finishing Perfecting Katie by Tamara Leigh I was excited to read another of her books. I find her writing enjoyable, easy to read and  at the same time follow. I finished this book in just a few hours of reading. I caught myself laughing out loud in parts as well as feeling emotion right along side "Harri." I think that Tamara writes in an easy going and humorous way which hooked me from the start.

Harriet was a PK that rebelled in her younger years, this is her story of finding forgiveness as well as love. The only thing that bothered me that at times I felt that the book had a little bit of filler material, not necessarily info that needed to be included, but for a novel I understand why it was there. I still really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a friend looking for a light, quick read.

Thanks to Waterbrookmultnomah.com for allowing me to receive and review this book!

Perfecting Kate {Book Review}

Summer is my favorite season, I love it because there is usually the opportunity to sneak away and sit in the sun with a book every now and then! My two favorite things- Sunshine and a Good Book!

I just finished up Perfecting Kate by Tamara Leigh-Here is my review!

I loved this book, it was a super easy and funny read. I read it in just 2 days. I loved the way that Tamara Leigh writes. I felt a part of the story which is what I look for in a book.

Kate is a girl who is sure she is destined for singled-om forever,then one day Michael walks into her life, a man who is not shy about sharing his ideas of how Kate should change her appearance. I liked how Leigh portrayed Kate and the way that Michael affected her thinking. Not only is their Michael but soon along comes Clive who is completely different than Michael but their are issues to work through with him as well. This leaves Kate with a decision to make. Which one is the man she wants to be with and which man gives her the confidence to be herself?

I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to a friend. It is fresh, funny and an easy read!

Noonday Collection

"...when you satisfy the needs of the oppressed your night will become like the noonday." Isaiah 58:10

I am so excited to be the newest ambassador for the most awesome company EVER! A sweet friend of mine gave me the most darling bracelet for Christmas from a company called Noonday Collection. I fell instantly in love and went to their website to see what other fun things they had. Let me tell you, I was HOOKED, plus as I explored I found that they had the greatest mission. I was so excited to find a place where I could purchase beautiful handmade items and in turn help women and their sweet families to escape poverty. I saw that they had a great ambassador program which would allow me to share this new and upcoming company with my friends and family while sharing something I'm super passionate about! I was SO excited and requested some more info. I was able to interview with a sweet bunch of ladies over the phone and felt that this was the perfect fit for me at this time in my life and for my little family.

I'm thrilled that I found this amazing company and that I'm able to share their mission and hope of changing the lives of women around the world! I also love that they are dedicated to helping families who are adopting. Adopting families can host a show, or a friend can host one for them and 10% of all sales go toward their adoption fund! If you know me well you know that my heart LOVES adoption. I think it is the most amazing thing to be able to place kiddos in a home where they are going to be loved and supported as they grow and mature. What a sweet thing!

I would love to share more about this new venture with you and your friends! Maybe you would consider hosting a trunk show in your home? Shop with an extraordinary purpose and have a fun girls night too!

You can check out all the amazing jewelry and accessories Here!  E-mail me with ANY questions @ happyhousewifenw@gmail.com

What a great thing it is to be able to bring hope to women and families who can now survive because they are employed making our beautiful jewelry pieces! My heart could burst with excitement! :)

Kelsey 
Thanks to my sweet friend lemonademakinmama.com for these fun pictures! Check out her blog for an awesome giveaway going on now!

Though My Heart Is Torn {Review}

Here is another book review! I just finished Though my heart is Torn by: Joanne Bischof and I enjoyed it. Here is my review of the book!

Lonnie and Gideon have begun to settle into their new lives as a married couple with their son baby son Jacob.Lonnie loves her husband and the life that they live. One day everything changes and their lives are turned upside down and totally twisted around. Cassie Allan claims that Gideon is her husband and Gideon is ripped away from him family. This story captivated me and I didn't want to put the book down. My heart ached for Lonnie and for Gideon and I wanted to find out if things would work themselves out. I liked that the book held my interest and didn't get old. The story was new and different. I would recommend this book to my friends. It really was an enjoyable read. 

Sesame Chicken on the BBQ- What's for Dinner at your House?

Summer is on it's way, I just know it... Even though it's rained all week I'm feeling hopeful that it's gonna get here soon! I've been in the BBQ mood lately and have been trying some new recipes. I made this one tonight from the Taste Of Home: Grill It! Cookbook. 

Sesame Chicken: 

3/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Water

3 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1 garlic clove, minced

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, optional

4 bone-in chicken breast halves

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate overnight ( I totally don't do this, I whipped it up this morning and let it sit until it was time to cook it up) 

Drain and Discard Marinade. Grill Chicken, uncovered over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side. 

I wish I had some pictures, I'm still working on getting a camera so I can add photo's to my posts! Someday!

Let me know what you think! Do you have other awesome BBQ recipes that I have to try? I would LOVE LOVE LOVE for you to Share them! 

Limitless {REVIEW}

I recently read Limitless:Devotions for a Ridiculously Good Life By: Nick Vujcic Here is my review of this inspiring book~

Nick Vujicic is an AMAZING guy! I was excited to read his book and found it an easy read. The book is laid out in a devotion format which I liked. I ended up reading a couple "chapters" a day. Nick encourages readers to follow their dreams, hope when it seems hopeless, stretch in ways you might not normally stretch and encourages that although life might not go exactly as you think it should to find the good and keep trusting in the Lord knowing that He has your best interest in mind.

I didn't find that this book went super in depth but would be a great source of encouragement to a young person or someone who is struggling to hold onto hope in a difficult situation. Many times I felt that it was geared more toward students, but still felt that I could connect to what he was saying.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. I find Nick inspiring and love his positive attitude and outlook on life!

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

Sugar Free Apple Crisp

I have loved being able to be home more since little girl came into our lives. One thing I'm really enjoying is cooking and baking more than I ever have. I'm on a mission to actually use the stacks of cookbooks I have laying around to find some new yummy recipes, oh and maybe get through some of the 100's of recipes I have pinned on my Pinterest boards. 

My Mama had us all over for Mothers Day and wanted me to come up with some sort of dessert.She doesn't eat sugar so I was on a mission to find something that she could enjoy with us! I found this recipe on Pinterest, but now that I'm going back to find it I realized that I don't have it pinned. I must have just printed it instead of pinned it...hmmm. Anyways here it is... 

Apple Crisp: 

Filing: 

12 apples (peeled, cored and sliced) * I used the apples I have frozen in my freezer, and they worked great!

1/4 cup maple syrup*(use 1/2 cup if you aren't going to serve this with something sweet like Ice Cream) 

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour (I just used my normal whole wheat flour)

Topping: 

2 Cups Rolled Oats

1 Cup Whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil (possibly could use coconut oil)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

To prepare the filling, place apples in a large bowl and add all the ingredients gently. Spread into a 9x12 baking dish ( I used a pie plate and it worked great) 

For the topping, combine the oats, flour, nuts and cinnamon. In another bowl whisk together the syrup and the oil and add it to the dry ingredients until it is nice and crumbly. Spread this mixture over the apples. Cover with foil (Oops didn't do that) and bake for 30 minutes or so. Remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes. 

Remove and Enjoy! 

It turned out really good and was super easy to prepare. My Mom liked it which was a plus! 

P.s Have I mentioned how thankful I am for my Mom? I love celebrating Mothers day, and it was really fun to celebrate my first one this year as well. My baby girls daddy helped her spoil me! 

Just Starting Out

I've tried this whole blogging thing a couple times and it just never seemed to fit into my busy life, but I have a little more time at home now since little Miss made an appearance and I really want somewhere to remember all the exciting new milestones in my little girls life. She is already changing and growing SO much, it is amazing to me how quickly 2 and 1/2 months can just fly by. My baby is not a newborn anymore and she is growing much to fast for this Mama. I'm loving every minute with her and really am trying to take advantage of every second I get to spend with her. Being a Mom really is the greatest blessing in this life. I honestly have got the best baby. I was telling someone today that she makes this being a Mom thing seem easy.... everyone keeps telling me wait until my next one, that I'm bound to get a hard baby on my 2nd... I'll deal with that when it happens, but right now I'm just enjoying the fact that I have an extremely laid back and happy baby. She is a blessing and I'm thankful for all the joy she has brought into our lives already!

I wake everyday to smiles and get to fall asleep most everyday to little baby happy coo's. She melts my heart and I am constantly thanking the Lord for giving her to me. I also pray quite frequently that the Lord would help me to raise her for Him. It truly is my hearts greatest desire to see my little one come to a saving knowledge of who Jesus is and what He did for us at a young age. I want to live in such a way that I make the gospel look attractive. I want her to want a relationship with Jesus,and I want to live in such a way that she see's me oozing with a love for my Savior and the way He has called me to live. I'm most def. not perfect and I know that until I reach heaven I'm going to have to battle my sinful self (bummer) but  how precious it is to have the hope of heaven someday. I can't wait until I can share this with little Miss, but until she is old enough to understand I will pray constantly for a soft heart that see's her need of Jesus early in life! What a huge responsibility I've been given to raise this little girl. I'm so excited, but terrified at the same time...

I'm starting this blog to record the happenings of our lives, thanks for coming along on our journey! I can't wait to see what life has in store for us in the next couple years!