A Winning, A Recipe and Some Book Reviews

Last week I was one of the lucky recipients of Nancy's b'day giveaway over at Victorian Motto's blog and I received my package over the weekend.  This is the awesome package I won. 

 A drawstring bag filled w/lots of goodies inside.

 I can't wait to use them on my fallish items, hopefully very soon.

 On another note, you can't really tell how big these cucumbers are in the pic, but the one on the right was over 12 in. long and the other one was over 9 in. long and fairly big around ~ they look HUGE in person!  Hubs picked them up from a farmer's market the other day, along w/some deep red tomatoes(my favorite) and some 'peaches and cream' corn on the cob.  We are trying to get our fill of them before the end of the season.

 Here's an old recipe for ya. Can't remember if I shared it a long time ago or not.
 It's Crockpot Beef Stroganoff.  Super dee duper easy!  I've been using this recipe for over 25 yrs. and I've tweaked it just a bit over the yrs. to suit our growing family.

1 large can (26oz.) Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 small cans of Cr. of Mushroom soup - (I get the fat/free or less fat kind)
2 small cans of Cream of Celery soup
1- 2 lbs. of beef stew meat cut into bite size pieces
(feeds about 6 or so)

Spray the inside of the crockpot w/cooking spray.  Throw in the stew meat, then add all the cans of soup.  Mix well and cook on low for 6 -8 hrs.  (you may need to stir it once it's cooked for a few hrs.)
Serve over rice or noodles.  (I always use the extra wide noodles, and after draining them, I just add them into the crock & mix).     Easy peasy!!  It's also a great company dish.  All I add are some rolls to go along w/it.

 Does anyone know the name of this type of bush??  It grows fairly tall(this one is as tall as a tree) and I've seen several in our neighborhood when I go on my morning walks.  They are beautiful and the thing I love about them is that they bloom till late summer/early fall, I'm guessing.

 I'm a bit behind on posting my book reviews, so I am doing 3 at one time, so hang in there.

I receive my books for free from Bethany House Publishers, in exchange for an honest review.
'Into the Whirlwind' by Elizabeth Camden is one of the most fascinating historical Christian romance novels I've ever read.  The story wraps around the famous Chicago Fire back in 1871.  The author does a remarkable job of making sure you get an extensive history lesson of that time era, but in a very personal/interesting way.  The story draws you in from the beginning and lasts till the very end, w/lots of twists and turns throughout.  I really enjoyed all the characters, both the main ones as well as the secondary ones.  The author gives an amazing account into the lives of the people who survived that tragic fire and tried to rebuild their beloved city.
 I personally would have liked to have seen more mention of the characters' love of God and their growing faith in Him, which usually runs foremost in Christian fiction, but in this book it was only stated very few times throughout.  Other than that, Elizabeth Camden did an amazing job and I learned a ton of information in a delightful way!

 This book, 'Secrets to a Happy Life', by Bill Giovannetti, is now one of my ALL-TIME favorites!!  This is a NON-fiction Christian based book and I ended up using it as a devotional.  I can only say that I'm just sorry it had to end!!  It revolves around the life of Joseph in the Old Testament (who is my favorite Bible character).  The author does an outstanding job of breaking down his life verse by verse and chapter by chapter in great detail, but in a very upbeat, up-to-date fashion, w/a sense of humor thrown in on the side.  I love the way Bill always makes sure that the reader knows who is the REAL true character of the book and that is GOD himself.
  It is filled w/Godly advice and Biblical wisdom, paralleling Joseph's life and how he remained happy even tho' going through the toughest of times.  I hope to remember everything I learned from this book for the rest of my life.   Highly highly recommend!!

 This book, 'Unseen' (NON-fiction) is written by Dr. Jack Graham, (who happens to be my former pastor many yrs. ago).  He tells about his own true story when he was a young man, his father was brutally attacked. Jack later realized that evil forces were involved.  Thus beginning his quest for Biblical answers as to the supernatural forces of good and evil, angels and Satan, heaven and hell. His book teaches about Christians using spiritual warfare through Biblical guidelines.  He encourages every believer that God does provide protection, provision and power for whatever you may be going through.  Well written!  I highly recommend this book.

That's it for today folks!  I will try my best to be back later in the week w/some pics of our recent camping trip.  Hope I haven't bored you too much!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!