The Tinderbox By Beverly Lewis

The Tinderbox
by Beverly Lewis
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 9780764232831

One of the things I like most about my days is when book mail comes! When I received The Tinderbox from Bethany House for review, it was an excellent day!

Summary:

I've marveled at Dat's ability to accept the Old Ways so readily, considering his modern upbringing. Mamma says it's like he was born to be Amish. Maybe so, but all the same, I wished I knew something more about his past.With her parents' twentieth anniversary approaching, eighteen-year-old Sylvia Miller finds her father's cherished brass tinderbox left unlocked. Against her better judgment, Sylvia opens the heirloom, not realizing that what she is about to discover will splinter apart her happy life and alter everything for her close-knit Old Order Amish family. As the long-kept secret emerges into the light of day, can the Millers find a way forward through the turmoil to a place of forgiveness?

My Review:

I can't tell you how long it's been since I've read any Amish genre. You'd think with our visits up to Lancaster country I'd have devoured all of them. Beverly Lewis is definitely my favorite author in this genre. Reading The Tinderbox was like wrapping myself in one of her beloved quilts.

This book was different than what I'm used to with Amish fiction. It was a fresh twist on how Englischers fit into the Plain world. Earnest has been part of the Plain world for 20 years. It's clear as we read the story that he's fit in perfectly with their ways. When his daughter Sylvia opens up the tinderbox that's she's wondered about since she was little, she has no idea what is about to happen. I think we've all been there, right? We think we want to know about something, and once we do we wish we could give back what we know and never think of it again.

Of course this comes at the same time she becomes engaged to Titus, the preacher Kauffman's son. There's really never a good time for your world to spin out of control, but at this time in her life is when Sylvia would want it the least.  As she gets to know Titus better, we get to watch their engagement unfold. Can I just say for the record that I really liked Sylvia's insight as she gets to know him better. I also love her (and the other ladies) interaction with the Wise Woman, Ella Mae.

Now we can't talk about this The Tinderbox without talking about Earnest and Rosalind. When we meet them, they've been together for 20 yrs. You can feel the adoration and love between them. It's so sad how secrets can come to light and how destructive they can be. In an Englischer world, the secrets might not have the same impact, but in the Amish world they can be life changing. I thought my heart was going to break numerous times as I read this story and watched the Miller family work through the past.

I read this book in just a few days. The busyness of life sometimes gets in the way of my reading. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the writing. There are twists and turns that you just aren't expecting and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I was happy to get to the end of the story and read that the conclusion to it will be out in September. It's called The Timepiece. I'm looking forward to it!

About The Author:

Beverly Lewis (beverlylewis.com), born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, has more than 17 million books in print. Her stories have been published in 12 languages and have regularly appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, making music, and spending time with their family.

Around The World Embassy Tour

The first Saturday of May was the Around the World Embassy Tour in Washington D.C. Did you know that there are typically a gazillion things going on that same day? Goodness! I have been wanting to visit these embassies for the past couple years, but we've always been so busy on that day. We were even busy this Saturday with my daughter and her husband being in town, but I made a point to have a half day at the event.

Having never been on this free tour, I had no idea what to expect, but I knew that it would be packed. Little did I know it there were more people than I could've imagined.

Our first stop was the most meaningful one to me. We went to Peru! I would say it's not a surprise to anyone. There was quite the line to get in, but it went surprisingly fast. And when I say fast, I think it took us about a half an hour to get through the line and to walk through the embassy. Also, the Peru embassy is at the far end of this tour. So, it was our starting point.

The Ambassador's office

I was imagining how many people have touched

this door handle over the years!

Next to Peru was Trinidad & Tobago. It was so fabulous to walk by and hear the steel drums. Across the street was the Philippines, but we were on a mission to get to the hub of the other embassies we wanted to visit. The great part about our walk to the bulk of the embassies we visited is we passed the  Information Station where I was able to meet the media people for Passport D.C. and got a media pass.

Now, since the Around the World Embassy Tour was free what the media pass did was get Fred and I through the lines. We didn't have to wait. As much of a difference that made, out of the 51 embassies participating today, we only visited 6. Five really because there wasn't much to do at The Republic of Kenya.

Our next stop with the Tour was at The Republic of India. This was their first time participating in the AWET. We didn't see it, but they were doing yoga demonstrations as well as dancing and music. From there we headed to the next 4 embassies we were planning to visit.

We got to Kenya and found that visitors were only able to be outside in a common area where people were selling a variety of cultural items. Across the street was the Guatemalan Embassy so we figured we'd pop in there to see what they had going on. They had beautiful displays of fruit and outside they were selling cultural items.

Next we headed to the Korean Cultural Center. This was probably my favorite embassy to tour. I think it was because they had SO much going on. It wasn't a quick peek inside and then you were done. After you walked through the embassy they had some games you could learn and a few things for kids to do. From there as you walked behind the building, they had dancers as well as music. There were also 2 rows of tents to interact with people doing a variety of activities. We didn't have time, but they were writing things in Korean at one of the spots. I just really liked how they immersed you in their culture.

Our last stop, if I remember correctly, was Haiti. People were leaving Haiti with really cool, colorful straw hats. This was an embassy you really got to walk through as well. In one room they had a large painting for everyone to add to. As we were leaving, a volunteer gave us some plain straw hats saying lots of people were taking multiples. What was funny about the hats was, the tags said, "Made in Vietnam." lol

I was sad we had to leave half way through he day, but since we had other plans I was glad we had a chance to even spend part of our day there. I'll have some tips coming up on how to plan your visit in case you decide to take the Tour next year. It's well worth your day and I would highly recommend it!

Awesome Con 2019

Last year was super busy at this time of year and we wren't able to get back to Awesome Con. Watching all of the coverage definitely made us keep our schedule clear so that we could go this year. We were able to get Press Passes thanks to Awesome Con and we couldn't wait to go!

Awesome Con, in case you've never attended it's the Washington D.C.'s Comic Con. If you love comics, movies, tv shows, gaming, etc, this is the place for you. They literally seem to cover every conceivable angle at this Con! And if you love cosplay, you will love all of the costumes you see over this 3 day event.

Jacob and I spent all day Friday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. We got there around 11:30am and lasted until about 5:30pm. It's so great getting there early on Friday because the people are slowly trickling in.

We didn't have an agenda, but Jacob knew that he wanted to try to find the artist who did his Arrow picture. He also wanted to see Danielle Panabaker. She is from the The Flash tv show. I think I remember her from Hers, Mine, and Ours. lol Other than that, we were just excited to be able to see every thing Con related.

We started off at the Backlot with the 80th Anniversary of Batman. It had props from all of the Batman movies. That was pretty fascinating to to walk through. Seeing all of the outfits from the Batman movies (and judging each actor as we did) really got our excitement going for the rest of what Awesome Con had for us.

From there the crowds were starting to come in and we headed for Artist Alley to see if we could find the artist Jacob likes. We literally went up and down every aisle checking out the artists. There were a couple that we both got to meet and were new fans of. Unfortunately we didn't find his artist.

That section spills into the merchandise area which is huge. Anything your mind could imagine is probably something that could be found in this section. From LEGO figurines to light sabers to unicorn socks. Everything under the sun is there. Connected to the merchandise section is Future Con and Awesome Con Jr. I love that this area is so kid friendly!

We made our way back to the opposite end of the Exhibit Hall to see where the guests would be. We caught a glimpse of Lou Ferrigno, Wallace Shawn, and Kate Flannery. I got in line to see Kevin Sorbo because he was in the first God's Not Dead and he's from Minnesota so...

Jacob and I decided to go to a panel so we had to walk through the entire convention center to get to it. We saw the gaming area and planned to check it out after the panel. The program was called "A Galaxy With/Without Jedi". There were 2 women and 3 men with different knowledge of Star Wars. It never ceases to amaze me how much knowledge super fans have of these subjects. The people in the audience laughed and responded to the things they said so clearly we were in a room of those same kinds of fans, including Jacob.

After the panel was finished we checked out the Gaming area. It's basically a huge room with a variety of games you can play that are all stacked on a rack as well as times throughout the day to play specific games. Across the hall they had a video gaming area. That was pretty amazing. Lots of games that we'd never heard of as well as a whole wall of arcade games! They had one of those dance competition "games" set up. Ah, if only my sister-in-law were there! lol

We finally went back into the exhibit hall and after wandering up and down the artist rows to try and find the guy he had been wanting to find again. I finally went to an artist whose work was similar to the other artist, but on a much smaller scale. He thankfully knew exactly who I was talking about and they told us where to find him. He was tucked away in a section we didn't realize we hadn't been to at the back of the exhibit hall. Needless to say, I was relieved and my son was elated!

After we got the Flash colored in as much as Jacob wanted, we went over to see if Danielle Panabaker was around yet. She was, but she was just leaving!!! hahahaha Thankfully Jacob was able to get her autograph on his poster. Mission successful!

Overall we had a fun time at Awesome Con. I know Jacob will want to go back and probably dress in Cosplay. Already looking forward to next year, costumes, and more panels!

Jacob's review:

It was my first to attending Awesome Con, and it was an amazing convention that I’ll definitely be visiting again. There were so many amazing artists and writers there that I was able to interact with and admire their work.

We saw some amazing cosplay, I think my favorite had to be a man walking around as Deathstroke. I think next time I’ll have to attend in cosplay myself! It was just as awesome seeing all the past Batman suits used throughout the movies.

I think the longest part of the day was searching for Cory Smith; a black and white artist who draws amazingly nerdy characters. I had received one of his print drawings of Stephen Amell’s Arrow, so I thought it would be perfect to grab one of his Flash drawings. Afterward, asking Danielle Panabaker, who plays Caitlin Snow on CW’s The Flash, to autograph it. It was a great way to end the day.

Mother's Day With Precious Moments

How in the world is it May? I feel like it should still be March. Anyone else with me? When someone  in the family asked me what I wanted for for Mother's Day I asked when it was. lol I wasn't even paying attention to that it was already that time of year.

When Precious Moments reached out to me asking me to share about their figurines, how could I resist? They had two that would be perfect for a young boy or girl to give to their mom. Since my kids are grown I decided I'd review the "My Favorite People Call Me Grandma".

Why would I choose that one? Did you know I'm a grandma? I am. My step-daughter has 2 boys who are absolutely loves! Her oldest son is 14 and her youngest son is 8! I think if they were to get me a gift, this Precious Moments figurine would be the place to start.

Just like this figurine, I hope I'm one of those hip and fun grandmas! I would never want my grandkids to think I was old and crabby. lol I certainly wouldn't look as delightful as this "grandma" does. This "My Favorite People Call Me Grandma" is a bisque porcelain figurine that stands about 5.5 inches high.

She's wearing an adorable, pink sweater with a matching blue scarf. And don't you want to have a grandma who wears faux diamond studded glasses? This grandma has also accessorized with pink "pearls" and handbag that says, "Grandma Life". I can't wait until I can live the full time grandma life. It's hard to do all the way in Maryland. Let me tell you what, I have plans and those plans involve loving hard on my grand babies!

With Mother's Day just around the corner this figurine would be the perfect gift! You can also keep it in mind for Grandparent's Day or for your favorite grandma's birthday! Do you have a gift picked out yet? If not, Precious Moments has the best gift ideas. Visiting their site it looks like you can 20% on select items through 5/8. Restrictions apply. So many adorable options to choose from!

Adopt A Shelter Pet Day!

April 30th is Adopt A Shelter Pet Day! I'm sure you've seen and read that our family has adopted 3 pets from our local SPCA over the past 5 yrs. Our first adoption was Peru, an American Bulldog. Our next adoption was Batman a couple years later. We had lost one of our older cats (she was 17) and Simba was alone, which we didn't want. Then Simba passed away at the age of about 15 so Batman was alone. He is a rambunctious cat so I wanted to get a kitten, but when we went to the SPCA none of the kittens seemed to be what we were looking for.

We did meet an older, chunky cat named Willow. She had come into the SPCA a month earlier and spent that month at a foster home. She was 20 lbs when she showed up, but by the time she made it back to the shelter she was down to 14 lbs! I found out that she'd had a lot of applications and that our chances were pretty slim that we'd get her. We went back the next day so the rest of the family could meet her "just in case". I couldn't believe it, but the next day I got the call that she was ours!

Have you been thinking about adopting a puppy or a kitten? My friends at Purina asked me to share these reminders as you consider expanding your family with a fur baby.

• Consider your lifestyle. Take some time to truly evaluate your lifestyle and how much time and space you can dedicate to your new pet. If you’re not home very often, or don’t have space, a large breed dog may not be for you. Purina’s Breed Finder walks you through a series of questions to help identify the right dog breed for your lifestyle. 
• Know your resources. Online resources such as the Petfinder offer plenty of tools to help guide you through this important decision and can help you locate the perfect adoptable friend for your family.

• Make sure your new pet will have his (or her) nutritional needs met. Like people, puppies and kittens benefit from a complete and balanced diet – helping set the stage for a lifetime of health. Dr. Brian Zagnhi, DvM, Research Nutritionist at Purina encourages new pet owners to look for foods that have the right balance of nutrients like DHA to promote brain and vision development, and encourages new pet owners to look for puppy and kitten specific formulas with “complete and balanced” on the packaging, meaning it has the right blend of protein, fat and carbohydrates. Nearly half of pet owners dive right into buying adult pet food for their little furballs, and it’s not the recommended choice.
  
  
  
• Puppy/kitten-proof your home. Welcoming a new pet into your home can come with some growing pains, but you can make the transition easier with a little prep work. Look for items that can help make your pet comfortable, while deterring potentially destructive behavior. Scratching posts, puppy pads, chew toys and a heap of patience can go a long way.
• Check out gadgets to help ease into pet parenthood. Consider an automated feeder, which creates a slow release of food at various times throughout the day – helpful for pets who are eager eaters and pet owners committed to following feeding guidelines to keep their pet at an ideal weight. For cats, you can make things more interesting for them by creating a puzzle feeder, a great way to fulfill your cat’s instinctual desire for the pursuit of food.
  
  
  

Something else to consider is the cost. One of the questions that we're asked when we apply for a shelter pet is something along the lines of how much we think it's going to cost yearly to care for our new pet. You have to consider that you have their food, toys, and vet visits, but even more than that, what if there's an emergency? Not only an emergency, but on a Saturday night after hours. That won't be a cheap visit and are you prepared have the willingness to know that cost will be high?

Getting a new pet to join the family is one of the most fun you can have! Be sure to find the right one that will fit your family. Do the research you need to be sure you make the best decision possible for everyone included. Good luck and have an exciting time rescuing whichever animal you decide on!