Bring In The Books: Taming The Wind by Tracie Peterson

Okay. This was the third book in the Land Of The Lone Star series. This one kinda fell a little short for me. Just a little, though. 

Carissa Lowe is moving on with her life. After her evil husband Malcom Lowe died, it left her free to raise her daughter Gloria. She moved in with her sister Laura and husband Brandon, near William and Hannah Barnett, from the first book. She is still trying to recover from the damage that was done to her. Tyler Atherton is a man seeking revenge on the Indians who killed his father. But Carissa, whom he saved is still on his mind. 

Anyways, this book was good, but not as good as the others. While it still kept me reading, it wasn't enough to make me anticipate reading it after lunch. The other two made me want to read throughout breakfast, lunch and dinner (which is not a possibility in the family), but not really this one. Carissa still drove me nuts, because she still can't get her feelings straight. I knew Tyler would come back, after him being in two books. I was just waiting for it, though. 

It was a good read, though not the best. I'm giving it 4 stars out of 5. 

I Hope You Add This To Your Reading List! 

Bring In The Books: Touching The Sky by Tracie Peterson

Wow. This is the second book in the Land Of The Lone Star series. All I can say is wow. I loved this book so much. Usually in trilogies, (I know this is a series, but so far there's only three) the second book is my least favorite. But in this case, it's the second best.

Laura Marquardt is a young woman who is still single. She's very serious, intelligent and, just like any older sister should be, very protective of her naive little sister Carissa. Brandon Reid is a retired Union captain. He meets Laura through a misunderstanding in the alley. When he is called to do one last mission for the Union, he meets her again. Now, though this book seems* to be focused on them, it's actually about Carissa, Laura's sister. You see, Carissa is a spoiled brat. Since the Civil War kind of robbed her of her good years (when she was a teenager), meaning that money was short and such and all the good looking young men were fighting, Laura and Carissa's mom has been trying to make up for it. She buys Carissa all the fancy clothes she wants, and lets her have the best of everything. Why, she'll even let Carissa marry after only knowing the man for, what, like a month? Whenever Laura tries to get both her mother and sister to see the dangerous side of things, they both accuse her of being jealous. But throughout the book, Laura sees something dangerous in the man of Malcom Lowe, her sister's fiancé and soon to be husband. So does Brandon. So they team up to find what he's really hiding, and to help Carissa get out of her unhappy abusive marriage.

I loved this book. I loved Laura. She's so level headed and serious. I also loved Brandon. Very kind and caring. Carissa drove me nuts, as she did everyone in the book, I believe. Malcom is a no-good dirty rotten guy. I loved the book, period. Though not as good as Chasing The Sun, this book still earns  4 and a half stars out of five.

I Enjoyed This Book Immensely And I Hope You'll Give It A Try!

Of All The Nominations!

Hello to all! Natalie of Raindrops On Roses And Whiskers On Kittens awarded me the Beautiful Blog Award. Can you believe it? My fourth nomination. I couldn't be happier! So, here we go: 

Favorite Jane Austen Book?
Well, I've never read a Jane Austen book. Shocking, I know. I tried Pride and Prejudice, I'm actually on my second try and I can't finish it. But if I had to pick, it would only leave me with P&P. 

Favorite School Subject?
Lunch. I'm serious. And French.

A movie recently watched that left you in tears? 
Ah, Pearl Harbor. I've seen this movie a thousand times, but *SPOILER ALERT* Danny's death brings me to tears. And the way that Rafe tells him "You can't die! You're gonna be a Daddy!" and Danny replies "No, Rafe. You're gonna be a Daddy." It's heartbreaking. And then when they show Rafe coming off the plane and Evelyn looks so happy, but she then sees them carrying Danny's coffin, ohhhh! *looks away and sobs. Blows nose in hankie* What? I'm fine! Don't you know I have allergies?!

Your favorite song to sing?
As of right now,  "Let It Go", "Hello Young Lovers" and such.

Your least favorite book?
"Calico Captive" by Elizabeth Goerge Speare and "Elijah of Buxton" Christopher Paul Curtis and "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare. 

Favorite article of clothing? 
Every article of clothing? I mean I like everything I wear, except tights, leggings and sometimes dresses. So I guess, thats's my answers. 

Thanks so much Natalie for nominating me! Here is my nominee! I'm sorry, I'm only nominating one person, because I feel that I have stressed out everyone that I follow with so many awards and such. I know awards are good, but sometimes you can feel overwhelmed by so many. So here is my nominee: 
 Kiri Liz from A Hundred And One Titles

My questions: 
Favorite book from The Chronicles Of Narnia series?
Last movie that you saw at the movie theatre? 
Favorite musical, if you like them?
Fiction or Non Fiction?
Favorite time period to read from?
Favorite/Lucky number?

Thanks For The Nomination, Natalie!

An Interview With Natalie

Hello everyone! I got the wonderful chance of interviewing Natalie of Raindrops On Roses And Whiskers On Kittens. I'm so terribly sorry to everyone (including Natalie!) for the long wait. Natalie and I had a few complications about the Q&A's. But, here we go, anyways! Natalie was one of the very first bloggers that I "met" (through comments on Blogger) since actually being a blogger, myself. It was a while ago, when I had my first tag. She was my first (and only) person who participated, therefore I was "Aw thanks!" And I guess we kicked it off right there. I asked her to host my blog party A Winter Wonderland and she accepted! We had to blast comments back and forth to each other throughout the period of October thru December, planning every little detail down to the last thing. She's such a sweet girl. We learned that we have some similarities, (such as we both play piano (though I think she enjoys it much more than me!) and we love POTO and just those little things that you can relate to!). She loves the Lord with all her heart, and have you SEEN her writing and her drawing? You have not laid eyes on the work of a prodigy of both until you have read her stories and seen her artwork with your own eyes. She's an extremely talented girl and so fun to comment to. Thank you so much Natalie, for letting me interview you, and thank you for bearing with me, as we went through that awfully painful process of getting everything we needed for this. 

*All answers came straight from Natalie's "lips" through the comments that she sent me. ;)



1. What is your name and age?
My name is Natalie and I'm 15 years old. People generally think I'm older as I'm tall (5'9"!) and they claim I "look" older too, haha. :)

2. Why and when did you start blogging?
Well, I've been reading various blogs for quite some time now. I wanted to blog as it looked like something I would enjoy. I also thought it'd be neat to get to know more home school girls like me over the internet as I have a lot in common with some of the bloggers I follow!

3. What would be an ideal amount of followers on your blog?
 Oh my...well, I'm thankful for having 24 as it is! :) I like the idea of having a lot someday as that would mean people like my blog, but I'm content with what I have right now.

4. What is your favorite Bible verse and why?
"I am holding you by your right hand- I, the Lord your God- and I say to you, Don't be afraid I am here to help you." Isaiah 41:13. This verse really helped, strengthened, and comforted me when I had scoliosis surgery on my back. 


5. What are a few of your talents, characteristics, quirks and favorite colors?
I have magic hair that glows when I sing. I'll leave you to your own conclusions on that one. :P Other than that, I love to draw, write, play piano, sew, and other things. Characteristics? I assume you mean personality wise. Well, I'm more quiet in public, but with friends and especially family I'm much more outgoing. I like small groups of people much better than bigger groups. I "dearly love a laugh". I'm paranoid about the silliest things sometimes (what was that noise?!? There must be a murderer in the house!) and I also tend to be bossy....older sibling problem? Quirks? Um, I can't stand to see perfectly good ribbons or wrapping paper thrown away. I must drink my homemade smoothies out of a coffee mug-I don't like drinking it from a glass, don't ask me why. I love lots of colors, but my favorite is aqua blue.

6. Who are your favorite bands/artists?
I like a lot of Christian bands and artists like Matthew West, Mikeschair, City Harbor, Francesca Battistelli, Chris Tomlin, Brandon Health, Kari Jobe and more. I keep a list of all the songs I like that I hear on the radio so I can either listen to them online or buy them one day. :)


7. What would be your ideal vacation in the winter? A cozy log cabin in the woods, but near town or a beach house and the ocean as your backyard? 
I'd pick the log cabin. Even though I'd love to vacation on  a {private!} beach, I gotta say I'm more of a woods girl than a beach girl. Plus, if it's in the winter, it'd be too cold to go in the water!


8. What is your ideal footwear? Flip-flops/Sandals, boots, tennis shoes, high heels or no shoes at all?
I definitely love bare feet. I mostly wear flip-flops and sneakers, although I love boots for the winter. Especially cowgirl boots!


9. What do you want to do with your life when you grow up?
Well, I'd love to pursue some of my interests-namely, photography and writing. I'd love to do exciting things like travel the world- my brother and I once planned out our complete world trip on our private jet or whatever it was. Hey, you can dream. Eventually I'd want to marry the guy God has for me and have a family. :) 

10. If God could show you a glimpse of the past or future which would you want to see, what would you want to see in that time and why?
Well, as exciting and interesting the future would be, I'd rather it remain a surprise. SO I'd look back in time and see my parents as kids-that would be cool! Or my grandparents at their wedding. Or maybe even a glimpse back into Bible times. :) 


Thank you so much for letting me interview you Natalie! It was such an honor and a pleasure! 

Big Thanks To Natalie For Letting Me Interview You! I Hope Everyone Enjoys It!

I've Been Nominated.... Again!!!

Wow.... Can I just say wow? This is the third blogger award that I've been nominated for. I can't believe it. I mean, it's a good thing, but who da thunk (excuse the improper spelling!) that a tiny blogger like me, would be nominated three times? Thank you so much Miss Jane Bennet for nominating me!

Here are the rules:
Thank and link back to the person who nominated you
List 11 facts about yourself
Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
Nominated 9 blogger who have fewer than 200 followers (you can't nominate the bigger who nominated you)
Ask them 11 questions
Let them know about the nomination

Alrighty, here it goes.

11 Facts About Myself:

1. Well, I have allergies that are bugging the tar outta me right now
2. I can't stand people who tell me "you're overracting" or "it's not that bad" or "get over it" when I say something about my allergies. There are times where I just want to say "I'll give you my allergies for a day and then we'll see how you like it." 
3. I'm currently hooked on Anthem Light's cover of "Say Something (I'm Giving Up On You)" by A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera. 
4. I don't like many things sweet. I don't really like cake or cupcakes. I mean, Ill eat one once in a while, but I prefer brownies and cookies. I'm actually really more a salty person (bad thing)
5. My wardrobe consists of jeans and tops and you'll barely see me do anything with my hair except a pony-tail (which drives my mom and sisters nuts!)
6. I want to go to New York and see Ramin Karimloo play Jean Valjean so badly!
7. My favorite thing to do in the spring and summer is swim in our pool
8. I am really boring. Like, if you knew me in real life, you'd probably not like me! ;) 
9. I have big dreams of Broadway (Let me remind you that I can't act, sing or dance)
10. If you can get a sincere smile or a laugh out of me, then you must be pretty special
11. I have no idea how to get into theatre... Any tips? 

What Movie Genre is your favorite?
Well, I guess romances, musicals and action and adventure and drama. Yup, that's about it. I also lime some comical. But funny comical not stupid comical.

Do you like musicals? If so, list a few favorites.
Hm. Do I know musicals? Naw, I don't think sooo. Of course I love musicals! As I type this, I'm watching the 25th Anniversary Concert of POTO. Some of my favorites are The Phantom of the Opera (duh), Les Misérables (another duh), Love Never Dies, The King and I and Newsies and so on.


Favorite modern author?
Um..... Tracie Peterson and Janelle Mowery at the moment. 


Do you prefer reading a paperback or hardback book?
I guess both, but I like hard back a little more because then the cover pages won't bend. 


Favorite time period in history?
1800's France, and 1860-90's Texas and western times


Least favorite food?
Shrimp, seafood, brussell sprouts, broccoli, I could go on.


Do you have any historical role models?  If so, who and why?
Umm, yes... Like all the WWII heroes, Abraham Lincoln and some more.


Fictional character who's most like you?
Ummm........ Elsa from Frozen and Erik from POTO. Don't ask about Erik. Elsa, though, is the truth. And, no, I'm not just taking the character quizzes, though I took two and got her each time. I even took one over to see if it was rigged, but I still got her. 


Do you ever take personality quizzes?  If so, list a few of your favorites.
Huh. Yep, I do. As I said above, in two Frozen quizzes, I got Elsa. I'll just link back to a post I wrote all about them. 


Favorite book when you were little?
I have no clue. Like, really, I don't. I guess I liked The Magic Treehouse Series, but when I was super little there was a book called "Good Night Sleepy Squirrel." Ahem. 


Thoughts on Kindles?
I don't have a Kindle, so I couldn't tell you. 

Okay, so that's that.... Now for my nominees: 
Natalie of Raindrops On Roses And Whiskers On Kittens
Ivy Miranda of Revealed In Time
Tara Therese of Tara Therese
Lady Éowyn of High Noon
Evelyn of A Wisp of Time
Sierra Bailey of I Dreamed A Dream
Carissa Horton of Musings Of An Introvert
Melody of Regency Delight ~Jane Austen, etc.~
Rose P. of The Best Of The Classics

Here are my questions:

Swimming or tanning?
Popsicles or ice creams cones?
Watermelon or cantaloupe?
Biking or running?
Sierra Boggess or Emmy Rossum?
Ramin Karimloo or Gerald Butler?
Where would you like to live one day?
How do you picture yourself in ten years?
Little Mermaid or The Lion King on Broadway?
Cake or cookies?
Favorite Disney Movie?

Once more, thank you to Miss Jane Bennet for nominating me!

When You Wish Upon A Star Disney Blog Party Details!

Hello everyone! Welcome to the When You Wish Upon A Star blog party! Hosted by me, Anna S. Now, I had a blog party in December, which was an absolute blast. And, a blogger friend suggested having another blog party, so I was all ears. The blog party will kick off on May 7 and end on May 14 of this year (duh). I am posting this quite early to give you time to prepare. I would hate to make you all rush just for a blog party, because I know I hate to be rushed. This blog party will be centered completely around anything Disney! There are countless post ideas to do Disney on. If you're not sure of some, here are a few: 

✶ Favorite Disney Movies
✶ Favorite Disney Characters/Villains/Sidekicks
✶ Least Favorite Disney Movie
✶ Why You Love Disney So Much
✶ If You Could Live In One Disney Location where would it be? (Example: St. Louis (The Princess and the Frog, France (Beauty and the Beast) etc.)

There are going to be plenty of games coming up. I couldn't do many for Christmas movies, because I haven't seen that many. But *rubs hands gleefully* I've seen many Disney movies and I know my stuff. Fun Fact: Undefeated champion at Disney Scene It! Ahem. 

So, I have made some lovely (if I do say so myself) blog buttons. I'm so glad I got the hang of it. The only thing that takes me so long to make them, is resizing them so they don't look like giants when you put them on your sidebar. But, luckily, these decided to cooperate with me! Yay! Anyways if you don't know or haven't guessed, the backgrounds are Disney related. The first one is obviously the logo, the second is the palace from Tangled, the third is the bayou from The Princess and the Frog and the last is the frozen waterfall from Frozen (duh!). 


<a href="http://cowgirlandadream.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-oter2WzNhqjbmIBP7BM4reNEdLjatQhrgz98N-eatRWuBAtO9JtDKmh_aHEuNdZqBIanvicchhlfq99o_ahCZiMyH3NvTJsLlRHfZyRmaenpWiKDjiwnUOMJUqq1LkPorT0oGdq2y7u/s1600/disney11.jpg"/></a> <a href="http://cowgirlandadream.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GOyO_VZESKZXFl9AxKPBNQBhs8ZDva62-LttIH7lbXB_4i6lrgn2K0yeICxB8MGxveNOHP4zLP4fInQynZh8dytWie2psq80Nz9Es47gWgGiWWBRx0JxgstUqbmJZzyXTshg2sIMHPR4/s1600/disney21.jpg"/></a> <a href="http://cowgirlandadream.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErYjWh1vUnj6OsV9AdbRpudWLCgFnXAOjUl_ntROoG5BOSeC436eeb2wROsULUZ4QkHvqxNCzwW3DEV9AV4kyljWOczsFl1VWiUUkAwnVvsBUq5DrOSuOl1FBDzeV0C8tv4Az_1D2Z7pn/s1600/disney31.jpg"/></a> <a href="http://cowgirlandadream.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfGKUsEuzL87qOtgnc1kfhea1EQWCasm-sPhIfTfUdWCQXcNtn3fLx3b54t_sMeaPVi9brTGkJJlevlOX3YoeGCUUJKWtfAu89Z5PPs5iigxFzNgm6hktz5ucvEx5rsxGTlyOSHj-T8b8/s1600/disney41.jpg"/></a>

There are no "requirements" for this blog party. There will be a tag at the very beginning, because, "It isn't a blog party without a tag!" Said no one ever. ;) The only rule is, have fun! Comment on others blogs of you wish! I hope that you all will enjoy the party and have fun reading each others blog party posts. I enjoy reading each and every post. Now, I bet all of you are probably thinking "Five months ago she did a blog party! Isn't she still tired from the last one?" Well, to answer your questions, no, not really. You see, all of my blog party posts were ready to fire out the door as soon as it started. It only took time to review and click 'publish'. I like being prepared. And, it's been five months. That, I believe has been over 100 days. Not to get technical or anything. But I've been dreaming of having a Disney blog party for such a long time, just because I absolutely love Disney. 

I hope many of you join, tell your friends and have a lot of fun participating and reading each others posts. I know I'll have a lot of fun! Comment below if you would like to join! 

Comment Below If You Would Like To Join The Party! Remember, Select A Button If You Wish! Have Lots Of Fun!

The King And I

Sooooo, I was going to make this a "Pass The Popcorn" thing, but I decided not to. Just because if it was one of them, I wouldn't really be able to go on about the beautiful score.

First off, it's about a teacher named Anna Leonowens, based on the real Anna Leonowens from Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam. She goes to Siam to teach the King's children.

Now, this is about the 1999 animated movie, just because I haven't seen the 1999 unanimated version "Anna and the King" in years. And it kind of scarred me. I watched a bit of it when I was really young with my sisters, and all I can remember is someone like getting beat and violent stuff, so I have bad memories of that one. Don't judge. I swear we were like six or seven, or somewhere around that age. It was scary as heck.

Now, I totally forgot about this movie. We had watched it a long time ago. After all, it's animated and I'm 14 now. It was only around Christmas when my little sisters were watching it, when it kind of reawaken my love for this movie/musical. Now we just watched about a week or so ago. I'm going to point out some of my favorite songs. Though I don't have super good reasons to love it, some things you love, are things you cannot explain.

I Whistle A Happy Tune
I love this song. It's just nice and upbeat.

Getting To Know You
This song is wonderful! I love it so much. If you do not know, it's when Anna takes the prince and princesses out to the village (which is strictly forbidden!)

Hello, Young Lovers
Oh, this song it lovely, as well. I love the way Anna's voice raises in volume at the end when she sings "I've had a love of my own".

I Have Dreamed
Though it's just another "love at first sight" "forbidden love" story, the song is beautiful.

Shall We Dance?
Another great song, though clearly short.

Now for characters, you all should know that I love Anna. My next favorite would be Master Little. Sorry, he's hilarious. He's a lot like the Olaf in Frozen. A bit of comical relief.

The movie overall is a great movie, for little ones and such. Though this isn't a long post, it pretty much covers it. I love the story, not meaning the forbidden love. I mean the story of a kind adventurous school teacher with the young royals. It's a great story.

Have You Seen The King And I? What Do You Think About The Story And The Score?