Okayest Mom
Okayest Mom

Author: Natalie Gwyn

Publisher: FaithWords

Published: 2018-06-26

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 1478992492

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Natalie Gwyn uses humor to brilliantly capture how God led and helped this mother of two to adopt four children from Ethiopia and successfully bond her blended family. A happy, working wife, already birth mother of two healthy young children -- a boy and a girl -- doubled the size of her family by adopting four Ethiopian children. Why? Her answer: "God." Popular blogger Natalie Gwyn has been cited widely for her candid, insightful, often humorous writing on cross-cultural adoptive Christian families (which number more than 4 million). HuffPo has linked to her controversial posts and celebrities like Kathie Lee Gifford have quoted and pictured her on social media. Here Natalie tells her whole mom story, including the only-God-could-do-this backstory. Her lighthearted narrative begins with the nudge of God toward the uncomfortable. She and her husband are almost certain they have misunderstood what the Almighty is asking of them, and with self-deprecating humor Natalie allows readers a glimpse into the process by which this already imperfect mom agreed to transnational, transracial adoption of more children than she already has. Natalie then takes the reader on her family's adventure to Ethiopia to legally adopt the three siblings God has chosen to add to their family. With the skill of a detective novelist, she reveals their discovery of a fourth sibling, their critical decision not to leave this child behind, and their harrowing quest to find, woo and legally adopt her, too. Similar to the laugh-out-loud humor of books on blended step-families, Natalie shares the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen scenes of this adoptive family's huge adjustments. She brilliantly captures each child's and each parent's perspective and, in doing so, reveals God in their midst.

The Very Worst Missionary
The Very Worst Missionary

Author: Jamie Wright

Publisher: Convergent Books

Published: 2018-04-03

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 045149654X

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“The reason you love Jamie (or are about to) is because she says exactly what the rest of us are thinking, but we’re too afraid to upset the apple cart. She is a voice for the outlier, and we’re famished for what she has to say.” --Jen Hatmaker, New York Times bestselling author of Of Mess and Moxie and For the Love Wildly popular blogger "Jamie the Very Worst Missionary" delivers a searing, offbeat, often hilarious memoir of spiritual disintegration and re-formation. As a quirky Jewish kid and promiscuous punkass teen, Jamie Wright never imagines becoming a Christian, let alone a Christian missionary. She is barely an adult when the trials of motherhood and marriage put her on an unexpected collision course with Jesus. After finding her faith at a suburban megachurch, Jamie trades in the easy life on the cul-de-sac for the green fields of Costa Rica. There, along with her family, she earnestly hopes to serve God and change lives. But faced with a yawning culture gap and persistent shortcomings in herself and her fellow workers, she soon loses confidence in the missionary enterprise and falls into a funk of cynicism and despair. Nearly paralyzed by depression, yet still wanting to make a difference, she decides to tell the whole, disenchanted truth: Missionaries suck and our work makes no sense at all! From her sofa in Central America, she launches a renegade blog, Jamie the Very Worst Missionary, and against all odds wins a large and passionate following. Which leads her to see that maybe a "bad" missionary--awkward, doubtful, and vocal—is exactly what the world and the throngs of American do-gooders need. The Very Worst Missionary is a disarming, ultimately inspiring spiritual memoir for well-intentioned contrarians everywhere. It will appeal to readers of Nadia Bolz-Weber, Jen Hatmaker, Ann Lamott, Jana Reiss, Mallory Ortberg, and Rachel Held Evans.

The Violet Bakery Cookbook
The Violet Bakery Cookbook

Author: Claire Ptak

Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Published: 2015-09-29

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1607746727

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A design-forward cookbook for sweet and savory baked goods from London's popular Violet Bakery that focuses on quality ingredients, seasonality, and taste (as opposed to science) as the keys to creating satisfying, delightful homemade pastries, tarts, sweets, and more. Violet is a jewel box of a cake shop and café in Hackney, east London. The baking is done with simple ingredients including whole grain flours, less refined sugars, and the natural sweetness and nuanced hues of seasonal fruits. Everything is made in an open kitchen for people to see. Famed for its exquisite baked goods, Violet has become a destination. Owner Claire Ptak uses her Californian sensibility to create recipes that are both nourishing and indulgent. With a careful eye to taste and using the purest ingredients, she has created the most flavorful iterations of classic cakes, as well as new treats for modern palates. Over 100 recipes include nourishing breakfasts, midday snacks, desserts to share, fruit preserves, and stylish celebration cakes. This book is about making baking worth it: simple to cook and satisfying to eat.

The Ugly Pumpkin
The Ugly Pumpkin

Author: Dave Horowitz

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2017-08-15

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13: 1524740845

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Perfect for the changing seasons, this wacky twist on The Ugly Duckling is a great read for Halloween and Thanksgiving. The Ugly Pumpkin has waited all through October for someone to take him home, but no one wants him. He doesn't look like other pumpkins. So the lonely Ugly Pumpkin leaves the patch in search of a place where he'll fit in. By the time Thanksgiving arrives, he discovers the truth about who he is--but it's not what he expected!

Your Fully Charged Life
Your Fully Charged Life

Author: Meaghan B Murphy

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2021-02-23

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0593188586

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A high-energy guide to living with presence, optimism, and joy--one yay at a time! Ever wish you were one of those upbeat, positive people who embrace every day with a can-do mindset that motivates others and simply makes life more fun? Longtime magazine editor Meaghan B Murphy is one of those high-energy people--and she's here to share her secrets for finding more yay every day. Your Fully Charged Life is Murphy's practical guide to bringing your best self to every moment, even when the pressures of daily life leave you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and wallowing in negative thoughts (and a pint of your favorite gelato). Spanning health, work, family time, and more, this book reveals small changes in outlook and habits that yield big results, without ever sacrificing who you are. Informed by the latest research in neuroscience, positive psychology, and inspiring examples of women and men who live fully charged every day, the book presents simple ways to: • cultivate gratitude--and pass it along • make meaningful connections with the people around you • learn to say no--so you can fill your days with things that matter to you most • recharge when you need it • spread the positive charge to others to make the world a happier, healthier place Going beyond platitudes and shallow Insta-inspiration, this inspiring and empowering book provides a blueprint for feeling less stressed and genuinely making the most of your every day.

The Enlightenment of Alexander
The Enlightenment of Alexander

Author: B. Q. Hanson

Publisher:

Published: 2019-02

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9781795679503

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When billionaire college freshman, Jared Paterski, moves to the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and meets his new roommate, Alexander Schmidt, he is mesmerized by his characteristics. He finds everything about him including his personal hobbies, personality, and his sexiness to be perfect which drives him to copy him in order to live his life like his. With all the money he has, he spoils Alex with luxurious gifts and treats him like a king. As soon as he knows him some more, he brings him into his special dungeon, showing him his dark side, casting away his innocence.

Mindfulness for Surviving Life's Challenges
Mindfulness for Surviving Life's Challenges

Author: Courtney Sunday

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2019-11-19

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1510746773

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Mindfulness can be one of the most potent antidotes to suffering. There is no better example of moment-to-moment awareness than when you are in pain. Mindfulness for Surviving Life’s Challenges is a book of mindfulness exercises to help you feel less alone, to make you laugh, and to remind you that although you may not be able to leave your pain behind you, you can give yourself empowering tools to move forward. This book offers fifty meditations divided into two sections: one to see you through the period of deep physical or emotional pain and the other for when you are ready to move forward with your new normal. Included are meditations for: When You Can’t Do the Things You Used to Do When You Feel Isolated When You Don’t Recognize Yourself Anymore When You Can Imagine Getting Better When Smiling Becomes the Norm Rather Than the Exception When You Remember Who You Are (And Who You Were) Courtney Sunday writes from the lens of her own pain journey as a mindfulness expert and truth teller to show us that even if pain is present in the body, we can still find a way to free our minds.

The Roommate
The Roommate

Author: Jen Silverman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2024-09-02

Total Pages: 121

ISBN-13: 1350535451

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Silverman isn't interested in the dull details of conventional storytelling...Delicious [and] surreal. ...A play that gives two noningénues strange [and] meaty roles. (New York Times) Sharon's never had a roommate before. In fact, there's a lot Sharon's never done before, but Robyn's about to change all that. Jen Silverman's The Roommate shatters expectations with its witty and profound portrait of a blossoming intimacy between two women from vastly different backgrounds, as they navigate the complexities of identity, morality, and the promise of reinvention. Being bad never felt so good as it does in this riveting one-act about second acts. This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the 2024 Broadway production which starred Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone.

Unearthed
Unearthed

Author: Amie Kaufman

Publisher: Hachette+ORM

Published: 2001-08-01

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 1368012299

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From the New York Times best-selling author duo Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner comes a "literally breathtaking" new sci-fi series about a death-defying mission on an alien planet. Now in paperback! When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution humanity has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and their message leads to the planet Gaia, a treasure trove waiting to be explored. For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an ancient alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study . . . as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Despite their opposing reasons for smuggling themselves onto the alien planet's surface, they're both desperate to uncover the riches hidden in the Undying temples. Beset by rival scavenger gangs, Jules and Mia form a fragile alliance . . . but both are keeping secrets that make trust nearly impossible. As they race to decode the ancient messages, Jules and Mia must navigate the traps and trials within the Undying temples and stay one step ahead of the scavvers on their heels. They came to Gaia certain that they had far more to fear from their fellow humans than the ancient beings whose mysteries they're trying to unravel. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more Jules and Mia start to feel like their presence in the temple is part of a grand design -- one that could spell the end of the human race . . .

The Icing on the Cake
The Icing on the Cake

Author: Linda Seed

Publisher: Linda Seed

Published: 2022-07-27

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13:

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She’s a baker without a kitchen. He’s got a double oven to spare. It’s a recipe for success, until his mother starts stirring up trouble … Cassie Jordan has a sweet dream to open a bakery specializing in wedding cakes. The problem is, the Airstream trailer where she lives has a kitchen the size of a postage stamp, and her job as housekeeper for a vacation rental agency doesn’t pay enough for her to find other arrangements. When the renters at one of the houses in her care cancel their stay, leaving the house empty and its top-of-the-line kitchen unused, who could blame her for seeing it as an opportunity? But Cassie’s unsavory plan starts to look like a mistake when the owner’s son shows up unannounced, catching her with her pants down—literally. If Cassie can sweet-talk her way out of trouble, setting up her business might be a piece of cake. If not, it’s going to be a bitter setback … The Icing on the Cake is a stand-alone novel in Linda Seed’s Otter Bluff small-town romance series.