Oh My WOW!

Where does the time go?  Just realized that I haven't even been on here in almost a year.....  I have 2 book reviews I need to do and countless words that need to be said!  I guess we have just gotten so busy that I forget to take the time to do the things I like/need to do.  Any one surprised? 


Now that I am in my last year of college and Rob just started his masters program at Lipscomb we have come to the realization that our lives are simply out of control.  Our spending is out of control, our schedules are out of control and our lack of sleep is most certainly out of control!  We are taking steps to change all of this.  We have taken a good hard look at US and we are reminding ourselves what is really important.

Should be a very interesting journey!

Where Hearts are Free - a BookSneeze book review

The daughter of the plantation owner and an indentured slave....in love - but there is no way they can be together.  Philippe was royalty in France, but the escape cost his family everything.  He is working off his passage as an indentured servant to the Barrington's.  Bridget is the daughter of the manor, but she not happy with the choices her parents are making for her future.  When Philippe is sent away, it seems that all hope is lost, but their faith in God keeps them from giving up. 

This book was a great beach read!  Light-hearted, but with just enough intrigue to keep us interested.  I love a good romance novel, and then to have a little mystery thrown in was a nice diversion.  I felt, throughout the book, that it was fairly realistic.  So often romance novels are pure fantasy - this would never happen in "real life", but in Where Hearts are Free I felt like I could have been reading the pages from someone's journal & I could picture this happening back in the 1600's. This book is the third one The Darkness to Light series, but I never felt like I was reading a series book.  This book does stand on it's own.

As you can see - I really enjoyed the book.  It is a great little romance novel<3


I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

What if we rocked the world with hope?

Out Live Your Life  by Max Lucado

Admittedly, I am not a big non-fiction reader - but, after all - this is a Max Lucado book.  I have several Lucado books on my bookshelf- ones that sound so interesting, but I have never read them.  I think I will have to change that now!


In Out Live Your Life, we walk through Acts and the commission to the disciples to go out and "change the world".  God didn't send Jesus to earth as a prince - he came as the son of a humble carpenter.  In the same way, Christ didn't call kings, and princes to follow him.  He called simple men, fishermen, tax collectors - regular people called to an extraordinary mission.  Today - God can use any one who will follow Him to His purpose.  He calls regular people - you and me - to do the extraordinary - to go out and make a difference.  Lucado walks us through ways that we can be change the world - even with something as simple as prayer. 


I actually loved this book.  For a non-fiction girl it was very easy to read and didn't talk over the head of a non-theologian.  I have always felt that God's plan for me is to serve others, but it is so easy to get caught up in the "Oh - I can't do that, that is for the seminarians and for those who can committ to 10 years living in the rain forrest."  But - we can all impact this world for the kingdom.  Something as simple as praying for a country, to carrying an extra sandwich in the car to give to the person holding the sign at the highway exit, to basketball/cheer camps in the lower east side of Manhattan, to medical clinics in the Ukraine.  There are people in need everywhere and we are called to love them.  
      "None of u can help everyone.  But all of us can help someone.  And, when we help them, we serve Jesus.
     Who would want to miss a chance to do that?"

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

My very first BookSneeze book review - Love, Charleston by Beth Webb Hart

When I heard about BookSneeze - it sounded like the perfect situation for me!  They sent me a complimentary copy of the book Love, Charleston by Beth Webb Hart, in exchange for a quick review on my blog - win-win situation for me - I get a book (which I LOVE) and I get inspired to actually use the blog I have had for 2 years are written on three times!  When I got the book in the mail - it was like Christmas in August!

Love, Charleston is a  "christian romance novel" set in, of course, Charleston South Carolina.  I automatically assumed it was historical so I was pleasantly surprised to find that is was set in 2008/2009. The book follows two families whose lives are intertwined.  We have Roy, a widower Episcopal preist and his daughter Rose, who answer the call to move from a small, country church in his home town - to a large, very historical church in Charleston.  We also have Lish & Anne, sisters, and their cousin Della.  Lish has the "perfect" life - a doctor herself, married to a doctor with 2 kids (& 1 on the way) and a beautiful home.  Anne is single, a bell ringer at St. Michaels and waiting, sort of patiently, for God to bring someone special into her life.  Della is married to a great guy  who adores her - handsome & creative - but she is unsatisfied with their position in life.  She is a writer, but takes a full time job teaching English at a private all-girls school so that their daughter can attend there.  It is pretty hard to teach full time and try to write the next great novel at night in a roach infested house.  She wants more - more money, more comfort, more children and she doesn't think Peter can provide that.   Throughout the book, we experience the pain of depression, loss of faith, infidelity and more with these characters.  It is a great story of the strength of family and faith.

I actually really liked this book.  I thought that it was well written and draws you in right from the first chapter.  This is one of those stories that you are eager to finish, just because you want to know what is going to happen to the characters.  I felt like I knew the characters, and at one point told someone - "this guys is such a jerk!" as if it was someone real.  You cry with them and laugh with them and rejoice with them.  Keep in mind that this is not a deep, intense, earth shattering novel - but they don't all have to be.  This book would be a great beach read!  It is nice to be able to read a romance novel that you don't get embarrassed by the content.  It is also not completely unrealistic like so many others!  This is a very sweet story about the bonds of family.

I promise.....

To my sweet monkeys:

I can't believe that you are getting so big!  Starting 4th grade and 7th grade....wow!  The time has flown by....next thing I know you will be heading off to college!  But for now - I still have you here and can hold you and love on you all I want!

We all know that I am not the "perfect" mom, but this year...

I promise to remember to send in lunch money when you need it...
I promise to remember to fill out and send in all forms in a timely manner...
I promise to help you study for your spelling test throughout the week instead of on Friday morning...
I promise to help you with your homework when you need it (except math - sorry!)...
I promise to listen to you talk about your classes and your teachers and your friends and your day...
I promise to encourage you to look for the positive in everyone and in every thing...
I promise to always be there for you - no matter what...
I promise to take a few minutes every night for a little snuggle...
I promise to remind you to read God's Word, and to let you see that I struggle with it too...
I promise to take you to church, even when you are tired or busy...
I promise to love you more than my luggage...unconditionally...without end...

Wow - I am really bad at this......

Ok - so it has been 9 months since I checked in here.....obviously I am bad at this kind of stuff! It's not like things haven't been happening.....our lives so boring that nothing is going on....I mean - really we are talking about the Thorne family! So....not even going to try to catch up! Lets just say it's been busy as usual!

So - the next few weeks should be interesting. We are entering a whole new realm of Mom-hood. I will soon be the mother of a middle schooler.....wow...how is that possible when I am only 16? So - monkey #1 is really excited about this whole 6th grade thing. She told me this summer that she is "just ready for middle school". Apparently 5th grade had too much "drama" for her....hello? I think that it will defintly be an interesting time for all of us really. We will have to make adjustments for the increased homework - we may not be able to be as crazy as we have been, and that's ok. Maybe we need to be forced to slow down....we'll see. The thing that I am really not ready for is the other kids....my natural concern is will she have friends? How will they treat her? She has always had a challenge making friends as it is. She hasn't always been into the whole make-up, boys thing. She likes sports and likes to play - during recess in 5th grade she hung out mostly with the boys playing basketball or soccer. How will that translate to middle school? She gets so hurt by the way some girls have already started treating her, and of course when she hurts....mom hurts.

She is such an awesome kid. Yes - I am realistic, she does have a few issues - but she is a GREAT kid. She has a heart like no other - she loves people and always wants to help, or take care of others. She was the kid in elementary school that was taking care of the special needs students in her class, or helping the teacher whenever possible. Will that continue on, or will she turn into one of those kids that other mothers want to strangle (you know the kind I am talking about...)? I pray - everyday - that she is able to retain her kindness and generosity and compassion during these next few CRAZY years.

And of course there is the concern - will I be able to hack it as a Middle School Momma? Hmmmmm.....as previously discussed (no - it did not change over the last 9 months) - I forget things....forget emails, forget to make lunches or send notes to the teacher.....how in the world am I going to do this......

I guess it will be an adventure for all of us.

Diary of an Imperfect Mother.....

I took a step "out of the boat" this year and felt completely led to start working with the High School students at Clearview. I spent 8 days in San Diego on an Upward mission trip this summer with 7 of the most amazing youth and just came home craving more......I knew God was calling me. I do have a tendancy to not listen, but this time I did. Shocking - I know.... Anyway - after spending some time in prayer and talking to others God really laid it on my heart to get involved in small group ministry somehow. I scheduled an appointment with Matt and was prepared to talk to him about starting one.....little did I know - we already have one that he was looking to expand.....isn't God so cool! Well - I ended up being blessed to co-lead this crazy awesome group of 12 girls - 9th grade thru 12th grade - with this crazy awesome person I had NEVER met. We have been meeting now since September and we are just now really starting to dig in and figure this whole thing out. We met tonight and had some questions posed, mainly to the girls, just regarding our faith and our relationship with God and our families. It was so good to hear what these girls have to say and how they are feeling. There are a few girls in our group that I have always looked at as almost intimidating - they are those girls that you meet that just so seem to have it all together - but tonight I had a glimpse of a more transparent side of them that made me see that they are trying to figure it all out too. They truely want to figure it out - just like me - even with 22 years between us.

Most of the things that we talked about tonight really got me thinking.....which is unusual for me:) I am not a processor.....but today I am I guess!

It was asked of the girls what is one attribute if you will of God/Christ is the most difficult for us to grasp/understand.....is it that He died for us, or that He desires to be in a relationship with us imperfect humans, or the grace that He offers.....or just that He loves us unconditionally. The comment that really got me going was one of the girls talking about a conversation she had this week with her mom and how her mom was able to use the correlation of a mothers love for her children with Gods love for all of His children. I think that truely is a difficult concept to grasp unless you are a mother.... it is so huge to think that anyone can TRUELY love anyone unconditionally. But - I am a mother......I understand what her mother was telling her. I just forget sometimes that it is the same way that God loves me.

I truley have 2 of the coolest kids walking. I think they are amazing - in spite of their mother sometimes. I am excited in the morning for them to wake up, just so I can see their sweet faces and smell the sleep on them. I look forward to them coming home from school so I can hear about their day, and listen to them help each other with homework (that is always entertaining). I love to hang out with them on the weekends - whether it is at a soccer game or at home or driving to a birthday party. I cherish my time with them. This is how I feel about them in my heart. But - does my head always let them know that this is how I feel about them? When I am tired or had a bad day at work, or whatever - can they tell that I would give anything to be able to drop everything and just hang out with them? Big answer - NO. Should I be better about letting them know -YES! I love my girls with my whole heart. There is not a single thing either of them could do to make me stop loving them. Are there times I don't like how they act or what they do - sure - but I always love them. I really try to tell them, when I can - I don't like what you did - but I LOVE you. I think my girls know that I truely love them unconditionally. That may become more foreign to them as they get older, but today - they know I love them. They know that sometimes Mom lets things get in the way of my time with them, but that doesn't mean mommy doesn't love them.

I am a completely imperfect mother. Hence the name change on the blog..... I am the mom who forgets to send school pictures back in, who forgets to make sure the back pack was packed the night before, who doesn't always pack the tidy lunch box. I am the mom who makes my 7 year old and 10 year old fold their own laundry. I don't clean their rooms for them, I don't always remember to send notes in.....these are the reasons I say that my kids are amazing in spite of me. But - I love them with my whole heart. I would step in front of a speeding train to save them. I would rather give them up than be split in half..... I would die on a cross to save them from their sins........hmmmmm....I think I am beginning to comprehend just a bit more how much God loves me.