The Saturday Six

One.

I confess to you I feel a little like I'm tooting my own horn here, and please know that is NOT my intent. But I've been writing as a guest blogger for my friend Angela's ministry blog called Broken, Beautiful, BOLD - and since she's been kind enough to give me some writing space on her site, I wanted to give her space on mine to tell you to check it out! Here's the link to the set of posts I've written, but while you're over there, check out the posts by other bloggers {great ladies!} and some of the featured ministries!

Two.

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I happened upon this article a few days ago, and I think it holds much truth. Even if you've never had a baby {me either!!} I think you can appreciate the lessons this lessons learned in assisting in a childbirth. My favorite lines are the ones at the very end...powerful truths.

Three.

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Calling my fellow book nerds! :) I found this post from the Bethany House blog so intriguing! If you've ever wondered about the process of designing and choosing a book cover, this post gives you some insights on how they do it at their publishing house...and they even show you some of the alternate book covers created for this particular book! Fun read.

Four.

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Anyone else chomping at the bit for Fixer Upper, Season 3?  

Five. 

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I bumped into this article and couldn't help but share it with you. I don't know Nathan and Jade personally, but I worked with his parents at IWU, so I know them by association. I think it is so beautiful to read about this project they've started and how people are jumping on board. {If I could sew, I would too but since I can't, I'm jumping on board by spreading the word in case any of you feel led to help! I think it is incredible to restore the dignity of these ladies!}
 
Six.

I just finished reading Judith Miller's new novel, The Potter's Lady, and wanted to wrap up today by telling you about it! Though this was my introduction to her writing, the front of the book tells me she has a couple dozen titles to her credit, so if you read this book and like it, you have plenty more to choose from!

I dove right in without checking to see if this book was part of a series, and if so, what number in the series it might be. It is actually the second book in the "Refined by Love" series, and if her pattern of books holds as was listed in the front of this one, there should be one more coming down the pike eventually to complete this as a trilogy. Having said all that, I did not feel the least bit lost as I read, so she did a good job of helping me meet the characters even though I missed out on the first book in the series.

Set in the early 1870's, this book follows the life of an unconventional Irish household living in West Virginia. Rose McKay has just returned home after graduating from design school, and home, for her, is shared with her older brother, his wife, and their adopted daughter, her younger sisters, who happen to be twins, and also her brother's mother-in-law, who has declared herself an honorary and generous grandmother to Rose and the twins, though they do not hold such a blood relation to her.

 The story centers around the effort of Rose and her brother to resurrect a floundering pottery in West Virginia. They purchase it, thanks to the generous investment of "Grandmother," and work feverishly to make changes that will improve the lives of the pottery employees and their families {who heavily resist change} and hopefully cause the pottery to flourish, not just financially, but in reputation as well. No matter what they do, things seem to go inexplicably wrong,, and they end up focusing their efforts on winning a design contest to save the business.

I admit I was about a third of the way into the book before I got swept up in the story line, but once I fell in, I couldn't put it down. Prior to that, my main frustration with the book was the way Rose's brother, sister-in-law, and "Grandmother" all spoke to her. I found myself offended on behalf of the sweet girl for the way they talked to her. Now knowing I didn't read the first book in the series, I wonder if I might have understood that dynamic better if I knew their background, but I didn't. Perhaps, too, part of the demeanor toward her as a young, single woman was just part of the way life worked in the 1800's...I'm not sure.

That aside, I enjoyed the romance, the mystery, the suspense, and the opportunity to learn about an industry I'd never studied or researched. Other than the slow start and the irritation toward the characters {that dissipated when I got pulled into the story}, I found it to be a charming book with sweet love stories and a good faith-based message woven into it.

* Bethany House sent a copy of The Potter's Lady for me to review, and the thoughts above...all mine! *