Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky

Multnomah Publishing

ISBN 13: 978-1-60142-016-1

Paperback; $12.99;

304 pages

About the Book:

A wet road, the dark of night, and pouring rain become the cruel combination that forces Maddie and her husband’s car off the road. Now Maddie lies in a coma, her faithful and loving mate by her side speaking words of encouragement.

As she rests in the darkness of her hospital room, the life journey Maddie has traveled plays again in her mind. Scenes flash in between whispers of a voice she’s grown to love. “Maddie, remember with me. Remember the day I fell in love.”

A playful kiss igniting romance between friends, an extraordinary love, a universe of fear and darkness, a triumph over blindness in both eyes and soul. Maddie’s walked a hard road and succeeded against the odds.

But then came the night that changed everything.

Marlo Schalesky delivers a powerfully emotional story that is certain to take both Maddie and the reader Beyond the Night.

About the Author:

A graduate of Stanford University, Marlo recently earned a Masters of Theology with an emphasis in Biblical Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. She also runs her own construction consulting business as well as an engineering firm that she and her husband own. Married nearly twenty years, she lives with her husband, Bryan, and their four daughters in California. Her other books include Wind Remembers, Cry Freedom, Freedom’s Shadow, and Empty Womb, Aching Heart.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book.  It is such a sweet love story between two people who each have their own demons to conquer before they can be together.  With prayer and God’s guidance everything works out, but in a surprising end.  The ending caught me completely off guard, yet it fit the storyline perfectly.  The characters are so easy to love and you feel every bit of pain they go through.  I will definitely be on the look out for other books by Marlo Schalesky.

Giveaways:

Thanks to Glass Road Public Relations I have a copy of this book to give away.  Leave a comment on this post before July 4, 2008 to be in the drawing.  I will announce the winner on July 5, 2008.

I found this in the July 2008 issue of Parenting and thought it was great.

1. Minimal pressure to squeeze postpartum body into spangled leotard to appear on Dancing With the Stars

2. Can salvage errant chicken-nugget scraps off kids’ plates without being reprimanded by nanny, husband, agent, or publicist

3. Time saved in pondering the significance of naming your offspring after an animal, vegetable, mineral, or automobile

4. Never having to explain why Mommy is kissing that man on TV, but really loves only Daddy

5. Little need to come up with a creative excuse for declining moms’ weekend at the hottest colonic-irrigation spa

6. Blowout and full makeup before PTA meetings or errands are strictly optional

7. Diaper bag not filled with pesky pre-playdate confidentiality agreements, leaving room for thermos of vital caffeinated/spiked liquids

8. Money saved not needing to outfit child in a brand new Burberry jumper (or to secure matching mom-size ensemble)

9. No desperate hunt for birthday party favors that can wow even Suri and Shiloh

10. Can forsake Jimmy Choos and Manolos for the comfort of clogs, Crocs, and flip-flops.

I would never want to be a celebrity, especially a celebrity mom. Here are a couple of my own reasons I am adding to the list:

11. The world isn’t judging me on my parenting skills

12. There isn’t a photo or video of when I make a mistake

13. It’s not a national story when my kids gets sick or ends up in the hospital

What about you? Anymore reasons to add to the list?

Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!
View More Wordless Wednesday Participants

One of our favorite family activities is going to the zoo.  When we lived in Maryland we went to the National Zoo quite often, especially since it was free.  Now we are in Oklahoma and while there is a zoo nearby, it is just too hot to go spend a day at the zoo during the summer months.  I think I have finally found an alternative that my kiddos will enjoy - Zoo County.

Zoo County is a virtual zoo were you can see and learn things about different zoo animals.  They have the animals divided into 6 different categories, Cutest, Uglist, Biggest, Smallest, Weird and Funny, and Endangered, with a paragraph describing the animal.    Under the Weird and Funny category you can find the Star-nosed Mole, The Emperor Tamarin, and The Loris.  I haven’t even heard of these animals before.  They also have a photo gallery of animals from different zoos.

Zoo County’s mission is to make learning about wild animals fun and they do this by offering animal activities and crafts for all ages and has a store where you can purchase animal books and toys.

On those hot summer days when the kids are itching to go outside, visit the online virtual zoo instead at Zoo County.

I made this recipe for the first time last Monday.  It instantly became my husband’s favorite and he even wanted me to make again last night for the inlaws.  I must admit, it was pretty good.

From BettyCrocker.com

Fiesta Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 can can (15 to 16 oz) spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained

1 cup Old El Paso® Thick ‘n Chunky salsa

2 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1 medium tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)

1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in beans and 1 cup salsa. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

2. In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place broken tortilla chips. Top with beef mixture. Sprinkle with onions, tomato and cheese.

3. Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Arrange tortilla chips around edge of casserole. Serve with lettuce and additional salsa.