March 2016 – Mikal Dawn

Wedding Wednesday: Vintage Glam

Posted on March 23, 2016April 15, 2016 by Mikal

It’s that time again!

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Hm. What kind of wedding are we thinking this week? I have a whole list of ideas, but I just saw a cake on Pinterest, so I’m breaking my norm of building a wedding around a dress: I’m building it around the cake instead!

Ready?

A Vintage Glam Wedding

First, the cake:

966188_10152084442220698_8533295809778710034_o — From AmyCakes

Isn’t it devine??

The stunning dress:

Wedding-dresses-Anna-Campbell-7 — From AislePerfect. The Anna Campbell Gossamer Collection.

Wedding-dresses-Anna-Campbell-5 — From AislePerfect. The Anna Campbell Gossamer Collection.

I love, love, love how the shoulder and back draping echoes the draping on the cake. How perfect?!

Because wearing a veil over that back would be a shame–in my humble opinion, of course–I present the hairpiece:

pearl-crystal-hair-drapes-vintage-style-hair-draping-pearls-and-rhinestone-flower-features-anita-featured-in-elle-uk-4_grande — From Jules Bridal Jewelry

Again, the draping. Because apparently that’s what I need to see today.

The outdoor room:

31980_005271-r1-e005-2_1358666701_494 — From lover.ly

This outdoor room is absolutely perfect for photo set-ups, like this one, as well as a quiet spot for the newlyweds to rest–and smooch!–during the reception. I think this is so perfect!

The table setting:

bdef96bf1a2eeb52dfc4d7e2bf9a9d77 — From Ruffled

Every vintage glam wedding needs some gold!

The bouquet:

(Oh, I’m excited about this one!)

il_570xN.907740174_hfp4 — From ElegantWeddingDesign (Etsy)

I. Adore. This.

Brooch bouquets are so exquisitely beautiful when paired with the right style of wedding. And dress. Okay, so this may be too much to go with the dress I chose, but I don’t care. 😉

So there’s the Vintage Glam Wedding for today! What do you think? What would you keep? Change? What’s your idea of the perfect wedding style?

Book Review

Book Review: The Thorn Keeper

Posted on March 22, 2016March 22, 2016 by Mikal

Oh friends. If you go to my Check It Out page, you’ll see a list of authors I think you should, well, check out. On that page is one Pepper D. Basham. And have I got a fabulous book review for you today. Read it, then go buy and read Pepper’s books. Yes. I’m being bossy.

The Thorn Keeper

First, isn’t that cover devine?

Release date: February 28, 2016

Publisher: Vinspire Publishing (http://www.vinspirepublishing.com/#!the-thorn-keeper/ccst)

Author’s Web Site: http://pepperdbasham.com/

Where to Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

From the publisher:

With her newfound faith, Catherine Dougall hopes to take the remnants of her threadbare life and make something beautiful, even if society shuns every choice she makes.

Dr. David Ross must save his war hospital from ruin, but when his notorious aunt makes an offer he can’t refuse, he must choose between his surprising affection for a reformed flirt or his dreams.

From the beautiful Derbyshire countryside to the trenches of World War One, Catherine and David must learn to trust in a God who never forgets his children and fashions beauty out of the most broken things.

My thoughts:

I don’t even know where to start. Captivating. Sweeping. Swoon-worthy.

Pepper Basham writes historical with such beautiful, poetic prose, you can’t help but be caught up in her sweeping romances. And when I say it’s a romance, I don’t mean it’s just a romance between a man and a woman. It’s a romance between a man, a woman, and God. Pepper weaves faith so naturally into her stories, and The Thorn Keeper is no exception.

From Catherine’s spiritual journey closer to the end of The Thorn Bearer to her continued journey and growth in this book, you’ll experience her transformation from a pretty not-so-great character to a woman who loves and lives passionately, both for the Lord and for her dreams.

Dr. David Ross is a man who loves quietly—albeit also passionately—and not only supports and encourages Catherine in her dreams, but deeply cares for what happens to her. He is there to help her not just overcome, but flourish. A man who truly loves God, people, and, well…Catherine.

I can’t say enough about Pepper’s writing. It’s solid, endearing, and again, so poetic. I seriously can’t do her justice in this review. The only thing I can do is tell you that I loved this book and you need to read this. Start out with The Thorn Bearer if you haven’t already read it, then continue with this one.

And just for your info, there will be a third book later this year, if I’m not mistaken. (WAHOO!!)

*Note: I was actually not asked to post a review on this blog, but I loved this book so much, I had to. And I didn’t receive it free; I bought it. And yes. You should, too.

Forever Friday

Forever Friday: Submission (Don’t be afraid!)

Posted on March 18, 2016April 15, 2016 by Mikal

FOREVER FRIDAY (1)

67a2ba26408228ee07e597e14c1836d0 Submission. Oh, that nasty, hard-to-swallow word. But…

“I do not think it means what you think it means.”
~Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

I’ve been thinking on this subject for a while now, as it’s a topic that keeps popping up online and among my friends. But I’m not nearly as eloquent (or, since she would smack me for saying that, I’m not nearly as experienced and/or wise on this subject) as one of my dear friends, author Jennifer Slattery.

So today, I’m doing something a little different for Forever Friday. I’m sending you all over to read Jennifer’s posts on her blog. Please. Go and read. Because seriously, submission isn’t the four-letter word we all think it is.

Read part one here.

Read part two here.

Read part three here.

Jennifer has published four novels, all focusing on marriages. Trust me when I say, she breakingfree_n1664109 knows her stuff. Find her books on New Hope Publishers, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, and Amazon. Her latest is Breaking Free, and promises to be her best yet.

Jennifer Slattery writes soul-stirring fiction for New Hope Publishers and devotions for Internet Café Devotions, the group blog, Faith-filled Friends, and her personal blog. She also does content editing for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas’ Firefly imprint, and loves working with authors who are serious about pursuing their calling. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband.

Visit with Jennifer online at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com and connect with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JenSlatte.

Book Review

Review: On the Wings of a Whisper

Posted on March 15, 2016March 19, 2016 by Mikal

On the Wings of a Whisper

Release date: March 15, 2016

Publisher: Serene Lake Publishing

Author’s Web Site: http://www.lynnettebonner.com/

Order it: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble

From the publisher:

RyAnne Hunter is determined to stop her father from leaving for the continent of Africa, where he plans to start a mission station. And she only has until morning. Tonight at the Harcourts’ Annual Ball will be her last chance to change his mind. She must succeed! Papa’s health, and her future, depend on her success. But, as if her task isn’t difficult enough, now the insufferable Captain Dawson has agreed to guide Papa’s expedition!

After spending six months at sea, Captain Trent Dawson only wants to think about rest and relaxation. However, when he’s recruited by a British naval officer to help put an end to a slave smuggling ring, the perfect opportunity presents itself in Dr. Hunter, who needs a guide to the Interior. Now if he can just help the doctor without spending too much time with the man’s troublesome and flighty youngest daughter.

A thrilling historical romance from the time of missionary explorer David Livingstone.

My thoughts:

This was such a great start to a serialized series!! Lynnette Bonner has crafted characters that grab you immediately. RyAnne is a determined firecracker of a character, and Trent is the perfect balance for her. Both are lovable. They’ll bring you back again and again for the following installments in this series.

Lynnette has also done a masterful job of description in this story! It truly felt like I was there, and is obvious she has a love for Africa that will be hard for any other author to match. The setting of this story—Zanzibar in 1866—brings in some historical elements that are very hard to read, especially at the very end of the book when RyAnne witnesses something first-hand. Though the scene was reality, the author does a beautiful job of balancing it with hope.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It’ll be a hard wait for the second installment, though!

*I was given this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own and not influenced in any way.

Wedding Wednesday

Wedding Wednesday: St. Patty’s Day!

Posted on March 9, 2016March 7, 2016 by Mikal

I know St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until next week, but Wedding Wednesday fell a week early, so…why not celebrate a week early? Right? Riiiight???

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So, I’m not Irish. (I’m actually Scottish, Norman, and German-Dutch.) But I love St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe because I can wear Kiss me, I’m Irish shirts and no one questions it. 😉

The dress:

Oh goodness. Do you ever watch those wedding dress shows? And you just can’t understand how a bride can spend so much money on two dresses because they can’t decide between the two?

I now understand.

So today, there are two dresses. Just consider the second one to be a reception change.

Humor me.

Isn’t this second dress cute?? And look at the gold sparkles. Perfect for the gold accents that show up a little later in this post! 🙂

The shoes:

The hair:

So, apparently this week I’m indecisive. Because now I have two hairstyles. Ugh. The dresses call for an up-do, but really? Who can deny this half-up do?

You can’t have a St. Patty’s Day wedding without some Celtic knots! And isn’t this the cutest place for them?!

So for the up-do for the dresses, though, here’s what I found. Braids. Too sweet!

The Bridesmaid dress:

You guys. I’m dying over this one. Dying. I need it.

The cake:

The one thing that you need to be careful of in themed weddings is going overboard. So nixing the green on the cake helps to up the elegance. (But I have to admit, I’d probably remove that shimmery gold clover.)

The flowers:

I looooove the gold as an accent color with an emerald green wedding. So pretty!

Bonus! The ring:

When I spotted this, I had to include it. Because. Bling.

So what do you think? Would you want a St. Patrick’s Day wedding? What’s your favorite from today’s post?

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Forever Friday

Forever Friday: A Verse to Focus On

Posted on March 4, 2016March 4, 2016 by Mikal

FOREVER FRIDAY (1)

I’ve been reading the book of Psalms since August. Yes. August. I started out reading it because I could feel anxiety pressing in on me. There was nothing wrong in my life, no stress, worries outside the norm, or anything like that. Just plain, old anxiety slinking its way through the door of my heart.

So I prayed.

And I searched what might help me the most.

The Psalms were the answer.

bible-1031288_1920 The moment I prayed and started reading Psalm 1, I could feel the battle within me. I felt that anxiety fighting back, fighting a losing battle. God’s Word, you guys. It’s Peace. It’s Love. It’s Truth. And it’s deadly to all those negatives fighting to draw your attention away from Him.

So, what does this have to do with Forever Friday? Well…not much. Ha!! But it does.

Anxiety, while it doesn’t threaten my marriage, does take my focus. I hide it from my family when I feel it because I’m embarrassed that I don’t have a reason for it. It just…happens. So when it does, it’s all I can think about.

(Though come to think about it, it could be hormones…I am getting to “that” age.)

And that isn’t fair. Not just to my family, but to me. And not just to me, but to the Lord. Because it takes my focus off Him.

Enter the Psalms.

They refocus me, give me hope, peace. They give me joy. I think more on the Lord. I speak with Him more. I’m more relaxed and less irritable.

When my husband does notice I’m more irritable, or he knows when I might be feeling holding-hands-1149411_1920 anxious over something, he’ll gently rub my back. He won’t make me talk, he won’t belittle me. He’s steadfast. He’s loving. He’s faithful.

And that’s what marriage is: steadfast love, faithful. When those things are present in marriage, righteousness and peace kiss. And those aren’t my words; they’re God’s.

“Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Psalm 85:10, English Standard Version).

My husband has his faults. I have my faults. (Lots of them.) (More than lots of them.) We hurt one another, anger one another, and irritate one another (hello snoring). But we choose each day to love one another. He makes sure he doesn’t leave for work without a kiss. When we go to bed, we make sure we’re not angry with each other. He unloads the dishwasher for me. (Hey, that’s a huge act of love in my books!) I encourage him to find friends and spend time with them. (I’m listening to him, our oldest son, and a friend play a game in the dining room as I write this, and it’s beautiful to my ears to hear their laughter and chatter.)

There’s only one way we can both choose to love a steadfast love and remain faithful, and that’s through Christ. Through His love, sacrifice, and presence in our lives. It doesn’t mean we won’t have our rough patches, arguments, or dirty q-tips laying around, but it does mean we have a God who will give us the strength to forgive and move on, remaining steadfast in our love, faithful to our vows, and who will fill us with His righteousness and peace.

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How do you ensure your marriage stays steadfast, faithful, and peaceful? Please do share ideas, tips, and your thoughts. I always need to learn, as I bet a lot of you feel. 🙂