My First Giveaway!

A couple of days ago I made a Books Worth Reading board on Pinterest. It got me thinking about how/why some of my favorite books have affected my life. I started to see a funny pattern among them. First, the majority are biographies, and secondly, it's almost always a story of how someone endures extreme hardship and lives to tell of God's goodness, even in suffering. I suppose these books speak the loudest to me. I'm so encouraged by stories of God's faithfulness and the perseverance of saints. They help put things in perspective - I realize how blessed I am and I'm also challenged to be courageous and faithful in my own life.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, is one such story and perhaps my favorite book of all. I'm sure my mom read it to me first when I was young, but I've since read it at least five times. I now revere Corrie and her sister Betsie as heroes of mine.

The story of The Hiding Place begins in Holland at the start of WWII. The Ten Boom family runs a watch and watch repair shop out of their home but soon find themselves in a new type of business - the business of hiding Jews. Corrie and her family quickly become the center of the anti-Nazi underground as they hide Jews in a secret room in their home. Eventually however, they're betrayed and sent to Hitler's concentration camps. Corrie writes about how she and her sister, Betsie, find a new type of hiding place for themselves and the Jews in the camps. A hiding place where God is their refuge and strength. 

Today, I've decided to give this book to one reader. :-) I hope it will bless your life as much as it has mine. And if you've already read/own it, it could make for a great gift. The copy in the picture is my own, but I'll be sending you a new one.  

How to enter (US and UK readers only, please):

1. Follow me via GFC or Bloglovin'. Follow buttons are on the right side bar. -->

2. Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite book is and why. Please include your e-mail address so I can contact you. 

For extra entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter and leave an additional comment to let me know.

2. "Like" MichaelaRae on Facebook and leave an additional comment to let me know.

I'll announce the winner on May 30th! Winner announced here.

Have a lovely day,

Michaela Rae

This post is linked up at Try New Adventures Thursday. Link your weekly adventures up!

Joys of January

I love January in London. I hear it's a mild winter so far, but I'm ok with that. It's just cold enough to satisfy my Floridian desire for a legit winter and just warm enough that I don't wimp out after 10 minutes outside. It's also been surprisingly sunny this week, which I'm really thankful for. 

I'm also enjoying fewer work hours. In my free time I'm trying to spend less time online and more time taking in everything around me...including the books on my shelves. I've really been enjoying One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I have to give that book 100% when reading it, otherwise I can't grasp the words' full meaning. But when I do shut everything else out and let it resonate with me it's so worth it. 

Other things I'm lovin about January:

+ Planning, and when not planning, daydreaming, about an anniversary trip to Greece. 

+ Porridge - I can't stop eating it.
+ The calm of January after the hustle and bustle of December.

+ Hosting Church Life Group at our flat. I like our space full of people.

+  Writing dear ones back home. Especially Lyn. 

I haven't been taking my camera around much recently, but here are some Instagram snaps. 

I hope you have a lovely weekend. I'd love to hear what you're up to.

Michaela Rae

A Beautiful Cookbook

I love the internet for cooking and baking. Just a couple clicks and you have hundreds of recipes to choose from. It's really convenient when you're in a rush or low on ideas. The internet can't take away from the magic of cookbooks though. There's something irreplaceable about them. You can hold, flip through and (literally) bookmark them. They bring memories with their bent pages and stains. They have photos, and I love a cookbook with beautiful photos. Couple amazing recipes with colorful food photography and I'm truly inspired. Some cookbooks even tell stories.

So when on Christmas morning I opened, From Season to Season by Sophie Dahl, I was pretty excited. This cookbook has it all. Her recipes, snippets on food and life along with Jan Baldwin's photos, all constellate a genuine story about changing seasons, creativity and love. Her bits on English life and use of British terms and foods also encourage me to continue embracing the culture here to the fullest.

I hope to try a couple recipes from each of her season sections this year. I'll be sure to share photos and thoughts. I've been on such an oatmeal kick the last week that I can hardly wait to try her porridge with poached plums.

Do you still use cookbooks? Which is your favorite?

Michaela Rae