Great Summer Read: Journey of the Heart 99 cent on Amazon Kindle

 

BLURB: 

James DiMera returns to his home in California after World War II, only to find out he's lost his farm. His way of life gone, James becomes a journeyman, selling Bibles, looking for a sense of purpose. But after the loss of his dream, what can there be for him?

Rachel Santori's family winery is in trouble. She's looking for someone to trust. When Rachel meets James, she can't deny how he touches her lonely heart and soul with his kindness and the way comes to her aid. How long has it been since she had someone to depend on? Can James find a place of belonging in Rachel’s life? Can love mend both their weary hearts?

EXCERPT: 

She approached the older man behind the counter, her stride resonating with purpose, her expression full of determination. 

"Good day, Mr. Smith."

"Miss Rachel. How are you today?" He folded his hands in front of him, offering her a smile. 

"I have a business proposal for you."

"Go ahead."

The elderly man remained at her side. 

James walked toward the counter, his sandwich and soda in hand. Something in his gut told him she needed help – really needed it. The sound of her voice? The way she avoided the man's question? The hint of desperation in her expressive eyes? He wasn't sure. 

"I'd like to sell you three cases of my best wine."

He raised a bushy eyebrow. "The 1928 Chardonnay?"

"Yes."

"Why, I shared a bottle with your father before he died. He was very proud of that vintage – wanted to save it for special occasions."

"The harvest is coming and I need to be able to pay my workers."

James slowly inched closer, listening intently.

"I can offer you five hundred dollars."

"Now, now, Mr. Smith." The elderly gentleman tapped his gnarled finger on the counter. "You know the wine is worth much more than that. Five hundred is not a fair price."

"Vito, I'm running a business."

"There's no need for you to take advantage of Miss Rachel because her parents aren't here." He paused for breath. "The wine will sell – at a good price, and you know it."

"All right – eight hundred dollars."

"Wait a minute, Sir." James interrupted and peered at Rachel's spellbinding eyes for a second before looking at Mr. Smith. "You've tasted this vintage before?"

"I have."

"So you know how much it's worth?"

"I do."

"You seem like a fair man, Mr. Smith. At least you were with me. I believe if you offer Miss Rachel one thousand dollars, you'll recoup your investment and more."

"Now, young man, what do you know about wine?"

"Not much, but I do know human nature. You respected her father and he you, enough to share an expensive bottle of wine. Honor that respect now. I suspect if Miss Rachel didn't have to make this offer to you, she wouldn't have. She knew you and her father had a good relationship. Honor that, like you honored my service." 

"You're good, Son, I'll give you that. I'll offer you nine hundred dollars for the wine." He paused. "I know I've been hard on you, Miss Rachel. You should consider hiring a younger man who can help you manage the estate."

REVIEW: 

5 Stars, Amazon, Joy Cagil

The story is short enough to be enjoyed in one sitting whether you are at the beach or on your easy chair enjoying a glass of wine, making believe it is the Santori Chardonnay. In short, this is another happy, heart-warming tale of love from the experienced pen of Stephanie Burkhart.

Buy Journey of the Heart - 99 cent Amazon Kindle

Heath Topic: Finding Progesterone and Estrogen after Menopause

Now this topic isn't for everyone. I thought I'd tackle a health topic today:  taking progesterone and estrogen after you've gone through menopause. 

 

Mind you, my journey through menopause was pretty easy. I stayed on the pill until I was 52. I didn’t really notice any of your typical menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings or night sweats. My OB/GYM took me off the pill at 52. My last period ever was 3 months later in April that year.  It’s really nice not having a period anymore. That said…

 

Things I’ve been struggling with: minor aches and pains, inflammation, and weight gain. Which I understand is fairly typical after you’ve gone through menopause.  The biology of it: my hormones are low.  

 

In my research so far, exercise is important. Even the little stuff. A walk helps your cardio vascular system.  Doing light weights will help your muscles keep tone and keep your blood moving.   

 

One struggle is with weight and inflammation.  For inflammation, I use bromelain and quercetin, organic, natural based anti-inflammatories. Bromelain is usually found in pineapples and quercetin in plants like onions, green tea, apples, and berries.  I do think they help. I can get pretty stiff if I’m inflamed and I can feel pretty bloated as well. 

 

What I’ve found that works really well is natural based progesterone and estrogen.  If you haven’t heard about it, it’s out there and it’s working wonders for me. 

 

Progesterone plays a vital role in regulating female hormones. Its main job is to regulate a woman’s menstruation and prepare the uterus for pregnancy. It’s produced by the corpus luteum (which is formed when an egg starts to ovulate)  It can help elevate post menopausal symptoms from aches and pains, to hot flashes.  When you’re post menopausal, you don’t produce a corpus luteum and so the hormone level becomes low. 

 

Here's a little more about progesterone: 

 

Estrogen’s main function is the support of the female reproductive system, but it has other functions such as keeping cardiovascular tissue healthy, fights inflammation, prevents brain fog, boosts your mood, protects muscle mass and brain density.  Estrogen is great. 

 

To help keep the body less achy and inflamed, I started taking natural occurring progesterone and estrogen and it’s made a big difference. You can buy these over the counter and you don’t need a prescription. 

 

Here’s my go-to progesterone:

NOW Progesterone 

and here’s my go-to estrogen:

JNS Estrogen

Mind you, I’m just sharing what works for me. I’m not a doctor. Do your own research and if you think these might work for you, give them a try. 

 

*******

Check out my 99 historical sweet summer romance story: Journey of the Heart. Can James help Rachel save her winery? 

Amazon Kindle; Journey of the Heart

5 Stars, Amazon Review, Joy Cagil:

The story is short enough to be enjoyed in one sitting whether you are at the beach or on your easy chair enjoying a glass of wine, making believe it is the Santori Chardonnay. In short, this is another happy, heart-warming tale of love from the experienced pen of Stephanie Burkhart.

Looking for Sarah Palin #1

My Cruise to Alaska

Expectations 

 

 

 

Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect when I went to Alaska. Hubby and I talked about going on a cruise when the boys were older, and Alaska was a mutual destination. 

 

We booked the cruise and waited. This was our first cruise in 19 years. The first one we took Andy was 3, and it’s hard being on a cruise with a 3-year-old, trust me.

 

We submitted our paperwork, and everything was good to go. 

 

When the day came to go to Burbank and catch our flight to Seattle, wires got crossed and our ride went to Burbank instead of our house.  We adjusted, hopped in the car and we were off. Burbank was only a 30-minute drive. Thankfully we found parking in short term parking. (It was gonna’ cost us $30 a day but what can you do?) With comfortable time to spare we checked in our bags and thanks to TSA pre check we got through in no time.  Our plane was set to board in 20 minutes. 

Made it to Burkbank! 

 

We had a layover in San Jose, about an hour, and then we were off to Seattle. Everything went smooth. We flew Southwest. When we got to Seattle, our driver was there and took us to the hotel.  After staying a night, we were off to the cruise terminal on Pier 91. 

 

Embarkation went smooth. There were a lot of people, but they kept the line moving.  We had to show our Passport ID Cards and our medallions. (This Princess cruise used medallions).

 

The size of the ship blew us away. We’d never seen a vessel so big before. We got snacks on Deck 16 then went to our cabins. Our travel agent  left us some gifts – a cheese and wine tray for Brent and I, and a cake for the boys.  The boys had a separate cabin, an interior one, across from us.  At 3 pm, the ship pushed off and we were underway. 

 

We dropped the pilot off at 730 pm and then we hit the open sea enroute to Alaska.  The boat rocked a little, but no big deal. It was formal night,  so we took our pictures. Everything we did was an adventure. We took in a comedy show, a show with a singer, sat at the bar and drank good booze, and ate gelato.  I took in the presentation with the naturalist and learned a little about Alaska and what to expect. We went to the specialty dining room for dinner.  Every experience was 5 sensation course! We loved the experience of being on a cruise! 

 

Sunday we were at sea and at night we put the clock 1 hour behind as we transitioned into Alaska Daylight Time.   Monday morning we were cruising in the Inside Passage.  All the cities we visited were in the southeast “arm” of Alaska. Anchorage is more center in the state on the coast and Fairbanks is dead center in Alaska.

Inside Passage

 

As we traveled, land and mountains were all around us. The air was crisp. Clouds touched the tips of the mountains around us and danced.  We saw the tail of a whale and his blow hole as we made our way into Juneau.  

 

At noon, the ship docked in Juneau. Brent and Andy went on their kayaking adventure. Joey and I got off the ship and explored Juneau before going to our Salmon Bake.  One of the things that I saw when I got off was a memorial to a ship – the USS Juneau. I paused and let the moment sink in. I was in Alaska.

 

The air was fresh. And everything was green. Visually, it was stunning. 

 

There is a “tourist alley” with all kinds of shops that cater to tourists. There’s even a sky lift up to one of the local mountains. Joey and I avoided that and took a circular route around the city. We found the City Hall, the Arts and Cultural center,  the Russian orthodox church, the Federal building and finally the State building. Sarah Palin probably worked here when she was governor. 

 

And that’s when it hit me.  I had a name for my blog  that I was going to write when I got back – Looking for Sarah Palin.

 

Why Sarah Palin? I tried to make my posts on Instagram succinct. Who else do you know in Alaska? 

 

I’ve always admired Sarah Palin. It takes some guts to put yourself out there. At the time she was selected as John McCain’s vice-presidential candidate, she had a young family, and she had been governor for two years. 

 

I remember seeing a clip during that election cycle. A woman in Alaska said they loved Sarah and wanted Sarah to remain their governor.  

 

This is I know without a doubt:  Sarah Palin loves Alaska.

 

And as I walked around Juneau, off the beaten path, I fell in love with Alaska, too. 

 

Joey and I finished our walk around Juneau by going down the tourist district. It was mobbed. I was glad we walked around Juneau and saw more than just the tourist area.  We made our way back to the Salmon Bake bus and hopped on. 

 

The bus took about 15 minutes to get to the Salmon Bake area.  We got off and got in line.  Honestly, it was a backyard BBQ with Salmon.  There was salad, cornbread, ribs, beans, and salmon.  The line was long, and I waited in it as Joey explored. When it came time to get my piece of Salmon Joey walked up to me and said he wanted to try it. He’s 17 and never ate Salmon before. So I told her to give me a piece without sauce so he could try it.  As we sat down, Joey took his fork and started eating. He loved it! Honestly, it was a pretty tasty piece of fish.  After, we walked around the back and discovered a clear stream of water. Further on up was a waterfalls and a blocked off mining shaft. Again, the forest was incredibly vibrant, the water was clear, the air was fresh – everything was amazing. 

 

I knew then I wanted to come back to Alaska, and I had only been to Juneau. 

 

Joey and I got back to the bus which took us back to the boat.  I learned that Juneau can’t be accessed by land. You can only get to Juneau via boat or by air – and by air, I mean an airplane that can land on water or a helicopter. There’s no airport in Juneau. 

 

Back on the ship Joey and I met up with Brent and Andy who absolutely lover their kayaking adventure, though they were very sore. 

 

BTW – Sarah Palin still lives in Wasilla, AK.  It’s a town near Anchorage. 

 

Time to rest up.  Tomorrow was Skagway. 

*******

Check out my summer romance:  Arrow Through the Heart. 

Blurb: Ella visits Wolfboro, NH for a tennis tournament. Will her romance with Logan last the summer? 

Amazon Kindle: Arrow Through the Heart

 

Great summer read: Arrow Through the Heart - 99 Cents on Amazon!

Arrow Through the Heart

Summer vacation and the Fourth of July brings Ella to New Hampshire while participating in a tennis competition. Logan is an innkeeper's son who bumps into Ella and invites her for an ice cream. Attraction flares and they enjoy spending time together, but each has their own plans for their life. Then disaster strikes Ella. Can a summer attraction truly become a lasting relationship?

Excerpt:  Ella and Logan meet

Ella strolled along the boardwalk next to the lake, exploring the shops. A store that sold beach gear caught her attention. Outside the door were several flyers and brochures in a display. After studying the flyers, she picked one up, and began reading it. Ella gnawed on her lower lip. Could she steady herself enough to allow the parachute to lift her? She stared at the parasailing brochure. The man on the front made it look easy, but if it was one thing she learned about life, it was that nothing came easy.

"Hey, you want to try it?" The deep, masculine voice startled Ella. She placed her hand over her chest to steady her heart.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He walked around to her side so she could see him. "I'm Logan Donovan."

Ella's breath jammed in her throat. Logan's wide smile and kind sky-blue eyes sparkled in the sun. Tall, broad-chested, and well-muscled, his stance radiated confidence. Men rarely snuck up on her, but Logan had, and he'd taken her breath away.

"Are you all right?" Concern hinted in his eyes.

Ella cleared her throat. "Sorry. I'm Ella Perchekov."

"Arrow Through the Heart is a contemporary sweet summer romance found on Amazon.com. 

Link:

Buy Arrow Through the Heart 

Book Review: The Woman Beyond the Attic: The VC Andrew's story

Author: Andrew Neiderman

Published by: Gallery Books

Overall rating: 3.5 Stars 

 

 

 

PLOT:  (3.5 Stars)

 

This is a biography of VC Andrews, a popular author in the 1980’s.  After finding success in her 50’s-60’s, it was short lived as she passed away from cancer in 1986. She was born in 1923 to a middle-class family and lived a normal life until she had an accident in her teenage years on a staircase that would eventually making walking difficult. She was considered disabled, she used a wheelchair, and was dependent on family. 

 

The book talks about her early years, her influences, her struggles, and her desires to be a painter and an author. The author takes you through her life, to her success with Flowers in the Attic, and how she responded to that success.

 

The end has a rough draft of a story she was working on when she died which is a real treat. 

 

 

CATAYLIST: (5 Stars)

 

Growing up in the 1980’s, I was big fan of VC Andrews and her books. I loved Flowers in the Attic.  Why? Because it dealt with topics that people just didn’t talk about. Her books were suspenseful, psychological, gothic, and blended all those elements equally. I heard she had died in the 1980’s and her stories were being ghost written, but didn’t know much else.  When I heard this book was coming out, I wanted to read it to discover more about one of my favorite authors. 

 

THOUGHTS: (3.5 Stars)

 

I loved learning about her background, what her influences were and about the accident that crippled her. There was a lot of referenced material which was shared, but the writing comes off a bit stilted, and not conversational. The writing style, while understandable, is lacking that familiar intimacy which Andrews’ books all shared. Yes, I learned about her life, but it felt mechanical. 

 

I did enjoy the rough draft that was shared after the biographical story. It was reflective of all her work, how she could draw you into that novel’s world, ease you into her rooting for the main character, and unfold a story that is suspenseful and unnerving at the same time. 

 

 

WHAT WORKS: (4 Stars)

 

I learned information about Andrews that I didn’t know before, and for me, that was a treat.

 

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME (WHAT WAS ‘OFF’): (2 Stars)

 

What was off for me was the writing style of the material. The biographical story lacked a certain intimacy that her books had. 

 

WHY 3.5 STARS:

 

The book is put together and presented well. Just because the biographical chapters are dry, they do reveal a lot about VC Andrews. There are pictures which are shared, and I liked learning that Virginia did get a chance to enjoy her fame, even if it was for a little bit. She was determined to accomplish certain things, paint and write, and be successful, and that was certainly inspirational, especially knowing her limitations. 

 

 

EXTRA: COVER SIDE NOTE:

 

The cover is VC Andrews in a pose with a cover that is reflective of her Dollanganger series. It’s the perfect cover for this style of biography. 

****

If you get a chance, check out my author page on Smashwords at:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/StephanieBurkhart

 

 

Catching up to May 2024

Gosh, really? It's been since 21 July 2023 since I updated this blog? Ugh. I've found the older I get, the quicker life passes me by. My intent is to update my blog more frequently. 

Since January 2024, I've been kinda low key. I've attended a Badlands Media Seminar in Irvine, California.  

I attended the Little House on the Prairie 50th anniversary reunion in Simi Valley and enjoyed myself more than I thought I would.

I went to Vegas with my bowling league and had a blast, so I joined another Vegas league. I even found the Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas. haha.

Both the boys graduated and now we're on a celebratory graduation cruise to Alaska. Alaska is really awesome. The nature is fresh, alive, and awe-inspiring.

Crossing my fingers I'm a bit more timely.

Future posts:

Alaska adventures

Little House

Made in America

New Releases

Reviews!

See you soon!
Smiles
Steph

Made in America - Warpath Coffee

Made in America – Warpath Coffee 

 

Product:  coffee

 

What is it: beverage 

 

Address: Mailing: P.O. Box 1344, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 82003; 401 W 19^th St., Suite 301, Cheyenne, WY. 

 

Owned by:  Tej Gill, Family owned, veteran operated, Doug Juelfs is the registered point of contact for the company. 

 

From the Website: 

 

Founded by Navy SEAL combat veteran Tej Gill, we are veteran owned, and we are family operated. We take great pride in being coffee connoisseurs who don’t like to compromise.

Our crew consists of passionate coffee lovers who would fight even Davy Jones for an aromatic cup of coffee. We are veterans, NYPD, wives, and a 30+ year coffee roaster. 

Taste and stimulation. Whether you're a coffee enthusiast or a casual drinker, you will be blown away by our blend’s smooth-as-silk flavor, intoxicating aroma, and rich body. But don’t worry. It’s not all just bells and whistles.

When it comes to stimulation, our blend is unrivaled. You will find no acidity, no bitterness, just raw, pure coffee energy that will get you through the day.

Taste is #1

We are on a mission to make gourmet coffee a part of your daily routine. Every single bean is roasted in the United States using traditional roasting methods with a single goal; make every cup unique.

Warpath Coffee is meant to be drank black. Our coffee is perfectly roasted so there is never a bitter or acidic flavor, you don’t need sugar or milk with Warpath Coffee. Drink it black, be healthy and enjoy the perfectly roasted coffee is this bag.

Roasting Beans:

We small batch roast, meaning we do batch by batch, old school style Jabez Burns roasters were around since the civil war, the original civil war roasting style. Perforated drum, no tipping going on (burning the tips of beans). It's the historic American way of roasting. Hot air goes through the beans and escapes through the perforated holes in the side of the drum.

We roast to caramelize our beans, that's why is tastes so good black. Most roasters carbonize(burn) their beans, that's why you need milk and sugar with other roasters.

 

My comments:  I found Warpath Coffee through an online recommendation.  As I love coffee, I was game to try it.  One of the benefits for me was that Warpath was American made and I have a passion to buy American so that was a nice little incentive. 

 

They sell beans whole, ground, and k-cups. I can do any of the above but prefer k-cups.  

 

TASTE: I love the taste. When they say never bitter or acidic, they mean it. Honestly, this is the best tasting coffee I’ve had in quite a long time. 

 

 

SHOPPING:  You can buy direct from the website. You can also find Warpath products on Amazon as well, but I buy direct from the website.  

 

Currently, I have a bag of ground beans - Medium Breakfast Blend which I recommend.  Also, I have subscription to the Med Breakfast Blend K-cups. Now usually, I don’t subscribe to products, but I like to take the K-cups to work and brew up a cup right at the beginning of my shift.  Honestly, my shift isn’t right if I don’t have my Warpath K-cup.  I’ve no issues with the subscription.

 

PRICE:  I think the price is reasonable for being a company where most sales are from the internet.  The price for my K-cups are $12.99 (you can find K-cups in stores ranging from 6.99 to 12.99), so perhaps a bit on the pricier side, but I’m willing to pay it because the quality is there. 

 

OTHER PRODUCTS: They also sell coffee mugs on their website. They also sell gourmet coffee such as maple bacon, maple bourbon, and dark chocolate. 

 

WISH LIST:  I wish they sold bumper stickers, hoodies, and t-shirts.  I’d definitely buy some. 

 

 

I did not find where they made donations to any charities online. They are a newer company, with a start up date in January 2022, as far as my research can tell. 

 

I highly recommend Warpath Coffee. The coffee is one of the best tasting coffees I’ve ever had and I’m very happy with the subscription to the K-cups.  Honestly, I can’t give this company a better recommendation and they’re Made in America! If you need stars, this is 5 stars out of 5 stars from me! 

 

 

References:

https://www.facebook.com/Warpathcoffee/

https://twitter.com/CoffeeWarpath

https://warpath.coffee

**********

Check out my Summer read: Arrow Through the Heart!  Only 99 cents on Amazon. Avail in ebook. 

BLURB: Summer vacation and the Fourth of July brings Ella to New Hampshire while participating in a tennis competition. Logan is resident who bumps into Ella and invites her for an ice cream. Attraction flares and they enjoy spending time together.

As things heat up between them, each evaluates their plans for their life. When Ella is confronted by a stalker, Logan comes to her aid, but can a summer attraction truly become a lasting relationship?

Review: 5 Stars:  This is a a delightful, warm novel of a new friendship that turns to love.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Through-Heart-Stephanie-Burkhart-ebook/dp/B0C5ZWD28D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=YNEPU6GYZYTT&keywords=stephanie+burkhart&qid=1691858466&sprefix=stephanie+burkhar%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1