Skip to main content

Looking out the Window: Carol Wilson James Discusses Choosing Christmas, Shares a Bible Verse and a Yummy Recipe. Giveaway.

 



A Warm Welcome to Carol Wilson James 

Carol will give away a digital copy of Choosing Christmas. To enter to win leave your email address and a comment and join the Rafflecopter Contest below. 

Also sign up for Carol’s quarterly newsletter and receive a free short story. 

Gail, thanks so much for letting me visit your blog and share about some of my favorite things. 

It’s my pleasure to have you.

Carol’s Favorite Bible Verse

A Bible verse that has come to mean so much to me over the years is Hebrews 6:10.

I taught kindergarten in a private Christian school for many years. One time when I had a particularly challenging class, and I wondered if I was making any inroads into their hearts, the principal left a note in my mailbox. I don’t remember exactly what she said. But I do remember the Bible verse she quoted, and over the years, when discouragement threatened, the words have ministered to me again and again.

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”

Her note put everything into perspective. It reminded me of the ultimate purpose of my work, and that it had eternal value, even if I never saw the final outcome. This verse was such an encouragement to me that I have often used it to encourage others.

And in keeping with the kindergarten theme, here’s one of my favorite recipes to make with young children: No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies. It’s a fun activity for children of all ages. Even little boys love the rolling and the pounding.

photo courtesy of Canva


No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies 

1 cup of peanut butter

1 cup marshmallow cream

Graham crackers (or Graham cracker crumbs)

Thoroughly mix the peanut butter and marshmallow cream in a bowl until well blended and the mixture is no longer sticky and is the consistency of soft Play-doh. 

Place some Graham crackers in a plastic baggie and let the children pound with a hammer or wooden mallet to make crumbs. 

Roll the peanut butter mixture into balls about the size of a large olive. Place a ball in the plastic bag with the crumbs and shake gently until coated. 

They’re ready to eat - no cooking, no waiting.

This is a fun activity with young children and grandchildren during the busy holiday season.

Carol's Inspiration for Choosing Christmas

Choosing Christmas, was born from Carol’s experience as a teacher and an accident that occurred while members of her church were on a mission trip.


About Choosing Christmas

Heartbroken over the unfair loss of a position in the school where she teaches, Angela Taylor is determined to find an Assistant Principal position. 

Adam Thornton has struggled for years to overcome the physical and emotional effects of a devastating accident that occurred when he was a teenager. A successful real estate attorney and part-time handyman, Adam uses his gifts and talents to serve others.

When Angela is hired as an AP at the school where Adam’s mother is the principal, Angela and Adam find they share a past...an unexpected connection. 

And they must choose whether to surrender to the pain of that past or find hope for the future in the spirit of Christmas.   

 Buy Choosing Christmas on

Amazon

B & N

Pelican Book Group

Goodreads

Kobo

BookBub

Bio:

Raised as an Air Force brat, the longest Carol James ever lived in one place was a year and a half. Maybe that’s why when she and her husband bought their first home forty-two years ago, they stayed.

Wife, mother, grandmother, and dog-mama, Carol loves writing stories of redemptive romance.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

Carol James said…
Gail, thank you so much for letting me visit and share about Christmas.
Gail Pallotta said…
Hi Carol,

It's my pleasure to have you.
Anonymous said…
Carol,

I love that encouraging verse! Having taught young children, I also appreciate the simple recipe. It sounds like fun!

Penelope
Anonymous said…
Love to read this and great to meet a new author I don’t know. joeym11@frontier.com.
Blessings
Diana Lynn
Barbara Britton said…
Congratulations on the new book, Carol. Adam is one of my favorite book heroes. Merry Christmas, Ladies!
kaybee said…
Carol, what a great verse and it works in any context -- teaching, writing, parenting. We need to leave the results up to God. In everything. Thanks for sharing.
I have the book and enjoyed it. Reviews are up on Amazon, BookBub and Goodreads if anyone wants to know what I thought, or read it yourselves.
LoRee Peery said…
Choosing Christmas holds so much meaning. We should choose Christmas, which leads to Calvary, all year round.
Carol James said…
Penny, Maybe you can use the recipe with your grandchildren one of these days. It works with children as young as two, and we just made them with our ten and twelve year old granddaughters the other day. Such fun! Thanks for visiting.
Carol James said…
Diana, Thanks for stopping by, and good luck on the drawing!
Carol James said…
Barbara, thanks for your encouraging words. I'm glad you liked Adam. I loved him, too! (Sigh...) And Merry Christmas!!
Carol James said…
Kathleen, Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the book. It was fun to write. Merry Christmas.
Carol James said…
LoRee, yes. Everything in life is really about God's gift at Christmas. Thanks for your wonderful reminder.
Unknown said…
The recipe looks great to use with kids! Thank you, Gail, for introducing Carol James to our Facebook group Heart"wings"! Looking forward to getting to know her through her books!
Carol James said…
Pam, thanks so much for your kind words. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.
Gina said…
Gail, thank you so much for having Carol visit your beautiful blog. I absolutely loved “Choosing Christmas“ and now that I know more about your background, Carol, it means even more to me. Your books are such a blessing! And thank you for sharing that beautiful verse, too. I was not familiar with it, but now I have copied it onto a piece of paper and tucked it in my purse to have with me always. Have a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you.
Carol James said…
Gina, Thanks so much for your kind comments. That verse is such a special reminder that nothing we do for the Lord is in vain. I hope to will continue to bless you as it has me over the years.
Carol James said…
Congratulations, Sudie! Watch for an email from me with a copy of Choosing Christmas attached. I hope you enjoy the story, and Merry Christmas to you.

Popular posts from this blog

Looking Out the Window: Memories on the Heart

Several weeks ago my husband, Rick, and I ate at a restaurant we frequent fairly regularly. The cute, young waitress who usually waits on us took our orders for burgers and fries. I’ll call her Mandy. As usual Mandy’s smile and bubbly personality brightened our day. We giggled and confessed to her that we shouldn’t eat the fries, but we were going to do it just this once. She joked. “Okay, you’re being bad today.” Not long after we got our food a couple came in and sat in the booth behind us. Mandy walked up to the table with her big grin. “Hi, how are you?” she asked. The man, who had salt and pepper colored hair and a pudgy face, spoke in a harsh tone, “I want the steak.” “Sure, which one would you like?” Mandy asked. “I don’t want you to put it in the microwave. That will make it tough. Do you understand?” Mandy’s lips turned down. “Yes sir, which one do you want to order?” “I want it medium rare. I don’t want blood oozing out of it. I want it cooked right.” “Yes sir, which steak di

Looking out the Window: Karen Malley Talks about Her New Book, Moonlight and Mystery. Giveaway.

  A Warm Welcome to Karen Malley Karen will give away an eBook of Moonlight and Mystery .  To enter to win leave a comment and email address below and enter the Rafflecopter contest. She also gives away a free short story each week for a newsletter sign-up. See below for her Website address. Hi Gail, thanks so much for having me on the blog today. It's my pleasure.  I’m happy to share with you a Bible verse and a recipe, and tell you about my newest book! One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 10:9.  “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” I love this verse because it distills down the message of Christianity to its simplest elements. So often people add to the gospel, but it really all comes down to our belief in Jesus’ saving work on the cross. This verse tends to make its way into my writing. It’s in my latest novel, Moonlight and Mystery, when the heroine, Beth attends a carnival at a

Looking out the Window: Jodie Wolfe Talks about Wooing Gertrude, Book Three in the Burton Brides Series. Giveaway.

  A Warm Welcome to Jodie Wolfe Jodie will give away an eBook of Taming Julia , the first book in her Burton Brides Series. (U.S. residents only). To enter to win leave a comment below and join the Rafflecopter contest.   Hi Jodie, first, tell us a little about yourself. My husband and I have been married for almost thirty-six years. We have two sons and six grandchildren. We live in PA, between two mountains.   Were you an avid reader as a child? If so, what did you read? Oh yes! Not only did I read a lot, but my mom also read to me and my brothers. I remember books like Encyclopedia Brown, Trixie Beldon, Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew, and lots of Snoopy/Peanuts books. :)   Why do you write? Because it’s something I feel God has called me to do. Tell us about your latest book. Enoch Valentine has given up finding peace for his past mistakes. He throws everything he has into being the new part-time deputy in Burrton Springs, Kansas while maintaining the forema