A Family for Christmas Twenty-three-year-old widow Mia Granger is shocked to learn her late husband fathered a child out of wedlock. Now the handsome lawyer representing the young orphan's adoption agency is pressing Mia to meet the girl. She's touched by how deeply Caleb Grant cares about the five-year-old, especially given his own harrowing past. But with all the betrayals in her life, Mia is scared to open her heart to anyone. When she learns she owns a lovely ranch she never knew existed, Mia wonders if it's a home meant for a family of three--just in time for Christmas.

Learn how to spend less, be kinder to the environment and go in the direction of your dreams! Back in 2011 I became a parent for the second time and wanted to quit my job and be a stay at home mum. We had just moved house and increased our mortgage, now had two children to look after and I preferred to buy costly eco-friendly and organic products. How was I going to be able cut my spending by enough money to quit my job and stick to my eco-friendly principles? The challenge was set and a year later I did quit my job to become a stay at home mum and blogger. I saved far more money than I ever could have imagined by being eco-friendly! In this book I share with you what I have learned over the years of saving money and the environment. There are lots of practical hints and tips, which overall will help you to: 1. Make the most of what you have2. Reduce your rubbish3. Save you money4. Unleash your creative side. Topics covered in the book include:1.Kitchen waste2.Stuff3.Sustainable fashion4.Cleaning5.Bathroom6.Entertainment7.Celebrations and special occasions8.Energy9.Getting fit10.Kids11.GardeningIf you think freeing up some cash could help improve your life, you care about the environment and you are ready to do things differently, then this is the book for you! Zoe Morrison is the author of award winning blog www.ecothriftyliving.com. She is regularly interviewed on BBC Radio and she has been featured in newspapers around the world.

The holidays are a time for hope and healing in two uplifting inspirational romances from popular authors whose stories can warm the coldest of hearts. The Christmas Child by Linda Goodnight In Redemption, Oklahoma, a young boy is found huddled in a Dumpster, clutching a Christmas book. Undercover agent Kade McKendrick brings the child home until he can track down his family. All Kade has is a name, Davey, and the boy’s trust of teacher Sophie Bartholomew. As they uncover the mystery of a very special child, could they form a new family in time for Christmas? Gift-Wrapped Family by Lois Richer Mia Granger is shocked to learn her late husband fathered a child out of wedlock. Now the handsome lawyer representing the adoption agency is pressing Mia to meet the girl. But with all the betrayals in her life, Mia is afraid to open her heart to anyone. When she learns she owns a ranch she never knew existed, Mia wonders if it’s a home meant for three . . .

Tips and techniques for spectacular and sustainable gift wrapping From simple bows and neat corners to Japanese fabric wrapping, this book shows how to wow friends and family with beautifully wrapped gifts while minimising waste. You will learn how to master the art of wrapping through easy step-by-step instructions of key techniques. There are ideas for creating both simple and intricate designs, all made using materials that are recyclable, reusable and sustainable. Techniques include wrapping with pleats and pockets, using paper bags and how to wrap unusual shaped gifts, such as bottles. A section on Furoshiki, fabric wrapping, shows how to create gift wraps from tea towels and beautiful pieces of fabric. There's also guidance on ribbons, bows, string, wool and using plants and flowers to create the perfect gift. Bursting with ideas, this innovative book offers a mindful creative outlet that will both delight friends and family and help save the planet by reducing waste.

Gift Wrapping is a Kodansha International publication.

The story behind the historic Washington, DC department store, with vintage photos and an introduction by Tim Gunn. Affectionately called “Woodies” by loyal Washingtonians, the beloved department store Woodward & Lothrop stood at the heart of downtown for over a century. Crowds flocked to the flagship store on the F Street shopping corridor to find superior service and the season’s new fashions. The store and its employees shared in the best moments in the lives of Washingtonians, from the elaborate holiday window displays to the Wedding Service department that helped countless brides choose their china patterns. For weary shoppers, the Bake Shop and seventh-floor Tea Room offered city favorites such as Wellesley Fudge Cupcakes and Chicken Pot Pie. Department store historian Michael J. Lisicky brings readers back to the store’s golden age, chronicling the enterprise that made it a retail giant and the missteps that brought the store to its much lamented closing in 1995. Through interviews with store insiders, vintage images and a selection of recipes, Lisicky reveals the magic and the memories behind Woodward & Lothrop. Included is an introduction by Tim Gunn, American fashion icon and Emmy-winning television personality.

Women who have maintained their sexual purity often ask, “Is it really that important for me to wait until I get married?” Meanwhile, single women who have been sexually active mourn the loss of their innocence, wishing they could somehow start again. Women want to protect the purity that is God’s gift to them, and they also long to be loved. This volatile combination makes them vulnerable to temptation. That is why it is vital that women know not only that God wants them to wait, but why God wants them to do so. They need solid reasons, conviction, and a strategy that will prepare them to live out their sexual purity as God intends. Filled with powerful true stories of hope and healing, Gift-Wrapped by God provides compelling emotional and spiritual reasons for choosing God’s path of sexual purity, as well as practical help for following it. Whether women have held onto their sexual innocence, have become prematurely sexually active, or have had their purity taken by force, they can express and fulfill their desire to come to their wedding day--and live out every day–-sexually pure and whole.

Wrapping Culture examines problems of intercultural communication and the possibilities for misinterpretation of the familiar in an unfamiliar context. Starting with an examination of Japanese gift-wrapping, Joy Hendry demonstrates how our expectations are often influenced by cultural factors which may blind us to an appreciation of underlying intent. She extends this approach to the study of polite language as the wrapping of thoughts and intentions, garments as body wrappings, constructions and gardens as wrapping of space. Hendry shows how this extends even to the ways in which people may be wrapped in seating arrangements, or meetings and drinking customs may be constrained by temporal versions of wrapping. Throughout the book, Hendry considers ways in which groups of people use such symbolic forms to impress and manipulate one another, and points out a Western tendency to underestimate such nonverbal communication, or reject it as mere decoration. She presents ideas that should be valid in any intercultural encounter and demonstrates that Japanese culture, so often thought of as a special case, can supply a model through which we can formulate general theories about human behavior.

Embrace zero waste living with this collection of sustainable gift wrap solutions including furoshiki, the traditional Japanese technique of fabric knotting. What could be nicer than receiving a present AND the beautiful scarf it's wrapped in! Whether you use a vintage silk scarf or create your own fabric with patchwork, piecing and dyeing techniques, or reuse unwanted items to make quirky gift wraps - this collection is packed full of ideas for reducing waste. Other ideas include how to make present toppers made from unwanted fabric and yarn scraps to finish off your gift wrapping with a flourish.

New York Times best seller Ever since Gabrielle Stanley Blair became a parent, she’s believed that a thoughtfully designed home is one of the greatest gifts we can give our families, and that the objects and decor we choose to surround ourselves with tell our family’s story. In this, her first book, Blair offers a room-by-room guide to keeping things sane, organized, creative, and stylish. She provides advice on getting the most out of even the smallest spaces; simple fixes that make it easy for little ones to help out around the house; ingenious storage solutions for the never-ending stream of kid stuff; rainy-day DIY projects; and much, much more.