Book Review: God's Wisdom for Mothers

I was looking forward to reviewing this book. It turned out to be a perfect fit for my morning reading routine. I was looking for something that summarized topical verses in easy-to-read sections. Perfect.

I am pleased with the book. I like the topics they summarized, even the titles of each section is simply a good reminder of what God would like to see in a Mother: wisdom, cheerfulness, patience, joy, compassion, discernment, honor, and respectfullness. I read a little bit each morning along with a chapter from Proverbs, and 3 pages of another book at the moment.

This book is just a collection of verses from the Bible arranged under each topic. Very simple. The verses are taken from the New King James Version. While most of the verses are really nice in this translation, I did compare them to my NIV version, and am not sure ALL are quite as accurate as they could be. Therefore, I'm a little cautious in my reading them without double checking them in another Bible.

I personally am really glad I have this book now, and will continue to read it often. It's a nice compliment to any "quiet time" needs. And for me, as a young mother, it's a perfect fit.

If you think you'd enjoy a book like this, you can find it here on Amazon.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."*

Still Here

 Oh yes, I'm still here. We've just been a bit busy these last couple weeks.  We were having company and then getting ready for more company too.

 So we set up  this fun little bedroom in our front room.

And now it's filled with company and everyone is getting used to new routines and activities.

I have many stories and pictures, but still am working on computer time.

Some things we've been enjoying:

• Some good Indian curries
• Naps
• Card games
• Spring
• Walks
• A little girl who is smiling and "talking"
• Said little girl starting to sleep 7 hours
• Pussy willows
• Family
• New words

A Look at Psalm 77

Again, I've enjoyed reading through the Psalms.

Here is an adaptation of Psalm 77.

Quick Summary: A Psalm reminding the Israelites to remember what miracles God had done in their past

"I will remember the deeds ot the Lord, I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds."

My Summary: A reminding of what God has done in my own "heritage" and life

"What heritage do I have to remember and meditate on?"

• That God drew/taught my parents to know Him
• That at the right time, God presented/prepared Bible studies for them and put the right teachers in place
• That God gave me Christian parents to raise me....a Christian home
• That God prepared a husband for me, all the way from India
• How God brought that husband-to-be to little old Bemidji
• How He brought him to know Him
• The timing of it all
• That God did plan a child for us, even though at times we doubted
• How "easy" my pregnancy and delivery went

So Good!

I adapted my standard muffin recipe to make a Blueberry Bran Muffin.

Oh YUM! did they ever turn out good :)

So, I thought that recipe was just too delicious not to share!

Blueberry Bran Muffins

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup oat bran
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 cup wild blueberries
• cinnamon sugar for top

Mix together your ingredients. Spoon into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until nicely brown. Devour warm or cold!

I did it again

Honestly, I am lacking some courage to start cloth diapering. I really have good intentions (I've washed the diapers 3 times, ha) yet I can't seem to get going on actually DIAPERING my daughter in them. But soon, real soon, I will try.

In the meantime, I went ahead and ordered another good deal from Amazon. (Love those coupon codes in the Parenting magazine!) I got this package of 720 wet wipes shipped to my door for $4.00. Yup, that's right, $4.00. So nice!

That was after joinging Amazon Mom (which I am loving, since it gives me great deals and free shipping!). Also, I used the Subscribe and Save feature, for a percentage off, and the $10 off Amazon coupon. Nice. I'll let you know if I find any extra coupon codes :)

Spring is Coming....

Oh yes, it's been a slower start than last year, but I can feel spring in the air!

I checked out a stack of about 10 gardening books from the library last month, and just now am getting around to reading them. A couple of the new ones are great reads, and have inspired me to try gardening again this year.

Above, I have started a few seeds with the help of my neighbor girl. I have more to start at a later time.

Here are some things I hope to do this garden season:

• Make a "Pizza Garden" (full of pizza ingredients)
• Make a "Moonlight Garden" (at my Mom's house for my little cousins...this garden would be flowers and such that bloom in full moonlight)
• Fertilize and airate our backyard plot
• Add some black dirt
• Make 3 container gardens, two for our front yard, one for back
• Make some miniture gardens in old gloves
• Make a cold frame?
• Make a trellis for peas of some sort
• Use recycled stuff for my garden containers etc.
• Grow a cuke in a jar

Here are my new favorite garden books:

Another Book Review: From the Library of A.W. Tozer

I was really excited when this book became available to review. Between M and I, we are always looking for more interesting sermons and articles to read, and have found we prefer older stuff to newer. This book has selections all the way back from 354 AD.

This book is really a collection of excerpts from different writers and theologists from 354 to 1945 AD.  The pieces are taken from longer essays or books, and while given a heading, really are just a snippit.

It still is/was helpful to me, since I could read a small portion of an author and decide if I want to find the complete work to read. I can get a sampling of the different authors that way.

The print is nice and easy to read. The selections are kept short, maybe between 1 and 3 pages. The introduction is helpful and informative about the man A.W. Tozer himself.

It's a nice book to have on hand for a quick take on stimulating sermons etc. It can be a quick read....just reading quickly through the whole book at once, front to back. Personally, I think it's best used in short, where you read one or two essays on a subject, and then just think about them or study them out more.

The book is divided into topics, where it has a collection of essays on, say, Worship or Prayer. This makes it easy for topical study/discussion.

If I were to compare this book to a meal (silly perhaps), but it wouldn't be the Main Dish (heavy and filling) and it wouldn't be the dessert (light and sweet), but more like a side of mashed potatoes (A nice compliment to a meat, somewhat filling but you'd be hungry if that's all you ate).

I'm sure if you'd like to check it out, the library might have it, but CBD.com does for sure.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their blogger book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."*

A Book Review: God's Promises Devotional Journal

I have another book to review :)

I received this book to review from BookSneeze.com (Have I mentioned yet how I love their program?!) I was looking forward to reading/using this book since I've been trying to do a study on God's Promises.

The nice thing about the book, is it goes by day-of-the-month but no year, so you could use this at any year (doesn't get outdated). It's divided up into monthly journal sections, with one verse at the top, a short essay by different Christian authors, a question or two to get you thinking, and then 10-20 blank lines to record your own thoughts.

If you're looking for something short and sweet, pretty easy to keep up with on a daily basis, this book is for you. It doesn't contain enough lines for writing for the likes of me....but that's because I write big and write alot. There is just one page per day, and only one third of that page is for writing.

The essays by the different authors read much like a Max Lucado book (considering he is one of the authors, that makes sense). They are simple and quick to read. I think the essays were collected, and then a verse found to go along with the essay to print at top. Personally, I wish it was the other way around, since it would feel a little more like a Bible study then, rather than just Christian thought/opinion.

I believe it's a nice gift book, and really good for beginning Christians or Christians who are looking for a quiet-time help in a simple way.

It's not terribly over-bearing, and is about 400 pages thick (1 inch). The binding seems to be sturdy, and doesn't look like it will fall apart with use.

If you'd like a copy, you can find it on Amazon.com


*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."*

Is this yours?

Uh, I think I've forgotten something.

I was folding laundry the other day, and pulled this t-shirt out of the laundry basket.

Is it yours? Or is it mine?

Because, you see, I don't remember ever owning a shirt like this, and I know it's not M's either. So, where did it come from, because I obviously washed it???

A Look at Psalm 20

So, I've been reading through the book of Psalms in the mornings. It's been nice. A couple times, I've challenged myself to look at the Psalm I'm currently reading in a new light, see if I can apply it in now-a-day language.

Here is my look at Psalm 20 (read it along with the open Bible to see the comparison)

Quick Summary: This is a Psalm of the people praying for their leader
My adaptation: A prayer by me for the men's meeting nights

"May the Lord answer you when you face a pressing decision;

May the name of the God of Hosts protect you from argument and decensions.

May He send you wisdom from heaven and grant you help from the Holy Spirit.

May He remember all the times you have prayed and sought His counsel and accept the acts of service you have made Him.

May He give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed."

"We the people will shout for joy when you finish a meeting/come to agreement and will give credit to God for success. May the Lord grant all your requests."

"Now I konw the Lord saves/protects those in leadership/those He has chosen. He answers them from His holy heaven with the protecting power of His right hand."

"Some trust in agendas, traditions, experience, and head knowledge, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

"The ones who trust in the wrong things are brought to their knees and are frustrated and fail, but we as a congregation rise up and stand firm in unity in Christ!"

"O Lord, uphold our leaders. Answer us when we pray!"

Bible Memorization

I found this blog post on putting memory verse to song very encouraging. It has some great resources and I'd like to check out some of them. Thought I'd share the link here in case you are interested too!

Cooking when Company Comes

So, I had a bunch of freezer meals ready for when our baby arrived. They were really handy and I was glad we had them!

We had some left still, this last week, and I found another great use for them! We had unexpected company over for lunch, and I was so glad when I looked in our freezer! Usually, I just eat letovers from the previous supper for lunch, but there wasn't enough for all of us and I started to panic. I opened the freezer door, and there I saw a nice couple hotdishes just waiting for use. Of course! I just popped one into the stove for a half hour and lunch was ready!

So, my tip to you today on When Company Comes, is set aside some hotdishes or dry soup mixes to have on hand for a quick meal. That way, when guests do stop by, you will have no qualms about asking them to stay for lunch.

Some good meals we've had success with from the freezer:

• Chicken Broccoli Crescent Bake
• Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
• Tossed Lasagna
• Pot Pie (Vegetable or Meat)
• Pea Soup

Do you have any company ideas or great freezer meals? Leave us a link!

 

Cleaning Drawers around here

 Just had to share the pictures...it's so motivating :) I had told you I was cleaning the other day....here's the "yet-to-do" drawer:

And here's the done drawer :)

*happy sigh*

Making your home a haven

Over at Abbi's blog and the Homespun heart they're doing a daily "making your home a haven" challenge. I've been enjoying reading along since it's something I've been thinking about recently.

So, I thought maybe it'd be good for me to join along too (even though I've missed a couple days)

My main goal right now, is to make our home pleasant and peaceful for M. to come home to after a long day. Also, for any guests we might have come over. As of late, I seem to be having some attitude issues, so I think that should be my first focus.

Haven:
   A place of port, shelter, safety, refuge and assylum. (http://www.dictionary.com/)

My goals for today, to "Make our home a Haven"

Personal Time: Spend and hour reading - Right now I'm reading in Psalms, and have 2 other books to read (Feeding Your Soul, and Miserly Moms). Spend 10 minutes in memorization. Since I'm having attitude issues, I will pick 4 verses about attitude to memorize/review.

Family Time:  Make granola bars today for M.'s snacking. Plan a relaxing activity for this evening.

House Time: Clean out my messy clutter drawer. Clean up kids toy area.

A Pretty Hair Clip

Oh, look over here at this blog. Amy is doing a giveaway of this pretty hairclip:

I've always enjoyed long hair, and now that I have a kid...I'm curious how long I'll keep it long :) But either way, this clip sure looks simple and pretty to use!

If you're looking for more hair ideas, I'd go to the library and check out Braids and Bows. That book has a nice collection of pictures and easy-to-understand instructions too.

It's a day to try something different! Maybe instead of my usual ponytail or bun, I'll try something like this (I can't seem to get the picture so you can go see it at the link)

A Project

Because I have 3 nieces...

Because I like playing with Marazuka dolls...

Because I found some clearance deals at Target...

And just because I'm a little weird...
I did a fun little project:

Yes, I understand White is not the best color for little kids....but I think it looked nice;)

 I started off with this one. A little Scribble paint and fabric Rose (thanks to Mom)

 And the same for this one...

And finished with this one!
Ta-Da!