Book Review

"Friendship for Grown-Ups" by Lisa Whelchel was a nice, easy to read book for me. I enjoyed the subject matter of making and keeping friends. The book itself is written mostly from personal stories. What I particularly liked was at the end of the book, there were study questions and then two appendixes. I found these better than the content of the book itself. The first appendix basically covers the same topics as each chapter, but in one or two sentences and in bullet point style. It includes tips and ideas for you from each chapter such as "Keep a box of assorted occasions and blank cards on hand," or "Ask God to provide the kind of friend you are looking for." The second appendix is actually just pages of conversation starters, or open-ended questions to share with a friend.

I was happy to see these simple helps at the end of the book, mostly because in her stories she uses language like "dear," "sweetheart," and"how is your spirit today?" I know I just don't use these on a daily basis so I was beginning to find it unrealistic. The appendixes were a great addition.

One other note, this book is definitely written from a Christian perspective to a Christian perspective. It only covers girl friendships, assuming that you are already working on your relationship with God and family.

If you would like to find this book, you can check it out at Amazon.com or here at CBD.com

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BookSneeze.com 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."

Bagel Bucket?

I saw this title for a bunch of bagels online recently, and it caught my fancy.

I would like to make a bagel bucket.

Wouldn't that be fun to have on hand?

Wouldn't that be fun to give?

I've heard bagels are easy to make....maybe I will try.

Just Books?

Have I just been reading and posting books recently?

No, I have not. I have been doing all sorts of fun, interesting, and exiting things that one day, when it's not tax season, I hope to post :)

• I have started my seeds like last year. This year, it's cherry tomatoes all the way!
• I made a cardboard toy kitchen that has seen lots of use
• I am working on reorganizing my closets
• I successfully made Digestive Bicuits
• I have been staring at a stack of mail that needs to go out, for about a week or more!
• I have helped host a baby shower for a friend
• I have participated in another Winter Retreat
• I have eaten a delicious batch of homemade ice cream cookies :)

And so, I hope your March has been lovely too!

A book review : The Rewards of Simplicity by Pam & Chuck Pierce

A book on Simplicity


Thanks to Bethany House Publishers, I had the opportunity to review another book recently, “The Rewards of Simplicity” by Pam & Chuck Pierce.

The book, though not long (194 pages), took me a while to get through. I was very interested in the subject matter: Simplicity – a Practical and Spiritual Approach, but I was quite disappointed in the presentation. I found the book hard to read for several reasons. One, I found the subject matter cluttered with off-the-road stories and sub-discussions. Two, I found the authors’ use of punctuation distracting.

The book obviously covers more than just organizing your closets and to-do lists, by approaching simplicity first as a spiritual discipline. I did appreciate what the authors had to say about simplicity itself, but it took me a while to dig it out from the context. Points I liked were,

 Simplifying is not just outward clutter, it is physical clutter and spiritual clutter.

 You can simplify your faith, you can simplify your emotions, and being anxious is not a simple way to live.

 Doing the ‘simple’ thing does not always mean the easiest thing in the long run.

Would I recommend this book to another? No, I would not. I did not find it a “simple” to read book, nor did I always agree theologically with the content either. I am glad to have the chance to read it I did, and glad for the points I did glean from it, but I would probably not pass the book along.

You can find the book here at Amazon.com or CBD.com

*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."*

Book Review : Winston Churchill by John Perry

A book on Winston Churchill


I was glad to read the complementary copy of Winston Churchill: Christian Encounter Series from Thompson Publishers and BookSneeze. I was quite naive on my history of the man, and this biography was a good “catch-up” lesson.

The book by John Perry is well written, in easy-to-read font & language. Though a short book, it covers Churchill’s life form birth to death. I found that, though the book didn’t go into all the detail I might have liked, it gave me enough to continue my reading and researching through footnotes and details/facts I found interesting.

Starting the book, I was most intent on learning about Winston Churchill’s roll in World War II. There really was only a chapter or two devoted to that period in his life, but I found the rest of the biography a good background. Like I said before, due to the length of the book, this was not meant to be a comprehensive study of only a short time of his life, and I found I appreciated that after all.

Would I recommend it to another to read? Most likely I would. It has piqued my interest in history again, while maintaining a manageable, readable style. This is not a children’s biography, and is more suitable for high school & up.

You can find the book here at Amazon.com or CBD.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."*

Book Review

I have enjoyed being a part of the BOOK SNEEZE book review program (see sidebar) for all of 3 weeks. :)

The first book I recieved to review was Nelson's Complete book of Bible Maps and Charts.  This was a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their blogger's reviewer program. Following is my review:

Thomas Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, 3rd Edition, has a vast array of information for beginning Bible students. It explains authorship, date, history, and summary of the content in each book and a chapter/verse outline. There are small timelines of when the events happened, and maps and charts for each book.


For maps, I was actually a little disappointed. They are full color, and reproducible, but most have text bubbles marking routes of travel (as in the Exodus or Joseph & Mary’s route to Egypt), or locations of events (as in the places each judge was born or the towns where Jesus preformed miracles). I found it a little cluttered. I was hoping to see more geographical & historical maps like you would find in an atlas.


The charts included in this book range from comparisons of OT Kings to lists of Women in the Bible or Prophecies in the Old Testament that Jesus fulfilled.


All in all, I think the book could be a good resource, but is a bit more wordy than I like. For a beginning Bible student or Sunday school class, it is easy to read and has lots of general information.



*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."*

Keeping Kids Occupied

This post is more of a query than anything else :)

The topic of conversation: What to do when company comes over....with kids!

There are times, definitely, when it's GREAT to plan a kid dinner/party/activity, and invest your time in kids. But there are also times when you want/and or need to visit with the adults only. And that is this posts topic. What do you do to host families with kids, when you don't have any? When you want to visit with the adults and not only play with kids?

Question #1) Is it appropriate to want to visit with the adults and not play with the kids?

Question #2) What are the best "kid-friendly" games and toys to have on hand in your home?

Question #3) What are some great ways to make the whole family....kids and parents....feel welcome?

In lieu of these thoughts recently, I have started creating a Dress Up Box in my living room. While still sparse, I can see many opporunities for filling it up! Things I still hope to do: 1) Make a dress-up-corner with full length mirror, hat pegs, and play kitchen. 2) Add to the clothes collection

I know that my aunt has a kid-friendly cupboard filled with fun kid toys, that seem to entertain them just fine when they run out of things to do. She includes: toy cars, barbies, legos, noisy toys, puzzles, and rubber duckies.

And so, if you wouldn't mind, I'd be curious on your thoughts, opinions, and stories on this topic....please comment below!