6 May 2019

Dear Daughters

by | posted in: Books | 0

Podcasts are definitely all the rage right now – and there are lots of good ones out there.  I was introduced to Susie Davis through her podcast by the same title of her latest book, Dear Daughters.

First off, this book is beautiful.  From the cover, the texture, the colors, the botanical line drawing, the inside cover with the cursive lettering, the floral drawings inside, and the notes area at the end of each chapter.  Its just pretty.

This book is a bite-size petit-four of goodness that will leave you wanting more . If you are just digging into a role of discipleship or mentoring women younger than you, or if you have daughters of your own, this book will be a good one.  And then you will want to act on everything you’ve just read and read everything else you can on what it means to live life with others in a discipleship relationship.

Believe me, its a joy.  I’ve been doing this since I was 19.  And its harder now as a mom of young boys, but you just have to be intentional.  And being intentional in a social media world is hard.  But, it is so necessary.

You can enter here for a chance to win a copy of this book!  Its a delightful and encouraging read.

What a perfect little book to include in your Mother’s Day package!

Thanks to Read with Audra for a copy of this book.  All thoughts are my own!

 

5 Apr 2019

If God is For Us

by | posted in: Bible, Books | 0

When I was a senior in high school, this was our school’s verse  – Romans 8:31 – if God is for us – who can be against us?  That’s when I first learned of this verse because it was on everything that year.

Now that I’m 25 years older, I find it definitely more life-changing and endearing to my Father than I did when I was 18.

Trillia Newbell is a gifted, articular author who writes a great Bible study on Romans 8.  It is by far one of the most popular chapters of the entire Bible, and she walks you through the 39 verses with precision.  She doesn’t just give you the answers and she just doesn’t tell stories.  She makes you work for it.  Bible study is work.  It isn’t supposed to be easy.

But, even if you are a beginner, pick this study up – because the beginning of the book walks you through how to be a Bible study beginner: what you need to do read, look for, meditate on, etc.  But, if you have been studying your Bible every day for 30 years, then this study is also for you – because the Bible is still for you.  And you can go as deep as you want to go and never mine all the depths of God’s Word.

Isn’t that a beautiful thing?  That we will never get all of the Bible!  No!  It is life-giving and perfect truth for us – and the Holy Spirit will always use it in our lives!

Pick up this one.  It is a 6 week study so it would be a good one for a group study or a personal study.  And have a notebook nearby so you can write down all the things that God teaches you through it.

Thanks to Trillia, Moody, and Side Door Communications for a copy of this study.  All opinions are my own.

3 Apr 2019

Cutie Fruities and the Fruit of the Spirit

by | posted in: Books | 8

 

I remember being in middle school and loving scratch and sniff things.  From books to stickers to all things school supplies, scratch and sniff everything made any task more fun.

And as a parent I want to have fun ways to teach my kids about how to live for God’s glory!

This book does just that.  It incorporates scratch and sniff fruit to help little ones learn about the fruit of the Spirit. This is an adorable board book, perfect for little girls in your life.  My boys have enjoyed it to (especially sticking their nose in the book to smell the fruit), but the Cutie Fruities are girls!

What a fun way to teach them about the fruit of the Spirit.  If you would like a copy of this book for your own library, just leave me a message here about what fruit of the Spirit you are working on – especially in your own life.  Mine is love (not being irritable especially with my kids who have been sick lately).

Thanks Tommy Nelson Mommies for my book and the giveaway book.  All thoughts are my own!

3 Apr 2019

We are the Gardeners

by | posted in: Books | 8

Spring is here in Augusta!  I’m hoping it has arrived where you are just so you can soak up all the scents of the flowers, hear the birds (we have a nest of 6 on our front porch), and enjoy the longer days with plenty of sunshine.

And just in time for spring growing season, Joanna Gaines (and her kids) have released their new book We Are The Gardeners.  Let me tell you – the illustrations and the prose of this book are so endearing!  I have the perfect family to gift this to!

My boys love to get out and play in the dirt, and we love to work mostly with daddy in the yard, but I know another family who do more gardening then we do so I can’t wait to gift it to them.

The life lessons that are pointed to in here (from Chip) are great for young kids – to learn that gardening is not just about plants and flowers.  I love how they talk about protecting it too – especially for raising little men!

I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love this book!

If you would like to win a copy of it – just tell me your favorite thing you like to grow in your yard (or maybe you are just an indoor plant – let me know that too).  Thanks Tommy Nelson for my book and the giveaway copy!

28 Feb 2019

Girls’ Club (a review)

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Thanks to Tyndale House for this book – all opinions are my own.

Growing up, I lived among family as my neighbors.  I had a tight group of friends in high school.  But, I loved being known by everyone.  In college, those friendships faded away because we weren’t together all the time anymore.  In college and seminary I felt that friendships were built mostly on what classes we had and if we had to study together.

Once I graduated seminary, I have felt that it has been hard to make friends – even though I made two of my friends after graduation.  But, those numbers are few.  Even now, as we have moved several times, changed jobs and states, had children, friendships are hard.

What do you base friendship on? Is it primarily proximity?  I think proximity helps but so does social media.  But, in our days of busy schedules, family and ministry priority, soccer and dance schedules, friendships are hard to keep on the front burner.

Enter: the Girls’ Club.  The Clarkson girls do a great job of storytelling, helping their friends and readers absorb biblical truth about friendship, literary clues about friendships, and shares how the gospel should shape us.  I find myself wanting to travel as I read their book.  I’ve been to Prince Edward Island, but not to Oxford, so that’s all I want to do.

I think the writers do a great job of sharing their joys and their struggles with friendship.  Even having friends can make for a lonely winter.  Social media can help and hurt.  We must use it wisely.  And not let that be all our friendships concist of – as best we can.

This book will not be for everyone but I think they do a great job of sticking with their main audience.  LIterary, travelers, scholarly, conservative.  It is a winsome book.  I’ve also enjoyed the podcasts that they’ve done on it – especially with Ruth Simons and Sarah MacKenzie.

 

16 Jan 2019

Who I Am With You

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I love it when a book comes in the mail – and you read it, love it – and it introduces you to a whole new author that you’ve not read before.  When I finished Who I Am With You – I read one of Hatcher’s Christmas novellas over the winter holidays.

Who I Am With You tells a story of learning how to move on after heartache – moving on after life doesn’t turn out how you think it is supposed to.  It is endearing and a good Christian Romance that isn’t too cheesy.

At 300 pages it is a lovely day read, curled up in a blanket on a couch!

Thank you Thomas Nelson for the book – and all opinions are my own.

Here is a giveaway where you can win a copy of the book!  Go check it out!

29 Oct 2018

A Master Facelift

by | posted in: Books, Home | 0

 

(This post is sponsored by Harvest House who sent me the book The DIY Home Planner to review.  All thoughts are my own.  Thank you!)

When my mister and I get married he already had all of our bedroom furniture.  We were both older when we got married, and thank goodness that I really liked our master bed!

So, we just don’t have the money to go replace perfectly good beautiful furniture just because I might not have picked it at the store, or I would like to lighten it up some.

But, he has always been generous to me in our marriage to make our home really what I would love it to be.  So, we’ve done that over the years.  We still have the same furniture, but my husband may not have picked the Hearth and Home garland that is now over our bed.

When we moved into this house 15 months ago, our master bedroom didn’t have a door for the master bathroom.  And it only had the 70s bar doors (the swinging type) into the toilet room.  So, before we even moved in we took those down and repainted that area.  But, we’ve done without a main door.  And all along I wanted these barn doors.

I had the privilege of getting to know Cathy Nugent during our time in ATL.  She is a beautiful wedding planner.  And since I was already married, I couldn’t use her skills in that market.  But, she and her husband, Rob, started A Hosting Home, and I love what they do.

When we had a little bit of money come in, we knew it was time to go for it.  So, Cathy and I talked back and forth, sent measurements, shot her Pinterest ideas.  And she and Rob took those and made us the perfect barn door.

We had some friends come and install it for us which was such a blessing.  A friend loaned us their truck, we snuck in a day date in ATL.  All in all, my husband said last night that he loved it, well worth the money, and could easily have cost us double what we paid for the door, delivery, and installation.

So, if you think you want a statement piece in your master (or anywhere else in your home), don’t hesitate.  Just think it through and go for it.

The DIY Home Planner has been a fun design book to look through and use the pages to think about what we would like to do here in our home.  As a watercolor artist, I love the illustrations!  If you are a pen and paper girl like I am, this book will be a great workbook tool for you for any room in your home.

2 Oct 2018

Big Trucks

by | posted in: Books | 4

Ever since my boys were little, they have loved mighty machines.  There was a show called Might Machines on Netflix for years that we watched constantly.  Always singing the songs.

My older boys favorite word before he could really talk was “boowah” – for bulldozer.

Tommy Nelson sent me a great book called Big Trucks, about these mighty machine friends.  It is a touch and feel book so it is helpful when teaching toddlers about tactile and touch and feel things.

I love the touch and feel aspect of this book, but also the encouragement between the main characters and the fact that they work together..

As soon as the box came to our porch, we opened it up, and have read it several times already. And now the younger is showing the older all about the touch and feel parts.

Great book for toddler (boys, especially)

Do you want to read this with your toddler – You can win one.  What was the first fun thing your child would say?

Thanks Tommy Nelson.  All opinions are my own.

26 Sep 2018

High King of Heaven (review)

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Edited books are fun. Here’s why. You get so many different perspectives in one book.  Usually the authors are coming from one point of view or worldview.

This book, edited by John MacArthur, such a scholar and pastor for decades, is all about the Kingship of Jesus.  Covers many topics and all grounded in Scripture.  Not just tagging a Scripture, but grounding their conclusions in the Word of God.

Since you do have so many personalities in the writing, I found some of the book to be haughty in its language, tone, and how it applied the Word.  But, other parts I felt were winsome and engaging.

If you need a book to help you through maybe a time of the liturgical calendar year, to focus on King Jesus, this would be a helpful one.  And it would make you think and get to know your own way you can be winsome and engaging with the authority of Jesus.

Thanks to Moody Publishers for sending me this book to review.  All opinions are my own.

29 Aug 2018

Homespun

by | posted in: Books, Uncategorized | 0

Partnering with Audra Jennings to bring you a review of Homespun.

I’ve really liked some Amish fiction over the years, probably ever since college when I toured the Indiana Amish country during a friend’s wedding.  Simplicity and faith and order and quiet.  Those were pretty intriguing to a 20 year old.

Homespun is a book filled with hospitality, family, friendship, community, faith, and a host of other topics.  All written by women who are in the Amish or Mennonite communities.  These are not fiction, which I love.

I really felt like I was sitting down with many of these authors and having coffee or swinging on a porch swing in the Autumn air.  Just chatting, hearing their hearts – and much of their heart is the same things that find their root in my heart.

If you love memoir type books or biographical essays – I think you’ll really enjoy this book.