Make Their Day by Karen Ehman

 Make Their Day by Karen Ehman is a wonderful collection of 101 delightful ideas of ways you can encourage others. Included are ideas such as leaving out treats for your delivery people,  putting together a gift basket of items related around a book, and so many other creative ways to encourage.  Some might think of Karen as the "queen of hospitality" who delights with her simple and practical ideas of showing hospitality to others, wherever it may be!

In Make Their Day, Karen shares ideas to encourage friends, your own family, throughout your day and around your town, across the miles or through the internet, those who are hurting or in need, within the church, through holidays as well at in your home. Karen even offers some fun printables.  

After reading Make Their Day, you will be inspired by not only the ideas Karen includes but inspired to think of other ideas as well!  I was given a free copy from the publisher for my honest review, which I was happy to do. I heartily recommend Make Their Day!

Bless This Mess

I recently saw a post on facebook from a desperate mama about how to organize toys and the constant "war zone" of toys. 

Here is my response.

Dear mamas. My kids are now 22, 20, 17, 14, & 12. My house looked like a constant war zone. The Legos turned the oldest towards mechanical engineering. The farm toys helped #2 become a conservation biology major, the play school area propelled #3 to seek a teaching career. #4 picked up the Legos & Playmobil. And #5 loved baby dolls. It remains to be seen what they will do. But. The clutter/mess is definitely more manageable now. Granted I have lacrosse sticks, track turf bubbles, football gear etc. Not to mention the “I was sent home from college due to Covid at the college” & here’s all my dorm stuff. Trust me mamas. It will get better. Enjoy the mess for now. I’m not going to tell you that someday you will miss it (I don’t). Remember you can have it all just not all at once. Hang in there.

Mommyhood in those years is hard (let's face it, all mommy hood is hard, it just looks different depending on where you are in the journey)!

I looked and look for a photo of my trashed toy room from when my kids were little. And I couldn't find a photo!  So take photos of that mess so you can look back on it and realize you won't miss it!

Here are the photos I did find!

From 2011

From 2009

My house doesn't look perfect now. But it's a different kind of mess!

The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep

The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep is a delightful tale of two individuals living in London 1885.  Jackson Forge is new to the position of constable. He can't wait to learn all there is and is eager to take on his new duties!  Kit is the thief on the street who cares for others, creative and resourceful.  But is she really a thief? A cab driver goes missing and Jackson pleads to solve the case.  But he needs some creative help.  Kit steps in, or does she?

The Thief of Blackfriars Lane is an entertaining tale that takes place in historic London. I will admit sometimes the jargon was a little difficult to follow, but nonetheless the book keep me entertained! Wait until you get to the twist at the end. I thought for sure I had it figured out, but I didn't!

I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I would recommend this book.

Jesus Freaks by dc Talk + the Voice of the Martyrs

 Jesus Freaks (Stories of those who stood for JESUS, the ultimate Jesus freaks) by dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs is an updated and revised release of the classic book originally published in 1999.  First, we need to acknowledge the legendary Christian rap group, dc Talk which had a part in putting together this book based off their song "Jesus Freak".  Members, Michael, Toby and Keven each had a part in contributing to the book.

In the book, short stories are shared of various individuals as they have often suffered tragedy for standing for their Christian faith. The stories are shared of various Bible characters, as well as individuals from time moving forward up until about 2018.  These stories are sometimes hard, but also challenging and inspirational.   At the end of the book, there is a listing of hostile and restricted countries in the world today.  

Jesus Freaks is eye opening, sometimes difficult to read, but also inspiring.  It highlights the ramifications of being a Christian in the world today. I appreciated both the stories of the past and the recent stories. I was given a free copy from the publisher for my honest review, which I was happy to do. I would recommend the valuable and honest book.