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. 

Home Made Lovely

Home Made Lovely by Shannon Acheson is a beautiful how to for decorating tips, tricks and ideas. Shannon offers basic, realistic decorating ideas as well as simple hospitality ideas. There are several pages for journaling/woking out your ideas. There are also quite a few photo pages that illustrate ideas. Shannon keeps the ideas (mostly) simply for those new to interior decorating, but also has some great tips for those who have experience.

All in all, I found the book informative and helpful. Interior decorating is not necessarily something I am good at, but did find the tips helpful and inspiring.  I think the best (and my favorite) quote from the book was at the end where Shannon shared, "....the kitchen will become messy every since day if you're doing life right."

I was given a free copy from the publisher for my honest review. I would recommend this book!

Engaging Your Teen's World by David Easton and Jeremiah Callihan

Engaging Your Teen's World by David Eaton & Jeremiah Callihan is an excellent resource for anyone who knows a teen! This book, which comes from the founders of Axis, a ministry which helps parents and teenagers understand each other in teen culture.  

The book is divided into parts. The first part is the why behind engaging in teen culture. The second part is the how and finally the actual teen topics. However, as with any book (and the authors share this), any dated material immediatly can become irrelevant after print. BUT this book offers some great why and then touches on the actual topics.

This book is informative for anyone who works with teens or knows a teen!  I found it relevant to parents, grandparents, youth pastors and anyone who seeks to understand teen culture better. There is valuable insight shared in this book.

I was given a free copy for the publisher for my honest review. The book comes highly recommended from me for parents of and those who know children ages 8 to 18.  

The Escape by Lisa Harris

The Escape by Lisa Harris is the first book in the U.S. Marshals series.  U.S. Marshal Madison James is still reeling from the loss of her husband five years ago. She has finally decided to move on literally and move out of town.  Only she has one last assignment in town.  Jonas Quinn is back in town and has been asked to
out help with this special assignment. It's great to see Madison, who he trained four years ago. This assignment should be a simply prisoner transport.  However, it doesn't turn out so simple.

In true Lisa Harris style, The Escape will have you page turning! I throughly enjoyed the story and simply couldn't put the book down In fact, now that I'm finished with the book, I'm still trying to figure out how the escaped prisoner did what he did.  The only unfortunate part is that there is a cliffhanger at the end, so you'll have to check out the next book in the series!

The Escape was an enjoyable, suspenseful read. I would recommend this book! I was given a free copy form the publisher for my honest review, which I was happy to do!

Softly Blows the Bugle by Jan Drexler

Softly Blows the Bugle by Jan Drexler is an enthralling and captivating historical Amish fiction.  This is the second book I've read by Jan and I think it's even better than the first! Historical Amish fiction was a new genre for me until I've read Jan's works, and it is a great read!

Elizabeth knows that she will never amount to anything as a result of her abusive marriage to the late Englisher, Reuben.  In fact, she does not want to marry ever again. When her brother Jonas returns from the Civil War, and brings along a Confederate solider, Aaron, Elizabeth is worried and fearful. Harder still is that Aaron lost his leg in the war.  But soon Solomon arrives in town. Wow, he is everything Elizabeth is looking for, or rather wasn't looking for, in a husband.  

Softly Blows the Bugle is a captivating tale. In fact, I couldn't put it down!  I enjoyed the story and all that happened in the book.  The historical fiction was an added bonus to the storyline. I was given a free copy from the publisher for my honest review, which I was happy to do! I would recommend this book!

Finding Quiet by Jamie Grace

 Finding Quiet by Jamie Grace...first if you don't know who Jamie Grace is, find out. You will love her personality. She was a You Tube star long before You Tube was as popular as it is today.  I mean, after all, she invited everyone to her wedding!  We have loved and adored Jamie Grace ever since her hit Hold Me. We have seen her in concert, met her in a "fan line" and watched her in a movie.  My daughters have looked up to her and her instagram stories are entertaining.

In Finding Quiet, Jamie shares some of her struggles throughout life, including being in the spotlight at a young age, her mother's health issues, waiting on God's timing for her husband, and her Tourette's Syndrome. Jamie is honest in her journey and shares much of it.

Jamie also shares how to tackle and have grace in many of those challenges. How to seek Christ and how to live for Him in this loud world. Jamie's situation may not be like yours, but she offers practical advice and tips on how to think of creative ways to go through such situations.  

Yes, I'm older than Jamie and have lived more life, but her thoughts, ideas and perspectives were valuable and insightful.  I was given a free copy of Finding Quiet from the publisher for my honest review, which I was happy to do. I would recommend this book!

A Different Kind of Post...

 Today's post is a different kind. Not even sure if I'll publish it....or who will read it.

But I've been pondering. In between books that I read. Yes, this blog has been overtaken with book reviews. But I am so thankful for publishers and authors. It is a JOY to read and review books.  

So back to pondering.....

We just came through a "season" of quarantine.  I mean March 2020 until about August 2020 where we were home (entire family). And we were all together.  It was hard. But in some ways it was also oh so good.  All my kids at home. The summer before we had struggled just to find 15 minutes together. All together. And that happened to be in a Chick-fil-a. (Not gonna lie, no better place to gather!)  But it was such a struggle.

Then COVID hit. First I felt so guilty. So guilty for all my kids were missing. Their disappointments. What they were missing. How it wasn't supposed to be this way.  We weathered the valley of disappointments. We even had slips of paper on the dining room table to fill out "what you want to do when out of quarantine." 

I had very sweet times of Bible study. I would wake up early and read my Bible. I spent my days at home. I even found two online (zoom) Bible studies. It was so sweet. I had ladies that I would actually "see" via Zoom. We would check in and although our relationships were not deep we did Bible study together. It was good.  

 Then life kind of went back to normal. Sort of. Of the five kids the two college students missed their sports seasons. But at least they had practice.  

And I went back to normal. Back to the busy. Back to the running after kids. Back to the sports events (at least three times a week, many weeks more than that.) Back to church. Back to my sweet Moms in Prayer time. Back to substitute teaching. Back to it all.  

And now I'm wondering, where are those sweet times? Those sweet Bible studies? Where does one go to connect with those sweet in person Bible studies? Do they exist? How does one go about that in the midst of COVID? Are we so busy doing that we don't have time to be?  {Most would say that church, just to clarify my church offers one women's Bible study.}

As we appear to be entering another shut down, will we be back to the online? What have we learned from this time? How can we invest more in others? How can I? Who will invest in those who are leading and need someone to invest in them? How can we have Christian women wave the flag and let others know they need some help? Or, do we just go on as we have been?