My Pop-Up Bible Stories by Juliet David

About the Book:

With a pop-up scene on every page, children will cherish this selection of favorite stories from the Old and New Testaments. From the moment Baby Moses is found floating in a basket among the bulrushes to Jesus’ stilling of the storm, children will be captivated by Daniel Howarth’s remarkable illustrations as each story pops off the page.

My Thoughts on the Book:

My Pop-Up Bible Stories, by Juliet David, is a gentle introduction to Bible stories for young ones.  It's a hardback bound book with stiff pages so it's quite durable for little fingers.  The pictures are delightful with lots of color and the pop-up pages are so fun!  Even my 9 year old wanted to read along.:)  The stories in the book are Moses, Daniel, How Jesus brought a girl back to life, How the shepherd found his lost sheep and How Jesus stopped a storm.  After the sweet synopsis of the story the Bible verses are listed at the bottom of the page so you can follow up with the complete story in the Bible for older children.  I recommend My Pop-Up Bible Stories for ages 18 months and up.  It's a precious book that is durable and written and illustrated for all ages.

*I was given a copy of this book from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was received.*

The Choice book review and giveaway

My Thoughts about The Choice:

It's 1974 and 17 year old, Sandy Lincoln, has just found out she is pregnant.  She's ashamed and in shock, her boyfriend's only concern is himself and her parents have left her future plans up to her.  An outspoken aunt, with a mind of her own, has come to the rescue with an offer to host Sandy in her home, if she chooses to keep the baby.  This means dropping out of school, leaving cheerleading, and life as she knows it, behind.  Sandy has her mind made up but then an eerie encounter with a stranger gives her pause.  An old woman in a blue print dress tells Sandy that the choice she makes could lead to death.  

      

The Choice , written by Robert Whitlow, had me hooked from the first page.  I was drawn to the main character, Sandy Lincoln, because of her vulnerability.  Thrown into a grown-up world over night she struggles along the way but ends up stronger for her efforts. God molds her into a woman who is loved by many but still has a heart for those that are often overlooked.  Sandy's Aunt Linda, in particular, is one tough cookie that helps to prepare Sandy for what lies ahead in life.  A bit of a women's libber, she's misunderstood by her family but that makes her all the more interesting.:)  

  The dilemma of "the choice", hence the name of the book, is one that I want you to read and discover for yourself.:)  I will tell you that it will keep you guessing until the very end!  Robert Whitlow is a master storyteller.  In The Choice he has combined an incredible story involving an eerie prediction, court room drama, topics straight from the headlines, action, likable characters, and more.  As soon as I finished The Choice I went searching for more of his books!  

About the Book: 

One young woman. Two very different roads. The choice will change everything.

Even as a pregnant, unwed teen in 1974, Sandy Lincoln wanted to do the right thing. But when an ageless woman approached her in a convenience store with a mysterious prophecy and a warning, doing the right thing became even more unclear. She made the best choice she could . . . and has lived with the consequences.

More than thirty years later, a pregnant teen has come into her life, and Sandy’s long-ago decision has come back to haunt her. The stakes rise quickly, leaving Sandy with split seconds to choose once more. But will her choice decision bring life . . . or death?

Meet Robert: 

Robert Whitlow is the best-selling author of legal novels set in the South and winner of the prestigious Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction. A Furman University graduate, Whitlow received his J.D. with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review. A practicing attorney, Whitlow and his wife, Kathy, have four children. They make their home in North Carolina.  

For more about Robert and his other books, visit www.robertwhitlow.com.

Celebrate with Robert by entering to win a Nook Color with GlowLight!

One "choice" winner will receive:

• A Nook Color with GlowLight
• A four book Robert Whitlow library (winner's choice)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 27th. Winner will be announced at the "The Choice" Author Chat Facebook Party on 8/28. Meet Robert, get a sneak peek of his next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and more. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group.)!

So grab your copy of The Choice and join Robert on the evening of the August 27th for a chance to connect with Robert and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

*I received a copy of The Choice from Litfuse Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was received.*

Fiber One Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Giveaway

The winner is #24- Lori!  Congratulations!

 I miss brownies.

Diets don't give you much freedom when it comes to chocolate, peanut butter and fudge.:(

But look what arrived in the mail yesterday.  Fiber One Brownies!!!

The girls and I could not try these babies fast enough!

And for only 90 calories each (plus 5 grams of fiber!) I could have one, too!

Yippeeeeeeee!

I waited to hear feedback from the back seat.  (We were on the go- as usual.)

"It's the BEST BROWNIE I'VE EVER HAD!" from my 9 year old.  Thumbs up from my 14 year old (her mouth was still full).

They took the words right out of my mouth.:)

They really are delicious!

They don't heat up the house.

They are just the right size for lunch boxes and Moms that pack them.:)

And, I can't keep sneaking back for just "one more sliver" (You know what I've talking about.  Just to even out the slices.....)

We all love Fiber One Brownies!

I don't feel guilty when I eat them and I don't feel cheated out of chocolate.:)

We sampled the Fiber One Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies.  They also have Peanut Butter Brownies and Chocolate Fudge Brownies!  Oh my....

Along with the Fiber One Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies I received an awesome gift package containing:

-A package of Fiber One Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

-A cool water bottle (my youngest called dibs on it and my husband thought it was cool, too!)

-A Brain stress ball to help relieve stress during the day

-Ear Tube Buds to focus and spark creativity throughout the day

-Office Turf to bring the outdoors inside!

-Mini Tote Bag to carry your lunch (that should include a Fiber One brownie.;))

Would you like to win a Fiber One Gift Pack like this?

I guarantee you will smile when it arrives.:)

Here are 4 ways to enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post for 1 entry.

Leave another comment telling me you are a follower (if you are) for 1 additional entry.

Leave another comment telling me which flavor of Fiber One brownie you would like to try the most for 1 additional entry.

Leave one last comment telling me you "liked" Fiber One Brownies on facebook.

Giveaway ends next Friday, August 17th.

Good luck!

*I was given a Fiber One Brownie Gift Pack through My Blog Spark in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was received.*

God Knows Your Name by Catherine Campbell

God Knows Your Name was an answer to prayer for me.  Although I feel very blessed, there are questions and longings in my heart that often pull me away from the Lord.  They are not selfish desires, but they can make me feel very alone at times.  Looking for answers and crying out for guidance can cause me to occasionally wallow in self pity, sad to say.  This precious book, lovingly written by Catherine Campbell, reminded me that God cares for each and every one of us more than any person ever could.  Through stories from the Bible and stories from present day, chapters such as Hopeless, Worthless, and Loveless (to name a few) show God shining His light into peoples' lives. He does know your name!  The stories are a joy to read and such a blessed reassurance.

I would recommend God Knows Your Name to any person who has, at one time or another, felt forgotten, overlooked, rejected, overwhelmed or perhaps felt like giving up on life.  In other words, everyone.  We all need reassurance and acceptance as life can be a struggle.  The stories in the book are all true and very powerful.  Catherine Campbell shares her own struggles for answers in life and that touched me on a very personal level.  I found her to be a kindred spirit, in the words of Anne of Green Gables.:)  My heart ached for her but in the end leaped for joy!  Thank you, Catherine, for writing such a wonderful book.  I believe it will deeply touch every person that reads it and bring the readers closer to the Lord.

More on the Book:

For many people the idea that God likes us as individuals, just as we are, is often an unfamiliar concept, while rejection--by a partner, one's parents, an employer, or friends--is a fact of life.

This book encourages readers to embrace the truth of a personal God with whom we do not need to struggle to gain recognition, a God who intervenes and acts on our behalf, a God who knows our names!

Each of the six chapters contains two stories dealing with situations of rejection. The first story concerns an individual from the Bible, explaining how God stepped in to change his or her situation, thus revealing how important the individual was to him.

The second, connecting story tells of a present day individual in similar circumstances and how God again positively intervened. These are true stories, using carefully researched material for authenticity and accuracy, and told with remarkable power and conviction.

Read an excerpt of God Knows Your Name here. 
Take a peek at Catherine's website and podcasts here.  You'll be blessed!

*I received a copy of God Knows Your Name from Kregel publications in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.*

Homeschool Curriculum Choices for 2012-2013

Some people love shoes.
Some people love to travel.

I love books.

They instruct, motivate, and, quite often, thrill us.
They offer endless possibilities.

For the past 3 nights I have been up until the wee hours (4:00 amish) poring over curriculum.  On the positive side- there are so many wonderful books/programs from which to choose.  On the negative side- there are so many books/programs from which to choose!

What will be the correct fit for my girls?  
I feel so blessed to be able to make that choice for them.

Amanda:

-Bible- Who Am I and What Am I Doing Here? ( Apologia) I will use this with both my girls.  Love when I can do that.
-Writing- IEW- SWI-B- I've heard great things and am really excited about trying this program! Createbetterwriters.com and WriteShop 
-Grammar- Easy Grammer Plus
-Literature- Lightning Literature (Hewitt Homeschooling) The Hobbit, To Kill a Mockingbird, Treasure Island, etc.  Very excited this one.  Why?  Books, of course.;)
-Home Economics- Christian Light
-Math- Teaching Textbooks and IXL
-Science- GuestHollow.com- (The Human Body) This site is CRAZY AMAZING.  Free curriculum created by a wonderfully creative (and very generous) Mom.  I'm itching to get started!  She's written the lesson plans for you and offers book choices, worksheets, crafts, lap books, recipes, videos and more. WOW.
History- Guesthollow.com- (American History 2)- Yep. Going to use this one, too.:)
-Foreign Language- Visual Latin- I reviewed this last year for The Old Schoolhouse.  It's a video class and the teacher is amazing.  A bonus is his great sense of humor.:)  I'll use this with both of my girls.

It looks like a lot but we won't be doing every class every day.  

Amanda will also be taking an Acting Class and an Animation class (cartooning) with our home school co-op as well as attending a homeschool P.E. class this fall.

Katie:

-Bible- Who Am I and What Am I Doing Here?  (link above) and possibly this- FREE!
-Science- GuestHollow.com 
-History- GuestHollow
-Writing- Essentials in Writing
-Grammar- Easy Grammar and FREE!
-Spelling- FREE!
-Math- IXL
-Foreign Language- Visual Latin 
-Art- World's Greatest Artists- FREE!

Katie will be continuing ballet classes, taking an Art class, and attending an American Girl class with our homeschool co-op.  She will also take sewing classes at Joann's this fall.  Girl Scouts is being discussed.:)

I would love to hear what others are using this fall in their home school.  I haven't placed my book orders yet.:)

The Stars Shine Bright book review and giveaway

My Thoughts about The Stars Shine Bright:

I took my time and savored each and every page of The Stars Shine Bright. I didn't want to miss a thing!  It takes place in the Pacific Northwest, involves a dangerous undercover assignment, horses dying under mysterious circumstances and a killer that will stop at nothing.  Special Agent Raleigh Harmon assumes the identity of Raleigh David, and in doing so immerses herself in the tangle of characters at Emerald Downs, a thoroughbred horse track.  The Mob, arson, radiation, bombs and mental hospitals all make an appearance in this wild ride!  Raleigh Harmon is clever, driven and committed to her career, to the point that she may miss out on the happiness that she so desperately desires.  Her mother is currently a patient in a mental hospital and refuses to see her and her fiance loves her but just doesn't understand her.  My heart went out to Raleigh and yet I wanted to shake her at the same time.  The Stars Shine Bright will keep you guessing to the end.  Don't be surprised if you find yourself staying up late to read "just a few more pages".:)

More about the book:

After the FBI suspends her for bending its rules, Special Agent Raleigh Harmon is looking for a chance to redeem her career and re-start her life.

Sent undercover to a thoroughbred horse track, Raleigh takes on a double life to find out who’s fixing the races. But when horses start dying and then her own life is threatened, Raleigh realizes something bigger—and more sinister—is ruining Emerald Meadows.

She’s never felt more alone.

Her one contact with the FBI is Special Agent Jack Stephanson, a guy who seems to jump from antagonistic to genuine friend depending on the time of day. And she can’t turn to her family for support. They’re off-limits while she’s undercover, and her mother isn’t speaking to her anyway, having been confined to a mental hospital following a psychotic breakdown. Adding insult to her isolation, Raleigh’s fiancé wants them to begin their life together—now—precisely when she’s been ordered not to be herself.

With just days left before the season ends, Raleigh races to stop the killing and find out who’s behind the track’s trouble, all the while trying to determine if Jack is friend or foe, and whether marrying her fiancé will make things better—or worse.

Raleigh is walking through the darkest night she’s faced, searching for a place where the stars shine bright.

Meet Sibella Giorello:

Sibella Giorello grew up in the mountains of Alaska admiring the beauty and nature that surrounded her. She majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts hoping to learn more about the landscape she loved back home. From there Sibella followed a winding path, much like the motorcycle ride she took across the country, which led to her true love, journalism. 

She found herself in Seattle writing for rock-n-roll magazine and earned a journalism degree from the University of Washington before heading south to the land of great stories.

In Virginia, Sibella became a features writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It was there she also met her husband and would hear Jesus whispering her name at a tent revival.

Sibella started writing about Raleigh Harmon as a way to keep her love of story-telling alive while staying at home with her young sons. As a journalist and author, her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. The Stones Cry Out, the first Raleigh Harmon novel, won a Christy award for debut novel in 2008. Sibella now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons.

Visit Sibella Giorello online at www.sibellagiorello.com, Facebook or Twitter.

Novelist Sibella Giorello is celebrating the release of the new book in her praiseworthy Raleigh Harmon series by giving away a Kindle Fire! 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire

• The entire 5-book Raleigh Harmon series.

Hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/25/12. The winner will be announced on 8/27/12 on Sibella's blog!

Just click one of the icons below to enter. Tell your friends about Sibella's giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan book review

About Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan:

As the Gilded Age comes to a close, Elena Bissette's once-wealthy family has nearly lost its fortune. The Bissettes still own a home on fashionable Mackinac Island, where they will spend one last summer in the hope of introducing Elena to a wealthy suitor. But Elena is repulsed by the idea of marrying for money.

Quickly tiring of the extravagant balls, Elena spends most evenings escaping back into Mackinac's rugged forest. There she meets Chase, a handsome laborer who shares her love for the night sky. The two begin to meet in secret at an abandoned lighthouse, where they work together to solve a mystery buried in the pages of a tattered diary.

As Elena falls in love with Chase, her mother relentlessly contrives to introduce her to Chester Darrington, the island's most eligible bachelor. Marriage to the elusive millionaire would solve the Bissettes' financial woes, and Elena is torn between duty and love.

My Thoughts about the book:


Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan is enchanting!  Within it's pages you will discover masquerade balls at The Grand Hotel, an abandoned lighthouse that contains a mystery, secret love letters, and palatial summer "cottages".  It all sounds like a dream unless you are Elena Bissette, a young lady bound to marry a man she doesn't love.  Scandalous gossip spreads like wildfire and precedes her introduction to Chester Darrington.  And then there's the matter of Chester's devilish brother in law...   God's love carries Elena through but what does the future hold?

The beauty and history of Mackinac Island are captured in Melanie Dobson's words.  You'll truly feel like you've stepped back in time!  She expertly weaves together romance, mystery, and history and lovingly completes the story with God's Word.  It's the perfect summer escape.  You'll have trouble putting this one down!

About the author, Melanie Dobson:

Melanie Dobson has written ten contemporary and historical novels including five releases in Summerside's Love Finds You series. In 2011, two of her releases won Carol Awards: Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa (for historical romance) and The Silent Order (for romantic suspense).

Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. Prior to her writing career, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and a publicist for The Family Channel. She later launched her own public relations company and worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years.

Melanie and her family enjoy their home in the Pacific Northwest. The entire Dobson family loves to travel and hike in both the mountains and along the cliffs above the Pacific.

When Melanie isn't writing or playing with her family, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

For more about Melanie Dobson and her books, visit www.melaniedobson.com.

More about the "Mackinac Island" Giveaway:

Celebrate with Melanie by entering her Kindle Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire
• Signed copies of Melanie’s Love Find You books: Love Finds you in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, Love Finds You in Amana, Iowa, Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa, and Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana.

Hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/4/12. The winner will be announced on 8/6/12 on Melanie’s blog!

Just click one of the icons below to enter. Tell your friends about Melanie's giveaway onFACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

*I was given a copy of Love Finds You on Mackinac Island, Michigan from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was received.*