Kaleb Turns 1!

These pictures are from Kaleb's birthday party waaaaaay back in August. We had a great time!!

Be Still My Soul Review

I just finished the debut novel of Joanne Bischof, titled "Be Still My Soul." If you enjoy Christian fiction, particularly historical romance, you will enjoy this book.

This book is full of tragedy and hardships, but more than that it shows the main character's strength in her faith and forgiveness. It seems like one thing after another goes wrong for Lonnie Sawyer but she clings to her faith when everything else seems hopeless to her.

This book was an easy read - I finished it in two nights of reading - but it was very well written. I see that this is the first book of a series and I would be very interested to see who the focus of the next book is going to be.

I did feel that things tied up just a bit too nicely in the end, but if you're looking for a happy ending, it's definitely there. Like I said, if you enjoy Christian fiction of the historical romance variety, this is a book you will most likely enjoy.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

August Week 1 Pictures

Playing at Kaleb's house:

Saying goodbye to Precious as we leave Grandpa Steve's house:

Brianna's outfits are so insanely cute. She's either 100% matched or 100% mismatched. This was one morning right before church. Green dress? Check. Red/pink dress worn as a jacket? Check. Blue/purple socks? Check. Pink Twinkletoes shoes? Check. Outfit complete.

First watermelon of the season for us! (That we cut ourselves, anyway!)

Grandpa pulling Bri in the wagon on an adventure somewhere!

Why is Hunter laying down on the job? Could be those size 8 1/2 Converse he's wearing!

Don't let the grumpy look fool you, she was so happy about having Minnie ride her shoulders! (And I was at a stop when I took this picture, don't worry!)

Hunter at Classy Paci - under the rug - saying, "Night night!!"

But also saying, "Cheese!!"

Brianna poses for the camera, not knowing that Hunter is striking her exact pose right behind her!

Fun with the camera:

Too much work:

Wild Grace Review

I just finished the book Wild Grace by Max Lucado (adapted for teens by James Lund) and it took me less than 24 hours to finish, if that tells you anything. I love Max Lucado but this is one of his books that I can see myself handing over to a youth group member. I can see our youth group members taking the time to read this one, simply because it will keep their attention.

There are short sections with scripture and an easy-to-read style of writing which I am accustomed to reading when I open a Max Lucado book. Then there are a couple of short, thought-provoking questions: ("What's the biggest problem you're dealing with right now? Do you have a plan to solve it? Where does God fit into this picture?") There are stories from other teens and adults that are interesting to read and serve a purpose in the book.

The book is fairly short and you can tell it is geared toward a teen's attention span. I believe teens will get a lot out of this book and they will not feel it is a chore to read it. I am taking this to our church library the next time I'm at church and I will encourage all people to read it - whether teen, young adult, or an elder.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

As Silver Refined Review

I recently reviewed the book As Silver Refined by Kay Arthur. I'll be honest... I somewhat dread reviewing it because I feel like I am not going to do it justice.

This book is all about life's disappointments. Kay Arthurt discusses everything from feeling like a failure to learning how to endure through suffering. She makes wonderful points and it is an interesting read, but a lot of these things just don't apply to my life right now.

I believe if you are going through trials in your life and you feel separated from God this will be a good book for you to read. There is a study guide included in this book that you can do alone or in a group setting. That would be a great tool to use also.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.