Book Review: Seeds of Turmoil

Bryant Wright’s book entitled Seeds of Turmoil, The biblical roots of the inevitable crisis in the Middle East provided a detailed perspective on the history of the unrest in the Middle East. I found this book very helpful in understanding the historic culture of the areas we see labeled on maps as Israel, Palestine, etc. Wright also goes into clear detail of what cultural impacts many readers of the Bible may not know. 

One of the refreshing parts of this book is when the author gives a current day example of a point he is referencing in biblical times. This helps to recapture the mind and attention span during the weight of heavy details. 

This book would be an excellent resource for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of the history of the Middle East. It reads quicker and easier than historical textbooks and offers an understanding brought to us through the history written about in the Bible. Good job Wright! 

The publisher provided a free copy of this book for me in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Review: The Boy Who Changed the World

Andy Andrew’s book entitled The Boy Who Changed the World was a fun and encouraging read! This is a great, heart warming story for all ages to enjoy- especially elementary ages. I loved the illustrations- they were vibrant and beautiful. 

The Boy Who Changed the World is actually three different little boys and how they lived their childhood dreams out into adulthood. Each of the little boys needed the others to make their dream come true. I enjoyed the fictional-look to a real-life story! A great addition to an American history lesson! 

Andrew’s other popular book, The Butterfly Effect is paraphrased at the end of The Boy Who Changed the World- so for the cost of one book, you get two lessons! 

The publisher provided a free copy of this book for me in exchange for an honest review. 

Pumpkin Recipes!!!!

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 1/5 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

Combine in mixing bowl. 

4 eggs

2/3 cup apple juice

1 cup oil 

15 ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)

Add to dry ingredients. 

3 cups flour

Add to mixture and mix until smooth. Scrape sides of mixing bowl to ensure everything is mixed well. 

Spray 3 coffee cans ( or 2 loaf pans) with Bakers Joy (an oil & flour blend spray) or oil and flour your cans or pans by hand. Equally divide batter into cans or pans. Place cans on sheet pan to catch any dripping during baking. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

When removing from oven, allow to rest in cans/pans for 10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. 

Wonderfully enjoyed with cream cheese spread on top!

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Pumpkin Butter 

1 15 ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp maple syrup

Mix all ingredients into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat. Stir continuously. Butter will burn and spatter quickly (due to the sugar content) so be cautious. When butter thickens and everything is combined to a smooth texture (about 10 minutes), remove from heat and pour into heat safe jars. Refrigerate. 

(I did not have maple syrup when I made it last and found it tasted just fine...so don't head to the store just for that ingredient!)

Butter is great on everything- waffles, pancakes, toast, salty crackers, pretzels, vanilla ice cream, etc. Be prepared for amazement! 

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I am about to try making Baked Stuffed Pumpkins for dinner sometime in the next few weeks. I'll let you know how that goes!

Happy pumpkin eating!

Our Newest Journey

Here’s a few shots of our first month of homeschooling.

(Thanks LC for our sign!)

Lots of people ask why homeschool? 

The answer: So I can play with school supplies.

We start each day with a family devo time.

Then it’s calendar board time. Here we talk about the days of the week, colors, our Bible verse, weather. As much fun as I had creating this board, I still have to change/add things to it soon.

Handwriting

I started AB tracing and copying capitol A. She did great, but tired quickly. So, I backed up and worked on connecting the dots and drawing lines. Much more her speed...

EB did great with her early handwriting assignments, but also wanted to connect the dots!

We use some workbooks. However, I am not overly excited about the ones we have currently. We’ll use them while we have them, but won’t be replacing them with the same brand.

By far, my favorite resource I’m using right now is this book!

Here’s what she looks like on the inside, somewhere around Lesson 5.

Learning patterns of three consecutive items: apples, pencils, letter (A or E).

Thanks for following along with our homeschooling show & tell.

-Lindsay

PS- Just kidding about the school supplies addiction! Not really.

Book Review: One Hand, Two Hands

One Hand, Two Hands by Max Lucado is a wonderful and beautiful book. With great illustrations and catchy poetry, Lucado quickly grabs and keeps the attention of kids and adults alike. I love the message found in this book- to use your hands to help others, to love, to serve, to pray and to encourage.

This book is the perfect size and length for a bedtime story or could be used in the sunday school room, classroom, or other family times. I plan on adding this to my homeschool reading collection.

Because I have two daughters, I love the fact that the child in most of the pictures is a little girl. However, if I had boys, I wouldn’t hesitate to read it to him. Good book! Excellent gift or addition to a family collection!

The publishers provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: 100 Prayers God Loves to Hear

100 Prayers God Loves to Hear by Stephen Elkins is a great resource to have around for kids to browse through, learn scripture, and keep nearby for daily devotions and nighttime prayers. This book comes with two CD’s containing 100 songs of prayer and praise that connect with each of the 100 prayers inside the book. This is a good book for youngsters ages 2-6.

The messages in the book are presented in a clear way with great illustrations, quotes from historic people, and simple poems. Each page includes a short explanation about the topic of prayer, a short saying or poem, an example of a prayer, a cute illustration, and a prayer reminder. You are also told which song will accompany that reading.

The only downside to this book is the cd’s that come with it. I love that the book is laid out clearly enough to know which song to use for each topic of prayer, but the music is sung at such a high pitch. After playing through the cd, I turned the music off because it was a bit overstimulating and annoying. I wish the same songs were sung a bit lower in pitch and slower in speed. Learning the lyrics to the songs might be difficult for some because of these factors.

We are definitely keeping and using the book! I might even add it to our homeschool devotion curriculum! Perhaps I’ll play the cd’s when my kids are playing in another room without me!

Thomas Nelson provided the book for free as compensation for an unbiased and honest review.

Book Review: Wild At Heart by John Eldredge

John Eldredge’s book, Wild At Heart, Discovering the secret of a man’s soul is a collection of answers for the questions I’ve always had about my husband! Eldredge quickly welcomed readers from all perspectives into his heart. Wild At Heart explains why my husband yearns to be challenged with climbing huge rocks and surviving nights in the woods with nothing but the essentials in his backpack. Through his discussions about wounds, our wild creator, the battles men face, the beauty all men want to rescue, and strategies for surviving the adventure, I am more aware of how complex and important treasuring my husband’s heart is.

My favorite passage of Wild At Heart is when Eldredge exquisitely described the role of women in men’s lives. The term given to Eve was “ezer kengdo” which has been translated to “help mate”, more specifically “life saver”(p 53). From a woman’s perspective, it is so satisfying knowing that my role has been so beautifully defined to more than a helper- but to that of a lifesaver. My heart soars knowing God designed my husband to really need me- and that I need him.

Eldredge, thank you for captivating my attention in a wonderfully, unstoppable conversation about my man. My recommendation is that everyone -men and women, married and single- should read this book. The impact Wild At Heart has made in my own life is immediately tremendous. My perspective on my husband has been altered and my friends have also began reading, or re-reading, their own copies of Wild At Heart.

(Thomas Nelson Publishing provided me a complimentary copy of Wild At Heart in return for an honest review.)