The River

 The River  by Michael Neale is a book about the life of a boy,named Gabriel, who saw his father drown. This is his story about overcoming obstacles and dealing with his father's death. The story talks a lot about the different people who help him through life overcoming his fear of water. 

 To tell you the truth I was not very impressed by this book. It was hard for me to get into. Then it felt like I had to push myself to finish the book. I felt like it skipped around a lot. So it was hard to keep everything straight.  

 

 

 I was not paid to read this book. 

Convicted

Sunday night at our church, our pastor showed a video clip about the suffering of North Korean Christians. There are 100 million Christians in prison camps in North Korea. It is the place for the worst persecutions right now. Christians are steam rolled, shot, starved, beaten and their children are ripped out of their arms all for claiming the name of Jesus. It convicted my heart so much. Here in America I am able to say that I am a Christian. Yet a lot of times I am to much of a coward. We as Americans are to spoiled and complacent . We do not know what suffering is. I want to stand up for Christ like the North Korean Christians. Very soon in America we will not have these freedoms anymore. Communism is slowly taking over America. We are apathetic in letting it happen. Our children are being indoctrinated every day. They will not even know what has happened if we continue not telling them the truth about Jesus Christ and making them stand up for what is right.We want to sit in our pews listening to   feally a good messages. Now is the time to stand up for what is right. If you want to see what America is going to be like. You need to go see the movie 2016. That is only four years from now.

The Choice

I just finished a good book by Robert Whitlow. The book is called The Choice. The Choice is a book based on what is morally right and wrong. It is also standing up for what is right no matter if it costs you everything.

   The Choice is set over a 30 year period. Sandy was a teenager who didn't mean to become pregnant. When Sandy's boyfriend decides he does not want anything more to do with her or the baby. Sandy needs to decide what to do about the pregnancy. Ultimately Sandy's parents decide to send her to Aunt's house. Sandy's aunt opens her home to Sandy. She makes sure Sandy is well informed about what is happening to her body and the baby.

   Thirty years later Sandy is now a school teacher. She has never been married but cares for her students a lot. When a Mexican girl named Maria comes and confides in Sandy that she is pregnant from a rape, Sandy must decide whether she will stand up for what is right and ultimately lose her job. Sandy is faced with a lot of choices. Only God will be able to help her and Maria.

   This was an excellent book. I could hardly put it down. It kept my interest the whole time. It was well written from beginning to end. I will definitely read another book by this author. I was not paid to review this book by either the author or the publisher.

Something New for Me

I did something new for me this weekend. I went on my first ladies retreat. I got to see Beth Moore live. It was wonderful. It was nice rooming with a good friend and meeting new friends. The only bad thing about the whole thing was I was disappointed in the hotel we stayed at. Our first room smelled so bad. I almost threw up. My friend could not stop sneezing. You had to pay for any food that you wanted. A cup of fruit was 5.50. I was just shocked. They did not even have an ice bucket. We did get a really nice room in the end. I had a really good time. I hope to do this again.

A New Idea for Posts

I have not written on my blog in such a long time. Part of the reason is because writing does not come naturally for me. So I had a new idea. I thought I would post at least twice a week. How I have fixed Maggie's hair. I am told all the time how cute her hair is. I will post some pictures and then tell where you can find the instructions if you want to do your own daughter's hair. Here is the pictures from her hair today. It is called a "Four Square Braid". You can find this on a website called "The Story of a Princess and her Hair."

One on my Best Gift

I received one of the best gifts today. I got a baby bird. He or She is 5 weeks old. I have always wanted to hand feed a baby bird. Now I am able too. This baby is so sweet. I just want to keep holding it. I need to come up with a name for it. I will not know till it is a year old whether it is a boy or girl. I will post pictures later.

A Great Book That Spoke To My Heart

I just finished reading a fantastic book. It is called Wait No More. It is the adoption journey that the Rosati family has taken. John and Kelly Rosati were married and then tried for years to have children. When the Rosati family was stationed in Hawaii they were introduced to the foster system. Kelly Rosati tells in striking detail about all the ups and downs of being foster and then adoptive parents. I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to read somebody who is willing to be so open about the hardships of fostering and adopting children. I have always thought the Lord has wanted David and I to adopt or foster children . But there is always the doubts about how can I be a good parent to other children. But I think if God is calling our family to this. Then He will give me the strength to do this. I would love to have every Christian family would read this book and then consider adopting. We would not have so many unloved and unwanted children in this world. I would recommend this book to everyone. It is so good. It is a very easy read. Also this family is an inspiration to everyone. I was not paid by the authors or the publisher to read this book.

A Book I Did Not Enjoy

Lead for God's Sake is a book about a basketball coach named Steve Rocker who is used to winning. Now his team is not doing so hot. Steve does not understand what is going on. God brings a special person along who helps Steve see what has happened in his life.

This book was pretty good. I must say that I had a rough time getting into this book. It took me a while to finish the book. I do not know if I couldn't relate because I am not a sports fan or if it is told from a male point of view. I am sure there is a lot of people who would enjoy this book.

I was not paid by the publisher or author to review this book.

Another Book

The Sacred Path of Tears by M.B. Tosi is a story of a girl caught between two worlds. Mokee is a Cheyenne girl. Mokee thinks that she and her friend Tovee will always be together. But that was before the wars between the Indians and the white men. One day Mokee and Tovee are out hunting when they see a horrific sight. This event will cause one of them to turn to violence. The other will turn to God through the kindness of strangers.

I found this book to be a good mixture of real historical facts and historical fiction. I really enjoyed the story. It had action, and romance. The one thing I was not happy with was the cursing in the book. I could not understand why a Christian book would have cursing in it. It didn't even relate at all to the story. All in all it was a very good book.

I was not paid by the publisher or the author to review this book.

Sewing

I have been sewing like crazy today. I am making Easter baskets and purses for Maggie's American Girl Dolls. It is amazing what you can find on the internet. There is all kinds of free patterns and tutorials. I have to bring my serger back up to Nashville. This will be the fourth trip in a month. I am hoping that it will be fixed for good. I have become so spoiled with my serger. Everything looks so much nicer with a serger.

Science Fiction or Mystery

Behemoth by Jonathan C. Leicht is a great book. I don't know whether to classify it as sci-fi or a mystery. Behemoth is about two teams of scientist who have each found evidence of dinosaurs. Jim Thompson has found dino tracks in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Something is killing bull elephants, bull cape buffalo, and bull rhino. Whatever it is must be awfully strong to take down these guys. Dr. Stephen Gregory, a creationist, has been offered a chance to find another dinosaur called Mokele-Mbembe by the natives. Does it really exist? Dr. Stephen Gregory is certainly going to find out. With this discovery Creationism would finally be proven.

This was a wonderful book. It combined fact with fiction. I did not want to put this book down for a minute. I thought that it showed a great stand for Creation. I also liked how the author showed the two different sides of Creation and Evolution. It was full of action and suspense. I sometimes found it a little hard to keep the different scientist apart. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this book. I think this book would be great for mystery and science fiction people a like.

I was not paid by the publisher to review this book.

Kindle

I am still here. I just have been enjoying my new gadget. I finally broke down and bought a Kindle. I am having so much fun with it. I have been playing all kinds of games. I am also reading different books. I have been getting all kinds of free books from a website called Inspired Reads. They have all kinds of different genres of books. I have been especially enjoying books for my daily Bible reading. Right now I am studying the book of Ruth. I am also reading a book called Daily Reading for Difficult Days. I have been having some difficult days right now. I might right more about that later. Well that is going on right now.

A Great Mystery

I just finished a good book by Lisa Wiehl. It is called Eyes of Justice. This is the fourth book in the Triple Threat Series. This book is about how people handle losing others in their lives and difficult situations.

The Triple Threat is under attack by someone wanting all three friends dead. The book starts out with one of the friends dying. Now the other two have had attempts on their lives too. Will they make it through or will all three die at the hands of a mad man?

To be honest there was several times I was tempted to give up reading this book. It was very hard to get into. This might have been in part because I had not read the previous three books. I decided to stick with it. I was so glad I did. The book kept you guessing all the way through. I thought it ended very well.

The only issue I had with the book was that it was supposed to be Christian Fiction. I felt that the references to drinking, strip joints, and inappropriate clothing was not appropriate for a christian book. I understand why the author included these. But I thought she went a little too far.

All in all this was an excellent read and a great mystery. I was not paid by the author or publishing company to read this book.

A Day in My Life

I am still doing pretty good here. I am still trying to lose weight. It is a long hard struggle. I also have been hurting a lot lately. Sometimes I get tired of hurting. School is still going good. Brendan is starting to get into the harder math. So I have to sit for a while and explain things to him. I let my anger come out on him sometimes. Has anyone seen that commercial about the boy asking his mother for help with his math homework? I am that mother. She runs off screaming and hiding. I feel like finding a hole to hide myself. I have never been good at math. I should have spent the extra money for another math program. Then there is Maggie. She is doing much better with her math. But now she is learning about time. That is still not going well. All in all though she is doing much better. Jacob started working. So I do miss his help a lot. We have also started a coop. I didn't realize how much I was missing talking to other mothers. The kids are so excited to go every Tuesday. Brendan is doing so well in his public speaking class. I am so excited for him.

A Heart of Gold

A Heart of Gold is a new book by Robin Lee Hatcher. This book is set during the Civil War. A pastor and his daughter are called out west to a mining town. Shannon Adair is not happy this new place. Shannon is used to being spoiled and pampered. Shannon finally finds a purpose in her life. When she is hired to take care of terminally ill lady and her son. Through all the trials in her life Shannon learns to trust in God's plan for her life.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I had a hard time putting it down. I guess it is what you would call a "Page Turner". I look forward to reading more in this Women of Faith series.

I was given this book free of charge from the publisher to review.

Book Review

I just read a very good book by Lauraine Snelling. It is called Valley of Dreams-Wild West Wind Series. The book was exciting and full of mystery. Let me give a little background first. Cassie Lockwood is in a Wild West show. That her father started before he died. All along Cassie has been pampered by everyone in the show. Because she is one of the star attractions. When the show comes to a sudden end Cassie is left with some possessions and two friends. Cassie must now rely on her relationship with God and the help of her friends to find a South Dakota valley that her father left to her. There is a lot of adventures along the way before Cassie finds this mysterious valley. I really liked this book a lot. But I have one complaint. I hate to be left hanging at the end of a book. Until the author comes out with the next book in the series. I am sure this is going to be an awesome series when all the books have been written. I was not paid to review this book.

New Stage of Life

Well I am down to homeschooling two children. This is a new stage for me. I haven't home schooled two for about 9 years. I have had some people ask if I am finding it easier. I have to say no for two reasons. The first is that both of the younger two have learning disabilities. So I spend more time going over things. Secondly the youngest is still in elementary. Which is when a lot of learning takes place. I find it a lot easier to home school high school. The kids are mainly independent learners when they reach high school. Another new stage in my life is we have finally joined a Co-Op. So far we are enjoying it. It gives us a break from the house. Plus it helps for the kids to play with others and for me to interact with mothers who are in the same boat I am in. Now I have to come up with what I want to do next year.

Heaven is for Real

I read a book called Heaven is for Real. This book was written by Todd Burpo. It is a book of a four year old little boy's experience with life after death. This book, for me, was hard to get into. I have read several books about life after death. As a Christian I know there is life after death. But I have a hard time reading about someone else's experience. This was a fast pace book. That kept my attention. So in that respect it was a good book. I would recommend this book to someone who is struggling with the issue of what happens when a person dies. I was not paid to read this book.