Review: My First Hands-On Bible

My youngest has been wanting his own bible for a while, so I was more than happy to try the "My First Hands-On Bible." Now, keep in mind that this bible is apparently geared toward preschoolers. The original review request said ages 2-7. Since Adam is 8 years old, but a slow reader, I thought it might still be appropriate for him.

As it turns out, he loved the stories and pictures, but the hands on activities were a little too young for him. They made him feel like a baby. Still, I could see how a preschooler would absolutely love them.

When Adam and I first sat down to read this, he immediately requested that we read the story of Noah and the Ark. "It's my favorite bible story," he explained happily.

I was happy to find that I could turn to the table of contents and there it was, "Noah and the Flood" on page 26. We were able to go right to it. The story was written in the New Living Translation. I appreciated the fact that it came straight from the bible while still being in a translation Adam could understand.

At certain points in the story it would indicate that you should stop and do an activity. For the story of Noah, the activities included rubbing and clapping your hands to sound like rain, asking the child what animals were pictured on the page and what sounds they make, walking like an animal, and rocking back and forth like you were in a boat. A little too babyish for a seven or eight year-old, but perfect for preschool or kindergarten.

I really liked that the stories came with what they called "The Jesus Connection." This is a way parents can help the kids connect the story to Jesus. In the Noah story, the Jesus Connection said, "Noah saved the animals by putting them on the ark and God sent someone to save us - Jesus!" Being able to bring Jesus into the old testament is helpful for kids and adults alike, I believe.

At the end of each story, there are suggestions for other things you can do, like playing safari and looking for animals who might have been on the ark, or playing with a boat during bath time and pretending it's an ark.

Each story also includes a "Let's Talk" section,which was helpful even for older kids. In the Noah story, it indicated we should talk about something that is hard for the child to do (like building an ark while everyone made fun of him was hard for Noah to do).

I think "My First Hands-On Bible" is perfect for preschoolers and kindergartners and would make a great bible curriculum for homeschool or even a Sunday School class. Adam and I will continue to use this to read bible stories and make our "Jesus Connections."

"My First Hands-On Bible" is published by Tyndale and sells for $16.99. You can get more information here.

I am a MamaBuzz reviewer and I have been provided a complimentary copy of My First Hands-On Bible for review. I am an honest reviewer. My reviews are my own opinion and are written only by me.

Betty Crocker cookie giveaway!

My niece makes Betty Crocker Molasses Cookies while my Catahoula Leopard dog observes.

I love fall. It's my favorite season. I love fall food. Pumpkin pies, turkey, stuffing, pecan pies, cranberry sauce.... all those things that we only eat at one time of year. This year, I got to try a new "fall" dessert. Molasses cookies!

Betty Crocker and My Blog Spark sent me a package with Betty Crocker's new Molasses Cookie mix, a cookie sheet, an apron, and a cookie mixing spoon. I have been very busy with work, homeschooling, and trying to remodel the trailer, so my niece was sweet to make them for me.

I really didn't know if I would like molasses cookies or not but I have to say, these were delicious! They were soft, had a good texture, and tasted like a spice cookie. In fact, they tasted homemade. I felt that these were really good cookies to have come from a quick mix.

Betty Crocker is also offering my readers two great opportunities! You can download your own coupon for .75 cents off the mix to use by clicking here.

And you can enter to win the prize pack pictured above - the very same one I received. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. That's it! I'm all about simplicity!

The winner will be chosen at by random number generator on Sunday, October 30. Good luck!

Field trip to historic Camden

Five dollars for a wooden sword from the gift shop and the kid thinks he can hold his brother at sword-point....

A couple of weeks ago my friend Nancy and I took our children to the historic town of Camden, S.C. for a homeschool field trip. Camden was the site of Cornwallis' British compound during the Revolutionary War.

Adam observes some Revolutionary War items on display.

After some excavation was done by archeologists, the town did a good job of restoring and reproducing the site.

Revenge... Justin locks his little brother up.

An old wagon.

An actual canoe used during the war.

Nancy and her boys, my 19-year-old niece, my little Adam, and myself all had a great time and learned a lot. Only 16-year-old Justin was bored to death and didn't enjoy the trip. Teenagers....

Book review: Wonderland Creek

Wonderland Creek Bethany House (October 1, 2011) by Lynn Austin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

It was during the long Canadian winters at home with her children that Lynn made progress on her dream to write, carving out a few hours of writing time each day while her children napped. Lynn credits her early experience of learning to write amid the chaos of family life for her ability to be a productive writer while making sure her family remains her top priority.

Extended family is also very important to Austin, and it was a lively discussion between Lynn, her mother, grandmother (age 98), and daughter concerning the change in women's roles through the generations that sparked the inspiration for her novel Eve's Daughters.

Along with reading, two of Lynn's lifelong passions are history and archaeology. While researching her Biblical fiction series, Chronicles of the Kings, these two interests led her to pursue graduate studies in Biblical Backgrounds and Archaeology through Southwestern Theological Seminary. She and her son traveled to Israel during the summer of 1989 to take part in an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Timnah. This experience contributed to the inspiration for her novel Wings of Refuge.

Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Five of her historical novels have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. And two of her inspirational fiction books were chosen by Library Journal for their top picks in 2003, and 2005. One of Lynn's novels has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a world of fiction instead of the real world. Then to top it off, Alice loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression.

Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library in the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Dropped off by her relatives, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal.

But the librarian turns out to be far different than she anticipated--not to mention the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes to deliver the much-desired books. While Alice is trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and myster--and especially romance--are far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Wonderland Creek, go HERE.

MY REVIEW:  I really sympathized with the heroine of "Wonderland Creek." Well, at least in a couple of ways. Alice always has her nose stuck in a book, as have I for most of my life. And Alice moves to a small town that doesn't have the "luxuries" that she always thought of as necessities, as I have recently. Although her attitude toward the country people irritated me at first, I realized that I sometimes have that same attitude. But just like Alice, I have become more and more used to the country, and can even say I love it! As for the book itself (no more talking about me, lol), it got off to a slow start but picked up and kept my attention until the end. Recommended!

Book review: Love on the Line

Love on the Line Bethany House (October 1, 2011) by Deeanne Gist


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel, and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm--all from the comforts of home.

Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities.

After a few short months of running her publishing company, Gist quickly discovered being a "corporate executive" was not where her gifts and talents lie. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.

Eight months later, she sold A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers. Since that debut, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, three RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.

Her latest releases, Beguiled, Maid To Match, and Love on the Line are now available.

Gist lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-eight years and their border collie. They have four grown children. Click here to find out the most up-to-the-minute news about Dee.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Rural switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man's world ... which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.

Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears though. He's a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do. But when his stakeout puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Love on the Line, go HERE.



MY REVIEW:  I never miss a Deeanne Gist book, and "Love on the Line" is one of the reasons why. It has that excitement and adventure that I love, while still keeping it's great Christian values. The heroine was ahead of her time as an advocate for animal rights. And though she wasn't a feminist, she also wasn't afraid to live on her own until the right man came along - no matter how long that took. "Love on the Line" is a must-read!

A goat of the canine variety

Justin gives Snowball his evening bottle.

My "adoptive" parents in our new little country town have more than 20 goats, but this little guy was left motherless when his mother passed away. They took to feeding him by hand. "Snowball," as he is called, is turning into a lively little guy. But because he has been hand-fed since he was born, he was always allowed to run around the patio and yard instead of being in the goat pen. This means he spends his time with the dogs, begging at the door and running and playing with the canine species. And I do believe he thinks he is a dog.

But if you think little boys love playing with dogs, you should see them playing with goats that think they're dogs!

A sword, a shield, and a... dragon?

Snowball watches while Adam pretends to drive the golf cart.

"Stay where you are or I'll run you through, you dastardly dragon!"

Book review: House of Secrets

House of Secrets Bethany House (October 1, 2011) by Tracie Peterson


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.

She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.


In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.


She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.


Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.


Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max. She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

When her father orchestrates a surprise trip to the summer house of her childhood, Bailee Cooper is unprepared for what follows. What is intended to be a happy reunion for Bailee and her sisters, Geena and Piper, quickly becomes shrouded by memories from the past.


Together again, the three sisters sift through their recollections of fifteen years ago...of an ill mother, and of their father making a desperate choice. They vowed, as children, to be silent--but one sister believes the truth must now be revealed. Yet can they trust their memories?


Mark Delahunt arrives in the wake of this emotional turmoil. Determined to win Bailee's affection, Mark becomes the strong fortress for her in this time of confusion, and what was once a tentative promise begins to take root and grow. Caught between the past and an uncertain future, can Bailee let God guide her to heal the past and ultimately to embrace love?


If you would like to read the first chapter of House of Secrets, go HERE.

Book review: The Mercy

The Mercy Bethany House (September 6, 2011) by Beverly Lewis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Beverly's first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author's maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly's work to be "a primer on Lancaster County folklore" and offers "an insider's view of Amish life."


Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Beverly's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."


A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Rose Kauffman pines for prodigal Nick Franco, the Bishop's foster son who left the Amish under a cloud of suspicion after his foster brother's death. His rebellion led to the "silencing" of their beloved Bishop. But is Nick really the rebel he appears to be? Rose's lingering feelings for her wayward friend refuse to fade, but she is frustrated that Nick won't return and make things right with the People. Nick avowed his love for Rose--but will he ever be willing to sacrifice modern life for her?


Meanwhile, Rose's older sister, Hen, is living in her parents' Dawdi Haus. Her estranged "English" husband, injured and helpless after a car accident, has reluctantly come to live with her and their young daughter during his recovery. Can their marriage recover, as well? Is there any possible middle ground between a woman reclaiming her old-fashioned Amish lifestyle and thoroughly modern man?


If you would like to read the first chapter of The Mercy, go HERE.


Watch the book trailer: