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By bethany (dreadlock girl), February 18, 2010 22:26

Closer: Devotions to Draw Couples Together

Devotions need to be a priority, weekly, daily- that is up to you, but there needs to be time set aside to nurture and grow that relationship which is of utmost importance- the one between a couple and towards God. So often when you don’t it is easy to nag each other, pick fights or feel like your marriage is a working relationship, or maybe a black hole depending on how dramatic you are. Over the years love hits the backseat and romance has departed for good after  you spend a good amount of time pushing your spouse away. I suggest devotions together, they bless us every time we do it, and we see the rewards big time. It doesn’t have to be this book, it could be one that speaks to you, or reading the Bible together- but don’t put it off.

Brad and I have made our way peeking into several different devotion books over the 8 years of our marriage. I thought this one would be the same, but this time this book hit the mark. The initial devotions seem a little to simple and straightforward (just blah) so we almost tossed the book into the pile of devotional books that haven’t quite cut it.However, Closer gets better and better (or was it my attitude that improved?) I recommend sticking with it through at least the first 5 devotional sessions and you will find yourself and your spouse in a deeper place with God and a closer place as a married couple.

Jim and Cathy Burns co authored this book, I have been blessed by them in the past as Jim Burns wrote several amazing books for age appropriate sex education which I love, LOVE. This devotional book is good, and I recommend it. Our typical devotions set begins with some worship, then we read and answer the questions from on chapter of Closer: Devotions to Draw Couples Together, then read a chapter of the Bible, and close it off with prayer for each other. We have grown, and God has grown in us through this time. There is nothing more we could ask!

Do you have a favourite couples devotional book that you could recommend to me?? We’re going to be done with this one and I would love some suggestions on ones that aren’t cheesy and that really dive deep. Ideas anyone??

ISBN:9780764207037
Subtitle:Devotions to Draw Couples Together
Author: Burns, Jim And Cathy
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Subject: Christian Life – Devotional
Christian Life – Love & Marriage
Publication Date: October 2009
Pages: 222

I am an affiliate of  TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!

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By bethany (dreadlock girl), February 14, 2010 23:08

My Life in France

We all have our obsessions in life, right now mine is running but sometimes it is cooking, or candy or chicken farming. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have an obsession, or I guess a passion which lasted for over 20 years- or after reading My Life in France I guess I can. This book part autobiography, part biography by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme is a story of love at first sight, and the choice to keep on loving no matter what adversity that love would bring. Julia fell in love with France, and food and with her sweetheart, Paul Child. Not only did she love food, she loved other people to love it too and so she wrote a number of cookbooks targeted at the American cook on her favourite subject-French cuisine. These books filled her life, consumed her thoughts, took her time more than many of us would have given for a dream. But after reading this book and getting to know Julia the way I do now, I don’t know what would have been able to anchor her energy if she hadn’t had it focused on these cookbook projects and then later on, the TV shows. Her determination is nothing but astonishing.

Julia Child’s over-the-top expressions and larger-than-possible gestures bloom through the pages of this book and made me laugh over and over and over. I have seen her cooking show, and I watched Meryl Streep’s impersonation of this eccentric gentle giant,none of which  have left me doubtful of Child’s well deserved claim to fame, however My Life in France is what made me fall completely in love with her. I love her clown-like and completely lovable qualities. I am not obsessed, as I would consider one certain Julie Powell type level of obsession-still I am in awe and admiration of Julia Child (and Paul for that matter) for so many reasons beyond entertainment’s sake. Mostly that they just didn’t quit, they loved, loved strong, loved fast and hard and when adversity struck they loved harder and held each other tighter. My life in France is not just the story of Julia Child, as Julia would only be half of what she was without Paul Child.

My Life in France is an extremely gallant  attempt to narrate and contain the larger than life story of Julia Child. I do believe as much as that woman can be contained, and although I caught her stretching off the pages towards me, this book does the job spectacularly. If you enjoyed the film Julie & Julia, or if you like cooking or would like to be inspired to reach a goal and conquer a dream- snap this read up!!! I wholeheartedly recommend this book!! (It earns my top of the top award of Stellar Five Chicken Book)

Paul and Julia were keen on sending out lovely valentines like this every year. Too cute!

Bon appétit!

ISBN:9780307277695

Author: Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme

Publisher: Anchor Books

Author: Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

Author: Child, Julia

Author:Prud’homme, Alex

Subject: History, Cooking, Personal Memoirs

Cookery, french

Copyright: 2007

Publication Date: October 2007

Pages:352Did you read this?? What did you think? Would you consider yourself a cooking fanatic?

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By bethany (dreadlock girl), February 8, 2010 13:25

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America

A middle aged journalist, Barbara Ehrenreich notes the obvious gap in coverage on a whole segment of society, the poverty level wadge earners (or the working poor). She chooses to go undercover (a la old school) and see if without her degrees (and a Phd.) and without her ‘luck’ and experience in past jobs- with that off the record, where would she be? Would it even be possible for her to survive financially? She does nothing but strip herself from her entitled position as a middle class citizen and education just to see if she can survive on what millions of Americans aim to survive on. These citizens who give their sweat and tears to work full-time, seven days a week, for the whole year earning a poverty-level wadge in aim to survive.  Barbara Ehrenreich decides that now is the time to find out so she strips herself of all her advantages and God knows what will happen.

Accepting jobs from working at Walmart, to housecleaning, and witnessing she is shocked to find that each of these jobs require her to put herself fully into it in order to keep up with the flow, and keep her job. The jobs all have things in common, they are high intensity, high stress, and demanding and yet they are minimum wadge or barely over that.  She chooses 3 different cites where she is going to try and make it work- and she soon finds out that just one job is not enough, if she wants a roof above her head she’ll have to be working at least two demanding jobs at a time. She soon realises that she has discarded, along with her privilege so much of where her securities were resting. No longer covered for medical expenses, dental mishaps or even just knowing that she could fall back on her education or rely on wealthy family members for a difficult season- the stress of just getting by is so much more than numbers, it is the heavy weight that one can only understand if one has been in that spot.

I strongly believe that every single person should read Nickel and Dimed, especially the overly wealthy (or those who have that type of attitude) and the working poor, every middle class white, every underpaid minority- this book crosses all the barriers and brings up issues that through knowledge we could change. The working poor is responsible for so much of the upper and middle class’ benefits, but generally they aren’t seen for the work they do, but just as a job, a label- as if that where their dream in life when they were 4.  Barbara puts a face on the working poor, a face that you won’t be able to forget even if you aim to. I highly recommend this Nickel and Dimed for perspective, awareness and so much more!

Nickel and Dimed is A New York Times bestseller, and Notable Book of the year but besides all those awards it is really- a must read.

Have you read this?? What are your thoughts? Is there another book, like this one, that has challenged your view on our societies set-up? Please share!

ISBN:9780805088380

Author: Barbara Ehrenreich

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Subject: Poverty, Economic Conditions, Labor & Industrial Relations – General

Working poor – United States

Poverty – United States

Copyright: 2008

Publication Date: June 2008

I am an affiliate of  TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!

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By bethany (dreadlock girl), January 25, 2010 22:27

Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life

This is a type of info/memoir by and about Jenna Woginrich. Made from Scratch covers beekeeping, chicken raising, antique hunting, bread making and many other rituals of the not-so-urban dwellers. Her book is set up well and there are sections of it that are extremely helpful and smart.

Many times however, I was turned off by the attempt to cover up poor writing by and addition of overly flowered and emotional prose. It was just way too loaded for me. She got emotional and excited because some friends from college were to join her at her house and so she went out of her way to make it a complete hassle-free weekend for them. She goes on to speak of how blessed she is that as she sees her friend falling asleep on the couch she knows that the food that is going through his body is from her very own farm. Cheesy! I have chickens in my backyard and I have never sat and thought that, yes I am delighted the boys get fresh eggs, and delighted that we aren’t paying into the insanely hideous picture of all those caged birds laying eggs onto a conveyor belt  for their whole lives while never to set foot on grass. Yes I am! But it seems to me Jenna goes a little overboard with her pleasure of the food that is in her friends digestive system. It isn’t just that passage either- there are more.

Besides the emotional aspect of this book (which seems to be written by someone either PMSing or enduring Menopause) I did enjoy the farming insight and tips. Although I am not quite ready to dive into bee-keeping (the neighbors probably wouldn’t like it either) I liked reading what she learned from both her mistakes and successes. I learn from other people’s mistakes when it comes to farming, gardening and such- it is way to expensive not to! Overall this was an average short and light read. It could have been so much better without the melodrama, but there were enough tidbits in it to keep me somewhat content.

If you could own one kind of farm animal (without  worrying about land space, or your neighbors) what would it be? The latest one that I want…Angora rabbits! I really want me a pair.

ISBN: 9781603420860

Subtitle: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life

Author: Woginrich, Jenna

Publisher: Storey Publishing

Subject: Do-It-Yourself – General

Personal Memoirs

Country life

Urban homesteading.

Farmers & Ranchers

Self-reliant living

Publication Date: December 2008

Pages: 184

I am an affiliate of  TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!

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By bethany (dreadlock girl), January 4, 2010 23:05

How to Raise a Modern-Day Joseph: A Practical Guide for Growing Great Kids

If you are a parent, you know that a parent does what a parents gotta do-that is just the way it is. We drive the kids around, we make sure they brush their teeth, we take them to school (or even Homeschool them) we aim to do everything short of coddling them in order to have them turn out into able bodied adults and well rounded individuals. However from so much scheduling and activity the most important aspect of a whole person, which is the spirit and soul is many times neglected, or passed off as “the Sunday school teacher’s job”. We aren’t doing our job as parents who love Jesus if we aren’t intentional in instilling faith into our children.

How to Raise a Modern-Day Joseph is a book, or even more a type of help manual which goes through each age and stage of the child from preschool through high school and equips parents with the tools necessary to pour a passion for what is right into their children. It is called How to Raise a Modern-Day Joseph because no matter what the situation, Joseph (yes as in the Joseph with the coat of many colours) was able to make the right decision even when life really was not seeming to move in his favor. God gave him a dream as a boy and he must have thought many times that it was just a hoax and that God was no where close- however the faith that he kept when it came time to make the right choices is to be admired. He was surrounded by a people who didn’t know God, who worshiped all different sorts of gods and he didn’t even have a local home Bible study to go to, or a youth group and still he stood strong.

That is what every christian parent should aim to nurture in their child, not that everything is up to the parent, but it is nice to know when your kids grow up that you did what you could with the gift that God blessed you with. It isn’t up to a youth leader to train your children spiritually, just as much as it isn’t up to the pastor make you grow. The biggest problem with kids and adults alike is that they think they go to church to be challenged and to grow- and the result is that church has never been so full of saggy and faithless Sunday-only Christians. It is up to the individual to trust God, to place their feet on steadfast ground, no program for adults or kids will ever fashion that on its own. With or without programs and church events, we as parents are called to guide our children into a real relationship with Christ.

How to Raise a Modern-Day Joseph is not a step by step guide on how to raise all children, it is a guide for creating a personalized and practical plan to best help your children bloom into teenagers who know, love and serve their Lord. I will use this book with my kids. We have started working with it and I love the scripture verses that it has for each different age group. Modern-Day Joseph is an excellent book for parents to keep on hand.

Title: How to Raise a Modern-Day Joseph
ISBN: 9781434765314
Subtitle: A Practical Guide for Growing Great Kids (An Awana Resource)
Author: Linda Weddle
Publisher: David C. Cook
Subject: Christian Life – Family
Publication Date: June 2009
Pages: 220

I am an affiliate of  TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!

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By bethany (dreadlock girl), December 30, 2009 21:26

Kids in the Holiday Kitchen: Making, Baking, Giving

The holidays are a time when everyone just wants to create. Weather it be crafts, gifts or yummy treats to eat- the time that we get to spend together is so much better spent when we get our hands sticky, right!? Kids (and even adults) of all ages will find some eye-catching pictures in Kids in the Holiday Kitchen, pictures  that will reel them right in to want to make the recipes/crafts. From the Stuffed French Toast (on page 14), the Sugarplum Lollies (p. 36) to the crafts of Stellar (felted) Stockings (p. 81) and the Let There Be Light (colourful beeswax candle) (p. 88) there is more than enough so that everyone  in the family will find a “must make”.

These projects are made to be kid friendly and most kids preschool age and older could do a portion of the work with a parent helper. Older kids could do them completely by themselves.  It is a way that children can take ownership of making their gifts for their teachers, aunts or that special friend that needs a little encouragement. It is never to early to encourage giving and Kids in the Holiday Kitchen encourages a season of giving all year round, even from the littlest hands. This books gets two thumbs way up from me. I am leaving you with a recipe from the book that would be perfect for your New Year’s celebrations!! Yum.

New Year’s Nuggets

Chocolate-Caramel Popcorn, from Kids in the Holiday Kitchen (p. 45)

You’ll Need:

1/2 Cup Dried Yellow Popcorn
Scant 1/4 Cup Water
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil (optional)
1/4 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
1 Cup Sugar
8 Ounces Milk Chocolate
1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup

What to do:

1. Pop the popcorn.

2.  Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3.  In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat over medium-high heat until golden brown, and 5 minutes. Stir gently, add the orange extract, if using, stir again. Add some of the popcorn and coat it with the caramel. use a wooden utensil to help coat the corn. Place the coated kernels on the parchment paper to cool. Repeat.

4.  When cool, break up the clumps of caramel corn, keeping the corn clumps on  the parchment.

5.  Heat the chocolate over low heat in the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of hot water (creating your own double boiler). Heat the chocolate until it’s smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.

6.  Fill a ladle with the melted chocolate and lightly drizzle over the caramel corn. Let the chocolate caramel corn cool for 30 to 45 minutes. To make gifts, put small batches in cellophane bags; otherwise, wrap in parchment paper and keep in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Makes 4 Cups

Watch Chronicle Book’s Kids in the Holiday Kitchen book trailer:

Title: Kids in the Holiday Kitchen
ISBN: 9780811861397
Subtitle: Making, Baking, Giving
Author: Jessica Strand & Tammy Massman-Johnson
Photographer: James Baigrie
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Subject:Holiday – Christmas, Crafts for Children, Handicraft, Recipes
Publication Date: November 2008
Pages: 95

I am an affiliate of  TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!

Comments (7)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), December 24, 2009 14:10

There are so many things about Christmas that are fabulous, with spending time with the family, and eating good food at the top. However Christmas can be a very wasteful holiday- if we aren’t keeping an eye out that is. What to do about that? I’ve got a book for you! I’m Dreaming of A Green Christmas has some very practical solutions to go and green up your Christmas. I’m Dreaming of A Green Christmas includes solutions for green holiday home decor, how to save energy, delightful new recipes, homemade craft ideas (to keep or to gift), pretty green wrapping options, and all the info you need to enable your own family to celebrate  a green Christmas in style not giving up any of the glam (unless you really do still like tinsel).

Green looks better, local/organic tastes better so it is all around the best choice. If you are a green fanatic already, or just need the ideas and tips to get you there,  I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas is your book! There are so many ideas  that would work perfect year-round as well.

I love the VS. sections in this book, one of them being The Party Line On Cloth vs. Paper Napkins, you shouldn’t have to think to hard to know that it would be greener to launder your napkins rather than throw them away. I really don’t like cloth napkins, or I haven’t in the past. I just didn’t feel like they got my hands really wiped off at all. However it was because the napkin fabric used was more for decoration rather than to clean your hands. A stout cotton fabric would do the trick for sure. I am on a mission now to make myself some good napkins that we could use, maybe even with personalised embroidery for each family member (Lets see how ambitious I am feeling when I actually get to making them though!). I’ll get back to you on that.

There is a recipe in I’m Dreaming of A Green Christmas that I just HAVE to share. I’ll leave you with it:

Chai Hot Cocoa With Whipped Cream

For the Chai Hot Cocoa:
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup water
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar (optional, sugar to taste)
2 Cinnamon Sticks
5 Cardamom Pods
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Pinch Ground Cloves
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
4 Ounces of Bittersweet Chocolate

For The Whipped Cream:
2 Cups Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1+1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

To Make The Chai Hot Cocoa:
1. Combine the milk, water, cocoa powder, sugar (if using), cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, ginger, cayenne, cloves, and vanilla in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat until scalding. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes, then strain into a bowl or pitcher.

2. Transfer the milk back to the sauce-pan and heat over medium-high heat to scalding. Add the chocolate and stir for 5 minutes, just until chocolate is melted.

3. Strain again and pour into 4 mugs. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.

To Make the Whipped Cream:
1. Place a mixing bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 15 minutes.

2. Pour the cream, sugar, vanilla and salt into the chilled bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas Book Deets:
Title: I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
ISBN:9780811867672
Subtitle:Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes That Use Less and Mean More
Author: Anna Getty
Photographer: Ron Hamad
Publisher:Chronicle Books
Subjects: Seasonal
Entertaining – General
Holiday – Christmas/Hanukkah
Handicraft
Pages: 180
Publication Date: September 2009

I am an affiliate of  TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!