Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Happy 25th Birthday Beginner Bible and a Giveaway!

This marks the 25th anniversary of the Beginner Bible and in conjunction with ZonderKidz, I am able to have a giveaway for a set of amazing products (watch for the reviews in the next week). The kids had a birthday party for the Beginner Bible and colored pictures from the Beginner Bible. They had a lot of fun.

Our cupcakes and the "Birthday Product"!

 (I moved the cupcakes to a carrier to make it easier to color later)






Here is what you can win!


TO BE ENTERED TO WIN: 
1: Comment 
2: Become a follower of this blog (on the left sidebar)
3: Become a follower of my blog on Facebook (and comment here the name that you used)
4. Follow me on Twitter (and comment here on the blog the name that you used)
5. Share about the giveaway (and give a link of your share...1 entry for each share)

I will use a random generator to find the winner. Contest ends July 7th at midnight EST (make sure I have a way to contact you if you won!)

Book Review: "An Amish Cradle" by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, and Vannetta Chapman



"An Amish Cradle" is a collection of four novellas. They each deal with an Amish couple and their struggles they face when their baby is born. They are not connected to each other in any other way.

This is what the "back" of the book says:

In His Father’s Arms by Beth Wiseman
Ruth Anne has been dreaming about motherhood her entire life. Now she is doubly excited that she and her best friend are due with their children the same week. But when Ruth Anne’s baby is born with Down’s syndrome, she and her husband struggle to understand God’s plan.
A Son for Always by Amy Clipston
Carolyn and Joshua are thrilled to be pregnant with their first child together. Carolyn was just a teenager when she had her son, Benjamin, and she still feels solely responsible to secure his future. As Joshua watches Carolyn struggle to accept his support, he knows he has to find some way to convince her that she—and Ben—will always be taken care of.
A Heart Full of Love by Kathleen Fuller
Ellie’s mother hasn’t stopped meddling in her personal life since Ellie lost her sight—and she’s taken it up a notch now that Ellie’s pregnant. When Ellie gives birth to twins, her mother insists on moving in to care for them. But when her mother’s behavior becomes unbearable, Ellie is forced to take a stand . . . and finally find out why Mamm can’t let go.
An Unexpected Blessing by Vannetta Chapman
At 42, Etta thought she was finished having children, but she’s pregnant again. After a frightening labor, Etta finally gives birth, but her constant worry over her estranged grown son, David, haunts her still. As a new mother again, Etta must hold tightly to the promise that God will watch over her children—and that one day David will return.

Normally, I really like novellas as they are short and quick to read. So, I like Amish stories, so I figured I'd like this book. It wasn't that I hated the book, I just had a hard time reading it. It didn't engage me the way that other books do. I think a lot of that is due to the subject/theme. I didn't relate to the women in their struggles with Down's Syndrome, or having a child before being married, or  being blind. My favorite story was "An Unexpected Blessing" and I could relate to that story the most since she is the same age as me and I've worried about financial issues before.  I found the stories to be well written and good. 

"An Amish Cradle" is available for Kindle:
  • File Size: 1690 KB
  • Print Length: 383 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 10, 2015)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00KQ2G20Y

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 17, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 052911867X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0529118677
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.4 inches

and in hardcover:
Series: Thorndike Press Large Print Christian Fiction
  • Hardcover: 537 pages
  • Publisher: Thorndike Press Large Print; Lrg edition (June 24, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1410479390
  • ISBN-13: 978-1410479396


I received a digital advance reader copy of "An Amish Cradle" from netgalley for me to do an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Friday, June 19, 2015

End of School Activities

Because Andy's birthday is during the summer, I made a treat and brought it into school the last week of school instead.




Awards Ceremony : Kindergarten - 2nd grade


My camera acted up, so I didn't get a picture of William coming up for his award. He's sitting on the floor , 4th from the right side


Awards Ceremony: 3rd - 5th grades









5th Grade Graduation:









Videos of the graduation:










"Clap Out" (people line the halls and clap for the 5th graders for finishing elementary school)



Thursday, June 18, 2015

Book Review: "A Lady at Willowgrove Hall" by Sarah E. Ladd


Cecily Faire is starting a new position as a lady's companion to the mistress of Willowgrove Hall. She has been carrying a secret with her for the past 5 years and fears it being exposed.

Nathaniel Stanton is the steward of Willowgrove Hall and carries his own secret. His secret could cause ruin to more than himself. As he gets to know Cecily, he is drawn to her, but to fall in love would be to share his secret and he isn't sure he can trust Cecily since she has her own secret.

I was drawn into this story and didn't want to put it down. I really liked the characters and felt for them. I had a few suspicions about how things might turn out, but I was wrong! So she was able to keep me entertained to the very end of the book. I was glad that they made peace with their pasts and with God.

"A Lady at Willowgrove Hall" is the 3rd in the whispers on the Moors series by Sarah Ladd.  Since I realized it was the 3rd of a series, I checked the first 2 books out of the library so I could read them in order. They are tied together, but not in a such a large way that you couldn't read them independently of each other. It is  mostly just a passing mention of a character from the previous book, without them making much of an appearance (if at all). I am still glad to have read the first 2 books, as I enjoyed Sarah Ladd's writing.

This book is available for Kindle:
  • File Size: 1343 KB
  • Print Length: 344 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 14, 2014)
  • Publication Date: October 14, 2014
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00JQOTMSM

in paperback:
  • Series: Whispers On The Moors (Book 3)
  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishing (October 7, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1401688373
  • ISBN-13: 978-1401688370
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.4 inches


I received a free digital Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Book Review: "Rori's Healing" by Dora Hiers


Rori Harmon is still struggling with her father's death 20 years ago. She hides out at her animal sanctuary and avoids crowds. When Graham Decker shows up at the sanctuary just in time for a llama to deliver her baby, Rori assumes he is the on call vet.

Graham Decker is surrounded by adoring women, but he is searching for one who likes him for himself and not how big his wallet is. When Rori doesn't recognize him, he is intrigued and doesn't correct her misconception of his job.

When Rori finds out that Graham is really a famous racecar driver, will she run from the spotlight that surrounds him to keep herself safe or will she face her fear to find a future with love?

I really enjoyed reading "Rori's Healing" by Dora Hiers. I really liked both Rori and Graham. They are realistic and I liked their interactions. The only sport I really follow is racecar driving, so it was fun to have the famous athlete be a racecar driver. I found the book easy to read and I liked Dora Hiers "voice".  I liked the faith element in the book. It was nice for Graham to stick so closely to his faith and nice to see Rori grow in hers throughout the book. When I saw that "Rori's Healing" was labeled as "Harmon Heritage #1", I was very happy. I am looking forward to reading Burk's and Beck's stories.

I would recommend this book whole heartedly.

Rori's Healing is available in Kindle edition:
File Size: 2395 KB
  • Print Length: 208 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Pelican Ventures Book Group (White Rose Publishing) (June 5, 2015)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00WOV563Y

and in paperback:
  • Paperback: 254 pages
  • Publisher: White Rose Publishing (June 5, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1611164184
  • ISBN-13: 978-1611164183
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 8 inches

I received a free ebook version of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Friday, June 5, 2015

William's Local History Field Trip

In 2nd grade, students learn about local history. This culminates in a field trip around town learning about and seeing local history in real life.

At the Ugly Duckling Statue Park



At the Flat River Historical Museum (on the site of the first sawmill)










































1st shopping carts






Picture of Hendrik Meijer in his barber shop



















The Little Mermaid



Manoka Lake

John Green's grave (founder of our city)

What do boys do on the bus? Play video games ☺

Baldwin Lake

Walking down into the tunnel that goes under the road


In the tunnel




Will's teacher is pointing out the signature of the art teacher (who helped make the art work in the tunnel)


Playing after lunch

Dairy Queen

Going back to school