Book Review: "The Forgotten Recipe" by Amy Clipston

Veronica Fisher's life is shattered when her best friend and fiance, Seth Lapp, is killed in an accident at work. She finds her mammi's forgotten recipes and opens a bake stand to sell her raspberry pies. When a customer starts coming regularly to buy her pies, she finds herself feeling a connection with him.

Jason Huyard seeks out Seth's fiancee to offer his condolences. He doesn't expect to feel so attracted to her and finds himself falling in love with her. He knows he needs to tell her that he was there the day that Seth died, but he's afraid that he'll loose her.

I really enjoyed reading "The Forgotten Recipe" by Amy Clipston. It is the first book in the "An Amish Heirloom Novel" Series. It was easy to connect with the characters and feel like they were friends. The book flowed easily and the characters desired to follow God's plan for their lives. I look forward to reading the next book in the series so I can find out what is going on between Veronica's sister Rachel and her boyfriend and also about the mystery surrounding the hope chest in the attic.

"The Forgotten Recipe" is available in paperback:

• Series: An Amish Heirloom Novel
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (December 8, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031034199X
• ISBN-13: 978-0310341994
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches

Kindle edition:

• File Size: 2183 KB
• Print Length: 314 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: Zondervan (December 8, 2015)
• Publication Date: December 8, 2015
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00UF72BMS

and in (large print) hardcover:

• Series: An Amish Heirloom Novel (Book 1)
• Hardcover: 399 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press Large Print; Lrg edition (March 9, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410485765
• ISBN-13: 978-1410485762
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 inches

I received a free copy of this book for me to give my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and no other compensation was received.

Pinewood Derby Race

Our church had a pinewood derby race, their first ever. The four kids had fun getting their cars ready. Emily's car was almost an ounce over the limit. I drilled out and shaved off wood and it didn't make any difference in the weight! Finally, we got out a belt sander and shaved off the bottom of the block of wood. We painted the cars and Emi's car was overweight AGAIN! So we drilled 4 holes in the bottom with a spade bit.

They had four categories: Primary (K-2), Junior (3-5), Teen (6-8), Adult (9th grade and over).

Andy is P3, William J1, and Emily J2

Sarah is T3

Eager for the races

Photo finish set up

2nd place speed

2nd place Design

1st place Design

1st place Speed

3rd place Coloring Contest

2nd place Coloring Contest

Emily's car and awards

Andy didn't get any awards which was pretty distressing for him. He was actually the 3rd fastest car in his category, but since he was in the fast heat, he got eliminated and the winning car from the slow heat (Which barely made it down the track) got 3rd place. Emily gave him one of her 2nd place ribbons.

Book Review: "Believe: Kids Edition"

"Believe: Kids' Edition" is edited by Randy Frazee. It is divided into three sections, each with ten chapters.

"Think" is about the key beliefs of the Christian life and ask the question, "What do I believe?". Included are: God, Personal God, Salvation, The Bible, Identity in Christ, Church, Humanity, Compassion, Stewardship, and Eternity

"Act" is about the key practices of the Christian life and ask the question, "What should I do?"
Included are: Worship, Prayer, Bible Study, Single-Mindedness, Total Surrender, Biblical Community, Spiritual Gifts, Offering My Time, Giving My Resources, and Sharing My Faith.

"Be" is about the key virtues of the Christian life and ask the question, "Who am I becoming?"
Included are: Love, Joy, Peace, Self-Control, Hope, Patience, Kindness/Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Humility.

Each chapter opens with a Key Question, Key Idea, and Key Verse. This is followed by a "Think About it" section and an Introduction. Throughout the chapter, core truths are shown in blue ink to make them stand out. Each chapter is finished with Discussion Questions. At the very end of the book there is a list of the Bible excerpts used in each chapter.

I think that this book is a good springboard to get children to studying and understanding the Bible and what it means to be a Christian.

"Believe: Kids' Edition" is available in paperback:

• Age Range: 8 and up 
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (June 2, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310746019
• ISBN-13: 978-0310746010
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches

and in Kindle edition:

• File Size: 20796 KB
• Print Length: 224 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (June 2, 2015)
• Publication Date: June 2, 2015
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00J1UJAPG

I received a free copy of this book from the zblogsquad in order to give my honest opinion. No other compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review: "Goodnight Manger" by Laura Sassi

"Goodnight Manger" by Laura Sassi is a cute story for children. It has an interesting font that is big enough for children to read. Some of the words are larger for effect. The book is interesting as it doesn't follow the "Away in a manger no crying He made" line. In this story, Jesus is having a difficult time falling asleep and the animals and visitors try to get Him to fall asleep. I liked the angels being portrayed as men having a party in the sky celebrating Jesus' birth.  The pictures are bright and colorful and easily engage the child in the book. One thing I didn't like was the "Three kings" showing up at the same time as the shepherds as they didn't come for awhile after Jesus was born.

I would recommend this book to those with children

"Goodnight Manger" is available in hardcover:

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
• Lexile Measure: AD390L (What's this?)
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (October 6, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031074556X
• ISBN-13: 978-0310745563
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches

and in Kindle edition:

• File Size: 4305 KB
• Print Length: 14 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (October 6, 2015)
• Publication Date: October 6, 2015
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B017I5D43E

I received a free copy of this book from the zblogsquad in order to give my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and a positive review was not required.

Book Review: "Faith Builders Bible"

The "Faith Builders Bible" is a New International Reader's Version meant for children aged 6-10.  This version is a simplified version of the regular NIV Bible. Other than the 12 double sided full color pages that feature Lego-type creations to portray Bible stories, this Bible is rather plain. The Bible itself has no special features other than a dictionary and a list of "Great Bible Stories". The full color pages topics include: Noah Builds an Ark, Animals 2 x 2, Building the Tower of Babel, The Ten Commandments, Building the Tabernacle, Solomon Builds God's Temple, Bringing Down Jericho, Samson's Demolition, David Defeats Goliath, Psalm 23: A Psalm of David, Jesus is Born, Feeding a Crowd, A Change of Heart (Zacchaeus), Jesus Walks on Water, The Last Supper, Jesus and the Cross,  The Lord's Prayer, The ABCs of Salvation, The Fruit of the Building With a Strong Foundation, a presentation page, Building with the Books of the Bible, and Can You Build.... These pages give a brief overview of the story and a "Building Block Verse" to go along with it.

My sons like LEGO bricks so I thought this would be a cute Bible for them. The full color pages are cute, but overall, this Bible is not what I expected and I was disappointed in it.

The "Faith Builders Bible" is available in hardcover:

• Age Range: 6 - 10 years
• Hardcover: 1152 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (October 27, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310754631
• ISBN-13: 978-0310754633
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches

and in Kindle edition:

• File Size: 6511 KB
• Print Length: 1152 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (October 27, 2015)
• Publication Date: October 27, 2015
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0108NQ4ZI

I was given a free copy of this Bible by the zblogsquad in order for me to give an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way.

Book Review: "Friends and Enemies" by Terri Wangard

Heidi Wetzel struggles to find some normalcy after her husband's U-boat sinks. She goes to the country to help take care of refugee children. Not a fan of the National Socialist Party, she tries to think what she can do to passively resist. Is she ready for the role God has for her to play?

Paul Braedel learns during flight school that his wife has died. After his bereavement leave, he joins a navigator training class, but lacks the zest for life he used to have. He has a hard time feeling close to God, but when he is forced to parachute from his plane, he hears God. "Find Heidi" He sets off to find his wife's best friend from when they were in high school. Will he be able to make it back to safety?

I really enjoyed reading "Friends and Enemies" by Terri Wangard and am happy to see that there are two more books in the series. I liked Heidi and Paul and followed them with interest as they worked through their difficulties and grew and changed. I had to wait until the midway point of the book before their stories intersected (other than flash backs to high school). I liked how it showed what life was like for the civilians in Germany during WWII and how not all of the Germans were pleased with what their government was doing. I also really liked their reliance on God, even when life was difficult.

It was interesting to read about the B-17s. I didn't realize that they changed planes from mission to mission. I thought that they were assigned a plane and always flew it. I also didn't realize all that went into the missions and that they even had navigators. The amount of research and details that Terri Wangard put into the book was excellent.

"Friends and Enemies" is available in paperback:

• Paperback: 425 pages
• Publisher: HopeSprings Books (January 5, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1938708792
• ISBN-13: 978-1938708794

and in Kindle editions:

• File Size: 11249 KB
• Print Length: 425 pages
• Publisher: HopeSprings Books (January 5, 2016)
• Publication Date: January 5, 2016
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B018YIPVNK

I was provided a free copy of this book in order for me to give an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and a positive review was not required.

2015 in Review and Goals for 2016

How did I do on my goals for 2015? I did pretty well until July and then I sort of fell off the face of the world and didn't do much. I'm not really sure what happened, but I just hit a wall or something.

So without any more ado, here were my goals for 2015:

• Write at least 9000 words/month (averages to 300 words/day)
• Sculpt at least 12 babies
• Tat at least 24 crosses
• Sew at least 24 sock monkeys
• Knit 9 hats
• Exercise at least 20 days/month
• Read through at least the New Testament 

And here is how I did:

• Wrote 44,646 words (averaged about 121 words per day for the year)
• Sculpted 6 babies
• Tatted 18 crosses and 6 new flower/vine design bookmarks
• Sewed 5 sock monkeys
• Knit 14 hats
• Exercised 6 out of 12 months (20 days per month)
• Read through the New Testament and Proverbs

So some things I did more, some I did less, and some I did what I hoped for.

For 2016, I'd like to keep most of my goals from 2015, with a few changes

• Write at least 9000 words/month (averages to 300 words/day)
• Sculpt at least 12 babies
• Tat at least 12 crosses
• Sew at least 12 sock monkeys
• Knit 9 hats
• Exercise at least 20 days/month
• Read at least 5 minutes a day in the Bible, plus in devotional books
• Write up at least 4 backlog book reviews a month
• Post more than book reviews on my blog and within 2 weeks of the event I'm blogging about happened