Winner of an ebook version of A Bridge Unbroken

The winner of an ebook copy of a Bridge Unbroken by Cathy Bryant is Nancy Brining.  Congratulations.  The author will be in touch with you soon.

Let's Talk Food - One Year Anniversary of Simply Delicious Amish Cooking by Sherry Gore

One year ago Sherry Gore's book "Simply Delicious Amish Cooking" was published.  I had to wait two months to get the book. There was no sense in getting it before I was out of school.  I wanted to try out some of the recipes.  This book is a compilation of recipes from around the community of Pinecraft, Florida.  If you are not familiar with this place of Amish/Mennonites then I suggest you check out my links below.  I am lucky to live less than a mile from this wonderful place.

Bored with eating the same things over and over I decided to try some of their recipes  that were different from mine.  The first thing I tried was the recipe for Shepherd's Pie (p.115).  I am not going to tell you the ingredients. For that you need to buy the book. This recipe had a richer taste than mine and actually used different vegetables than I used. Mine usually consists of mixed vegetables, brown gravy, hamburger and onions topped with mashed potatoes.  I have to say their recipe was much tastier. 

Another favorite was the Breakfast Casserole (p. 44) which I fixed to take to a breakfast at school.  My husband was going through the cookbook and decided to fix the Taco Soup (p. 71).  We love soup and he did an awesome job with this.  Two recipes in the book surprised me.  There were two recipes that I found in the book that made me run to my own  recipe box. One of them is the Amish Oatmeal Cake (p. 192).  This recipe is identical to one passed down to me by my great-grandmother.  The only difference is the types of icing we make for the top.
My great-grandmother mixed brown sugar, nuts butter and coconut and spread it over the warm cake. Her daughter, my grandmother made a peanut butter powder sugar icing and put on top.  It was actually my favorite.  The other recipe I found in the book is a special one to me. Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake (p.194). This  is  another recipe that is identical to one passed down from my great- grandmother.  It was my father's favorite cake.  I try to make it every year for Memorial Day since my father passed away 15 years ago May 28th, just 2 days before Memorial Day. We always had it for Christmas and Thanksgiving.

There are several more recipes I am longing to try from this book. My husband and I have a Nutri-Bullet and while looking through this cookbook I found the Freezer Fruit-and-Yogurt Pops (p.231).  The recipe comes with a variety of combinations.  My husband and I are planning to mix up some of the recipes in our Nutri-Bullet and add some fresh spinach.  They will be ready when the grandkids come this summer and the grandkids will never know the difference.  They suggest using a 5 oz. paper or plastic cup with plastic spoons as the handles.  I've chosen the 3 oz. size because I believe it will be less messy for slow eaters or smaller children. I love the idea that these are fruit and yogurt pops, and in my case will have some veggies slipped in.

This is definitely a favorite recipe book. It is one of three Amish Recipe books I own.  I will try to get them reviewed in the next couple of weeks since I use them as well.  Trust me I have many to choose from, but I'm finding that I love the Amish/Mennonite recipes because they are so close to what I grew up with.

The more I learn about the Amish and Mennonite the more recipes I find that are similar.  No, we are not related to any Amish that I know of.  However, A large portion of the Amish have German ancestors as well as the fact that they pass recipes around.  I have ancestors that came from Pennsylvania and were German.  So who knows, maybe somewhere along the line they were neighbors to an Amish person and shared recipes.

I have had the privilege of meeting the author of this book. Sherry is such a down to earth person. If you want to know more about her check out my links below.

Sherry Gore
Pictures of Pinecraft from Sherry's Site
Article by NY Times about Pinecraft
Facebook

Keeping Score: A guide to Love and Relationships – Marc Brackett

Genre:  Self-help, marriage
Source: I received a copy to review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

I want to start this review with two facts I learned: 50 % of all first marriages fail and 67% of all second marriages fail.  This is important because I am a part of that first statistic as is my husband. “I” worked hard for nine years to keep my first marriage together.  This included pre-marriage counseling and counseling throughout our marriage.  It still ended in divorce.  I remarried and once again we started with pre-marriage counseling along with my kids from my first marriage.  We were determined to make the second marriage work.  This book for us was a great refresher course. I believe it is a book that should be read before and throughout a marriage. The author starts off with a self-evaluation test.  There is one for the men and one for the women. As you read through this book you read about important topics such as communication trust, religious beliefs, and spending time together. For us it was a way to see if we were still on track with our relationship and where we wanted it to go. I am happy to report it is very healthy and we are preparing to celebrate our 21^st anniversary in just a couple of weeks. So, when all is said and done is this a book I would recommend?  Most definitely.  I’d recommend it to anyone getting ready to get married, anyone who has been through a divorce and in a new relationship, as well as to married couples to force yourself to take a good look at where you are and where you are going.

How to Promote Your Children's Book - Katie Davis

I was excited to participate in the promotion of this book. I received a copy from the author to read and review.  What you get here is my honest review.

Promoting my first book was extremely hard and that is probably why it has not done as well as I’d like it to.  I can take the advice in this book and apply it to not only my first book but to the one I have almost finished. Shy by nature, promoting myself and my work has always been an issue.  I am a National Board Certified Teacher.  I missed getting the certification the first time around by nine points.  When my mentor, someone who had been an evaluator in the process looked over my results her words were no surprise.  I missed it because I did not promote myself.  I grew up believing if you did that you were vain and self-centered.  In writing you have to promote yourself whether you are self-published or traditionally published.

Katie’s book takes some of the sting out of what seems like such a daunting process.  I was pleased to see that some of the things I had already done with my first book were things she had recommended in her book. I was also shocked at how much more I could have done. As a teacher, I loved the section on “Teacher’s Guides”. The proper way to use “Social” media is hit on which makes it very relevant to every author and really focuses on the social part of it. When I promoted my first book I was afraid of offending everyone by talking about my book on Facebook.  I had come across people who made it clear they hated and unfriended people who they felt used them just for that purpose. There is a right and a wrong way to use social media.

Another thing that was especially helpful to me was all of the links she included in the book.  This is a book that you need to read with a pen and pad at your side as there will be so much you will want to go back to or check on. Keeping a notepad handy helps.   This book doesn’t come across a stiff how-to manual.  Instead it is more like sitting down with a group of writing friends and discussing ways to promote your book, what worked and what didn’t work.

So how much do I believe in this book?  I have a group of middle school students who participated in NaNoWriMo.  I am going to tell them and their parents that this is the book they need if they are serious about getting their book published.  I am also going to work with them on some of the ideas in the book.  That is how much I believe in this book.

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INDIE AUTHOR SURVIVAL GUIDE - Susan Kaye Quinn

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Goodreads TBR

This book is for every author who's thinking about indie publishing, or has already taken the leap, and wonders why no one told them about the sharks, the life-sucking social media quicksand, or the best way to avoid sales-checking, yellow-spotted fever. This is a guide for the heart as much as the head. And because I promised myself that I wouldn't write a book about how I made a gazillion dollars publishing ebooks, I would write about the fear: owning it, overcoming it, facing it. From a person who didn't pursue a creative life for a long time, and then discovered creativity can set you free. Note: gazillion is a technical term, which in this case means something less than a million and more than the average income in my state.

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindajck Trilogy and Debt Collector serial and has been indie publishing since 2011. She’s not an indie rockstar or a breakout success: she’s one of thousands of solidly midlist indie authors making a living with their works. This book is a compilation of her four years of blogging through changes in the publishing industry—updated, revised, and supplemented to be relevant in 2013. It’s a guide to help her writer-friends take their own leaps into the wild (and wonderful) world of indie publishing... and not only survive, but thrive. You can friend her on Facebook or follow her on twitter or check out her blog where she'll be doing who knows what next.

Grab the Badge for your blog!

link: http://www.susankayequinn.com/p/for-writers.html

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FAQ About the Guide

Q: What prompted you to write the Guide? I resisted a long time in putting this together. I had this silly idea I was a fiction writer (which is also true), in spite of spending the last four years blogging consistently about the industry, and especially the changes wrought by indie publishing. It took the goading of several friends, over a period of time, before I realized that the blog was actually non-fiction writing (I can be excessively slow for Ph.D. engineer sometimes). The trigger for blogging the book - revising and updating old posts as well as organizing the content - was seeing writer friend after writer friend take the leap, often after reading something I had posted. And I realized there wasn't a book out there that addressed the fears as well as the nuts-and-bolts about going indie. I could have just left the Guide on my rinky-dink blog, but I knew the power of Amazon (and other retailers) to connect people to books, and I figured it would help more people this way. Q: Why should I read a book about indie publishing by Susan Kaye Quinn? I'm pretty sure she's not a NY Times Bestseller. I'm not an indie rockstar. I haven't made the news as one of those "exceptional" breakout indie authors. I'm a solidly midlist indie author, which means I make a living off my works. I'm one of thousands of invisible indie midlist authors who, I believe, are the core of indie publishing, and why it's changing the industry. The rockstars of indie publishing can inspire and lead, they can use their leverage to break barriers, but they can't transform the industry on their own. The true change has to come, as it always has, from the grass-roots. I'm part of that grass-roots movement. Q: Will this Guide help me get rich quick from ebooks? No. Q: Will this Guide help me decide if indie publishing is right for me? Yes. Q: What if I'm afraid? We're all afraid. Fear is an integral part of being vulnerable in the world by daring to do brave things. Fear stops many people from becoming the full expression of who they are. I won't tell you not to be afraid in this book - I'll help you see the fear for what it is, manage it, and not let it stop you from reaching for the amazing things you have ahead of you. Q: What if I don't have the first clue how to start with self-publishing? The Guide is designed to take a first-time-publishing author from the decision to go indie through to writing that second book (and starting the whole process over again). It's also designed to help indie authors who have already published, but are struggling: either with keeping perspective for the long-term, trying to scale up their businesses from the first book, or just trying not to drown in social media quicksand. My hope is that all my indie author friends will find something worthwhile in it, or pass it on to someone who will. The culture in indie publishing of sharing information is part of what inspired this book in the first place.

Free Kindle Book Promotion

For Five Days only receive a copy of the following Kindle book for Free

Title: The Search for Artemis

Series: Chronicles of Landon Wicker

Author: P. D. Griffith

Publisher: Gryff Publishing, Ltd.

Release Date: June 1, 2011

Promotion Dates: 5/2/2013 - 5/6/2013

Original Price: $4.99

Promo Price: $0.00

Link to Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B0053DQOIQ

Book Description: Consumed with guilt after a horrible tragedy, LANDON WICKER is forced into a life where teenagers can lift city buses with their minds and people don’t just see—but control—the world around them. Landon struggles to accept his new reality but finds solace in the company of hundreds of teenagers just like him when he’s taken to a secret training facility for psychokinetics—the Gymnasium.

But everything changes after a chance encounter with a mysterious girl. She propels Landon on a hunt for answers about the true nature of his abilities and his new home, and he soon uncovers some dark truths the Gymnasium would do anything to keep hidden.

Will he discover the truth? What is hidden in the Restricted Tower? And who is Artemis? Landon must choose where his loyalties lie, while he comes to terms with his past—and his future.

After you've read this book then check out the second book in the series "The Prince's Trap" which came out in December.

FREE E-BOOK DOWNLOAD

Steps to Courage  is available as a free download Tuesday, February 19 - Saturday, February 23

Go here to Amazon to get your free ebook.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Welcome to the beginning of a new year.  This last year was a very good year.  I didn't read as many books as I would have liked to have read.  My school year was busier than ever.  I did have some favorite books this year.

Oliver Neubert has become by far my favorite author of the year.  I had the privilege of reading six of his books.  I'm looking forward to reading more this next year and in the future.

Another one of my favorite authors is Max Elliot Anderson.  His ability to write for boys and hold their attention makes his books a definite asset to my classroom.  So far I've read the books below.

Then there were two new authors I had the privilege of reading.

All of these are authors I highly recommend.  They are much more than just authors I read and recommend.  They have books that I am looking at from a writer's perspective.    I believe I can learn so much from them.

I have two books that are half finished.  Both of them are books that I worked on last year and this year through NaNoWriMo.  However, as usual, through heavy editing I have had to cut out at least half.  I must finish them this year.

 I am setting a goal of writing a minimum of 5,000 words a week.  I am in charge of so much at school this year that this seems like a goal I can reach.  That doesn't mean I won't push myself to write more.

I am going to go for 150 books to read this year.  I missed my goal by 17 books this year.

I have set one other goal for myself.  I need to work on promoting my books more.  So far I have a book signing set up for January and a two day festival in March.  I have been told that in years past they've had 10,000 +  people go through.  They draw people in by booking acts such as the Wallendas.  It helps I live in Sarasota, Florida, home of John Ringling.

I am working on edits for a picture book as well.  Believe it or not I have found picture books to be much harder than novels.  My students have encouraged me to gather up the poetry I've written for the last three years and and start preparing it for a poetry book.    There is so much I want to do this next year.  I know it is going to be great.  Hopefully we will have a new place to move to in the next few weeks so I can get a new office set up.  I'm not letting that hold me back.

I hope you have a wonderful New Year.  Write back and tell me what some of your goals or resolutions are for this next year.  Tell me about some of your favorite books of 2012.

100 Puzzle Quizzes

I recently reviewed  100 Puzzle Quizzes by Grabarchuk Puzzles.  I was able to download it to the Kindle Cloud Reader.  I have stayed clear of puzzles because they tend to become addictive.  I’ve played and replayed these three times.  The reason is simple.  Since these are brain teasers, those I didn’t figure out the first time needed to be re-played.  It is true that you can guess your way through each answer to get to the next one.  That is what I did, with one exception.  I wrote down the puzzles I didn’t get and went back a replayed the game and focused on those games.  I would recommend these to those who love to play brain teaser games.  They are not too challenging so as to turn off someone like me who struggles finding patterns sometimes.  They are challenging enough keep me trying.  So what are you waiting for.  Check them out.

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Created by: Online PhD

GIVEAWAY - The Source of All Things - Tracy Ross

The Source of All Things by Tracy Ross is available today in paperback.  In celebration of this the publisher is offering a copy to one of my readers.  Read the review below then leave a comment telling me why you would like to win this book.  Make sure you leave me an email address so that I am able to contact the winner.  I will choose a winner on Friday the 24th at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time.  Good Luck


Here is a re-post of my review

Publisher:  Free Press

Pages:  304

Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

Genre:  Adult Memoir

From Goodreads:

Tracy Ross never knew her biological father, who died after a brain aneurysm when she was still an infant. So when her mother married Donnie, a gregarious man with an all-wheel-drive jeep and a love of hiking, four-year-old Tracy was ecstatic to have a father figure in her life. A loving and devoted step-father, Donnie introduced Tracy’s family to the joys of fishing, deer hunting, camping, and hiking among the most pristine mountains of rural Idaho. Donnie was everything Tracy dreamed a dad would be—protective, brave, and kind. But when his dependence on his eight-year-old daughter’s companionship went too far, everything changed.

Once Donnie’s nighttime visits began, Tracy’s childhood became a confusing blend of normal little girl moments and the sickening, secret invasion of her safety. Tormented by this profound betrayal, Tracy struggled to reconcile deeply conflicting feelings about her stepfather: on the one hand, fear and loathing, on the other hand, the love any daughter would have for her father. It was not until she ran away from home as a teenager that her family was forced to confront the abuse—and it tore them apart.

At sixteen, realizing that she must take control of her own future, Tracy sent herself to boarding school and began the long slow process of recovery. There, in the woods of Northern Michigan, Tracy felt called back to the natural world she had loved as a child. Over the next twenty years, the mountains and rivers of North America provided Tracy with strength, confidence, comfort, and inspiration. From trekking through the glaciers of Alaska to guiding teenagers through the deserts of Utah, Tracy pushed herself to the physical limit on her way to becoming whole again. Yet, as she came into her own, found love, and even started a family, Tracy realized that in order to truly heal she had to confront her stepfather about the demons from the past haunting them both. The Source of All Things is a stunning, unforgettable story about a wounded daughter, her stepfather, and a mistake that has taken thirty years and thousands of miles of raw wilderness to reconcile. Only Tracy can know if Donnie is forgivable. But one thing is for certain: In no other story of abuse does a survivor have as much strength, compassion, bravery, and spirit as Tracy displays in The 

My Review:

Forgiveness is often the hardest thing to do, yet it is also one of the most liberating things. Forgiving the man who sexually abused you is almost unheard of.  Tracy Ross has written a heart-wrenching story that takes us into the darkest part of her life.  Through her eyes we are shown her life, her pain and her survival.  Her first outdoor experiences with her step-father are the experiences she retreats to as she begins to explore and try to understand the situation.  The outdoors is her safe haven.  This is a recommended read for anyone and everyone concerned with the abuses that go on around them.

Blog Tour: What's Wrong With Me? - Daree Allen

Publisher:  Kharacter Distinction Books
Pages:  200
Source:  Review Copy from the Author
Genre:  Young Adult/Self-Help


From Goodreads:
Premarital sex. Drugs. Dating violence. Dropping out of school. So many choices, good and bad, are available for youth in America today, and girls continue to be especially vulnerable. They often blame themselves for things that go wrong in their lives, even when it s not their fault. They ask, What s wrong with me?, or they hear, What s wrong with you?! and brace themselves for the denigrating comments to follow. It s a timeless theme: girls grow up in every generation struggling with self-esteem, confidence, body image issues, uncertainty about dating, and insecurity about their identities. Where do they turn for answers or role models? Friends and peers don t make for such great influences and mentors when they are floundering themselves. Images of women of color in the media (TV and music videos) reinforce an impossible ideal and lack of self-esteem. How do girls today make decisions that will positively impact their future and not become victims of their surroundings? How can they affirm their Christianity proudly and not succumb to the deteriorating values of modern society? In this empowering Christian self-help book, Allen weaves her memoir from 20 years of journaling with lessons that still ring true for girls today, about such topics as accepting their identity, adopting a healthy body image, dating relationships, dealing with toxic friends and family members, avoiding or delaying premarital sex, building self-esteem, developing a positive attitude, dressing for success, setting goals, spending money wisely, handling anger and depression, and embracing their singleness, discovering their life purpose, and keeping God first.


From Publisher:
In this part memoir-part self-help guide, Daree addresses the timeless issues most girls struggle with in adolescence, including:  accepting body image and dressing appropriately, handling feelings of inadequacy,dating and premarital sex, relating to family members, understanding personal finance, discovering life purpose, respect and personal boundaries.


The companion book, the What's Wrong With Me? Reflections Journal digs deeper into the contemporary topics discussed in the book What's Wrong With Me? that affect teen girls' everyday lives.  With interactive, thought-provoking workbook-style questions and fill-in-the-blank exercises, girls can openly and honestly record their thoughts and feelings to help them release tension and understand the world around them. The self-discovery, revelation and release will lead to profound fulfillment and start their own  life-long practice of journaling. 



My Thoughts:
I found it difficult to write this review.  The book was not a difficult one to read.  I loved it.  However, there is so much information in the book that I didn't want to give too much away.  I will say up front one thing that made me love this book is the way the author was very honest about things she did that she considered wrong.  No one likes to write about things that put them in a bad light.  However, since I deal with young people every day I believe they need to see us make mistakes and hear how we handled it.  Daree is not afraid to talk about her relationships.  It didn't matter if the relationships were with her family, boyfriends or through the church.  When she made painful, bad choices the reader is made aware.  They also learn from her what she should have done and how to handle situations like she had to deal with.  


She backs up her Christian beliefs with scripture.  You can find a list of it at the end of the book.  She has written a book for the teen who always feels there is something wrong with them.  That would be all teens and some adults.  She shows you why nothing is wrong with you.  You are the way God made you.  This is not preachy.  Instead, this book teaches lessons through looking at her mistakes.  I found so many things in the book that reached out to me and I'm in my early 50's.  I believe these lessons can and should be learned by everyone of any age.  This book most definitely needs to be read at a slow pace.


Meet the Author:
Daree Allen is a vocal introvert whose equally strong passion for the written and spoken word translates seamlessly in her blog, Daree's Insights, a collection of inspirations and reflections of personal growth, the blog explores such themes as singleness, spirituality, accountability, and youth mentorship.  The award-winning speaker and authorpreneur started a diary at age 12, and has never stopped writing.


In 2010, Daree was one of the top 100 winners of the Writer's Digest 79th Annual Writing Competition, in the Magazine Feature WRiting category, and Daree has been a contributing writer for several magazines and blogs including About.com, The Dollar Stretcher, Hope for Women Magazine, Shuga, Coco & Creme and Clutch Magazines.

You can learn more about Daree at:  

Website:  http://www.DareeAllen.com 

Blog:  http://dareesinsights.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DareeAllen

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/DareeAllen

Winner of Enjoy Every Sandwich

We have two winners of "Enjoy Every Sandwich" chosen by Rafflecopter.  An email has been sent to you.  Please get back to me within 48 hours with your address so that I may send it on to the publisher.

The winners are:


Linda  and  Colleen

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Often we find our attitude not where it should be this time of year.  This year, right before Thanksgiving my car decided to have some major problems.  Three weeks later and quite a bit of money later and it was fixed, or so we thought.  Those costly repairs cut into our budget which is already tight.  So a week after Thanksgiving I've been able to drive my car to school, happy to have it running again.  My husband takes the car to the store and when he returns he says, "Well I guess I'll be driving you to school until you have your break,  Your steel belts are poking through on your tires."  I went into the house and thought, "Really Lord?  We just spent two paychecks on the car and then this,  and now I have nothing for Christmas." My mother asked when I was setting up the tree and I told her I didn't know if I was going to put one up.  There was nothing to go under it.  My husband heard me and reminded me that we had experienced tighter Christmases.

Our first Christmas together he brought home a small live tree.  It fit on our coffee table. The kids were so excited.  The year before my children and I  had borrowed a tree from my sister's storage unit  and we had made paper and wooden ornaments and colored them with markers.  I was a newly divorced mother of two. My kids reminded me that we had those ornaments to place on the tree.  By the third day the tree had almost no needles left on it.  My son remarked that it was beautiful just like the one on Charlie Brown.  He then reminded me of the reason we celebrated Christmas.

On this occasion my husband  was my reminder.  So, two days later I called my daughter and asked if her daughter could spend Friday night with us.  School was out for Christmas break and she could help me set up our tree.  It was a wonderful time as my granddaughter Haylee talked about each ornament.  Some of them were ornaments we had given to our children, some were the ones we had made.  She proclaimed the tree was beautiful.  We waited until her mother picked her up  to put the candy canes on the tree.  Both my daughter Angie and my grand-daughter Haylee have this honor each year.  My daughter was looking at the ornaments and picked up a bell shaped piece of construction paper with her kindergarten picture on it.  Her eyes misted over and she said, "Now I have one of these on my tree with my daughter on it."  I realized that the tree was a symbol of memories.  If I never have anything to put UNDER the tree I have memories covering it.  I have several ornaments that were my father's.   He has been gone since 1999.  It has always been a tradition to give an ornament to everyone.  When the kids got their own place they had a baggie of ornaments to start off their decorating.  I have not made any for them or my grand kids yet.  I do know what I will be making though.
I look forward to this years traditions.  We open gifts on Christmas Eve so that the kids can visit in-laws and other relatives on Christmas day.  We always have dinner and then read the story from Luke before we ever open presents.  Christmas day is a day we celebrate Christ's birthday.  When the kids were little we had a birthday cake for him.
I may only have a couple of gifts under the tree this year but the family that sits around it is what is most important.  Besides, we have the greatest gift of all.  We have the gift of God's son.  What more could I ask for?

I hope that as you prepare for this busy time of year you find the peace, love and memories to carry you through.  May you find a reason to celebrate in the face of hard times.

God Bless You All!

Gratitude Giveaway Winners

Wow!  I am in awe at the number of people who entered this giveaway. I had a total of 186 entries and they spanned all four corners of the United States.  Random.org is truly the only way to choose a winner in a case like this.  Thank you to everyone who entered.  Please check back as I hope to do more giveaways.  Not quite to this extent but still I want to pass on great books to my readers.

The Winner of Box 1 - Children's and Teens books goes to Sophonie

The Winner of Box 2 - Christian and Inspirational goes to Madi

The winner of Box 3 - Assorted Adult fiction goes to Paula

I have emailed you to let you know you are a winner and will get your box of books out to you this week.  Thank you to everyone who participated.

Thanksgiving Wishes

On this special day I want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving.
Take time to count your blessings.  What are you most thankful for?  Have you taken the time to actually sit and think about it?  I have and here is just a small part of my list.

I am thankful for a God who blesses me every day in so many ways.
I am thankful for wonderful friends who let me know they care.
I am thankful for a mother who lives with us and imparts her wisdom.
I am thankful for a son who serves his country in the military so that I can have the freedom to celebrate.
I am thankful for a daughter-in-law who drove down with her children by herself to spend Thanksgiving
with her husbands family when he could not come.
I am thankful for a daughter who is a blessing in so many ways everyday.  I am thankful for her husband and her children.
I am thankful for a granddaughter who introduces me to people as "girlfriend" because I was her girlfriend first and grandmother second.
I am thankful for other relatives across the United States.
I am thankful for a husband who has given me 19 wonderful years.
I am extremely wonderful for all of you who read my blog.
May God bless you on this day and throughout the year.

Winner of A Time For Peace

The Winner of   "A Time For Peace "  Cindy.  Please email me your mailing address and I will get your book out to you.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You - Another Blog Hop

Once again it is time for another blog hop.  November 8th - 11th  I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and Tristi Pinkston will be hosting the Giveaway Hop.  If you are a blogger then this is a way to give back to your followers.  Each participating blog will host their own giveaway.  If you are a follower you have the opportunity to find some wonderful giveaways as you visit each blog.  The other win-win for bloggers and followers alike is the opportunity to discover a new blog.  One you may not have known existed before.
If you are interested in participating then "hop" over to one of the above blogs and sign up then prepare your giveaway.
Comeback a day or two before the blog hop and see what wonderful things I will be giving away at The Musings of a Book Addict.

Putting Others First Biblical Wisdom for Kids - Chuck Swindoll DVD

Chuck Swindoll's Paws & Tales #4

Binding:Video (1 DVD)

Using colorful animation, fun characters, and great lessons, Paws & Tales is an exciting tool for helping build godly character into kids. Based on the Paws & Tales national broadcast radio program presented by Chuck Swindoll’s Insight for Living, the Paws & Tales videos communicate biblical truth and show kids how they can apply it to real life. Kids will be captivated by the adventure, caught up in the laughter, and carried away in the fun . . . and the whole time they’ll be on their way to understanding solid Bible theology. This fourth DVD in the series is based on Matthew 22:39 and Philippians 2:3 and includes two episodes that teach kids about putting others first. In episode #1, “A Race against Time,” CJ and Staci risk disappointing Paw Paw Chuck to help someone in need. In episode #2, “The Hire Principle,” Tiffany learns to put the feelings of others ahead of her own.

The first story finds C.J. and Staci on their way

In the first story, "A Race Against Time," C.J. and Staci  are on their way to a bake sale when suddenly pumpkins begin to rain down on them.  They see a skunk who explains his cart wheel has broken and he needs help.  The children have to decide to help or leave him.  This is a great way to get across the story of The Good Samaritan.  My five year old grand-daughter watched it with me and seemed to understand that we should help others.

The second story, "The Hire Principle," was about a young, rich girl who used her wealth and power to blackmail her classmates into doing what she wanted.  My granddaughter understood the girl as being mean.  Older children would call her a bully.  The stories provided an opportunity for me to talk with my grand daughter about how w should treat others.    I see these as videos I will purchase for my grandchildren.  This is a clean and effective way to teach Godly principles.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with this complimentary DVD in exchange for a fair review. The opinion stated in this review is my own.

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