Singalullaby

More Books To Give Away! Shadow Government & Wisdom Hunter

Winners will be chosen on Friday, November 6!

Due to H1N1 in our family, I was not able to provide a personal review.  If you'd like to be considered for these giveaways, in comments, note the book you'd like to receive.  Please provide an email where you can be reached.  

"Wisdom Hunter" Summary:

Propelled into a quest for the granddaughter no one wants him to find, Jason Faircloth discovers that knowing it all could cost him everything he has. A fast-paced suspense novel, Wisdom Hunter explores what it means to break free of Christian legalism—and why grace can mean the difference between life and death. 

Author Bio:

Randall Arthur is the bestselling author of Jordan’s Crossing and Brotherhood of Betrayal. He and his wife have served as missionaries to Europe for over thirty years. From 1976 till 1998, he lived in Norway andGermany as a church planter. Since 2000, he has taken numerous missions teams from the United States on trips all over Europe . Arthur is also the founder of the AOK (Acts of Kindness) Bikers’ Fellowship, a group of men who enjoy the sport of motorcycling. He and his family live in Atlanta , Georgia .

"Shadow Government" Summary:

Grant Jeffrey reveals biblical prophecies that describe Satan’s work at the end of the age, as the evil one installs the Antichrist as the world’s unrivaled leader. The Antichrist will use technology to record the beliefs and loyalties of every person alive, in order to force their allegiance upon penalty of death.  

Author Bio:

Grant R. Jeffrey is the internationally known prophecy researcher, Mideast expert, and author of Countdown to the Apocalypse, The New Temple and the Second Coming, The Next World War, and twenty other best-selling books. He is also the editor of the Prophecy Study Bible. His popular television program, Bible Prophecy Revealed, airs weekly on TBN. Jeffrey earned his master’s and PhD degrees from Louisiana Baptist University . He and his wife, Kaye, live in Toronto .

 

 These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

 

A WINNER!

Congratulations to Shelly, who won (with the help of a random number generator) the copy of "The Sound Of Sleigh Bells"!  

I'll be giving away more books from Waterbrook Press; keep reading!

"The Sound Of Sleigh Bells" Review and Giveaway!

"We take what is and trust God is making things we can't yet see."

In "The Sound Of Sleigh Bells", Cindy Woodsmall carefully carves a story that warms the heart.  Beth Hertzler is a young Amish woman, hiding a hurt that she feels is beyond anyone's understanding.  When she encounters Jonah, a gifted wood carver, something in his eyes touches her soul.

The traditions of the Amish are woven throughout the plot, allowing the intimacy of old-fashioned letter writing to play a major role.  I found myself racing through the pages, eager to read Beth's words, hoping that she would share the truth of her pain.  And in Jonah, the author has given us a character worthy of affection.  As Beth wrestles with her past and ponders her future, readers will hope for a happy ending.

This Christmas, I will be decking my halls with sleigh bells!

I have a complimentary copy to give away from Multnomah Press!  If you'd like to enter (chosen at random), please tell me what will deck your halls this season....and leave an email address where you can be reached!  This giveaway will end on Friday, Oct. 23, at midnight.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

The Best Teacher

"The best teacher, until one comes to adult pupils, is not the one who knows most, but the one who is most capable of reducing knowledge to that simple compound of the obvious and the wonderful which slips into the infantile comprehension.  A man of high intelligence, perhaps, may accomplish the thing by a conscious intellectual feat.  But it is vastly easier to the man (or woman) whose habits of mind are naturally on the plane of a child's.  The best teacher of children, in brief, is one who is essentially childlike."

H.L Mencken, journalist...from Teachers Are Special

Happy Day

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about?  It just makes me feel glad to be alive---it's such an interesting world.  It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it?  There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"  

Anne of Green Gables

Book Nook: "Sing Them Home"

 WOW.  Seriously, wow!  This book grabbed me from the first page and did not let go.  Stephanie Kallos has crafted characters who are complex, yet believable.  The story bridges a transforming event from 1978 with the present day experiences of the main characters.  The reader's questions are answered in journal entries, written by a mother who comes to life through her words.  

Her circumstances resonated with me because she has multiple sclerosis, although she is caught in a time when MS had no disease-modifying drugs.  I have never been so thankful for the medicine that I inject on a weekly basis. 

Looking for a book that you can sink your teeth into this summer?  Here it is...

Sing Them Home

Book Nook~I 'Rock The Drop'

To participate on April 16, leave a young adult novel in a public place!  Book plates can be found at the readergirlz site.  Authors and readers plan to drop 8,000 books in support of Teen Literature Day!

Book Nook~"Mrs. Spitzer's Garden"

Coffee and books:  a perfect match!

Amazon is one of my hunting grounds when I'm lesson planning.  

Mrs. Spitzer's Garden is on my list for next week's garden theme in PreK.

Mrs. Spitzer is a Kindergarten teacher with a fabulous classroom.  Each year, the principal gives her a "pack of seeds" to plant and nurture.  She knows that each seed will require unique conditions to thrive and she sets out to give them what they need to succeed.

This is a perfect end-of-the-year teacher gift, especially if your family is graduating from Kindergarten!  

The watercolor illustrations are relaxed and colorful, adding to the gentle spirit of the story.

*****Five stars!  And, added to my Wishlist!

Sharing Smiles & A Quote

From There's No Place Like Here by Cecelia Ahern~~~
"At moments when life is at its worst there are two things that you can do:
1) break down, lose hope, and refuse to go on while lying facedown on the ground banging your fists and
kicking your legs, or
2) laugh.

I happily share these smiles with you!

BigBro allowed me to give him some MamaLove on Thanksgiving!

BabyDoll gives Uncle Andrew a sweet smile. His response to her made me want to have another baby!
(not happenin')

LilBro's blue eyes were glowing on our Christmas voyage. Yes, they really are that blue!

Books Contain Zero Calories

I have been feasting on books! Fiona Neill's Slummy Mummy contained this juicy morsel:
(Lucy is speaking--she is the mummy, Fred is her preschool-aged child)
"I shut my eyes and breathed in the smell of the soft skin of Fred's neck, the soft fleshy part underneath the long curls at the back of his head that I can't bear to cut because they represent the last vestiges of babyhood. He giggled, because it tickled, but allowed me my moment of wistfulness. He smelled of a sweet blend of clean pajamas, soap, and the unsullied pureness of recently washed toddler, and I felt myself melt. Waves of nostalgia for the baby he will never be again swept over me, and for a moment I thought I might cry. Sometimes it is a question of getting through the days, but then from nowhere come those moments that you want to preserve forever."

{Sidenote: I'm watching "Notes From The Underbelly" online and Julie just revealed that she has a video diary dedicated to her new baby. Her friends think this is worthy of 'most embarrassing moment'. lol!}

Over the holidays, I met my niece. She is gorgeous, adorable, inquisitive, delightful, and many more adjectives! When she leaned toward me, from her mommy's arms, I would receive one swift hug before she again looked for mommy. At 10 months, she is the perfect size for cuddling.

As mothers, do we ever lose the need to give and receive comfort through an embrace? Will my arms always fell just a little bit empty? I'm not complaining---my children are, for the most part, first-class-snugglers. But, the solid weight of a baby, nestled in my arms, brings a unique joy.

If you have a passage to share regarding motherhood, or a sweet memory, add your comment!