I am Brave ( book review and giveaway)

  I appreciate a good, motivating book for myself.  One I can look at for inspiration, answers and even jot notes in.  A book I can come back to and see how I have grown as a person and grown in my faith.  I was extremely excited to be given the opportunity to provide my daughter with an age appropriate book offering her the same opportunity.

  I am Brave by Thomas Nelson is a book geared to 8-12 year old girls.  Its a great book that helps girls growing in their faith and following God.  This book encourages the reader with various prompts to include questions and quizzes.  A little food for thought in determining a better situation, another perspective or an end result of FUN.

  There is a Brave Girl series which I was only aware of after this book but, all the girls are introduced in this book and a picture of them on each page.  After reading about all of them you feel a little more connected and familiar with the characters as they grace the pages throughout the book.

  My daughter found this book to be a great addition to her book collection.  She is able to read and follow the directions.  She is leaving her mark on the pages as she answers them according to her at the present time.  It will be fun to look back on when shes older.

 The pages also contain verses and prayers and she is able to reflect on this during her day.  This book provides her with a window of positive reinforcement!

  This book is available for purchase on Amazon here.  Perfect for a holiday gift, birthday or just because!

 Of course purchasing the book is a given after you have tried your luck with the giveaway here!  If you win just think of it as 2 for the price of 1!

  I was provided this book complimentary for review purposes but all opinions and comments are my own.

The Tiny Truths (book review and giveaway)

  Once upon a time there was a story.  A story that is not easy to read as a child but, just as important and holds great stories and words of wisdom that a child too should read and hear about.  The Tiny Truths by Joanna Rivard and Tim Penner is that such book. 

 This book is an easy to read condensed bible for kids.  It offers great and fun illustrations as well as stories we grew up listening to as a child.  This book is over 200 pages in length but includes the Old and New Testament.

What was your favorite story as a child?  

The snake and the apple?

The ark?

How big was that fish?

The story of Jesus?

All these stories and more are included in this illustrated bible.  The pictures are so fun and inviting for children.  This bible was an easy read for my child.  She appreciates being able to grab a book, find a corner and read to herself.  She also loves when she hears a familiar story at church; one that's shes already read or is familiar with.

Now is your chance for this book to become part of your home collection.  Enter the giveaway here!

I was provided this book complimentary for review purposes and all opinions are my own. 

Devotions book with a Flip (review)

  I read a variety of books and love to add some motivating books into the mix to keep me going.  God plus motivation makes for a good read.

  I just recently finished my complimentary copy of Always Enough Never Too Much by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan.  This book is full of devotions to encourage you to quit comparing and be comfortable with where you are and even who you are.

  This book offers a fun spin in reading it's contents by offering 50 devotions then requiring you to flip the book and reading the other 50.

 The Always Enough side will help you when your feeling insecure. It provides a reminder from Jesus and everything starts with even if or even when.  For example even when you feel behind or even when you feel stuck.

 The Never Too Much devotions work on soothing you if your too emotional. Take this inspiration to use how you were created by God.  Even when you're busy or even if you have a ton of kids.

 Each author takes turns providing a peek into their life and then justify the path that was followed, accepting what was done and accepting the faults or the individual experience.  I like that it's pointed out that God has made us unique and each of our lives is not a carbon copy.  It's comforting to know God uses us to change us.

  This was a great book.  I don't highlight my books because I hate to write in them but, if I did there would be a lot of highlights in this book.

Enter here for your chance to win a copy of this book!


  This review is my personal opinion. All comments are my own and honest.

Born to Wander (review)

  Where are you going? Where have you been?  Born to Wander by Michelle Van Loon will take you on a path reflecting on your own journey.  I was provided this book complimentary for review purposes and all opinions are my own.

  I found this book easy to read and enjoy.

This book wandered with me everywhere including the pool until I was done with it!

This book contains 11 chapters including questions after each chapter encouraging you to consider what you read, your current life situation and ending with a prayer.  

Some chapters may mean more to you then others.  I had a few similarities with the author.  Each chapter titled gives you an appropriate taste of what you will read.  

Chapter 1: Uprooted

Chapter 2: Sent

Chapter 3: Waylaid

Chapter 4: Displaced

Etc........

We wander all the time.  Not just moving from one home to another but, in our jobs, with our friends and sometimes from one church to another.

Some moves may have been on purpose others on accident or coincidentally but, it's natural to wander.  We are in charge of our own happiness and in searching for the best fit, the happy life, satisfaction we wander.

The author adds an appropriate passage from the Bible or a story not just her own of a particular scenario to bring relevance to the chapter.

A copy of Born to Wander could be yours! Enter the giveaway

here.

This would be a perfect book for your small group book club.  Use the questions provided in the back for group discussion.  Wandering is so natural and common that this is a book anyone can read and walk away from with a different perspective.

  I felt this was a great book and as stated earlier all opinions and comments are my own.

Gun Love (book review)

  A book is never just a book.  What makes you select a book? The cover? The summary? The author?  Every once and awhile I step outside of my comfort zone and choose an unknown book. A surprise book.

  My surprise book was Gun Love by Jennifer Clement.  Read more about the author here.

  The story centers around a single mom (Margot) raising her daughter (Pearl) out of a car parked at a trailer park in Florida.  The community of neighbors are definitely some characters to say the least.   In the story you follow the mom and daughters daily routine their interaction with the neighbors and you get an idea of their environment they live in to include the trailer park and their car.

    She left home young with good intentions to raise her daughter better then she had been raised but also knew living in the car was not much better.  Life in a car went years unnoticed or rectified.  It made me think of how many things do I just walk by because it's been the same for so long.

  I enjoyed all the descriptive details.  There was a two headed alligator, a blue opals ring, and even barbie dolls buried up to their heads! I think the author did a amazing job creating a picture for the whole book.


  I enjoyed the book, the ending was not my favorite but, you win some and you lose some.  This book without being labeled as a true story could so easily be the life of anyone.

   It's a book that will make you think. Not about what you can do necessarily but a book to make you appreciate your present situation.  Or maybe it is a book that encourages you to open your eyes and see where you can help.  To learn more about this book or for purchase information check here.

   I received this book complimentary for review purposes from Blogging for Books and the review and opinions stated are my own.
 

Girlboss (book review)

  On my journey to read 50 books for the year I want to pause and tell you how much I appreciated #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso!  She is the founder and CEO of NastyGal. Nasty Gal really meant nothing to me before (I hope I'm not the only one) I read the book but, while reading it and hearing the story of how it was born I had to check it out.

    I picked up this book due to the popularity around it (Instagram). After waiting a few weeks on the wait list at my library it was mine.  It is an easy read and I finished it in a day! Easy to finish in one day (if you didn't have my kids, have to cook, be responsible for long periods of time).

  The book is broken down into 11 chapters ranging from how she began, to how she survived to owning her individuality.  She provides her perspective!

Now that you mention it.  I bet money does look better on the bank but, to confirm that I'm going to have to try it first! Is it a certain amount or any amount?

Take care of your business. Don't worry about what someone else is doing.  Sophia says, "Fight for your idea.  Take the spirit with you to whatever job you're doing!" P.S. I like this quote she has from Abraham Lincoln (even though after research I couldn't confirm it).  The thought of the word hustle beginning back then makes me laugh.

I know we could look up motivational quotes online but, it's just better to find them randomly and appropriately placed in this book.  The make just as much as an impact as her encouraging words.

If I owned this book I would have highlighted many passages (there is a workbook though).  I have no desire to be an entrepreneur or run a company in any capacity but, I am walking away from this book feeling better having read it.  

I haven't gotten a chance to watch the series on Netflix yet (as suggested) but, I will.  It would be nice to see the lady behind the book.  I would actually go to stand in line for a meet and greet!

Do you believe in magic? 

It's OK (by me)

It's that time again. A time to reflect on what we did a little less then perfect but, who cares!  Shake it off! It's ok! I'm going to play along with airingmylaundry today as I tell you what items/events/activities are OK by me.

Check out her latest post here.

This week I'm OK that I missed the Oscar's.  Whether the movie won an award or the actor or actress won I will see it if it interests me.

  Im OK that it has rained here for days, and when the sun comes up its cold.  This is March just making a statement.  I'm happy the flowers are hanging in there!

  I'm OK that after filling out several applications for a job I will be lucky if one person calls but, that just means the other jobs were not meant to be.

  I'm OK that the new book I'm reading #Girlboss is better then I thought! I don't have the desire to be my own boss but her words are motivating beyond that title.  She offers encouragement to think more of yourself and do more with yourself.

  I'm OK that the scale has not changed in regards to my weight because I can see the fit of my clothes is better. My muscle tone is increasing and my but has got a couple compliments too!

  First full week of March! New month! Almost spring!  What are you OK with?

Week 6 Recap

  Well I knew the week was going to be hit or miss no matter the effort I put in.  My goals did help me stay positive and a little more focused which kept me with something to do other then unnecessary stress.

Goals for last week were:

1. Mealprep.

I did pretty good in that department.  I used leftovers from last week and added an egg and corn to the mix.

2. Hydration will always be a goal whether I write it down or not.  I have added a daily cup of hot tea to my morning so I'm getting a little more in but the 5 I strive for last week is not sticking.

3.  I am still on book four but have about a 100 pages left.  Girl on the Train will be finished soon!

4. I have done my best with engaging more with my followers on some some social channels and would like to increase that and continue.  

5. Pitch!  I actually did pitch a couple people for collaborations and am waiting back to hear from them.  I'm excited to continue trying to work with more brands in the future.

Week 3 Recap

  I hit all my goals this week!  Yeah for being so productive but, that doesn't always happen which is why I'm celebrating.  You have to celebrate the small things.  Even if I only completed one thing I would have said good job and rolled over the other items.

1. I finished and start a new book! I am now onto book number 3.

  So far it's starting out good which always makes reading a book easy, right?!

2. My new recipe of the week was Swedish Meatballs. 

They were ok.  I didn't make the meatballs by hand so I cheated a bit but, I wanted a little more flavor so I will try again.


3. I have a few posts figured out for next week.  That's good enough for me.  Having a direction is better then not.

4. The nails did get painted as well.

A little gold for the week!

5. Lastly my fitness goal was met.  I wanted 15 cardio miles.  With inside lap miles, my job, the elliptical and the spin bike my miles were over 40 miles.  For 2 days of cardio machines I did 15 miles alone. 

I'm going to need to up that numbers!

  Overall my goals weren't that hard but not all goals have to be.  Goals just have to be something you work on accomplishing.  The meal was a benefit for my family.  The book, nails, fitness and blog were for me! 

  Maybe I will work on adding goals for specific reasons or people.  A new week is coming and there's nothing else to do but get ready for it.

30 Days to Peace (book review)

  What do you look for in a book?  A good plot?  Does it need to be a mystery?  Are you just a fan of the author?  Do you read only a specific genre?  What do you think about adult coloring books?  What defines a book? 

  I have read a lot of books this year.  More then I read last year and hopefully I will read more next year.  You can get so much from a book.  Information, relaxation, spiritual direction and self-help.

  30 Days To Peace is a self help book but, also a device you can use to document your life.  Although this book is only a peek at 30 days it's fun and inspirational.  Each day guides you in a different objective.

  The other pages have bible passages as well as motivating quotes.  Taking a peek at these before I start my day gave me a little more spark for my day.  Then ending my day with the prompt worked great for me.  A time to reflect before and after my day made this a good 30 days.

  This was a nice book and I enjoyed the concept.  It would make a nice gift for anyone as everyone could take a little time out and reflect on their day.  Finding peace in their day, in their space and in their daily routines.

  You can find out more about this book and find out where to purchase it here.


  I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  All opinions are my own.

Big Little Lies (book review)

  I just finished my 5th book of the year.  It was Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.  This was the second book of hers that I have read.  She has a knack for storytelling.  She has a special way of giving you a little bit and pulls you through the majority of a book with just little bits until you get to the peak of the story.

  I find this tactic very challenging.  It makes reading a book very hard for me.  I desperately hold on trying to get to who, what, where and when.  In both books it was worth the wait but it was a challenge to get past nonetheless.

  The story circles around 3 women with different lifestyles, backgrounds and relationships.  There's Jane the single mom new to the posh area looking for new beginnings and future lazy beach days. Madeline someone can appreciate hard work and education.  A mom remarried and finding balance with your ex husband and his new family at your child's school.  Lastly Celeste whom is the lady everyone wants to be.  Wakes up perfect everyday, has the best house husband and a set of twins.

  The story is filled with a swarm of kindergarten moms who actually behave worse then their kids.  Who said their weren't clicks as an adult?  These ladies support each other, encourage each other and backstab and murder for each other.

  Overall I liked the book and would say it was a nice read but I hated the drawn out process.  I just wanted to get to the point.  The author has a fun dialogue with other characters in the book and once I caught on I could see how the book was going to continue so expectations were controlled but I would have like more information prior to the climax of the story.

  Have you read this book?  Did you enjoy it?

Book Clubs

  Let's talk about a book club for a minute.  I know they have been around for years but, I only just recently joined one.  I saw a book that I had previously saw a movie for and it was the upcoming topic of a book club at my local library.

  This book club was meeting at a local trail to take a walk and discuss Wild.

photo credit to NY Times

I think it was a combination of the movie that I liked, the book I never read and a trail I hadn't hiked before caught my attention to join this club.  I read the book and showed up at the trail but the mosquitoes were out in full force and it was the 1st day of hunting.  The hike was canceled and we met at a local restaurant for discussion.

The next book was selected around the Halloween theme.

Photo credit to Amazon

This was the first time reading this book but, the author had written a piece I had read in highschool.  When I talked about this book I was surprised with how many people were familiar with it.  We met at a local teahouse and disused the book over hot cups of tea and a light lunch.

Over the holidays she just a winter themed book.

                   Photo credit to Amazon 

  This book discussion was to meet at the train station museum.  However due to bad weather that weekend this meeting was canceled.  I was looking forward to this as I had not been to that particular museum before.

Our most recent meeting took place this weekend.  We met at the library for an activity and to discuss the latest book.

For this event we discussed The Goldfinch and the previous book that we were not able to discuss.  For this event we painted our own goldfinch.  The host had already had the picture on our boards so we just got to paint and talk.

  I have never belonged to a book club but this has been a great experience.  It has allowed me to be part of a group, helped me make time to read, have adult time and read books I never would have tried before.

  Our next book has been decided but I can't remember at the moment what it is called.  I look forward to reading it and taking that journey that only a book can give you.

  What's the last book you have read?  Have you ever belonged to a book club before?