Around the Web, a New Jelly Telly Post, and a Giveaway!

• I have a new blog up of at Club Jelly Telly today … all about taking a deep breath as we are gearing up for the beginning of a new school year and remember who is the one worthy of our trust when we get anxious. Read more here.

• Doesn’t this look like a fun little online workshop? And, if you blog about it, it’s free! So there you go. I’ve recently found Edie’s blog (Life {in} Grace) and wish I had tons of time to dig around her archives and get to know her better.

• I’ve been perusing a few of my favorite posts from Elizabeth Foss and Kendra Fletcher and trying to fire myself up for school this year. This is a busy season in our house with a VERY active 2 going on 3 year old boy and I am in need of encouragement for me and a few ideas in my pocket to keep this boy out of trouble and busy while we do school. If you aren’t subscribed to these two blogs (or at least making generous use of their archives) you need to be.
• As a fun little back-to-school treat for you, the few and faithful that read here, I’ve got a giveaway. (I don’t know the last time I’ve had one of those!) I’ve got an extra unopened copy of Volume 1 of What’s in the Bible that I’d love to mail to a new home. If you are interested, leave a comment on this post by Friday afternoon and I’ll draw a winner. (Make sure you leave me an email with your comment so I know how to track you down.) For one extra entry, you can facebook or tweet about this giveaway, and then leave me a comment with the link. Good luck!

This contest is closed - congrats Tami!

Winner of A Simpler Season

Congrats to my in-real-life friend, Mills! Comment #3 was chosen by random.org so I'll be emailing you a copy of a A Simpler Season today, my friend!

Review ::: A Simpler Season by Life as Mom

I have been a follower of the blog Life as Mom, written by Jessica Fisher, for some time now and I am excited to share a review and giveaway today from her blog!
Several summers ago I purchased a copy of her e-book, Summer Survival Guide, and it has been one of my favorite resources. By the time summer rolls around, this homeschool mama is t.i.r.e.d. and ready for a break. And planning summer activities for my kids … makes this air-conditioning lover tired. : ) Her e-book was a huge help the last two summer, giving me some creative ideas and encouragement when I was needing a little mental help.
Because I enjoyed her summer book so much, when she published her newest e-book, A Simpler Season, I snatched that one up as well. Written to encourage and inspire as you plan for the holiday season for your family, Jessica has created an e-book full of suggestions and worksheets to help you plan a simple and meaningful holiday. She helps you think through what traditions are important and what expectations you need to let go of for your family for the year and season of life. There are monthly planning calendars, budget sheets, recipes, and many other planning forms that can printed and used year after year.
You can purchase the book directly from her site here or as a Kindle e-book here (the printable pages are not included in the Kindle version but you can buy them as a packet on her site). And, for the fun part, I have a copy of A Simpler Season to give away!
To be entered in the giveaway, please leave a comment with an email. If I don’t have a way to contact you, I will draw another winner. The contest will be open until next Tuesday, November 13, at which time I’ll close the comments and draw a winner. If you can’t wait to see if you win, Jessica has a sale on the e-book through this Saturday (the 10th) – enter the code SIMPLER3 and get $3 off.
I purchased my own copy of A Simpler Season and had read and loved it before I was sent a copy to review. All opinions are my own and I haven’t been compensated in any way for this review, although I have been given a copy to giveaway.

Comments are now closed. Random.org picked comment #3 - congratulations Mills!

Shutterfly Coupon Winners

Thank you to those who commented on the Shutterfly card giveaway! According to random.org, my three numbers were

#1 - Diane
#5 - Pattie
#7 - Erin

Emails will be going out to the winners momentarily! Enjoy!

Celebrating April Fool's with Reading to Know!

My friend Carrie is anxiously (and I do mean anxiously) awaiting the arrival of her third baby! To make the time pass more quickly she is having a whole slew of giveaways today on her blog, Reading to Know! Her blog is a favorite of mine as we are very like-minded in our reading.

Carrie ... praying that Bookworm3 makes her arrival very, very soon, if not today!!

Creation Camouflage ::: A Review & Giveaway!

As a review for Download N Go, I was recently given the opportunity to try out Creation Camouflage with our first grader. This is another excellent study - especially if you have a student that is a huge animal or nature lover like our Noelle is. (The giveaway info is at the bottom of this post!)

It is laid out like other DNG studies - five days of work that is extremely interactive. There are videos to watch on the computer, small lapbook elements to put together and fill out, large areas where your student can draw, and tons of facts to learn about these animals. And, again, what I have loved about these studies before, you can do as much or as little as you want with your student depending on their age and abilities!

I thought I would show a little how we put our study together when we do them. I usually buy a stack of three-prong folders at the beginning of the school year when they are super cheap. Whatever pages I want us to work on for the study are printed off and put in the folder. Then I have the pockets to store our lapbook-elements-in-process and any coloring pages or sheets that we will need.

This is our cover:

You can see our materials inside the folder. On the left are some in-process pages and lapbook elements.

One of the interior pages that we have completed. There are some fill-in-the-blanks on the left, and on the right a little project where she was to assign each animal to the day of creation that God made it. I love how God's hand in creation is woven through this study!

Here are a couple of our lapbook elements we have completed and glued on the back.

Well, almost completed. : ) We were sidelined by strep this week and will be finishing this more slowly than anticipated!

All-in-all, this was another great study from Download-N-Go that I highly recommend. And now for the giveaway info!

If you would like to win a copy of Creation Camouflage, please leave me a comment (making SURE I have your email address). I will draw for a winner next Thursday, December 23. If you can't wait that long, the Download N Go store has Creation Camouflage on sale for $5.95 through December 18. They also currently have a contest here for some very cool National Geographic tree frog mouse pads.

Winner of Summer Sensations

Congratulations to Karen who won a copy of Summer Sensations! Hope you enjoy it!

Bloggy Review ::: Tabernacle Model

In my constant nesting and purging state that I'm in, I've found what is hopefully the last book review book that I've missed hiding among my shelves! This copy of Tabernacle Model was sent to me by Kregal Publications in a bundle of Christmas books last winter and is woefully behind a review post. (My apologies to Kregal for forgetting about it!)

This book starts with the history of Jews during the time of Abraham and Moses specifically, up through God's instructions on how the tabernacle should be built. The pages are full of excellent illustrations (Stephanie, the illustrator is from Siloam Springs!) that are full of detail and color - just beautiful! There are also wonderful photographs of replicas of the furnishings that were included inside the tabernacle - the Table of Showbread, the laver where the priests washed, etc. Next is a section on what the tabernacle was for as well as brief descriptions of the different festivals and sacrifices that occured there. Lastly, there is a history of the tabernacle - how Israel carried it all through the wilderness and it's eventual capture by the Philistines.

However, what caught my eye with this book is that there is a cardboard scale model of the tabernacle that you can assemble with your kids! What a fun visual this would be for elementary and middle school students after you have spent time discussing the tabernacle. The book is recommended for ages 4-8, however, I think it would be better suited to a mid-elementary all the way up to a 6th or 7th grade. (I could read it to my 4yo right now, but it would be WAY over her head.)

Again, my apologies to Kregal for the lateness of this review! Two thumbs up on this excellent resource!

Bloggy Review ::: Download N Go Summer Sensations

I was recently sent a copy of one of Download N Go's recent releases, Summer Sensations, to review and giveaway on the blog. We have used this study this week and have had a great time with it! 

Download N Go has a lapbook / unit study for all four seasons and these are some of my favorite to do with my new 1st grader. We have spent time this week talking about the seasons in general and why and how they change, and some of the fun things that only come around once a year when it is summertime ... like special cold treats and certain activities!

Interspersed throughout the unit study, are short videos that can be viewed. These make for a great little visual break for both mom and student. While I wouldn't want to do a whole curriculum based around a video, a three minute animated video on the earth's rotation has given both me and Noelle some visual examples as we learn about the changing seasons and why it is so HOT here right now! : ) There are also lapbook elements that you can add as you want to enhance your study. Because Download N Go has an age range of K - 4th grade, some of these are more appropriate for older students than younger and vice verse, but I like the flexibility of having them there if I want to do them.

Below is the information from Download N Go that will give a little more of an overview of the study and at the end of this post, you can find out how you can win a copy of this unit study for your own family.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Introducing the newest title in the Download N Go™ line ... SUMMER SENSATIONS!
Turn school into . . .    cool!

Make a splash to start the new school year --

Your child will investigate how seasons change, what summer is all about, how shadows work, why trees are important in the summertime, and yummy--discover some history about snow cones and ice cream!

And it's a great time to seize many of those cool summery interests that your kids are intrigued with.

Day 1: What is Summer?
Day 2: Science Secrets of Summer
Day 3: People and Places of Summer
Day 4: Time for Tips and Treasures of Summer
Day 5: Goodies and Surprises of Summer

Exciting changes abound for kids of all ages to experience, so why not take all of their pent-up excitement and enthusiasm and put it to good use as they dive right into learning about summer and all that it holds?

It's time to watch the trees grow and enjoy their shade, feel the hot temperatures, take a plunge in the water, and enjoy a slower pace of life as summer spreads through the neighborhood.

There's an additional Learning Links page, and all lapbook components are ready to print and go!
Want to read more about Summer Sensations? Go here. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

How to win a copy of this study for your family ....


1. Leave a comment on this blog post (making sure to leave an email so I can contact you ... no email, no win).

2. For a second entry, tweet about this giveaway. You can cut and paste the following, and then come back and leave me a comment that you have tweeted it.

@stephanieshep is giving away a copy of Download N Go's Summer Sensations lapbook! http://bit.ly/bPowXN

3. And for a bonus third entry, if you are subscribed to my blog's feed or a follower, then leave a comment for a third entry.


I'll close comments and draw a winner next Friday, August 20.


Summer Sensations isn't available to purchase individually ... only as a bonus when you purchase a DNG bundle. You can find more information about some of current specials below:


Back-to-Homeschool Sale, July 30 – August 15:

• Autumn Treasures 50% off
• Summer Sensations free with every bundle purchase
• 20% off every bundle purchase

Also Expedition China will be offered at 50% off regular price August 6 – 13 http://downloadngo.com/ExpeditionChina.php. 


Good luck!


Comments are now closed.


I was provided a copy of this unit study in exchange for an honest review of our experience with it.

Download N Go Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered my Download N Go giveaway. I had fun reviewing and sharing these two units, and how much we have enjoyed them! I numbered the comments in the order I received them, and the winner of their choice of a Download N Go study is:

Congratulations, Shelley! Shelley, let me know which study you want, and we'll get that sent to you!

Thanks again to those who played along. : )

If you haven't stopped by and entered my giveaway to win your pick of one of the unit studies from Download N Go you have just a few more days! (You can leave a comment here and here for two chance to win). Just to whet your appetite even a bit more, DNG just released their titles for Fall 2010 and it looks like there are some great ones coming in a few months!

Chocolate Challenge
Lewis & Clark
Goofy Gecko
Expedition Africa
Rocking Robots
Roller Coasters
Terrific Tigers 

Constitution Celebration
Tremendous Trees 

Astonishing Animals
Expedition Canada
Creation Camouflage
Magnificent Moon
Hoppin’ Popcorn
Prairie Pioneers
Crazy Cartoons
Crunchy Cookies
Expedition Israel
Handsome Horses

Bloggy Review ::: Download N Go Whale Tales

This is post #2 where I will be reviewing one of Amanda Bennett's Download N Go unit studies! 

Back in January, I blogged about Amanda Bennett's unit studies and how much N1 and I were enjoying them with our school. I've recently received two of her Download N Go unit studies to review and there will be a fun giveaway, too. : ) These studies are geared for a K - 4th grade age range and while we haven't attempted to do everything in the study, there have been plenty of questions and prompts to discuss and learn about. My favorite part of these unit studies is the extensive book list that is provided! At the beginning of each unit, there is a list of close to 40 books you can look for at your local library (or purchase) that talk about the subject of the unit. For us, that has been a great help especially as we spend so much of our day doing read-aloud right now. 

And now, Whale Tales!! From the press release:

Each day for 5 days, your students will meet and learn about a different whale and enjoy creative lapbooking fun. There are science discoveries, such as learning about whale and human anatomy, and history investigations, learning about Creation and the Bible story of Jonah. Geography lessons will introduce the oceans making the study of whales quite interesting! Plus there are writing prompts, crafts, games, a wonderful choice of books to complement this study, and many coloring/activity pages.

 

And now, for the giveaway ... leave a comment on this post for a chance to win your choice of a Download N Go unit study! This is the 2nd post that I will be taking comments on. (If you haven't left a comment on this post, you are welcome to go back and leave a comment (so you have two chances to win.) Two requests:

1. Take a minute to hop over to the Download N Go page at The Old Schoolhouse Store and tell me which unit study is the one you would like to win. (You are free to change your mind and pick another one if you do win!)

2. Also, please make sure that you leave an email address when you leave a comment. No email address = no way to contact you = no win.

Good luck! We have really enjoyed some of these studies this year and I'm excited to be sharing one of these studies with one of you! The contest will close on June 8 and I'll draw a winner from the combined comments on the Download N Go posts.

Disclaimer: I received this study courtesy of the LitFuse Publicity Group and have received no monetary compensation. The contest is entirely of my own doing and not affiliated with any other group or organization.

More Download N Go Information

THE PRIZE:

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and Amanda Bennett Unit Studies have teamed up to celebrate the successful launch of Download N Go™ with a Sweet Treat Prize Package in The Adventure Begins ... Giveaway!

They're offering one lucky winner the SWEET chance to go EXPLORING this FALL!

The entire FALL curriculum lineup of Download N Go™ (Wow! That's 19 studies!).

A $25 gift certificate to Baskin-Robbins (yummy ice cream).

A $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com (for those back-to-school supplies).

A $15 gift certificate to Starbucks Coffee (a special treat just for the teacher).

A full year's subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine (encouragement and resources all year long).

A "sweet" blue and brown Homeschooling With Heart tote bag (THE must-have accessory for FALL!).

ENTER HERE!

For more information just click on the icon above! Contest will run May 24 and through June 12!


Also, DNG has decided to offer a coupon code for 20% off multiple packs of the DNG units! Wow - 20%. The code is: DNG20PKS - just use that code at check out and receive 20% off any multiple pack purchase!

Bloggy Review ::: Download N Go Davy Crockett!

Back in January, I blogged about Amanda Bennett's unit studies and how much N1 and I were enjoying them with our school. I've recently received two of her Download N Go unit studies to review and there will be a fun giveaway, too, so make sure and hang in there to the end of this post. : ) These studies are geared for a K - 4th grade age range. As N1 was in K this year, we haven't attempted to do everything in the studies, however, there have been plenty of questions and prompts to discuss and learn about. My favorite part of these unit studies is the extensive book list that is provided! At the beginning of each unit, there is a list of close to 40 books you can look for at your local library (or purchase) that talk about the subject of the unit. For us, that has been a great help especially as we spend so much of our day doing read-aloud right now. 

First up, Davy Crockett! From the press release:

Davy Crockett will delightedly bring plenty of interesting stories to your family and encourage lively discussion in your household!

Students will travel with Davy from his early frontier life in Tennessee through his heroic efforts at the Alamo, investigating these daily objectives filled with high-interest fun in an interactive format:

· Day 1: Who Was Davy Crockett?
· Day 2: People and Places in Davy Crockett's Life
· Day 3: Science Secrets of the Frontier
· Day 4: Lessons to Learn From Davy Crockett
· Day 5: Remembering Davy Crockett 


There's an additional Learning Links page, and all lapbook components are ready to print and go! There's even a Davy Crockett timeline!

Integrated studies include: History, Spelling, Geography, Vocabulary, Literature, Writing, Science and Art!

As we finished up our school year last week, we did a few of the activities about Davy Crockett. How fun to find out that this American hero was born in our home state! We learned a little about Davy, a little about Tennessee, and made sure to listen to the theme song from the Disney movie about Davy Crockett. Had we continued with the study, we would have spent some time learning about Texas and Davy's adventures at the Alamo as well. A great character study of an American legend!

And now, for the giveaway ... leave a comment on this post for a chance to win your choice of a Download N Go unit study! I'll take comments on this post, and there will be a second post next week when I highlight another unit study and you can comment on that post, too (so you have two chances to win - I am only giving away ONE unit study.) : )

Two requests:

1. Take a minute to hop over to the Download N Go page at The Old Schoolhouse Store and tell me which unit study is the one you would like to win. (You are free to change your mind and pick another one if you do win!)

2. Also, please make sure that you leave an email address when you leave a comment - no email address = no way to contact you = no win.

Good luck! This contest isn't limited to just homeschoolers, by the way! If you see a unit that you think would make a fun summer project for your kids, feel free to enter! Watch for a second Download N Go review next week and another chance to win one of these great studies! The contest will close on June 8 and I'll draw a winner from the combined comments on the Download N Go posts.

Disclaimer: I received this study courtesy of the LitFuse Publicity Group and have received no monetary compensation. The contest is entirely of my own doing and not affiliate with any other group or organization.

Multi-book Giveaway: Treasured / God Gave Us You / God Gave Us Christmas

I was recently provided these three books for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group and they were generous enough to provide me with an extra copy of each to give away! Take a look at the books below and leave a comment if you are interested in winning a copy. (I'll be giving them away as a group so if you win, you win all three). Please make sure that I have an email address for you if you enter to win. I'll close comments and draw a winner on Wednesday, December 9.

Treasured: Cigar boxes. Refrigerator doors. Scrapbooks and sock drawers and top shelves. These are the places we store our treasures–the keepsakes that tell the story of whom and what we’ve loved, how we’ve lived, and what matters most to us. God is a collector, too, whose treasures are tucked securely into the pages of his book: a golden bell here, an olive leaf there, a scarlet thread, a blood-stained cloth, a few grains of barley. Each of these saved artifacts reveals a facet of his heart and tells the story of a Father whose most precious possession is…us.
In Treasured, Leigh McLeroy considers tangible reminders of God’s active presence and guides us in discovering evidence in our own lives of his attentive love.

God Gave Us Love: As Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, the young polar bear begins to question why we must love others… even the seemingly unlovable. In answering her questions, Grampa Bear gives tender explanations that teach Little Cub about the different kinds of love that is shared between families, friends, and mamas and papas. Grampa explains that all these kinds of love come from God and that it is important to love others because… “Any time we show love, Little Cub, we’re sharing a bit of his love.” This sweet tale will warm the hearts of young children as they learn about all the different sorts of love, while the gentle explanations of each provide a valuable opportunity to encourage children to share with others a “God-sized love.”

God Gave Us Christmas: As Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear begins to wonder… “Who invented Christmas?” Mama’s answer only leads to more questions like “Is God more important than Santa?” So she and Little Cub head off on a polar expedition to find God and to see how he gave them Christmas. Along the way, they find signs that God is at work all around them. Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns about the very first Christmas and discovers that… Jesus is the best present of all. This enchanting tale provides the perfect opportunity to help young children celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and to discover how very much God loves them.

My thoughts on these books: Treasured is a very interesting book. It takes things (objects) that we see throughout Scripture (for example, an olive branch) and uses that to explain why God treasures it and what we are to learn from it. A little different perspective on some of the symbols of our faith that we see throughout the Scriptures.

The two books by Lisa Bergren, God Gave Us Love and God Gave Us Christmas are in the same vein as her God Gave Us You and God Gave Us Two books. (My girls ADORE her God Gave Us You book.) I'll admit that I didn't find these two books quite as enchanting as her others that we have already read, they are very sweet. My girls love the sweet polar bear cub and the way the Mama Bear (and the Grandpa Bear) explain things is well-done.

Remember to leave a comment if you are interested in winning a copy of all three of these books. :)

Winner of Choosing Gratitude

The winner of my extra copy of Nancy DeMoss's Choosing Gratitude was Stephanie from Stephanie's Mommy Brain. Congratulations!

And, if you didn't win and would still like a copy of the book ... you can buy it here.

Choosing Gratitude by Nancy DeMoss (Giveaway)

I was recently sent a copy of this book and have to admit that I'm a little scared to really dive into it. Nancy DeMoss tackles the subject of gratitude and joy in her new book Choosing Gratitude. This book takes on more than just being thankful for things ... a topic that is especially prevalent at this time of the year. This is deep thankfulness and gratitude for every situation that we are, including (especially) that suffering that is in each of our lives.

I see situations like this in mine and my friends' lives right now:

~ watching a family member grow sicker and sicker.

~ a wife watching her husband sign papers. She never, ever anticipated divorce.

~ the child with a genetic illness. Right now, things are okay, but it won't always be that way.

~ the burden of unsaved family members.

~ the job that doesn't come after so many prayers.

Ms. DeMoss understands that it is hard to hold on to gratitude ... "hard to find joy when you are looking in mind-bending pain or heart-wrenching disappointment." Those words there that I quoted? That's Joni Erikson Tada - a woman who most of are well-aware of and can't even fathom the life that she lives daily in a wheelchair as a quadrapalegic. (And she has lived that way since she was an older teen.) Joni writes the foreword to this book, and if she says that Nancy DeMoss has something to say about gratitude, I'm ready to listen.

But really, it's not Ms. DeMoss that has something to say about gratitude. It's the Lord. If there is anyone (even more than Joni) that understands finding joy in the midst of such sorrow, it's our God. The one that watched His chosen people rebel against Him daily in the Old Testament. That watched His Son mocked and scorned by His own people. In spite of all that our Lord had, and wants us to have, a deep and profound joy that can't be shaken.

One of the things that I like about this book is that at the back of it is a 30 day devotional guide to walk you through some of the points that Ms. DeMoss makes in her book. Give you time to digest all she has written and in turn, hopefully work some of that out in your own life. This looks like an excellent book (and resource) and one I'm glad to add to my library.

I have one copy of this book to give away. If you would like to win a copy of Choosing Gratitude by Nancy DeMoss, leave a comment on THIS post and make sure that you leave an email so that I can get in touch with you. Comments will be closed next Saturday and a winner drawn.

Thanks to Moody Publishers for a copy (and a giveaway) copy of this book to review.

Winner!

The winner of Daily Readings from the Life of Christ by John MacArthur is Amy!

Enjoy!

The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren (with giveaway)

I have one copy of this book to give away! Please a comment on this post (and make sure I have a way to contact you) and I will draw a winner next Wednesday! Also, if you have not entered on this post to win a copy of Daily Readings from the Life of Christ by John MacArthur, you have until Saturday!

This was a fun book to read! Christmas becomes a little crazy for the Wallace family this year as Marianne plans the best Christmas ever. She doesn't realize that stepping up to chair the women's Christmas tea at church and her son's team's run for state football champtionship are going to throw a little kink in her plans. As her plans begin to fall apart, she is able to she that it is His plans that will ultimately come together and be the perfect one.

About The Great Christmas Bowl:
Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son’s team in their bid for the state championship. Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot-the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea. When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apart. Then, one by one her children tell her they can’t come home for Christmas.As life starts to unravel, will Marianne remember the true meaning of the holidays?



About Susan:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year. Her larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of http://www.mybooktherapy.com/, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/.



The Great Christmas Bowl website: http://thegreatchristmasbowl.blogspot.com/The website features a note from the author, fun updates from Big Lake Gazette, info on how to host your own Great Christmas Bowl Tea to benefit a local ministry or charity and a fun Recipe Exchange contest!



CONTEST: Be a part of the Great Christmas Bowl recipe exchange! Susan loves getting recipes from friends, and sharing the delicious cookies, soups, breads and other fun fixings that go with celebrating the Christmas season. More than that, she loves the crazy stories about favorite Christmases – serious, touching, funny…whatever. Find the recipe contest here: http://thegreatchristmasbowl.blogspot.com/2009/07/recipe-exchange.html. Will you share your story and recipe with Susan and the readers of the Great Christmas Bowl? She will post your story and recipe on the FRONT PAGE of the Great Christmas Bowl website, and send you a link when it goes up so you can tell all your friends. Then, at the Great Christmas Bowl party (December 5th, 10am, online! Details TBA) she’ll make the entire cookbook available for download!For every recipe/story you submit (up to 3), you will be entered in a drawing to receive one of SMW’s collections (Noble Legacy, Team Hope, Heirs of Anton, Deep Haven Series, Josey series, or THE ADVANCED COPY of Sons of Thunder – Susie’s brand new epic World War 2 novel, due out in January 2010!)

Daily Readings from the Life of Christ (and Giveaway)

Moody Publishing recently sent me Daily Readings from the Life of Christ by John MacArthur. I have several of these types of books lying around the house in various places and to be honest, most sit and pick up dust. However, I have been reading in this one every day since it has arrived and I think it will be one that I won't let slide!

As the title suggests, this book focuses on the life of Christ and each day centers around a verse or two that He spoke. John MacArthur adds a few paragraphs of commentary and then leaves me with a few questions that I find myself mulling on for some time. This book makes a great stop for the busy mama that might only have a few minutes during the day, but wants to clear her head of the buzz of household noise and sit with Jesus for a moment. Each day takes me, literally 5-7 minutes to read, and while I don't want this to become a substitute for my morning time with the Lord, this has been a respite for me as I sit down for a break during the girls' rest time. A gentle reminder during my day that my goal is to ultimately be like Jesus.

Moody generously (and unexpectedly) sent me an extra copy of this wonderful devotional and I will pick a random commenter to receive the copy! Leave comment on this post if you are interested, and I'll close comments next Saturday, October 3, and draw a winner. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you, or I will pick another winner.