Your Real Food Journey {a Review}

*This post does contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission on your purchase, at no additional cost to you. Read here for my disclosure policy.

It’s been more than 5 months, since I’ve had a home, and time, to focus on the food we eat. Not living in your own space, with your own habits isn’t easy. Moving back into your own space at the height of chaos isn’t easy either.

Between projects and the fair Matt and I have spent next to no time with any sort of focus on cooking. It has been whatever can be slapped together when it’s thought of, even if that meant hot dogs twice in a row.

I read Trina’s new book, Your Real Food Journey: A Gentle Guide to Steady Progress, during nap time. That’s right. The whole book took me a total of 1 hour and 50 minutes to read. It was enjoyable. It was informative. And it gave me what I needed to get us back on the path to eating better, right at the time when I had absolutely no motivation to do so.

Where as Trina’s first book was all about the what of eating Real Food, this book, is all about the why. Why you should; Why you can. Without making it some complicated science project that blows up in your face.

We eat pretty healthy, but Matt is very much into eating healthier and eating more fermented foods {he is a home-brewer after all}. He’s been pouring over this book and the recipes in it, fortunately not with a list of things I need to do. Right now, as I’m typing this, he’s working on making sauerkraut {Trina’s recipe for German Kraut}.

So, just how easy are the recipes in this book?

Tonight was another night that I had no idea what to make for dinner. I knew I had a plethora of ground beef in the house, but had no desire to make tacos, chili, burgers, meatballs or meatloaf {my usual ground beef fair}. I then decided to scroll Trina’s book for a ground beef recipe, and came upon Cheeseburger Soup {page 81}.

Honestly, the idea of ground beef in soup is not my cup of tea, but I figured I’d give it a shot. In the pot went my meat, potatoes, carrots, celery and onions. Tossed in the salt, pepper, {lots of} garlic, and some other spices {we kind of do our own thing around here with spices and herbs}. Mixed in some roux, milk, plain whole milk yogurt {I didn’t have sour cream}, and cheese.

A little while later, dinner was ready! Think of cheesy cream of potato soup with ground beef and carrots: YUM! Even Avie was excited to have soup for Friday’s leftovers.

Where can you get this little gem for yourself? You can get it through Trina directly at TrinaHolden.com. And when you do, enjoy the ease in which you’ll be cooking better and more healthful meals for you family, without feeling like you’re going to fail or be overwhelmed.

Summer Stories {Part 2}

One of the highlights of my summer has been the constant stream of Outlander news, in anticipation of the new book release as well as the TV series on Starz! In June, a friend and I drove to Philly for the Diana Gabaldon book signing. Next up on our tour de force was the premier of Outlander, since going to any big premier showing was simply out of the question, we did our own.

My friend Jill invited everyone to her house for a premier party…complete with Outlander book displays!

We all piled into the living room to take our pictures and get ready for the showing {l to r: my sister, my mom, Jill, and our friends Beth and Rachel}.

Then it started! Complete with FanGirling…

It was awesome! The show was pretty good too…now a bunch of us descend on Jill’s house every Saturday to chill out and watch the latest episode together.

I even was so over the top as to make bridie pies and shortbread. A bridie pie is a delicious meat pie…the recipe for which I will share this fall, after I’ve worked out a few kinks.

What have been some of the fun things you’ve done this summer?

The Blessings of Friendship {a Review}

by Mary Engelbreit

I have long loved Mary Engelbreit. Growing up I always had a day by day calendar with her whimsical illustrations. I still have 2 of those pages on our fridge, one showing a mother lifting high a toddler, with the quote “Within our dreams and our aspirations we find our opportunities”, and the other a father with 3 children {all aptly gendered and hair colored to our own crew} with “Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad”. They’ve been there on my fridge for the better part of 8 years.

When I had the opportunity to review The Blessings of Friendship through BookLookBloggers, I snatched it up! No way would I pass up the opportunity to have some of Engelbreit’s beautiful work in our home. The Blessings of  Friendship is a short collection of illustrations, poems, and verses, all to do with Friendship.

Ave and I read it the other night at bed time, as we both enjoyed each detail of the book. Beautiful words, beautiful pictures, beautiful message of the value of friendship.

This book is great for a little one or to share with a friend. It’s one that I know we will all enjoying looking for years to come.

 

 

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My Happy Pumpkin {a Review}

I love Fall. Like really, REALLY love Fall. It could stay Fall pretty much all year, with a few exceptions. As you know I do read and review books, but I’ve never read a children’s book with the intent of reviewing it, until I saw this little gem on the BookLookBloggers.com website: My Happy Pumpkin by Crystal Bowman, illustrated by Claudine Gevry.

I’ve gotten a few of this style of book before {Christmas Angels and My Christmas Stocking, both by the same author—Affiliate Link} and the kids and I have loved all of them. This book was no different! It’s a sing-song rhyme-y story telling little ones about God’s love and how He cleans out our yucks and fills us with His light for all the world to see.

The pictures are vibrantly colored and detailed enough for little kids to enjoy. The book is a nice sturdy board book {my kids destroy them way too easily, but I think this one would last at least a week in our house}.

Some of the other reviews stated that they didn’t like the theology, that it somehow emphasized that being good/obedient was the way to be saved. The book simply states that we show God we love Him by obeying, and trying to be good so that other’s can see God’s light in us.

All in all I felt this was a pretty cute book, that makes a great little gift to get people in the spirit of Fall.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Dream Come True…

a slight hyperbole, but not too much.

The other night a friend and I headed to Philadelphia for a book signing. A book signing for what is one of my most favorite series, Outlander, authored by Diana Gabaldon. I’ve never been to a book signing.

For a while, I’ve wanted a signed copy of one of her books, only so that I could say I had one. I never saw the point in ordering a signed copy through the mail…seemed kind of like cheating.

I now have a few friends who are fans of Outlander {per my prodding to read them}, after years of having no one else who even knew about the books: I convinced one of them to go with me to the Q&A and book signing at the Free Library in Philly. Babysitters in place we headed for the city of Brotherly Love…

We had a quick dinner at the Kite & Key on Callowhill Street; which was really, really good. As I told Jill, I am always up for a good burger and fries!

The food was delicious {deep fried onions and bacon on a cheeseburger? yes please!} and the place was pretty neat inside, definitely popular as an after-work hangout for the 30 and under group.Someone wasn’t a clean-plater….Then we headed over to The Free Library Philadelphia for the book signing…it was hot out, and muggy: The temp was around 93*.And then this happened….

For the boobs who completely forgot to stalk the ticket sale website to order their tickets {I blame it on not living in my own home}.It turned out ok because those of us upstairs were the first in line to get our books signed!It’s still kind of hard to believe that I was standing next to Dr. G; not so much in a star-struck manner, but more because it was literally for 20 seconds.  The talk and Q&A were ok, obviously being on a screen was a bit of a bummer, but her talk was pretty much verbatim to every other one I’ve heard online, and people weren’t all that creative with their questions {there were a few good ones}.

Afterward we decided to walk over to Logan Square to check out the Swann Memorial Fountain.{In which a handful of kids were splashing around at 9:30pm; frankly, I was ready to join them}.Good-bye Philadelphia! I hope to visit you again someday. We didn’t get to walk around the library at all which was a bit disappointing, because it is absolutely huge and seemed more like a museum to me than a library!

The one thing that did really stick with me {there will be a podcast available next week}, was Diana saying in regards to writing “You have to make time, because you’ll never find it” when talking about how she started writing the first Outlander book, as a mom of 3 under 6 and holding two full time jobs. It’s true…we’re all given the same number of hours in the day, it’s up to us to figure out how to make the most of them.

It was a long day: We didn’t get home until 2 {due to a missed turn on I-476 and a desperate search for a gas station at 10pm}.

Was it worth it? It was fun, it was a great experience, and I’m glad I went, but it’s not something I feel I need to do again {something about sleep being a bit more important}. There is something to be said for having an author sign a book when it’s a much smaller venue and you can actually chat with the person.

The Nesting Place {a Review}

I’ve been eyeballing TheNester’s new book for a while now, and have had it on my to-purchase-with-Amazon-rewards list. While I’ve long loved the Nester, her style isn’t particularly mine, but there are usually a few things I’m oohing and ahhing over on her blog: It’s one of those spaces that are always so clean and bright looking. So you can imagine my pleasure when it popped up as available for reviewing with BookLookBloggers.com.

While I have never, ever in my life, rented, this book had general all around awesome tips on how to make a house {or apartment or anything else} a home, without getting caught up in the convoluted idea of “Perfect” {which doesn’t exist by the way}.

Myquillyn talked about her own personal struggles with house envy and realizing the need to see beyond that and her budget. This book was just what I needed to help me start thinking about all the new spaces that I’m going to soon be decorating in our home {It gave me a definite paintbrush itch!}

I have always drooled over Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, The Company Store and any other home catalog, only to look at the prices and think yea right. The problem with those “homes” is that they’re not real, people aren’t LIVING in them.

While I would love for my home to be magazine perfect and company ready, what I really want is a home for people to feel comfortable in, and that is Myquillyn’s most important point in this book, creating the home that serves you, your family, while welcoming others into it.

If you’ve been struggling with being happy in your own home or having things just the way you want them, take a gander at this book; because it is so much more than just a how to guide on making your space beautiful.

*I received a digital copy of this book for free from BookLookBlogger in exchange for my review, my opinions here are entirely my own.

You can purchase a copy of this book at Amazon.com or any other book store.

Notes from a Blue Bike {a Review}

My grandfather said, just before he died, “Life is like a dream, you blink your eyes…then it’s gone”. And he’s right, the older I get the faster they seem to fly by; and never faster than when I look back. How on earth have Matt and I been together for 14 years, or that Avelyn is 4.5 already, my babies are almost 2.5….it’s crazy!

It took me a while, life has been crazy, but I loved Tsh’s book, Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World. While we aren’t globe trotters or expats, we are human, and we prefer to take things slow. For us, family time is priority, mommy’s creative outlets are a priority, we eat slow to save money and sometimes all the other stuff just needs to fall by the wayside.

Tsh takes her readers through years of her thoughts and experiences of finding what worked best for her and her family to live intentionally. To enjoy this crazy life, without wishing you were doing things differently. Sharing what she learned while living abroad and her processing in figuring out what worked in the crazy American lifestyle.

There are such awesome ideas and tips, as well as insights on how to make your life your own, to not just live the way we’ve grown to believe is normal. In the back of the book there is several pages with information and questions to ask yourself, to figure out the life you want to live.

The price of the book is steep for me, but maybe you and a friend can go in on it together, or buy a copy and pass it around or donate it to your library when you’re done. It was a great read, easy to get through, enjoyable and it overall helped me to put words to the way we feel about how we live our own life in our home. It also helps that I absolutely love the colors on the cover and have my own blue bike.

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookLook Bloggers. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Mended: Thoughts on Fear, Love, and Leaps of Faith by Anna White {a Review}

A while back I received an email from Anna White, asking if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing her book, Mended: Thoughts on Fear, Love, and Leaps of Faith. I’m always up for a new read!

From Amazon.com

Mended is a collection of essays inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of beautiful repair. Kintsugi is based on the idea that broken things can be repaired, and once that process is complete they are even more beautiful than before.

I've been broken. I know what it's like to feel shame at my weakness, to starve myself to be worthy, and to want to sleep forever. If I had to guess, I'd say you might be a bit broken too.

But being broken is not the worst thing. We can be mended. Our cracks can become beautiful. We can be even better than new.

This collection of essays focuses on the struggle of living with anxiety and depression, and how to also live with grace and faith in the midst of darkness. It is raw and honest, and does not provide any easy answer or gloss over the pain. It is a narrative of struggle, but also of prayer, of hope, and of rescue.

View the author talking about the book in a short video here:
Book Trailer for Mended

Anna’s book was a joy to read, and a source of joy. With artistry and raw truth she shared her own struggles with depression and her brokeness. Throughout the book Anna beautifully describes the light that broke through her struggles; writing about the every day and how in the every day God began to heal her, and how in each little healing she is getting stronger and better able to find hope, and fight against the darkness.

Mended is all the more gripping, because it is written during the darkest times and as the storm begins to roll back, and the waves crash once again against the shore. Being able to see Anna’s story from inside is a beautiful thing, helping the reader to not feel so alone and devastated by the struggles with depression, and to reach for the bits of light that shine through the every day hurt.

If you’re looking to share in the story of someone else’s brokeness and be able to see how God is mending those broke pieces into something new and beautiful, Anna’s words will give you a renewed sense of God’s work even in the blackness.

You can find Anna’s book on Amazon, or any where else, in both print and digital. Anna blogs at www.2dayichoose.com.

Say Goodbye to Survival Mode {a Review}

Click here to read my disclosure policy.

I’ve followed Crystal’s blog, on and off, since hearing her speak at the Allume conference. In her book Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life, Crystal gives clear, concise tips and ideas on how you can streamline your existing.

The whole book is broken down into 10 chapters, easily gotten through in 30-45 minutes. Crystal touches on how to prioritize, how to budget, how to set {attainable} goals, and how to refocus yourself and your life; doing so through a variety of printables, short questions, ideas, and first hand stories.

She takes each aspect of being responsible for a household, whether you’re single, married, married with kids, with kids, and any other combination and helps you to pin point what things put you into survival mode and how to get yourself OUT of survival mode.

A lot of what Crystal talked about in the book I already knew or had implemented in our own life {and no, we are not out of survival mode some days}. This book, if nothing else, gave me permission to feel OK about some of the things we already do in order to survive the craziness of a 4 year old and 2 year old triplets.

If you’re feeling like you just can’t DEAL with the craziness anymore and that something has GOT to change, I do suggest taking a gander at this book, and seeing what ideas it can give to you about saying goodbye to survival mode.

I received this book for free from the BookLookBloggers program, in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed here are in no way dictated by the author or publisher, and are solely my own.

Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe {a Review}

Click here to read my disclosure policy.

I recently finished reading, and am now reviewing, Sharon Jaynes book Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe.  The book is broken into two parts: The first of which discusses the power of prayer and how praying over your husband and all the parts of his body can, and does, make such a difference in your husband’s life; the second part is a daily devotion in which there are prayers and bible verses to pray over your husband.

I felt the book did a great job of discussing the how and why of praying for your husband. Giving wonderful examples and feedback from others as to how their prayers affected their husbands. I don’t know about you, but hearing the practical of prayer always helps me to realize the importance of it.

After the daily guide, there is an appendix in which Jaynes goes further in how to pray for specific aspects of your husband’s life, with scriptural guidance.

Overall the book was excellent. I’ve been meaning for a while to become more intentional about praying for my husband, not just the simple daily prayers, but covering him from head to toe in my prayers. I’m looking forward to really focusing on the devotional aspect of this book.

• Video
• Author's Website
• Facebook
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• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio

I received this book for FREE from Waterbrook Multnomah, in exchange for my honest review. The opinions here are my own.

I Feel Like a Giveaway!

This post contains affiliate links: You can read my disclosure policy here.

I like giveaways. I like sharing the wonderful things I’ve found with others, especially when I know how huge a blessing it could be to them. I have several ebook bundles that I’m going to be giving away in this post. If you’d like to find out more about ebooks and blessings, you can read my post here.

First off…

It’s the New Year! We’re well enough into it that people are more likely to stick with something now. All of the excitement of the holidays is over and life is mostly back to normal. That doesn’t mean that you can’t focus on getting a bit smart about how you’re using your time.

Here’s a bundle to help you get on that pathway!

Budgeting Your Time and Money

Books included in this giveaway bundle:
From Debtor to Better by Barry @ From Debtor to Better ($10.00)
Tell Your Time by Amy @ Blogging with Amy ($2.99)
The Homemakers Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule by Amy @ Raising Arrows ($4.99)
Your Grocery Budget Toolbox by Anne @ Authentic Simplicity ($7.99)
Finding Financial Freedom by Kelly Crawford @ Generation Cedar ($5.97)
Become a Frugalista in 30 Days by Susan @ The Confident Mom ($3.99)

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Secondly….

In every marriage {and any relationships for that matter} there is always room for improvement. These are some great ebooks to help bring to light things that may need a bit of improving in your own marriage, and how to go about it.

Building a Stronger and Better Marriage

Rekindling Romance by Jason & Jami @ A Biblical Marriage ($4.99)
Good Wife’s Guide by Darlene @ Time-Warp Wife ($2.99)
31 Days to Build a Better Spouse by Ashley @ Ashley Pichea ($4.99)
31 Days to Great Sex by Sheila @ To Love, Honor and Vacuum ($4.99)
Entangled: Recognize Your Emotional Affair by Amy @ Amy J. Bennett ($4.99)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lastly…

With all these winter storms and dangerously cold weather, there have been quite a few whispers said about the potential baby boom that’s coming this fall. I know for our family and friends, there are 6 or 7 babies being born in the next 8 months!

This bundle has some wonderful books in it to help you get ready

Preparing for Your Pregnancy and Baby

First Bites by Hilary @ Accidentally Green ($9.99)
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin @ The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)
Stress-Free Baby Shower by Sara @ Your Thriving Family ($4.00)
Unbound Birth by Jenny @ The Southern Institute ($4.99)
My Pregnancy Journey by Mindy @ Simply Designs ($9.99)
My Buttered Life Baby Edition by Renee @ Made On Hard Lotion ($5.00)
The Minimalist Mom’s Guide to Baby’s First Year by Rachel @ The Minimalist Mom ($5.00)
Redeeming Childbirth: Growth & Study Guide by Angie @ Redeeming Childbirth ($3.99)

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“Bread & Wine” {a Review}

This post contains affiliate links: You can click here for my disclosure policy. I received this book for free from Zondervan, in exchange for my review. Any and all opinions expressed by myself in this review are my own, and have, in no way, been influenced by the author or publisher.

So…last spring  summer I received a copy of Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist to review, but I didn’t want to read it before I had read her first two books, Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet. I’m kind of ridiculous like that, if I’m going to read something, then I need to read it in sequence by when the author wrote them. Of course I had all my other literary obligations that were standing between me and Bread and Wine. Finally I finished Cold Tangerines, great read, then Bittersweet, great read, then Bread & Wine.

I don’t know about you but the title alone is delicious: Bread and Wine. I’m not a big wine person, it has to be pretty phenomenal for me to like it, but BREAD….me and bread go way back!

I don’t know about you, but there are moments in my life that are so strongly linked with different food-memories; things that food are such a part of that there is no way to separate the two. This is Shauna.

All of her books, touch on the impact different memories have had on her and how food is woven through them, but Bread & Wine is the pinnacle, the book in which she not only talks about the scrumptious food, but shares why it has been so meaningful to her, as well as the recipes for you to enjoy on your own.

At the end of the book there is an entire plan for how you can share her recipes with friends, whether in a book club setting, menu plans or just at home for yourself. Throughout the book I went from being intimidated by Shauna’s food forays to laughing at the flops and faux-pas. It had me wanting to get out of bed and calling neighbors over for impromptu dinner parties in the middle of the night.

If you love food or if you wish you had it in you to wow the world with wonderful meals, then pick up this book. It’s easy to get through with chapters that stand alone, and fun to read Shauna’s experiences with food.

You can pick up a print book or e-book on Amazon.com.
You can also check out Shauna’s website at www.ShaunaNiequist.com

Books in 2014

One of the most exciting things about a new year, are new books! I don’t think I’ve ever NOT gotten a new book or two or four for Christmas, so I always have something new to read in the new year.

Last year {2013—you can find my accomplished reads for ‘13 here}, I spent most of my reading time in guilty pleasures: Fiction. Particularly re-reading my favorite book series Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and getting new people addicted to the series. It worked out quite well…of course I was ridiculously heartbroken when the release date of the new book was postponed and I now have to wait until June of this year.

So, since last year was a year of guilty pleasures, this year, I suppose, I must be responsible and resume responsible reading, which for me means, non-fiction. Don’t get me wrong, non-fictions are great, but they’re NOT what I LOVE to read. I have a slew of books that I received at Allume, that I still haven’t read, and a bunch more on parenting and homeschooling that need to be read.

So, here it is…

My List of Accomplished Reads for 2014

*Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
*Praying God's Word for Your Husband by Kathi Lipp
*Graceful: Letting Go of Your Try-Hard Life by Emily P. Freeman
*The Digital Invasion by Dr. A. Hart and Dr. S Hart Frejd
*Praying for your Husband from Head to Toe by Sharon Jaynes
*Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine
*Mary Poppins by PL Travers
*Holey, Wholly, Holy by Kris Camealy
*Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
*Mrs. Lincoln's Seamstress by Jennifer Chiaverini
*Mrs. Lincoln's Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini
*Surprised by Motherhood by Lisa-Jo Baker
*Notes from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider
*Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by Sarah, Stephen and Grace Mally
*The Nesting Place by MyQuillyn Smith
*The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron
*Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon
*The Highly Sensitive Child by Elaine N. Aron
*American Gods by Neil Daiman
*Austenland by Shannon Hale
*The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
*The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine
*Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
*The Last Queen by CW Gentner
*Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
*Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes
*The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst
*Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putnam, and Sarah Sundin
*Forever Christmas by Robert Tate Miller
*Christmas with Anne by L M Montgomery
*Wild Thing: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas

Our Top 10 Favorite Christmas Reads

You can find this post on my new blog JessicaMWhite.com: Click HERE.

“The Women of Christmas” {a Review}

I recently received and finished The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgs, just in time to be able to recommend it for Christmas, which I do. I thoroughly enjoyed The Women of Christmas! It was short, easy to read, and gave me lots to think about and rehash in my mind.

Liz goes through the scriptures that touch on Christmas and discusses them and the women involved, from Elizabeth {mother of John}, Mary {is an explanation needed}, to Anna {the widow who lived in the temple and blessed Mary and Jesus}.

The whole book just shows God's love for women, all women, and how He puts his hands on them and blesses their lives. How these women just opened their hearts and lives to Him, without question. Definitely a book to spend a few hours in during this Christmas season. 

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books programs. The opinions here are my own. You can go read my disclosure policy here.

• Author's Web site
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• Author Bio

Truth in the Tinsel

This post contains affiliate links: Click here for my disclosure policy.

This is the first year, that Avelyn is really old enough to get involved in crafts and projects that involve scissors, glue and other dangerous materials. A few years ago I had heard of Truth in the Tinsel, and was interested in it. Last year I bought a copy and decided we would do it, then I looked at the list of materials and kind of got overwhelmed: It didn’t happen.

This year, I decided I was going to take my time and really put the effort into preparing for Truth in the Tinsel, which is what I’m doing now! There’s a whole ‘nother week to get ready for Advent and the Christmas celebrations! Yesterday, I sat down with my printed out copy and set to looking at Truth in the Tinsel and organizing what materials we need to get, but I got overwhelmed again.

I love crafts. Crafting is one of my FAVORITE things to do; with a 4 year old, not so much. Then I read the last page of Amanda White’s {not a relative} ebook, and that clinched it. I don’t NEED another thing to feel like we HAVE to do this Christmas. I don’t NEED another thing to feel guilty about because I DIDN’T DO it. We can do Truth in the Tinsel and NOT let it take over Christmas, and not feel guilty because we accomplish the entire thing! Wooo! That made me feel a bit better.

So what are we doing?

I’m going to see to it that we have some of the materials on hand {we have a good portion of them} for the ornaments in Truth in the Tinsel. There were a few projects in there that I really liked, about half, which is a decent number to do, without leaving my head spinning.

I spent maybe 10 minutes reading through the supply lists, looking at each day, and deciding what I wanted to do. If the bathroom is your quiet place {it’s not mine, with 4 pairs of eyes looking over the gate} or maybe you can sneak into the pantry, go for it, spend a few minutes and just look at what is doable for you.

If you want to do something but not sure what, check out pinterest; there are tons of ideas for things on there. If you really just want to focus on doing a reading each day with the kidlets, but need something to keep them entertained, Amanda came up with this last year, printable ornaments for  Truth in the Tinsel.

These are awesome because they take ALL the pressure off: Print them out, hand them to the kids to decorate {crayons, paint, glitter}, string’em up, and DONE! I plan on doing these for the days that I don’t want to get into a huge project. Voila! You have fun ornaments to go along with the story, with zero effort.

I’ve recently been indoctrinated as the Sunday School teacher in our church, please, hold your applause. I plan on taking 4 elements from Truth in the Tinsel, and matching them up with a craft project for us to do during the 4 Sundays of Advent. Hopefully it works out and the kids enjoy it!

I think the most important thing for all of us parents to remember during this time of year is that it’s not about doing or perfection. If we do nothing more than talk to our kids, read to them, share with them the why and WHO of this season, the Lord with surely bless that.

You can pick up your copy of Truth in the Tinsel HERE, and the Truth in the Tinsel Ornament Printables HERE.
If you or your church are interested in a full out curriculum for Sunday School, youth groups or small groups, you can find Truth in the Tinsel Church Curriculum HERE.

Visit Amazon.com if you need some of the supplies to do the projects.

Blessing Others Through a Love of Reading

You can find this post on my new site JessicaMWhite.com, click HERE.

“Martyr’s Fire” {a Review}

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I recently reviewed the third, and I believe final, book in the series Merlin’s Immortals by Sigmund Brouwer, titled “Martyr’s Fire”. You can read my review of the first two books here and here. Once again we rejoin with Thomas and his quest for truth and knowledge.

Once again Brouwer delivers: It’s an entertaining enough story, that moves quickly. The characters are interesting, even if they are rather simple and somewhat undeveloped. I did have to keep reminding myself that the book is a young adult fiction, that it wasn’t going to meet my high expectations, after a summer of reading bliss.

As a young adult series, I think these books are fantastic. They are quick paced, drawing the reader in, there is a good smattering of more complex words for expanding the readers vocabulary, and a generally well rounded book. I think for those between 13 and 15, these are a very good series that will have the reader thinking about faith and God.

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• Author Bio

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah, as part of their Blogging for Books program. The opinions expressed here are my own.
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Embracing Beauty When You’re a Plus Size Gal

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I’m going to tell you a story, about 2 little girls…

Once upon a time there were two little girls, more a like than they realized. One was dressed in long denim skirts, with long sleeve tops, her hair pulled back in a braid; the other was dressed in Adidas tear-away pants, a Korn t-shirt, pumas and a pony tail. What on earth could these two girls, approaching adulthood have in common. Neither of them were dressing for themselves, and neither of them had a clue of what that look should be.

May I introduce to you, Trina Holden, the girl in the denim skirts and long sleeves. Author of the new book Embracing Beauty.

We knew each other the better part of 15+ years ago, until finding each other a few years back on Facebook. Both that lovely awkward age, when people have no idea what to wear, or what people will think of them, and probably doing themselves and no one else any favors in either department.

For both of us we were trying to project an image to others, an image which is not who we truly are, at least now. And that image worked. I thought of her as the Holier-than-thou bible thumper, and she thought of me as this worldly heavy metal devil music girl. Neither of us were those things, but what an impression {however wrong} our clothes made. You see, we were both dressing to impress other people, and had no idea how to dress ourselves well.

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1. How can your beauty/fashion tips help the plus size gals in finding clothes that are flattering, modest and classy?

The foundation for confident style always starts at the heart. If we are struggling with body image, no color, accessory, or style of clothing is going to fix that. So the first thing I ask women to do is to look at their bodies the way our Creator does--as beautiful, because He made us. You may be 100 Lbs. from your ideal weight, but you are still beautiful because God made women beautiful--it's that simple.

The next step is to look for inspiration in the right places. I'm all for building a pinterest board of styles you love, but if you're pinning outfits and models that are 6 sizes down from your own, that's simply a recipe for frustration. There are many, many beautiful, plus-sized women dressing their figures well. Find those images, and let them help you build a vision for your style at the weight you are right now.

2. What styles do you think look good on a plus size mama? Or are there styles that bigger ladies should stay AWAY from? Obviously we're all different sizes and shapes, but is there a style that looks better? I know I'm in love with tiered peasant skirts, but have no idea if I can wear them...or if they'll make me look more like a box than a broom.

At 4 months preggo, I'm 20 Lbs heavier than my 'ideal' body weight, so I've been dealing with how to dress a larger size! Some of the outfits I've come up with make me feel great, and some make me look like I'm wearing a sign that says "I Gained 10 Lbs This Month!” The principle I'm finding works for me is that of drawing Vertical Lines vs. Horizontal Lines:

Everything you've heard about horizontal stripes is true--they only work if you're as skinny as the stripe. Avoid any print or combination of layers that draws horizontal lines on your figure. I'm talking skirts and pants that end mid-leg, and top and bottoms that contrast highly, creating a line around your middle. All of these will emphasize your width.

Instead, you want layers that draw vertical lines, like long skirts and pants and long, layered accessories.  Tops a similar shade or tone as your bottoms allow your eye to go from neck to ankle without stopping, giving a taller, slimmer illusion. Avoid an article of clothing if it's wider than it is long. That may include a very full peasant skirt, but doesn't exclude a gently tiered maxi skirt!

I also lean toward darker shades over pastels (yes, even in summer!), and clothes that drape my figure, rather than saran-wrap it. You will actually look thinner if your clothes aren't straining to cover you!

3. What ways can we add beauty to ourselves, particularly if our life really doesn't lend itself to wearing nicer looking clothes or jewelry? or that we just don't feel comfortable in jewelry?

I have plenty of days where I don't wear jewelry, or dress up at all. But I've found I can still be intentional about beauty just by wearing my favorite color! I've realized even my lounge-wear should be colors or styles that make me smile. Keeping my eyebrows groomed also helps me feel lovely even on non-makeup days.

Getting a hair style that looks good wash and go, rather than ONLY when I have time to do something with the curling iron is another favorite strategy.

4. I know you’ve addressed this question is other interviews, but do you think that your book is directed only to Moms? Do you think  "Embracing Beauty" could help others? If so, who?

There's no question I wrote the book to moms. It's who I felt most equipped and called to encourage. But the principles for discerning your own style, the chapters on the heart of beauty and proper body image, and the thrift shopping techniques--these are applicable to anyone! Really, only the chapter on maternity fashion is specific to motherhood. Any woman  can benefit from the content through the rest of the book.

If you’re interested in reading more of Trina’s new book “Embracing Beauty” you can get your copy here.