Another Christmas

Well, another Christmas has come and gone.  I hope everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed time with family and friends.  We had a white Christmas this year and that really made me feel "Christmasy"  (Is that a word?)  Oh well, I had a wonderful time and feel so good that everyone had a good time at my house for Christmas dinner.  It was a lot of work and play at the same time.

Again, I hope you all had a wonderful time and remembered to thank God for the real reason we celebrate Christmas each year. I watched the kids open their presents and paused and gave thanks to God for the many blessings.

SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just finished my Christmas Shopping.  Again spent too much but none of it is on credit.  I can only thank God for that blessing.  Of course, hubby is going to fuss but he hasn't even started his yet.

Hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season.  Hope you all are keeping warm.  I am going to hibernate today and tomorrow afternoon.  I forgot about a doctor's appointment I have in the morning. UGH!

Until next time--stay warm and happy and thank God for all His blessings you have received.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well folks, Christmas is almost here.  I hope you are all having a great time during the holidays.  I have been running myself to death trying to get everything done in time--but isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing.  School is about to be dismissed for the holiday and Christmas parties and school programs are in full swing.  The only thing I wish for this season is that we remember the purpose of Christmas.

Well, I have got to go and settle the kids down and get things ready for school tomorrow.

So long for now from the edge.

Little Star by Anthony DeStefano

A king is about to be born!  All the stars compete for the chance to shine the brightest to welcome this anticipated arrival.  They were all being shined and dusted by comets; all, that is, except Little Star.  The other stars did not make fun of Little Star--they ignored him which hurt more.

When the stars saw the poor couple in the manger, they lost interest in the child's birth.  "Surely no king would come in such an ordianry style," they thought.  So interest was lost.  But of all the stars in the heavens, Little Star was the only one who understood the King's message.  His message is LOVE.

This is a beautifully written book for children.  The illustrations really add to the message of the book.  I read this story to my children and they absolutely loved it.  My six year old gathered her dolls together and "read" the book to them.

I must say I hightly recommend this book and it will be a new tradition in my household.

Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan

This is a delightful book.  It has words and music to 150 of our favorite hymns and the story behind their origins.  It is more than a historical account but is written in an interesting devotional style.

Before I read this book I knew the history of "It is Well With My Soul" but was truly amazed to learn fun factsd about some of my other favorites:  "Little Brown Church in the Vale" was written five years before the church was actually built.  This story almost has a supernatural aura about it--what might be called a God Thing;  The words to "Jesus Loves Me" was written in a novel written by Anna B. and Susan Warner.  The music was written years later by William Bradbury when he found the words in the novel.

I loved this book because I use hymns in my own worship time with God.  This book would make a wonderful gift to a music lover or for anyone (like me) who likes to learn interesting and fun facts.

I recommend this book highly.

This book was given to me by Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.

The Devil is in the Details by Tony Kessinger

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tony Kessinger has more than twenty-five years ministry experience.  He is the president of Truth Seekers International and the author of several books.  He is an excellent Bible teacher who has taught in Bible institures on five continents.

Tony Kessinger has written a book that everyone should read.  He has   researched the material very well and speaks with great knowledge and authority on the wiles of the devil.  He gives his readers a firm foundation of scriptures to add to their arsenal against the devil.

The devil is alive and well today.  He is still using deceptive methods to entrap humans.  The enemy is sneaking and bombarding us daily with his subtle tricks.  As a grandmother rearing her four grandchildren, reading this book made me more aware of what these children are exposed to every day.  Satan can use something that seems innocent and harmless but is slowly weakening their defenses until Satan has established a stronghold on them.

This book is full of information and the chapter summaries really encapsulate the essence of each chapter.  This book is a must read for Christians who want to know more about the wiles of the enemy.  I highly recommend it.

This book was given to me by the author for an honest review.

A Mother's Holiday

This is for all of us mothers out there:

A Mother's Holiday

Up before dawn
Sweeping and mopping,
Too much to do
No time for stopping.
The family is nestled
All snug in their beds,
While visions of a turkey dinner
Dance in their heads.
There's cooking to be done,
And laundry to do,
Gotta scrub the floors
And clean the windows too.
The TV comes on--
The family is awake
How much more do you think I can take?
The relatives pour in with
Shouts of good cheer.
Why did I offer to have
The family dinner here?
Now that the meal is done
The relatives leave amid
Shouts of good wishes.
While hubby and the kids watch TV
Guess who gets stuck with the dishes?

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night.

Freedom is Not Free

Today is Veterans' Day.  It is not a day just for a select few but a day all free Americans should celebrate.  We owe a BIG THANK YOU to all the men and women who have risked and even given their lives so we can be free.  I am the wife of a veteran, the mother of a veteran, and the daughter in law of a veteran.  I love this country and thank God every day for the opportunity to live in this beautiful country.

Please watch the video on the sidebar and realize that our fighting men and women are not just anonymous faces.  They have wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, parents, and children.  This is not an impersonal battle--we must make it personal and give thanks to God.  I have seen signs saying "God bless America", but I have seen few if any signs that say America, thank God.

I hope you have had a wonderful day and spent at least one minute of your day saying a thank you to God and the men and women fighting for us.

Until tomorrow.

Crazy World

Today, another bomb threat was made to my granddaughter's high school.  This is the third one in a month.  What kind of person thinks this stuff is cool?  Today, there were bomb threats also found at 3 other schools in this county.  It is time that people open their eyes to see the shape of our world today.

Somebody said it was just a prank to get out of school.  What about old fashioned skipping?  Isn't that safer than putting hundreds of lives at risk?

All I can do is pray for the children--mine and the others in the schools?  Yes, even for the poor misguided person that thinks it is fun to scare others like this.

Second Gallon of Lemonade

OK, I am getting my fill of lemonade in the recent weeks.  Yesterday, I discovered my refrigerator-freezer has gone out.  I have several packages of meat that I have to cook today.  Kids will be eating good for awhile.  Luckily, I have another freezer to use so I do not have to cook everything.  Oh, I had just gone to the grocery the day before so you can imagine how I felt when I made this discovery.

Oh well, kids have to be fed so now we will a buffet to choose from.  Any leftovers will be saved so it's not a total waste.  Second thought.  What a wonderful opportunity to cook in mass and make home made TV dinners.  See the silver lining in this cloud?

This lemonade, I have to admit, is not as sweet as the first gallon.  But, at least all is not lost.   I guess I should be grateful for the food to cook.

Anybody want to join us for our buffet?  We will have chicken, burgers, steaks, and beef roast.  The only condition is you have to clean up afterwards.  After I do all this cooking, I definitely will not want to clean the kitchen.


Until next time, this is life on the edge

From Lemons to Lemonade

Sometimes life just does not seem fair does it?  I had some issues recently that really brought this home to me.  I was not feeling well and had no energy to do any of my normal day to day chores--clean house, laundry, etc.  I do not know what was wrong but for a couple of weeks all I could do each day was get the kids up and ready in time for their bus to come by.  After a few days, I got tired of being tired and decided I would just plug along and do what I could.  Well, by early afternoon I was totally exhausted so I would always lie down before the kids came home from school.  I knew I had a list of books to read and review plus stories I wanted to write.  Well, I decided that during my "off hours" I would work on a little bit of this backlog each day.  So by the time my bad two weeks had passed I had waded though over half of the books and have written about half of the stories I have had on file to write.

I can now say that although life had given me lemons for a while--I was successful in making lemonade and let me tell you, it did taste sweet to be able to say I did accomplish something during this bad time.

Oh by the way, the house has been cleaned although when the kids are home--I still don't do as much cleaning as I get done when they are not home.

So for now so long from life on the edge.

A Chapter Closes; A New One Opens

Life is lived in chapters.  There is the chapter of being young parents wanting the best for our children.  This includes the best education we can afford for them, the best activities that will give them the best advantage in life, as well as, teaching them values that will not leave them when they are older.

The next chapter is when the children grow into teenagers, achieve the milestone of driving and leaving us to sit up nights worrying about their safety while they are in the "wide world" behind the wheel.

Then hopefully, the chapter opens when they have their own families and visit "Mom and Dad" on birthdays and other special days that will make good memories for their own kids.

Well, if you have read my blog at all, you know I am not only hosting the grandkids for visits but have custody of the 4 precious ones.  Now, a brand new chapter has opened up for me--I now have a new 16 year old with a (I shudder when I say it) HER PERMIT.  Now this should not be so scary but at my age, my nerves are not as good as they used to be anyway.  SO--her I go again, teaching a new driver.

I just pray and ask for your prayers too that all of us will make it through this new chapter and come out on the other side with body and sanity intact.

Until next time, this is life on the edge.  The edge is getting more and more slippery every day.

Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson

Anne Jackson posed this question on her blog:  What is the one thing yu feel you cannot say in church?" brought in an avalanche of responses that birthed this book.  In 194 pages, Ms Jackson uses art, anecdotes, and poetry to inspire the reader to tell their story.

I loved the layout and texture of this book.  It reminded me of an art book but was inviting and inspiring to me.  The beautiful artwork and poetry whet my appetite to digest the meat in the book.

Ms. Jackson writes in an open and honest manner and invites the reader to enter her life and learn from her past.

One truth that resonated with me (because it is a major issue I am faced with frequently) was found on page 4:  fear wants to stop our stories."  I realized I can't let fear stop me from telling my story if it helps one person to gain freedom from whatever bondage they find themself in.

Reading this book reinforced the fact that it is not only important to tell our stories--it is critical that we do,

I recommend this book to anyone who feels that church is too closed to the daily messes of life.  The church should be a safe haven where open and honest communication should be able to take place.  After all didn't Jesus communicate to the sinners and outcasts of society?

The One Year Choose Your Own Ending Devotional

I recently received this book from Tyndale in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interactive and engaging devotional geared toward elementary aged children.  My kids really enjoyed using this devotional.  Each devotional starts with a situation, bible verses, and choices for the ending of the story.  My kids have had some very interesting discussions.  Through these discussions, each child was able to take something away that will help them in day-to-day life.
This devotional should be helpful for children to learn the right and wrong to behave and know what to do when faced with one of many temptations and pressures kids today face.

I intend to use and reuse this book and recommend it to families with children in this age group.

Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright

This book covers the Middle East conflict.  However, it is more than a historical account, although this history is explained.  Wright approaches the conflict from a biblical standpoint.  It is well-known this is a religious conflict but how did it originate as a religious conflict.

This book begins with the well-known story of Abraham and God's promise to him that a son would be born to Him.  This promised son would be the father of a great nation of God's chosen people.  I'm sure you are familiar with Sarah's, Abraham's wife, disbelief and offered him Hagar, her maidservant.  Abraham had a son with Hagar which he named Ishmael.  Fast forward fifteen years.  Sarah and Abraham had their promised son and named him Isaac.  After Isaac's birth, Sarah had Abraham run Hagar and Ishmael from their home.  God intervened and assured Hagar that Ishmael would live but would be a wandering tribe.  From the beginning of this turmoil Wright explains how the trials of Ishmael and Issac endured through the years and how it effect the Middle East conflict today.

Wright examines the situation from Jewish, Muslim and Christian points of view.  He presents all views fairly and without bias. 

I enjoyed reading this book.  Although I knew about the births of Isaac and Ishmael and the roles they played, I enjoyed learning about the many splits brought about by their turmoil.

I believe the Bible is clear about Israel and they are the chosen people of God.  He gave them the land and it is theirs today.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Booksneeze blogger program.

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

Will the world be a better place because you lived? 

I have read several books by Max Lucado and enjpoyed each and every one of them.  This one is no exception.  It is an easy read written Lucado's familiar style of bringing biblical principles to fit out lives today.  Lucado uses the book of Acts as the basis for this book.  I enjoyed the entire book but Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 really hit home with me.

Chapter 9 challenges us to "Do Good Quietly."  When I was in high school (that is too many years ago to remember anything clearly).  I do, however, remember one incident clearly.  I was valedictorian of my graduating class.  Coming from a family of six children did not leave much money for many new clothes.  One day while we kids were in school and my parents were at work, someone left a new dress hanging on our door.  There was no name of who had left it but it did have a note with my name on it.  I still remember what the dress looked like.  I never found out who my "angel" was but I do remember her act of kindness.  It made a difference in a young girl's life.  Because of her kindness I try to pay it forward.

Chapter 10 challenges us to "Stand up for the Have Nots".  Sometimes when we see a dirty homeless person we tend to walk the other way.  I know I have been guilty of this.  We need to step out of comfort zones and do what we can to help someone who does not have as much as we do.  Although one person cannot save the world we can help to save one person.

Some of Lucado's other challenges include:
Get out of your shell.  We cannot isolate ourselves from the suffering in the world.
Work with others.  Individually, we can't do much but as a group of believers working for the same goal we can accomplish much.
Recognize Jesus in needy people.  As Jesus said "feed, visit, clothe, and doctor those in need and you do unto me."
Don't give up on people.  Don't give up on people.  Keep doing good for people even when they seem to be unloveable.

I found this book to be inspirational and motivating.  I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants to make their life count for the good of humanity.  I enjoyed the book so much I purchased the participant's guide to the book.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review  of this book from Booksneeze, Thomas Nelson's blogger review program.

The Miracle of Mercy Land by River Jordan

"I was born in a bolt of lightning on Bittersweet Creek."  This begins the fascinating journey of Mercy Land.  The daughter of a preacher in rural Alabama, Mercy decides she wants more out of life.  Her Aunt Ida lovingly encouraged her to spread her wings and move to Bay City, a picturesque little coastal town.  Here she finds work as a waitress.  She then goes to work for Doc, the editor-in-chief of the town's newspaper, the Banner.  She soon masters her job and is known locally as Doc's girl.  Her life is fairly routine until one early morning call from Doc.

A mystical and somewhat magical book has appeared on Doc's desk sometime during the night. This book displayed the details of the lives of the residents of Bay City.  It showed the choices each individual made and how it had affected the lives of those around them.  This book sends Mercy and Doc on different quests to find the purpose the book was left with them.  Mercy is searching for  the purpose of the book while Doc is trying to rectify a long ago error.

I have never read any of River Jordan's books before but I can tell you this will not be my last.  This book was spell-binding and at the same time thought-provoking.  What if we were given a chance to see how our choices and decisions have affected our current situations and the situations of the people around us.  Perhaps a more interesting question would be:  What if we were given a second chance to change our past?

This book reinforces the fact that whatever path we take in life has a lasting impact on the world.  That, my friend, is a sobering thought.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book to others.  My only advice would be:  clear your calendar before you open this book because once you open it you will not want to do anything else until the book is finished.

I received this book from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review of this book.  I received no other compensation.

My Life is a Sitcom

Well, today started off with a BANG!.  Tori, my teenager, overslept and missed the bus.  This, in itself is not new for her.  I woke up the other three and finally got then settled in the car.  So far so good.  I got her to school on time--nothing unusual yet.  When I got her to school, however, the fiasco started.  The high school was being evacuated because of a bomb threat.  After sitting in traffic for over ten minutes, letting the high school students cross the street to go to the middle school for safety.  Finally I got a chance to leave there and rushed home to get the other three ready for school.  Of course, this put me behind my regular schedule.  They would have made their bus BUT, my eight year old decided he did like the clothes he was going to wear to school.  You can imagine how frazzled I was at this point.  After he finally found some clothes to wear (unhappy, of course, because this was still not what he wanted to wear)
I heard their bus whizzing by the house.  Great, now I have to take them to school.  Finally, getting them into the car and stopping the usual morning arguments, I got them to school.  Here the line is extremely long, and I wait another ten minutes to let them out.  All the time they are shooting little barbs at each other--you know how kids are not happy unless their siblings are crying.  Finally, I got them out of the car and fought my way through another round of traffic.

I am home now and have a to-do list a mile long.  But I am already exhausted, so I just might put the list away and go back to bed.  What a dream that is!  Unfortunately, my list is filled with items that I have already put off as long as I can.

I hope you all have a better day than I have had so far.  Oh well, God is in control and is definitely holding my hand today.

Until next time, this is life on the edge.  May God open heaven's door and fill your life with blessings today.

When It"s Time to Push the Pause Button

Often I find myself racing through life trying to get from Point A to Point B in the shortest amount of time. I frantically rush from job to job so I can mark them off my ever-growing “to do list.” The sad thing is for every task I mark off I always add two more to the list.

My family life suffers because of the “hurry-scurry syndrome”. My house never gets completely cleaned, laundry never gets caught up and we’ve eaten take-out so often the workers at McDonald’s know us by name and have our food ready when they see my minivan turn into the parking lot.

With two kids in elementary school, one in half day preschool, and one in high school, I can see no chance of slowing down in the near future. I am a volunteer in the kindergarten class, have two kids in t-ball and one in flag football, and one on the high school softball team. There are numerous practices and games I chauffeur kids to and from. This does not include the many social activities of the teenager. Add to this mix a husband who was injured on the job and has to go to his doctor three hours from home. Although he only has to go once or twice a month, this does add stress to the already hectic life of our family.

Recently, I was reading my morning devotional when I read Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” I became aware that God was using this devotional reading to tell me to slow down and “smell the roses”. I paused at that point and looked out my window. It was then that I saw the most beautiful awe-inspiring sunrise I had ever seen. I knew than that god was speaking to me.

Since that time I have made a conscious effort to really notice God’s presence and slow down to see that He is still God. I now see the beauty in God’s world. Although I still have as many responsibilities as have always had I now take time to breathe the awesome gifts God presents to me every day.

Time4Learning

I received a month's free subscription to Time4Learning in exchange for a  canbdid review of the site.  I found this site to be very educational for my grandkids.  They enjoyed using the site to reinforce their learning at school.  I found the parents' section very helpful in helping with homework and reinforcement lessons. 

I recommend this site to parents' wanting to give their children additional resources in their education.

The website is http://www.time4learning.com/.  I think you will be impressed with this website.