Menu Monday, August 26

Ballard Locks

This past weekend we took a wonderful cruise in our little boat through one of our favorite locations, Lake Union in Seattle.  Along our trip, we went through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (aka Ballard Locks) and into Puget Sound before going back through the locks, Lake Union and into Lake Washington. That is one of my favorite boat trips. 

Breakfast (a combination of these items): Eggs (we've been doing a lot of scrambles that include various veggies like fresh-from-the-garden zucchini, kale, onion, etc.); bacon or sausage; avocado; fruit/berries; vanilla chia seed pudding
Lunch:  Leftovers or mostly-raw-wraps
Mid-Afternoon Snack:  Kefir smoothies
Dinner:

• Monday: Spaghetti; garden salad
• Tuesday:  Sticky crockpot chicken
• Wednesday: Sausage & sweet potato hash; garden salad
• Thursday: Balsamic roast beef; 
• Friday: Grilled fresh fish; best-ever broccoli;  Caesar salad; garlic mashed cauliflower "potatoes"
• Saturday: Out to dinner

Pleasantly Surprised by Ashton Kutcher

If you haven't seen Ashton Kutcher's Teen Choice Awards speech, now's a great time.  This guy has got it goin' on.

Menu Monday, August 12

Seattle Art Museum

We are starting school this week.  I know it's a bit early, but everybody's feeling like they need a little "structure" in their lives.  Also, it gives us a little more flexibility to enjoy some of the few nice autumn days we get and to do a few more field trips.  One trip we are planning soon is to go to the Seattle Art Museum. Many of our local museums have free or discounted days, so we will be taking advantage of that as much as possible!

Breakfast (a combination of these items): Eggs (we've been doing a lot of scrambles that include various veggies like fresh-from-the-garden zucchini, kale, onion, etc.); bacon or sausage; avocado; fruit/berries; vanilla chia seed pudding
Lunch:  Leftovers or mostly-raw-wraps
Mid-Afternoon Snack:  Kefir smoothies
Dinner:

• Monday: Migas; garden salad
• Tuesday:  Mexican rice bowls with crockpot shredded Mexican beef
• Wednesday: Sausage & sweet potato hash; garden salad
• Thursday: Grilled hamburger patties with avocado slices; fried zucchini medallions (sub. almond meal for panko); garden salad
• Friday: Grilled fresh fish; best-ever broccoli;  Caesar salad; garlic mashed cauliflower "potatoes"
• Saturday: Out to dinner

Book Review: I am Ruth

After reading "I am Ruth, A Story of Loss, Love & Redemption" by Brenda Duff, I believe this book will find a permanent place on my coffee table. 

Already after finishing it, I have picked it up several times to read and to enjoy Kenneth Berg's incredible photographic portrayal of this story.  As a matter of fact, it is almost like a movie in book form, yet more. 

The narrative portion of the book not only includes information about Ruth, Naomi, Boaz and their contemporaries, it also includes other biblical stories that have similarities in them, such as Joseph (Jesus' earthly father) leading his family to  Egypt to save their lives and Lot (Abraham's nephew) and his family fleeing the burning cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

What I enjoyed most was being able to vicariously "live" the story through the stunning photographs that were taken in the Holy Land, close to where Ruth actually lived.

Ruth's life is a classic example of loyalty, courage, obedience, love, and God's provision.  This beautiful book is a fabulous representation.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a free copy of this book by New Leaf Press in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: Rules of Murder

A "Christian" murder mystery?  Well, when I saw this book, "Rules of Murder" by Julianna Deering and offered by Bethany House, I just had to read it!

The story, set in the 1930's English countryside, introduces Drew Farthering as the gentleman "detective" trying to solve the murders of his mother, step-father, and a cad named "Lincoln".   Drew and his buddy, Nick, are both charming, well-mannered, chivalrous, and quite funny.  Drew's love interest, the spunky Madeline Parker, also happens to be his step-father's niece from America whom he meets at the beginning of the book.

Although I had an idea at start of the story that one of the victims was not actually a victim at all, the book really took some twists and turns and was not the predictable story I had first feared it to be.  Instead, I was pleasantly surprised...by everything. 

After reading many secular mysteries, I must say that I truly enjoyed a great story that didn't get caught up in gore, sex, and/or vulgar language, and would highly recommend this to any mystery-lover who is ready for an entertaining tale.

I for one am looking forward to the next Drew Farthering escapade!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a free copy of this book by Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: So Long, Insecurity - Teen Edition

My Review:

When I had another opportunity to review a book with my soon-to-be teenage daughter, I was really excited and jumped at the chance.  We both had a very positive experience reading Tindell Baldwin's "Popular", and I have heard so many wonderful things about Beth Moore, that I was looking forward to reading "So Long Insecurity, Teen Edition".

First of all, this book is more like a magazine.  It has a lot of short articles and features topics like fashion, media, boys, popularity, etc.  With tons of pictures, it is fabulous for even girls that don't really enjoy reading.

As a homeschooling mom of a very mature twelve-year-old, I felt really out of touch with what is going on in the "teen" world.  I know I've seen teen girls around... but they certainly don't dress like the girls in the book.  These girls, who were supposed to be portraying "average" teen-aged girls, looked more like models or girls who have an unlimited clothing allowance from well-to-do-parents.  As a matter of fact, my daughter, who is normally her own person and truly happy in her own skin, went through a period of feeling insecure(!!!) after looking at the pictures and feeling that she was coming up short in the fashion department.

That aside, I really thought the written words and quizzes were really valuable.  So, I realize that this book is trying to reach a certain audience, but I'm not so sure we were it.

Reilly's Review:
When I first saw this book, I thought, " Hey, look at this book!  It seems fun!"  But when I read it, I was extremely discouraged.  Beth Moore went on saying how models and girls you see in magazines are so fake, but if you look at the pictures, the girls have flawless skin, the newest clothes, perfect hair, etc.  It made me think, "If real girls look like that, then I am so ugly."

Beth Moore had a lot of good things to say. The thing is that I am very secure, but when I read the the book it made me feel anything but.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a free copy of this book by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: Billy Graham in Quotes

Billy Graham's son, Franklin, has shared wonderful, insightful, encouraging, and in some cases, convicting quotes from a myriad of resources in his latest book "Billy Graham in Quotes".

This extraordinary book includes quotes on 107 topics from, I believe, the most well-known evangelist of our era.  Nothing is off-limits.  The book begins with quotes on abortion and covers other topics including creation, Satan, grief, lust, marriage, and success.

This is a wonderful resource for pastors, teachers, public speakers and more.  I just recently shared a quote on marriage that was in this book with a newly married couple in the greeting card we gave them.

Sometimes we get a little foggy on what God really says about a subject because of world views.  Other than the Bible itself, this is another source of direction from a man I believe to be a man after God's own heart.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a free copy of this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Book Review: Unlocking Your Family Patterns

Newsflash:  We all  have varying degrees of dysfunctionality in our families.  And most of the time, the way we handle our relationships with others was learned while living with our family of origin.

I know that we would love to have perfect little families, so if you didn't know or were in denial about that little fact, it becomes very clear when you read "Unlocking Your Family Patterns" by Dr. Henry Cloud, Dave Carder, Dr. John Townsend, and Dr. Earl Henslin.

The authors, who are experts in their field, helped me to not only understand why I do what I do within my family of origin, my current family and other relationships, but to also identify the behaviors that are harmful.  For those undesirable or downright harmful behaviors, because they have now been brought to the light, I can now make a choice to change and/or heal.  And so can you.  The authors really encourage support from others, whether that is in the form of a group (i.e. a 12 step group) or individual professional counseling.

For me personally, this book was enlightening, thought-provoking, and encouraging. At the same time, I spent a lot of time on the "Questions for Reflection" at the end of each chapter considering my family of origin's patterns and the changes I need to make to break negative cycles.  This book was something I really needed to read, but was pretty painful in places, too.

Knowledge is power.  If we continue doing what we have done, we will continue getting what we have gotten.  Maybe, like me, you have some learning to do.  This book is a great place to start.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a free copy of this book by Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.