Medieval History Memory Game - REVIEW

***I received this product for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the Mosaic Review program.***

I love history!  Unfortunately, for the most part, my children do not.  That's a bummer.  Traditionally, history has been learned in one of 2 ways....1. boring facts memorized and then forgotten  2.reading about the events and characters in living books (my fav!)

Recently there has been an influx in another way to learn about history.....GAMES!  Why not?

The Classical Historian has created and published history curriculum and games for grades prek-12.

We were blessed to receive the Medieval History Memory Game.  I have to admit that as much as I love history, I'm not very good at anything earlier than 1700 or so.  The cards are very high quality and just the right size for little hands.  You can play the game as a traditional memory game or as a category matching game.  So the game grows with you children!  The illustrations are top notch and a pleasure to look at.

Bear, Abby and I have played several times and I am surprised at the things that we have all learned and the discussions that have been sparked because of our "play".  Neat stuff!

You can get this from The Classical Historian for $14.95.  While you are there, not forget to check out their other great looking resources. I doubt that you will be disappointed :)

Review: Everyday Matters Bible for Women NLT

***I received this product for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the CWA Review Crew***

What if I told you that I found a Bible study ( 24 actually) and an easy to read Bible all in one handy cover? 

Would you believe me?

I did :)

I have to say that NLT is my favorite translation ever (and I was a die-hard KJV user).  This is the 3rd Bible I have in NLT and it is so easy to read.

What's so cool about this Bible you ask?  Well, let me tell you!

First off, it is hard back, but smaller than my Life Application Study Bible.  The type is easier to read (I think it is a tad bigger) than my LASB.

24 topics or "spiritual practices" (as the editors call them) are covered in this Bible.  Sprinkled throughout are studies on such topics as:

Acceptance

Confession

Forgiveness

Mentoring

Sabbath and Rest

Solitude

 

I just chose 6 of the 24 to highlight.  Now these topics are covered in 4 different ways via:

Everyday Matters

Everyday Profiles

Everyday Reflections

Everyday Q&A's



In the back of this Bible there is an index of sorts to help you organize your study.  All you need is this Bible and you can have a focused time in God's word.  I love it!

The only downfall of this Bible that I can see is that it doesn't have a concordance, topical reference or dictionary.  I find those useful for Sunday School class.  Otherwise, this Bible is just about perfect! I'm thinking of using my Life Application Bible for church services and this Bible at home. 

Everyday Matters Bible for Women is available on Amazon for $26.24 (much cheaper than my LASB I have to say).

For Women Only - For Men Only Review and GIVEAWAY

***I received these products for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the Gabby Moms review program.***

I had the pleasure to receive this book (and the one following) recently.  Now, I have read all the Christian how-to-be-a-good-wife books.  ALL of them.  Many of them were very helpful.  THIS book is completely different and VERY helpful! 

For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men by Shaunti Feldhan is a comprehensive book about MEN.  Not how to be a better wife, persay, but how men work and what you can do with that information to benefit your marriage.  Shaunti surveyed THOUSANDS of men (Christian, non-Christian, married, unmarried) and then compiled statistical data about how they feel about many situations.  Not just how they feel, but how they react and WHY.  I WISH I had this little gem 17 years ago.

Now, I know a lot of you are saying "why should I change?".  Let me clue you into something....you can only change you.  You can't change anyone else.  This book gets results if you implement Shaunti's suggestions, even with no changes from your boyfriend/husband at all.

HOWEVER, Shaunti and her husband Jeff Feldhahn went a step further and wrote For Men Only: A Straighforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women.  Using the same procedures for the this book; talking to married women, un-married women, Christian and non-Christian women the Feldhahn's have discovered why women tick the way we do and what men can do about it. 

All these years my husband has tried to convince me that I was "different" and what I felt was wrong or abnormal......however, I fell right into the common group of women!  Ha!  I knew I couldn't be so different.  Jeff makes women completely understandable!  See we aren't so difficult :)

You can get the kindle versions of these books for $9.99 on Amazon right now.

Wanna watch a video of Shaunti?  Here ya go!

Lorrie Flem is giving away a copy of the DVD set of the For Only series....check out her blog at Randy's Rib to enter from June 17-21st.

Need more encouragement?  Sign up for Lorrie's free newsletter HERE.

NOW:  I have a set of these books to giveaway.  I don't have any idea what to do with Rafflecopter or any of those things so please comment to my blog if you want to enter and I will randomly choose a winner at 5 p.m. Sunday June 23.  Easy???  LOL

How Do We Know God is Really There? REVIEW

***I received this book for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the Mosaics Homeschool Review team.***

We are in the midst of a move.  We are remodeling our new house before we move.  We are certifiably crazy.  CRAZY crazy.  That's us.

Anyway, I'm spending 90% of my time either at the "new" farmhouse cleaning/painting or at the "old" townhouse packing.  The other 10% of my time I'm squeezing in home management duties (laundry and groceries anyone?), blogging and AVON work. I am crazy.  Or will be by the time this is over.

Finding time to spend with the littles is hard but I'm trying to make sure they know that I'm still here, although a little less sane, so I try to take a book to the farmhouse when we go and after our picnic lunch on the porch I read a bit.  When I received How Do We Know God is Really There? I threw it into the bag. 

This is a very cute, illustrated children's book.  It weaves common "kid" questions with well-thought-out answers, a little bit of science and a lot of love.  We LOVE it.  I couldn't have possibly explain how the universe began in any better way. 

I am encouraged at the end by Psalm 19:1 (The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of His hands.) and how the author encourages us to learn more about the universe so that we can have more reasons to believe in our wonderful Creator. How cool is that????

Written by Melissa Cain Travis, illustrated by Christopher Voss and published by Apologia (the science people), this book is available from Apologia for $16....a great educational value for such a nice hardbound book. You won't regret it :)

Menu List June 1-15

Every 2 weeks I sit down and consider our meals for the next 2 weeks.  I really wish that I could somehow streamline this process.  For a while I did this for a month and I really liked that.  Maybe after we move I will go back to that method (especially since the grocery store won't be quite so close). 
Anyway, I try to choose 14 main dishes.  That allows for an occassional night or 2 each pay period that we can eat leftovers.  And by we, I mean me and the littles, usually on a night that dh is working a double shift and the older boys are gone.

Breakfast
cereal, oatmeal or something leftover in the fridge (lasagna, anyone? That's what I had yesterday morning.)  I've been having a pbj sandwich because the protein keeps me going longer.  If I can swing it in the budget I buy greek yogurt and granola for me.  I'm going to start making my own granola. That can be a later post.

Moving on.

Lunch
pbj sandwiches (The littles usually have either peanut butter or jelly but rarely both together.  I don't know why...they are weird)
Grilled cheese sandwiches
lunchmeat
leftovers

Supper
Tacos
Corn dogs
baked potato bar
hot dogs - probably grilled
cheeseburgers - also on the grill
BBQ ribs
spaghetti
pizza - homemade
BLTs
ham and cheesy noodles
jambalya
pancakes/waffles
sausage gravy and biscuits
chicken and veggies

SIDES:  I usually only choose the main dishes....I just buy some sides and I pick what we are having when I start cooking.  This time I will get french fries, mac and cheese, carrots, corn and some frozen veggies.  We also have lots of potatoes so could have fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, etc.  When the garden starts producing we will have zucchini, okra, etc.

Snacks
Fruits
Zucchini bread
Oatmeal cookies
Chocolate chip cookies

I spread the baking out over 2 weeks.  The fruit will be real lucky to make it 3 days after purchase.  My kids are fresh fruit hounds.  So then I start baking.

I'm going to start working on new menu ideas and mix making over the next few weeks.  With moving I'm not sure how much of that I will get done, but I really need to tighten the belt so it is just going to have to get done. Please share favorite recipes!  My guys are kinda picky and my dh is a real "meat and potato"man so it is hard.  Right now I need fast, or slow cooker easy.  Some days I leave to work at the "new" house early and don't make it home till just an hour before the kids need to go to VBS.

Because someone always asks, I am working with a $200 grocery/household supply budget (twice a month).  The above meals will come out of that as will trash bags, baggies, tide, dawn and toliet paper.  I get our tolietries from AVON and use my earnings for that.  I shop at Aldi mainly, IGA for our meat and sometimes Walmart but only if I am desperate (my yogurt, pizza sauce).  I am feeding me, my husband, 2 teenage boys, a 5 year old boy and a 3 year old girl.  Some days, Abby can outeat everyone else at the table.  We also average 1 extra teenager per day, although they usually show up 2 or 3 at a time.  I love these kids and don't mind feeding them one little bit!  That's also another place that ready-made snacks come in handy....they are great meal stretchers!

Recent Reading

The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn
Excellent read!  Not the easiest thing that I've ever read, but I will say one of the best books. I just don't know how to describe it....for me that's saying something.  I linked you back to Amazon there above so go check it out. 

Two Graves by Preston and Child
I'm thinking that maybe this is a book about Detective Pendergast and I've kinda started in the middle of a serious but I'm still able to keep up and it is riveting.  I LOVE a good mystery.  Might finish it tonight so I decided to go ahead and include it here.  I've read something by Lincoln Child before but I can't think of the name of it......well, upon looking at some of his other books I believe I have some on the kindle waiting for me so that is why he is familiar.  I will definately be moving them to the top of the list.  I can't wait to read more about Detective Pendergast!

Waterproof Bible

***I received this product for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the Mosaics Review team.

 

 

After Bike Camp last fall Greg brought home an interesting Bible, a Waterproof Bible (his was NIV and camo) so I was a little familiar with this product.  When told I would be reviewing it, I was figuring I would get camo, but look!  I got pink :)  They have tons of other styles/versions/colors available (including a full Bible).  This one is priced at $24.95.

 

 

So, what's so cool about this Bible you ask?  Well, aside from being waterproof, it is practically indestructible.  The littles have wallowed it all around church and after the 1st couple of times of reminding them that is was a Bible so be careful, I let them go (for review purposes only lol) and they haven't managed to put so much as a dent in it. 

 

 

I dumped tea on it with absolutely no ill effects.  It got lipstick on it (I keep it in my purse - did I mention it is purse sized???) and it wiped right off. No page curling, no staining.   No problemo. 

 

 

Did I mention it is the perfect size to fit into your purse or backpack?  Its a little heavier then a pocket Bible but the pages are made out of some kind of plastic stuff so you can expect that.  It is much lighter than my full sized Bible.

 

 

Greg's camo version lived in the van for a few weeks and still looks like the day he brought it home (nothing comes out of that van after an extended period of time without some damage - except this Bible). 

 

 

I cannot say enough good things about this product.  I am considering getting these for Bear and Abby's first Bibles because they are so indestructible (I'm not giving mine up btw).  

Made by Bardin and Marsee Publishing, these things are made to be used by anyone that wants to take the word on the go, wherever they go. 

Books I've Read 5-7-13

There isn't a whole lot to report.  I've not been working home health care much and Norman's been off work so I haven't been reading in the evenings either.  lol  Excuses, excuses, I know :)

I did finish The Eldridge Conspiracy by Stephen Ames Berry.  An excellent work of fiction.  I'm going to say one of the best books I've read in a long time. 

I guess that's it.  lol

Ooka Island - Review and Discount Code

***I've received the following product for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the Mosaics Review program***

I've taught a couple of children how to read :)  I have a method, a very practical, no fuss approach and it works well.  Bear is at that age, so here we go again! 

I was intrigued when I received Ooka Island to review.  Ooka Island is a learn-to-read game for ages 3-7. 

Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of educational games.  I find that they are primarily games with a little tiny bit of educational thrown in for good measure.  That's fine, as long as you go into the program knowing that.  Rarely I will encounter a game that is educational and am always very pleased when I do. 

Ooka Island surprised me.  I think that maybe I didn't want to like it.  I doubted the ability of a game to teach my children to read - believe me, I had to gain grey hair in order for that to happen.  HOWEVER, Ooka Island is different. 
#1 Bear (age 5.5) LOVES it.  Begs to play it.  Forever.  I had to turn it off.
#2 The activities are repeated without being annoying.  Repetition with reading is a good thing.
#3 The games are "self-learning".  I don't have to help at all.  Every once in a while I do a walk-through but otherwise he is on his own.  THAT is a wonderful thing.
#4 He has gained much in the way of phonetic sounds just over the last few weeks.  I haven't really been working on phonics otherwise but he is learning so it has to be the game.

On the Ooka Island website there are activity pages that can be used with the program.  We haven't used them yet, but I think that they will be a good supplement.

If your child needs some phonics supplement, or you are looking for an educational "game" I strongly recommend that you give Ooka Island a try.  To sweeten the deal, they are offering my readers a 30% off discount good until June 1, 2013. 

Healing Hearts with Helping Hands

Sometimes I just don't know what to do or say.  I'm socially awkward.  Especially around death or around people that are grieving.  It is something that I'm working on, as I want to be a blessing to those around me.

As usual, Lorrie Flem, helps me out.

As usual, Lorrie doesn't just give us vague notions of how to be a blessing.  This book is FULL of ideas to help us help others during their time of deepest need.  She gives us the words to write, the words to say, the actions to take. 

Since food can be such a blessing at this time, some of Lorrie's focus (but not ALL) is on how to take food, what food to take, AND she includes recipes for several easy to serve items that should be universal hits. 

The ideas in this book are very useful in a variety of other situations as well; new baby, sick family member, etc.  I loved the ideas for care packages that can be made for friends that are going to the hospital to help family members or for treatments themselves. 

Lorrie ends this book with scripture to reinforce our desires to bless others.  I just can't say enough good things about this resource.  I feel more confident in my ability to help others now :)

This book is available now at Eternal Encouragement for $3.50, or as a Kindle download from Amazon for $3.99.  However, May 1-3 it will be available from Amazon for $0.99!  So be patient and get it then :)  And don't forget that you don't have to actually have a kindle to read kindle books (I have a kindle yet still read mostly from my Droid phone).  If you need more information about that, you can read HERE.

Need more encouragement or know someone else who does?  You can get Lorrie's Eternal Encouragement magazine for free!!!!!

***I received this product for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the Gabby Moms review program.***

Reading List April 25, 2013

To the Grave by Carlene Thompson
***A very good mystery.  You will never guess who did it :)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
***I finally borrowed it from the library and loved it.  Haven't seen the movie and won't rush to, I'm afraid that it won't be the same.  Fantastic read for both the cultural education and the story line. 

Placebo by Steven James
***Just finished this one today.  Another sci-fi type mystery.  I had a hard time wrapping my head around the physics mumbo jumbo but one of the characters was a conspiracy theorist and another was a homeschooling single mom so that made it more interesting for me.  There seems to be another book with these characters coming out in 2013 so I'm going to watch out and try to snag it. 

Families Where Grace is in Place by Jeff VanVonderen
***I picked this up at the APACHE convention and am so glad that I did.  A must read for anyone that came from a yelling family or for parents or for married couples.  Really, anyone could benefit.  I marked my copy all up with my highlighter and will digest it for a while then reread before shelving.  Good, Godly stuff.

Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education: Create a custom plan for your family by Sonya Shafer
***As a long time Charlotte Mason follower, I bought several new resources this year.  I read this start to finish in my hotel room at APACHE taking notes the whole time.  If you are new to Charlotte Mason methods I strongly recommend this resource - it is wonderfully informative for the rest of us as well.  You can take notes and highlight or use the copyable forms that are provided.  A definate go-to resource for me.

I've got another 2 books started (one actual book and 1 kindle book) and I've already put another book on my kindle app on my phone.  I brought 2 books (1 fiction, 1 biography) home from the library yesterday and there are still several in my stack on my table plus my mother-in-law sent some home for me to read while returning some that I sent her. 
There will be more to come :)  I know that I'm not keeping the list up in the sidebar.  Honestly, the time I spend updating that thing can be better spent reading.  I'll do my best, but know that I'm probably reading stuff that isn't on there.

Spanish for You!

I have always found teaching a foreign language at home a little tricky.  Honestly, I found learning a foreign language in school (spanish in high school and french in college) a little tricky.  I taught my older sons a little Spanish and some Latin.  Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to teaching another round of foreign language.

Enter Spanish for You!

Available for grades 3-8 and for use in a classroom or homeschool (family or individual) settings; Spanish for You! lets the child work at their own pace.  We used a "trial" type kit so I received the ebook and audio files on the computer.  The child learns via listening to the lessons, reading the lessons and writing (learning to use the grammar properly).  The lessons aren't based on LEVELS, they are based on themes, so each theme can be used independently and in any order. 

Honestly, my students were a little young for this curriculum (Bear is Prek4) but we did listen to the audio files and looked at pictures while I pointed things out to them.  They learned some new spanish words to add to their Dora/Diego vocabulary.

I can see where this is a total immersion program and would be a fun thing for the students to use.

Prices are in varying ranges depending on grade and which theme, they can be viewed here. 

***I received this product for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the Mosaics review team.***

Ultimate Planners

What do you think about when you hear Apologia?

Science, right?

Well, not so much anymore.  Apologia, as a company, has started branching out into other areas.  There's a lot of good stuff over there if you haven't checked them out lately!

Anyway, as part of the Mosaic's Review Team I received some planners, The Ultimate Planners, from Apologia to review.

Created by Debra Bell, author of The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, these planners are designed with maximum flexibility and usability for families of all sizes and homeschooling styles.

This planner is designed to be used at the very beginning of your planning for the homeschool year.  Not only that, but it gives instructions on how to plan your homeschool year.  Not rigid instructions, but goal setting guidance and various "how to use" instructions.  In all my years of planning homeschool, I've never been instructed on how to do it, and let me tell you, the advice is wonderful - even for a seasoned homeschooler like myself.  I felt like we were covering definate goals and then breaking them down into manageable pieces.
Since I'm working with 2 younger children (Bear is technically K4 and Abby is PreK2) I listed the various "working areas" at the top (numbers, letters, Bible, character, phonics, hands-on) and then their names on the side (they each got 2 boxes) and then there is a box that I have labeled Together for the activities that we do together. 

There are a myriad of ways you can use this planner - subjects at the top, subjects at the side, etc.  All the options are laid out at the beginning of the planner. 

After the grid page each week there is a 2-page spread that allows you to write in prayer requests, weekly goals, hospitality goals and a space to record those special little things you want to remember (or notes, I'm using it for lots of notes).

The main goal of this planner is that Mom will have the guidelines in her planner and the weekly work will be transfered to the student planner. 

My littles don't read so we aren't using it, but it is a very standard planner with lots of space to write daily work, chores, etc. 

There is also a teen planner if your children are that age and I gather that it works well if your children are in public school also (our school supplies planners).

The MOM planner is $28, the STUDENT planner is $19 and the TEEN planner is $19.  These are nice, spiral bound planners.  My planner has a pocket in the front and has already been very abused - still going strong!

There will be a facebook party if you are looking for more information on Friday April 12th.

***As always, this product was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review as part of the Mosaics Review team.***  You can read other reviews of this product HERE

Current Reading March 30, 2013

The Long Voyage by Luke Rhinehart
Set in the 1980's this book is the story of a group of people that band together trying to survive a nuclear holocost.  I read many similar books when I was a teenager, so this brought back some "book memories" for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the read; I got it as a free kindle download a few weeks ago and read it on my phone.
Interestingly, and not related to the book, I am able to read from my kindle app on my phone while walking on a treadmill.  Reading on my kindle makes me dizzy, but the smaller screen on my phone makes it difficult to lose my place, therefore making it easier to read :)  I'm going to pick a new book and put it on my phone this evening so it is ready and waiting for me.

Marmee and Louisa by Eve LaPlante
A great co-biography of Louisa May Alcott and her mother Abigail, written by a relative.  Many source documents are used so this seemed a very thorough review of Louisa and Abigail's lives.  Knowing more about the author of my all-time favorite books gives me some insight into some of the things that never really made sense to me.  A great book that I recommend to literature buffs.

The Sixth Station by Linda Stasi
New author for me (I'm so out of the reading loop that they are all new authors for me) but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be on the lookout for more from her.  This book is fiction, a story of the cloning of Jesus and the search a reporter takes to find the truth in what is going on around her.  I had a lot of trouble putting this book down :)

What have you been reading these last few weeks?????

We Choose Virtues - Review and Discount Code

I've mentioned a few times lately that one of the things the littles and I have been working on is character.  I see, very plainly, the flaws in my character reflected back to me daily.

I feel that the prime character training time is when children are smaller, under 10 or so.  However, I have found it very difficult to find resources that work for children under 6 or so.  (For children above that age, Doorposts has GREAT resources).  As you've already read, Lorrie Flem has a great booklet with wonderful ideas to help a family study character.  Another resource that I have been blessed to receive lately is We Choose Virtues. 

I had the opportunity to listen to a conference call by Heather McMillan, creater of the We Choose Virtues products.  The catchphrases, cards and posters were created for use with her family first and then with classrooms and homeschoolers.  AND they are working on products for the older set (coming soon!). 

Every situation and family is different and Heather encouraged us to use these products in the way that they would work best for our family.  Some will cover different traits with different children.  Some will cover the traits as a family.

We are using the cards together; Me, Abby and Bear.  We've been working on obedience.  (Which is also Rule #1).  We went over the flashcards, discussed the related Bible references and colored the corresponding page.  I am trying to get in the habit of memory work, but it is still a struggle here.  We've spent about a month on Obedience and I think we will move on to Diligence in April.

Here are Bear and Abby with their mostly completed coloring pages.  This is the front cover.  I haven't gotten a snapshot of the Obedience page yet.

Heather is offering a 20% discount on her homeschool kit.  The code is HOME20 and has no expiration date.
She is also offering a 15% discount good on anything in the store.  The code for that is VIRTUE15 and also has no expiration date.  (Sorry, the coupons cannot be combined)

I feel blessed to be able to use these products with my younger children.  They are fun, but get the point across nicely.  Fun and educational....2 of my favorite things!

***I received this product for free in exchange for a fair review as part of the Mosaics Review team***

Character: A Matter of the Heart

One of my goals for 2013 was to work on my character, and the character of my children.  In the past, I've used several resources for this, but at this point Bear and Abby aren't old enough for those.  I have been very blessed this month to be able to review 2 character improvement products that were to be used with younger children.  In fact, the book I am reviewing today is to be used with the whole family, all ages, including mom and dad!

Character: A Matter of the Heart by Lorrie Flem is a comprehensive book designed to give the family ideas on how to implement character training in MY family (or your family).  Designed to be used in the best ways possible for MY (YOUR) family, Lorrie gives many suggestions, ideas and encoruagement to guide you on this journey. 

Lorrie encourages mothers, to give Dad first place in this endeavor and to follow their lead.  Using her ideas, we are taking one character trait at a time - Obedience this month - and working through it as a family.  Lorrie reminds us that character is CAUGHT rather than TAUGHT - remember mom that our character shows through every day!

I'm thankful that this resource came when it did.  If you are looking for something that you can use with your whole family, then take a look HERE, this booklet is available for only $4.97

***I received this product for free, in exchange for a fair review as part of the Gabby Moms review program.***

Recent Reading 3-9-13 Edition

I knocked two books off my reading list this week :)  Actually, one of them didn't even make it to the side-bar list.

Seed Starting: The First Step to Gardening was a review book for the Mosaics Reviews team.  I downloaded it on my kindle and read early this week while on the treadmill.  A GREAT read.  You can view my review of it HERE.

Then I finished the 3rd book in The End Series trilogy by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall, Brink of Chaos.  Like I said before, if you enjoyed the Left Behind series then you will like these.  Essentially they take a similar story line but it ends right after the Rapture.  So, it has a pre-Rapture story line.  I really got into the story of Joshua Jordan and his family.  I know that it is fiction but I hope that there are true patriots out there today that are doing all they can to stop the evil that this country seems to have become. 

So, I will be sure to update my sidebar and keep reading :)  Check back next week to see what's new.

It's Spring! Let's Get Some Seed :)

Spring is almost here.  At least I hope so.

For us, spring means planting a veggie garden.  We have planted a garden for years.  We tried the Square Foot gardening method one year and I kinda liked how it worked out but my husband didn't so much so now we do the rows and such.  A typical garden.

I have a love of fancy tomatoes and rare peppers.  We live in po-dunk nowhere so we just get basic garden plants here.  I have tried for several years to start my own seedlings.  Some years it worked out ok, some years it was a complete failure.

Enter:

 

This is the most fabulous little book that covers ALL the bases of starting your own seeds at home.  I got an in-depth education in potting soil, pots and lighting.  I learned all kinds of interesting information about how to get those little seedlings out of those pots and into the garden safely.  I am thoroughly impressed with how much information this book covers and how concisely it does it.  I wish that I had this book so many years ago, but I am very eager to try his advice out this spring.

This book is available on Amazon for the Kindle for $2.99

Recent Reading

I've been reading more. 

I love to read.  Anything.  Newspaper, magazines, books, cereal boxes.  When I was a kid we rarely went to the library and the school library would only let me check out 2 books at a time, once a week.  I can easily read 200 + pages a day and I had an hour ride on the bus each way 5 days a week.  Those 2 books would be done quickly.  I would be so desperate for something to read that I would read my dad's hunting, motorcycle and stock car racing magazines, cover to cover.  If I ever got ahold of any money it was always spent on books or magazines.  I would read and reread the poor things till the covers fell off.  lol

Anyway, I digress.  We have a free library card now that we live in town and I make it a point to go up there at least once a week.  I would avoid the adult section because, honestly, I didn't have time to read and if I did, my kindle is full of books just waiting for me.  One day I was weak and made it home with 2 books.  I finished those and brought home another.  I can't help myself.  lol  I hope by only bring one home that I can read some of the stuff around here until the next trip (Tuesday, we go on Tuesdays). 

It took 3 weeks but I finished the 1st 2 books: (both fiction)
The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier  **  A great book set before the Civil War.  It revolves around the life of a Quaker woman after she comes to America from England. 

Weapon of Choice by Patricia Gussin ** This is one of those medical/biological terrorism books that I love so much.  It is actually 2 mysteries intertwined together.  Another excellent read.

So what did I bring home this week?  Well, it was very hard to choose.  I only look on the NEW shelf so that limits me a little, otherwise I would never get out of the library.  There were 2 mysteries that tempted me and a nonfiction book about 1775 but the one I left with is a dual biography about Louisa May Alcott and her mother Abigail :)  I can't wait to start it.  I have a book going upstairs right now but I'm going to try and finish it tonight or tomorrow and then this one is up next.  I'll be sure to share about it as soon as I get finished. 

Please, share what you've been reading!  I love to hear all about it......now I'm off to write reviews on Amazon.  Have a great day!

Firsts

This week has had some firsts for me:

1st time I ever went to a yoga class.  It was GREAT fun.

1st time I ever had my eyebrows waxed (more to that later)

When I was a sweet little girl I had beautiful blonde hair.  The older I got the darker my hair got.  As a 35 year old mother of 4, it was more light brown than blonde.  On a generous day, my husband would call it dirty, dishwater blonde.  Hmmm.

I've been working on this whole lifestyle change lately.  Low, low carb diet, exercising a whole lot....I've been wearing makeup and trying to do my best to be around for another 35 years.  BUT I also realize that every day might be my last (not that I'm dying, but honestly, it could be) and I deserve to feel pretty. 

The other day I decided that I was going to try to dye my hair.  I say TRY because I've done this before.  First I tried to lighten my hair, but that didn't work.  Then maybe 7 years ago, I tried to dye it red (because I have some natural red highlights).  Didn't work.  I had decided that my hair won't hold color.  Now, I'm working on a NEW me so I decided to try a little darker.  The shade I choose was called light golden brown.  My wonderful husband was willing to be my colorist so yesterday we got down to business.

You can see the BEFORE up in my profile pic.

Here is the after:

 

 

It is darker than I thought it would be and RED :)  I love it.

 

Please ignore the kitchen mess.

 

I dyed my eyebrows to match my hair and now that they were darker they were very bushy.  So a friend at the local salon waxed them for me.  Cute, eh?