Cheap-O Planner Portfolio

After using my iPhone as my main calendar for a few years, I've decided to go back to a paper planner with hopes to use it to be more organized and productive in general.  I didn't really want to pay loads of money for a nice one in case I didn't use it and had actually thought a lot about diy-ing one. Then I found one for $2.50 at the Family Dollar, and the cheapskate in me grabbed it up! Its pink, which is fine, but I wanted to have pockets to tuck in bills to pay, and other paperwork I want to have on-hand. So, I designed myself a little portfolio!  Prettier and more functional! 

I have a lot of scraps leftover from sewing all my diaper clutches that I sell, so I scrapped some coordinating ones together, and added an elastic and a button to keep it closed and hold everything in there.  

I actually like this planner a lot; it has a clear plastic over the front so I've stuck some post-its in there with my top five sewing to dos, and household to dos ( you can see where my priorities are... nothing is crossed off the household list, lol) and some extra post-its as well.  I plan to use one on my weekly page to do some weekly to-dos that can be easily moved to the next day.  I wanted a few pockets, so there are 2 to tuck things into and a pencil pocket.  

Well, there she is.... I'm off to spray it with some Scotch Guard and see if that keeps it cleaner than my white and blue diaper clutch... :)

Oh and by the way... if you need a great site for free, cheap and EDUCATIONAL apps for kids, check out http://www.smartappsforkids.com/ !! I love this site, and right now they have an ipad mini giveaway going on!

Book Reviews: Avenged, Ollie Chandler Collection, Shattered, and Goodbye to Yesterday

Avenged by Janice Cantore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a pretty quick though enjoyable read for me. It follows Police Officer Carly Edwards as she encounters the bodies of three executed gang members which escalates tense relations between the two rival gangs.  Of course, there is more to the situation than it would appear and Carly pursues the case.  Journalist Ginny Masters aggravates the situation by believing Carly to be a corrupt killer, and attempts to ruin Carly's reputation. As I said, I did enjoy this and would recommend it to mystery lovers, though it is not a very detailed mystery. This is the third in the Pacific Coast Justice series and though I think it would have been enjoyable and helpful to read the first two, it isn't necessary to enjoy this one.  I did think that the journalist Ginny Masters' irrational beliefs throughout the story were over-the-top and rather hard to believe that someone could be that... well... stupid! There was really no discussion of this as the book closed either.  Otherwise, I enjoyed the book, and would read more by this author.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. 


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Ollie Chandler Collection: Three Novels: Deadline, Dominion, Deception by Randy Alcorn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At this point, I have only finished the first book, and must say it was great! I love Randy Alcorn, his books always make you think. This novel follows journalist Jake Woods through a car accident and the subsequent death of his best friends, one Christian and one...definitely not.  As Jake assists in investigating the deaths, his experiences lead to change in his political beliefs and faith and his relationships with his ex-wife and teenage daughter. The book discusses hot and controversial issues such as abortion, sex ed in schools, and gay rights.  As a christian, I agree with the views promoted but it may come on a bit strong for someone with the opposite views.  Overall, I felt there was an excellent story line and lots of thought provoking discussion of important issues. I'm not sure why its called the Ollie Chandler collection, as the detective Ollie Chandler is a rather supporting character to Jake's.  I've begun the second and it appears that it will follow another supporting character, a co-worker of Jake's at the newspaper, Clarence.  I assume that there will be some mystery Ollie will be involved in, but either way, I'm looking forward to the last 2 books in the series and would definitely recommend them!



I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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Shattered by Dani Pettrey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this follow-up to Submerged.  This novel continues to follow the McKenna family.  The mystery part of the novel was great. It kept my attention as the McKenna siblings, with a bit of help, investigate the murder of a professional skiier in order to exonerate their brother who was found at the scene of the crime.  The romance centered around the youngest sibling, Piper, and Landon, the Deputy who was taken in by the McKennas when his family fell apart.  Now, this part for me was readable, and I enjoyed the characters; however, I felt that the romance felt a little high school and silly.  The two characters are madly in love but neither sees that the other feels the same, and when they do finally show it, they later retract it and cause confusion.  And though Piper is an adult, her older brother Cole is angry when he encounters Landon and Piper kissing.  It all seems a bit silly and juvenile.  Overall though, I would recommend the book and I do very much enjoy reading them.  They are pretty quick reads, entertaining, though also thought provoking as the characters discuss and live their faith. I look forward to more in this series as, in the last book as well, there were some pretty big hints towards future relationships!  Excellent read for romance and mystery readers!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda E. Brunstetter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was pretty disappointed with this one actually. It's a tiny book with large print that in reality is only the first few chapters of a "real" book.  I would have been pretty disappointed had I bought this book. There is nothing that is resolved in this part of the story.  It sets up for continuing the series but in no way can be read on it's own.  It honestly felt like a rip-off- a way to make money by forcing people to buy different parts of the same book.  I'm not sure what the publisher or author's goal is for doing it this way, but I really didn't like it at all.  With regards to the story, as I said before, this booklet introduces the reader to Meredith and Luke, a newly married Amish couple dealing with the stress of a lost job.  I can't say that I enjoyed this too much either.  It seemed to be dragged out too much, and the adding of Dutch words or phrases then explained by an awkward repeating by the second person in the conversation drives me nuts.  This part of the story shows the stress of the couple as Luke lost his job a few months back, then his excitement and her misgivings as he goes to Indiana (from Pennsylvania) to learn and buy a business from his uncle only to experience "tragedy" as the back flap puts it. Which is exactly where the "book" ends.  I was so annoyed by that that I really cannot recommend this book at all.  I honestly would not bother unless you  LOVE Amish fiction, and are willing to buy multiple books to get one story.

I recieved a copy of this book for review from the publisher.

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Book Review: Congo Dawn

Congo Dawn by Jeanette Windle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was an excellent book.  It was a detailed look at life in the Congo.  The story centers around former Marine Lieutenant Robin Duncan and her work as a translator in the private sector for a mercenary company.  While she thinks their mission is a helpful one, as the story progresses she encounters many people who feel otherwise as they intrude on local villages who have already been terrorized by rebels in their past. While arriving at her site, she encounters a former friend and the story also revolves around their second meeting as well as clearing up misunderstandings from their past.  The story had plenty of action and an excellent storyline as well. There is a bit of romance, but the focus is definitely on telling the story as opposed to throwing in romance for romance's sake.  This is a book by a Christian author and is very well done, compared to others I have read!  The faith aspect of the book is not overwhelming and is believable as the main character works through a new understanding of God and her faith in the midst of so much pain and suffering.   I would recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author.  

I recieved a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

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Knitting!

I'm happy to say, I now consider myself a knitter!  I have achieved one of my lifetime goals! Hopefully it's not too sad that one of my lifetime goals is knitting...

Anyway, for Christmas 2 of the gifts for our family exchange were a Burton Bear cowl for my niece and a hat for my nephew.

This is the Burton Bear Cowl on my five year old daughter... it is the toddler size but oh well! This was my first knit in bulky yarn, and I LOVE it.  It makes everything go so quickly!  I cannot claim credit for the ears, as they are crochet and I have not crossed that off my "to learn" list yet.

And my nephew modeling his new hat, which also happens to be my first attempt at color blocking!  Surprisingly simple! I will definitely be doing some more as this is such a cute hat and I'm pretty sure it won't fit him past this year... (Note to self: Measure head before assuming the pattern needs adjusted...)

Isn't he a cutie?  Looks so innocent there...

More knitting to come as I recently finished a Fear of Committment Cowl for my sister and am working on a cowl sweater shrug wrap for ME! Finally...

Book Review: The Respect Dare

The Respect Dare: 40 Days to a Deeper Connection with God and Your Husband by Nina Roesner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I haven't worked through the book as intended, I read through most of it in order to give my review. I am excited to use this book as a daily exercise as the author intended. I am a huge fan of Eggerich's Love and Respect book, and we just finished a sunday school class study on it. This is a nice extension for me of that series.  The author gives forty daily readings and challenges for thought on the topic of respect. She recommends journaling the experience as well.  The book is for women in thinking about their relationships with their husband.  This is not old-fashioned submission, as in respecting ones husband the goal is not to become a doormat, rather to honor what God requests of us in terms of our spouse.  While the book does not give many concrete suggestions or "dares", it is more of a time for introspection as a wife as to how we think about, respond to, and respect our husbands. I can see this being very helpful in my life, as I often find myself struggling with my attitude towards my husband and what is happening in our home.  And honestly, any marriage book discussing how to change one's husband as opposed to changing oneself is not worth the paper it's written on.  I recommend this book for anyone interested in continuing their study and efforts to respect their husband. Though I would recommend first reading Love and Respect in order to gain a better understanding of the Love and Respect relationship in a marriage.

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.  


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Great site for educational kids apps! (And iPad mini giveaway!)

I have discovered an amazing site that reviews educational kids apps for iDevices called Smart Apps For Kids. We have discovered so many amazing apps through their site! My favorite part of the site is their "good free app of the day" -they often have two- and they also have a list of the 100 best free preschool apps, and a school age list as well. Todays app is one I am super excited about! Zondervan's Beginners Bible app! And Fridays are free app fridays, where they link to developers who are offering their apps for free for a limited time. If you have any Apple device you should definitely check them out!

And today they are giving away an Apple iPad Mini in honor of their second birthday! So check them out and get connected so you dont miss any of the awesome apps!

Book Review, Amish Fiction

Though Mountains Fall by Dale Cramer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is what I'm guessing is the final book in the series. I was teary through probably 75% of the book. The author makes the characters and their struggles very real, and I like that he lets you peek into so many of the characters, not just 1 or 2 main characters.  He shows a lot from the daughters' point of view, but their father's experience and struggles are a big part of the story as well.  I don't read a lot of Amish fiction, but this does have quite a different spin on it as the Amish families have settled in Mexico. It's very interested how they deal with different aspects of the culture and difficulties they have there.  And frustrating as well in certain situations- even having grown up as a Pacifist Mennonite, I was so frustrated as they punished a young man for protecting a young Amish woman from what would have surely been a beating and rape at the least.  I enjoyed all three of this series and would recommend them to lovers of Amish fiction and newbies alike.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.    

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