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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MUST Read Book!: "Desperate" by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was such an excellent book and just what I needed to read right now!  The book is authored by Sarah Mae, a blogger and speaker with young children, and Sally Clarkson, speaker, author, co-founder of Whole Heart Ministries which is focused on developing strong families. This combination is excellent as both women have wonderful insights born of their separate experiences.  Sarah Mae is still in the throes with young children, while Sally's children are almost grown which makes for an amazing "conversation" throughout the book.  The women stress the importance of getting together with other moms for support and finding an older woman as a mentor.

The book really spoke to me as the women are so honest about their struggles with raising their children, with the frustration, fear of failure, selfishness we struggle with every day.  It is so motivating to realize one is not the only one with these struggles, and their insights motivate me to be a better mom.  One of my favorite quotes in the book is the following by Sally:

"Satan knows that the righteousness and faith of the next generation are in the hands of parents, and particularly the moms, who interact with their children every hour of the day. Satan would just love for us to think our labor is in vain and ineffective, and that we are not adequate for the task."

Wow.  How motivating for me to remember that this is a spiritual battle and that my main job right now is to train and prepare my kids for the future. That everything that happens in this house is training them. There is much more on this topic, as well as how to care for oneself, and even a bit on housework!

I strongly recommend this book to any Christian mom, no matter how you feel about how your journey with your kids is going.  But especially if you feel overwhelmed, tired, and "desperate".  This one will be staying handy as one I frequently re-read to keep my mind and heart on track as to my purpose!


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


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Book Review: Beyond Ordinary: excellent marriage book!

Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage Just Isn't Good Enough by Justin Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Beyond Ordinary is an excellent "marriage book".  The authors share the story of their marriage journey through ministry and adultery to an extraordinary relationship. I actually found myself reading to find out what happens in their story and had to remind myself to think of personal application. I liked that each chapter shared more of their story, as well as a Biblical story and insights into how to move into an extraordinary covenant relationship. Obviously this would be an excellent book for a couple struggling in the aftermath of adultery or a similar betrayal, but it is also great for anyone at any level.  As the authors say, we often settle for ordinary, not realizing we could have so much more. Since the authors take turns writing individually as well as together, one gets insight into how the opposite sex thinks and much of their story struck a chord with me.  I appreciated as well how the authors are clear that one's personal relationship with Christ must be first and foremost in importance.  I recommend this book for any couple or even an engaged couple to read and discuss how to implement these ideas from the start.

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

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