Book Review: Secrets of the Vine for Women

By Darlene Marie Wilkinson
ISBN: 978-1-60142-387-9


This book is an eloquent adventure through John 15 of the Bible.  The story parallels the story of Man that keeps a vineyard and his daughter.  I really enjoyed how this story was carried throughout the entire book. The author's love of God and desire for others to also abide in Him is very apparent. The author did give advice to read the Bible as though it was written to you personally.  I disagree with this statement.  True there are certain platitudes that were given to all people in the Bible, but much must be taken in context.  One must consider who is being spoken too, and what situation they are in.  Aside from this a very good book, with lots of great reminders about staying connected to God.


Click here if you would like to download chapter 1
Chapter 1


I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review

Book Review:

Living in Love by James and Betty Robison

ISBN: 9781400074587

This book is the 1^st person account of James and Betty Robison marriage.

Overall nothing new in this book, as compared to the countless other marriage books on the market.  If you are interested in their personal story, then it is worth reading. 

I feel that Mr. Robison in some aspects has snowed his wife. Her explanation for many of his shortcomings through the years being the result of his upbringing (for example: read Every Man’s Battle by Arterburn, Stoeker, and Yorkey-all men struggle with lust at one point or another, regardless of their upbringing). 

Overall the book falls in the “just okay” category, not good but not bad.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Harris Teeter Super Double Shopping Trip 3/27/11

2 bags of Halls Cough drops- sale 2/$3. I used (2) $0.75/1 coupons = 2 free
2 Colgate Total Toothpaste -sale $2.99ea. I used (2) $1.50/1 coupons=2 free
2 Palmolive dish detergent- sale $0.99ea. I used (2) $0.50/1 coupons=2 free
1 Wonka Chocolate bar- 2.59ea- I used (1) $1/1 coupon= $0.59
Grand Total= $1.14!!!

Book Review: How Good is Good Enough?

Book Review

How Good is Good Enough? By Andy Stanley

ISBN: 9781590522745

This book is an analysis of the common argument that good people go to heaven and why it is not true.  The book is aimed at those that are not already Christians, but those that are exploring the idea.  There were many good personal stories to illustrate the points, but perhaps lacking in scripture backing.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book review: The Dragon and the turtle

The Dragon and the Turtle

By Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark

Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

ISBN:9780307446442

This book was definitely different than many children’s book. It tells the story of two unlikely friends and the adventure of how they met. The book discusses differences that the characters have, and yet they still stick together. I like that the authors included a “parent guide” at the back to help guide lessons and further discussion with one’s child. The illustrations are cute. It is a fair book, good lesson, but not overly engaging.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Sun Stand Still Review

Sun Stand Still

By Steven Furtick

ISBN: 9781601423221

The author of Sun Stand Still sends a bold message loud and clear to the reader. Have a bold faith in God and His power to move in your life and the lives of others. The book encourages while providing Biblical evidence of the authors points. There are also a number of personal stories presented without bragging.  A very great book which encourages spiritual growth.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review".

Book Review-Radical by David Platt

Radical by David Platt

copyright 2010

ISBN 978-1-60142-221-7

Radical by David Platt was an easy read right from the start. It provides an engaging first person account of the authors experiences along with the books ultimate purpose in presenting a year long challenge. The challenge is “to read through the entire Word. To sacrifice your money for a specific purpose. To spend your time in another context. To commit your life to a multiplying community”. Much of the book left me feeling that the author was villainizing the American dream/ way of life and bragging about how great he and his church are.  In the final pages a disclaimer and clarification of this issue was explained and left me feeling much more comfortable with how the stories were represented. Overall this book serves as a good reminder to not become so caught up in our own lives that we forget to pursue God and share the gospel with the world. What an awesome challenge to encourage one to action!

Chapter 1 excerpt http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601422217&view=excerpt

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review-Little Star

Book Review- Little Star 

by Anthony DeStefano

 illustrated by Mark Elliot

Waterbrook Press

copyright 2010

ISBN: 978-0-307-45805-6

Little Star is a Christmas Children’s story. It is the telling of an interaction between a Father and Son. The Father tells his son the story of the star that shown brightly the night of Jesus’s birth and the stars fate.  The story includes a moral lesson of how to treat people kindly, this could be elaborated in discussion outside of the book. The book also includes the important message of Jesus and an explanation for the circumstances surrounding his birth. “Jesus wanted to be born little to show all the people of the world that he loved them, no matter how small or poor they were”. Many aspects of the story line flowed nicely. There were a few abrupt transitions that could have been made more smooth by adding a sentence or two more of description or explanation.

The illustrations in the book were well done.  Some are very cute while others are beautiful  The colors are very calming.  

Overall, this book was a fun read.  A good read aloud story for children, with several opportunities for further discussion.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review" 

E-Mealz

E-Meal-Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families

Over the past 5 1/2 years of married life, my husband and I have made many attempts at meal planning. Each attempt became too tedious and time consuming to maintain with our busy dual career life styles. This  inevitably resulted in frequent trips to our favorite restaurants multiple times a week.  The other recurring problem was in seeking to add variety to our meals, we tried new recipes, many of which ended in disaster (one especially memorable was- Ratatouille-as inspired by the Pixar movie-but exponentially less visually appealing as the animated version and tasted as though it must have been stolen from the rats trash cans which had not been taken to the curb in a few weeks).

Two months ago, thanks to Dave Ramsey's radio show, we found E-Mealz!  Our minds and stomachs have been very happy.  We no longer have to spend hours trying to sort through recipes and grocery ads to find sales that will match the recipes!  Each and every meal that we have have with E-mealz so far has tasted wonderful!  Much better than most of the recipes we used to use!

(I was not paid by Dave Ramsey or E-Mealz for this review) These are my own opinions.

Swag Bucks Rewards

I am very excited to have redeemed swag bucks points for my first rewards.  I used 900 points to get two $5.00 gift cards to amazon.com.  I used the cards to get 7 cloth wipes for my LO. The grand total with free shipping was 15 cents!!!