The Saturday Six

One.

No. Just no. I would not drive on any of these roads. Call me a chicken if you want to, but my answer remains NO. (If the view is so beautiful, just take pictures when YOU go and I'll look at your pictures.)

 Yes, I know I just did a detox. Finding ice cream links is a bad idea. And maybe you've seen this before, but I sure hadn't. Ice cream nachos with waffle cone pieces as the chips? GENIUS.

Three.

 The information in this post by Megan Emily blew my mind. I didn't know any of this info about bottled water (other than being wary of the packaging) and the recycling dilemma. Fascinating and troubling all at once.

Four.

 How stinking cute is this tiny shop? It's like a tiny house, but it's a shop! (Hence the name...tiny shop.)

Five.

 Some helpful - and surprisingly non-cheesy - Mother's Day gift ideas! Check them out! YOU HAVE ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!!


Six.

Back in February, I reviewed a children's book called The Beautiful Garden of Eden, written by Gary Bower. I chose it because I was trying to grow my children's book collection for when kiddos come to visit, and I absolutely loved that book. So when I saw that two more books from this same series were up for review, I had to get them.


These books are part of a series called "A Faith that God Built." They are all written in the same rhyme pattern as the familiar poem "The House that Jack Built." But these books are all based on Bible stories. The two I read this week were The Frightening Philippi Jail  and The Hurry-Up Exit from Egypt.

All the same things I loved about the first one I read were still present in these books, beginning with Barbara Chotiner's whimsical artwork on each page. As I stated before, I think the artwork is as important as the wording in a children's book, and she does a great job.

In The Hurry-Up Exit from Egypt, I loved Gary's word choices (fun words for kids!!), including scampering lickety-split, and hobbly, wobbly, wiggly wheels. There are more, but those were a couple of my favorite phrases. Made it fun to read this book out loud!

A HUGE plus for this book was Gary's careful choice to attribute the dividing of the Red Sea to God's power and not Moses' rod. I think when talking to kids, it's easy to focus on the method and not the power behind the method, so I really appreciated his approach in that part of the story.

Also, with a story like this, there's the question of how to explain the Egyptians' fate when they pursued the Israelites: how do you make it truthful without scaring little kiddos? I thought he did that very well, and the last page of the book pointed to the Scripture reference where families can go together to read the full story and talk about it more in depth.

In The Frightening Philippi Jail, there were more fun phrases, like the bugs and the rats and the slugs that crawled on the crooks and the thieves and the thugs, and the shackles that fell to the floor when a chain-breaking quaking flung open the door.

This is another story that is interesting to tell to kids, because there are certainly parts that are scary (being in jail and the jailer wanting to kill himself), but Gary kept the focus on the fact that Paul and Silas didn't even deserve to be in there, but they chose to pray and praise out loud anyway.

The book ends like the others, by pointing back to Scripture and offering a key verse from the Scripture passage, in case you want to work on memorization.

I'd dearly love to have this whole set of books; I think they are well done, theologically sound, and fun to read! (In fact, I offered to read them to Ryan for our family devotions. LOL!)

* Tyndale provided a copy of each book to me, but all opinions are my own. *

The Saturday Six

One.

Click here to listen.

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about Bekah Jane Pogue's new book, Choosing Real, and why I loved it. I was really excited to get to talk to Bekah on the last Conversation Cafe podcast for 2016. Bekah is funny, down-to-earth, loving, and I think you'll enjoy her thoughts and advice during her visit to the Conversation Cafe! It's just over a half hour long - take a listen!

Two.

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Over the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to get to know a new friend named Hether Wright. I even got to peek at this article before it was posted to this site, and I love it, so I wanted to share it with you. I'm encouraged by her sensitivity to the Spirit and her bravery to surrender her dream!

Three.

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I love reading Carmella Rayone's blog, and I especially love her series on contentment. Carmella and her family {including 3 teen sons} live in a tiny house, and did so before tiny house living was trendy. She writes this contentment series about learning to do what you can with what you have, because space for possessions is limited where she is. I love this little idea for transporting pies and plates of goodies!

Four.

Ryan and I are taking our Christmas photo booth on the road soon and are making an appearance at a Christmas party my parents are hosting to take photo booth pictures for them. I'm going to remake {updated year, you know} this frame we had at last year's family photo booth, because it was so much fun! If you're doing a photo booth at your family Christmas, this is a great {and cheap!!!} prop to make. And if you need a good idea for an activity for a Christmas party, may I suggest a photo booth! Even the most unsuspecting tend to love them!  

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THIS. Back when I worked at the station, I "met" Dr. Michelle Watson, who is one of the most delightful women to ever walk the earth. She has a HUGE passion for helping dads of all ages improve the relationship with their daughters of all ages. Her blog post this week regarding a special date for dads/daughters is SO spot on. {Read clear to the end...if a perfume date is not your speed, she gives alternatives.}  

Six.

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Being down with the never-ending-cold-of-2016 gave me plenty of time to read a novel this week! I was glad I had a novel, because when you feel miserable, you just want to escape into a healthier world for a while!


For the Record, by Regina Jennings, was my read this week, and it took me back to the 19th century in the land of the Ozarks: a time and place I don't usually read about! I discovered after I finished the book that it was the third in a series, but I didn't feel lost at all, concerning the characters, and in fact, some people who had read the entire series said that this book didn't really seem to fit in with the first two. Apparently it's set much later than they were. So if you haven't read the others, you shouldn't be behind too much.

I chose this book because the leading lady, Betsy Huckabee, is a budding writer. I love books about writers! In her mid-twenties, Betsy's officially a spinster, not because opportunities for marriage didn't present themselves at the "proper time," but because she just wasn't interested. She'd spent the past several years helping her widowed uncle raise his children, but his recent remarriage has left her in a bit of an awkward pickle. She still lives with them and helps out around the house, but she's no longer the lady of the house. Her uncle runs the town newspaper, and Betsy's dream is to become a respected journalist.

And by journalist, she's thinking much more big-city life than little Pine Gap news, which usually boils down to who has relatives coming to visit. But things do get a bit more exciting when Deputy Joel Puckett arrives in town. Sent by the government to figure out why so much mischief is going along unresolved, Joel's about as welcome in the tiny town as an outbreak of the Plague. Betsy, however, finds him intriguing. Not because she's attracted to him, but because she discovers he makes a delightful fictional hero. {If, of course, she embellishes the truth of his daily happenings just a bit.} If only she can get the big city papers to pick up her stories for the ladies' pages...

Since I had never read a book by Regina Jennings before, I had no idea what to expect, and I found I really enjoyed her descriptions. They were well-done, and I could easily envision the world in front of me, though it was largely foreign to me.

The story however, went way too slow for my tastes. Cowboys and outlaws...I would have thought the pace would have been much faster. I also thought some of the things about Betsy's character were a bit odd for the time period. I understood that she was an independent and feisty girl, but I thought she spent a lot of time out gallavanting around with no down-time in between adventures. When did she sleep? Parts of that seemed unrealistic to me.

While I didn't hate the story, it didn't captivate me like I hoped. I wanted to fall in love with these people and return to this little town over and over to spend more time with them. As it stands, my visit to Pine Gap satisfied me with just one trip.

* Bethany House provided me a copy of this book at no cost. All opinions are my own. *

The Saturday Six

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Stumbled across a new {to me} blog last week that has some delicious looking healthy recipes on it. Thought I would pass it along your way in case you're in need of some new recipes!

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If you were a child of the 70's/80's/90's, this is a fun list to scroll through. Might recognize some of your own toys! :) And if you're extra fortunate, you might still own them!

Three.

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I know, I know. I just showed you a tiny house in LAST week's Six. But I might like this one even better!! 

Four.

My jewelry box fell apart after about 20 years of use. THE NERVE. I should pause and say that I'm not a "real" jewelry girl in that I see no personal point in spending our money on actual gold and silver and gems. No judgment toward those who love real jewelry, but it doesn't zing me. I'd rather fund my scrapbook addiction than get diamond earrings. So my jewelry is mostly stuff I've gotten at Cato or home parties. And I love it. I do love wearing jewelry EVERY DAY. I just don't need it to be expensive stuff. Last week we finally finished making my new jewelry hangers. We painted blocks of wood {the top one is actually board intended for house numbers...we got it at Lowe's and the bottom one was a scrap wood square we found at this house when we moved in} and Ryan added hooks to them so I could hang my necklaces and bracelets. I love having them out where I can see them, and I love it that the project was CHEAP! 

Five.

I did some editing to one of my Pinterest boards this week, and I thought I would share the board with you here, in case you need some inspiration! I know everyone uses Pinterest differently, but for the most part, my goal is never to 100% recreate an exact look that I find on there, but rather just to be inspired to find something fun to use as a creative springboard. Even though our guest room isn't done, I went through my Guest Room board and edited it to show how the pins inspired me to work on our room! If you have a guest room that needs some help, maybe you'll get some ideas!  

Six.

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My favorite kind of fiction, when I was growing up, was pioneer fiction. I guess that shouldn't surprise anyone who knows of my deep love for TV shows like Little House and Dr. Quinn, right? But in my recent reading days, I've ventured away from historical settings and into more contemporary settings, for the most part. Now and then, though, I like to expand my horizons and return to my first love of a setting in days gone by.

This week, my book of choice was Mary Connealy's No Way Up, a book set in the wild ranching west in the late 1800's. This book is the first in a new series by Mary...The Cimarron Legacy. Mary is an award-winning author who loves writing romantic comedy with cowboys, and the cowboys certainly saturated No Way Up!

Chance Boden is the beloved patriarch of the successful Cimarron Ranch, but he is concerned for the future of the Ranch, since his three grown children seem to be more interested in their own dreams {and arguing with each other} than pursuing a future in the family business.

Chance alters his will to declare that his three children must move to the ranch and stay there to run it for a year, or they will forfeit their entire inheritance, but before he can deliver the news to his children, Chance is caught in a terrifying avalanche. His life is spared by the quick actions of one of his hired hands, Heath Kincaid, and while Chance spends time recovering, Heath begins to suspect that the avalanche was intentionally set and the danger hasn't passed. Determined to spare the lives of the three Boden children {one of whom happens to be a beautiful young woman}, Heath sets a plan in place to figure out what's happening and why.

I admit I was nervous to read in this genre when I haven't for so long, but Mary's writing drew me in quickly and I didn't even have to mentally adjust to a different time period. The suspense is present, though not breath-stopping, and I enjoyed the touches of family life, romance, and yes, even some giggles along the way.

In the last quarter of the book, I stumbled a bit with a section that brought in new characters and caused me to get a bit lost, but I have a feeling that was more on me as a reader than on Mary as a writer.

Book two in this series is scheduled to release next February {and there were a good number of loose ends awaiting a neat bow when the book concluded}, and I learned on Mary's website that there's also a prequel novella available for this series if you're interested in more of the back story!

If you like western books with a faith base, check out this new series - and perhaps you'll wander your way through more of Mary's books!

Thanks, Bethany House, for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

 

The Saturday Six

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For a girl who has complained WAY more than she should have about the "burdens" brought on by beautiful luxuries lately, this post was both a needed reminder and a HUGE conviction.

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So what are your thoughts on this topic? Do you want to inherit the stuff from your parents or grandparents? Or are you so over stuff? 

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One of my friends sent me this blog this week. And since I know some of you love finding new blogs as much as I do, I have to share it. The blog began as a way for this couple to share their home renovation projects {which is a really cool story in and of itself} but less than a month ago, the husband was in a motorcycle accident and now the blog is about their journey to healing. Read it, people.

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It's been a while since I did a capsule wardrobe post, but for those of you who might still be working your way that direction and are still in need of guidance, this is a great post that has not only good principles in it, but also some printables that can help you plan a bit more constructively! 

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If you haven't had your tiny house fix this week, check out this one. It is one of my most favorite plans yet.  

Six.

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Last fall, I read the first novel in the Nikki Boyd Files: Vendetta by Lisa Harris. {My review on that book is here.} I read the book in one night flat and forgot to breathe for most of that night. So when I saw that book two, Missing, had been released, I had to read it. And in similar fashion, I wiped it out in one day - finishing it on my Fourth of July date with Ryan {while we waited for fireworks to begin. I paid attention for dinner and our car ride!}. Lisa has done it again. Suspenseful, heart-stopping, touches of romance - everything that makes for the perfect book you can't put down.

This book picks up just over a month after book one ended. Nikki Boyd, a member of the Tennessee Missing Persons Special Task Force is back at work after nearly dying in a hostage situation just five weeks prior. She's been called in on a new assignment: to find a missing couple, Mac and Lucy Hudson. By all appearances, Mac and Lucy are a perfect couple living a perfect life, but they wind up missing and two alleged intruders are dead in their home.

Nikki is shocked when the first clue in the case leads her straight to a boat owned by her friend Tyler, and she finds him standing over a third body. Tyler's late wife was Nikki's best friend, and she knows Tyler cannot possibly be involved in this mess. But the question is - who is involved and how does Tyler fit into the equation?

Nikki and her team stumble through a maze of clues that leads them further into a world of deception, lying, counterfeit drugs, and a mysterious killer who seems all too willing to remove anyone who gets in the way of his {or her?} mission. Nikki wants to get to the bottom of the reason for the madness, but more than that, she wants to bring the missing home before it's too late.

And in the middle of it all, she tries in vain to tell herself she cannot be in love with Tyler. He's just a friend. Just a friend. But then her heart skips a beat and she has to start all over again.

As with the first book, I loved that this novel kept up a suspenseful pace and storyline that would rival any TV show you could want to see, but it brought in a faith element, and kept out unnecessary garbage. So looking forward to book number three!

Thanks, Lisa, for writing great suspense fiction, and thank you, Revell, for sending a copy my way in exchange for an honest review!

The Saturday Six

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Ryan and I both cracked up over this post...even though we have no firsthand knowledge of the matter. But I think there's a lot of truth spoken here...when pregnancy looks a lot more glamorous in pictures than it is in real life!

Two.

Dancing With the Stars is not on our TV lineup, so I normally never see any of the dances. But I saw a link to this one posted on Facebook this week and sobbed ALL the way through it. If you haven't seen it, and you need a good tear duct cleanse, watch. This is Bindi Irwin's tribute to her late father, and...well...wow.

Three. 

Have you seen these ginormous metal letters at Hobby Lobby? I've been eyeing them for a while and finally compiled a gift card and a 50% off sale to get one for us. I thought it was the perfect accent piece for this old door we found in the garage that I'm now Pinteresting up in the backyard. I'm kind of in love with it. The letter and the Pinteresty door. {Picture not a complete representation of the decor.}

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A thousand swoons over this tiny house. I do not even have enough SPACE in this blog post to explain my adoration for this. Ryan, can we put this one in the backyard???  

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Have you been thrown a curve ball lately? Good words here from Kristen Strong.  

Six.

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Big Love wasn't just the title of Kara Tippetts' first book. It was how she lived her life to those around her. And the circle of "those around her" widened beyond her imagination when she found herself in the fight of her life, opposite breast cancer. She big-loved those in front of her and those reading her journey from the other side of the blog screen. We who read, ventured to her blog each day hoping for inspiration and dreading the possibility of news we might not want to read concerning her health.

We prayed - the "we" who never knew her in real life but still felt like we did and the "we" who did know her and spent time tangibly caring for her and her family. And sometimes both sides of that "we" didn't know what to do. How should we pray? How should we be present? How should we be absent? Kara was but one person in a sea of need, and the questions "we" asked in caring for her are the same questions we ask for all around who need us and leave us wondering how to best support.

Kara won her battle with cancer by receiving a Heavenly healing, and months after her death, words she penned in the throes of the war appear on new book pages, alongside the raw ache and wisdom of her dear, real-life friend, Jill Lynn Buteyn. Their co-authored book, Just Show Up is, in my opinion, a masterful resource in supporting those in need. It doesn't matter if the need is a terminal illness or a temporary sideline. Their words from both sides of the needing fence bring incredible wisdom to a confusing situation.

There isn't a formula and they don't pretend one exists. But Jill speaks for most of us when she says, "I was afraid of doing the wrong thing, and I didn't have a clue where to begin. But when we step out in the middle of our fear, God meets us there." And the rest of the book is the chronicle of how God met them there.

Jill bravely shares raw journal excerpts...private words she wrote during Kara's illness, to empty her heart of its emotion before she exploded from the enormity of it all. Words that will make you nod because you've thought them, even if you haven't known how to phrase them. Kara's own words conclude each chapter, bringing affirmation to the ideas and suggestions Jill's chapters offer. Kara's voice that we came to trust in her last months on this earth, are beautifully comforting...giving us all one more peek into her heart and her blessing over the sometimes messiness of just showing up.

Jill offers very practical suggestions of ways to help those in a season of need, and she also offers truths about how to accept the response {or non-response} of those you reach out to - especially if it wasn't what you expected or hoped to receive. She urges us to try even when we don't know how. To make this journey about God and not ourselves. To stop giving in to doubts and lies so we don't later live buried under regrets. She shows how beautiful a community can be, even when it converges around suffering.

The read isn't light. It's hard. But hard is necessary. We live in a hard world filled with hard suffering, hard questions and hardly any answers. Just Show Up can offer some insight to typically silent scenarios.

Jill wrote that she worried her book wouldn't be accepted because it wasn't Kara. People loved Kara, and they would want her words. But those who loved Kara, from near or far, can't help but love Kara's people, too. And Jill was Kara's people. I think you'll find her writing style remarkably Kara. And her words...remarkably helpful.

What a continuing tribute to a God-anointed life. Thanks, Jill, for being brave with your soul and your words. You carry the torch well. Thanks for giving us light.

* And thanks, David C. Cook - and Jill! - for sending a copy of the book my way for review. It's a gift I treasure. *

The Saturday Six

One.

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I missed a lot in southern gospel music during my four years working in CCM radio. Namely...the kids of a whole bunch of artists I liked...grew up. They grew up, they got married, and now they're making music of their own. That's kinda cool to me. While it doesn't matter one way or the other in the grand scheme if kids want to follow in their parents' footsteps in ANY occupation, I do think it is cool when kids who grew up doing the travel circuit like it enough that they make it their life, too. My favorite discovery this week was the song Last Mile by Jeff and Shari Easter's son, Madison, and his wife, Shannon. Seriously cannot get this song out of my head.

Two.

You guys remember the debacle of the fan, right? On the cruise? When they confiscated my fan straight out of my luggage, and I couldn't sleep for the first half of the cruise, because I didn't have the white noise I needed to sleep? {Not that I'm bitter or anything.} Well, this week, Ryan bought me some white noise machines, and I love them!!! If you need the noise but don't want or need the additional cooling of a fan or heating of a heater, these little guys are PERFECT! And little is a good point. They are tiny, easily packed in luggage, and for Pete's sake, I would hope THEY would pass cruise ship inspection. You can adjust the volume and tone of the noise, so it can be as loud or quiet as you want. Happiness in a tiny, loud package.

Three.

 {Go see the picture...she has a copyright protection on hers and I can't tease you!!}

You remember my mild obsession with tiny homes, right? I think this blog might be the jackpot on tiny home blogs!! This blogger shows pictures of their tiny home - which includes an expansion after their daughter needed her own sleeping space - and even a detailed list of their budget and how they made this thing happen. You can spend hours on this one. Just warnin' ya!!

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Well. Shut. Right. Up. I am always floored when someone has the creativity to do something that I never would have considered trying, and it looks amazing! This blogger made a desk from stained plywood and sawhorses. No, seriously! And I love it! I think it looks so charming!  

Five.

Hey. If I have to cry all the way through the two minute video, so do you.  

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I've heard of Cheri Fuller and know she is a respected author, especially on the topic of prayer, but I'd never read one of her books until this week. Barbour sent me a copy of her newest work: Dangerous Prayer. It arrived the same day Ryan and I began praying about something big in our own lives, so I figured that could be chalked right up to Divine intervention, and I eagerly dug in.

I mistakenly thought the book was more of a guide...a how-to on prayer, and it's not. That doesn't mean it's a bad book, but if you're looking for a step-by-step guide, that's not what you'll find within these pages. Instead, Cheri tells the stories of people who prayed dangerous prayers: prayers that seemed simple and innocent in the uttering, but the invitation unleashed opportunities for God to move in ways that weren't always easy and comfortable. Yet each time someone prayed a dangerous prayer, God used their bravery to accomplish pivotal, Kingdom-altering things.

 From the dangerous prayers of Hannah and the Samaritan woman in the Bible, to the prayers of historical figures like missionary Gladys Aylward, to the prayers of ordinary people you've never even heard of before, to prayers from Cheri's own life, she shares story after story, painting pictures of how dangerous prayers changed the people who prayed them and the lives of those around them.

This book also doesn't give the false hope that genuine prayer leads to a cozy, rosy life. In some of the stories, she shares how the pray-ers suffered great heartache and sometimes physical consequences. And sometimes the outcome of the prayer wasn't even what they hoped. But in each instance, God faithfully worked, and people left the situations forever changed because of prayer.

Jesus often taught principles using stories, and I think that's a great strength of this book as well: the stories teach the reader, not in a preachy way, but in a mind-picture they're unlikely to forget. The stories are told on a simple enough level that those without a deep Christian background could easily understand them and find a way to apply the same principles to their own prayers. {Another bonus for Cheri's method of not making false promises of easy lives and prosperity: her words offer truth to new believers still learning about their faith.}

If how-to books and step-by-step guides frustrate you, I recommend this as a way to learn more about prayer shrouded inside the twenty-one stories inside. Cheri's story-telling skills are captivating, so if you do like reading stories, you'll find this collection of essays easy to read!

* Thanks, Barbour, for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review.*

The Saturday Six

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A few months back, Lynne interviewed Gaby Dalkin on Mid-Morning. Everyone has a "thing" - and hers is avocados. Seriously. She's an avocado expert. ENTIRE COOKBOOK revolving around avocados - including chocolate chip cookies made with avocado to replace part of the butter. So when Gaby said this is the best guacamole recipe on the face of the earth, I'm inclined to agree and recommend it, even though I've never tried it.

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For several months, I followed the story of Janet Pate, a mighty woman of God who battled ovarian cancer. Janet passed away at the end of 2013, and her daughter Jordan has written some BEAUTIFUL posts in tribute to her mom. This one is actually about Janet's husband, who wasn't Jordan's biological dad, but sure did show the fatherly love of Christ to Jordan. I love a beautiful tribute, and this is one!

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Less is more, right? Been reading frequently lately about people who are abandoning their lifestyle of stuff in big houses and living a more compact life in a tiny house. While I don't think I'll ever be pushing for such tight quarters for myself, these houses on this site are SO. STINKIN'. CUTE.

Four.

New song out by Kari Jobe. Love her. Love the anthem-y feel of this song. Excited to see her in concert this weekend!

Five.

I am much better at blogging and Facebooking than I am at any activity on Twitter, but I found this article full of trivia facts about Twitter COMPLETELY fascinating. If you're ever on Jeopardy, one of these might get you through a category!

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Bruce Marchiano is an actor who portrayed Jesus in the film Matthew. The book he wrote about his experience in preparing for/portraying that role changed everything about how I viewed Jesus. I had the chance to interview him a couple of years ago...amazingly humble, Christ-filled man. I saw on Facebook this week that he's raising funds for a new pro-life movie and the Bible he used to prep for the filming of Matthew is part of his fundraiser! He said, "Every donation of $10 gets one 'ticket, $20 gets two, etc. At 9 p.m. EST Sunday, I'll put all your names in a hat and draw a winner. It's all for the cause of saving unborn lives, so please join us." This is the site for the movie and the donation.