Book Drawing

THIS IS A STICKY POST, SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW POSTS!

This month I am having my Book Drawing over at Teen Lit Review, a new blog I started with a couple other lady bloggers. Please visit there and leave a comment. All who comment before 2/1/08 will be entered to win Kingdom's Dawn by Chuck Black.

Drugs are not the answer . . . . . . . . .

Last night, HWH and I had an oh-so-deep (*smirk*) conversation about Heath Ledger's death. HWH commented that even the sports talk show he listened to on the way home from work was talking about it. That show talked about how prevalent drugs are among the "Hollywood crowd". I made the comment "Why?" I then went on to lament "Drugs are for losers who have nothing going for them." But, I know that is not the reality of this world. Drugs/alcohol are used by all sorts of people. I just don't get it though. I don't get the appeal.
But, then I thought about it some more. And I do get it. I'm not going into a lot of detail. But, in my teenage years I will say that there were times I made the wrong choices and tried substances I shouldn't have. Some more than others. It got me into trouble. And into counseling. And into God's arms. I had many issues to deal with that counseling guided me through recognizing, and God ultimately healed. For me, it took the problems and trouble to find out that it is only Christ who can heal my insides, my soul, and give me peace. With drugs/alcohol abuse, there is no peace. NO PEACE. There is no happy ending with drug/alcohol abuse. Only regret. and possibly death.
Drugs and alcohol are logical choices to those without hope. An easy choice when your focus is on yourself and not God and your family.
And I know it may sound corny or just not possible, but if you are one of those struggling with alcohol/drug abuse - trust me - I know - turn to Jesus - he really can heal you. By turning to Him, you will eventually feel better. Don't wait - you just don't know if that next hit or bottle will be your last. I almost didn't have the life I have now, and it is by God's grace I now have an awesome husband, wonderful children, peace, and hope.

Book Reviews

Lately, I have been reading t'ween and teen books. The books I've read/reviewed over the past few months are:

Kingdom's Dawn by Chuck Black

The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

DragonSpell by Donita K. Paul

The Mistmantle Chronicles: The Urchin of the Riding Stars by M.I. McAllister

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black

The Spiderwick Chronicles has a movie based on the book series that will be coming out soon. I enjoyed all the books except The Spiderwick Chronicles. My 12 yr. old son enjoyed the series though, so he will probably go see the movie. I found the books to be too mean, and I would not suggest a parent let their kids read them until they have read one or two of the series first, and judge if they are somthing your child would enjoy/handle.

All the other books, I really enjoyed and would suggest without hesitation to parents. If I had to pick a favorite it would be DragonSpell.

I have a pile of adult books I am anxious to read - hopefully I can slip a few in and post a few adult reviews here next month!

Happy Reading!

I'm For Fred Too!

Becky over at Becky's Carolina Journal has a great post about why she supports Fred Thompson for President in 2008. It echo's my sentiments word for word! I encourage you to check out her post and Fred Thompson's web site.

Crock Pot Update and Other Rants

I didn't let it beat me! After three failed attempts at cooking a crock pot meal (1st fail - forgot to plug in, 2nd fail - forgot to turn on, 3rd fail - plug only halfway in socket), I finally made a meal! Last Friday I got it right and my boys got to enjoy a pot roast!

Darling Daughter and I went on a Girl Scout retreat, so I left the roast for the guys to eat when they got home Friday night. The retreat was fun. The girls were great, though what they most wanted to do was play/hike outside. That's good, but it was just so COLD outside! I am not a cold weather person. Plus, I didn't take any Diet Coke (wanted to be a good example), and boy - did I regret that! I was dragging!

As for my other rant - OK, here it is. You know I love books. I love to read. But, books are expensive. I try to check them out at the library, but some just aren't available there. What irritates me - are some of the series books. Now, I like series books to a point. I read some of Beverly Lewis's Amish series books, but eventually I tired of them and quit. I read some of a series that took place on the wild frontier - but more and more books just kept coming and I tired of it. But, those series don't "bother me". What "bothers me" are series like the Left Behind series and the Kingdom Series - they seem to me to not have enough "content" in them, to be too short, not have enough significant events, etc. To be blunt, it seems to me that they write them to pull you in and make you buy more. For them to make more money, and sell more books.

I think 3 books in a series is a good amount. And authors should write each book as a stand alone - with content, events, and substance that warrant the consumer spending their money on it. Don't string me along! Don't make me HAVE to buy the next book to find out what happened. OK to buy the next book to continue a journey - but don't leave a cliffhanger!

That's my 2 cents worth on the subject. Do you have any thoughts? Agree or Disagree? What's your favorite series? Any you disliked?

One of my favorites is the Spa Girls Series by Kristen Billerbeck. It is 3 books, each written from the POV of a different girl. Loved it!

What is He tryting to teach me?

About a month ago in this post I told you how I have messed up the last two "Crock Pot Stew" (as my kids call it). Well, the third time's a charm right?
Well, with most people - yes.
But, as with most nights that daughter and I have girl scouts - I started a "crock pot stew" before going to work. This time, I triple checked to make sure I had plugged it in and turned it on. When I left, the pot was warm - all was good. BUT, I must have pulled on the pot during one of my checks, because when HWH arrived home that night, expecting to smell the glorious aroma of my $20 pot roast and veggies, again, he was disappointed. The plug was halfway out of the socket, and so the two boys ate frozen waffles for dinner, and HWH and I ate spaghetti at about 9:45, after I got home and whipped it up.
This morning when eldest child was eating breakfast he made the comment "Mom, I think God's sending you a message not to make crock pot stew anymore."
My reply "Well He certainly is trying to teach me something. Not sure that it's to not make it anymore, I'll have to think about that".
So, what is it? What is the "lesson"? I thought on my drive to work.
To slow down? To get up earlier? To quit being a girl scout leader? To let HWH make their dinner? To not make crock-pot stew ever again?
I'm so confused . . . . . .

Teen Lit Review
Real Reviews for the Christian Parent

When it comes to what is acceptable entertainment for our children, there are many places to turn for information. With movies, you have a rating to guide you and reviews you can read with detailed information about the movies and their content. With video games, there are also ratings and places online to get reviews and content details. There are even Christian websites that give these reviews and details from a family-friendly perspective.
However, with books, it is difficult to find a review from a Christian perspective. There are no "ratings" on a book. Book jackets don’t go into much detail. Reading is something all parents encourage, and many of us have children who read A LOT! But, just what are they reading?
We are pleased to announce a new blog - Teen Lit Review, a place where you can find detailed Christian-centered book reviews for all genres of 'tween and teen books. Our goal is to be a helpmate to parents in finding suitable books for their teens. All recommendations are solely the opinions of our reviewers. When in doubt of a book's appropriateness, we encourage you to read the book yourself.
We welcome your comments, feedback on our reviews, and suggestions of books for review.
Please visit Teen Lit Review and let us know what you think! We have a drawing you can enter to win a great read for your teenager!

If I was voting in a Caucus . . . .

I am not a super political person - but the more I learn about this canidate, the more I like him. If he doesn't get the nomination (which is looking doubtful right now), he will be my choice. Outside of these two - I really can't get excited about any of the other Republicans.

14 GOOD REASONS TO SUPPORT DUNCAN HUNTER

1) He is the most conservative candidate in the race. He has a 92% lifetime rating, American Conservative Union.

2) He is the "National Security" candidate. He served with the 173rd Airborne and the 75th Army Rangers in Vietnam, and was, most recently, the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee in the House of Representatives. Duncan Hunter knows defense.

3) He is a strong supporter of missile defense.

4) He's a strong supporter of Israel.

5) He was responsible for building the fence along the Mexico-U.S. border in San Diego. That double fence cut smuggling (people and drugs) over 90%.

6) He opposes the McCain-Kennedy Amnesty bill in the Senate.

7) He is a co-sponsor of the Fair Tax.

8) He was the co-sponsor of a bill that would require a 2/3 majority in Congress to raise taxes.

9) He is a strong proponent of fair trade and will fix some of the bad trade deals that have been made by previous administrations in order to keep high paying jobs in America.

10) He pledges to appoint originalist judges like Antonin Scalia.

11) He has a 100% Pro-Life rating from National Right to Life.

12) He believes that marriage is between a man and a woman. He supports a Constitutional Amendment to protect marriage.

13) He is a strong defender of the 2nd Amendment who has an A+ National Rifle Association rating.

14) He supports school choice.

To be honest, I will be glad when it's all over. I just pray for the Lord's will to be done in the situation. To do that, and vote, is all I can do. I know many of you support Huckabee - who may be a fine man and a great Christian, but is not a conservative.