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Summer Is Here…… Now What?

Well, it seems that we are again going to skip spring and go straight to summer.  And, since we’re not going to be going camping like we originally wanted to, we weren’t sure what we were going to do.  Ha!  I should have known better.  God already had lots of plans laid out for us. This coming Saturday, June 4th, our local Christian radio station, J-103, is hosting a HUGE concert called J-Fest.  The cost is $10/person over 12 with 12 & under being free!  It’s an all day concert with many of the of the top bands coming to perform!

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Jfest 2011 – June 4

© Copyright 2006 – Zymic – All Rights Reserved

My family & I cannot WAIT to go!  On top of that, by ordering our tickets in advance, we received free armbands to go see Casting Crowns @ Riverbend in Chattanooga on June 14th!   We’re so excited!  Plus, we have VBS starting this Sunday, June 5th, the girls have AWANA  camp at Dixieland Leadership Camp June 18th – 24th,  then Katie’s birthday next month, then the kids will spend some time with my parents, and then it’ll be time for school to start back up!  WOW!  Summer will be over before we know it!  I guess God knew that we really wouldn’t have time for camping this year. 

Plus, Brian will be going to Germany later this year and I’m hoping to go with him.  If we can save up enough money, plus find someone to house-sit for us.  We’re both really excited about the possibility of us getting to go together!

We are also through with homeschooling for this school year, but plan to do a bit of schooling during the summer.  That’s actually one of the many advantages of homeschooling.  You get to make your own schedule, plus you never really stop!  Everything can be a FUN learning experience!

Lastly, we’ve also started a life style change.  We’re eating better and healthier, and we’re losing weight!  I’m hoping and praying that I can lose down to my goal weight before time to go to Germany!  That would be so awesome! 

Look for more updates throughout the summer!  I’m looking forward to having a little more time to be able to blog a bit more!

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Book Review: “Don’t Make Me Come Up There” by Kristen Welch

I managed to pick this one up for my Kindle’ target=_blank>Kindle  last week, and I have really enjoyed it, and I can soooo relate to a lot of what she has written. I love her open and upfront honesty about her life and family.  And I especially love how she tells about her faith and how God helped her to grow, even in the most difficult circumstances.  I know that God has also taught me several lessons through the years through my children, and I’m sure that I still have many more to learn. 
If you’re looking for a book for moms by a REAL mom (by real, I mean down-to-earth-tell-it-like-it-is-and-not-sugar-coat-it mom),you’ll really enjoy this book.  It’s one that you can pick up and read an excerpt that closely matches your particular situation and not only not feel alone anymore, but you will also have a scripture reference and short prayer to go with it. 
Kristen Welch is the author of the blog We Are THAT Family, which I love reading. I believe that God really has a lot in store for this family, especially Kristen. 
Here’s what Amazon has to say:
Product Description

A calm moment is a rare find in a mom’s chaotic day. But she needs it. She needs the moment to refocus and refresh her soul. She needs the inspiration to find God in the mess and the mundane that often defines her. She craves the solitude of a moment with the Master to quiet the storms. She needs to laugh and remember why she loves being a mom.
Don’t Make Me Come Up There!  is filled with inspirational and hilarious true-life stories and reflections written by a very human mom. Moms will recognize themselves in the pages of this book written for real, everyday mothers who know what it’s like to catch vomit with one hand while starting a load of laundry with the other (and never confusing the two!). The fifty-two reflections encourage moms to revel in the everyday beauty of their lives and grow closer to God through it all.

"I couldn’t help thinking of the last time my children had scattered up the stairs and disappeared into a quiet abyss. Initially, I thought they were just delighting in one another’s company, holding hands, and making paper daisies. But that thought lasted for 1.2 seconds before I snapped out of my delusion only to discover my oldest giving her brother a “haircut” and my youngest smearing soap all over the bathroom. . . " from the book

About the Author

Kristen Welch is a mom just like you and me–only funnier. Her blog, “We Are THAT Family” (www.wearethatfamily.com) is read by over 70,000 women a month, who enjoy her often-hilarious, always-honest reflections on motherhood, marriage, and Christian life. In 2010, she went to Kenya as a blogger for Compassion International, and regularly contributes to online magazine Blissfully Domestic and (In)Courage, an inspirational blog for women. She lives in Texas with her husband and three children.

 
So, head on over and checkout Kristen’s book at Amazon, and then skip over to her blog, We Are THAT Family.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with either one.
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Book Review: A Stray Drop of Blood

I have not read a book that captured me like this one did in a very long time.  It is well worth the $2.99 Kindle price tag.
I will admit that I am not one that is easily brought to tears, but this book really touched me.   It is a story told of a young woman set around the time that Jesus Christ is crucified, and it tells how Jesus’ death profoundly changed her life. 
Product Description from Amazon:
Beautiful is a dangerous thing to be when one is unprotected.
For seven years, Abigail has been a slave in the Visibullis house. With a Hebrew mistress and a Roman master, she has always been more family than servant . . . until their son returns to Jerusalem after his years in Rome. Within a few months Jason has taken her to his bed and turned her world upside down. Maybe, given time, she can come to love him as he says he loves her. But how does she open her heart to the man who ruined her?
Israel’s unrest finds a home in her bosom, but their rebellion tears apart her world. Death descends with Barabbas’s sword, and Abigail is determined to be there when the criminal is punished. But when she ventures to the trial, Barabbas is not the one the crowd calls to crucify. Instead, it is the teacher her master and Jason had begun to follow, the man from Nazareth that some call the Son of God . . .
Born free, made a slave, married out of her bonds, Abigail never knows freedom until she feels the fire of a stray drop of blood from a Jewish carpenter. Disowned by Israel, despised by Rome, desired by all, she never knows love until she receives the smile of a stoic Roman noble.
If you have don’t have a Kindle, you can also find the paperback version on Amazon for $15.00.