Hope Rising by Scott Todd: Review and Giveaway

Now, I know I have talked about before here on my blog that I really did not enjoy English class in high school. The thought of reading a book, then having to put into words a review of the book is enough to make me cringe. But a blogging friend of mine share with me a link to BookLook Bloggers, which is a book review web site which will give bloggers a free copy of a book in exchange for reviewing the book on your blog. I decided to take a peek and was excited to see they had the following book available for review:

As a Compassion sponsor and advocate, I was excited to see another book written by Scott Todd, who is the Senior Vice President of Global Advocacy for Compassion International.

Summary - The basic summary of this book is that God is doing a work around the world to end extreme poverty, but there is still work to do. Each one of us has been called by God to take care of our brother in need (1 John 3:17-18). As an individual, poverty is a big problem that seems really overwhelming to tackle on our own. But there are steps that each and every one of us can take to reach out to at least one person to make a difference.

My reaction - I loved the book!

1. This 193 page book is broken up into five parts with a total of 30 chapters, which makes it a manageable book to read in a short period of time.
2. Dr. Todd provides some alarming statistics on many topics, but also shares how we have been making strides in many areas to give us hope for ending extreme poverty in the near future.
3. The book is about giving each one of us hope, the hope that by doing something we can make a difference.
4. The chapter on 'Stewards of Power' was inspiring to me: "We are all stewards of all that God has entrusted to us, including the power we have to make things happen." God allowed us to be born in this country for a reason. He has given us many resources, talents, and gifts. In our own power, we are weak. But in His power, He can accomplish great things when we are willing to follow Him.
5. Dr. Todd shares that "if we don't tell them about Jesus, what will we truly accomplish?" Feeding the poor, building wells, and providing clothing is not going to save those living in extreme poverty. Teaching them about the love of Jesus, this is where their hope lives. And this is being done effectively through the local churches in many communities around the world.
6. We are reminded in this book that God wants us to care for the poor. Dr. Todd shares many Bible verses in this book about God's call for us to remember the poor. 

Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you feel God calling you to make a difference for children growing up in extreme poverty in many countries around the world. I know that for some, this is not the call they feel God leading them to. But if you love God, you need to love His people. And sometimes loving His people means sacrificing a little of your time and/or money so that a child can live another day.

Giveaway! - Would you like to have a copy of this book? I happened to pre-order a copy of this book before I signed up to do a review, so I have one to giveaway! How to enter? Just comment below, 'I would love this book'! Yep, that simple. Be sure to leave a comment by Wednesday, May 28th at midnight PST. (Giveaway open to residents of the United States only.)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

To 'etsy' or not to 'etsy'?

I like to make things, plain and simple. I have a room full of all sorts of crafting supplies. For the most part, the supplies are somewhat organized. But at any given time, I am working on multiple projects. Knitting, sewing, crocheting, hand stitching, mod podge, quilting, baking, canning jam. This can lead to many unfinished projects.

In fact, to add to my pile of projects, this coming up Friday (you know the one, the day after Thanksgiving when crazy people get up early to try to find crazy deals!), you will find me at my local JoAnn's to purchase flannel for $1.49/yard. Yep, I will probably spend at least an hour or more in the store waiting to have yards of flannel cut so I can have a collection of material on hand to make flannel baby blankets for the multiple baby showers that usually occur during the upcoming year.

I have to say though, the finished pile of baby blankets and wash cloths I had on hand earlier this year was the start of my fundraising for our upcoming Compassion trip. Since the beginning of May, I have canned multiple jars of jam, made umpteen knitted dish cloths, sold almost 20 sets of baby blankets and wash cloths, and a good number of other homemade items. I have been able to sell all of these items on one of my Facebook pages. And it has been very successful!!

So I come to my question for this post: to 'etsy' or not to 'etsy'? Like I stated at the beginning of my post, I like to make things. After our trip, I would like to continue to make things and sell them. We really could use the extra income (our new medical rates are doubling, but don't get me started on that subject!). And I would like to donate part of the profit to Compassion.

Here is how you can help me out: answer two questions for me in the comments, I will enter your name in a drawing for one of these fabric pennant banners!

Question #1: Do you think I should start an etsy store?

Question #2: Have you ever purchased something from an etsy store?

Thank you so much! I will keep comments open for the drawing until midnight pacific time on Friday, November 29th.

Candy Corn Jar Candle Holder

A couple of days ago, my blogging friend, Kris, shared a Book Leaf Banner tutorial on her blog. It was just the inspiration I needed to put together a fun project using a couple of my favorite fall items.

Do you like candy corns? I sure do. And do you know if you pair them with peanuts for a snack, they taste like Payday bars? Yum! And candy corns are made from great fall colors!

Anyway, back to the project…

The materials needed for this project are pretty simple:

• half pint jars
• mod podge
• orange, yellow, and white tissue paper
• foam brush
• scissors

When I am working on a project like this, I like to use a sheet of wax paper to keep everything from sticking to my table.

First step, cut the tissue paper into strips. You really don’t need exact measurements for this, you just want to make sure all three strips will cover the jar.

Next, brush the whole outside of the jar with the mod podge.

Then wrap the white and yellow tissue paper around the outside of the jar on top of the mod podge. You can use two strips of white tissue paper if you don’t want the top of the jar to be too clear.

 

At this point, you will want to add more mod podge around the middle of the jar, then add the orange strip of tissue paper around the jar. Then carefully, cover the whole outside of the jar with more mod podge. Let the jar set to dry.

Once the outside of the jar is dry, add a tealight or votive candle to the jar and enjoy this cute fall decoration in your home!

Giveaway!!

Since I made two of these jars today, I would love to give one away to one of my lucky readers! To enter, leave a comment below. Want to earn extra entries? Pin, tweet, or share this post and you will receive extras entries! Please be sure to leave a comment below for each thing you do. (Open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be drawn next Friday, October 11th.)

‘Parenting the QBQ Way’ Review and Giveaway

My friend Kendra told me how encouraging John Miller was at a retreat she attended earlier this year. So I ordered his first book and liked what I read.

“How much better things would be if we all tried to mold and shape our own thought and actions rather than those of others.” – John G. Miller

Then I learned he had a book on parenting. Now that my kids are older (one is even an adult!), I am not sure how effective it is for me to spend a lot of time reading parenting books, but then I read this quote:

“Parenting never really ends. It changes.” – John G. Miller

Parenting is something that each one of us do differently. Is there a right way? I believe when we follow God’s teaching we can make good choices, but since we are all sinners, we are not always going to make the best choices. Mr. Miller’s book gives some great ways for us to take more personal accountability in helping our kids to learn about personal accountability. One of my favorite sayings is ‘your walk talks more than your talk talks’.

“Modeling is the most powerful of all teachers.” – John G. Miller

Here are some things I just love about Parenting the QBQ Way:

1. Nice short chapters – I know that many parents are so busy that they don’t make time to sit down, let alone sit down to read. Most of the chapters in this book are 3-4 pages. Plenty short for any parent to take the time on a lunch break, while the kids are napping, just before bed. No excuses here.

2. Plenty of great quotes – each chapter starts off with quotes from some great people: Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, C. S. Lewis, and even a few Bible verses. There is always thing for us to learn from the Bible and from people who have lived before us.

3. A whole section on transforming your IQs (incorrect questions) into QBQs (question behind the question). – Haven’t you ever asked yourself, “Who made the mess in here?” And what is the usual response? I know, ‘nobody’ lives in our house sometimes too. But if we ask instead, '”What can I do to help my child learn good habits?”, it helps us to make sure we take the time to train our children to take some personal accountability for their actions.

4. Remembering that life is fair – a good friend of mine is always telling us that God doesn’t say ‘oops’. He has a plan for things that happen in our life, good and/or bad. But here is one quote from the book that puts this personal accountability thing into perspective:

“Life is fair…because bad things can happen to anyone. The difference is always in what we choose to do about it.”

So now I know you would like your own copy of this book! But before you run out and purchase one, I actually have 2 copies to giveaway!

Giveaway details: In the comments below, share with me your favorite parenting book. Entries will be accepted until Thursday, May 9th at 11:59pm Pacific time. Giveaway only open to residents of the United States. Winner will be randomly selected from comments on this blog post. Winner will be notified by e-mail on or after Friday, May 10th.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of Parenting the QBQ Way in exchange for my honest review of the book.