Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Heaven is for Real... a book/DVD review

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Based on the best-selling book Heaven is for Real, this conversation kit is a tool for churches, small groups, and families to dig deeper into the Word of God and what it says about God and heaven.  The kit includes the DVD curriculum and a Conversation Guide.  The guide easily walks the facilitator through the curriculum and helps the small group meeting run smoothly.

First, I read the actual book Heaven is for Real about Colton Burpo's unexpected trip to heaven during an emergency appendectomy.  Colton wants everyone to know "heaven is for real and you're going to like it!"  His story resonated with me - not only my questions about heaven - but who I will see again.

The DVD curriculum shares Natalie Tysdal's interviews with Todd, Sonja, and Colton as they answer some of the most frequently asked questions about heaven.  While many of the questions and answers are in the book, this gives you a chance to hear in their own words their experiences.  I love it when Colton plainly states that he can't remember all the details since it was so long ago.  This family has opened their hearts, both in the book and DVD, to share God's healing to those around them.

5 sessions are included: 
Why Should We Care About Heaven
What is Heaven Like?
When Does a Person Go to Heaven?
Where is Heaven?
Who Goes to Heaven

and...
a special message of hope from Sonja to women
who have experienced miscarriages

The Conversation Guide is written for both believers and non-believers in everyday language to help group members discover what the Bible teaches about heaven.  It includes key Bible passages about heaven, helping them understand more about who goes to heaven, when they go there, and what heaven is like.  Group discussion starter questions, a guide for personal reflection, journaling, and applications for daily life are part of each session.

The DVD-curriculum and guide are a good platform for discussing physical death and heaven.  The most helpful item in this curriculum is the Conversation Guide.  The scripture is shared in context to each of the sessions making it a wonderful resource.  I would recommend Heaven is for Real DVD-based Conversation Kit for everyone! 

Remember.... read the book first!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publisher for providing me a complimentary copy of this material through BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.


Blessings,

     Ellen

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Company Ham Casserole

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Two of my children request this for their Birthday Dinner! 
Why don't you give it a try...

Ingredients:

8 oz. thin spaghetti
2 TBS minced onion
4 TBS butter
6 TBS all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup half-n-half
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups diced cooked ham
1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1)  Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water as directed on package.  Drain, rinse, and set aside.

2)  Saute onion lightly in butter in large saucepan.  Sitr in flour; remove pan from heat.

3)  Stir in milk, half-n-half, and chicken broth.

4)  Put backover heat.  Cook, stirring until thickened.

5)  Add ham, peas, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and spaghetti; mix well.

6)  Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then pour mixture into it.  Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until golden.

Notes:  For a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 teenagers), I double the recipe and bake in a glass lasagna pan.  Good served with a tossed green salad and crunchy French bread.


Blessings,

     Ellen
 
This recipe may be linked to:
Cookbook Sundays(first Sunday of the month), Savory Sundays, Hunk of Meat Monday, Makin' You Crave Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Mangia Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Monday Mania, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday Night Supper Club (2nd Tues of the month), Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Tasty Tuesday Link Party, Made from Scratch Tuesday, This Week's Cravings, Delicious Dishes, Foodie Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, What's On the Menu Wednesday, Made it on Monday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Recipes I Can't Wait to Try!, What's on Your Plate?, These Chicks Cook, Whisking Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, It's a Keeper, Slow Cooking Thursday, Twisted Thursday, Taste-tastic Thursday, Fun with Food Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Favorites, Foodie Friday, Friday Potluck, I'm Lovin' It, Sweets for a Saturday, Simply Delish Saturdays

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Black Friday Shopping

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Many of you don't realize how much I DISLIKE shopping for anything... except books.  I took 1 1/2 hours out of my day today to look through the 4-inch stack of sale papers for Black Friday.  The only sale that caught my eye was Kohl's.  They have Kitchen Aid Stand mixers on sale! 

After considering a midnight run to Kohl's for the said mixer, I went online and found I could buy it without having to leave my home!  Praise the Lord!  The best part is that I still received the Kohl's cash to use in-store through December 5 for Christmas gifts.  Check out my frugal find....

KitchenAid Artisan 5-qt. Stand Mixer - Green Apple (KSM150)
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt. Stand Mixer with
tilt head, accessories shown, and 325 watts of power!
Mine is white.

Original Price: $399.99

      Sale Price: $269.99
                         + 16.06  Tax
                         -  40.50  15% off
                         -  60.00   Kohl's cash earned
                         -  30.00  Mail-in rebate
          
     Final cost:  $155.55

I am so excited and can't wait for the delivery of my new mixer.  I have been using a Sunbeam stand-up mixer with no luck with bread dough or a double batch of cookie dough. 

The 15% off is good through November 27th.  The Promo Code is: GOBBLE15FB for online buying.  To use it in the store, click HERE to print the Shopping Pass.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Blessings,

     Ellen

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

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"Now, our God, we give You thanks,
and praise your glorious name."

~ 1 Chronicles 29.13


"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

~ 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done."

~ Psalm 105:1

Thank you, God, for everything,
The big things and the small.
For "every good gift comes from God"...
The giver of them all.
And all too often we accept, without any thanks or praise,
The gifts God sends as blessings, each day in many ways.
And so at this Thanksgiving Time, we offer up a prayer...
To thank you, God, for giving us a lot more than our share.

First, thank you for the little things
That often come our way,
The things we take for granted
But don't mention when we pray,
The unexpected courtesy, the thoughtful, kindly deed,
A hand reached out to help us in the time of sudden need.
Oh, make us more aware, dear God, of little daily graces
That come to us with "sweet surprise"
From never-dreamed-of places.

Then, thank you for the "Miracles"
We are much too blind to see,
And give us new awareness of our many gifts from Thee,
And help us to remember that the Key of Life and Living
Is to make each prayer a Prayer of Thanks
And every day Thanksgiving
--Helen Steiner Rice
Blessings,

     Ellen

Monday, November 14, 2011

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball... a book review

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Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball: A Novella  -     
        By: Donita K. Paul

List Price: $14.99
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (October 5, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0307458995

With the Christmas season upon her, Cora Crowder is completing her holiday shopping while attempting to keep the "Christ" in Christmas.  After hearing about a small bookshop, she sets out to find the perfect gift for her uncle.  While at Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad's, a most unusual bookshop, she not only finds the perfect book, but also runs into  her boss's boss, Simon Dereck.  After returning home, each of them discover a ticket for a truly one-of-a-kind Wizard's Christmas Ball.  Every year, the booksellers of Sage Street bookshop, host an enchanting, old-fashioned Christmas Ball for the romantic matches they have decided to bring together.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

This book is not my usual fare, since the Wizard's Christmas Ball is enveloped in fantasy.  From the booksellers and the costume shop ladies to the disintegrating dress, an air of magic seems to surround them.  Even though we are told that wizard, in this book, means old, wizened person, this novella reads more fantasy with a touch of Biblical truths.  While it is an enjoyable read,  I can understand why Cora has trouble keeping the true Christian spirit alive.  How can you reconcile Jesus' birth and a Wizard's Christmas Ball? 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group  and their Blogging for Books program for this review.

Blessings,

     Ellen

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Reclaiming Lily... a book review

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Reclaiming Lily

Reclaiming Lily brings us a peek into the lives of the Chinese people during their Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s.  For those who do not agree with Chairman Mao's edicts, life becomes a nightmare including imprisonment and death. 

This book opens in Eastern China in the 1990 at the beginning of international adoptions of their children.  Andrew and Gloria Powell are nagivating a cross-cultural adoption and only seek to be united to their baby daughter.  Instead, they are informed there is no baby to be adopted at the orphanage.  In the midst of their disappointment, Gloria feels led to a shy, beautiful ten year-old girl she names Joy. 

Seven years later, a renown doctor, Kai Chang, received the information she has eagerly awaited.  Information about her sister who was adopted from China in 1990 by the Powells.  After arranging a meeting with Joy's parents, she flies from Boston to Fort Worth, Texas, to not only meet them and possibly Joy, but also to discuss her family's health history.  Kai, a kidney specialist, has determined her mother's cause of death, PKD, polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary and terminal disease.  The only treatment is dialysis (until the kidneys no longer respond) or a kidney transplant.

With the Powells standing in the way of diagnosing her sister, she needs to share her life and memories from China many years earlier.  Can Gloria, a shy pastor's wife, let Kai into Joy's life?  Will Joy choose her blood sister over her?  Will Gloria and Kai be able to cross cultural lines to put Joy, and her health, before everything else?  Will Kai be able to save her?  Who is saving who?

Click HERE to read the Prologue and Chapter 1!

Patti Lacy has written a moving and life-changing book.  Not only did I see the atrocities of the Chinese Cultural Revolutions, but also the challenges of cross-cultural adoption.  This is a story one of our neighbors could be living through.  I recommend Reclaiming Lily to anyone who desires to see God at work in the lives of everyday people.  You will walk away from this book changed, moved, inspired... for the better!

Thank you to Bethany House Publishing Group for my complimentary copy for this review.

Blessings,
     Ellen

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Yankee Pot Roast

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Growing up, this was one of those recipes I looked forward to Mom making! 
The house smelled wonderful and I knew we were always in for a treat. 
Why don't you pull up a pot and give it a whirl?!?!


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 1/2 - 4 lb. beef roast
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup water
1 Bay leaf
8-10 small, whole onions
8 small carrots, cut in half
16 oz. tomato sauce with tomato bits

Directions:

1)  Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.  Brown in hot oil in Dutch oven.

2)  Add 1/2 cup water and bay leaf.  Simmer 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender; remove fat.

3)  Add vegetables and rest of water; pour on tomato sauce.  Simmer, covered, 1 hour.

4)  Enjoy!

Note:  I use a jar of pearl onions and sometimes add small new or red potatoes and celery with carrots.  If I don't use potatoes, I will serve pot roast with mashed potatoes and a cucumber and onion salad.

Blessings,

     Ellen


This recipe may be linked to:

Cookbook Sundays(first Sunday of the month), Savory Sundays, Hunk of Meat Monday, Makin' You Crave Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Mangia Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Monday Mania, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday Night Supper Club (2nd Tues of the month), Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Tasty Tuesday Link Party, This Week's Cravings, Delicious Dishes, Foodie Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, What's On the Menu Wednesday, Made it on Monday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Recipes I Can't Wait to Try!, What's on Your Plate?, These Chicks Cook, Whisking Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, It's a Keeper, Slow Cooking Thursday, Twisted Thursday, Taste-tastic Thursday, Fun with Food Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Favorites, Foodie Friday, Friday Potluck, I'm Lovin' It, Sweets for a Saturday, Simply Delish Saturdays, Made from Scratch Tuesday

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Not in the Heart... a book review

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Not in the Heart  -     
        By: Chris Fabry
ISBN: 978-1-4143-4861-2
List Price: $13.99
Release Date: February 2012

What does a condemned man on death row
and a dying teenager have in common?

One man...

Truman Wiley

Truman Wiley was an award-winning journalist known the world over for his top news stories.  Yet, he has a dark side which has shattered his family.  His family is in shambles... his daughter Abigail had to drop of out school due to nonpayment, and his son Aiden is dying.

a man with no job, no contact with his family, and no place to live

He receives an offer to write the biography of Terrelle Conley, a convicted murderer on death row who wants to donate his heart to save Aiden.  As Truman investigates Terrelle's life and trial, new evidence is revealed to prove his innocence.  Will Truman keep it quiet or will he bring the information to the light of day?  His decision will either save his only son or kill him!  Then, add in the morality and legal issue of organ donation from a death row inmate, and you have an insightful book of faith, love, redemption, and forgiveness.

Click HERE to read Chapter 1!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Not in the Heart by Chris Fabry is an excellent book... a must read!  Chris has woven a story so believable about people we all could know and relate to.  His combination of humor, suspense, and intrigue, combined with the characters' personal challenges, makes this an instant classic.  The plot moves smoothly and quickly between its many twists and turns, and the characters are well-developed and expressed.

Not in the Heart has encouraged me to look beyond myself, and how my decisions affect those around me.  I love books that make me think.... Would it be right to allow death-row inmates to become organ donors?  Who would decide who would receive the gifts?  Today, how can I best show God's love and forgiveness to those around me?  Do I always need to feel "right?"  Chris Fabry has included Reading Group Questions at the end of the book to help delve into these issues.


Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC copy for my review.

Blessings,

     Ellen

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

College Application Time!

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One of the joys of having twins is the fun of doing everything, not once, but twice!  This includes college visits and tours.  Matt is looking into an Engineering degree, while Melissa would love a degree in Marine Biology.  After researching many different colleges and finding out where the teens would like to visit, our touring days began!

Since last fall, we have toured...

University of Florida
This is my husband's alma mater. 
Too bad they aren't homeschool friendly.







Georgia Institute of Technology
a place for every nerd and geek... per Melissa!

Tech Tower

Auburn University
This college has both engineering and marine biology...
wouldn't it be a hoot if they both ended up at the same school?!?!
Auburn is very homeschool friendly... and they both loved it!

Welcome to Auburn!


University of North Carolina - Wilmington
UNC-W is well-known for its Marine Biology school,
but you can't claim it as a major until your second  year in college.
Melissa like it, but Auburn is still her first choice...
even though the ocean is only 5 miles away!

Center for Marine Science



So, here you have it.  My life in the "college application" season.  I currently have 2 teenagers completing numerous applications which include essays, deadlines, and fees.  I know I will survive this, but it seems so overwhelming right now.

I will be posting more on the home school transcript and portofolio which has been a true life-saver during this time.


Blessings,

     Ellen
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