The Big-A** Book of Crafts, by Mark Montano

Description: The Big-A** Book of Crafts is packed with ideas for sprucing up your living space; concocting fabulous, all-natural body products; designing your own unique stationery; and creating countless other crafts that will convince your friends and loved ones that you're the secret love child of Martha Stewart (only much, much cooler).

Forget crocheted doilies and itchy knit sweaters -- TLC's While You Were Out top designer Mark Montano has created stylish and imaginative projects that range from a Warhol-esque Ultrasuede iPod case to photo-adorned boxer shorts to African mask patio chairs to wooden night-light boxes. Divided into sections that include Outdoorsy (ideas to enhance your backyard), Dishing It Out (decorating plates using different techniques), You've Been Framed (innovative picture framing ideas), and Can I Have a Light? (creating and decorating lamps, lanterns, and chandeliers), it's as entertaining to read as it is endlessly inspiring. With more than one hundred and fifty inventive and fun projects, The Big-A** Book of Crafts is the perfect activity book for readers of every mood, budget, and skill level.

My Thoughts: I love to upcycle...that means take unloved things and make them useful to be loved again. This book is full of ideas to upcycle things into usable home decor and gifts! My husband and I poured over this book and decided we need a very large house to accommodate every idea we liked in, The Big-A** Book of Crafts.


There are great templates that you can use, humor and some projects...are just strange. I cannot say that I am a fan of every project, but overall, there are far more projects in this book, that I like, than I will be able to tackle in one full year! Simply put, if you craft...get this book.

Presentations: A Passion For Gift Wrapping, by Carolyne Roehm

Description: With her brilliant sense of style, designer and bestselling author Carolyne Roehm makes the case in Presentations that there’s just as much pleasure in wrapping gifts as in receiving them—and that beautiful packages guarantee memorable celebrations.

For everyone who loved At Home with Carolyne Roehm, one of America’s premier style-setters now offers her ideas for creating breathtaking gift wrappings using readily available paper, tags, rubber stamps, ribbons, artificial flowers, and other inexpensive materials. Arranged seasonally, and taking inspiration from Roehm’s love of nature, travel and collecting, and fine art, the book focuses on holidays as well as on ways to make children’s gifts look unique and adorable. As Roehm shows, with creativity and care any present can be made an exquisite offering.

More than two hundred dazzling photographs provide inspiration, and a clear and detailed how-to section gives readers the step-by-step tools they need to create beautiful gifts. And for those who would like to create stunning packages but have little time, the book also offers wonderfully distinctive—yet simple—gift-bagging ideas. To coordinate with these eye-popping wrappings, there are the author’s original theme-party ideas and distinctive table settings. 

With Carolyne Roehm’s advice, anyone can elevate a special occasion to the realm of the unforgettable.

My Thoughts: Presentations is a spectacular book! With every page there is a new rush of creativity and ideas that flow through my brain! The photography is amazing and many of these ideas are very easily created on a budget!

For the Shabbat hostess, she has several ways to incorporate gifts for the guests as part of the table setting...that alone is stunning and ingenious! As you read this book a person is inspired to reach new heights of personal excellence.

For anyone that finds satisfaction in the details of life, Presentations is the book for you! I rate this with an unequivocal five stars.

The Weekend Crafter: Gourd Crafts, by Ginger Summit

Description: A guide to using the Cucurbita and Lagenaria siceraria (a sort of hard shelled pumpkin), for a range of decorative uses in the home and in the garden. No special tools or equipment are needed, standard craft materials such as a scalpel, paints, leather dyes, shoe polish, varnish and stains. The projects include cups and bowls, bracelets, carved vase, duck-shaped birdhouse, stamped and woodburned earrings, masks, candle holders, ornamental flowerpots and an African musical rattle.

My Thoughts: I don't know that I would recommend this book for the beginner, but there are people with talent that can easily pull it off! Outside of being more than my own skill level, this book is fantastic! The photographs bring a rather ugly looking dried squash into the realm of beautiful and artistic.

The various crafts that are shown are beautiful and can easily be changed to reveal your own personal style and taste level. I love all of the different uses for the sustainable gourd and what a great opportunity to grow your own craft from scratch!

Gourd Crafts For The First Time, by Marilyn Host

Description: Most ancient cultures used gourds in every aspect of life. Decorating gourds is everybody's favorite craft, as you'll see from the more than two-dozen varied projects shown here. A handy guide tells you where to find or buy gourds, and how to prepare them. Then use your easily-learned skills with leather-dye, egg-dye, spray and acrylic paint, wax shoe polish, découpage, airbrush, waxed linen, dyed raffia, and beads. Select your projects: storage containers for food, medicine, herbs, seeds, oils, jewelry, and even sacred objects. Turn dipper gourds into ladles, bowls, and cooking utensils, or create musical instruments such as thumb pianos, harps, banjos, drums, and rattles, as well as a variety of masks, earrings and necklaces, piggy banks, bird feeders, birdhouses, toys, candleholders, and luminaries.

My Thoughts: I was not exposed to decorating with vegetables most of my life and was not very interested in Native American art which did use alot of gourds in the area I grew up in. However, with some life changes that have been made, I am very interested in sustainable crafts projects and growing your own gourds for a craft project...that is very sustainable.

This book has a wealth of information for the beginner! Tools, techniques, repairs...everything seems to be listed that one needs to get started in crafting with a gourd. There are uses for gourds that really never crossed my mind and I look forward to growing some this coming spring in my little container garden!

Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That's Right for Your Body, by Clinton Kelly and Stacy London

Description: The 8 million fans of TLC’s hottest show, What Not to Wear, know it as the place to go for real-life fashion advice. Now the show’s hosts, Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, offer spot-on fashion wisdom—with an attitude—in this fully illustrated, authoritative, and irreverent fashion guide to dressing your best for every occasion. Clinton and Stacy’s surefire method for boosting appearance rests on their belief that we can all win admiring glances by selecting clothes that play up our positives and create a balanced body shape. In Dress Your Best, Clinton and Stacy match a wide range of female and male body types with the perfect work, casual, and evening attire, showing you exactly how to make your best parts “work” for you.

Dressing tips for 26 body types!
Features 18 women and 8 men: bigger on top, bigger on bottom, a little extra in the middle, not curvy, extra curvy, small-framed, athletic, and more!


Whether you’re searching for a way to accentuate your assets, puzzling over the right print pattern for your frame, or just looking for a solution to the dilemma “What do I need to wear to look fabulous?” you’ll find here the universal tips, dos and don’ts, seasonal alternatives, and must-haves that will deliver the answers. Dress Your Best is certain to become the standard by which all other fashion guides are measured.


My Thoughts: This book is so necessary for the Shabbat dinner hostess! After you have poured so much love into making the meal, decorating the table and adding all of those finishing touches and details...you need to look the part as well! Trust me, it is not in how much you spend on your clothes that matters, but rather how much time you have spent researching your figure and how to wear the clothes you have or look for the right clothes when you are able to shop.


I will say that there are some immodest ideas, but with creativity, you can easily make the clothing ideas and suggestions in Dress Your Best work for you. Don't settle for frumpy when you know you can be fabulous!

The Complete Flower Arranger's Companion, by Neophytou, Bacon, Morris, Hatala, and Reeves

Description: Demonstrates how to successfully create stunning floral designs using fresh, dried, and artificial flowers, providing innovated suggestions for more than one hundred gifts and arrangements.

My Thoughts: This is one of the best books I have seen so far with flower arranging! Fresh flowers are not always easily accessible in some climates (or a horrendous price) and when flower gardens die, artificial or dried flowers are the only alternatives in some hostesses budgets.

The full color photographs are beautiful and extremely enticing! The ideas are very ingenious and quite delightful and refreshing. The Directory of Flowers and Foliage is very helpful. The authors are very good about what is needed for tools and techniques.

Overall, this book is excellent! If you are like me and lacking in a green thumb, but want a natural approach to decorating...try some of these dried flower arrangements, I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised!





Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

Description: For nearly 20 years, home crafters have turned to the pages of Martha Stewart Living for all kinds of crafts projects, each presented in the magazine’s inimitable style. Now, the best of those projects, including step-by-step instructions and full-color photographs, have been collected into a single encyclopedia.


Organized by topic from A to Z, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts contains complete instructions and brief histories for more than 30 techniques, detailed descriptions of the necessary tools and materials, and easy-to-copy templates. Martha and her team of crafts editors guide readers through each subject, from botanical pressing and decoupage to rubber stamping and wreaths, with characteristic clarity and unparalleled attention to detail.



Crafters of all skill and experience levels will appreciate the many variations presented for each technique. For example, candlemaking presents a comprehensive array of poured, rolled, and cutout candles, including instructions for making your own one-of-a-kind rubber candle molds, floating candles, sand candles, and more. Each craft in the book takes on charming new dimensions with innovations that could come only from the team behind Martha Stewart Living.



In addition, each entry in Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts is chock-full of tips and advice. Handy glossaries in the entries--such as a comprehensive gem glossary, a glitter glossary, and a color glossary for making tinted wax--are valuable references that crafters will refer to again and again. What’s more, the Tools and Materials section outlines the best essential supplies that every crafter needs to have on hand, and the Sources pages clue readers in to the vendors and suppliers that the magazine’s crafts editors rely on most.



Filled with solid technical know-how, and presented with gorgeous color photographs, this handy guide can be read page by page and kept as a lasting reference by crafters and artisans alike.



My Thoughts: This book is amazing! There is a little bit of everything...for everyone. All tastes and styles seem to be covered and yet there is room to make the craft your own and personalize it with your own taste.



I am very impressed with the glossary, the section that is full of templates and the index of course has been very helpful! The full color photographs make even the simplest craft look appealing and enticing. As skill is acquired, the crafter who chooses to use this book for ideas will have a million dollar look in their home or gift giving for a fraction of the price!



This is an essential book for the Shabbat hostess who is on a budget! There are more ideas than you can shake a stick at for making your table beautiful, unique and personalized. There are ideas to make even the bathroom a very pleasant experience for your guests if you are willing to add some creativity and some imagination. I rate this book with five stars...every crafter needs this one!

Creative Nature Crafts, by Alison Jenkins with Tessa Evelegh

Description: Presents over 100 creative ideas for using natural materials to create simple, effective gifts and decorations. Projects are accompanied by clear instructions and include spring baskets, shell boxes, pot pourri, scented stationery and decorated candles.


My Thoughts: My mother would have loved this book! She had a country decor style and every craft featured I could have seen her employ in her home. The pressed flowers and the Victorian ribbon woven lavender is stunning! These are so beautiful and the kind of lovely touches that a hostess can use to make her guests feel more at home. With creativity you can take any of these techniques and apply them to many different ideas, not just what is shown in this book.

Go Big!

Go Big, Make Your Shot Count in the Connected World, by Cory Cotton is a remarkable book! The journey they have taken is full of practical tips that you can apply in your own circumstances if you so desire.  If you have the passion and the motivation, you can GO BIG too!

My Thoughts:  Basketball.  I hate basketball.  I never liked it as a kid and I am not fond of it still.  So needless to say, I was extremely skeptical of this book when I was given the chance to review it.  The cover did not exactly catch my attention either…college kids jumping and having fun.  I am an adult, I don’t jump and rarely have fun…what in the world could I possibly have in common with what I am about to read?


I grudgingly opened the book and began reading and before I knew it, the entire afternoon slipped away and I had finished the entire book…I could not put it down!  I was so awestruck with the passion, the honesty, the integrity of these guys that I felt honored to have been able to read their account of how they became Dude Perfect.

This is one of those books that I will save on the shelf for just the right time for my boys.  Soon enough they will need to gather their thoughts and decide where they are going with their passion.  The Dude Perfect gentlemen have blazed the trail already, the have asked the questions, they have understood the hard work that living your dreams can take!  I am very impressed with this book and I am giving it five stars!

You can read an excerpt of this book here, from our affiliate Amazon.com.

After reading my review and watching the video, does this sound like your kind of reading material?  Why or why not?  If you are pressed for time, please comment with one of the following, thank you so much!

A. I want to read it!

B. Someone I know will like this book!

C. GoBig does not sound like a book I would read because __________________.

D. Other…please leave a comment.

*I was given a complimentary book from Tyndale House Publishers, this did not effect the content of my review as they are my honest thoughts.

The 2012 Biblical Guide To Voting

This book is a guide that covers three major elements Economic, Social and National policies.  As the voting time draws near, this book will help you to know which direction to focus your energy in understanding the candidates past the commercials, media and mudslinging.  What order of importance you put these issues in however, that is up to you.

My Thoughts: First of all, this was not a long hard read.  It was a fast and efficient read, just what I like regarding a topic like this.  There is no preaching, just facts and Bible verses laid out for you to analyze and then come to your own conclusions.



The nice part about this book is that it is written for both the liberal and the Conservative.  Everyone interprets the Bible differently and sees the same verse through many different lenses…so this book allows for that.  Whether it is right or wrong, this book does tolerate whatever walk you are coming from.



Personally, there are viewpoints that I do not agree with at all such as what should and should not be on a federal or state level.  There are things I am looking for in a candidate that this book does not and will not address as I think out of the box and read my history. 



The average American will do well to read this book.  It will not take long and soccer moms can read it while the kids are at practice, dads can read it on their lunch break at work, and teens can easily read and understand this book for the discussions that will be taking place in the classroom closer to election time.  I do recommend this book!

You can read an excerpt of this book, here, from our affiliate Amazon.com.

I have recieved this book for free from Charisma House Publishers for this review, thank you so much!

Unveiling The Kings of Israel, by David Down

This is a stunning book on fascinating archeology in the Holy Land!  You will travel through the land from Abraham till Yeshua.  The Appendix has information that will help bring to life the importance of various archeological finds for both you and your children..

I was more than pleased when this book arrived!  The cover is beautiful, the pages are clean and bright with clear and exciting pictures!  That was my first assessment as the book was then in the hands of my children until they had gone through the book from cover to cover.

Once I had it back in my hands I was very happy with the textual content as well.  David Down has done a wonderful job in capturing the heart of Biblical (and non-Biblical) archeological discoveries that make the stories of the Bible come to life. 

Reading about Petra and Jezreel, Egypt and Assyria is fascinating!  Seeing how the places interact with the main players of the stories makes it all seem so much more life like.  It is interesting to go back and reread the Biblical accounts after reading this book. You will see a major difference in how you approach the Word of G-d when you add archeological facts and treat it like pearls of history instead of cute Sunday School stories.

I highly recommend this book!  I give this book five stars for the content as well as the appearance.  Every school and library needs this book and defiantly every home educating family…or people who just like archeology!

You can read an excerpt, here, from our affiliate Amazon.com.

After reading this review, please view these suggested reactions and leave a comment below.  Each comment is read, replied to and appreciated!

A. I want to read it!

B. Someone I know will like this book!

C. Unveiling The Kings of Israel does not sound like a book I would read because __________________.

D. Other…please leave a comment.

*I recieved this book free from New Leaf Publishing Group for this review.

The Life Of John Knox

The Life of John Knox is a vintage account (1833) of the life of the renowned Christian Reformer.  For better or for worse, the account drives through from the early years till his death.  This is a reprint of the original publication.  The printing and graphics are exactly as they would have appeared with the first printing. 

My Thoughts:  The actual book itself is beautiful!  The edges of the pages are torn so as to give it a more vintage look, the outer cover is reminiscent of a book that has seen better days all while the binding is tight and the pages are clean.  I was thrilled to hold it in my hands and just look at it, this was very well put together!

As for the content, it was a hard read for me.  Most of the accounts were detailed and dry.  It was very tough to make sense of what was happening and I found myself looking times and culture up whether through Google or the encyclopedia just to make sure I was understanding certain practices correctly.

I will say that I was horrified at John Knox few statements towards the Jewish people.  But, I guess I have to realize that coming away from the Catholic church in that time period did not necessarily erase the racist mentality, nor promote an awareness that the G-d he worshipped chose the Jewish people above all others…hence the Messiah coming from them and no other race or creed.  However, he had persistence and passion that few possess today and there is much that students today can still learn from him.

You can read an excerpt, here, from our affiliate Amazon.com.

After reading my review and watching the video, please select one of the following and leave me a comment, thank you so much!

A. I want to read it!

B. Someone I know will like this book!

C. Life of John Knox does not sound like a book I would read because __________________-

D. Other…please leave a comment.


*I recieved this book free from New Leaf Publishing Group for this review.

George Washington Carver, by John Perry

This is a beautiful, although short book about the life of George Washington Carver.  The author, John Perry, does a wonderful job of bringing him to life for us to get to know Mr. Carver and love him!  His personality shines through and his work ethic is rarely matched in our modern days.  He came from a very humble beginning, but through perseverance he is known all across America for his discoveries, primarily with the peanut.

My Thoughts:  This book was a rather short read as I had it finished in a matter of hours.  Growing up, our library was limited so this was a great treat for me to learn about George Washington Carver after only reading snippets about him here and there, so I was pleased to finally have more substantial information on him.  I thought it was well written and introduced me to a man that I had been curious about for quite some time. 

I was entirely impressed with his work ethic.  Nothing ever seemed to get him down.  No matter how tough things would get, he would just creatively make it work out.  He lived in some terrible areas, but also lived in some very nice areas too.  He always seemed to be rather optimistic and was a wonderful example of ingenuity and creativity!

Overall, I was impressed with his life.  I liked the book and do think that more students need to read this and see the finer points of working hard.  I hope this book makes it into the hands of many American children!

Read an excerpt, here, from our affiliate Amazon.com.

I recieved this book for free from Thomas Nelson publisher for this review.

The Harvest of Grace, by Cindy Woodsmall

Cindy Woodsmall is back again and did not fail to please!  You are thrust back into Amish life as you follow Sylvia a young Amish woman who prefers milking cows to normal activities pursued by Amish ladies.  You are brought back to Ada’s house, as the third book in the series and can catch up on the other characters as you read about Sylvia’s adventures.

My Thoughts:  I love Cindy Woodsmall’s writing!  She writes in a way where I could almost feel the evening breeze or the hot kitchen or even smell the cows in the barn.  She has an alive and refreshing way of writing that captures the imagination!  I was very pleased with this book.

The story content was wonderful!  I loved the plot and the conclusion was every bit as delightful as I hoped it would be.  The characters were all charming and quite realistic with human flaws and faults, emotions and problems.  Even though I would be considered an Englisher, I could relate to many situations in the book thus drawing me in even more.

The underlying theme that was beautifully done was forgiveness.  Forgiveness of others and forgiveness of one’s self.  My heart strings were tugged at each scenario as I read and could see bits of my own life in each case.  I was amazed and in awe of how Mrs. Woodsmall was able to weave such a wonderful message into a supremely entertaining novel.  Truly, this is a wonderful book and I hope that many people will pick this up and enjoy it as much as I did!

You can read an excerpt for free, here, from our affiliate Amazon.com.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

On A Dollar A Day, by Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard

This is an account of two people from upper middle class backgrounds attempting to discover how the “other side” lives.  The other side are those with limited food options, and many who depend upon government help.  Much of the worlds population really does live on less than the equivalent of one dollar a day.  It is the authors journey to try and understand this.

My Thoughts:  While I appreciate that the authors tried to recreate what it would be like to eat on a dollar a day, it still does not bring them into the full light.  They still had nice vehicles, a nice home, and pets that they could take care of without question.  Not to mention they were not juggling their finances trying to get bills paid or factoring in necessities into their grocery bill such as toilet paper, cleaning supplies, or toothpaste.

I agree with the authors that yes, there is a problem, but I do not agree with their solution.  Their solution is very liberal…leave it all to the government.  Government legislation does not nor has it ever solved every problem.  I do believe in personal responsibility.  There are people who can choose to change their situations but choose not to, yet there are some people that really and truly need help that have tried everything imaginable.  There is no reason not to take care of these people at a local level, but I am totally against helping anyone or anything on a federal level.

All in all I do not really care for this book.  Like I said, I appreciate the problem, but I do not agree with the authors solution.  Especially since they have not really and truly been there and have no way of knowing if they would be the type of person that would be motivated to get out of poverty or be happy to take handouts.  There are far too many factors that are missing for me to say, “Here, read this.”  I cannot in all honesty say that.

Already Compromised, by Ken Ham and Greg Hall

Already Compromised is an excellent book for any parent or student to read before setting foot into any higher learning educational institution.  Most colleges and universities fail the high expectations of well intentioned parents, but a religiously affiliated institution is expected to have a higher level of standards.  This book shows where the Christian affiliated institutions are sitting currently.

I am a firm believer that no young person should set foot in any educational institution until their beliefs are so firmly grounded that they cannot be swayed by winds of doctrine.  That fact was one of many that helped to peak my interest about this book.  Sadly, in my view, the majority of educational institutions I view as indoctrination, not education at all.  This book grounds my conservative views on that concept even more.

There were many, many questions that were asked of the professional elite of these schools.  The underlying factor that I see from these are that the staff and faculty are not on the same page.  There is no unity.  Sadly, with the numerous denominations and doctrines floating around, there can be no unity.  Ultimately, the original purpose of these schools will fail and become nothing more than a secular business venture if unity and agreement cannot be found.

All in all, I recommend Already Compromised.  In fact, this is an excellent book whether you are Christian or another religious affiliation as it will pose the hard questions to you and make you look at higher education (or indoctrination) in a fresh and new way.



I recieved this book free for my review from Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishers.

Restless In Carolina, by Tamara Leigh

Restless in Carolina is a story of Bridget Pickwick, a tree hugging and animal friendly widow complete with Southern Charm and sass!  As the story unfolds, Bridget is having to shed her widow weeds and learn how to reclaim a part of the living human race again.  This is not an easy task for someone with her personality and background.  To complicate things, in steps J.C. Dirk.  This book is a clear reminder that the unexpected happens...when you least expect it.

My thoughts on the book...  I seldom read fiction anymore.  I am too busy to get lost in something truly enjoyable.  However, there was something about this book that drew me to it.  I was able to keep it "at arms length" so to speak and not get truly caught up in the story, but for those who are easily drawn in to a plot, they will find this book very engaging.  The story is very well written and personality shines through for each character.  You can brilliantly see the scenery as the author is describing it and imagine the homes vividly with the little details she hints at here and there.


What I did not like about the book, and this is just based on my own opinions, is that there is a definite feminist undertone.  I don't believe that this idea belongs in a book that also engages in Christianity, no matter how contemporary it is.  The eco-friendly or green themes I think were taken a bit far in some cases, but in others it did make for some very funny scenes...a few where I laughed out loud.

What I really liked about this book is the fact that the "happily ever after exists for everyone" idea was exposed for what it is, nothing more than a fairytale.  Many fiction books are centered on the fact that everyone gets to be happy and in this book, that is just simply not the case.  The book does end well, but the knight in shining white armor is not the focal point and I appreciated that.  All in all I do like this book.  For people who like fiction and are looking for something new...you will love this and love that Restless in Carolina is part of a series!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Quotable Rouge, by Matt Lewis

The Quotable Rouge: The Ideals of Sarah Palin In Her Own Words, by Matt Lewis is a collection of the quotes of Sarah Palin as collected and compiled by Matt Lewis, Senior Contributor of The Daily Caller.  As Sarah Palin has been misquoted more and more by the media on all sides, this book could not have come at a better time!

 

My Thoughts

 

I have been a fan of Sarah Palin for some while.  I do not agree with every view she holds, but I have a high regard for her nevertheless as she is down to earth and obviously a very hard worker.  So when the opportunity came to review this book, I jumped at the chance! 

 

This book covers the breadeth of her political spectrum and she even has the chance to poke fun at a few people along the way...in print where no one can mistrue her words!  Some of the topics that are covered are:

 

• Abortion
• Homosexuality
• Religion
• Alaska
• Civil Rights
• Health Care
• Immigration Reform
• Media
• Politicians
• Taxes
• Tina Fey
• and so much more!

 

Few people can get the left stirred up the way Sarah Palin can!  And some of her quotes will make you start laughing just becuase you know what the left was thinking when she said some of the things she did!  Sarah is so down to earth and is "real" in her mannerisms.  She has never tried to impress anyone and I can't see her every trying to do so in the future.  She is who she is and she talks that way too...Sarah Palin is a much needed breath of truth and honesty that America and the world has missed for several generations!

 

Over all, this book was very enjoyable!  I look forward to "Part Two" if Matt Lewis would decide to do so in the future!  Bravo and five stars!

 

 

 I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

TruthQuest History: American History For Young Students 1, by Michelle Miller

TruthQuest History: American History For Young Students 1, by Michelle Miller has one of the most ingenious approaches to teaching history.  The student is not bombarded with facts and dates, rather this approach makes history come alive where the student will want to eat, sleep, and dream about history.  This award winning curriculum is perfect for any parent who wants to home educate but believes that teaching history is a bit of a daunting task.

My Thoughts

From the moment the package arrived in the mail, I knew I was holding something very special in my hands.  I love the look of this spiral bound blessing and the content did not let me down either!  The concept is to have your children read about history in a non-threatening way.  When I say non-threatening, I mean they are not reading to memorize facts and dates, but rather to enjoy what was happening.  There are questions to be answered and this can be done written or orally depending upon your method of teaching.  All in all it is a very relaxed approach to learning history, one which I agree with as I learned more about history from historical novels than I did from dry old textbooks.

As I have sat and combed through the material, there are lists of books that have been recommended for each chapter.  Some I have found and are available to us either through the library, online, eBooks, and some we even have on our bookshelves already!  The format is very easy to follow and it is very self-paced.  I am so excited to try this with the boys this year.  They are so excited for the explorers and Daniel Boone and of course the Founders and the Revolutionary War (they are little men, what can I say)!


The best part of this whole concept is the ability to teach how G-d has had His hand on the shaping of History from the very beginning to our present day.  I find this so refreshing to be able to see history and teach history through the lens of a Biblical Worldview.

Overall, I will say that I am very impressed with this curriculum!  Michelle Miller did an amazing job in creating this concept and taking the time to write it all down.  I very highly recommend this work to all who are looking for a better approach to teaching history.


I want to say thank you to the staff at TruthQuest History for generously sending me this product to review!  I was not required to write a positive review, but with what I have found I cannot help but say I have no negative thoughts towards this product whatsoever!

No More Dreaded Mondays, by Dan Miller

No More Dreaded Mondays is a compelling work calling people back into their passion for life in or out of the traditional workforce.  This book could not have come at a better time as the latest statistics show no improvement for unemployment, people who want to work.  This is a must read!

My Thoughts On This Book:  After spending too much of my life hanging out on the corporate ladder I left the steel jungle to live out my passions.  That is what interested me in this book.  I wanted to see what principles were applied and just what kind of spark for passion would lie there between the pages.

I was surprised at the energy and the call to passion and creativity!  For people that want to make a change and need to think outside of the box, this is for you!  Mr. Miller presents a serious challenge to everything you were ever taught about making a living.  He is very clear throughout his writing that those who love their way of making a living excel, those that are just working for a paycheck, well that shows too.

All in all this was a very enjoyable read.   Along with wisdom, there are funny quips and humorous cartoons and stories and some wonderful quotes!  I highly recommend this book for anyone that has an ongoing weekly activity whether it is working corporate America and an Etsy shop, or home educating and being a keeper of the home.  This is also a great book that I will be having my children read before they step out to make a career decision.

I received this book free from the publisher through the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”