Bible Bling

I received the Sequin Bible to review as part of my participation in booksneeze.com from Thomas Nelson publishers.  It is cute, and my three-year-old knew it was for her as soon as she saw it.  The sequin flowers and hearts are very nice, but the background looks a little cheap in constrast.  It seems like it is a fabric-covered piece of cardstock.  The colors and design of the background are not as nice in person. 

I had never heard of the International Children's Bible.  Apparently, this translation is the result of a team of translators including those who worked on the NKJV, NIV and NAS versions.  The point of this version is to make the Word more accessible to children by shortening sentences, simplifying difficult vocabulary and changing terminology to modern equivalents- e.g. ounces in place of shekels. 

The following is a passage from John 1 from both the International Children's Bible, icb, and the New International Version, NIV.

icb:   Before the world began, there was the Word.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was with God in the beginning.3 All  things were made through him.  Nothing was made without him.4 In him there was life.   That life was light for the people of the world. 5  The Light shines in the darkness.  And the darkness has not overpowered the light. 

NIV:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was with God in the beginning.3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.


Reading it, the passage doesn't seem to flow as smoothly in the icb due to the shortened sentences.   However, I feel that the integrity of the passage is preserved.  I enjoy reading this translation if I want to read quickly through a passage and get the overall meaning.  While I've read a little from this to my preschooler, this would be an ideal Bible for a child learning to read. 

Spring Break

It's Spring Break!!!!  The week started off in a productive and profitable fashion as we had a successful garage sale.  I donated the rest, and it feels great!  My MIL will be arriving tomorrow, and our guest room is looking the best it ever has.  I just need to find a place for the huge giraffe and toy basketball hoop. 

Molly is funny and cuter than ever.  She is very sweet and uses her manners as often as can be expected from a three-and-a-half year-old!

Super Good Coloring

Molly colored this picture at LifeKids this morning.  When I picked her up, I asked if anyone helped her color it, and the people working there said she did it by herself.  Way to go, Molly!

Left at the Altar

I received a complimentary copy of Left at the Altar by Kimberley Kennedy to review as part of my participation in BookSneeze from Thomas Nelson Publishers.  The book begins with Kennedy’s narrative of her fiancé, Lew, breaking up with her on the eve of her wedding, in the church where they were about to begin their rehearsal.   She then walks readers through the history of her relationship with Lew.  She opens up and admits mistakes she made and ways she tried to control the relationship.  Instead of bitterly continuing to blame Lew, she forgives and deepens her relationship with God.  She writes very humbly and personably.  Never does her writing sound like preaching.  Instead, she wants to help others by sharing her story.  She shares the story of many other women who have experienced heartbreak in their relationships with boyfriends, fiancés and husbands.  The tone is one of strength and victory through trust and intimacy with God.  Even though she has not yet married, she believes in hope that she will one day and believes that the best in her life came after her heart was broken by Lew, and she started opening her heart up to her Lord.  This is a quick read, appropriate for anyone who desires to fall more deeply in love with the Maker of her soul.

Princess Gymnastics

 Molly just started a gymnastics class.  It took some convincing to get her to go the first time.  I had to call it "Princess Gymnastics" before she decided to go.  After her third class, she told me, "There were two princesses and two Prince Charmings at Princess Gymnastics!"  Now, she loves it and asks to go to gymnastics often during the week!

 Yummy snow!

Your Grace is Enough

2010 brought the most difficult times of my life.  Painful circumstances left me feeling alone, ashamed, and completely powerless.  Yet, God was abundantly faithful during my lows. 

He comforted me with His presence.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Psalm 46:1

I praised God that my inheritance is in heaven.
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.  Proverbs 23:18

God hears all my cries.
The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.  Psalm 145:18


God loves righteousness (even when others do wrong, God's ways are ALWAYS RIGHT!)
Your righteousness is everlasting and Your law is true.  Psalm 119:142

He is my Father now that my Dad has gone to heaven.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  Psalm 68:5


He provides for my every need.  He provided so beautifully for our finances.  He provided a great job for me and childcare for Molly. 
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.  Psalm 145:15

He painted His love for me in beautiful sunrises that made me cry out in worship.
His compassions never fail. They are new every morning;  great is Your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:21,22

I have an Advocate.
Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.  Job 16:19  I love this verse!

God showed His love to me through precious loved ones that blessed me.
So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  Romans 12:5

Cute Pic

Mod Peony Black 5x7 folded card

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Warmth and Caring

I received this book awhile ago from booksneeze.com to review for Thomas Nelson publishers.  I've been busy with my new teaching job and haven't had a chance to write about it yet.  I was home today handling some personal business and thought I better squeeze in a quick book review while it's still naptime!

This hard-cover children's book is called One Hand, Two Hands.  It is a poem suitable for preschool aged children that talks about all of the things our hands can do.  There is especially an emphasis on how we can serve others with our hands.  There is just a line or two of text on each page- it's short enough to hold the attention of young ones.  The rhyming sometimes seems a little more forced than natural.  At the back of the book there is a page filled with suggestions for how "your hands can be helping hands".  The illustrator, Gaby Hansen, does a fantastic job capturing action and emotion of a cute little girl playing, helping and playing.  The colors and images are whimsical and imaginative. 

I love the lesson in this story to remember to be thankful for our hands and to look for ways to use them to serve others.  I really like this book, but my three-year-old wasn't that interested in it.  I'll give it a couple more tries.  Often, familiarity increases her interest!  Try this story with a little loved one.  Hopefully it will be a family favorite!

Fall Photos

Mollyisms

A couple weeks ago, we were having a tea party and were trying to match the tea cups with stuffed animals.  I decided that Sparty would drink from the green cup, naturally.   Apparently, I don't say his name often enough.  Instead, I often break out singing the MSU fight song when we play with Sparty.  During the course of tea-time conversation, Molly repeatedly referred to Sparty as Rah Team Fight. "Would you like some more sugar, Rah Team Fight?"

She also likes to clink glasses together and say, "To Yours."  I try to correct her and tell her that it is cheers, but she ignores me.  She has very good pronunciation normally, so these aberrations are amusing.

She was talking to me the other day, and I asked her where her eye lashes are.  She touched them, and then she pointed to her eyes and said, "These are my peoples.  Do you see my peoples, Mommy?"

New Bed

Molly has a new bed thanks to Ma Mere!  She bought her the bedding a year ago, and we just decided she was ready to move into a big-girl bed.  This picture was taken with my phone, and it doesn't show the colors very well.  They are actually pretty bright.  Last night I put a toy noodle for the pool under the fitted sheet along the edge as a bumper to keep her from falling out.  She slept the whole night through on the bed!

Happy Third Birthday Princess Molly!

Inspiring and Amazing

I recently received The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews to review as part of my participation in booksneeze.com. I was disappointed when it arrived, and I noticed that it was a gift book with not a large amount of content. I had really enjoyed the novel by Andrews that I read last, the Heart Reader, and had hoped that this one would be comparable. In the brief pages of The Butterfly Effect, however, there is a great richness of content. Andrews tells a couple little-known stories whose results had immeasurable impacts on global history. In these stories, Andrews shows how the actions of everyday heroes were part of pivotal moments in our country’s tale. As my eyes pored over the words, I literally spoke aloud, “Wow.” Andrews’ gifted story-telling and motivational style coupled with the wonder of the stories themselves will likely elicit an emotional response in most readers. The book is very short; I read it in about fifteen minutes. This makes it very easy to pass on and makes it likely that your friend will actually read it! Throughout, Andrews encourages the readers to make the most of their lives insisting that each of us were made for a reason and have a unique role to play.

Toddlerspeak

At prayer time, I'll often ask Molly if there's anything she wants to thank God for.  Recently, she began by naming things in her room and then looked at me mid-prayer.  She continued, "Thank you for eyes... and legs... and butts... and poop..."  Ha ha!  Can you tell we're still potty-training!

In the car today, Molly let out a couple burps.  She said, "I have two burps.  'Scuse me.  'Scuse me."

She is very girly and often will comment on my outfits.  She really notices it when I wear a dress.  Tonight I changed into a purple knit shirt.  She said, "You're wearing a purple shirt.  It's so cute!"  Then she made two more comments about my shirt within the next two hours before bed. 

Trip to MI

We got away for a quick trip to Michigan last week.  We stayed in a cabin with Molly's Ma Mere and spent lots of time with Aunt Katie.  She loved the attention and love she received!  We spent mornings at the beach, ate out for our lunches and cooked at the cabin for dinner.  It was wonderfully relaxing and temperate!