Concoction? Child, please!

Yes, concoction!  That's what she called it!  That's what she called my COOKING!

Concoction!

Pshaw!

Why don't you go concoct yourself some Frosted Flakes and see if I CONCOCT breakfast for you anymore!!  And THIS is what she's turning her nose up at.....

Lemon Monkey Pull-Apart Bread


Sausage Pancake muffins


Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish


Cinnamon Cream Cheese Crescents


GRANDS DONUTS!!!!!

Ya see what I'm sayin'?? These are all fabulous recipes from Pinterest that I've tried out that were DELICIOUS!!!

 I got up early this morning to bake something for breakfast before church.  Abs yells from her room, "Momma, what are you making?  It's not one of your CRAZY CONCOCTIONS is it???"  Then little Ben comes in to where I am busily whipping up a (very healthy all grain, no preservs, etc) boxed muffin mix and very seriously shouts out "OOOOOOO!!!!! HOMEMADE!!!!"

Totally invalidating all of the scrumptious, truly homemade yummies I have ever made him for breakfast.

Tomorrow????

Packin' Aussie Style

Wanna see how folks on the other side of the world pack?  Go check out Mel's post on planning shoebox goodies in Tasmania, Australia!!  Her blog is called Day to Day.

47 Days til Collection!!!

TOS Review: A Cry From Egypt

 

If I were to be completely honest, I would share with you that I signed up for this review solely to feed my daughter's Ancient Egypt fettish.  If I were to delve into an even deeper level of relationship with you, I would say this book changed how I think of a major biblical event forever!

 

It took Abby only 3 days to read A Cry From Egypt, authored by Hope Auer and published by Great Waters Press (Raising Real Men).  You would think that would have been a clue to me.  A meaty, 193 (including the study resources and snippet of the next book in the series) pages did not intimidate her at all!  She went on and on about how amazing the book was and that I would just love it!  She was right.

 

A Cry From Egypt is a great story written on the events leading up to the exodus of the Israelites from Ancient Egypt.  This story spoke to me because I don't believe that I have ever considered those events from the view of the Israelites themselves.  The story is very well written and the plot flows cleanly.  Another most amazing and fascinating fact about this book is that the author herself was merely 13 when she began penning it!  A recent homeschool graduate, Hope Auer began writing this story while studying the Ancient Egypt period for school.  She spent many years having friends read it and editting it, then she found another homeschooler to illustrate for her and now has it published!  We are on the edge of our seats waiting for the next installment in the series!

 

If you'd like to add A Cry From Egypt to your bedside tabletop, Great Waters Press has the advance reader copy for $12.50 with free shipping. We Cain ladies give it 2 thumbs up!  The book is recommended for 8 years and up- Abby is 10 and thought it was a little difficult to read in places (hard to pronounce names, feelings being expressed, etc) but nothing that deminished her joy in reading the book at all.  If you'd like to see what The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew thought....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the book A Cry From Egypt in exchange for my honest and objective review as part of the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Ahhhhhhh-tum!

Welcome back, Fall! Oh how I've missed you!

 

Today is officially the first day of Autumn!  The best day so far of 2012!  I confess that I couldn't even wait- I got my first Caramel Apple Spice from Starbuck's last night at about 7:30!  I tried!  I really did- and I ALMOST made it! ;o)

 

Thank you for allowing me to take a break from blogging.  With Operation Christmas Child, Momma moving to Vermont, Andy working all hours of the week, and some major fatigue thanks to my good buddy vitamin B12- I needed a breather!  But Fall is here- my time to come alive after being dormant for months!  I have lots of things I want to share with you.....some crafts, books, food, inspiration........

 

Oh how I love Fall!

TOS Molly Review: Everyday Cooking

 

There are few things I love more than a new cookbook.  I LOVE trying new recipes and I LOVE seeing what other people have for dinner!  Most of all I just really LOVE to be inspired!

Everyday Homemaking is a website dedicated to helping homes run more smoothly.  Be it cooking, homeschooling, saving money, managing time, or getting organized, Vicki Bentley is determined to help you hone these skills to run a more balanced home. I was given the opportunity to review her e-book, Everyday Cooking, recently.  This cookbook is a collection of popular recipes with an emphasis on whole foods.  While I reviewed the e-book version ($14.99), there is a 100 page coil-bound version ($17.99) available.

Everyday Cooking is more than just a cookbook, though. It is chock full of tips and tricks to help you in the kitchen.  There are meal planning and shopping hints.  There are also sample menus and menu planning forms which are reproducible.  Would you like to check out some sample recipes sample recipes here?

I know you can't review a cookbook with trying a few recipes so here are a couple I tried....

Red Beans and Rice- I'm sorry my computer was being tempermental and wouldn't let me rotate the pic!  This is a family favorite....and it's hard to stick to someone else's recipe when you have your own....but everyone was a good sport!  The recipe read easy but I found I had to cook it quite a bit longer than stated. While it was quite a yummy dinner, it was a bit on the bland side. *REMINDER* We Cains spent a bit o time in New Mexico and Louisianna----- we like our food to have a bit of kick to it.  Any other person might have thought it was just perfect!

Apple Crisp- My Granny used to make AppleCrisp when I was little.  Nothing says "Fall" like breaking out the apple-corer-slicer-peeler thingy!  I thought this was delicious paired with some french vanilla ice cream.  You probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen for it!  Super easy!

As always, if you'd like to see what the Crew had to say on our first official "Molly" review.....


Disclaimer:  I was given this e-book in exchange for an honest and objective review as part of the TOS Review Crew.

TOS Review: I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist

So....did that title get your attention?  It certainly got mine when The Old Schoolhouse offered it to the Review Crew!


I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist is an apologetics book written by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.  Based on the premise that Christianity is more reasonable and rational than unbelief, these gentlemen very articulately defend the christian's faith in God. Here's a view of the Table of Contents:

 With a companion curriculum designed to teach the book's main points, I found this pair to be a great resource for those wanting to hone their skills in the art of providing a defense for their faith.

You may get tired of hearing this from me, but guess who brings you this fabulous curriculum for high schoolers and adults alike.............yep, it's Apologia!  This spiral bound curriculum includes questions, writing assignments, and research projects. There are even tests available on the Apologia website for book owners. I think one of my favorite things in the curriculum is the biographies.  Einstein, Darwin, Newton, and many, many others are expounded upon in an attempt to exert their relevance in the grand scope of skepticism.

The I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist book is available at Apologia, though it is currently on back order (due to soon be filled) for $16.00.  The curriculum is available for $33.00.  I'd like to add here that I have mentioned my reading this book to a few friends including the director of Campus Crusade for Christ at UAB here in Birmingham.  Upon seeing the book in my hand, he stated that it was one of his favorite apologetics books- which spoke very well of the book to me!  If you're looking to brush up on your skills in speaking with skeptics on the topic of your faith, I highly recommend these two resources!

If you have already read I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, please sound in and let us know what you thought.  If you haven't and you'd like to hear what the Review Crew thought-


Disclaimer:  I was given a copy of both the book I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist and it's companion curriculum in exchange for an honest and objective review thru The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Living A No Regrets Kinda Life

Recently a friend of mine asked, over Facebook, what your biggest regret might be. I thought and thought and thought.

This brought me joy.

The fact that I had to think so hard.  I only came up with one major regret in my whole 37 years.

This brought me more joy.

Don't get me wrong...I do things and later my shoulders cinch up to my ears and I think, "Welp, you could done a bit better than that, Marla"- but it's not usually a huge pressing regret that I'll remember my whole life.  Raising my voice with the kids, spending money needlessly, saying something stupid..... you get the idea.

In my daily life....these are choices I try to make to keep regret at bay:
Engage my children in life
Hug and kiss them AT LEAST one hundred times each
Love the Lord
Keep things simple
Love my husband
Hug and kiss him AT LEAST one hundred times :o)
Call my momma
Kiss my pets' noses
Pray
Be grateful
Grow beautiful relationships
Go outside for a walk
Do not covet
Be creative

Where are you?  How would you have answered my friend's post?  Could you have openly?  What do you do daily to make sure that you're living in such a wayto limit your regrets?