Everything the Bible Says About Prayer - A Book Review

I'm usually leery of books such as this.  I tend to steer clear of them for it seems that more often then not they are filled with theology and the Author's opinion giving little room for biblical truths.  NOT the case with this book.  It is exactly what the title says...EVERYTHING the Bible Says About Prayer.

The book starts with an Introduction and I must share with you a quote from this part of the book..."Through prayers to the living God, our hope for forgiveness becomes a fact.  Our longing for grace is guaranteed.  Our desire for a relationship with him becomes reality."

The book is broke down into 13 chapters.  Each chapter begins with a couple short paragraphs and then goes right to The Word of God sharing scripture after scripture on the topic.  For instance:  the first chapter is Confident Before the King - Praying With Boldness - The Author shares a couple paragraphs on the subject and then begins sharing verses from the Bible on "praying with boldness".  The only thing I don't really care for is the fact that the verses are from several versions of The Bible.  One verse may be from the NKJV, the next from The Message, and then one from ESV, etc. etc.  I personally read from the KJV and although I do not expect every book I read to be quoted from the same version I  read, I think it would of been nice if the verses were consistently from the same version.

The end of the book is very refreshing as well.  The last chapter includes examples of Biblical prayers.  Here you will find prayers from Hannah, Daniel, Elijah, Stephen, Paul, David and more.  The very end of the book includes a section on Thoughts on Prayers by Classic Christian Writers and there you will find what great men of God like Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, Andrew Murray and others have to say on prayer.


Everything The Bible Says About Prayer is a great book that I know I will be referring back to in the coming years.   I believe it is a great reference book that will be a blessing to the Child of God.



***This book was provided to me by the publisher (Bethany House) in exchange for my honest review.

Cherry Limeade

 If you love Sonic's Cherry Limeade, you will be so excited to try this yummy copy-cat recipe!

It's so simple!  All you need is:

1 can frozen limeade concentrate,
1- 2 liter bottle Sprite,
Juice from 1 10 oz jar maraschino cherries
Fresh limes 

Mix the sprite, limeade and juice from the cherries, add slices of lime and a few cherries, pour a glass and enjoy!

It's mmmmm, mmmmm, good!  

A delicious summer drink!

Enjoying the Cooler Weather!

A little rain and cooler temperatures have made it where we can enjoy our fire pit once again!  

Love, love, love sitting around the fire!  Talking, laughing, roasting marshmallows...it's family fun!

Yep, socks with flip flops.  Bethany's cool like that. hehe!

Ewwww!  A burnt marshmallow!  Not for me!  I like mine slightly browned to perfection.

Maybe I'll have a s'more!

Daisy wants one too!

Because they look lip smackin good!

Where to Get a Cute Modest Swimsuit

Several years ago I did a blog post on where to find a cute modest swimsuit.  Since then God has continued to do a work in our lives and after my daughter came to me and asked me for an even more modest swimsuit than what she had, my quest for the perfect modest swimsuit continued.  So here is what I have found over the years.  I do want to state that the convictions my family have concerning swimwear is just that...our convictions.  Pray about what God would desire for you, He is the one we should desire to please.  No one else. :)

http://www.limericki.com/ is where we originally began and were I first blogged about 3 years ago.  They have some great swimsuits. They offer higher neck lines and a more modest bottom.  No high cut legs.  Lots of boy shorts and even some cute swim skirts.

http://hydrochic.com/modest-swimsuits.html is a great place for modest swim and sportswear.  They offer a cute sporty look!

http://www.simply-modest.com/posecom/  I love this site!  They have such cute modest swimsuits!  They even sell sewing patterns and material if you want to make your own!

http://swimmodest.com/  Very cute designs for women and children!

http://www.wholesomewear.com/  This is where the Duggar's get their suits.  In my opinion they are not very cute, but everyone has different tastes and it may be just the thing you are looking for!

http://freshmodesty.com/  This is an awesome website!  This young girl sews beautifully!  She sells and e-book sharing how to custom make your own modest swimwear.  She also has some great examples of suits that she has made.  I did purchase this e-book for myself and it does have a lot of great pointers in it.

You can also check out ebay.  They have a great selection of modest swimwear.  New and used.

When I began to look for a more modest swimsuit, I began with a google search.  Many of the links listed here are what popped up.  I looked and looked, but in the end it came down to one thing.  Money!  These suits were way out of my price range.  I just could not afford it.  So I decided to try to make our own.  I don't claim to be a great seamstress, but was willing to give it a shot.  I purchased my material on ebay and was blessed to find a great deal and enough fabric to make two suits!  You DO need a special fabric so be sure to do your research if you decide to try making your own!  I purchased a legging pattern for the bottoms.    I knew I could adjust the length accordingly.  For the top, I did a couple different things, I pieced some different patterns I had around the house to get the look I wanted on one suit and on the other suit I  used a tank top for a pattern adding the length I desired.  Here is what I came up with.

This one is more fitted.  It's the one I used a tank top to go by.  It's my favorite!

This one is Bethany's favorite.  It is looser and the bottom half of the top looks more like a skirt.  

I was very pleased with the way they turned out and this is the second year that Bethany has wore them.  They get lots of use and have held up well!  

I hope you find something here that is a blessing to your family!

Words to Live By

Faithful to Laura - A Book Review

Laura Stutzman is an Amish girl that has been hurt deeply by Mark King.  He has left her with both physical and emotional scars and now Laura has one thing on her mind and that is revenge.  She can't seem to move on with her life until she knows why Mark did these things to her.  She wants justice served, even if it is not the way of her people.

Sawyer Thompson was not born Amish, but after his parents died he was adopted by 2 loving Amish parents and raised in the community.  When his rich stuck-up grandmother that he didn't even know existed  shows up, his life is turned upside down.  She wants him to leave the Amish and be a successful businessman.

Laura and Sawyer become quick friends.  Their friendship is beginning to blossom into something more, but the anger they both have in their hearts may destroy their relationship.

Faithful to Laura by Kathleen Fuller is the second book in the Middlefield Family series.  I was not able to read the first book in the series and I am wondering if it would of made a difference.  When I began reading this book I found myself very confused.  It jumped from one character to the next and I really had no idea who was who or really what was even going on.  Besides the main story being about Laura and Sawyer, there are also a few other characters with smaller story lines.  I personally found this distracting and confusing in the beginning.  About halfway through the book I began to get more interested and was able to enjoy the remainder of the book.  Definitely not the best book I've ever read, but not the worst either.

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Saving Dill

I love using my herbs whenever I can.  Sometimes I don't have a need for them when they are ready and that's when preserving them comes in handy.   My favorite way for preserving dill seeds is by cutting the stalks that are ready (you know it's ready when the seeds on the flower part of the plant starts turning brown) and hanging them upside down in a paper sack secured with a rubber band.  The seeds fall off on their own into the bottom of the bag.  Sometimes I even give it a good shake or two!  When all the seeds are off you can put them in a glass jar with a lid for later use.  

Orange Mint Water

 A cold glass of Orange Mint water on a hot summer's day.  In a mason jar.  Because everything tastes better in a mason jar. :):):)

Fresh Garden Salsa for Canning

Last year I found a recipe for the best salsa ever.  I know I posted about it once, (see that post here) but it is so good I thought I would share it again.  This year I was able to can 14 jars!  I've also made plenty of fresh for enjoying now.  So Yummy!

Ingredients:

8 Cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2 ½ cups chopped onions
1 ½ cups green peppers
1 cup jalapeno peppers, chopped (use more or less for personal taste)
6 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
1/3 cup vinegar
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste

Drain the tomatoes as you are chopping them and drain them several times while they are in the pan before you cook them.  This is a VERY important step.  Drain, drain, drain and then drain again. This will give you a nice chunky salsa.

Mix all ingredients together and bring to a slow boil for 10 minutes. 

Fill hot jars with salsa, put hot lids and rims and and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Chick-Fil-A Love

Yes, it's true!  Our family loves Chick-Fil-A!  We showed our appreciation and support today.....along with everyone else. lol :):):):)

We decided to arrive around 2:30 in the afternoon in hopes that it wouldn't be as crowded.  Well, it wasn't as crowded as earlier, but we definitely weren't the only one's who had that idea.   People were lined up all the way out the door!

Once we actually got in the building the line twisted and turned just like an amusement park ride.  

We waited about an hour to place our order, but had so much fun.  Special thanks to this random stranger who was behind us in line.  He had us rolling in laughter.  The L hand signs are for "love".  He's spreading the love of Jesus. :):):)

We had a little Chick-Fil-A car picnic!

This is a picture of what the drive-thru looked like as we were leaving.  There were two lanes.  One wrapped all around the building, the other was all the way out in the shopping center parking lot.  You can also see the delivery truck delivering more food!  

I just love seeing a christian owned businesses standing firm on what they believe. 

Go Chick-Fil-A

Words to Live By