My Life in France

My Life in France by Julia Child was a book I decided I wanted to read after watching the movie Julie and Julia. Of course, I had heard of Julia Child but didn't know much about her except what I had seen in the movie. The book tells in detail Julia's passion for cooking and the country of France. If you like all things French or you are a cook, then you would like this book. Since I don't know French, I was sometimes distracted by the use of French words. When I finished the book, I wondered what this world would be like if everyone has a passion for something, and if so, why it isn't more obvious. It also made me curious about her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I am on a waiting list for it at the library, but when I get the book, I guess I will probably try to find at least one recipe that I can try. Has anyone read this book or used her cookbook?

The Story of Christmas

The Story of Christmas, retold by Gwen Ellis and Steve Smallman is a book that tells the story of Christmas for children. The story is divided into 9 short segments starting with the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and ending with Jesus, Mary and Joseph leaving Egypt to return to Nazareth. Each story part is brief (2 pages) and at the beginning of each story it references where in the Bible that particular part is taken from. It would be best for children ages 4-8, though older children might enjoy it as well.

I enjoyed this book, and thought that the story kept to the original Bible story. This would be a great book to use for a devotional time with children or in a Sunday School class. At the end of each story, there is a author's comment or question related to the story that could be a springboard for a conversation. The illustrations depict the traditional sort of Christmas scenes that a person would expect. The DVD covers part of the Christmas story and goes beyond it, but the cartoon figures look like those in the book. This book is a great way to convey the real meaning of Christmas to children.

I reviewed this book as part of Thomas Nelson's book blogger program.

winners and progress

The winners
#1 The Tallest of Smalls by Max Lucado-Anita
#2 June Bug by Chris Fabry-Amanda
#3 handmade cards-Melissa

Progress on my quilt-120 of over 400 blocks completed

Happy Weekend!

200th Post

I made it to my 200th post. To celebrate I am giving away two almost new books (both books I have read and reviewed on my blog in October) and a set of handmade cards. This giveaway is open to anyone that has previously commented on my blog and lives in the USA, Mexico, or Canada. In order to win, leave a comment before Friday, November 20 telling me which kind of post you most like reading (about my quilts, adult books, children's books, etc.) and which of the following three prizes you would like to win. You can choose all three, but I will be picking three separate winners so I can share the fun.

Prize #1 The Tallest of Smalls by Max Lucado














Prize #2 June Bug by Chris Fabry














Prize #3 8 handmade cards (made by me) with envelopes-sorry I don't have a picture, but I don't have a digital camera.

If you are chosen to be the winner, I will let you know and depending on who you are, you will get the prize in the mail OR you will get it the next time I see you.

favorite authors

I have lots of favorite authors, including Susan Meissner, Charles Martin, Jo Kadlecek, Elizabeth Musser, and John Fischer for adults. Oliver Jeffers, Pam Munoz Ryan, Patricia MacLachlan, and C. S. Lewis are some of my favorite children's authors. There are more authors I like, these would be the ones that I like the very most right now. Who are your favorite authors? Have you read any books by my favorite authors?

My next post is going to include a giveaway because I will have reached post #200.

White Picket Fences

White Picket Fences is Susan Meissner's newest book. I read it in one night (a good form of procrastination from quilting) and was not dissappointed in it. When I began reading the story, I expected it to be primarily the story of Amanda, mother of Chase and aunt of Tally, but I think that the story was as much about the two teenagers as about the mother. Tally goes to San Diego to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins because her grandmother dies and her dad is somewhere in Europe. One of the themes of the story is secrets. It made me wonder, do most people keep secrets from family? I don't mean a small secret like not telling about a speeding ticket or that you skipped work to hang out with a friend, but secrets that if people knew, it might change the things that they believe about themselves or you. Is it a coincidence that the last three novels I read (June Bug and Shadows of Lancaster County are the other two books) are about secrets OR am I supposed to be getting a clue about something? It kind of makes me wonder.