Book Review: Yogurt by Janet Fletcher

I love yogurt - plain, flavored, regular, Greek.  I have been thinking about making my own yogurt since my kids love yogurt too and we go through quite a few containers at a time each week.  The thought of also being able to control the quality of the ingredients is also attractive to me.

What I appreciate most about this book is that the first part explains the process of making your own yogurt in depth.  She includes the history and science behind yogurt, as well as its health benefits.  The author also talks about the how different kinds of milk would affect the outcome of the yogurt.  

The photographs are beautiful and artistic.  I am glad that the book contains many savory recipes, as majority of the time I eat yogurt for breakfast or a snack with fruit, granola and honey.  The recipes to add yogurt in curries or as sauces with meats and vegetables, are definitely some that I am going to try.  The author also includes accompanying recipes - for the Alsatian Pizza with Onions & Pancetta, included is a recipe for pizza dough.  Chapters include Breakfast, Appetizers & Salads, Soups, Meat, Vegetables & Grains, Desserts, and Beverages.  

Book Review - Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood

Motherhood has been rewarding , yet also challenging - sleepless nights, breaking up sibling quarrels, the constant and unending number of chores and activities that need to be done.  I have tried many times to start a personal bible study, tried to get up earlier than usual to have that quiet time before the house gets too busy and noisy.  However I have not been consistent and it has been a constant struggle to find a way to start up again.  
Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood is an 11-week devotional Bible Study geared towards all moms.  Each chapter is sectioned into five days of, four of which are a study of Scriptures relating to the chapter subject, then the fifth day provides more of a devotional or reflection of the weeks' study.  Subjects include faith, joy, peace, ordering the home... many of the issues that mothers struggle with.  
Since the chapters also include the Scriptures that are being touched, this book provides a way for me to not only be able to study at home during an early morning quiet time, but can also be brought along while I wait at dentist appointments, after school activities, or in the parking lot before headed home with the groceries on a rare moment that I am alone.
All in all I would recommend this book to all mothers as it provides teaching, reflection, and inspiration as we grow in our walk with God through the journey of motherhood.

This book was sent to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Book Sales & Bargains

I love to read.  My kids love to read. We go to the library once a week and bring home dozens of books at a time, but sometimes the joy of a new addition to our home library cannot be beat. This being said, brand new books are expensive and even buying used ones on Amazon can still be costly because of the shipping charges.  

Once a month the public library close to us holds a sale of books that have been donated.  I have learned from past experience to go first thing in the morning before the doors open because the children's books seem to be the first that get picked through. This is what we got:

Harry Potter Books 1 & 2 - I already have Book 3 from a previous sale, hoping to complete the collection as I find them. My daughter has not shown any interest but reading the whole 

The Chronicles of Narnia Books 1-7, missing Book 2 - I was wondering whether or not to get this since it was not a complete set, but then who am I kidding... I loved these books as a child and at 25 cents per softcover book they're a good buy.  I can just keep my eye out for Book 2.  

The Three Strange Travelers and Other Stories - The British writer Enid Blyton was one of my favorite authors as a child.  I do not see her books in libraries here in the US so when I found this one I snatched it up.  Looking inside, it was printed in Singapore.  

Pippi Longstocking - Another childhood favorite of mine... do you see a pattern here?  Maybe I'm buying these books for myself!

The Courage of Sarah Noble - I'm always on a lookout for award-winning books.  This one is a Newberry Honor book first published in 1954.  

The Wizard of Oz - This is a hardbound book (hard covers were $1) with beautiful colored illustrations.  

Bob the Builder - my son loves anything to do with construction and had been watching Bob the Builder on Netflix.  He is beginning to read on his own so keeping him motivated with books he is interested in is always a plus.

The Foot Book - Dr. Seuss books... need there be an explanation?!

The Tawny Scrawny Lion - I loved Little Golden Books as a child and I like the vintage ones from the 1950s-1970s.

The Giant Encyclopedia of Circle Time and Group Activities for Children 3 to 6 -  since my kids will be home with me all summer I'm starting to think of activities we can do to keep boredom from setting in.

The Summer Atlas of North American Birds - okay, this wasn't my choice, my daughter wanted it because she wanted to see which birds are in our area of the country.

Poems of Emily Dickinson - this was another of my daughter's picks (she's 7 btw), I couldn't say no to an interest in poetry.  (it is the light gray book in the photo above)

Today's book haul cost $8... what a steal!  I'm so excited to find a space for these books on our bookshelves.

Today Is A New Day

Yesterday was my last day at a corporate 9-5 job.  I spent 12 hours of my day away from home because of the hour-long commute to downtown.  Needless to say, this was affecting life at home with my husband and children, chores were ignored, and I felt harassed even during the weekend when I tried to catch up on what I didn't have time for during the week.
I woke up this morning at 6 am, thoughts racing in my head about how unlimited the possibilities were now.  I was actually excited to start getting the house in order and was making mental lists as I lay in bed.  Best of all, my energy can now be focused on keeping the home, nurturing my children, and providing a clean, warm, peaceful place for my family to be in.
I thank God for the opportunity to do so, this truly will be a blessing.