Coming soon from Wanda E. Brunstetter

I previously shared with you book 1 called The Seekers in the new series by Wanda E. Brunstetter.

Now is the time to pre-order the next book in the series called The Blessing. I am looking forward to reading this story!  You can pre-order online and then get the free goodies.

Go to this link after you pre-order to receive the free extra goodies!

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Audio: 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You

Today I will share with you an audiobook called 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke.  The title is self-explanatory, but I wanted to share a little about the book here.

What effect is your phone having on your life?  The author shares a very insightful book that is very relevant to our culture.  There is a whole lot of information here about phones, social media, etc. and our responses to this.  It is really eye opening to think about how attached we are to our phones.

One thing that stuck out to me was how when we post pictures on social media we are looking for the approval of others.  How many likes will this get?  The author even shares stories of people who spend great deals of money getting the "perfect image" to share.  What he goes on to say is are we more concerned with getting the approval of men or of God?

I do not have a smart phone but do have an iPad so this was still relevant for me.  It has given me a lot to think about for myself.  This is a message that we all need to consider.  I highly recommend this book to you.

The book was read by Tom Parks. He was a great choice for this book in my opinion and very easy to listen to.

Find out more by visiting christianaudio.

 I received this book for my review from christianaudio Reviewers program. Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday!  We have had a nice week.  It is hotter here this week and last compared to how it has been earlier in June.  That's what we expect in Texas though!  My boy has been gone to church camp.  He is having a wonderful time. I've been thankful to get messages and pictures from his friend's Mom who went as a teacher.  He will be home on Saturday.

This week I am thankful for...
~ watching "When Calls the Heart" on Netflix with my hubby this week.  We both enjoy it and have watched several episodes this week after getting Titus to bed.

~  my big boy enjoying his time at camp. This has been his first time away and not able to talk to us.  He is having so much fun.  I got a picture of him leading a prayer in morning chapel Monday.  We went to the visitors' night on Wednesday and got to see him for a little bit. I'm so thankful he could go and enjoy this time.  I can't wait to hear all his stories!

~ fun with my little guy this week. I wasn't sure how he'd do with his Caleb being gone all week.  He knows he is at camp and was excited to see him last night.  I asked him if he was going to go to camp and he said "no, stay Momma." (meaning he wants to stay with me)

~ safe travel to and from the visitors' night at camp. We got home late but it was worth it.  The service was so nice with a great message and beautiful singing. It was wonderful to see our boy so happy there too.

~ food to eat and sales on things we like to eat.  I am so thankful to have our grocery store here.

~ spending time with my Mom.  I like having her close by to do things with her or go to her house.  She went to the library with us this week for the summer program. Today we went to lunch and the grocery store.

Thank you for visiting.

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany

Adult coloring books

I have received three adult coloring books to review that I'd like to share with you today.  It is relaxing to me to color.  Adult coloring is very popular now, and I always like to see what new books are out there.  There are so many varieties with various themes and types of pictures. I have found types that I prefer are usually more abstract or with a phrase or word to color.

First I have The Parables of Jesus Coloring Book Devotional by Laura James and Katara Washington Patton.

The picture style in this one are not my favorite to color as they are mostly scenes with people related to the parables.  I did really enjoy reading the devotional writings about the various parables of Jesus.  The verse and devotional are printed on one page and then the next page is the picture to color.  I like that the backs of the pages are left blank.

Find out more at this link.

Next is the Joyful Inspirations Coloring Book by Robin Mead.

This book has pictures on both sides of the pages with a wide variety of images including fish, birds, crosses, flowers, and cities.  There are some Bible verses but not on every single page.

The author offers some coloring tips at the back along with her recommendations for coloring products.

This is the link for this book.

And finally.....

This one is called A Giving Heart by Stephanie Corfee

This book has a picture to color on one side and the back is the wording from the picture.  These pages are Bible verses and quotes about mothers to color.  There are some very beautiful pictures to color in this book and they would look very nice framed and hung in my opinion.

This book would make a nice gift for a friend or mother.

This link has more information.

These books were provided to me for my review from Hachette Book Group.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday!  We've had a full week.  I knew it was going to be.  Caleb had a baseball camp three days and we helped at the book sale one day. Also Caleb is getting ready to go to camp next week.

This week I am thankful for....
~ figuring out vacation plans with my husband and that he has vacation leave saved up. We are going to Ruidoso.

~ seeing my big boy "in his element" as he helped all day Monday at the book sale.  He loved unloading the boxes of books from the truck and taking them to the tables to be unpacked.

~ my little boy getting out our "thankful book" before bed last night. He got on the bed before we said prayers as we do each night, and he asked what we were thankful for and then pretended he was writing something on it.  I do this each night, and it was so cute to see him do it.

~ having fun at the book sale finding books for all of us.  Titus got to help at the set up too and liked it also. We found Biscuit books for him. I was thankful that I was able to volunteer all day with Caleb at the set up, and Titus went to my Mom's.

~ my Dad and the influence he's been in my life.  So many of my friends have lost their dads in the past couple of years so I am very thankful to have my Dad here.

~ enjoying our new mini van.  I have driven it around more this week and have enjoyed it and am getting used to the differences of it compared to my Camry.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

God Loves Daddy and Me Book + GIVEAWAY

About the book:

God loves Daddy and me, He listens when we pray, When we tell Him “Thank You,” it’s the best part of our day!

Cuddle up cozy-close with an adorable reminder of God’s love for daddies and their little ones. Celebrating loving fathers, precious children, and the God who loves them all, God Loves Daddy and Me will remind parents and little ones of how much they are loved.

My thoughts:
This book reminds us that God loves us whatever we are doing in our days.  The illustrations are very sweet and feature the Daddy and child raccoon doing things together.  

I found it hard to read it out loud the first time because it didn't flow correctly for me. But after rereading it, it was easier to get the feel.

The information says it is for 2-5 years which is pretty accurate. It may not hold the attention of a 2  year old the entire time, depending on your child.

Now for the giveaway.  You can win 1 of 5 copies.  Go here to this link for the giveaway!

I received this book to review as part of the FrontGate blogger review program.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

We have had a laid back week at home, no special outings or activities other than our regular trips to the library and grocery store. I love being home with my boys!  Summer is wonderful!

This week I am thankful for....
~ celebrating 16 years of marriage with my husband over the weekend. Last Friday was our anniversary and we took a little trip together. It was so nice to be together and enjoy that time.

~ my big boy and all his summer activities. He is mowing some lawns in the neighborhood, and this week started going to morning work outs at the high school. He entertains his brother too! And made me some delicious chocolate chip peanut butter cookies and cooked supper.

~ my little guy making us laugh with his words. He is saying opposites lately. We started doing them at lunch one day before Caleb got out of school so I will randomly ask him to say them. I was recording him and said what's the opposite of hot and he said hot-si-wah, and it's just so funny to hear him say it. So now he says it all the time! (That's a word I say when something is really hot.)

~ our new mini van!!  On our anniversary trip we went to the dealership to drive one, and we traded my car and bought it. This has been our plan for some time.  We have growing boys and knew we wanted one at some point! Caleb has had me pull up the seat when he sits in the back cause he's getting so tall and his legs were cramped.  We have been saving in a "vehicle replacement fund" so we were able to pay cash for it which was our goal. We feel we got a good deal, and we are all enjoying it so far. We had our Camry for 6 years and absolutely loved it. I was sad to not have it anymore but am glad to have this new Sienna (and hope we enjoy it as much).

~ new clothes and shoes!  We went shopping on our trip, and I was glad to find some new things. I rarely buy anything for myself so I was glad to be able to do that.

~ home days with my boys. Reading books, being outside, watching old tv shows, being together!

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany