Peter Hollens

Have you heard of Peter Hollens?  He sings all the instrumental parts in his songs.  Thus it is a multiple of recordings - all done with his voice - put together to make incredible music.  Here are my two favorite:

General Conference Printables

Love this bright colored
General Conference activity packet! 

Be sure to look at this cute idea for Free from the website: http://www.somewhatsimple.com/general-conference-activity-for-kids/

 

I have adapted it a little into:

"General Conference - In One Page"

I have asked my children to fill out this page and we will have prizes and discussion follow-up with this page for FHE!

 

General Conference in One Page by Valerie

the corner cartoon figures are from the artist by Arie Van De Graff  - love his art

The Heiress of Winterwood

The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd

3.70  Stars,  I really liked itJ

The cover says it all – a beautiful story in a beautiful place.   

Amelia is strong and she knows what needs to happen.  “I can think of the perfect way to thank me, sir.  Consent to marry me.”  How can you resist a great line like that?  This was a good read.  The little ditty on the back hooked me and from the first line of the prologue I was not disappointed.   This book has a great voice to it, good characters, whom you will learn to love and love to hate.   A little adventure, beauty, family and of course, a slow and steady new found love.

I enjoyed the writing style.  “Not so very long ago, that wind had hummed soothing lullabies.  Now, in dawn’s gray light, its mournful wail whispered chilling omens”.  Lines like this made it easy to imagine and feel what was happening.  This was a great book from Sarah Ladd.  If you love a Regency Romance – you are sure to enjoy this clean read.  Don’t forget to buy a copy for your next vacation!

I was given this book free by booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.  My pleasureJ.

Having Children in Faith

Easter

 Use this activity sheet as you turn your thoughts toward Easter. 

This is great for you and your children.

Resurrection.3 Fold Worksheet

Thanks to the blog http://www.theredheadedhostess.com/holidays/easter/understanding-the-resurrection/   she is fabulous - she gets me thinking.  Plus look on her site for the original version - I tweeked it for my purposes.

The Runaway King

4 stars - I loved it!!!!     This is book #2 in the Triology  The False Prince

The book begins, "I had arrived early for my own assassination".  From the first sentence I was hooked.  Sage can't keep the devils off his heals the entire way through the book.  Adventure and high treason keep these pages turning and turning till you hate that it is over.  Discover why Jaron has to flee his own throne, in order to keep his crown.

Jennifer Nielsen is a great writer - she keeps you guessing, keeps you on the edge of your seat and will make you wish that #3 was finished!!!  

Scholastic book is selling this hard cover for only $9.99 :)

Read Book #1 FIRST and enjoy the ride:)

Side note: Have you read The Thief by M.W. Turner? I swear the voice is the same, sometimes I was trying to remember if it was Gen or Sage?  Either way - great voice - great story telling!

Mealtime Devotions

4 stars - great book for your family time

This title caught my eye.  I was intrigued with the idea of Mealtime Devotions.  Looking for more verbal interaction in our modern day has put this book at the top of my list.  We all know how important eating together is – in fact I think a lot of us do eat together, it’s just the quality of conversation I usually wonder about. 

This great little book has a lot of clever and fun ways to open up easy conversations that get the family talking.  My teenagers roll their eyes yet they don’t leave and my younger kids eat it up.   I really like the books structure.  Each page has a clever topic, no long paragraphs  just bulleted information and simple questions.  Each topic comes from a scripture or scripture story. 

This  concise book easily fits in a purse or even in your glove box.  I leave it sitting on my chair at the table, always there and ready. Who could ask for a better way to increase the quality of conversation with your family?

 I received this book free from the publisher Tyndale Blog Network book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.