Beautiful Mess Diamond Rio Book Review

Beautiful Mess

First off let me say that back in the “day” I was a huge Diamond Rio fan. As a matter of fact I told my DH when we started dating that if Diamond Rio ever came to Knoxville in concert that he had to take me. Not long after that we were able to see them at one of the Knoxville stations Listener Appreciation shows. They sounded just as great in person as on cd. Their song, “I Know How The River Feels” was the song I walked down the aisle to. Needless to say over the years my musical interests have leaned more toward Southern Gospel and Contemporary Gospel. Yet I was excited when I signed up with Thomas Nelson Publishers to do book reviews that Diamond Rio’s biography, Beautiful Mess, was one of the books available.

I started reading the book as soon as I got it from the mail. Honestly, I found it hard to put down. I was amazed at the lives of these great guys. Most of them come from Christian backgrounds and have returned to those roots so to speak. I loved reading about the closeness they share as a band and “family”. From their lowest depths to their highest moments, the guys share their life stories with honesty. You see the good, bad and the ugly. Yet through all the struggles they still found that God is God and He has a plan. I really enjoyed this book and I’m sure you will too. Check it out here:http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/

God Bless ~ Nikki

40 Loaves Blog Tour And Giveaway

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40 Loaves Breaking Bread With Our Father Each Day By C.D. Baker

“Why don’t I have more faith?”
“Why am I so bored with Jesus?”
“Why are Christians so hard for me to like?”

There are many questions we’re not supposed to ask when playing by the religious rules. It makes people uncomfortable. So why is it that Jesus invited questions and even asked some of them himself? What is it that you’re afraid to ask God? It’s a risky prospect to begin asking–but far riskier to continue simply trying to get by without knowing. Author C. D. Baker asked himself 40 soul-searching questions which started a conversation in his heart and ultimately showed him more about God than He ever expected.
Can we become more honest with who we really are and find who God says He really is at the same time? Come indulge yourself in daily readings with an honest exploration of your secret fears and thoughts, and know that you will always be welcomed in God’s unconditional love.

40 Loaves is a very nice daily devotional book. In each chapter, C. D. Baker asks some real eye opening questions. I enjoyed the way he included little stories and insights from his own life. I like when authors of devotional writings bring something of their “self” into the mix. Mr. Baker is openly honest about his own spiritual shortcomings and that is what makes this book so wonderful. These are questions he has asked himself before and was sometimes surprised by the answers. The one downside for me was that the Scripture in the book was not KJV. That is my personally preferred translation but it is hard to find many publications these days that use it. Be that as it may, I’m sure you will enjoy this great (hardback) book so I am going to give you a chance to win a copy. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, please be sure to leave your email address in your comment so that I may contact you if you win. To earn two extra chances to win; post about this giveaway on your blog and share the link in your comment. All total you could get your name in the “pot” three times. This giveaway will end on Saturday December 19^th. I will draw for the winner on the 20^th and will post their name on the blog plus send out an email to let them know they won. You can also buy this book at this link: RandomHouse.com

God Bless! ~ Nikki

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

A Giveaway

Hey everyone!

Check out this giveaway at The Mennobrarian!

http://www.themennobrarian.com/2009/12/giveaway.html

Blessings! ~ Nikki

Value Gifts Blog Tour Book Review

In tough times discover…99 Ways (times six) to thrive!

                                                                                                   

Colorado Springs, CO— The Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group introduces 99…times six…practical and up-to-date ways to help families flourish despite present economic challenges, priced at just $5.99 per book (WaterBrook Press, July 21, 2009). These books are not only timely, but also inexpensive enough to fit into everyone’s tightening budget.

 

• 99 Ways to Increase Your Income (ISBN-13:978-0-307-45839-1)

by Frank Martin, successful entrepreneur and author of over sixteen books.

 I got to review 99 Ways to Increase Your Income by Frank Martin.This book has some wonderfully easy tips on how to raise your income and stretch the cash you already have. Each chapter is filled with ideas that are simple yet effective. Some of these ideas utilize websites that we already enjoy like Ebay and Craigslist. I know in this economy many of us can use some new ideas on earning more money or stretching our dollar. I have gleaned lots of ideas from this great book that I plan on using to help our family. I highly recommend buying this book. It would also make a great gift for a friend or loved one.

Don’t Let Relationships Suffer Because of the Economy

Colorado Springs, CO— Just because the economy is suffering doesn’t mean relationships have to suffer, too. The Value Non-Fiction Line (September 15, 2009) offers insightful books on love, marriage, relationships and personal growth. At just $6.99, WaterBrook Press is offering readers on the most limited budgets, valuable resources to help them grow and succeed in their personal lives. Titles include:

More Than A Match (ISBN: 978-1-4000-7489-1) by relationship experts, Michael & Amy Smalley, marriage and family counselors who demystify the science behind compatibility tests to help singles in search of love recognize when the right relationship comes along. They also reveal the specific skills that can transform an ideal match into a lasting love. 

I got to review More Than A Match by Michael and Amy Smalley

This is a great book for engaged Christian (and non Christian) couples. The Smalleys walk you step by step through the dating and engagement process. They cover issues from making sure you are compatible enough to date each other to handling conflicts and on through to the first night together as man and wife. They cover these issues with their own personal insight and lots of humor. Do be advised though that they do cover the subject of s*x. Even this subject is covered with Christian insight though so no worries. I think this book would make a good gift for engaged couples.

You can purchase these books online at:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com

These books were provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Want to blog for books?

WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books site page at http://www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook/bloggingforbooks/.

Oaks And Acorns Outdoor Hour Autumn Challenge

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This is our first post for the Autumn Challenge hosted by the Outdoor Hour at the Handbook of Nature blog. We don’t have the Handbook of Nature book since we had to downgrade back to dialup until Toodles gets another job; we are using some great resource books we bought at our library book sale. The ABC’s of Nature and North American Wildlife, both by Readers Digest. All information in these posts comes from one or both of these books unless otherwise stated.

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Oaks And Acorns

Oaks are the most wide spread broadleaf tree in North America. They also have the largest number of species; 58 trees and 10 shrubs; and occupy the greatest variety of habitats. The leaves on a single oak tree can come in many shapes. Oak trees can also hybridize making identification more complex.

There are two groups of oaks; red and white. Red oaks have tiny bristles on the tips of the leaves and/or lobes. Red oak trees have bitter acorns that take two years to mature and do not fall off the tree during winter. The acorn caps are lined with woolly hairs. White oak trees have rounded lobes without bristles. White oak tree acorns are sweet and mature in six months. The acorns fall off the tree in winter.

Individual species of oak trees can identified by leaf shape and sometimes leaf color. Many birds and mammals eat the acorns of oak trees. These include squirrels, raccoons, deer, bear, turkey, woodpeckers, jays and many more. These animals help spread the oak by storing the acorns and not reclaiming them. Sprouting acorns will grow full sized leaves and unusually long roots.

We have a red oak tree in our yard. We identified it by the leaf shape and the bristles on the end of the lobes.

There are also many other types of oaks in our area. We have identified and English oak leaf but have yet to identify the other oak leaves in this picture.

We have seen some that come close but we hesitate to say they are “that” type of oak. Do any of you in blogland care to see if you can ID them? Blessings! ~ Nikki