Saturday, September 14, 2013

Homeschool t-shirt review!



I know I have mentioned this company before, a company that sells "homeschool" tshirts. Here's another review of another one of the shirts from there!

Check out the pictures -- it's the royal blue shirt with the saying "THIS IS WHAT AN AWESOME HOMESCHOOLER LOOKS LIKE!" on the front.



My kids LOVE these shirts and they last really well! We have had great success with the graphics staying good through more than a year of washing/drying (well, wearing too, obviously!)

(here's a shirt that's a year old and still looks great!

I'd highly recommend these homeschool tshirts which are made by www.shopgreatproducts.com for your homeschooled child or as a gift! There are also shirts for moms and dads (and Grandparents!!) of homeschoolers -- AND also Christian tshirts, not just homeschool!

So check them out - here's the link to the shirt I am reviewing (HERE) -- but honestly, there are LOTS of great shirts -- check them all out!! :)

(Oh, as a side note -- shipping -- really fast!)

Click on over and buy some today!! Until September 15th most of their shirts are only $5.99!!!! Amazing sale! Stock up NOW!!

I received this tshirt for free from the Great Products company for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

For Every Season by Cindy Woodsmall



Okay, well, this book was a shocker for me! Not in a good sense, however.

I have read other books by Cindy Woodsmall and have enjoyed and recommended them, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this book, For Every Season. It's an Amish fiction, and I usually find such books to be interesting, clean fiction reads.

I knew, going into this, that this book is number 3 in a series~~and I was pleasantly surprised to find a foreword of sorts which began "The story so far. . ." and gave a brief overview of the happenings in books 1 and 2 of the series. I felt like this overview prepared me nicely to begin this book without wondering about what was going on.

The story focuses on several Amish young adults who have moved from Pennsylvania to Maine to begin a new Amish settlement and to recover from the financial difficulties brought upon their families by a tornado's destroying their apple orchard business back home in PA. Many families hopes are tied up in the success of the Maine orchard. Along side of this, there are several interpersonal issues going on -- Rhoda, who is engaged to Jacob -- who also has a very huge mysterious back story -- and Samuel, his brother, who is in love with Rhoda also -- and Leah, who is considering leaving the Amish society for a non-Amish boyfriend, and then there's Rhoda's friends/people she stays with -- and their unfolding dramas -- and, and, and!

To my point of view, there are just TOO many main characters and too many conflicts for the reader to really be able to focus on one or the other. Yes, real life is full of lots of side stories, but the author does not treat these as side stories, but all as competing main stories. What was the main story of this book?

But all that aside, I still would have said that I liked the book -- BUT for the aspect of one of the main character's (Rhoda's) magical mystical visions of the future and past, her "gift". I was really uncomfortable with this in a book which is supposedly a Christian book. These supernatural visions. . .not for me.

For this reason, mainly, I would not really recommend this book. I am not planning on reading any of the other books in this series either. I have liked this author's books in the past and might again in the future, but not this magical supernatural, other-than-God stuff.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

I Am Ruth: A Story of Loss, Love, & Redemption by Berg and Duff



The book I Am Ruth; A Story of Loss, Love, & Redemption is written by Brenda Duff and the photography is by Kenneth Berg. It is the book of Ruth from the Bible, illustrated and expanded.

When I first read about this book I wasn't too excited. I thought it was just a book with photos of people re-enacting the scenes from the book of Ruth from the Bible. Well, it IS that, partially, but even more, it is filled with explanations and expansions of information relevant to the book of Ruth.

Information such as how Lot and Abraham's story relates to that of Ruth and Naomi. Stories of other Biblical characters "Returning Home." Explanations of some of the traditions which are a part of the book of Ruth (Boaz's sandal, for one!)

All in all, I think this book was a nice help to read alongside the book of Ruth. Actually, the text of the book of Ruth is included in this book.

I would recommend this book as a gift or a study aid, or even as a homeschool book to use while studying the book of Ruth. My teenage daughter actually picked up this book and read it before me and really enjoyed it, so it appears that its appeal is pretty broad.

You can see more info about this book, including a video trailer here.

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.