Rainy rainy rain!

Wow! I cannot believe how wet it is here! We've had so much rain that the ground is saturated and everything that falls just runs off rather than soaking in. Sounds like spring, right? Not like July!! Strange! Hot temps, high humidity, and lots and lots of rain! Yesterday after the 4th of July parade it was soooooo hot and humid; when the sky darkened a little we figured it would be a good time to butcher some of our broilers (chickens). We were planning on doing a dozen. As soon as we began the rain started. Not just a little rain, a HUGE deluge :)



It came down and down and down! We were standing there dripping wet and the water began running around our feet, then up to our ankles! It was coming through the lawn and through our butchering area so strongly that we didn't let the kids or the dog near the ravine, because it was soon a raging river! Weird weather!





Our poor laying hens also! Their coop was flooded, way flooded! Ahhh! They had all been just foraging around the yard till the water started flowing -- poor girls, they were huddled under a cedar bush, up to their bellies in the water! We carried them over to their coop and put them in. They happily stayed in there till the rain stopped and the water diminished.


At least the garden's liking this influx of water! :)

IndoctriNation Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity by Gunn and Fernandez

Ah, where to begin this book review. Well, first of all, this book is an accompaniment to a DVD which I have not viewed, so this review is purely for the book. This book, IndoctriNation, is basically a collection of essays which have been unapologetically written to persuade readers (Christian parents) of the danger of sending their children to public school. The authors range from past public school teachers and administrators to leading Christian speakers/writers of today. There is no trying to hide their agenda, they blatantly say that they want to persuade readers to take their children out of public school.

I guess I'm not really the intended audience of this book; we already homeschool our children. I don't need persuading :) We are dedicated to homeschooling and are very glad that we have taken this path. As such, much of what was written did not really grab my interest. There were segments about textbooks, add/adhd/ritalin, teachers, industry, history, and so much more. Some segments more inflammatory than other. All these were aimed at Christians/people who believe and follow the Bible and Scriptural teaching.

Honestly, it is a long book. Lots of chapters. Not good flow, just 23 essays plopped together into a book. Wow, I feel awfully superficial writing this, but hey, it IS long and kind of dry -- after the first few essays it just goes on and on, saying kind of the same things in so many different ways. I'd suggest reading it in spurts, a chapter a week or so :)

So -- would I recommend this book? I WOULD recommend the book to Christian parents who are not currently homeschooling. You know, it would also be good for grandparents who question why their children are homeschooling their grandkids. So, yes, I would recommend it in these cases.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review. Here is the book on the webpage of its publisher, MasterBooks.

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Another fun summer read :) This story by Karen Wietmeyer, Stealing the Preacher, is a fun Christian romance/adventure/western fiction book which makes a quick and easy enjoyable read. The "preacher" in the story, Crockett, is kidnapped and finds his calling and his new family. Jo, who has recently lost her mother, is searching for a leader for their church as well as for her father to come to know Christ. Jackson, a boy with a difficult home life, enters the story in important spots and endears himself to readers. I don't want to give away details, because the book is a fun read. It's filled with interesting characters who are deeper than they appear. The main plots are fun and original. The characters are ones you are interested to read more about and who you can identify with (at least with some of them!)

A few topics such as past hurts and forgiveness are dealt with in a sweet way. It's a nice easy fun read and I'd definitely recommend it! I have read one other of Witemeyer's books (Short-straw Bride) and I think I'll be looking for more of these to read! One thing I have to say -- you know the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover" -- well, take that to heart. I don't know why the cover illustration was chosen, but it doesn't represent the book well at all (other than the pink dress with the brown underskirt).

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.

Chivalry by Zach Hunter

Let me begin this review by telling you why I chose to review this book. I have a son who will be entering the teen years sooner than I can imagine :) and I thought this might be a good book to read with him, or at least to guide discussions. Those were my preconceptions; as I began the book I realized it is not the type of book I thought it was.

I got off on the wrong foot with the author in the foreword where he attempts to redefine the word "chivalry". He states, "We're going to turn this old notion of chivalry upside down and make it about men and women. We're going to tear down old ideas about only men having the responsibility to be chivalrous and instead imagine a society that is civil--both male and female." Not that I don't embrace the idea of encouraging civility, politeness, respect, etc. by all members of society, but that simply is not chivalry. The word chivalry is steeped in tradition, history, and does not need to be redefined. I wished that the author had just chosen a different word to use.

The author goes over 10 different kinds of codes of chivalry, one in each chapter. Some are illustrated by others' life stories, some backed up by a degree of Scripture. Some of these are such as, "I will respect life and freedom," "I will honor truth and always keep my promises," "I will live and die with honor," and others.

So--did I like the book? Ahhhh, ummm, I have to at this point say that I am definitely not the demographic that this book was written for. :) I am 42 years old and my college years are long behind me. The author is a college-aged fellow, as I read the book I think that when I was a college student I would have thought that his words were much more profound than they seem to me now. Reading it at this age I kind of felt like I was listening to a valedictorian's speech or something like that. Perhaps the value of this book is to be read by its intended audience :) upper high schoolers through college students. It's written to Christian kids to encourage them in how to follow Christ in their lives. There were a couple of topics which seemed kind of superficial or simplified to me and one segment which I did not agree with. I probably would not recommend the book, but I'm sure there will be some people who are inspired by it.

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.

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock is a fictional account of a young woman's life at the time of Prohibition. Eve, the main character, tells her story in first-person, taking us from when her family decides to move out of Minnesota and back to the family home in Ohio to her experiences at Marryat Island that summer. Eve is a very black-and-white thinker, things are either right or wrong. In the era of prohibition, she boldly proclaims her beliefs and is confused by others' grayish thoughts on the matter.

This is a story that takes the reader into the era of Prohibition and shows several aspects of that time. There are a variety of characters, some more interesting than others. I honestly don't know enough to tell you if it is historically accurate, but it does open some topics of the time to review. To me it was just an interesting fiction story. It did not grab my attention particularly, but it was not a difficult book to read. It was a nice easy fictional story, in my estimation.

So, would I recommend it? Sure, it's a fine book to read. It wasn't particularly moving or dramatic, but not every story has to be. It was not an objectionable story -- if you like historical fiction you may love this one!

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.

Victim of Grace by Robin Jones Gunn

Have you ever read any of the Sisterchicks books? Or the Christy Miller Series? Sierra Jensen? These are some of the series that were written by the author of my most recent read, Robin Jones Gunn. I have read and enjoyed many of her Sisterchicks books -- light, quick-read Christian fiction books; when I saw this nonfiction book that she had written, Victim of Grace, I wasn't sure what to expect! I am so glad that I read this book and would definitely recommend it to you!

This book is basically an autobiography of parts of the author's life. She is very transparent in her writing; though the details may be different, it is so easy to identify with her struggles. At first I didn't like the title "Victim of Grace" -- victim seems so drastically negative, while grace is something so wonderful -- but as I read the book, I see that the title means that we are recipients of this grace from God even though/when we really don't seem to be looking for it.

I actually read this book with a pen in hand. This is SO not what I usually do. I am not a journaller and usually don't re-read books. However, first chapter, there I was, underlining stuff!! Some of the lines I marked were such as this, ". . .may it be evident that God's goodness is prevailing even when you can't see the final punch line." and "The things we hope for in life can't be wished into existence no matter how delightful or spiritual those possibilities might be." and so many more. I really have marked quite a few passages in the book and will definitely be re-reading it.

Obviously the book is marketed toward a female reader (check out the cover picture!) but honestly, it'd be a great book for men as well. Or for husbands and wives to read together!

It's an easy-to-read book full of great truths and reminders from God. It was an important book for me to read at this moment.

I would definitely recommend this book.

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.

Experiments with mulch in the garden!

Every year when it gets to be around mid-July our garden looks VERY lush and green -- with an overabundance of big, tall, hard-to-pull leafy green weeds. :( Yuck.

Soooooooooooo this year we are trying a new approach!! :) We are going to try using mulch :) We are putting down newspapers covered with straw for the walkways and putting dried grass-clippings over the dirt between/around plants. We'll see how it works! :) Hopefully it'll do the trick and make our garden at least not 2/3 or more of the plant matter being weeds :)

Here's what it looks like right now. We'll see as the season progresses!



If you're a mulcher, I'd love to hear your suggestions/comments!!

:)