Review: Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright

I recently recieved "Seeds of Turmoil" by Bryant Wright from booksneeze.com. If you haven't heard of it, booksneeze allows bloggers to sign up and choose from a variety of books they have available and then they will send you the book free of charge. All you have to do is then review it on your blog and a website where the book is sold (like amazon.com) and that's it! So, here is my very first book review, curtesy of booksneeze.com !

"Seeds of Turmoil" is about the biblical roots of the conflicts in the middle east. Mr. Wright did, in my opinion, a good job of keeping statements fairly unbiased, though he is a Christian, so if you think that you would be offended by reading a book written from a Bible-believing perspective, then this is probably not the book for you. Wright walks the reader through the promise God made to Abraham, as well as how one man's sin really has had a huge shaping on the conflicts in the middle east that we are still seeing to this day. Scripture is inserted into the book often and is explained throughly, as well as alot of secular history of the region and battles over this small, but signifigant piece of land. After going through the history of the region and how Israel came to be a country again, Wright goes on to explain the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian perspectives over this land and why it is so signifigant to each group. I learned alot more from this book than I expected to, and having finished it, I would recommend it to a friend. Even if you aren't too familar with the bible or bible names and terminology, there is a glossary in the back of the book and Wright makes everything very easy to understand. Also, for those interested there is a section in the back of the book prepared for if you would like to have a group study using this book. All in all I think this is a fantastic resource, and a very interesting read.

Long time, no post!

Hello there everyone! It feels like it has been ages since I last posted anything on this blog, and really, it has. My computer is still out of comission, but I am okay with that, even if it does take away from the time I am able to really sit down and think about my blog and other things. Gabriel has been getting more and more mobile, and in a couple weeks he will be 8 months old. I still can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday we were getting in the car to go to the hospital to welcome him into the world. He is also teething, which is a unique experience. I mean, I know we all teethe, though we can't remember it and I had heard many moms describe the long nights associated with teething, but it's just something that you don't fully understand until you are there I think. I feel so blessed to have the friends that I have, that have been there and know what I am going through and are able to offer helpful advice. A friend gave me some "teething tablets" which are a homeopathic pain reliever for babies teething, which is nice since I don't really like to give Gabriel tylenol or anything unless he is running a fever. Also, I've found that a simple washcloth with an ice cube in it and a hair tie to fasten it shut works wonders for a teething baby. Gabriel has started a bit on baby food, which is exciting, but all in all, most days I end up with more splattered on me than what ends up in his tummy I think. But that's okay, I love to see the look on his face when I feed him something new. That first bite always comes with the same reaction, a "what in the world are you feeding me?" kind of look, but then by bite two or three he has usually warmed up to it and is opening his mouth before I can get another spoonful for him.

Also, I was recommended an author by my mom and I went to the library and checked out a few books by her. Her name is Karen Kingsbury, and while I haven't finished a book yet, I am thouroughly enjoying the book I am reading by her. It is called "Just Beyond the Clouds" and it is a fantastic, inspiring book so far. I am almost finished with it, and I regret reading it too quickly, but there is always another book I can pick up to go to next.

I hope you all are having a blessed day!

Computer Woes

This past week I have been dealing with computer woes. I had Gabriel on my lap and he knocked a toy onto my computer, and well, it turns out: computers don't like that very much. Eric narrowed it down to it being the video card, which it's nice to know what's wrong with it, but we still can't get it fixed right now. So now, I am using Eric's computer to blog, though the blogs will be fewer and further between for a while. Though, this has taught me a valuable lesson: technology feels like a must, but it isn't. Think about this one for a minute. Our children's generation will never know what it's like personally to live in a culture where most people don't have a computer. Or cell phone. Or internet. Or MP3 player. I am a fairly young mom - I will be 21 this fall, but I still remember vividly a time when we didn't have a computer. And even better, I remember when we didn't have the internet, much less high speed, or MP3 players. Gabriel won't know what that's like. He will probably be tempted to play on the computer or a game system all the time, but it is my job as a mother to make sure that he works too, and plays outside alot. My mom and I were talking about it the other day. When she was a kid, and even when I was, during the summer kids were gone from the time they got up until the sun started to set, playing outside, running around. Now, it's pretty rare that I see kids playing outside at all. I want to put a focus on the simpler things in life with my family. Reading a book in the shade a a warm, sunny day is such a sweet, pleasant thing. Having a picnic in the park. Splashing around at the beach or a pool. There are so many things that God made for us, His creation is such a testament to His power, we should spend more time in it. Myself included, I don't spend as much time as I should outside, but I hope to once it starts cooling off a little bit.

I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait for fall when it is nice outside and comfortable weather!

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to seperate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

Simple Pleasures

Today I am finding simple pleasures.

The laugh of my little baby boy, who has found that he likes to play with me by trying to chew on my chin and pinch my face.


Just the thought that this time, for the first time. I'm not stressed about company coming to visit here in the next couple of days. My house isn't in too bad a shape, so now I just need to do a few minor things, instead of the craze I am usually in to get everything in shape. I have been keeping up with things, with Eric's help, a whole lot better than I used to, and it feels great!



Tomorrow Eric and I are going to eat dinner with a couple friends, and I always just love the time we get to spend with good friends, good fun and good food!


For Father's Day, what are your plans? We are going to church in the morning, then probably out to brunch/lunch with the in-laws, and then I think my father-in-law and Eric are going to go play golf, while I hang out with his girlfriend (his father's, not Eric's! :P ). It should be a nice, relaxed weekend for us. I hope everyone else is having a nice time as well!

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your aniexty on Him, because He cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:6-7

Adventures in Cooking (Frugally!)

So, last night, Eric and I went up to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, including some things off of WIC. Well, if you have ever been on WIC (at least somewhat recently) you'll know that you get 5 6oz. cans of tuna a month. Well, we like tuna around here, I will often make tuna salad sanwiches for us for lunch and I love that it has a good amount of Omega-3 to help those brains of ours! But well, every so often, I get bored of tuna salad, and so, the tuna has stacked up a bit. So last night I went googling for a recipe that I had the ingredients for that wouldn't be too hard to make that used canned tuna. Here's what I found.

Tuna Rice Puff Caserole

Ingredients:
2/3 Cup Uncooked Rice (I used white, but that's what I had on hand, I would have used brown if I had it)
1 1/3 Cup water (I had to use a little more, as I always do when cooking rice)

2 Eggs, seperated
1/3 Cup Butter (I used margarine)
1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Water
3 6oz. Cans Tuna, 2 undrained, one drained
1/4 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Teaspoon Lemon Pepper (or to taste)
1 Teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder (or to taste)

Cook rice as you normally would. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs whites until foamy and forming sharp peaks that hold their shape; Set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour and stir until mixture becomes paste-like and golden brown. Gradually whisk in milk and water until smooth. Add seasonings. Simmer for 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in broken eggs yolks and cook for another 2 mintues. Remove from heat and combine milk mixture, rice, onion, and tuna. Gently fold in egg whites until evenly blended. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and bake in oven until center is set and top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Casserole will puff slightly.

This was a big hit. I just served it with a nice salad on the side and it was great. Really yummy, and this will feed our family a second night! Not too shabby for a recipe that I found looking around and had all the ingredients on hand!

Back on Track!

In my last post, I mentioned that I was starting to come down with a cold. Well, it went into a full blown mess of a cold, and I passed it on to Eric Saturday night. So, Sunday morning we made the decision to stay home from church, as we sit in the overflow room with the other parents with small children, and the last thing I wanted to do was get lots of small children sick! Thankfully, today I am feel loads better. I still have a bit of a cough, and my throat is still scratchy, and well, my voice still sounds pretty bad. But I feel so much better. I actually feel like doing things today, which is a good thing, because I have let the house start to get a little unrully in my lethargic mood that the cold brought on. So, today I will be cleaning up and getting everything nice and tidy again.

This morning I was reading in 1 Peter for my quiet time, and I came across this:

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. - 1 Peter 4:8

As Christians, it is our job to be the examples for non-believers, so that they may see the love in our lives, and want to learn more about where it comes from.

Life, at the moment

Yesterday I had a pretty long day for me. I went over to a friend's house to look after her children while she was helping out at church for the CHEC Conference and Book Fair. With her three children, and Gabriel, that left the tally at four children under the age of seven! I would have been overwhelmed if I didn't know the children as well as I do, but everything went well. Things went a bit longer than I think both her and I were expecting, so she brought pizza to the house and invited my husband and myself to stay over and eat that so I didn't have to rush home to cook dinner. It's always nice being able to hang out over there, she and I are good friends, and our husbands have been friends for ages, so everyone is happy. So, well, the hubbys decided to rent a couple movies and watch them last night, which meant that Eric and I got home at about 1:30am. So, needless to say, it was a long day.
I've developed a bit of a cold, but nothing too bad and I'm hoping I'm not contagious so I can still get to church tomorrow. Then, next Saturday, my father-in-law and his girlfriend are coming to visit for Father's Day. I kind of wanted to make breakfast in bed for the hubby's first father's day where he is both a son and a father, but I know they will probably want to get something to eat after church instead.
Also, I'm working on a cross-stitch that I had made the pattern for last year, I had meant to have it done in time for Christmas, but well, that didn't happen. So, I'm hoping to have it done soon and be able to frame it and have it hanging in my house. I don't really have any picture frames or anything to hang on the walls and to be honest, I go a little crazy looking at blank, boring white walls all the time! :P