Reading, Writing & Pondering

Hope. I don't know about you, but some days I struggle to keep my hopes up. Pastor Ray Johnston's book, Hope Quotient, is full of information on how to raise your Hope levels, or Hope Quotient, as Johnston calls it. When you purchase this book, it contains a special code so that you can take an on-line test to find out your Hope Quotient. According to Johnston, there are 7 factors that affect your Hope Quotient. The test takes about ten minutes to take. Results are then available instantly and also e-mailed to you. When I took the test, I tried to answer the test as accurately as I could to get honest results. I felt they were, indeed, accurate. I do have some areas I need to work on, which was no surprise to me and why I chose this book to review. The results are both totaled for the entire test and for each of the seven areas so you can see which areas you need to work on. I can see where this is helpful in improving your life. I took extensive notes as I read this book ...

  https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/1611/26335/9h/dramsey.download.akamai.com/23572/daveramsey.com/media/common_images/plugs/xternal/smsk.lt.mhuyser I was thrilled when I was notified that I was on the Launch Team for the new book from Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze called Smart Money, Smart Kids. Their new book is out today, April 22. Visit the website to found out more:https://www.smartmoneysmartkids.com/?ictid=smsk.rc.hp My husband and I graduated from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University about 4 years ago. We continue to apply the Ramsey Principles as we see to "change our family tree" and live debt free. We aren't where we want to be yet but we are continuing to move in the right direction.One of the ways I was excited about being on this launch team, is that I can have a resource to teach our 12-year old son how to be a better money manager than we were before he leaves home. Smart Money, Smart Kids offers a dialogue throughout the book with voices fro...

 This past year we moved to a new house in a new town for my husband's job. I had lived in the same house for 12 years. . .so leaving wasn't easy for me. We purchased a house in a different flavor than our first one. . .so when I saw this book was available for review, I knew it was just what I needed to inspire me. Going from a 1920s two-story house to a 1970s ranch was an adjustment in tastes that I felt needed to become evident in my decorating style. I'm so glad I read The Nesting Place because Myquillin Smith inspired me in several ways. Myquillin Smith is a blogger and self-taught decorator. Her book, The Nesting Place, is full of inspiration on how to make your house the home that you want and need for you and your family. . .regardless of your budget, your living arrangements (even if you are renting!), or most anything else that you think might stand in the way of making your place beautiful for your family. Smith helps you see that "creating a beautiful ...

Philippians 4:8 says, " Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (NIV) Today on April 8th, my son and I just finished reading Think 4:8 together. We used this 40-day devotional to get our homeschool mornings off to a positive start. Think 4:8 is sub-titled: 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life For Teens. My son is 12 so in the tweenage years, but most if it fit his life just fine. We both benefited from how the book turned our thoughts in a positive direction each day. Each day's reading begins with a Bible verse, followed by a reading on the day's topic. At the end of the reading are a few activities to do: "Work it," which offers ways to put the reading into action; "Talk it," which offers some guidance in talking more about the daily topic; "Stick It," which offer...

The Smitten Book Club offers the light romance that you might expect from this book of 4 novellas about the Smitten Book Club members. Woven throughout the four romances in this book, is also a mystery. The book begins with Heather finding an old book, The Gentlewoman's Guide to Love and Courtship written by Smitten native Pearl Chambers, a few generations ago. . .Heather finds the book while organizing a book sale to benefit fellow book club member, Molly, whose facing some pretty big challenges. Pearl's advice from generations back seems to have some interesting effects on Heather and her friends' romantic exploits. . .and there may be more to Gentlewoman's book then first meets the eye. Are some of the notes in the book clues to find hidden treasure, which could help Molly with some of her problems? That is the mystery the book club ladies seek to find the answer to. This book was offers the same great romance as the first two Smitten books in the series. . .an...