Reading, Writing & Pondering

Chia Vitality by Janie Hoffman is a great guide to overall health--not just a book about chia seeds. Just what are chia seeds anyway, you may ask? Janie Hoffman shares not only what these seeds are, but what they can do for you. In a nutshell, these are little seeds full of protein, calcium, and antioxidants, making them a nutritious superfood for today. Hoffman shares how chia changed her life--along with her holistic approach involving exercise, meditation and a healthy diet that includes plenty of chia seeds. She includes a 30 day vitality health plan complete with chia recipes. I thought several of the recipes looked good: strawberry chia seed jam, chia chocolate pudding, California fritatta, and chicken chia chili. Hoffman is the founder and CEO of Mamma Chia, an award-winning organic chi-based food and beverage company. She shares how the idea for this business came about and ways that the business has helped her as a person, as well as her healthy plan with the chia seed...

Speak: How Your Story Can Change the World by Nish Weiseth caught my eye because of its emphasis on sharing your story. I believe there is truth in her book, our stories can change each other when we open up and share them. I love that Nish shares how much our stories matter. I agree that we need to hear each other's stories more and judge each other less. Speak is a compilation of blog posts about how we need to share our stories and hear others' stories to create positive changes in each other, our churches and our part of the world around us. I thought she made some good points in this book. I am older, not part of the millennial generation that she is from, but I have a heart for people's stories. I did find some parts of her book to be moving. I appreciate her encouragement to share our stories, to listen to others' stories before judging, and to focus on using our stories and our lives to make changes one person at a time in the world around us. However, I...

I received a new digital camera for my birthday last year. . .which I love. I know, I know. . .cell phones take pictures too. . .but mine doesn't very well. The camera I got came with some bells and whistles so I wanted to learn to take better pictures with it. I appreciate that Your Family In Pictures offers photo ideas for use with your family with clear instructions. While I don't think I necessarily need to make my picture just like the author's, I did want to be able to construct some good photos at celebrations and holidays. I felt this book offered me the tools I needed to do just that. It offers basic ideas for setting up better photos if they are planned and it offered tips for photos during a general holiday. For example, how to get a better photo with fireworks in the sky or how to show more romance at Valentine's Day in your picture. This book offers both practical guidelines for camera settings and it offers creative ideas for making your photos more ...