Reading, Writing & Pondering

  One of the ways I like to relax is with some good old-fashioned coloring time. Cozy Life Cute Coloring Book by Jade Summer released today from Tarcher Publishing.  I love the heart-warming, cute designs. There are 45 designs on single-sided pages so you could use markers, colors, colored-pencils or even paints. The pages are fairly thick so most mediums would work.      I received this coloring book from Tarcher Books. All opinions are my own. 

  Do you like to color to relax? I do. I find anything artsy helps me relax if I put my mind into it and release my cares. New Mercies I See by Jennifer Tucker is full of gorgeous inspirational pictures to color. New Mercies I See has 96 pages of one-sided 10 by 10 pictures to color. The pages are thick and with the fact that they are one-sided, they work with markers, colors, or colored pencils. I personally like to use colored pencils the most but whatever medium you enjoy could be employed in this book with the way that it is layed out. It is a beautiful coloring book. There are gold accents on the pages. I like that but it also takes away a little bit of the coloring space, so just something to think about. I like to put on music to relax and just let myself color my cares away.   I received a copy of this coloring book from the publisher through TLC Book Tours. All opinions within this review are my own.

If there was ever a book that was made for this time in history, it is this one: The Big and Little Activity Devotional by Rachel Swanson. This book has activities for both adults and children to do at the same time. Along with the activities, there is a short devotional to read and think about together. How fun is that? Each of these devotionals is pair for an adult and a child to do together. There is a short devotional reading with a few short questions or something to think about for both the adult and the child. And then there are similar activities that are either for an adult or a child: crossword puzzles, word search puzzles, mazes, search and find pictures, coloring pictures, word scrambles and more. The Big and Little Activity Devotional is a fun book to use with a variety of ages. It gives parents a little one on one time with each of the kids as you sit across from each other and do the activities and the readings together. I think this is a great idea to spend ...

Fall is the season of pumpkin spice. This year the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks will be out the last week in August. Why not get a copy of the new Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice coloring book to relax with along with your latte? The Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice coloring book features 90 coloring designs. There are gorgeous fall drawings, verses and sayings to color featuring pumpkins, fall leaves, apples, harvest dinners and pies, owls, warm beverages topped with whipping cream and lots more. I like that this coloring book has such a nice mix of pictures. Also, the pictures contain a mix of coloring both larger and smaller spaces, but not terribly tiny spaces, which I appreciate. I also like the faith element with Bible verses and spiritually uplifting sayings. The pictures are on both sides of the pages. I would encourage the use of colored pencils over markers in this book to be sure there is no bleed through, although the paper is heavy stock. However, the pages ...

I have to confess that coloring has always been one of my favorite things to do. When the adult coloring books became popular, I was happy to be able to partake in an activity I enjoy so much. Susie Larson has created a book that combines resting in God with relaxing while coloring in Bountiful Blessings . Bountiful Blessings is a creative devotional experience. Each devotion includes a Bible verse, a short reading to meditate on, and a beautiful picture to color. I especially like this little book. The readings in Bountiful Blessings are just long enough to reflect on without being overwhelming for a quick break in the day, the pictures are lovely to color, and the book is also a nice size to stick in your purse with a pack of sharp colored pencils to carry along for a break time. I would recommend it to any Christian woman who enjoys coloring. It would be a nice gift for a friend or a mom too. I received Bountiful Blessings from Bethany House Publishers. I was not require...