Last day of classes

Tonight I will attend the last class for this semester already.

Hard to believe how quickly the times passes!

But I'm heavy into studying for finals already.

And trying to figure out which classes to take next semester.

I have signed up for 2 classes for sure, 1 is televised again and the other is only online. It should be interesting to try that out too.

I'm also waiting to hear back if I have "permission" to take one of two other classes. It's nearing the harassment stage if I don't get a reply SOON.

2 classes a semester just isn't enough when I have MANY years ahead of me already.

Plus John and I have some other big decisions to make in the near future.

This could possibly explain the massive headache that I went to bed with last night. And woke up with this morning.

*Sigh*

One day at a time. Right?

Healing Sands review

Healing Sands

A Sullivan Crisp Novel
By Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn

Book Description

In the struggle for healing, when do you fight and when do you surrender?

Ryan Alexander-Coe is a talented photojournalist who has been on assignment all over the world. But when her two sons choose to live with their father after her divorce, Ryan must give her career up for a small-town newspaper job in order to be near them.

Life spirals out of control when her fifteen-year-old son is arrested. Desperation--both over the fact that she cannot believe her son commited this crime and that he refuses to talk to her--sends her anger level soaring . . . and eventually sends her storming into Dr. Sullivan Crisp's office in search of ways to cope with her anger. Sully is in town assisting at one of his clinics and continuing his search for Belinda Cox, the woman whose guilt-inducing counseling caused the death of his wife and daughter. When Sully's search ends in disaster, both he and Ryan will have to fully rely on God--rather than themselves--to survive these storms.

My Review: I have read the other Sullivan Crisp books recently and this one did not disappoint. I think that I enjoyed the characters from this story the most out of any in this series. The main character in Healing Sands is dealing with a lot of anger as her life has not turned out the way that she would like it. Yet she finds healing through the assistance of a great therapist a.k.a. Sully. I have enjoyed getting to know Sully through this series and this one dives in even deeper into his background as he also tries to find healing from his painful memories. Very unique characters with a very real story.

The Gift Of Sponsorship

This season of "gimme gimme" is upon us.

Why not consider giving to someone who truly needs it?

You can begin to change a life today!

You can sponsor a child through Compassion.

Through your sponsorship you will be providing for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Is there any better gift than that?

There are many children who have been waiting for over a year to be sponsored.

Would you please consider offering one of them a better life this Christmas?

Or if you aren't able to commit to $35 right now, maybe you could consider sending a one-time gift? You can send vegetable seeds, dental care, school supplies and so much more.

Please pray about it today!

Finding Christmas

Christmas is everywhere . . . even where you least expect it.

Join award-winning author and storyteller James Calvin Schaap as he uncovers the grace, joy, and love of the season through seven heartwarming tales of miracle moments in a messy world. This beautiful and inspiring collection of contemporary Christmas stories will remind you what grace looks like--and where to find it.

Endorsements

"Jim Schaap knows our lives. He re-fires our memories. He draws us into settings familiar. He causes us to inhabit the worlds of plain folk struggling with the problems of an ordinary life--and he makes it all so very, very important. . . . Schaap writes sacred mystery into our common lives."--from the foreword by Walter Wangerin Jr.

James Calvin Schaap, a professor of English at Dordt College and president of the Chrysostom Society, is the award-winning author of twenty-two books. He lives in Sioux Center, Iowa.

To read an excerpt from Finding Christmas, click on the book icon at the top of this page.

"Available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

The Christmas Dog review

Christmas miracles can come from unlikely sources.

Betty Kowalski isn't looking forward to the holidays. She just can't seem to find Christmas in her heart. Maybe it's because her husband is gone. Maybe it's because she's missing her children. Or maybe it has something to do with her obnoxious new neighbor, who seems to be tearing his house apart and rearranging it on the lawn.

But when a mangy dog appears at her doorstep, the stage is set for Betty to learn what Christmas is really all about.

My Review: This was an entertaining story by Melody Carlson. I enjoyed the light humor mixed with the quirky characters. It provided a good reminder that God cab be found even in the presence of a mangy dog.

To read an excerpt of The Christmas Dog, click on the book icon at the top.

"Available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

The Unfinished Gift review

Taken from the back cover: Ian Collins is an old man without his son. Patrick Collins is a young boy without his father. On his Christmas list are only three items. He wants the army to find his father. He wants to leave his grandfather's house. And he wants the dusty wooden soldier in Grandfather's attic - the one he is forbidden to touch.

My Review: WOW! Excellent book. I knew I would like it when I read the quotations from other authors on the front and back covers both mentioning the need for kleenex while reading it. I was very impressed with the high quality of this book, especially knowing that this is the first novel for Dan Walsh. The storyline is gripping and the characters are realistic. It is an emotional tale but definitely worth reading! I am looking forward to Dan's second book "The Homecoming", which will be released as the sequel in June 2010.

Click on the book icon to read an excerpt from The Unfinished Gift.

"Available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

Green Works Cleaners review

I was recently given the opportunity to try out Green Works laundry detergent.

After several washes I am still impressed with the quality of this product! My clothes smell wonderfully citrusy (is that even a word?), the laundry is clean, and it is better on the environment too.

Green Works is made with 95% natural ingredients that come from plants and minerals.

I am somewhat skeptical about "green" cleaners that are rapidly appearing on the shelves these days, but I really appreciated the information provided on the Green Works site.

Q. What does natural mean? Are Green Works® products 100% natural?

A. Currently, there is no industry standard definition for natural cleaners. To create Green Works® natural cleaners we set ourselves a very stringent standard. The ingredients must come from renewable resources, be biodegradable and free of petrochemicals. Green Works® cleaners are at least 95% natural. In certain cases we had to use synthetic ingredients, like the preservative and green colorant. But we're working hard to develop natural alternatives so the entire line can be 100% natural.

• Q. Why is Green Works® more expensive than traditional cleaners?

  A. The cost of natural ingredients is significantly higher than what is used in traditional cleaners. Green Works® products cost less than other natural clearers and when you consider they are more natural and clean with the power you expect from Clorox, the premium price is a good value.

• Q. Is Clorox merely jumping on the green bandwagon?

  A. We've been working on natural products for the past 5 years. We set ourselves a difficult task–to set the standard for natural cleaning and create products that clean with the power you expect from Clorox. In fact, we delayed Green Works® products from hitting the shelves by 6 months to further perfect the formula. We are fully committed to continuing to develop natural products that continue to set the standard for natural.