Wordless Wednesday: Cutest Brother Ever

Pencil Sharpener Review

A couple of months ago I received an email from Troy, owner of Classroom Friendly Supplies, asking if I would review his pencil sharpener. Because of busy summer schedules and things going on in my life, I totally forgot about my review.
So now I'm going to write my review!

About the sharpener:

• A "must have" for every teacher.
  
• A unique and practical teacher gift.
• Old-school retro look.
• Quiet sharpening eliminates classroom interruptions.
• Automatic stopping once the perfect point is formed. This prevents over-sharpening.
  
• Works on colored pencils and standard sized pencils.
• Clear plastic disposal tray for easy cleaning.
• Easy to use (as young as 5 years of age.)
• Sturdy metal frame (approximately 3"x 3"x 5")
• Portable or mounts to a surface.
• Did I already mention that it was quiet? You will not be disappointed!

My review:

My family really liked the idea of this sharpener. Like it said about - it is definitely quiet. It works well, and it IS really easy to empty of all the pencil shavings. It is definitely going to be nice to have around for when we need to sharpen colored pencils. My family usually uses mechanical pencils for school, but we also use colored pencils A LOT! So it's nice for Gracie to have around the house to sharpen her pencils for when she is drawing and such. I will use it a lot this school year when I'm doing anatomy and will need a nice, sharp tip on my colored pencils. (Oh the detail I will put into my anatomy coloring book.)
I definitely would recommend this for a public school setting. I think that it's a great addition to any classroom (homeschooling or public school) if you are using what I call "regular" pencils, or of course, colored pencils.
It's a convenient pencil sharpener. Definitely recommended!
You can check it out HERE.

~Ashley

Beautiful People July/August Edition

1. What is his/her biggest secret?
I am going back to my character Elle Moser. Her biggest secret? Oh dear. I don't know. She's got a lot of big secrets. Why would I ever tell you all her biggest secret? She would seriously get angry with me!

2. Has he/she ever been in love?
Not yet. I know exactly who she's going to fall in love with, but she hasn't fallen in love with him yet. :P

3. What is his/her comfort food?
She loves Brownies. And pizza. A lot of either of them. She can eat and eat and eat and eat and eat, but she never gains weight.

4. Does he/she play a musical instrument? If so, what?
As of yet, she does not play an instrument. This might change at some point, but thus far, she does not.

5. What color are his/her eyes? Hair?
Her eyes are brown and her hair is brown as well.

6. Does he/she have any pets?
No pets.

7. Where is his/her favorite place to be?
She loves to sit in the living room on the couch, watching TV with her best friend, Will.
She also likes being on vacation.

8. What are some of his/her dreams or goals?
She wants to finish college and become an author. She's a writer, just like me. She's actually the first character I've ever had that was a writer. So it's really interesting to write her story.

9. Does he/she enjoy sports?
NO! She hates sports.

10. What is his/her favorite flower or plant?
She loves daisies.

Destination Disney; The Letter D

Today's letter for Destination Disney is

D

This past trip we stayed on DISNEY Property. It was the first time we've ever done it, but I really doubt that it will be the last!


Downtown Disney!

Disney Dining! We did a couple of character meals this past time we were at Disney! We love to do them!

B90 Days- Week 1

Well, week one of Bible in 90 Days is officially finished. This week, we read through all of Genesis and all of Exodus. Genesis is pretty common to me, as well as most of Exodus. Probably because when I try to start reading through the Bible, I get through these first two books and then stop. Or the fact that I read random verses from Genesis all the time.

Reading through the Bible in 90 Days isn't an easy task. But it's definitely worth it. As I read through it every day (sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening), it helps to get my day going, or ending.

I prefer to read in the morning. It really jump-starts my day. It's a great way to start off the day, but it doesn't always work out that I get the chance to read it before the morning routine starts.

If you've never read through the entire Bible, I totally recommend it. I've done it twice now (once in a year, the other time in 90 Days). Both times the journey has brought me closer to the Lord.

Ready for week 2!
~Ashley

Dining With Joy by Rachel Hauck

About the Book:
When her dad dies, Joy Ballard takes over his popular cooking show. She is pretty, personable, and great on camera, but she can’t cook. Joy has fooled everyone by turning her show into a humor fest, a sort of America’s Funniest Home Videos: Stupid Cooking Tricks. But now she has a new producer, one who expects her to actually cook. Worse yet, this aggressive, ambitious woman is determined to take Joy’s show to one of the largest cable networks. Luke Davis is an extraordinarily talented chef, but he’s lost his fancy Manhattan restaurant and moved to a small town in South Carolina. He’s desperate to get back to the culinary art’s upper echelon, and he just may be the answer to Joy’s dilemma, not to mention her love interest. With its sparkling dialogue, witty premise, and convincing characters, and the popularity of television cooking shows, this subtly inspirational tale is sure to entertain readers.

My Thoughts:
I absolutely loved reading Rachel Hauck's books Sweet Caroline and Love Starts With Elle (so if you haven't read them, check them out. If this was a review about them, I would definitely rant and rave about them because they're amazing. But since it's not, you better just go and buy them and take my word for it!).
But this review is about Dining With Joy. I bought this book for my Kindle, because I wanted something that to read. I had a ton of books that I could've been reading, but this one popped out at me when I was on Amazon.com and I could NOT say no to it.
From the first page, the book drew me in and wouldn't let me stop reading. I read the whole thing in two days. The characters were intriguing, and the story line was deep, and amazing. I don't regret buying the book at all. (Rachel Hauck should be happy - I NEVER, EVER buy books. Ever. Mom usually gets books to review, or I get them free on Kindle.)
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good Christian romance book.
I also recommend any books by this author. She is amazing.
As a writer, I love to read books that are well-written because they inspire me to become a better writer.
Rachel Hauck's books do this to me.
~Ashley

Bible in 90 Days

So I am taking the journey AGAIN to read through the Bible in 90 Days! I've done this one other time before and absolutely loved it!

I am a mentor this time around - meaning that I have a group of readers that I need to keep accountable, and ask me things, and such.

I'm really excited to start reading again! Tomorrow the reading starts - the first week we read Genesis 1-Exodus 40. That's a lot of reading for one week, but the Bible in 90 Days program brought me closer to God last time I went through it, so I can't wait to see what He does in my life this time!

If you are interested in learning more about B90 - go to
www.momstoolbox.com

~Ashley

An Inspiring Song

As I have been listening to a lot of K-Love radio lately, I have of course, been listening to some encouraging, Christian music. It's very uplifting and keeps me going throughout the day.

One of my favorite songs to listen to - or hear - on the website, is Blessings by Laura Story. It's so sad, but true, and I love it. I am posting the lyrics and song below so that if you've never heard it, you would have a chance to listen to it now.

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise