Stealing the Preacher Review

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A cowboy who wants to be a preacher. An outlaw's daughter who wants to change his mind.

On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can't believe it when he's forced off the train by an outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the preacher she requested for her birthday. He's determined to escape--which would be much easier if he could stop thinking about Joanna Robbins and her unexpected request.

For months, Joanna had prayed for a minister. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. But just when it seems her prayers have been answered, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett he ended up right where he was supposed to be?

With her signature blend of humor, history, and lively western romance, two-time RITA Award finalist and bestselling author Karen Witemeyer delivers a Texas love story sure to steal your heart.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Karen Witemeyer is a bestselling historical romance author who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She holds a master's degree in psychology from Abilene Christian University and is a member of ACFW, RWA, and her local writers' guild. Stealing the Preacher is her fifth novel. Karen lives with her husband and three children in Abilene, Texas. Learn more at www.karenwitemeyer.com.

MY THOUGHTS:

 About a year ago, I read a book called  Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer. I loved it. When I ordered this book for review, I had no idea that it was by the same author - or that it was linked to Short Straw Bride. I started it right away and it hooked me from the very beginning! 

I loved how easy Karen's book are to read - she is a great storyteller, and the plot has all sorts of twists and turns that are unexpected. 

Stealing the Preacher is a great Christian romance that gets you hooked from the very first page. The characters are easy to relate to, and the wit that Karen uses in her books is so great. As a wannabe author, I always am impressed by people who can use wit in their stories like it's as easy as pie. 

I suggest this book to anyone who is in the mood for a Christian romance. It is NOT a sequel to Short Straw Bride, so you don't need to read it before you read this one. But I do suggest getting that one, too!

How Do We Know God is Really There?

Are you looking for a book to read with your kids? I've found a good one! As a part of the Mosaics Review team, I was given the opportunity to review the book How Do We Know God is Really There by Melissa Cain Travis.

This book is about a young boy and his father who enjoy looking at the planets and stars in the solar system.

The little boy asks his dad how we know that God is really out there? Maybe the universe just came into existence without anyone's help.

His father explains to him in a really cool way how God is really out there, and made the universe.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I think it's a great way to help your kids understand that God really is out there, even if we don't always realize it.

The illustrations aren't my style - they are more cartoon-y than anything else, but that's really the only thing that I didn't really like about the book.

How Do We Know God is Really There is selling for $16 on the Apologia website! I think this would make a great gift for a child in your life! Or even a gift for your family! 

I think that it's kind-of expensive, to be honest. But the book IS hardback, and will hold up nicely. I just don't like to spend that kind-of money on a children's book. But with that said, I DO think that this is a great book, and if you don't mind spending the money, it's worth it!

So go...buy it! Read it for yourself!

Did you ever wish you could take your Bible underwater?

...or to the beach? Or on a camping trip? But were afraid that it would get wet and then it'd be ruined for good?

Well! Don't worry about that anymore, because I have JUST the thing for you! And it's called The Waterproof Bible!

I got the Waterproof Bible to review thanks to the Mosaics Review Team, and was THRILLED with it when it came in the mail!

I received The New Testament/Psalms and Proverbs Bible in the New Living Translation! It's pink, too, which is a bonus for me! I think it's super duper cute, and it's very light and easy to carry around.

And guess what? It works! I put the WHOLE Bible into some water in my sink, and it's completely fine! It dried off really quickly, and the pages and cover look exactly like they did before I ever got it wet!

Completely under water!

Under water

Right after coming out of the water.

Tiny little drops of water that dried off quickly!

These Bibles rock! I love it! I can't wait to take it with me on my vacations to the beach and know that I can bring it with me to the sand and not worry about it getting wet and ruined! This is definitely a great buy!

The Bible that I received was just the New Testament, as well as Psalms and Proverbs in the New Living Translation. The full Bible in also available (I actually saw one of the FULL Bibles at my local homeschool convention and it looked awesome).
The other translations available are ESV, KJV, NIV, and NKJV.
Find out all the different versions that you can buy here.

The prices for these Bibles vary from $24.95 (New Testament/Psalms and Proverbs) to $44.95 (full Bible).

Now comes the REAL question. Do I think that it's worth the money to buy this Bible?

YES! I think that everyone should have one of these! They are practical and so much fun! Your kids - and maybe even YOU - will love to put them under water and see all the cool stuff that you can do with them!

Now, go to the website and buy this for yourself. And your kids. And your parents. And your aunts and uncles and friends. Everyone needs one of these Bibles.

I think that I may just have to go and buy myself a full Bible so that I have it! :) There are so many to choose from, how can I pick?

Teach Those Kiddos How to Read!

Another great opportunity that I have had with Mosaics Review Team is to review Ooka Island Adventure!

Ooka Island is a computer game for your children ages 3-7 to help them learn how to read while having fun doing it! You can download it right from the internet to your Mac or PC, or you can buy a disk and get it in the mail so that you have the physical copy for whatever computers you need it on!

 (click on image to enlarge).

Quite honestly, I had never heard of Ooka Island before I received my disk in the mail! I was excited to try it out with my three year old cousin, Eliza,  who is very smart and wants to learn how to read and write at such a young age.

Eliza had SO much fun playing Ooka Island. She played a lot of the games on Ooka Island and was sounding out letters and words that she hadn't ever learned before!

There are 3 different editions of Ooka Island - the Home Edition, the School Edition, and the Homeschool Edition. You can read about their differences on the main page of the Ooka Island website. The Home and Homeschool Editions are the same, but the School Edition is different since it's more set up for teachers and their many students! :)

PRICING:

Home & Homeschool Editions of Ooka Island cost $12.95 per month for 1 child; $19.95 per month for up to 4 children. You can also purchase for a year which costs $124.95 for 1 child; or $149.95 for up to 4 children.

For the School Edition, you can go on their website and request a quote here.

MY THOUGHTS:

Did my three-year old cousin like this? Yes, she did. She seemed to really enjoy playing on the computer and learning at the same time.

Do I think this is a FUN way for children to learn to read and comprehend letters and sound? Yes, I really do. It's a great way for them to think they're having fun, but also learn at the same time! I know that I would've enjoyed this as a child.

Do I think it's worth the money? Well, that's a hard one. Not being a parent myself, my first instinct is No way, Jose. I can't imagine spending that kind-of money to help my child learn to read. But I think that if you have a reluctant reader - a child that doesn't want to sit down and actually read a book with you or learn from you - then YES, this is going to be worth your money and you'll be incredibly surprised with the progress your child makes while using this program.

To read more about Ooka Island, head over to their website and figure out if their program is right for you! Take a video tour, and see what Ooka Island is all about, and how it might work in your homeschool, or your classroom setting!

Also, read the testimonials that other parents and teachers posted about the reasons they love Ooka Island, and how it worked for them! It might just make you realize that it will work for your children, too!

Family Memories...

One of the opportunities I've gotten with the Mosaics Review Team was to review the app for Saving Memories Forever.

I had never heard of Saving Memories Forever, so I was going into this blindly - without knowing all that much about it.

What I learned from the website and from the app that I downloaded for my iPod touch is that you use the app to record special things; ie - your family members telling you stories about their childhood, etc.

I love to hear my family tell stories about their childhood and what went on in different times in history, and I always think "I should write that down so that I don't forget that", but I never do because...well, writing things down takes a lot of time and energy, and who wants to have to do that anyway?

So I think that the idea of the app/website is really cool. You have to register on the website and get your account set up - it's free! - and then download the app to your Apple Product or your Android. The app is also free - so this is a completely free way to record your family's memories.

Once you're done recording your family's memories, you can click the "Upload" button on the app and then it will upload to your account on the Saving Memories Forever website. That way, you are always sure to have the memories and hopefully will never lose them. :)

There is also a Premium Membership which costs $3.99 a month. This particular account gives you some extra options. Here are some of the differences between the free and premium accounts:

 

Here's a video of people who LOVE this app:

Now comes the question that I have been trying to answer since I first downloaded the app: Would I use this? 

And to be honest, the answer is no, I probably will never use this app. It's not that I don't like the idea of it, or that I feel there's anything wrong with it. I think that Saving Memories Forever is GREAT for some people. But for me, it just doesn't work. If I'm going to sit with my iPod to record someone telling me something, I'll use the Voice Memo app that came with my iPod - it's easier to find and you can upload those right to your computer too.

But PLEASE check into this a little more yourself! You may find yourself loving the app and website, and think that I'm crazy for not using it! If you DO start using the app, let me know - I want to hear if you liked it or not!