Blog Planner Review: The Flourishing Abode

A few months ago, I got the opportunity to become a part of the Homeschool Mosaic Review Team! I have never been a part of a review team before, but I have always liked giving my honest opinions on things, so I thought this would be a great way to do it!

My first review was to be of a blog planner. Now, I'm going to be honest with you all. I am not much of a blog planner. I'm more of fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants blogger. I like to blog about what I want, when I want.

So I knew that I needed to pick something simple that didn't have a lot of details.

That's why I picked The Flourishing Abode Planner.

What I liked about this specific planner is it's set up for a week at a time.

 

I wrote down the posts I wanted to do each day so that I could look at it for further reference. This was a simple set-up for me, and easy to follow. 

 There are also places to write in future post ideas, where you want to promote your blog posts, pictures to be made, and a place for extra little notes that you may need to remember throughout the week. I thought it was set up very nicely and had plenty of room for everything that you need to do!

I really enjoyed working with this planner, and tried to plan a week of blogging by using it. But to be honest, I probably won't use it again. If I have a blog post coming up that I have to post, I'll probably put it right on my regular calendar to remind me since I look at that more than I would ever look at a piece of paper.

But this WAS a nice 1-page, easy to follow planner that I would suggest if you wanted something simple!

Oh! And the best part? This is free! :D

Find out more about this planner here: The Flourishing Abode Planner.

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

The Prophecy by Dawn Miller

In this intense, emotionally charged supernatural thriller for young adults by author Dawn Miller, the angelic forces of heaven and hell wage battle over mankind, placing five gifted teenagers in the middle of a war only they can end. Each of the five has struggled since a terrifying night in their childhood, and as memories of that evening’s events come rushing back, and the dark angels make themselves known, they discover that what was meant to destroy them has instead opened their eyes to a world otherwise hidden from humankind.

Dawn Miller is an award-winning filmmaker and author who has written and produced several books, a music video and an urban teen drama. She lives in St. Louis with her teenage son and is currently at work on the graphic novel and feature film version of "The Watcher Chronicles".

MY THOUGHTS:
This book is not one that I would've just found at a library, or read about on the internet, and wanted to buy, or pick up.
Just by reading about it - you can tell that it's going to be some sort-of fantasy type book and truthfully, fantasy is not my thing at all.
Starting this book was hard for me - I tried many times and couldn't get myself to read past the first couple of pages.
Then, one time, I knew that I had to open the book and actually read it.
So...I did.
I read the first chapter and then the second...and then the third...and the fourth and so on.
And once I was started, I couldn't get stopped. I read this book so fast.
Although it was fantasy and that isn't my favorite type of book, I absolutely LOVED this one.
And I can't even really tell you why. It was a suspenseful fantasy book, that made me want to keep turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.
So I did.
I'm not sure who to recommend this book to. Definitely to people who like fantasy books.
But if you're not a fantasy person...I don't know what to say. You might like it, you might not.
I liked it, but that might mean that you'd hate it. :P
Something that I really liked about this book - is that it had 5 main characters and in the book, it alternated chapters, between characters. So it was like getting into each of their perspectives.
At any rate, I enjoyed the book. You might too. :D
I can't wait to see if I can get more of this series to review! :)

Never Blame the Umpire by Gene Fehler Review

About the book:

How do you trust God when tragedy strikes? Kate is having the best summer a sports-loving eleven-year-old could possibly have. Baseball. Tennis. And to top it off, Kate has just started a three-week class where she's discovering a new love: poetry. Then comes the news that tears Kate's world apart. In her close-knit family, Kate has always felt God's love and protection. But how can she trust God now? Do sports or poetry matter when tragedy strikes? In Kate's darkest hour, her mother's faith shines its brightest, helping Kate to see that life is still beautiful and God is still good. Always, no matter what.

About the Author:
Gene Fehler, an award-winning and widely published poet, is the author of ten published books and over eighteen hundred published poems, stories, and articles.

He and his wife, Polly, live in Seneca, South Carolina, where he writes, teaches, and participates in sports. Visit Gene at www.genefehler.com.

My Thoughts:
This book is definitely for pre-teens, or young teens. Even though I am sixteen, I really did enjoy this book. It had a great message and I loved the story behind it.
Kate, the main character, loves to play baseball and write poems. She is getting into that more, when her Mom tells Kate that she has cancer.
Kate doesn't know how to deal with it, and wants to spend all the time she can with her mother.

This story could be hard for some people to comprehend - the death of the mother is definitely a hard thing for Kate to deal with in the story.

All in all, this story is definitely a keeper - the author was awesome - it seemed like I was really in Kate's mind, and knowing how she felt when she was doing things. It was a good plot, and I really enjoyed the book.

This book is for sale March 2010.
Go here to see more about the book:

*I got this book for free, courtesy of ZonderVan.

Fool's Gold by Melody Carlson

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Hannah doesn't think she'll ever be able to keep up with the rich girls—but that doesn't stop her from trying. In the process, Hannah is forced to come to grips with what she values most: beauty on the inside, or beauty on the outside.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
MELODY CARLSON is the best-selling author of more than one hundred books, including young adult favorites Dark Blue, Deep Green, Torch Red, Pitch Black , and Burnt Orange —the first five books in the TRUECOLORS series. She has two grown sons and enjoys an active lifestyle of hiking, skiing, and biking. Melody lives in the beautiful Oregon Cascade Mountains with her husband and Labrador retriever.

MY THOUGHTS:
This is the sixth book in the True Colors series by Melody Carlson. I have not read the first 5- but got this book to review- and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to catch up, since I hadn't read the first 5.
But I found that all these books, are about different people. They don't have the same characters - and this book was a fun read.
It was also a quick read- I read it in a day and a half. It wasn't my favorite Melody Carlson book- but it was a pretty short book.
The girl in the story, Hannah, is a missionary-kid, and she goes to the states for the summer to spend it with family. She gets caught up in buying expensive clothes and expensive everything, because the family she is staying with is rich.
Like I said, this was not my favorite Melody Carlson book - I have read the Mixed Bags series, and in my opinion, I like them more.
But if you're into teen fiction, and are looking for a quick read, that will most likely capture your attention and make you want to finish the book - I think this is one for you.

*I have received this book free from Navpress, in exchange for my review.

Beautiful Mess by Diamond Rio

I just got finished reading this book- and even though I myself, didn't get it to review, I decided that I would review it as well.

I kinda grew up on Diamond Rio music- well, all country music. But my mom was (and still is) a fan of Diamond Rio- so we have some of their CDs, and I've listened to a lot of their music growing up.
I still, to this day, love the old hits like, "Meet in the Middle", "Mirror, Mirror", and "Bubba Hyde."
I also love some of the newer ones, like "I Believe", and "In God We Still Trust" (which happens to be the name of my blog).

This book- it took me a while to read, probably because I go through these fazes, where either I write, or I read- and when I started this book, I was in a writing mode! :P
But I loved learning about all their lives- and how they have grown as a band- and as Christians.
They talk about their faith- and now, they are moving from the country genre, to the Christian Contemporary genre. Their first Christian CD- The Reason- came out in September. I haven't purchased it yet- I know that we will soon.
I loved looking at the old pictures that were in the books- from when all the band members were kids, and growing up, and since they were a band. It was really neat to see what they looked like when they were younger- and how different (or the same) they look now! :)
Diamond Rio has been together for 20 years now- since the newest member joined the band.
All in all, I LOVED the book. It was a great read- and I would recommend it to anyone- but I think that Diamond Rio fans would enjoy it more than people who aren't fans of them, or never heard their music. Parts of the book could be confusing if you've never heard their music. :)

The Summer of Cotton Candy Review (Originally posted on April 18th, 2008)

ABOUT THE BOOK: Sixteen-year-old Candace thinks her vacation is ruined when her father forces her to apply for a job at the local amusement park, but when she meets a mysterious “Lone Ranger” there she finds love and learns the value of true faith and friendship.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Debbie Viguié is the author of several books including Scarlet Moon and Midnight Pearls which was recognized as an ALA 2005 Popular Paperback for Young Adults. Debbie has been writing for most of her life and holds a degree in creative writing from U.C. Davis. Debbie loves theme parks and has worked at both Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland in California. When Debbie is not busy writing she enjoys traveling with her husband Scott. Debbie grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Hawaii. Visit Debbie online at www.debbieviguie.com.

WHAT I THINK: I really liked this book. The main character, Candance, was really easy to relate to, because she is a teenager, who had to get a summer job, and had troubles and trials along the way. This was the first book I ever read by Debbie Viguie, but I am anxious to read more. This book was a first in a series, and I can't wait for book two.

Interview with Sonya Haskins (originally posted on December 1st, 2007)

As I promised yesterday, here is the author interview:

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your family?
My husband and I have been married 13 years and we have 5 children: Sarah (11), Micah (10), Christopher (8), Daniel (6), and Hannah (4). These are our biological children. We did foster care for about 7 years and we love children. It would be terrific to have more, but I was very ill after I had Hannah and only had about a 30% chance of living. I was in the hospital for two months and in and out for a year. I still have complications even today from this. However, we hope that we'll be able to adopt one day.

Why did you write Homeschoolers Book of Lists?

I honestly wrote it because it was something I wanted to use and I thought it would be a terrific resource for other homeschoolers as well. It has turned out to be exceptionally handy!

What is your favorite list?

It depends on which day it is and which answer I need! : ) I will say that the chapter on foreign languages is my favorite chapter overall. I love foreign languages and I greatly enjoyed putting that chapter together. Well, I enjoyed putting the whole book together, but that's my favorite chapter.

I'm going to go a little off subject here~ If you could be an ice cream flavor what would you be and why?

I guess I would be rainbow because I think the colors are beautiful and it's always a blessing to bring more color into people's lives. As for taste, my personal favorite is simply chocolate.

If you could take your family to anywhere in the world, and money were no option, where would you go and why?

That's a great question. If money were no option, I would do ALL the time what we did this summer - travel. We spent six weeks traveling around the mid-west states and we visited Mt. Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the Great Sand Dunes, Yellowstone National Park, and soooo many more terrific places. I met people everywhere and talked about God, creation, and the Biblical view of the world. I also talked about homeschooling and the book. It is my prayer that the Lord will continue to open doors for me to write books and I'll be able to travel more and more with the children. As they grow older, I would like to travel to other countries with them as well. So I would begin by going to all the states, then start traveling to different countries. Readers can visit my website to see pictures of our trip out west and read a blog of the whole six weeks. It's enjoyable reading!

Is there anything else you'd like to share with my readers?

I am available to speak at homeschool conventions and readers should visit my website at www.sonyahaskins.com if they would like to know more about the book, chronic pain, or homeschooling. Also, thank you so much for reviewing the book, Ashley!

Homeschoolers Book of Lists Review (originally posted on November 30th, 2007)

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by Sonya Haskins, author of Homeschooler's Book of Lists, asking me to review her book. I was excited about doing the review, and honored that she liked my blog enough to contact me.

When I received the book, I was surprised at how big it was. The Homeschooler's Book of Lists, is a 556 page book, filled with over 250 useful lists for homeschool students and there famalies. There are lists for religion, art and music, great people, and many more. The book is broken down into smaller sections so it is easy to find what you want. Also included is a disk, with all the lists available to print out.

I really enjoyed browsing through all the lists in this book. I'm sure that it will come in very handy in my school years, and afterward. I can really see me using this book in my history and Bible studies (those were some of my favorite lists.)

It is very obvious to me, that Mrs. Haskins put a lot of work into writing this book. I think that homeschooling families could get a lot of use out of this book.

If you would like to learn more about this book click here, or check out Mrs. Haskins website.

*Please come back tomorrow, because I will be doing an author interview with Mrs. Haskins.

Reach For the Stars: Let Your Imatination Soar Review (originally posted September 12th, 2007)

I finished my writing program yesterday, and I wrote the review for her today. Here you go:

Susan K. Marlow has done it again. In addition to her Circle C Adventures books, she has written a program to help teach kids and teens how to become better writers. Writing stories is so much fun, and Mrs. Marlow makes it even more fun. This program first helps you come up with characters for a story. I loved thinking of names for my characters and making them " come alive", as you figure out the personality and the likes and dislikes of your characters. She tells how to make the characters feeling seem real, and teaches us how not to use " dead" words, that have " no meaning" for a story, but also not to use too much detail or the story might become boring. She teaches how to summarizw books, and just get the main point of it, not every little detail ( something I have a little bit of trouble doing). Mrs. Marlow teaches how different points of view sounds in a book. There are two kinds of really used point of views. There is First Person ( which is when you are the one telling the story, like you say I said), then there is third person, ( this point of view lets you get inside everybodys head, not just one), there is also second person, but that isn't used too much in stories. Then she also tells how to hook your reader at the beginning of the story, so that they want to keep on reading the book. She hows that our story should have its ups and downs, not just one or the other. You also don't want to have a boring ending. She says that if your ending is boring, it won't satisfy the readers.
I loved this book and now I have the idea for a new story, and I can't wait to start and get my crazy thoughts down on paper. I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in becoming a better writer.

Thanks for reading the review and I hope that it makes you want to jump up and buy the book to use it!