Mamas*Little*Treasures

Come on over and join the NEW BOOK CLUB at Katherine's Corner!

Here is a message from our Sweet Katie:

Most of you  know how much I enjoy reading. Not just your blogs, but books too. Every month I post a new book list. I started thinking last night ( while reading a book) about how much I used to enjoy Oprah’s book club. I miss her show. I do watch several programs on her OWN network though…..  So, today I am announcing Katherines Corner Book Club!

I realize a good book club takes time to build. But it can evolve into something wonderful.

A good book club needs : Members- You,

A good book- We’ll choose one together ( choices are listed below),

A meeting place- Here

A meeting time- Just once a month we’ll choose the book and you can leave comments on the book club page throughout the month.

It’s basically a no obligation book club. It’s sharing  your  thoughts through comments on the book club page throughout the month. What do you think?

We already have a common connection through Katherines Corner through our bloggy friendship so we’re off to a good start.

Leave your book choice ( from the selection below) in the comments section on this post and then just Join the book club members list on the book club page.

The book with the most votes is the book we will use for our first book club book. Starting next week! You can purchase your book through my book shop Click HERE Or just go to the book list page here at Katherines Corner or from your local book seller when all the votes are in.

One Summer  by David Baldacci -

Terminally ill Jack is determined to get his fractured family back together.

 

 

 

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan -

Three generations of women explore the complicated and often contradictory aspects of friendship.

 

 

 

 

 Robopocalypse  by Daniel Wilson

A daughter's “smart” doll knows to much. The world technology has evolved in this science fiction novel.

 

 

 

 

 Lets Take The Long Way Home By Gail Caldwell -

A celebration of life and friendship.

 

 

 

 

Lets keep inviting people. You can post the book club button on your sidebar, or blog about it, etc. This is the button code

<a href=”http://katherinescorner.com/book-list/book-club-at-katherines-corner” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i51.tinypic.com/v8ipnn.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Katherines Corner book club”></a>

Hopefully we will always have a core group, and together we will make the Katherines Corner book club a fun and interesting experience.

 

Forever, My Daddy

“In that moment, I knew that you were the same Daddy that I always knew and loved . . . . and I had missed you so much!”

The words tumbled out through tears of joy, laughter, and hugs as they were reunited after years of distance. Yes, he is a “Forever Daddy,” no matter what. Many people find themselves in situations where relationships have been strained or even broken as a result of misunderstandings, busyness, or simply because of geographical distance. Unfortunately, in some situations, we wait until it is too late to restore and mend those relationships with the important people in our lives.

Recently I heard about a book entitled, One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life, by Kerry and Chris Shook. This sounds like just what we all need once in a while! We get so busy and caught up in our day-to-day responsibilities and obligations that we rarely slow down long enough to think seriously about what it would really mean if we only had one month to live.

What would I do? What would you do? Would it make a difference? As we approach Father’s Day this year, I encourage you to search your heart and think about how you could restore or enhance relationships in your own life. Who needs to hear your voice? Who needs to know that they are loved?

Some of us no longer have our Daddy around to visit with on Father’s Day, or any other day, for that matter. And then there are others of us who never really had the Daddy that we needed in our lives. A few of us are fortunate in that we have a close, loving relationship with our Daddy, even though we are all grown-up.

Inevitably, parents make mistakes. Our parents failed us in some ways, and we will fail our children in some ways, even though we seek to do our very best to honor God with our lives and give our children all of our love. But parents are not perfect! Moms and Dads everywhere sacrifice for their children; they work hard to provide for their families, and they do their very best, often in extremely difficult situations.

If you are missing your Daddy today, I encourage you to pick up the phone, write a letter or even an email (how about Facebook???) and take that first step toward reconciliation. Sometimes it is scary; sometimes it doesn’t work out the way we want it to. But in the end, isn’t it worth the effort?

Perhaps there has just been a misunderstanding, or time has gotten away from you . . . . don’t let that stop you from reaching out to begin mending a broken heart. Have a blessed Father’s Day and celebrate the love and relationships that God has brought into your life!

 
 www.onemonthtolive.com

Holiday Issue of Ruby for Women is now available!

Open publication - Free publishing - More book reviews

"A Tidbit Romance" Woos Readers through Summer Blog Tour and Book Give-Away

   Author Erin Coss will launch her latest book, A Tidbit Romance: Falling in Love with God’s Word One Devotion at a Time, through a blog tour that will sweep the nation from July 5 to July 28. Here at mamas*little*treasures we will be holding a BOOK GIVE-AWAY through the end of July! Just leave a comment here for Erin, and we will randomly draw one name from all of the comments to receive a copy of "A Tidbit Romance" by Erin Coss.

 Coss writes on several “everyday” topics in her devotions, which she calls “tidbits.” Some of the subjects discussed include:

• Why “ugly days” are a thing of the past.

• What the common phrase “apple of His eye” really means.

• Was the Holocaust prophesied in the Bible?

• Which ghost story is included in the Bible

• Was there teleportation in the Bible?

• Why God handpicked you!

Author Sandra B. Rice, contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul – Devotional Stories for Women, writes of the book: ”In a hectic and time-consumed world, it is nice to find a place of peace. A Tidbit Romance gives us a chance to focus on God’s Word as Erin’s insightful and honest devotionals guide us through each day.”  

Blog tour dates include:

 Mon, July 26 – Mama’s Little Treasures – www.mamaslittletreasures.typepad.com

Tues, July 27 – Smallest Inspirations – http://smallestinspirations.wordpress.com/

Wed, July 28 – I am Believing God’s Blog – http://iambelievinggod.wordpress.com/ 

About the Author: Erin Coss – A.K.A. The Chicken Dance Mama, is a published author and speaker. Her published works include Revival Nation Magazine, First Conversations, My Surgery Journal and My Hospital Journal. She resides in Delaware, Ohio with her husband Eric and their three children.

Visit Erin at www.chickendancemama.com

An Artist in Ordinary Moments

“I would define ‘hidden art’ as the art found in the ordinary areas of everyday life. Each person has, I believe, some talent which is unfulfilled in some hidden area of his being – a talent which could be expressed and developed.”

By Edith Schaeffer
“The Hidden Art of Homemaking”

One morning, as I was sweeping my kitchen floor, I was wondering why I was wasting my time cleaning up messes that would just be recreated again within mere minutes. This was "back in the day" when the loudest women's voices all around me were claiming that if I didn't have a "career" where I would be recognized for all of my accomplishments, I would die a completely "unfulfilled" woman. That, really, I could do anything a man could do, and probably even better, if I just had the chance. And it was my responsibility to seize that opportunity, search for it and demand it, if I was ever to be a valued member of the human race.

But what about sweeping the kitchen floor? And what about washing the laundry for all of these people in my family who depended on me to take care of such "unimportant" matters as cooking and cleaning? So, of course I carried on, and I finished sweeping the floor, and doing the dishes, and changing the diapers, and rocking the sick babies, and going to the library, and reading with the toddlers, and going to the park with the pre-schoolers, and taking the older children to music lessons and sports practices. How in the world was I EVER going to do something "important" if all of my time was invested in this "home maker" business?

Then, another day, I happened to come across the writing of Edith Schaeffer, and it completely changed my perspective on life. I had read some of the books by her husband, Francis Schaeffer, including "How Should We Then Live," in which Dr. Schaeffer gives historical examples of how our choices, as a people and as a nation, have presented us with the ultimate question for every human being: how should we live, in light of the cultural and historical realities of our times? And in the midst of such philosophical ponderings, I still had to face MY reality of diapers, screaming babies, and naughty toddlers. How to bridge the gap between what seemed to be a message about what I "ought" to be doing, and what, in reality, I actually "was" doing.

Mrs. Schaeffer, in her own practical and yet deeply philosophical approach, enabled me to see that I was doing exactly what God wanted me to be doing for that day, for that time in my life. That my choices in my home everyday, would make a difference for eternity. And the most significant aspect of this revelation, to me, was the truth that I can, and I do, use all of my creativity, all of my energy, all of my God-given gifts within the context of caring for my home and family.

Even in the seemingly "ordinary" moments of life, my choices to focus my ministry first, but not necessarily exclusively, on my home and family DOES make a difference in the history of humanity. Because if, within the setting of my home, God can use me to touch one life . . . one child . . . . one friend . . . . one neighbor, that is truly His work. I am honored to have received the ministry of "home making," and just like your ministry may not be what someone else has been called to do, I do not need to compare my ministry to someone else's. So wherever you are, whatever you are doing, God wants us all to pursue that "hidden art" that resides within each of our hearts, and create our "art" to His honor and glory.

"The Hidden Art of Homemaking" by Edith Schaeffer was first published in 1972, but it is still available through Amazon.

Thank you for stopping by today! Please leave a link to your In Other Words blog post so we can visit you, and then take a minute to visit the other participants to read their perspective on this quote about the "hidden art" that is in the heart and life of every woman, including you!

"This Little Prayer of Mine"

I recently discovered Anthony DeStefano one day as I was working here in my little corner office with a view   ;o)  and I was so impressed with his beautiful little book on prayer for children.  As we emailed back and forth a few times, I asked him if I could share his book with my readers . . . . and so, I have two of his books to GIVE AWAY!  One will be given-away here on my personal blog, and one will be given away on the Ruby for Women blog. 

All you have to do to participate in the give-away is leave comments here on this blog as well as on the Ruby for Women blog.  In celebration of lots of things, the give-away will run for the entire month of March, so of course the more comments you leave here and there, the better will be your chances of winning!  So, before I give you a bit more information about Anthony's wonderfully written and illustrated book that you might be receiving, let me tell you what we're celebrating   ;o)   First of all, it is almost SPRING!  That is definitely something to be celebrated this year, for sure, with all of the snow we've had around here.  We are all very ready for the delightful, sweet-smelling, warm breezes of spring.  Secondly, we are celebrating Anthony's new book!  This is his first children's book and that is certainly something to celebrate. 

And finally, (well, just for today "finally") we are celebrating my new job as Editor-in-Chief of Ruby for Women.  Although this is currently a small online Christian women's magazine, the previous editor, Karen, and all of the writers have already produced an absolutely wonderful magazine!  I am honored to have this opportunity to work with such a great team of writers!  Our goal is to expand our audience of readers by continuing to offer many of the same great articles that have previously been part of Ruby for Women, and we are hoping to expand the topics included in each issue to provide something of interest to all women in all stages of life.  But for now, here's a bit about Anthony DeStefano and his recently published book, This Little Prayer of Mine:

"This Little Prayer of Mine - my very first children's book - will be on book shelves February 16th.  My own little prayer right now is that children and their parents will respond to it the same way adult readers did to my first two books, "A Travel Guide to Heaven," and "Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To."  In those books, I tried to distill complex theological subjects and make them as simple and easy-to-understand as possible, without in any way compromising Christian theology.  That's basically the same thing I did in This Little Prayer of Mine.  Adults who read this book might recognize the foundational tenets of faith, like placing trust in God in all things, being grateful for blessings, being generous to those who are in need.  In simple language and rhyme, children can absorb those lessons, too, while also learning how easy and natural prayer can be.  After all, when you come down to it, prayer is just a simple, heartfelt conversation with God. 

I firmly believe the greatest gift you can give a child is the gift of prayer.  As children grow up and learn about loss and grief and pain, the ones who knowthey can turn to God in prayer at any time will always get through the suffering of course, but it will give them hope.  That's the difference between believers and non-believers.  Believers suffer, too - but they suffer with hope.  And that's exactly what you give children when you teach them to pray early - the gift of hope.  For this book, I teamed up with the incredible illustrator Mark Elliott, whose work can be seen in the "Princess Tales" series.  I wanted art work that was a little bit reminiscent of Norman Rockwell.  I think children will identify with the pictures - especially the funny ones.  I'm very fortunate to have received some high-level praise for the book in advance of publication.  For instance, the book has already been officially endorsed by the National Day of Prayer; and Bernice King, the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Corretta Scott Kind has that the book is a springboard for helping children establish a relationship with God."

This is truly a beautiful book, and it would make a perfect gift for your child or grandchild.  Especially as we celebrate springtime and all of the joy, wonder, and blessing that is the Resurrection, teaching our children to pray to our Heavenly Father is truly a gift that will last for eternity.  If you would like more information about This Little Prayer of Mine, visit Anthony's blog or find the book at Amazon.com.  Have a blessed day, and remember you could win a copy of this book just by commenting here on my blog or the Ruby for Women blog (or both!) between now and the end of March.  The more the merrier!   ;o)  

 

 

 

Back to the Writing Desk: Want to Make One of These?

Now that I've had a couple of days to express myself a little bit    ;o)  (controversy is always good for generating traffic!) . . . . I'm ready to return to writing my eBooks.  Several of them, in fact, are in the works.  The first one I've committed to finishing up is the Crazy Patch Journal Cover.  It's really simple, fun, and can be as creative as you want it to be.  And the best part is that you can use up some of those scraps of fabric, ribbon, lace, braid, beads, and buttons that we all have stashed in a drawer somewhere in our house.  Yes, I really do have a couple of "junk" drawers where I toss the stuff that I don't know what else to do with. 

These journal covers can also be made any size you want. So, for instance, one of the things that I am planning to do (along with about 10 million other things!) is to make covers for my girls' scrapbooks.  I have been scrapbooking for several years, and the books that I originally bought when I started are the kind that are really very nice but the covers are rather boring    ;o)   At first I thought I would just use the same color scrapbook for each kid, including my older kids.  I ran out of colors.  And then as I went along and added more books to each child's collection, I could no longer find exactly the same book. So they didn't match anyway.  Why bother??? 

But if I make a cover for each of the scrapbooks, even though they won't be exactly the same, I can do a couple of things to easily identify them.  I could just color coordinate them, which was my original plan, but this time I would be able to make sure that whatever color combination I choose can be duplicated.  I wouldn't need to use all the same fabrics, but if I choose red, white, and blue for my youngest son's scrapbooks, then no matter how many books I eventually fill (you know, wedding, first baby, second baby, third baby . . . . . ), I can always choose a combination of fabrics that are red, white, and blue.  The other thing that I might do is to applique each child's name on their books.  Or perhaps kind of a combination:  matching color combinations, with the child's initial on each book.  We'll think about that. 

The original reason these Crazy Patch Journal Covers were created was in response to a journal swap that I participated in a couple of years ago.  The stated goal of this journal swap was to be as creative as you wanted to be, and incorporate a bit of "yourself" into the journal that you would be sending to your swap partner.  As I thought about how I could do that, it occured to me that, since my particular artistic focus is typically fiber art / quilting, making a cover for a journal would allow me the opportunity to do what I love and share it with someone else. 

This technique would work for covering any book that you love.  It would work for a Bible cover, or an art journal, or a treasured childhood book that might be showing signs of dilapidation.  If you are a very organized person and use a daytimer, when the original cover starts to wear out you could either spend another $30.00 on one of those fancy ones, or just re-cover the one you already have, and pop in a new package of paper, and there you are! Going green and being frugal all at the same time.  Maybe I should make a cover for my ancient Betty Crocker Cookbook. . . I love to use that thing (when I get around to cooking), but it really is starting to fall apart after so many years. 

So, here's the deal:  if you are interested in this eBook, I will send it to you FREE during the month of February as a Valentine's gift from me to you   ;o)  All you have to do is leave me a comment and I will send it out to you as soon as it is finished (probably next week).  Beginning on March 1, though, I will be listing it in my little Etsy shop and sending it out to other websites where it will be for sale.  So if you want to get it for FREE you need to leave me a comment anytime until the end of this month.  I've had several requests for this eBook so I'm doing my best to keep up with whatever you all are wanting to make!  Email me your ideas, suggestions, and questions and I'll try to post them right here so we can share the fun of creative discovery!  Have a great Thursday and be sure to take care of yourself . .. . we need you around here!    ~~  Nina

      

Having a "career" isn't all that easy . . . .

If you have ever read my blog, or had a conversation with me, you know how much I LOVE being at home with my girls and sweet hubby, and how much I HATE being away from home.  But, then when reality steps in and I need to actually make money, well, then that dreaded word "JOB" just jumps out and grabs me.  Now, don't get me wrong . . . . I really like my job at the bank, and I LOVE the girls that I work with . . . . . but the problem is that I'm away from home.  Sometimes for long periods of time, like almost 10 hours once in a while.  I do have the benefit of having a very flexible schedule, and when I need time off if I have sick kid or I want to go to the girls' school for a program or a party, all I have to do is mention it to my boss and the schedule is changed to accommodate me.  It helps that the other girls at work are willing to switch up schedules when we can help each other out that way - but still, I'm just saying - how much I HATE being away from home. 

So, when I am at home, of course there are always the housekeeping tasks that are calling to me, like laundry which NEVER is finished.  And I do feel a need to do the dishes, dust, vacuum, and scrub the bathrooms occasionally.  Oh, and spend time with my family . . . . we like to play Scrabble and the girls are getting really good at spelling so they have great fun!  Now we are working on holiday projects, like baking and decorating.  But fortunately for me, they also like to create - anything!  They love to play with pla-doh, and cut and paste, and color and cut.  This morning they made a little paper village, with houses, and gardens, and flower pots, and a fence, and a Christmas tree.  So, while they are busy creating their own little masterpiece, I get time to create my own projects.  Here's the one I worked on this past week.  It's hard to tell from the pictures, but this is a gorgeous art journal, just ready to be made into someone's personal treasure book. 

I'm just now remembering why my blog hasn't been updated for a couple of weeks - it's not that I wasn't thinking about it and planning my posts in my head - but since they've changed the Typepad format, I've been a bit frustrated trying to get it to work for me.  Now, I'm sure it's ME and not Typepad, which I have LOVED ever since I started my blog over here.  It's all coming back to me now . . . . I did start a couple of blog posts, and then my computer locked up on me (actually maybe it is my computer and not me or Typepad that is to blame here) and I lost everything I had spent a half hour writing.  And of course, then there is the dreaded reality of my JOB that required me to head out the door and be on my way to THE BANK whether my blog post was finished or not.  I guess I just got discouraged from writing all of that wonderful stuff, and then losing it . . . . .oh well, I'm getting the hang of it now.  And, as it turns out, I can even compose my next brilliant monologue, aka my next blog post, at work on one of my breaks.  That's OK too, so the next time I get my afternoon cup of Swiss Chocolate Mocha, I'll be thinking of you and get busy writing a blog post to inspire all my readers    ;o)  

Actually, when I don't post for a while, I always get emails from a few of my sweet online friends who are worried about me.  Thanks for noticing, peeps (as my darling Erin would say)- and I hope you keep checking up on me, because I do still have lots of great stuff to share with you.  Like the two new eBooks that I need to finish up and submit this week.  And just in case you are interested, take a peek over at my Etsy Shop where I've added a couple new things.  But that's another one of those projects that I really just want time to work on . . . .I'm getting there!  Stop back soon and I'll try to have more fun stuff for you to read, and maybe even a new artsy project to share with you.  By the way, I'm also thinking about more ways to up-cycle some vintage stuff into new, practical stuff, because after all, we're all struggling a bit with this economy crunching us from every angle.  Send me your ideas, 'cuz I always love to try to create something that YOU are looking for!  Hope to chat again soon . . . . . .   

PS it just happened again - just as I was about to upload the finished post, I got the message that there had been an error some place and my connection would shut down.  Fortunately I had uploaded most of this post before that happened, and now all I need to do is re-upload the pictures.  See why this takes me so long???

Since this project has so many fascinating little treasures, I'll just have to post more pictures of it tomorrow.  My Amazing Treasure Chest Art Journal.  It's beautiful!

 

 

More of my book organization project

Since I worked so hard on this project yesterday, and I am SOOOO relieved to have this one little mess cleaned up . . . . . I just have to post the rest of the pictures.  Lots of our books are almost ancient - really - as I have some school books from great-grandparents, as well as an exercise book from the late 1800s.  They are fascinating!  I keep them safe, away from the kids, but they have been passed on from previous generations, and then moved around a bit, they are getting pretty raggedy.  Which reminds me, one of my MOST favorite books of all time is "Hitty:  Her First Hundred Years," which is a story told in the voice of a doll that has been passed on from one generation to the next, and she is also pretty raggedy   ;o) 

I have a treasured old glass-top table that I've had for many, many years.  And I like to display some of my older books inside so we can see them but not touch them.  Another book that has been well-loved and well-worn over the years in our family is "Good Night Moon" which I read to all of my older children, and now to our girls.  They love it and have it memorized!  I also came across another old children's book that I read with my older kids, "The Moffats," with is great fun to read and learn about how some families lived in an earlier generation.  We also have "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" in a beautiful, illustrated version; and old "Mother Goose" book with watercolor illustrations; and a newer book that we have acquired since traveling to China to bring our girls home, "I Love You Like Crazy-Cakes."  A sweet story of a mama traveling to China to bring her baby home.  We love books at our house!  Gracie has been reading the Junie B. Jones series, and Annie loves the "Little Bear" books.  So many books, and only one lifetime to cherish them!  Have a great Wednesday, and don't forget to read with your kids! 

We have lots of space for all our books, which is a very good thing    ;o) 

Tackle It Tuesday: You can't have too many books!

                                                  

MOVING!!!!  I hope I never have to go through this again!!!  So, although we are "mostly" settled into our cozy little house in the woods, there are still so many boxes to finish sorting.  I actually just found my camera charger a couple of days ago, and had been working off of the same charge for a couple of weeks.  But now I'm back in business and I can take pictures all day long, if I want to   ;o)  But, first, I had to put away all of these books.  And my inspiration?  The great gals over at 5 Minutes for Mom and their Tackle It Tuesday meme!

They all ended up on the dining room table because I was looking for a specific book . . . . of course, in all those boxes of books, the ONE I needed was in the 10th or 12th box I had to go through.  But I found what I was looking for - only all the books that I didn't need right that minute, ended up stacked on the table and on every other flat surface I could find (well, a flat surface that didn't already have a bunch of other stuff on it that I needed to sort!). 

In addition to the books, there were a few stray school papers and notebooks, a couple of cups and other knick-knacks, and lots of pictures.  I love to have family pictures in our house, so there I was, facing this mess that was making me crazy!  Today was the day, and fortunately we have lots of cupboard space that we don't need for dishes (because they all fit in the kitchen cupboards), so I had a place to put all of our books. 

Well, you can see that there was also a wardrobe steamer sitting in the middle of the dining room .  . . . my sweet hubby worked on the wrinkles in my winter coat, compliments of having been shoved into a packing box all summer, and now it is just about time for the snow to fly.  He got it looking brand-new (even though it was one of my favorite thrift shop finds, it looks GREAT!) - but there sat the steamer.  And what do YOU do with all those wonderful kids' projects that you want to save for their scrapbooks?  I've got another pile!  I'll get to THAT pile sometime soon. 

Once I got all of the books sorted, kind of, into categories, they went quietly onto the shelves and into the cupboards.  The kids' books have a section all of their own, because the girls love to rummage around through the books every night before bedtime.  Then we read together.  Now they have a bunch of "new" books to read!  I put the old McGuffey Readers together on a shelf where the girls can reach them, but not all mixed up with the other kids' books. 

So, at least now we can use the dining room table if we want to.  We have another small table in the kitchen, where we usually have our meals, but just in case we have company or something special . . .. . I can find the table!

I'm finally finished with this ONE project, but there are so many more . . . . I guess I'll be posting lots of my Tackle It Tuesday projects for the next several weeks!  I think I will even post a few more pictures of my beautiful dining room tomorrow, I'm so proud of my accomplishment today   ;o) 

As for the next few weeks of Tackle It Tuesday projects, the kitchen needs to be painted, my sewing room needs to be organized, the girls' room need lots of attention - but this afternoon I have to take the girls to the dentist, so this is it for today.  Having this connection with other women who are trying to keep their heads above the piles of STUFF is a great inspiration!  Keep up the good work, girls, and I'll be back next Tuesday with another organizing project   ;o)  

Here are the girls' books - well, some of them, since they have a basket full of books in their bedroom, too.  Now they have lots and lots of books to choose from!  Some of these books, however, have been around a long time, and are pretty much well-worn and loved, and pretty raggedy around the edges.  Kind of like the Skin Horse in one of our favorite stories, "The Velveteen Rabbit."  Off to the dentist! 

Be sure to visit all the other tacklers out there who are taking control of the clutter in their lives!  Visit 5 Minutes for Mom and be inspired!