February 2019 Book Review

Well, I'm not quite sure what happened in February but I managed to read FOUR books this month!

I thought I was going to be super busy with ministry stuff (and I was) but that only lasted for the first part of the month. I made it a priority to pick up a book anytime I'd get a free moment (instead of scrolling on my phone). Other times, I'm up at the crack of dawn and that's when I get most of my reading done. I make my coffee, do my bible study, pray, exercise, and read. I try to sneak in a few pages here and there before everyone gets up and the day officially begins.

It's been working well and hey, I think I like this reading thing! 😄

Here are the 4 books I read this month: 

The first book I flew through was It's Not Supposed To Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst.

This book has been in the spotlight for every modern Christian woman lately. Two of my girlfriends were reading it at the beginning of the year and shared bits and pieces along the way.

I've read a few of Lysa's other books and I've always enjoyed her biblical insight and her engaging writing style.

This particular book is her most vulnerable and therefore, in my opinion, her most powerful.

Lysa has recently faced some intensely heartbreaking circumstances. And yet, she was writing this in real time, as they were occurring. Therefore, there is a rawness (is that a word?) to her writing that I've never seen before. Her courage in the midst of her pain is something to be admired and hoped for.

I'll be pulling this book off my shelf and reminding myself of God's goodness every time I go through the fire myself. An excellent and easy read!

The late Elisabeth Elliot is one of my heroes of the faith. Discipline: The Glad Surrender is not merely a self-improvement book or a means for developing specific routines. Mrs. Elliot believes that discipline defines the very shape of a believer's life.

She discusses discipline in the areas of:

body, mind, place (honoring others), time, possessions, work, and feelings.

Being a disciple means answering yes to God's call, gladly surrendering yourself to the Master's orders. Discover how to place every aspect of your life under God's authority and find happiness and freedom there.

She writes with such honesty, frankness, and wisdom. And this is a woman who has seen and experienced much in her walk with the Lord. I thought this book was outstanding!

In my opinion, this book is a must read for any mom considering homeschooling.

I first read Better Late Than Early about 10 years ago but picked it up again last week when I went searching for it to lend to a friend. I started reading the first chapter and then I couldn't put it down. I read it in about 2 days and it was once again, a refreshing encouragement to me as I now homeschool Zach. The book was written in the 70's but I found the wisdom and approach to education timeless in their truths and understanding. This is technically a re-read for me but I'm counting it as new because it's been so long. Especially helpful if you have boys!

Bella's Gift was given to me by a friend a couple of years ago. Written by Rick Santorum (Republican Presidential Candidate in 2012) and his incredible wife, Karen, this is the story of their 8th child, Bella who was born with Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is a genetic condition which often leads to death within the first year of life. This story is a testament of how love can overcome all circumstances and how this devoted, faith-filled family selflessly chose to fight and hope, against all odds for their special little girl. This book was especially meaningful to me in light of the fact that New York recently passed a barbaric law legalizing abortion for any reason, at any point, even after a child's birth. HOW CAN THIS BE A REAL THING??!!
We live in such a selfish, self-seeking society. 60 million babies have been murdered with no chance of life since 1973. How this must grieve the heart of God! 😢

Bella's Gift is the story of how one family let God write their story and how He used a little girl as a reminder that every life is sanctified by the capacity to love and to be loved. Beautiful!

So that's it. Each book I read was rich in it's own way. 

I'm posting this before the month is over because we're headed out for our winter vacation.

I don't know about you but I'm so over this cold and rainy season! Give me all the warm sunshine, please! 🌞🌞🌞

I'm packing several books with me so hopefully, I'll come back having read a few.

As always, book recommendations are more than welcome!

Happy Valentine's Day

The children at CBS made these valentines for our local police and fire departments.

Faith and Grace put them all on poster board and we had fun delivering them,

along with a bag of bagels and cream cheese to each department.

  

 Thanking our local first responders. 

Zach even got to play with the hose. 😄 

 These are the cute Valentine's cards that Zach wanted to give out to his friends at CBS.

 I think he chose to give what he wanted most! 😂

 In the past, we've always enjoyed having a family picnic for Valentine's Day but it's been cold and rainy all week so we just celebrated with small gifts and a special breakfast.

 The Valentine's Day donuts and gifts were a big hit with my loves. 💕💕💕

He melts my heart daily. 💘

And last but not least, I was also blessed to go on a lunch date with my handsome main squeeze.

I love this man of mine and the 3 beautiful kids we get to raise together.

God is so so good!

Faith & Grace's First Soccer Season

Team KRUSH. ⚽

 Listening to Coach Reyes at halftime.

 Double Purple Power. ⚽⚽

 Sometimes, we'd be up early on Saturdays for games.

 Practicing at the crack of dawn.

 Tatum and the girls. This is also the day when Grace scored the game winning goal. So fun!

 The girls loved it when Ms. Lyndi came to watch them play.

 Grace played as a forward for most of the season.

 Faith played as a defender.

 Sweet friendships were made.

This ended up being the last game in playoffs.

The girls played in the pouring rain that night and even though they lost, they had a blast!

The season started back in September and lasted through mid January. This was the first time playing a team sport for our girls and it was everything we hoped it would be and more. They went into it, not knowing a thing about the game. They quickly developed the skills and the fortitude, to contribute to the team as well as surprise themselves.

Having 15 middle school girls on one team from all different backgrounds made for some wonderful life discussions within our family. The girls got a glimpse into what their peers were like and what the world was into, outside of our conservative homeschool bubble.

It was a great experience for us all. Turns out that playing soccer was the least of what they learned.
They learned more about kindness, determination, teamwork, perseverance, sacrifice, grit, encouragement, and friendship. And they can't wait to do it all over again next season.