Just because I have to write a review

Hillary Clinton has been in politics for years, from the first lady to the New York State senate back to the White House in the role of Secretary of State. Yet, the thing that she has been unable to reach is the Presidency of the country. In 2008 she was defeated in her own democratic party by President Obama and all eyes watched as she seemed to stray from the spotlight. This book by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes seeks to capture the fall and the rise of HIllary Clinton- from defeat to becoming one of the strongest candidates for 2016. It follows Hillary as she reinvents herself for a new generation of voters. An interesting political read on the person who is currently in all the headlines. 

Q&A a day

Q&A a day by Potter Style is a five-year journal that has 365 different questions to answer. Each day you write your answer to the question and every year for five years you are able to see how your answers have changed. If you are anything like me than you have multiple journals that were once started with good intentions but are now lying dormant and unused around the house.
It seems like every year I get a new journal because of my love for writing but I always run into the same problem- those days when I just don't have a clue what to write about, well now there is no need to get stuck. All you have to do is answer the question that has so kindly been given to you every day. Now you can have five years of knowing exactly what to write!

Sample Questions:

• "What is your mission?" (Jan. 1st)
• "What are you reading right now?" (Jan. 3rd)
• "What song is stuck in your head?" (Jan. 8th)
• "What inspired you today?" (Jan. 10th)
• "Do you owe someone money? Does someone owe you?" (Jan. 16th)

An extremely enjoyable little journal that will make it easier to keep up the habit of daily writing, and if five years isn't enough to be consistent at something than Potter Style now has a variety of these kinds of journals, such as: Q&A a day 3 year journal for 2 people, Q&A a day for kids a 3 year journal, and even Q&A a day for teens a 3 year journal.


"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book

The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough is filled with five-hundred recipes that are made with electric or stove-top pressure cookers. The book caught my eye because being that I now live in Costa Rica the pressure cooker is a main kitchen tool. Granted, the first time I saw one I had no idea what it was, then when I saw the steam pouring out I thought for sure it was going to explode! Yet, no worries if you're like me and had never seen a pressure cooker which ultimately caused you to fear for your life- or at least for some serious burns; the whole first half of the cookbook is dedicated to people like us.

The first half includes an introduction on what a pressure cooker is, the different models that are available, and fantastic advice on making sure to read the instruction manual that comes with your pressure cooker because every model is different. Trust me, after reading the introduction I found myself much more at ease that I could cook with a pressure cooker without burning myself with steam or blowing my house up (maybe a slight exaggeration but hey when you're scared you imagine crazy things). 

Anyways, once you get that confidence boost from the first half of the introduction you can move on to the practical advice in the second half on cooking. They recommend how much salt, liquid, even how big the vegetable pieces should be cut to make sure they are all evenly cooked. It contains great practical advice which is very specific depending on           whether you have a stove-top model or an electric model. 

The recipes are broken down into seven main sections: Breakfast, Soups, Meat, Poultry, Fish and Shellfish, Vegetables, Beans, and Grains, as well as, Desserts. These main categories are divided further into sub-categories, such as, chicken, turkey, beef, main course soups, and vegetable or grain soups. 

Overall, a very thorough and practical book on using what should become a main staple kitchen tool. It allows for delicious meals in a much quicker amount of time- think in terms of the results you would get from using a slow cooker all day but now in the time of about 30 minutes. 

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcomb is a fantastic book on creating gardens in small spaces- from small patios to small containers that can be used to create herb gardens. The whole point is to maximize the modest space to create the largest amount of vegetables. Another unique feature is that the whole process from the soil to unwanted pest control is done organically.

The book is broken down into eight chapters: Chapter one is dedicated to planning your garden and serves to answer the questions, "how, what, when, where"; Chapter two looks at how to prepare the soil for your garden; Chapter three focuses on how to prepare the ground which is an extremely important part of the process, think of it as the foundation of a house; Chapter four targets more in depth the "when and how" to plant which is equally important because if you are currently in the frozen tundra of the North Eastern United States it may be a little difficult to plant anything right now, perhaps for the next three months you could hibernate in the "planning" stage; Chapter five centers on how to water your garden; Chapter six is a fantastic little chapter that plans out delicious herb gardens; Chapter seven is committed to "getting along", in other words, what plants grow best together; and finally Chapter eight focuses on how to get rid of the nasty critters that would like to eat our garden before we get the chance.

Also included in the Appendix are the topics: "How to Compost" and "Seed Sources". The latest edition due to release February 17, 2015 contains the extra insight on heirloom seeds which allow you to save the seeds from the original plant and use them next season to create the same vegetables. Overall, an in-depth and insightful look at organic gardening within confined spaces.


 

The Prayer of the Lord

In our world of "instant" everything, I have found the discipline of prayer to be extremely difficult. Even at times I wondered what was ultimately the purpose since God is sovereign, all-knowing, and all-powerful. However, Jesus had commanded us as his followers to pray and even assured us that He is ever interceding for us. Yet, more often than not prayer seemed like a thing people used to tell God what they wanted or what He ought to do for them. So as I looked through Reformation Trust, I came across The Prayer of the Lord by R.C. Sproul. This book analyzes the Lord's prayer found in the Gospels.
As the author points out, it is interesting that out of the many questions the disciples could have asked Jesus, the one question that was most important to them was, "Teach us to pray." For me that is comforting to know that even the disciples who spent time walking and being taught by Jesus needed to know how to pray. Even before Jesus begins to teach them how to pray, He tells them not to pray as hypocrites or with vain repetition. Also contained in the first chapter is the answer to the question, why pray since God is all-knowing?

At that point, I have to remind them that, as I mentioned above, prayer does change things, all kinds of things. But the most important thing it changes is us. (pg.14)

In the Lord's prayer the first thing we don't see- is ourselves. Jesus speaks of "Your name, Your kingdom, and Your will". The last thing that we see is ourselves which combats our self-worshiping generation. When one has grown so accustomed to looking out for himself before anyone else it is difficult to focus your attention on someone else. Yet, this exactly what Jesus is teaching us, to focus our eyes on the Father. There is nothing easy about taking up your cross and following, but this is what He has called us to. Why? because God is the ultimate treasure of our souls and only in Him can we find our greatest joy.
The second chapter envelops "Our Father in Heaven" and what fascinated me was the study done on the use of the word "Father" to refer to God in the Old Testament. There is not a single instance of any Old Testament writer referring to God as Father. Yet, just as shocking is the fact that Jesus referred to God as Father every time he prayed except once. He was issuing in a change in the way we can pray as adopted children.
If you are struggling with the discipline of prayer or are concerned with your own questions about "why pray?" then I would strongly encourage you to study the Lord's prayer and also to use this book as a guide to help you enjoy the sweetness of communion with "Our Father".

*I will receive this in hard copy for writing a blog review.

Clean Slate: A Cookbook and Guide

Clean Slate is a cookbook compiled and created by the editors of Martha Stewart Living. The cookbook is one of their newest releases and features recipes to strengthen and rejuvenate the body. The goal is not only to provide delicious recipes but also to change the mindset of the reader- helping them to consider more carefully what kind of food they ought to be eating. For this reason, the book has been divided into two parts: section one is called "reset" dealing with healthy nutrients, pantry stocking, and detoxing; while section two contains recipes which cover a variety of topics, such as; breakfast, drinks or smoothies, and snacks.

In Part One, basic rules are set forth:

1. Choose whole foods over processed
2. Embrace a plant based diet
3. Practice mindful eating
4. Engage in an active lifestyle
5. Boost energy with lean protein
6. Pay attention to how you feel

Included with each rule is further information of what that looks on a daily basis, definitions, and explanation on how to develop that kind of mindset.

One of my favorite features is found in pantry stocking which not only tells you what you should have stocked, but also how to cook the items yourself rather than depending on processed substitutes. Included are recipes for almond milk, chicken stock, and harissa.
Another helpful feature is located at the end of the cookbook which shows which recipes are vegan or gluten free depending on what are your dietary needs.


"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Sammy and His Shepherd

Sammy and His Shepherd by Susan Hunt and illustrated by Cory Godbey is a children's book based on Psalm 23. There are eleven chapters in the book with each chapter enveloping a section from the passage of Psalm 23. 

The story begins with Sammy the sheep who notices a suffering little sheep from another pasture. As they begin to talk Sammy realizes that he has a good shepherd who cares for his flock, but this other sheep doesn't seem to have anyone that cares for it. 

After their first meeting they quickly become friends and each day they find themselves hanging out by the fence talking with each other. However, Sammy fears for his friend because it is apparent that he is not eating well because the pasture he lives in has very little grass left and the water the shepherd brings them to is dirty and filthy.

Yet, each day Sammy learns the characteristics that his good shepherd has that he had never noticed before talking with the sheep from the other pasture. Sammy had thought that every shepherd was like the one he had! 

The book is not set up to read in one sitting, and would be more useful as a daily reading for a family devotion time or for bedtime reading. It is set up to go slowly through each chapter and then read the discussion questions at the end of the book. Overall the book is enjoyable and the illustrations are colorful and engaging for younger children. 

*I will receive a hard copy of this book from the publisher for writing a review.