Gravel Road Musings

I got this devotional to go along with the Book that Dannah wrote called The Power of Modesty for Tweens. I didn't read through the whole devotional, but was pretty impressed with how it is set up. There are seven weeks of devotionals, five days per week. Each week is set up to go along with a chapter in the book. While you can do the devotional alone, it is recommended to do it with the book. Each devotional is a two page spread, with a little over a page being reading and then there are some journaling exercises as well. There is also a Bible reading to go along with each day. Some of the journaling jobs include: "Write a confession of any lies you have told lately." And then a part where you ask God to give you a desire to tell the truth. Or taking some time to write some personal goals. A lot of the journaling parts have multiple little designs with lines in them, so both mom and daughter could do it if they wanted to. At the end of every week, there is a two-pa...

When to say yes How to say no to take control of your life Where do I start with this book? It was excellent, let's start there. While, for the most part, I don't feel like my life is out of control, it was good to hear confirmation that sometimes saying no to something good is not bad. Even if we feel guilty, it's not wrong.  That was probably a key piece for me. Another thing I really liked about the book was the section on boundaries with children. Allowing children to be able to say no without fearing a loss of their parent's love enables them to be better equipped to have good boundaries when they are older. This doesn't mean the child is allowed to run wild with no discipline, to me it means that my child is allowed to not want something without me threatening not to love them. I don't know if that makes sense or not, I'm still not sure if I fully understand all of how it works. But it does seem that a child who was controlled and manipulated...

Brenda is the lucky winner.  Please be patient with me in getting the book out. We are leaving for the weekend. Thanks to all who participated!! A faithful husband, three blessings of children that God has given to us. A Christian school close by to send them to. A small church body of believers who love the Lord. The health to be able to get out of bed this morning enjoy a warm cup of coffee!

So way back in 2011, Dave and I had this conversation about pie. And the challenge went forth to make 50 pies, all different, no repeats. Well, I made it to the teens somewhere and I don't know what happened, but something did because that is where it stopped. I made pie since then just not in an intentional manner to create 50 different kinds of pie. But the other week I tried a new pie crust. Believe it or not, it actually didn't really shrink much. That is amazing for me. It involved odd steps that I was not used to like freezing my shortening and grating frozen butter into the mixture, then refrigerating, then rolling out the crust and then refrigerating again. Line the pie with tinfoil and fill it with beans and back at a normal temperature for 45 minutes. All things I hadn't been doing, but you know what? I ended up with a very delicious pie crust that pleased me greatly. There was a small shrinkage, but not much. That simple act reminded me once again of the Pie ...

A One Month Creative Journal If you are looking for a nice gift for someone, look no further. This is a pretty, hard cover journal that would make a lovely Christmas present. It's on the smaller side, so you could stash it in your purse if you find yourself waiting in the car a lot or keep it on the coffee table to enjoy with a good cup of coffee in the morning. Okay, depending on how personal you get, the coffee table may be too public of a location to store it, but you get the idea. I love the cover because I think it looks just a bit old-fashioned, vintage-style in a modern sort of way. Ha, go figure that out. You can start the book whenever. There are no days of the week marked, just Day 1, Day 2, etc. In reality, you could pick this book up one day and then wait a week or two to pick it up again, nobody's going to care. You probably could do the days in a random order as well, though if you do, please do not tell me, it would drive me crazy to do that. But the import...

This is the second book in the series "Apart from the Crowd." They are about the "wallflowers" of society, those who stand along the wall because they don't quite fit in with "in crowd" of society. This book was definitely out of the ordinary. Most books I read about society from the late 1800's is all about protocol and fashion and etiquette. Males and females rarely talk and it's all teas and social events. Not this book. It was a highly entertaining read. The romance between the color blind Harrison Sinclair (meaning he wore some very odd colors and styles together) and Gertrude, the companion to the wannabe fashion designer, Mrs. Davenport is the main thread through the book, but the conversation is very interesting. It doesn't feel quite real to life, I mean would people really have attempted to make a bustle out of half a bird cage? And would Mrs. Davenport really have gotten away with her multiple thefts which she later would m...

Ah yes, this was just what the doctor ordered. I've wanted to review Dorcas' last book or two and was always too chicken to ask, but this time I threw caution to the wind and said, "Yes, I want to review your book." And I'm so glad I did. It was the perfect book for this stage in my life. Short, easy to read chapters that can be picked up and read whenever and wherever. They are guaranteed to either make you laugh, smile, cry, or or just give you that ah-ha feeling that someone else experiences life like that too.  I could quote from pretty much every chapter something that struck me in one of those ways, but I really want you to go buy the book so I won't do that many spoilers. I only want to give you a hint of what is to come in the book. First off, isn't the cover beautiful? I can dream of a kitchen table like that with the apple pie still steaming and the tea pot, or coffee pot more likely, full to the brim and a beautiful arrangement of flowers ...

As I've said before, I'm not generally big into mystery suspense books, especially if it involves murder etc. But Dani Pettrey does a superb job of writing that makes me hang on to the edge of my seat. It definitely makes middle of the night feedings almost fun and I can for sure stay awake. This is the third book in the Chesapeake Valor series and it better not be the last one because the book ends on a cliff hanger. There are two main threads running through the book. A group of friends are all involved in investigation work of some sort, either independently, with the FBI or with the local police. A couple are investigating a coach's murder and another couple are trying to figure out what big terrorist threat is coming to the US soil and how to stop it in time. Combine that with sightings of a long-lost friend who's working undercover and you have a really good story. And while the one terrorist attack does get stopped, there's another in the works and that...

This is a little almost pocket sized book filled with some very helpful information for tweens. It's also got a fun, catchy looking cover as well as pictures and illustrations throughout the book that it make it fun and easy to read. It's been awhile since I've been a tween to know on the reading level, but the words are simple and easy to understand, so I think it is suitable for a young girl. I think Dannah has hit on some very powerful truths in this book. Modesty isn't about being covered from head to toe as much as it is dressing to glorify God and not draw attention to ourselves. As a Mennonite, we have a style of dress to adhere to, but that doesn't guarantee modesty. I have seen our "modest" dress look much more immodest than someone in a skirt or even pants. There's so much attitude that goes into how we dress and who we seek to portray: God or ourselves. Dannah offers seven truths to being a Secret Keeper Girl: 1. You are a masterpiece...

A Role-Playing Game for Adventurous Couples And since this is a family friendly blog, I'm not gonna say too much about this game, if you get my meaning!! I wasn't sure what to expect when I requested it, but it is definitely all about the sexual side of marriage. I guessed as much, but thought there might be some other things included as well. There are three sets of cards, Who, (which to be honest, make no sense to me at all, though there innuendoes in about every description) Perhaps that is where the role playing comes in and you try to pretend to be somebody else, which sounds tiring and stressful to me, but I'm not much for acting either. I hate the game of Charades, so.....  Then the What and Where are pretty self-explanatory.  There is also an envelope for leaving the cards for your spouse to find  and a little notepad to add a few details. For those looking for some variety, this might be the game for you. I definitely think it has potential to spice up you...

This is the book I was talking about in my last blog post. If you are afraid of the future, anxious about all the what ifs in life, then you need this book. It's so true Some Whatif Monsters like to hang out, and fill up our heads with worry and doubt. They are sneaky and quiet and quick as a blink, the words that they whisper can change how we think. Jonathan James heard those words full of dread and all those "what ifs" got stuck in his head. What if it's hard? What if you're bad? What if they laugh and make you feel sad? What if it's yucky? What if it's icky? What if Mom yells because you're too picky? What if you lose? What if you're last? What if you're slow and never get fast? And then the tune changes. "But what if you're wrong?" asks Jonathan James What if I climb to the top of that tree, and I never slip or skin up a knee? And what if baseball is nothing but fun, and I end up hitting a tripl...

The Million Little Pieces That Make Up a Life If you've never read Melanie Shankle, you need to go do that. Now, just go to Amazon and order it. Or borrow it from the library or something. Only do this if you enjoy humor and little nuggets of truth all mixed up together. Only if you enjoy exaggerated stories and life lessons intermingled. She has written four books now: Sparkly Green Earrings, The Antelope in the Living Room, Nobody's Cuter than You, and now this one. And it looks like she has a devotional coming out entitled Everyday holy, scheduled to release in March of 2018. I haven't read Nobody's Cuter than You and I'm not sure how I missed it, but anyway. Melanie seems to have a flare for the dramatic. I am not sure what she would have been like to parent, but her books are a lot of fun to read. Interestingly enough, she portrays herself very much as an introvert. I find that interesting, because her writing screams extrovert, center of attention, but I...

So after my last post, someone said to me, I didn't know you had so many fears or something to that effect. Ha, if they only knew. That probably only touched a small portion of them. I was thinking of doing a series on the fears we can have. Fear of losing someone close. Fear of illness. Fear of being a bad parent. Fear of being a bad wife. Fear of failure. Fear of success. The list could go on and on.  I was looking through my October pics to find a picture to put on here, because hey pictures are nice. I wasn't really looking for anything that went with what I was going to write about and then I saw this picture. Acorns. Tiny little round guys with funny hats scattered all over the ground this time of year. I wonder if they have fears. Do the look down from the branch they are hanging on and freak out over how far it is to the ground? Do they cling to the tree a little longer because they are afraid to take the leap or the drop?  And once they hit the ground, do...

Remarkable Stories of God's Love and Redemption Aaron and Elaina look at a number of women who played a role in furthering along God's plan of redemption for humanity or who simply accepted the redemption that Jesus offered to them and then I'm sure they went on to make a difference in their world. Women like Jochebed, who if she hadn't hid Moses, who would have led the Israelites out of Egypt? Zipporah who, with her quick thinking, saved Moses' life by circumcising one of their sons? Rahab in protecting the spies? The widow of Zarephath and her obedience and care for Elijah. I'm not sure quite how all of the women they listed played a role in redemption, but they all had something to offer, something significant enough to be mentioned in the Bible, even if only a verse or two. Consider the Syrophoenician woman: we don't even know her name. Aaron and Elaina call her the believing beggar and that is appropriate. She is the one who went to Jesus plea...