Pallet for Home

If you've been a reader of this blog for any lengtrh of time, you should already know that I'm a huge Dave Ramsey fan.  The principles Dave teaches have changed my life in seriously positive ways, and I was excited to see The Money Answer Book come up for review with Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze! 

Here's a little about the book from TN:

This question and answer book is the perfect resource guide for equipping individuals with key information about everyday money matters.

Questions and answers deal with 100+ of the most-asked questions from The Dave Ramsey Show—everything from budget planning to retirement planning or personal buying matters, to saving for college and charitable giving. This is Dave in his most popular format—ask a specific question, get a specific answer.

Now, here's what I think:

I really enjoyed reading this book.  I never thought of having a "no matter what" list until I read this.  Dave's principles are clearly outlined in the pages of this book, and if you've not been a listener of his radio show, this book is a great first resource to own to become familiar with his thought processes.

From an outline of the Baby Steps, to the Debt Snowball worksheets to insurance planning, and straight through investing, this stratagem is a proven method for debt freedom and wealth building.  If you're looking for a quick and easy read that is also a source of clear financial wisdom, order this book today!

To read more from Thomas Nelson's product page click here.  For a sneak peek inside the book, go here.

One of the best ways to get free or super cheap books is to provide reviews for companies and authors.  My wise daughter, Carman, has been doing this for a few months on her site, A Sequence of Continuous Delights.  Because of her encouragement, I'm now reviewing for BookSneeze!

There is no greater wisdom on this earth than Scripture, so getting to review free Bibles and Bible study materials is very exciting to me because of the multiple benefits!  Free books + God's wisdom = a win/win situation!

Here's a summary from Thomas Nelson's website:

Book Description

Beautiful full-color maps and charts illuminate the Scriptures.

This updated edition of Thomas Nelson’s popular Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts has everything your customers need to visualize the events, places, and people in the Old and New Testaments. The resources include:

* New, full-color, high-resolution maps and charts.

* Downloadable PDFs of maps and charts for presentations and classes.

* Tables, charts, and diagrams that organize Bible information for ease of learning and memorization.

* Historical articles providing insight into Bible times.

* Introductions to each book of the Bible.

Perfect for small-group leaders, Bible school teachers, and anyone curious about biblical times or wanting to locate key events from Scripture, Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts provides a visual overview of the Bible in its entirety.

I've been studying along Hebraic lines of Christianity for many years now, and I enjoyed the charts and maps in this book because I could get a better picture in my mind of places and the timeline of events.  It would take many years of study to exhaust the resources packed into this resource!

I'm providing a link to the book’s Thomas Nelson product page, and a link that will allow readers to preview the book.
Thomas Nelson, through BookSneeze, provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for reveiw.

Will the world change our children...or will our children change the world? Time is short and lives are at stake. Right now, God is inviting our families to become part of a bigger story—a vision that will engage hearts to make a radical difference. One Million Arrows is an inspirational call to raise our kids to impact their culture, community, and world for Christ. If we want our kids to discover their purpose, if we want them to live with passion for the Kingdom, if we want our family to go down in His-Story, accept the mission...and leave a mark for eternity.

My review:
OMA is truly an inspiring book that challenges readers to change their way of thinking, to embrace a God-centered, goal-oriented approach to parenting, and to living everyday life. Through countless examples of arrows working throughout the world, Julie inspires her readers to believe that triumphing over the sway of culture is not only possible, but is happening every day across the globe.

For 16 school terms, I have taught my children at home with what Julie calls the "holy ambition" of raising arrow children for God.  As a veteran home-educating mom, I understand the joys and pitfalls of this type of parenting.  It's not for the weak, or those who shrink back from a difficult task.  Raising arrows requires hard work, and the inspiration from reading OMA left me challenged to finish this leg of the race with focused intensity of purpose, to launch my last arrow into her God-given future.

One idea in the writing that touched me deeply was the concept of broken branches, those people who, because of circimstances, have become disconnected from their own family trees.  Through the difficult seasons of my own life, I have held on to the belief that I am part of the family of God, no matter who accepts or rejects me in this life.

Sharing that truth with others suddenly became more important through the reading of One Million Arrows, because, beginning with Chapter One which you can read here, Julie reminds her readers of those who are lost, wandering, and alone, especially the orphans throughout the world who know neither the love of God or the true love of family. One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda inspired me to action.  If you are willing to catch the vision, and accept the mission, it could change your life.

Visit the One Million Arrows How to Order page for full details as well as information about church, ministry, and bulk orders. OMA provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Check Bookroom Reviews for all the details and good luck! Better hurry, the giveaway ends on the 13th.

Tamara and her husband, Peter Lowe, have been producing business seminars for many years. Over that time, she has worked with thousands of individuals and used her skills to identify patterns of human behavior.  Those personality qualities have been broken down into six categories.  Each person fits three of the six. After taking the online test, my results show that I am a PSE: The Chief.  What does that mean?  Take the test and be sure to include my email address so I can see your results as well!  *isupply at cox dot net*

The purpose of this book is to empower the reader to identify not only their own character traits and weaknesses, but also the traits and weeknesses of those with whom they interact.  Through this understanding, the reader can then communicate and relate to their family, friends, and peers using styles and techniques to which they easily respond.

For example, because I am a teacher, it is important to me to be able to not only communicate clearly to my students, but to understand and make connections with them so that I might have the opportunity to inspire, empower and motivate them to achieve their full potential.  It is not enough to simply teach my students facts or information.  As a leader, I must inspire them to take that knowledge and apply it in every day life.  Tamara teaches that "extensive information" alone is not enough; we must also inspire "appropriate action." 

That is, I believe, the definition of wisdom.

Knowledge rightly applied is our goal, and GET MOTIVATED! is a wonderful resource from which to draw understanding.  With chapters covering business, family life, and parening, this book applies to more than the boardroom, and should be required reading for new parents, teens, and recent college graduates especially. 

Reading portions of this book caused me to recognize characteristics in myself that I can utilize to become more focused, resourceful and goal-oriented.  My main reason for reading this book was to develop relationship skills to resolve conflict with personalities other than my own.  I believe there is a degree of understanding that comes with reading, but in my case, I need to take notes, study them, do worksheets, and role play to really apply what I have read.  If you are a note-taker, plan on writing in this book!

I would love to see Tamara Lowe develop more interactive online resources to help apply the principles found in this book, especially for parents and teachers, and parents who are teachers!  I personally found that information to be the most valuable, probably because that is my chosen profession.

I haven't found the "rich people's" Goodwill yet, but I do like to shop my local thrift stores for great finds, just like Jen who is hosting a Frugal Fashionista Fashion Show and I'm linking up!  I could probably find ten outfits in my closet from Goodwill, but I'll stick with one of my most recent and very favorite purchases, my "muppet coat."

It is a beautiful winter white Talbots size XL in like new condition.  I probably wouldn't have looked twice at this jacket, but I've been following Jen's posts on fashion, and unique details are one of the things she says to watch for, so I tried it on, and loved it.


I love the rosette headband! 

The fine net detail was perfect for the event to which I wore this outfit, a wedding rehearsal which I coordinated!  Of course I couldn't wear this to the wedding, since I coordinated that as well, and didn't want to risk getting something on my $5.49 jacket!

And remember my post about Ann Kroeker and her excellent book, Not So Fast?  Well, I was excited to find her book, The Contemplative Mom, at the Goodwill last week for $1!  Talk about doing the happy dance.  I was thrilled, and saved myself $8.99 over the retail price.

I also picked up:

1. The Other Side of Love by Gary Chapman, still has the $12.95 sticker on back!
2. Avoiding Deception by Sharon Daugherty
3. and Hidden Keys of a Loving Lasting Marriage by Gary Smalley

Each of them were $1 at Goodwill, except the Chapman book, which was just $0.50 at the library!  I frequent both places looking for books to use, and to resell.  I've spent $0.50 on a paperback library book before, and sold it for $15 at a homeschool bookfair!

Some people flip houses, but I prefer much smaller investments because they fit my lifestyle at the moment!

I received this question from one of my friends: Would you share your favorite children's books?

I know this will sound funny to some, but we loved the Get Fuzzy Comics by Darby Conley. I believe at one time we owned every book he ever published!
 

They are bite sized, so a kinistetic child can move through them at their own pace. Comics use words and pictures to tell a story, but they are not all created equal.  We chose black and white comics, to not overstimulate the reader, and chose to purchase the books so they could be read and reread at our leisure.
 
We also loved anything to do with whatever interest we had at the moment: Royal Dairies, American Girl books, and Hank the Cowdog, which can be found through most local libraries or ILL. My readers were connection driven, and wanted a story, so fiction books were the better choice for the majority of our reading in the early years.  We did choose some historical fiction, especially as the reader matured.

The important thing for us was to be interested in what we were reading, not to read from a list compiled by someone who knew nothing about us. Some people call that type of reading "cake" but I say, let them eat cake.  There will be plenty of time for booklists.

Lots of amimal books, and lots of reading in short spirts throughout the day were also key to developing the love of reading.  I personally never imposed grade level limits on reading (above or below), and limited the number of books checked out from the library to 50.  Yes.  I said 50.  She could go though that many in a week, looking for something that held her interest until the next library visit.

Did it work? My daughter now reads an average of 130 books a year and has two book blogs. She publishes book reviews for Thomas Nelson, Bethany House, LitFuze, Revel, and Tyndale and is friends with many Christian authors from around the US. She recently moved her clothes out of a drawer in her dresser to make way for her growing personal library!

I'm not bragging; I'm making a point. Don't be concerned about following traditional methods. Pray, and then do what works for your family!

One of my goals on my Finishing List 2009 was to put my den and office area back in order.  Remember this saying: