Happy Thanksgiving!

May we always remember to thank our Lord for all His provisions and blessings!

Have a wonderful day and may God bless you - Julie

Announcing the Winners

Here are the winners in the book giveaways:

"There's More to Life than Making a Living" - Janet Ruth, jsrogers, Jill, Joy and Renee G.

"Climate for Change" - Marjorie and edomtonjb

"Can God Be Trusted" - Janet Ruth, Renee G and Love My Coffee

"The Misunderstood God" - Rebecca Graham, Sheila & Stacie

All winners were chosen by using random number at random.org

I have emailed all the winners. Congratulations to you all!

God bless you - Julie

Book Review - The Power of Respect

The Power of Respect, Benefit from the Most Forgoten Element of Success by Deborah Norville
Publisher - Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0785227601

OVERVIEW:

Best-selling author and journalist, Deborah Norville, researches the importance of respect in our daily lives and in society as a whole.

Respect, a lost vallye in our world today, is the latest subject of research of Inside Edition anchor and best selling author, Deborah Norville. citing scientific studies and using stories based on personal interviews, Norvile reveals the importance and benefits of respect in many areas of our lives:

*Personally and with others
*Marriage and parenting
*Classrooms and education
*Business and leadership

Readers are reminded that how we look at ourselves and other determines our level of respect. And respect, when given, unleashes the power of goodwill that boomerangs back to the giver in the form of loyalty, trust, and mutual respect. The others-focused approach causes recipients to operate at higher levels of performance, increase productivity, improve relationships, and increase their overall effectiveness.

MY REVIEW:

I was exciting to read this book because I had seen Deborah Norville talking about this on several programs and I knew that I agreed with her presepctive of what is lacking in our socity as a whole. What I really liked about the book are the personal stories in the book. There are many, many heart-warming stores about how respect of others made such a difference in people's lives. I had tears in my eyes more than once after reading one of these stores. Of course, there are also those stores where respect was lacking and how it affected someone.

What I didn't enjoy about hte book was the endless statistics about respect. I think it was important to understand about this, but it got a little old about half-way through the book. I think a little less of the statistics (because I all know how important respect is) would have made the book a more enjoyable read.

That said, I still highly recommend this book. I learned a lot about relationships not only with those in the business world, but with my husband and children, too. I think sometimes we forget that respect is important in ALL areas of our life, especially in our home. Sometimes, we don't give our family the respect we should (we take them for granted) and I like how Ms. Norville addresses this issue and clear cut ways to make things better.

I have a link on my Amazon widget on the sidebar where you can go and order the book. I think you'll enjoy this book, I did. (This book was provided to me for review by Thomas Nelson Publishers)

God bless you - Julie

My Precious Family

October has been such a busy month for us. My hubby's birthday was in the early part of the month. Here's a picture of his cake. If you've been reading my blog for a long time, you will remember the horrible writing on the past two years cakes. It looked like a first-grader wrote on them. This year, we had a pleasant surprise of good penmanship and being able to read the writing! lol I was sick on my husband's birthday but he spent it with his Mom, so it all worked out. He and I celebrated the next day by going out for lunch with our sons. It was nice!

In the middle of the month, my nephew and niece came to visit us! We were so happy that they decided to come and see us. They had been to the Grand Canyon and decided to come back this way so they could see us. We were so glad!

Here's my youngest showing my nephew his mandolin. It was my nephew who got my son interested in playing the mandolin in the first place so it was great for my son to show him how far he has come. Full circle, so to speak.

Here's my very handsome nephew. He's such a wonderful husband and father. More than that, he's a wonderful man of God. He loves the Lord and it shows in everything he does!

He has always enjoyed talking with my hubby. Here's my nephew, my son and my hubby talking things over. They always have such a great time discussing the current events.

We shared a meal together. I made Bar-b-que meatballs, Baked beans, and green beans with almonds. It was such a blessing sharing a meal with them. Here's the guys talking again. :)

Here's a picture of my nephew and niece. I have cut the picture of the little babies out because they are in the process of adopting these precious little ones and we can't show their pictures on the internet until the adoption is final. These precious babies are so adorable and I'm so happy for my nephew and niece. They are both wonderful parents and these little babies are very, very blessed to have them for parents.

I have such a wonderful family and I'm so thankful that they make the time to come and see us. We love them all so much and wish we could be together more often but are so thankful for the time we do have together. I love you guys!!

God bless you - Julie

Life is a Vapor

Every year since my children were tiny, tiny, we've always taken them to the county fair. The past few years, they have looked forward to getting the all-day-pass to ride the rides as much as they want. This year was no exception. They got there when it opened and they left at closing. My oldest got his fact painted (for free) with all sorts of musical motifs. He is an exceptional clarinet player (and guitar player) and he writes songs and is just so gifted. This was the perfect choice.


My youngest son was so happy riding the bumper cars, he never wanted to bother with getting his face painted. My oldest told me they were calling him the vulture on the bumper cars because he would circle and wait and come up behind people and bump them. lol Sounds like him! He's really competitive about everything he does. :)

Here's my oldest sons friend. He also got his face painted - he chose the Star of David because that's what he has been studying at church. He and my son both look sunburned and exhausted. This was probably the last time my son's friend will be able to do this. He has joined the Marines and is now at boot camp.

He and my son have been friends since 2nd grade. He and my son played a duet (on trumpet and clarinet) at my son's high school graduation and were in the band at college. My son saw him through a break-up with his fiance and they were prayer warriors for each other. They still are.

Here's the last picture of my son with his friend a couple of days before he left for boot camp. We had a going away party for him and prayed over him. We are so proud of him and thankful to him for his service to our country. He has written a couple of times and it sounds like he's doing well. We've been so happy to hear from him and we sent him off with a phone card and can't wait until he's allowed to call home.

He's like another son to me and we all miss him terribly. He has such a good heart and is so kind. We are praying for him every day and can't wait to see him again.


These young men were just boys yesterday. Time passes so quickly. I can't believe that my son's are grown and that I'm not homeschooling them anymore. It's hard to believe that this other young man is in the Marines! Life really is just a vapor. Treasure your family and follow the Lord with all your heart. In the end, it's what really matters!

God bless you - Julie

Book Review - The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book

I just finished reading this book, "The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book" and I absolutely loved it! I want to give you my review of it, but first, here is some information about the book.

OVERVIEW:

The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book by Chuck Norris
Published by Tyndale House Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-4143-3449-3

Hundreds of thousands of humorous Chuck Norris facts have been published, traveled around the globe via the Internet, and gained on international audience of millions. Chuck Norris facts are a quirky, extremely popular Internet phenomenon that has entertained fans from all over the globe. In the last several years, Chuck Norris has been asked repeatedly from the heartland of America to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, "Which facts are your favorites?" For the first time ever, in The Official chuck Norris Fact Book, Chuck gives readers not only his favorite "facts", roundhouse-kicked by the man himself, but also the stories behind the facts and the code by which chuck lives his life. Fans from every corner of the globe will enjoy both the fanciful and inspirational from on of the world's great action heroes. This book makes the perfect gift.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chuck Norris is a TV and film actor who has starred in more than twenty films and is well known for his popular television series Walker, Texas Ranger. He is also a martial arts expert and a bestselling author of numerous books including Black Belt Patriotism and The Secret Power Within. Norris' nationally syndicated column appears in Human Events, Town Hall, and World Net Daily, among other outlets.

Chuck and his wife, Gena, continue to be involved in many charitable, Christian and civic endeavors, including two trips to Iraq to support American troops, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Veterans Administration National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, the United Way, Etc. Chuck and Gena Norris are also advocates for an elective Bible education course offered now in 475 public school districts in 38 states.

Chuck Norris' greatest mission at the moment, however, is to raise the value and standards of at-risk young people through his KICKSTART organization. KICKSTART is a martial arts program offered to junion high kids in Texas in lieu of their regular physical education classes.

Chuck and Gena and their children live on their ranch near Houston, Texas. For more information on Chuck Norris and the KICKSTART program, go to: http://www.chucknorris.com

MY REVIEW:

As I stated before, I really loved this book. It was funny, thought-provoking, inspiring, and just an overall good read! I was all ready a Chuck Norris fan from way back, but even those who aren't necessarily fans, will find this book good!

At the beginning of each chapter, there is a caricature of Chuck with one of the famous sayings that are so prevalent on the internet and even posters. For instance, one of my favorites is, "Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas to bed at night". Hilarious!! I love Chuck's sense of faith, family and patriotism. He has so many motivational thoughts throughout the book that will make you see how we all have something to contribute and not to give up on our dreams. For myself, I'm definitely keeping this book on my bookshelf to turn to when I need that extra boost to keep going for my dreams. Really - it was that good!

Lest you think this is a book of "look at me, I'm so good" - let me set you straight. Chuck is upfront about his failures as well as his successes. He gives glory to the One that deserves the glory and Chuck's faith in God is evident on nearly every page.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It was SO good and I know you'll love it, too.

(You can find a link to this book on my Amazon.com widget on the sidebar. At less that ten bucks, itwould be a great gift for someone you love or for you! Remember if you go to Amazon.com through my widget, no matter what you buy, I will receive a credit. I so appreciate that!) This book was provided to me for review by Tyndale House Publishers.

Get this book - you'll love it!!

God bless you - Julie