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Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

October 11, 2015

The Very First Christmas {Book Review}

The Berenstain Bears: The Very First Christmas

By Jan and Mike Berenstain
About the book:

A Christmas story from the bestselling Berenstain Bears Living Lights series. 

The bestselling Berenstain Bears brand and Living Lights series continue their proven tradition of teaching children valuable lessons in a fun and creative way. In the affordable 8×8 softcover format, The Berenstain Bears and the Night Jesus was Born gives fans of the Berenstain Bears the story of Jesus’ coming … from the angel’s announcement of a new baby to the visit of the three wise men.

Oh, how the Berenstain Bears remind me of my childhood.  I absolutely loved getting lost in those books.  And I seem to remember cartoons of the books as well.  I’ve always adored this cute little bear family, and was so excited to get one to review.  Of course, it will also make it’s way to my Sunday School class to be read to some sweet littles as well.

This book is beautifully written and illustrated. It shouldn’t surprise me, every Berenstain Bears book I’ve ever read was incredible. I love how they told the story just the way it is written, and in a way that children can understand it.  Isn’t it so important to tell our littles the true meaning of Christmas?  This book does just that!  

This book was provided to me free of charge by Book Look in return for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Stan and Jan Berenstain, often called The Berenstains, were American writers and illustrators best known for creating the children’s book series The Berenstain Bears.

In an interview about the books, the Berenstains said that a big reason behind their inspiration was some of the difficulties parents faced, as well as some childhood tribulations when they were kids themselves. The Berenstains also noted there were some issues which seemed to appear in every generation, such as kids throwing tantrums in public places, which made important subject matter for their stories. However, they deliberately wanted to steer clear of overly heavy issues, such as violence. In their later years, critics sometimes dismissed the books for having social attitudes stuck in the 1950s along with the bears’ clothing styles and penchant for activities such as playing jacks and hopscotch, even though they did change with the times somewhat by introducing things like video games and cell phones.

Filed in: book review, Uncategorized • by Amy • Leave a Comment

September 24, 2015

Thankful {Book Review}

Thankful
By Eileen Spinelli 

About the book:

Bestselling and award-winning children’s author Eileen Spinelli combines charming rhymes and whimsical illustrations to convey the importance of being thankful for everyday blessings. Thankful, by bestselling and award-winning children’s author Eileen Spinelli, combines charming rhymes and whimsical illustrations to convey the importance of being thankful for everyday blessings. Like the gardener thankful for every green sprout, and the fireman for putting the fire out, readers are encouraged to be thankful for the many blessings they find in their lives. 

Spinelli exhibits her endearing storytelling with this engaging poem, reminding children how blessed and special they are. Meant to be read aloud, this heartwarming picture book will be a treasured keepsake for parents and children alike.

One thing is for sure, I just adore how Thanksgiving and this season give us a good reminder to be thankful.  And this book is a great way to convey that to the littles in my Sunday School class!  Thankful by Eileen Spinelli is an absolutely wonderful book to remind children to be thankful. I love that this book teaches children to be thankful for the everyday little things in life. It’s easy to be thankful for the big things but when you focus on the little things you can truly see how blessed you are. This book has beautiful illustrations and my kids enjoy reading it!

This book was provided to me free of charge by Book Look in return for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Eileen Spinelli is a poet and picture book author with a talent for lovable stories that tug at the heart. She is the author of more than forty books for children, including Heat Wave, When You Are Happy, I Know It’s Autumn, Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’, Sophie’s Masterpiece, and Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. Ms. Spinelli lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Filed in: book review, Uncategorized • by Amy • 1 Comment

September 14, 2015

FOURTEEN | BOOKS

Today’s prompt: The 5 books that have impacted your life the most.

I’m a reader, and adore every single thing about books.  So today’s prompt was right up my alley.  If you’ve followed my blog, you know that I routinely do book reviews.  But boy, to only choose 5 books was hard!  But here are my top 5, in no particular order.

Divorce-Proof Your Marriage: 
6 Secrets to a Forever Marriage 
by Gary and Barbara Rosberg  

I read this book during a very difficult time in my life, during my separation.  I absolutely contribute our reconciliation to God’s complete grace and this book.
There was so, so much knowledge and advice in this book and tremendously helped our marriage.  Things I just never would have thought of.  Nine years later there are still times I go back and pull that book out to read over a chapter. 
You can purchase this book HERE.

Intimacy Ignited: 

Conversations Couple to Couple 
by Dr. Joseph and Linda Dillow and Dr. Peter and Lorraine Pintus  

I read this book a few years ago and I loved it.  You can read my review HERE.  I honestly never anticipated it would be one of my favorite books, and one I seriously couldn’t put down.  

This book gives a verse-by-verse exploration of the Song of Solomon and shows that the secret to great sex in marriage begins with a servant heart. To become servant lovers is something the authors are reminding us over and over throughout the entire book. Even giving specific traits what servant lovers do compared to what selfish lovers do, and what we can do towards that goal of becoming one.

You can purchase this book HERE.  

How to Pick Up a Stripper and Other Acts of Kindness: 

Serving People Just as They Are 
by Todd Stevens and Erin Stevens


Let me start out by saying this…I knew within the first 3 pages of this book that God was going to use it to change my life. You can read my entire review HERE.

If you are like me and you want to know how to reach your neighborhood with the love of Jesus, this book is for you. If you feel God is telling you to just go love on people right where they are, then this book is for you. If you feel like we need to SHOW people Jesus love rather than just telling them {although telling them is important too}, then this book is for you.

Time and time again I found myself saying “Shut up, I’ve felt this same way!”. I would read a page, get super excited and tell Joe he HAD to read it. My mind would fill with tons of ideas and my mouth would ramble on and on. So many ideas that I will be putting into effect.

You can purchae this book HERE.

The Unveiled Wife: 
Embracing Intimacy with God and Your Husband 
by Jennifer Smith
I have been reading the Unveiled Wife blog for quite a while now, so I was ridiculously excited to be chosen to be on Jennifers book launch team!  You can read my full review HERE.

As I began reading the book, I was blown away by how much I could relate. I wish I could put into words how this book spoke directly to my heart. I absolutely couldn’t put it down, I felt as if I was reading my own story.

So many times I had to cry with her. The feelings she experienced and the situations they were in, I could relate to. Her insecurities created so many other problems in her marriage, my oh my could I relate to that! She so bravely opens up and allows you see the heart change that she allowed God to do in her. How wonderful to know if we allow Him, He can do the same in us!

You can purchase the book HERE.
One Light Still Shines: 
My Life Beyond the Shadow of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting

by Marie Monville


If I could sum up this book in one word it would be AMAZ-WOW-RIFFIC! Y’all, I could not put this book down once I started it. And when I wasn’t reading it, I couldn’t wait until I finished my chores so I could get straight back to reading it. You can read my full review HERE.

Marie revealed her heart through her book and shared her struggles as she began to pick up the pieces and move on after the tragedy. She reflected on God’s love surrounding her and the support of her family and friends as each day passed.


You can purchase this book HERE.

Filed in: blogtember, book review, Uncategorized • by Amy • 3 Comments

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Wife & Mama • Iced coffee seeker & curator of chaos • Collector of words & magic • Obsessed with laughter & bright lipstick • Dreaming & homesteading in the hills of PA

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