Jesus Calling::The Story of Christmas {review & giveaway}

Happy Advent

Merry Christmas

I am always looking to add to our Christmas season collection of books and after last year's fiasco with over 20 of our books getting wet and then moldy it's even more important to me than ever to build up our collection again. 

Replacing our old favorites and adding new titles is how it'll be done.  Jesus Calling::The Story of Christmas by Sarah Young is a new book out this year and it is so sweet.

First off the dust jacket is sparklized.  And who doesn't love sparkles at Christmas?  Only Grinches and Scrooges that's who.

Then even better than a sparklized cover is the fact that there are three versions of the story on the pages of this book.

There's scripture on each page, which when in hurry tells the whole story in under 6 minutes.  Busy parents still needing to wrap presents on Christmas Eve would never dream of only reading the scripture to get through the book quickly, but I tell you that just in case.

There's also a nice wordy story portion on each page.  It takes the scripture and puts it into story form.  Longer, yes, but beautiful and sweet and meaningful and all the things.  This was my 5 year olds favorite storyline.  

Then there is the Jesus Calling section on each page.  This is written from Jesus' point of view in first person.  Each page has a reminder of what Christmas is all about and what we should be waiting for or doing to get ready for Jesus.

So this is like three books in one.  For super snowy afternoons reading all three sections is a meaningful way to cuddle up on the couch with the kiddos.

Choose to read only one "storyline" on busy days - if you ever have those.

OR

Crazier yet, let the kids look at all the pictures on their own and tell the story in their own words to their siblings.  That's one of my favorites because they add in all kinds of embellishments.

WIN YOUR OWN COPY

You can find the signup form by following this link to enter to win your copy of Jesus Calling::The Story of Christmas.

And it's OK if you simply want to buy it.  Here's my Amazon affiliate link (thank you so much).

It's currently 29% off!!

And since I'm always on the lookout for meaningful Christmas books, what's your favorite?  Share in the comments.  Thanks.

God Bless You & Good Night {Book Giveaway}

As most of you know I review all kinds of media from FrontGate Media.  I especially love children's books and this boardbook was extra sweet.

Bedtime books rank high on my list.  Most authors know that parents are more ready for their children's bedtime than the child is so most bedtime books are short.  Long enough to have some cuddle time, but short enough to get those kids into bed.







God Bless You & Good Night has rhyming phrases which keep the flow going smoothly and really, what child doesn't like to guess what the next rhyming word will be?  I know my kids love that when I read 3 lines of a 4 line rhyme and stop before the last word so they can fill it in.

How can you resist touching that cutsey hedgehog?

God Bless You & Good Night is also a touch and feel book which is so engaging for kids.  Both my five and six year old have thumbed through this book many times just to feel the furry red panda, leathery elephant ear and glittery sky.

If this is sounding like a book you'd love to gift one of the littles on your Christmas list enter to win a copy first, then if you don't win hop on over to Amazon and pick one up.

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Any book that can get these two this close is a winner for sure.

In case you don't win here is my Amazon link where you can purchase your own copy of God Bless You & Good Night Touch and Feel book.

   

Cooking With Mariani Cranberries....Chicken Salad::Sweet & Crunchy

Hi!  If you're here from YouTube, this is my basic chicken salad recipe.  I rarely make this small of a batch though.  Usually I times this by 4 so we can eat on it for a few days.  Warren and I love this so much we can eat it for lunch and supper 3 days in a row before we're ready for a change.  Enjoy!!😋

We grow cranberries.  We sell cranberries.  We eat cranberries.  

Mariani Packing Company sent me samples of their sweetened dried cranberry products to review.  They also graciously agreed to send a box with these exact items to one lucky reader.  Enter to win at the end of the post.

UPDATED:  The winner of the pictured items (below) is Andrea G.  How cool is it that I know her in real life.  Be sure to send me your address so the products can be shipped out right away.

One of my favorite ways to eat sweetened dried cranberries is in chicken salad.  Chock full of lean chicken, crunchy celery, chewy cranberries, and nutty almonds, chicken salad can be eaten on a bed of lettuce (my way) or on a buttery croissant (Warren's way).  Either way, it's awesome.  Here's my recipe for Chicken Salad:  Sweet and Crunchy.

The good stuff.

Mix it all together, and that's it.  These Mariani cranberries are soft and chewy - very tasty, too.

On a buttery croissant or on a simple bed of lettuce, this chicken salad can't be beat.

Mariani Packing Company also sent along the snack size boxes of cranberries.  I love these snack boxes.  They are perfect for lunch boxes - a great way to add a little fiber and cancer fighting antioxidants.  And there's just something fun about having your own little box of dried fruit.  Homeschooling teens and toddlers alike can enjoy cranberries as a snack.  

The many faces of a 2 year old eating cranberries.

We also sampled their Honey Bar - Cranberry.  It's basically a nut and fruit trail mix held together with honey.  Not so much a winner with the 2 year old, but Amber (a teen) really likes them.  As a mom, I like the list of ingredients:  cranberries, raisins, apricots, peanuts and honey.  You really can't get much simpler than that.

The 10 ounce bag of cranberries is plenty big, so after making the Chicken Salad:  Sweet and Crunchy, I whipped up a batch of Cranberry Pecan Cowboy Cookies.  The cranberry flavor really shines when mixed with oatmeal and pecans.  Stay tuned for a future post with the cookie recipe.

The winner will receive:
10 ounce bag of Mariani dried cranberries
6 pack of Snack size cranberries
3 Honey Bars - Cranberry

 a Rafflecopter giveaway


Winner will be announced next Saturday.

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