Willie Out West, a book review

Willie Out West
By Rhonda Walker
Published by WestBow Press

Description:

Young Willie Walrus leaves his ice home to travel on an adventure to Big West, where the town’s citizens desperately need help. Arriving to cheers, he quickly runs into Old Walter, the One-Eyed Whale. Colorful illustrations and action in Willie Out West takes readers to an old West town where the citizens expect Willie to save them. Can he?

My thoughts:
There are several adorable and endearing qualities of this book but I don't know if it is quite enough to make it a keeper in the bookshelf. At first I was at a loss because it didn't pull me in. It starts off with Willie being bored and sounding spoiled saying that he wants to do something exciting but then an octopus shows up and chooses him for an adventure to take back the town but then hides when the bad guy approaches. I guess my biggest issue with the book is the inconsistent characters and not being polished enough. I think it has potential to have a really cute lesson (bullying and not being afraid) but it just doesn't quite get to the place that would keep the kids engaged. The illustrations are cute though and the ending was nice and I liked how it was left at not knowing if his adventure was real or a dream but still had an impact anyway.


I received this product for the purpose of review from Book Look Bloggers. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Inside the Cover: NIV Bible for Men by Zodervan

Contents:
260 Daily Readings to help you build and maintain a pattern of engaging with God's Word as you wrestle with the issues you face as a young man in today's world.
52 Myths to help you examine common assumptions from the perspective of what God says in his Word
A Topical Index that allows you to access the daily reading content based on whatever issue you happen to be facing in any particular situation
A Myth Index that allows you to look over the myth statements, and select which ones to investigate

My favorite part of this Bible was probably the devotions and myths. Some of them were pretty funny and definitely were very easy to understand but made you think as well. For example, one talks about how it is manly to show love for God and that it is actually arrogant to not outwardly show it. Then it goes into how David was not a dancer but he danced wildly in his skivvies. The myths turn a spotlight on things that are commonly thought among Christians (and non-Christians) and debunks them ... just like Myth Busters (Bible style) I just like the approach this Bible has and how it is organized.

Now, that being said, I may use this more than my husband because he tends to be loyal to the KJ versions and feels more comfortable with that. However, he has been using this in church though because the readings are usually from NIV.

I feel that it is very important to add things that apply to modern people but not take anything away from the Word and I feel this Bible did a great job doing that. With everything being so fast paced and it being harder and harder to find time to dive into the Bible as much as we should or want, when it keeps you engaged, it really is a great blessing. I definitely can recommend this Bible to any young to old men in faith wherever their walk may be (in it's beginning steps or further down the road).



I received this product for the purpose of review from Book Look Bloggers. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

My dog Cali does not get pampered as much as she should. Really, she's quite lady like and deserves better but with my hectic schedule (college, kids and their school and the house) I really don't have time to keep up with maintaining myself or the kids let alone our furry member. She has desperately needed her claws cut for quite some time. Every time she moves it's like a lady in high heels.... clip clip clip down the hall. Since she follows me EVERYWHERE... this was needing to be addressed.. for herself and my sanity.

I was given the opportunity to check out the RollinPets nail clippers and massage brush and boy was it good timing. Let me just say... it's obvious I need to do it a lot more. Cali still follows me around but I swear she is scowling at me. She's more reluctant to give me her paw now. However, I did not have an accident with cutting her and it was very quick.

First of all, these clippers are nice and rugged made with stainless steel and nice thick rubber coating on the handles. I have another pair kicking around somewhere and they are no where near as sturdy and the release switch came apart. So I need to dig my finger in the small crack to try to flip it so that way they open to cut her claws. Maybe this is why I have been lazy with the grooming. But the safety lock on the clippers from RollinPets is large and stainless steel so it is not coming apart anytime soon. There is the handy nail guard too so people that are not that experienced doing the claws can be more confident in not hurting their pet.

Cali really didn't love me holding her paw still all that much but I clipped them just a little because I am going to gradually get them to wear they should be but she seemed to perk right back up when I used the massage brush on her afterward. It was a nice treat after the torture and was a big hit with her. This kit comes with a great little stow away bag and awaits the next grooming session in a couple weeks. You can get these clippers for $25.99 free shipping (prime) on Amazon here. If you are needing to buy a pair or wish to replace the ones you have, I would highly recommend these because they seem like they may stand the test of time and they cut nice and easy. I don't feel like I am going to crush her claw or not be able to cut through.

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!



I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Orchid 80GSM Origami Paper Review

     When I was a kid, I used to make all kinds of things from paper.  I had sailor hats and drinking cups down to a science.  I knew how to fold notes to pass in class and I knew how to make boxes from Christmas cards.  It was so much fun.  And what's also cool is writing special messages or writing prompts on strips of paper and folding them into stars to place in a jar for your writing desk or for gift giving.  There is so much awesomeness that comes with paper crafts.

     That's how I know that the child receiving this cool set of Origami Paper by Orchid is going to love it.  They happens to be a fan of Origami and these papers are perfect for it.  They are 6"x6" square sheets in a pack of 500.  There are 10 colors in all and of those colors, there are several sets of coordinating colors.  It also came with a, origami ebook.

     I found the paper easy to fold because it was thin, but not so thin that you risked ripping it.  The creations that my daughter and I made are a nice size and didn't become too hard to fold on the small parts.  The papers create the perfect sized envelopes for gift cards and boxes that can hold a pair of ear buds or jewelry.

     The colors are pretty and the pages are colored on only one side.  I like this feature because it adds a good amount of contrast and helps you keep sides from getting confused when folding. the paper.  I would recommend this paper for origami, whether for yourself or for someone on your gift list.

     Do you do origami?  To learn more, check out Orchid on Amazon.com
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own. 

Guest Post by:

Starbucks.. how dare you!

I have become a lot more outgoing lately and tend to speak my mind even more than I used to ever do .. which was enough, but I have to go on a little vent here. We have been changing into a world where everything has to be PC and no one can be offended at all ..but yet we are offended over everything little thing. We have no backbone and the "all inclusive" movement is making it so no one feels included. That being said... there are times where christian activists make me mad! Now, I don't like Starbucks. They are too expensive and I don't like the taste. I lied.. I like the caramel macchiato. Anyway, but this whole red cup thing is insane! Just like the greeting of Merry Christmas, this change of color is supposed to make you feel warm for the holidays. It is a well wishing and festive dressing whether there is a reindeer, dove, cross or tree, it is meant to be a subtle holiday dressing for their cups.

What is a movement on the "outrage" of taking Christ out of Christmas... which is a stretch here by the way, going to do for you besides leave more of a bad taste in people's mouth about Christians? I am begging you to stop! We have enough as Christians to defend in love, do we really need to fight unimportant battles on what color the paper cups are at Starbucks??! On a regular basis I defend Christianity. I am not crazy, yes I do believe there is ONE God, no I don't think it's weird to praise God in church and I do find church important. It's my fuel for the week. I need it to get through. I think God would look at this movement with irritation not pride with his believers that are participating. When we can't look at the whole picture and see that we are arguing something so irrelevant but it's changing how people perceive the faith... then motives as to why we are arguing come into play. I have a saying that I will make a image for to share here shortly..but for the church I go to I tell people that we will not Bible thump you, we love our faith way too much to turn you away from it. This should be the case with all Christians. Stop turning people away from us and our faith! Care more about how your behavior and being a light than about the number of views your sharing gets. I like the red cups.


 The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Inside The Cover: NIV Bible for Teen Girls by Zondervan

About this version:
This Bible is in the NIV translation. The goal behind the NIV translation is to take the living word of God and put it into terms that every English speaking person can easily understand. With older translations it was difficult for people to understand through the terms like "hath" and "begat". This particular Bible is also geared for teen girls. This means that they focused on issues teen would be facing and putting it into a format that jumped out to them and also put in extras that would bring it to life.

What I think:
I have always leaned towards teen Bible's because of the format they are put in. I love reading fiction for young adults as well. I may be 31 but I still don't like things to bore me or reading things that make me wonder. What I like most about Bibles that are for young adults is that they put real life examples and clearly define what is meant by the text. They inspire more hope and give greater understanding. The NIV Bible for teen girls is a great addition to our library and has become my go to Bible for church. Let me talk about the contents a bit.

First of all, it is hardcover, which I love. It make it more durable and easier for me to navigate with the cover bending. It starts off like any other with the Table of Contents, then has the books of the Bible, table of weights and measures (so we can see how much something would be for us today), the Topical Index (which is an index that shows you where to find verses or stories by topic such as "Picking yourself back up"), then there is the Index of Women of the Bible (to empower our young women to model themselves after the great women of the Bible), an index of Devotions for Growing in Faith, Hope and Love and then ends with the Concordance.

As you can see, there are so many things offered with this Bible. Each book has an introduction page. It tells when the events in the book happened, who was involved in the events, has a verse or two that you may recognize in the upcoming book and an overview of what the book is about and what is happening and how it can relate to us. All the fulfilled promises are highlighted in pink and throughout this Bible are fantastic devotions. This is the Bible I read to my kids at night with and take to church. It is exactly everything I need and like in my Bible because I feel that it should be more than just a text style book that you need to decipher and learn from. I am all about things coming to life so I retain it and understand it more and that is exactly what you get here. If you have a teen girl or like myself, like the young adult geared Bibles, this is a great option. Right now you can buy it on Amazon for $39.22 here.


I received this product for the purpose of review as part of the Book Look blogging program. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Inside the Best Cover: Faith Girls Bible (NIV) by Kidz Bibles

I am always open to getting new Bibles. I love when easier to understand versions come out and I especially love when they are really engaging. I get even more excited when it comes to one that will get the kids reading it more. I am currently on the look out for my next new Bible. For now, I have found the perfect one for my nieces. The faithgirlz Bible from kidz Bibles is fantastic! There are so many things about it I love that I could gush for an hour. I will shorten the gushing for you and tell you just the very top features that this Bible offers. First off, this Bible is NIV, so it is easier for the kiddos to understand. It has 7 different features throughout this book that will get them to not only understand what is happening but enjoy learning about it as well. My favorite is the Bring it On sections. They are like choose your own adventure books but Bible lesson style. For example, the one I added to the picture below reads...

When I feel frustrated and jealous, I:

A: Keep it to myself - and maybe pout.

B: Vent to somebody - or at somebody.

C: Try to get back at someone.

Then on the next page you see..

If you answered....

A: Go to Ephesians 4:25-27

B: Go to James 3:3-6

C: Go to Luke 6:27-31

I love that! How fun and enlightening!

The Oh, I Get It features help take all the really tough information and breaks it down to their level. This is really useful for those stories that are hard to understand... even for us adults. There are Book Introductions where each book of the Bible has it's own introduction and an explanation of how they apply to our lives. Verses can easily be memorized with the Treasure This sections and there are even places where they can tell a Bible story in their own words. 

If you can't tell, I am super excited over this version. I think it is exactly what kids need today and I want one that doesn't look so kiddish on the cover for myself! Honestly if it didn't look so young, I would sneak it into my Bible case because I could use it too. Oh, and the cover is hardcover with a magnetic clasp on the overlap, which only makes this Bible cuter. Ok, I will stop gushing but you can get your own copy... which I don't know why you wouldn't want .... to on Amazon by clicking here for $28.22. This will be one that stands the test of time as long as it's taken care of. It is well protected with the wraparound hard cover. So happy reading girls!

I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.