”When Jesus Wept” Bodie and Brock Thoene | iPad Giveaway and Facebook Party {4/23}

Celebrate the release of When Jesus Wept with the Thoenes by entering their iPad Mini giveaway and RSVPing to their {4/23} Facebook Author Chat party!

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A brand new iPad Mini
• A book club kit - 10 copies of When Jesus Wept

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 22nd. Winner will be announced at the "When Jesus Wept" Author Chat Party on 4/23. Connect with the Thoenes, get a sneak peek of the next book in the Jerusalem Chronicles series, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be fun giveaways - gift certificates, books, and more!

So grab your copy of When Jesus Wept and join Bodie and Brock on the evening of the April 23rd for a chance to connect with the authors and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 23rd!

"When Jesus Wept" by Bodie & Brock Thoene

Lazarus occupies a surprising position in the Gospel accounts. Widely known as the man Jesus raised from the dead, his story is actually much broader and richer than that. Living as he did at Bethany, near Jerusalem, Lazarus was uniquely placed to witness the swirl of events around Jesus. When Jesus Wept, the first novel in The Jerusalem Chronicles series by bestselling authors Bodie and Brock Thoene, unfolds the turbulent times in Judea during Jesus' ministry, centering on the friendship between Jesus and Lazarus. With rich insights from vineyard owners and vine dressers, the Thoenes explore the metaphor of Jesus as the True Vine, harvesting the ancient secrets found in the Old Testament. Weaving the life of Lazarus, who owned a vineyard, into the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ will help you understand it is the hand of Love Divine that holds the knife, that cuts and breaks with such tender and loving touch, and that we who have born some fruit, after the pruning, can bear much more. 

When Jesus Wept is the best kind of historical fiction:  the kind that drops you headfirst into another era and makes it difficult to return to your own time upon the turning of the last page.  The Thoenes had me questioning from the very first sentence about Lazarus' backstory.  I wanted to know more: What was he like, what happened to him, what did he believe?  I couldn't wait to find out how Lazarus came to be lying dead in the tomb and later resurrected by Jesus.  Prior to reading this book, I had thought little about Lazarus' life, focusing instead on his sisters' joy upon his resurrection, but this story brings into sharp relief the fact that Lazarus was a friend of Jesus', too, and in the perfect position to have known Him well.

From the first I wanted to take this book and read it alongside my Bible; not because I wanted to compare the two texts but because it made me curious about many nuances.  Lazarus' life was not the only story of which I now want more, and I want to reread many to ponder on my own what each person's story could be.

The Thoenes dedication to research shines through on every page:  from the customs of the times to the wine-making process to the large chunks of scripture placed throughout the book and the context into which they are written.  This is not merely a work of fiction but a well-researched supposition, one which we can't know is true but also can't know isn't.  It will help the reader understand the period into which Jesus was born and died and gain a fuller understanding of His movements leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection.

I had a rather large misconception about this book, my first Thoene book, before reading it:  I expected that it was about Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead, and so it is, but the story does not end there.  That is not the climax that I was expecting, and this shift in story line from my expectation to their perfection leaves the reader unsatisfied at the end, not because there is anything missing, but because the story stops.  You will not want it to - despite knowing what happens, having read the Gospels over and over and despite your childhood VBS attendance, you'll thirst for the next step of the story.

To read other reviews in this blog tour, click here; or, to purchase your own copy of When Jesus Wept, click here.

 Bodie and Brock Thoene (pronounced Tay-nee) are bestselling authors of over sixty-five works of historical fiction. Their timeless classics have sold more than thirty-five million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards. The Thoenes have four grown children and eight grandchildren. They divide their time between Hawaii, London, and Nevada.

Find out more about Bodie and Brock athttp://www.thoenebooks.com/.

I received a free copy of When Jesus Wept from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Pink Lemonade (Baked) Doughnuts

I made these doughnuts just before my Big Helper's birthday a few weeks ago, and she was super excited.  A huge lemonade fan, she loved the tartness of these doughnuts - and their pretty pink color didn't hurt, either! 

I loved how quick and easy these doughnuts are to make.  If you pipe the batter into the doughnut pans, it's even easier.

Here's how to make your own Pink Lemonade Doughnuts.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Pink Lemonade cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c. water
• 6 oz. strawberry Greek yogurt
• 1 c. 10X sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1-3 T. milk

Directions:

1. Mix eggs, water, cake mix, and yogurt in a large bowl.
2. Transfer batter to a bag for piping.
3. Butter doughnut pan.
4. Bake doughnuts at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until springy (in texture, not color).
5. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
6. While cooling, make the glaze by stirring 10X sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk together until it resembles a gravy-like consistency.
7. Dip each doughnut into the glaze.
8. Enjoy!

What's your favorite kind of doughnut?

Inspired Wednesday - Take a Break

I love finding exciting things for my kids to do.  They love crafts, baking, exploring maps, playing games, and going on field trips to dig their hands into our current topic of study.  This is exactly what I've always wanted to do.

But .... it's also exhausting.  We rarely do workbooks or worksheets.  No two days look exactly the same, and while our kids are wildly enthusiastic about learning, and I wouldn't change that for anything ... sometimes we all need a break from our unusual routine.

This week we are not setting alarms.  We're  not getting out of bed until we feel like it, and we're not doing anything structured (except for basic chores).  

How does that work?  

I basked outside in the 70-degree sunshine, pulling onion grass from my flower beds, while the kids ran and played.  They used rubber bands and built "bows" from sticks and practiced "shooting" a variety of objects to see which ones worked best.  Sounds like physics to me.  

My Little Man was excited to read the new book he got for Easter, and while I would have loved to listen, he snuggled up next to his big sister and began reading Xander Nash.  Hmmm ... a reading lesson.

Both kids spent time hanging out on the couch, working on sticky mosiacs given to them for Easter.  Art, anyone?  My Little Man continually wanted to know how many tiles he had left of the color that he was working on, and so he counted them over and over, subtracting to find out how many remained.  Math.

Oh, and me?  I'm emptying out my inbox, doing a bit of writing, planning some new field trips, and working on a big stack of ironing - in between observing all the fun that the kids are having.

We enjoy being a bit more structured that this usually, but this kind of break is good for all of us.  With nowhere to be and the freedom to bounce between projects, we're all having a great week.  

Next week we're return to our regular routine, recharged and ready to go.

How often do you take breaks?

Last week In All You Do linked up a post offering a free gardening unit. I love unit studies - they allow us to be thoroughly immersed in our education.  To find out more, visit In All You Do - and In All You Do, please visit our Inspired Wednesday page and take the "I was featured on Washed Up Inspired Wednesdays' button back with you.  

<center> <a href="http://anestintherocks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Nest in the Rocks" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_9UXxvpHihP2_LX14wtPFiUPHRfXtxSHNJodSzTZt0lgD04c9FszjMkaqaez4_hN2Up8YHkAmCaJGRSlhH6e1lEmHKSX4QdlcQAsCFRHjHRbg6S30CYSoJpTfnFA2o55xEhOj-_hEihC/s1600/Button+2.jpg" imageanchor=""/></a></center>

If you have a post about an encouraging activity, project, or trip that you've taken, please link up below and add a link back to this post.  Either way, please read on to find out more about a fun activity that we enjoy here in our nest, and be sure to hop over to Where He Leads, We Follow to check out Stephanie's  Inspiring Wednesday post, too. 

GratiTuesday - Honey, I Shrunk the Couch

My husband decided to buy a couch while we were dating.  He chose a really nice couch and love seat from a major furniture company in High Point, NC, and we drove there together while he placed the order. It was supposed to be virtually indestructible and last forever.

Fast forward 11 years, and said couch is definitely showing its age.  With a few small tears and some major fading of the cushions, it no longer looks new - but the basic bones of the couch is good.  

Except that recently our couch has come under attack.  We've discovered that the stain proofing stuff no longer works - and then someone had a major nosebleed while sleeping on the couch.

I was contemplating slipcovers, when there was another issue lately that rendered two cushions in need of a severe cleaning, and I was at a loss for how to do it.

I considered using my steam cleaner, although I knew that might change the color, when someone casually said, "Why can't you wash it?"

I decided to try it.  My Little Man and I wrestled the heavy cushions out of their cases and placed them carefully into the washer on the 'delicate' cycle with only a tiny amount of soap.  After some deliberation, I decided to wash all four cushions instead of just the two in dire need so that if they did turn some strange new color they would all match.

Afterwards I fluffed - not dried - them and attempted to insert the cushions - but it was harder than I expected.  I realized after returning the cushions to the couch that there was a reason for that:  the cases had all shrunk.

I knew my husband wouldn't be angry about the new couch situation, but I was afraid that he would be upset or discouraged, especially since a new couch is not currently on our horizon.

Instead, when I shared the latest development in our couch saga, he merely laughed.  He joked about it and moved on.

I do have a plan to help hide the new gaps in our couch, into which a small child could now fall, but I'm happy that my husband has a sense of humor about his couch.  I'm glad that he doesn't get upset with me for my creative cleaning issues, and especially that he was able to laugh about it immediately - he was good with it from the start.  

Until then, we're all wiggling about on the couch quite seriously in the hopes that we can spread those cushions out again.

And laughing about the day that Mommy shrunk the couch.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Last Chance for an EduCents Coupon!

EduCents, a new discount curriculum website, launches tomorrow, and everyone who registers in advance (signup is free!) will receive a $10 discount towards their first purchase.  

Below is a sneak preview of what you'll find upon tomorrow's launch.  I'm particularly excited about the foreign language program discounts and the Human Body Detective Mysteries.  These look exciting!

Have you signed up for EduCents yet?

42% off  Curriculum from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

45% off   Health Curriculum for Kids

30% off   Beginner Reading Kit from I See Sam

50% off   Financial Literacy Class for Teens

42% off   French or Spanish Interactive DVDs

56% off    8 Book Learning Package from World Book

65% off   Speed Reading Course

58% off   Classroom Software for Young Readers

* This post contains my affiliate links, and I appreciate you using them!

Menu Plan Monday - April 1st, 2013

It's SPRING BREAK!  I'm super excited about that this week.  Although we tried to take some time off last week, it didn't work - and so we're pressing forward with a more relaxed schedule this week in the hopes of getting lots done (me), trying new artistic endeavors (my Big Helper), and lots of massive Matchbox races (my Little Man).  

Our evenings are a bit crazy, though, as baseball practice has begun and I'm still working with a kids' class at church.  We won't have time for massive meal preparations!

Here's our plan:

Breakfast:

- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal, oranges
- scrambled eggs, fruit
- Cinnamon roll baked doughnuts, fruit
- leftover pancakes

Dinner:
- Pancakes, sausage, fruit
- Lasagna, salad

- Pizza, salad
- Dinner on the run (Field Trip Day)
- Cream cheese chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli
- Leftovers
- Dinner at church

I've been really hungry for some chocolate chip cookies, so I'm hoping to make these sometime this week!

What will you be cooking up this week?

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit OrgJunkie.