"The Machine" by Bill Myers

Book Summary:  When their mother dies, twin siblings Jake and Jennifer are forced to move to Israel with their seldom seen archaeologist dad. When their father creates a machine that points to the truth, the twins are in for the adventure of a lifetime. They soon discover how all things will work together for good to all those who love God.

I absolutely LOVE the premise of this story.    The idea that the very rocks will call out and praise God is Biblical - but if they could share what they have 'seen,' can you imagine the stories that they could tell?  I'm only a so-so sci fi fan, but this was really well done.  The tech details were explained enough to be intriguing but were not bogged down in technicalities.  I can completely see how this book would be interesting for the 10-14 year-olds it's geared towards.

The life lessons learned were quite valuable, too.  Jennifer had only a face-value faith at the beginning of the story, and her brother had his own set of issues, but through time, friends, and circumstances, they began to make their faith their own.  Just as importantly, they saw the value of it - and were willing to put themselves on the line to protect it.  By the end of the story Jennifer is showing the reader just how important it is not to compromise on one's values.  We need more of these examples in our culture today!

The plot was full of adventure, with those life lessons mingled in.  I think that this unique combination would be action-packed enough for a tween boy but touchy-feely enough for a girl of the same age, and that brings us to another important point.  

The Machine comes with valuable information for families tucked in at the end.  This is a great feature - just because our kids can read on their own doesn't mean that they have to.  This would make a fun read-aloud for the whole family or as a starting place for a wonderful family discussion.

The only aspect of this story that I was not thrilled about was the crush that one character has on another.  While nothing is discussed beyond whether 'to-date-or-not-to-date' and flirtatious looks, I just don't think that the story had to go there.  Do we really need to have our ten-year-olds debating the merits of dating?  Or is this the perfect way to talk about it in a safe, fun way?  I don't know - my kids aren't that old yet, and so for now, we just don't go there.

All in all, The Machine is a zany, comical, adventurous novel that teaches great lessons at the same time.  It's a keeper.

I received a free copy of The Machine in exchange for an honest review.

This is the Best See The Light Shine Giveaway EVER!

This post contains affiliate links that help to support our homeschooling efforts.  Thanks for using them!

A few months ago My Big Helper tried out See the Light's Art Class I & II DVDs.  We were amazed at how well planned, friendly, and all-encompassing they were.  Having access to such high-quality art lessons has multiplied my daughter's interest in art exponentially, and that has changed our lives in many ways.  (You can read our review here.)

So we're all big fans of See the Light over here, which makes me super happy to tell you that

RIGHT NOW SEE THE LIGHT IS GIVING AWAY A COMPLETE SET OF ART CLASS DVDs!!

This set values at $99.  They've never offered a giveaway this big and may never again, so be sure to enter and throw your hat into the ring to win this amazing prize.

Enter using the widget below.  And if you want to check out what this great series entails?  You can do that here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Labor Day!

It's a holiday weekend, and it's also time to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday.  Happy birthday, Dad!  ;-)

I'll be in and out over the next week as we take a few field trips and spend lots of time with family and friends.  I'll be popping in a few times, though, and I have some great giveaways to share with you in the next few weeks, so be sure to come and check them out!

In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful week.

Inspired Wednesday - Poetry is WHERE?

I'm not a poet.  Definitely.  I'm not a huge fan of poetry, either, at least not the classic kind or the super modern kind, but ....

I love poetry for kids.  The rhythm, the patterns, the excitement on their faces when they get it and see how fun words can be ... it's wonderful.

Of course, being the thematic-type person that I am, I love to match up poetry with our units.  Jack Prelutsky is one of my favorites.  He's the author of Ebenezer Bleezer, a fun poem about crazy ice cream flavors that I'll be using during our ice cream studies next month.

So imagine my delight when I realized that someone has animated it!  You can now WATCH and LISTEN TO Ebenezer Bleezer on YouTube!  Check it out!

So, immediately after watching Ebenezer a few times, I had to search for my other favorite poet, Shel Silverstein, and guess what?  

SHEL SILVERSTEIN HAS HIS VERY OWN YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

I don't look up things on YouTube very often, so perhaps you're not quite as shocked and amazed as I am, but this has great possibilities.

My Little Man's becoming a huge Silverstein fan, and now I can let him watch and listen to his heart's delight (while properly supervised, of course) because my man's watching poetry.

Wait'll his daddy hears about this.  wink.

What has amazed YOU this week?

Last week Kayla at Practicing Prudence shared a post about what submission really means in marriage.  This is not an easy concept to understand, but Kayla's clear words are inspiring.  To find out more, visit Practicing Prudence - and Kayla, please visit our Inspired Wednesday page and take the "I was featured on Washed Up Inspired Wednesdays' button back with you.  

Be sure to check out Stephanie's Inspired Wednesday post over at The Multi Taskin' Mom!

<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>
 

An InLinkz Link-up

GratiTuesday - A Chocolate Cake Date

Way back at the beginning of our public school days, My Little Man and I were inseparable.  We did everything together - and we did a lot of baking.  He liked to make what he called 'earthways' out of the dry ingredients in the mixing bowls. He would push them around with a spoon, stirring and mixing until it was time to add the wet.

We still bake together, but it happens less frequently now - and My Big Helper usually wants in on the action, too.

This summer has been particularly, which caught us all off guard, and while we've spent lots of quality time as a family, it's been different from our usual routine.

So I wasn't too surprised one day last week when My Little Man asked to make a cake.  He was asking for dessert, I get that; but he was also asking for time just with me, time to push around the flour and sugar and do something together.

I couldn't wait.

My Little Man wanted to try a new recipe, so we pulled out a cookbook and found one that sounded good.  He chose a chocolate cake recipe and wanted it in round pans, so we worked together to read and measure. 

He was able to do more than ever before and was determined to run the mixer all by himself.

Hours later, after baking and cooling, we mixed up my grandmother's Peanut Butter Icing recipe and spread it on the cake.  The layers didn't want to come out of the pan and crumbled just a bit, but that didn't phase My Little Man in the least.  He popped a chunk in his mouth and just kept on spreading, eyes twinkling secretively.  Together we ate up the crumbles and pretended that the fanciest of cakes resided on the cake plate.

That night, it did.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Menu Plan Monday - August 26th, 2013

We're back to being all over the place this week.  Between soccer practice, a soccer scrimmage, and heading away for a landmark birthday celebration, I don't think we'll be here much - and when we are, 'easy' will be the name of the game.

Just being honest.

My Big Helper did finally get to make dinner, though, and she did a fantastic job.  She chose to make tacos with refried beans and a salad, and it was fun to see how happy making dinner for everyone made her.  She was surprised by how easy it was to make, and when she was done, she declared herself a master chef and decided we should have tacos every night. 

Ahem.

The day before My Little Man decided we needed a chocolate cake and that he was the perfect man for the job.  Turned out he was, because he made a pretty amazing cake.  He tried out a new recipe that was a bit crumbly but tasted great - and he used this family favorite recipe for the icing:  Peanut Butter Icing.

This week, the weather looks great, and I don't think anybody's fighting over kitchen duties.  I might be on my own this week. 

Here's the {tentative} plan:

Breakfasts:

- Cinnamon Almond Granola and fruit
- Scrambled eggs and bananas
- Chocolate chip muffins, fruit
- Hearty Breakfast Casserole
- Leftover pancakes, see below

Dinner:

- "Best Ever" Cheesy Grilled Potatoes with ham & broccoli, watermelon - still haven't made this!
- Pancakes, sausage, fruit
- Baked potatoes with cheese, ham, and veggies
- Foil babies - sausages, potatoes, peppers, and onions grilled, fruit
- Leftovers

I'd like to make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars and maybe some Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (CCC), too.

What are you cooking this week?

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit OrgJunkie.

When There's Nothing Else to Do

Sometimes life is just not pretty.  Sometimes it's not happy or lovely or comfortable.  Sometimes it seems pretty depressing - as if there's just no hope of anything getting better.  We know the end of the story, of course - everyone who knows Jesus gets a happy ending. When that happy ending isn't in sight, though, sometimes it's difficult to remember.

We recently lost someone in my extended family, and it was very sad.  The circumstances were awful, and it's hard to know how to reconcile that.

While that person is gone, I want to do something for the family he left behind - but from 450 miles away, in this sort of situation, what do you do?

Baking something or sending flowers are great options normally.  They will at least let someone in need know that someone cares and perhaps even meet a physical need temporarily.

I'm too far away to do those things very easily, though.

This has been going around and around in my head for several days now, and I keep coming back to the story of Job.

When Job seemingly lost everything - his wealth, his family, his possessions, his reputation, even the support of his wife - only one friend stood by him.  While they eventually talked a bit, for the most part, faithful Elihu just sat there.

He didn't bake anything or bring anything or offer frustrating platitudes.  He was just there.  He offered his presence.

Again, I can't very easily span the 450 miles home, but I know Someone who can.  Rather than be the last thing we should do when we're full of excitement or sorrow, it should be the first.

We can pray.

And so I've been praying for this family, and as I've been doing so, another has popped into my radar.

An author whose books I've read is sick.  She has ovarian cancer.

While she hasn't tried to hide it, I've felt guilty as I've noticed people talking about it around the web and it's caught my attention.  I'm not sure I'd want to be the subject of chatter for this reason, and yet she's apparently okay with it - and I've realized that they're not gossiping, but asking for prayer.

Now it's become more urgent.

The doctors can do nothing else, and so DiAnn Hunt's time on earth is limited.  She remains faithful and full of praise, even in this season, but for her, there is something else we can do.

We can, of course, pray for her and her family - but her friends are also passing along cards on her behalf.

If you'd like to send a card, author Kim Vogel Sawyer will see that she gets them.  Just write 'DiAnn Hunt' on the outside of the envelope.

Send to:
Kim Vogel Sawyer Ministries
P.O. Box 304
Kingman, KS 67068

I think our family will be making cards this afternoon.  Who do you know who might benefit from one?