Book Review and Giveaway: The Pirate and The Firefly

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I have a great children's book to review and giveaway for today's post. The name of the book is "The Pirate and The Firefly" and it was written by Tara McClary Reeves and Amanda Jenkins. 

The book is about a little boy named Oliver who dresses like a pirate and runs with a gang of scalawags (my words, not the authors'). Oliver's friends are often up to no good and try to pressure Oliver, who goes by Ollie, to join in their mischievous adventures. Ollie starts questioning the bad behavior of his supposed friends and talks to his mom about it. The friends start pressuring Ollie into more bad behavior and ask him to "walk the plank" at a birthday party but Ollie doesn't want to do any of these things. 

A firefly named Phineas befriends Ollie and tells Ollie that he should let the Bible be his guide. Phineas reminds me of Jiminy Cricket a bit. Instead of the crew turning Ollie into a bad pirate, he turns the crew into a good gang and they go about helping others. 

The story is based on Psalm 1:1-3 which states, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in the step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers."

This is a great book to help teach children to make the right decisions and stand up for what is right. It has very colorful and adorable illustrations by Daniel Fernandez and would be a great addition to any child's library. It is available from Amazon as well as other retailers. 

If you are interested in a copy for yourself, just leave a comment on this post. I'll leave the comments open until Sunday evening at 9:00 p.m. Central and the winner will be announced that night. 

Thanks for reading and good luck!

And The Winner Is...

First of all, I would like to say thanks to all those who commented! I am so thankful to those of you who have been stopping by for a the last few years and am also grateful to those new people who stopped by recently for this giveaway. I hope all of you will come back often to read and say hello.

So, without further ado, the winner of "Home Is Where My People Are" is comment number 3, Meri. Congrats Meri and thanks again to all of you who left a comment. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Blogiversary Number Six and A Giveaway

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My blogiversary is this week! On Thursday, it will be six years that I've been telling you stories and boring you to tears here at The Chronicles of Nat. Some times the posts aren't so bad, other times, they leave a lot to be desired, all the time I am thankful for the five of you who stop by to read what I have to say; especially those of you who take the time to leave a comment. When I started blogging I think I secretly thought I would become a famous writer like The Pioneer Woman. Instead, I'm just the same gal I was six years ago, only a little older and hopefully a little wiser. 

This week to celebrate yet another blogiversary, I'm having a giveaway. Some of you are probably familiar with The Boo Mama blog. Well, Sophie has written another book called "Home Is Where My People Are" and although I haven't yet read it, I have no doubt it is absolutely delightful. So, in honor of my blogiversary, I'm giving away of Sophie's new book. If you'd like to be entered to win, just leave a comment on this post. The giveaway will stay open until Friday, January 30 at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced on Saturday, January 31 - provided I don't forget! 

As always, thanks for reading and good luck to those of you who enter!

Redbook L'Oreal House Party

Recently, I was selected to host a House Party for Redbook and L'Oreal. The party was this past Monday night, and nine of my favorite friends were in attendance for a night of food, fun and laughter. 

The party started at 6:00 p.m. and we kicked things off with, what else, food. I cooked a plethora of snack foods including a cheese ball, chicken ball, spinach dip, tea cakes and other goodies. The food was good if I do say so myself and I think everyone enjoyed it. 

During the party, two brave souls sampled the L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Eye Smoother. Erika and Leah agreed to let me take before and after pictures of their eyes. Sadly, I didn't get an after photo of Leah. I did, however, give the product a try myself the next night and have posted a before and after of me and Erika here. I'm not sure if you can tell or not, but the product works well. I even had some people text me the next day saying they tried it at home and that it worked and they liked it. 

During the party we all also received a full sized lip balm as well as more samples from L'Oreal which included shampoo and conditioner, and Revitalift Miracle Blur for the face. One of the best things we all received was a free one-year subscription to Redbook. I also sent the girls home with cards to give a friend for a subscription. Since I had a few cards left over, I also sent a subscription to my mom and my Aunt Linda. I think everyone will really enjoy the magazine. 

I actually have two free subscriptions left to pass out. So, if you are interested in a free one-year Redbook subscription, leave a comment and let me know and I'll see about sending one your way. If I get more than two comments requesting a subscription, I'll use random,org, otherwise, I'll contact you to get your mailing information. 

The Redbook L'Oreal House Party was a super fun night for me and my friends. A big thanks to all the sponsors, House Party, Redbook and L'Oreal for providing us with a fun excuse to get together and have some fun! 

And The Winner Is...

I'm a day late posting the winner; so, I guess I should say sorry about that. Hopefully it was worth the wait for Comment #2, Candy, who is the winner of the most recent book giveaway. Congrats, Candy! I know your JC will love this book!

Book Review and Giveaway: The Desperate Diva Diaries

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Today's book review is of a delightful book for the tween in your life. It's the first book in a series called "The Desperate Diva Diaries" . This particular book is subtitiled: "Catie Conrad: Faith, Friendship, and Fashion Disasters!" It is written by Angie Spady and illustrated by Channing Everidge. Here's a blurb about the book and series...

"Meet Catie Conrad – a typical tween Christian girl with, oh, the weight of the world on her shoulders. And if it isn’t bad enough – no one seems to understand the social pressures of being the greatest at everything, donning the latest fashion and carrying the trendiest technology Catie’s dad is about to uproot her and her family to an Indian reservation during spring break for his job. Throw in a school dance, a major art contest and an arch nemesis known only as Miranda Maroni and there’s bound to be an epic meltdown of biblical proportions. Or, maybe not.

The first book in a new series titled "Desperate Diva Diaries," "Catie Conrad: Faith, Friendship, and Fashion Disasters," chronicles both the small triumphs and general mishaps of sixth-grade Christian want-to-be diva Catie Conrad. While her Christian journalist father is often a co-conspirator to making Catie’s life interesting with mission trips and church projects, Catie never ceases to realize God’s hand in all situations."

There are so many things I love about this book. First, it's written like a diary, which is perfect for tween girls. At the beginning of the book, Catie is not even remotely thrilled about receiving a diary from her dad; but, as you might expect, by the end of the book, she really is enjoying writing in the diary, even though she may not say it in so many words. I also love that in addition to the actual words of the diary, there are also great illustrations. It seriously looks like something you might actually see in a young girls' diary. I love also that there is humor throughout the pages. As someone who loves to laugh and deals with most of life in some form of laughter, I can truly appreciate Catie's humor, especially when it is a little sarcastic. What I love most though, is that no matter the situation Catie encounters, she always sees that God is helping/has helped her through the situation through the love and support of her family, friends, and teachers. She knows God is watching over her and will get her through her difficult middle school dramas. 

"The Desperate Diva Diaries" is perfect for the tween girl in your life. I know a few tween gals who I think would love this book. I have no doubt I would have loved it as a pre-teen girl. It's so great that someone has written a book geared towards young girls which helps them understand God's hand is on every aspect of our lives. If you are interested in receiving a copy of this book, simply leave a comment on this post. The giveaway will be opened until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 12 and the winner will be announced on Saturday, September 13. 

Thanks for reading and good luck! 

And The Winner Is...

Congrats to Margaret Stabler on her win of the Graham Blanchard book "Your Core". Please contact me at thechroniclesofnat@gmail.com to claim your winnings. Thanks to Margaret and my cousin Chris who entered the giveaway. I think I'll give Chris my copy of the book just because I'm quite sure this was his first ever time to stop by the blog. Thanks to the five or so people who stop by the read my words. Have a great weekend

Book Review and Giveaway: Your Core

Today’s book review is of a Graham Blanchard children’s book titled, “Your Core” written by Callie Grant and Illustrated by Missi Jay.

I’ve reviewed a few of these Graham Blanchard books before, some of which were written by Callie Grant and they are always delightful. “Your Core” is no exception. It is a great book that describes what a core is, “something on the inside,” and then goes on to describe that we also have cores. Our core is where our soul resides and God fills it with “love, and joy and power”.

“Your Core” is geared towards children ages 0-5 and helps provide an easy understanding of our core, or what makes us who we are.

Graham Blanchard, Inc., founded by Callie Grant, is a “Christian publishing company based in Austin, Texas. They are on a mission to encourage and equip parents to effectively teach their kids about God, even at a very young age. They are the only company specializing in board books that help parents share faith with their children from infancy.”

“Your Core” retails for about $8 on Amazon and would make a great addition

If you are interested in having a copy of “Your Core” by Callie Grant, then just leave a comment on this post. The nice folks at Shelton Interactive have once again been kind enough to provide a copy for one of you dear readers.

The giveaway will be open through Thursday, September 4 at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced on Friday, September 5. Thanks so much for reading and good luck!

And The Winner Is...

Congrats to Meri Brown, winner of the recent giveaway "The Hope Quotient". Thanks for reading, everyone and have a good weekend!

Book Review and Giveaway: The Hope Quotient

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Today, I have the privilege of reviewing for you a book by Ray Johnston titled, "The Hope Quotient." I don't know if I've mentioned it on the blog before, but I know I've talked with close friends about how I feel like hope is often cruel. Sometimes, it seems like when we are given hope, it become crushed and we end up with shattered hopes and so when I was given the opportunity to read and review this book, I decided to take it because a more positive spin on hope might not be such a bad thing. 

The book is a little over 200 pages long and an easy read. Mr. Johnston tells personal stories and uses a lot of humor to communicate his points making the book flow very easily. The books begins with an introduction of IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient) and then asks a series of questions ending with "Why are some people just personally, emotionally, and relationally in better shape?" Mr. Johnston, after seven years of research and study of people, has come to the conclusion that it has to do with your HQ, or Hope Quotient.

The book is divided into three parts - Part One - The Single Most Important Thing to Do, Part Two - Seven Factors That Raise Your Hope Quotient, and Part Three - Unleashing a Culture of Hope. Every Section of the book brings out brilliant applications for life that can help us to have a better and more positive outlook and change the way we think and approach various circumstances. In part two, the seven factors that are discussed are as follows: 1) Recharge Your Batteries, 2) Raise Your Expectations, 3) Refocus on the Future, 4) Play to Your Strengths, 5) Refuse to Go It Alone, 6) Replace Burnout With Balance, and 7) Play Great Defense. Within each section are more detailed points such as (for point six) divert daily, withdraw weekly and abandon annually - in other words, take some time for yourself. 

In part three, Mr. Johnston discusses unleashing hope in the following places: marriage, kids, career, church, community, and world and discusses how hope can make all these areas of your life much better and work more smoothly than the do today. 

Overall, I feel like "The Hope Quotient" was a very good book with lots of great points and theories that when put to use will probably make an impact for the positive in your life. Obviously, there will still be bumps along the way; this is, after all, life. However, when using the applications learned from "The Hope Quotient" maybe the bumps won't seem as difficult to traverse as they might have been had you not read this book. 

The nice folks at Shelton Interactive have provided me a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader. If you are interested in winning a copy of "The Hope Quotient" then just leave a comment in this post. The comments will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 21 and the winner will be announced Friday, August 22. Thanks for reading and good luck!

And The Winner Is...

Congrats to Kristina Nicole, winner of "A Christ Centered Wedding", which I know will come in hnady for her since she is getting married later this year. Thanks for entering and have a great Friday!

Let's Start the Week With a Double Giveaway

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Hope everyone had a good weekend! I want to start off the week with a book giveaway - actually, two giveaways! Thanks to the wonderful team at Shelton Interactive, I'm able to offer these giveaways to you this week. I have not read either of these books so I cannot give you a first hand account of either one, but they may appeal to you or someone you know. So, please share the link with your friends. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post indicating which book you would be interested in. I'm going to run the giveaway through Thursday, July 31 at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announce Friday, August 1 - wow, August already! Some information on each of the books is listed below. Thanks for reading and good luck! 

ABOUT "THE RACE"
Winning is in every racer’s blood. They continually push themselves to the edge, physically and emotionally, in pursuit of the checkered flag and a visit to Victory Lane. It is the racer’s way.

We too are racers in the middle of the greatest race known to mankind: life. We want to live in a way that, when we reach our finish line, we can be proud of what we've accomplished. We want to be an example for our family and friends. And if we are a follower of Christ, we want to hear the words “well done my good and faithful servant.”

In The Race, Motor Racing Outreach leaders Billy Mauldin and Kyle Froman share the lessons they've learned in the pits and among the NASCAR community to help others with their personal mission—preparing for it, receiving it, and then living faithfully on mission.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Billy Mauldin is the president and CEO of Motor Racing Outreach, and has served as chaplain for various racing series including the Unlimited Hydroplane Racing series, American Motorcycle Association and the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series. A lifelong resident of Charlotte, N.C., Mauldin is married to Julie and father of Thor, Titan, Roxy and Daisy. Kyle Froman is the director of development at Motor Racing Outreach, overseeing a network of 40 associate chaplains as well as external donor and relational development. Froman currently lives in Spring Hill, Tenn., and is married to Michelle, with two boys, Micah and Kaleb. Darrell Waltrip is the winner of 84 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ races and a three-time champion. He currently serves as the lead analyst for NASCAR on FOX. He was recently inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and is the author of several books.

ABOUT "A CHRIST-CENTERED WEDDING"
Wedding planning has spawned a major industry. The average cost of the occasion now exceeds $25,000, and societal pressure to create the “perfect day” is so strong that even Christian couples forget what God originally intended for the sacred marriage ceremony.

While paying attention to the good fun that follows that special proposal (the dress, the flowers, the cake, the gatherings, etc.), A Christ-Centered Wedding first serves as a guide to believers who want their wedding to portray the relationship of Christ with the church and to reflect the gospel to all in attendance.

From the start, this thoughtful book looks to the Creator of weddings for guidance in planning by emphasizing the sacrificial love of the Savior more than the modern world’s idealistic view of romantic love. There are chapters filled with practical information about everything from pre-marital counseling and choosing a wedding location to other resources   like a planning checklist and timeline, music suggestions, guidance on potential issues of conflict, a listing of traditional financial responsibilities, sample vows, and other great ideas from couples who have successfully put together a Christ-centered wedding.

ABOUT LINDA STRODE AND CATHERINE PARKS
Linda Strode is a pastor's wife and has been involved in multiple aspects of wedding planning over the years. She survived the bridesmaid fashion horrors of the 70’s and 80’s and has quite a few photo souvenirs to prove it. Linda and her husband, Tom, live in Fredericksburg, Va.
Catherine Parks writes from home in Nashville, Tenn., where she lives with her husband, Erik, and their two young children. She has sung some terribly cheesy songs in weddings over the years, and gave one of the worst rehearsal dinner speeches in history to her college roommate. She blogs at www.catherinestrodeparkscom.

And The Winner Is,,,

Congrats to Erika who left the first comment in the recent giveaway post. She will receive a copy of "Notes from a Blue Bike" by Tsh Oxenreider. Congrats Erika!

Book Review and Giveaway: Notes from a Blue Bike

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Today I am sharing with you a review of "Notes from a Blue Bike" by Tsh Oxenreider which was released earlier this year. Admittedly, the title was what first drew me to the book because as you probably know, I love all things bicycle related. However, the book, which is subtitled, "The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World" is really about so much more than the author's blue bike. 

In today's society, where we are constantly going here and there and caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, it is rare that we actually slow down to catch our breath, let alone attempt to slow down the pace of life. Even I, being single and having no children or husband to shuttle around and look after, often find myself exhausted from the week's activities; so, I can only imagine how those of your with families feel by week's end. 

In "Notes from a Blue Bike", Oxenreider tells the story of how she and her husband decided to intentionally slow down amidst the chaos of every day life. The author and her husband had been living overseas and then all of a sudden found themselves unexpectedly living back in The States. Having been used to a slower paced life while living in Turkey, the commotion of Austin, Texas, was quite a transition for them and their family. The Oxenreider's found themselves, in short, unhappy with their lifestyle and they longed for the more relaxed life they had experienced while living overseas. 

The family ended up moving to Bend, Oregon (also home to US Cyclist Chris Horner, just saying, y'all!), hoping that a smaller town might cure the problems of hurrying here, there and yonder, but as it turns out, it wasn't the city that was the problem. The Oxenreider family suffered the same hectic lifestyle in Bend that they had in Oregon. It was when Tsh took a trip to visit friends in Virginia that she outlined a map to her family's blueprint for a less chaotic and more intentional way of living. 

The book is very well written and really reads closer to a novel than a biography of sorts. Mrs. Oxenreider's story telling flows easily through the pages of the book, making it an easy read. By no means is this a "how to" book on changing your lifestyle or for creating an intentional life for your own family, it's just the story of how the Oxenreiders were able to do this for their own family which may in turn help or inspire you to make changes for your family. 

More about the author: Tsh Oxenreider is the founder of TheArtofSimple.net (previously Simple Mom) a popular community blog dedicated to the art and science of simple living. She's the author of "Organized Simplicity" and "One Bite at a Time", a regular contributor to (in)courage.me, an advocate for Compassion International, and a top-ranked podcaster. A graduate of the Univeristy of Texas, Tsh currently lives in Bend, Oregon with her family.

The nice folks at Shelton Interactive have arranged for me to provide a copy of "Notes from a Blue Bike" to one lucky reader. If you are interested in a copy of this book, just leave a note in the comments section of this post. The contest will run through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, and the winner will be announced on Friday, July 25. Thanks for reading, and good luck! 

And The Winner Is

Congrats to comment #1, Jackie, winner of "Raising a Princess" by John Croyle. A copy will soon be on its way to you! Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great weekend!

Book Review and Giveaway: Raising a Princess

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I've got a book review and a giveaway to start of this first week of June. The book is "Raising a Princess" and it is written by John Croyle. Those of you who are Alabama fans probably know John Croyle as a former defensive end at the University of Alabama; but, Croyle is also a father, and the founder of Big Oak Ranch, a home for abused and neglected children.

The subtitle to "Raising a Princess"is "8 Essential Virtues to Teach Your Daughter." The book is loosely based on the Proverbs 31 women and when you take the first letter of the eight virtues, you get the word "princess" These are virtues we as grown women should remember to uphold as well.

The eight virtues are as follows:

Praiseworthiness - A princess is made in the image of God and is therefore worthy of praise. "Your daughter's worth, just like yours, comes from what God sees when he looks at her.

Righteousness - She chooses to make others feel loved and special by choosing to live God's normal, which may not necessarily be the world's normal.

Initiative - "Be open to what God has in store for her, and don't focus on imposing your own agenda." Let your daughter not only see you succeed, but also let her see you fail and how you handle both of these circumstances.

Nurture - Teach your daughter how to nurture others, but also show her there is a difference in caring for others and not being a doormat for others to walk all over.

Character - "Character is the joy of running the race set before you and feeling God's pleasure as a result." This section speaks of raising a daughter with good character, of forgiving her when she makes bad choices and not rescuing her from the consequences of those bad choices.

Empowerment - Teach your daughter to pray, to trust God, to be confident and satisfied, but still hungry.

Servant-Heartedness - A person with a servant heart does for others for the good of others, not for the recognition that comes along with good deeds. Don't be self-centered, and do practice serving others every day.

Stability - Provide stable parenting for your daughter. Help her to know you will always love her, never lie to her and always be there for her.

"Raising a Princess" is a really great book for parents raising daughters. It's definitely one I plan on keeping and hope to read again one day if the Lord sees fit to bless me with a daughter. There are lots of great lessons and teachings in this book that we should pass on to our daughters to help them become the Godly women we want and need them to be.

I'm happy to announce the nice folks at Shelton Interactive have provided me a copy for giveaway. If you are interested in reading "Raising a Princess" by John Croyle, then leave a comment on this post and you will automatically be entered to win. The contest will be open until Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and I'll announce the winner on Friday. Thanks for reading and good luck!

And The Winner Is...

Thanks to all of you who entered the recent blogiversary giveaway! I appreciate you all stopping by and saying hello. With any luck, I'll be able to keep the blog going for another five years and more and I hope you'll continue to stop by and give me your two cents worth. It certainly makes blogging so much more fun when I hear what you have to say.

So, without further ado, I present to you the winner of the Come Home to Supper cookbook - comment number two...Mary McLaughlin. Mary, send me an email and we'll work out the details of getting the book to you.

Thanks again for reading everyone! Have a great weekend!

A Five-Year Blogiversary and a Giveaway

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Y'all! As of Wednesday, January 29th, I've been blogging for five years! How crazy is that? It's even crazier that people are still coming around each week to listen to the mundane details of my life. I can hardly believe it! A lot has happened over the last five years, most of it has been documented on these blog pages and it's often fun to look back at what was going on and especially interesting to read what some of you had to say about it in the comments. I want to thank you for reading and for coming back and reading some more. It's been a lot of fun and I hope I keep it up for another five years and more! 

In honor of my five year blogiversary, I'm hosting a giveaway. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to give away. I usually give away a cookbook of some sort and kind of wanted to stick with that, but at the same time, had no idea what cookbook I would like to give away because none were currently on my radar. Then, from the depths of my brain, I remembered a recent conversation I had with Erika. She mentioned that Christy Jordan, author of the Southern Plate blog, had come out with a second cookbook, and apparently I was asleep under a rock when that happened because I had no idea. At any rate, Christy is a fellow Huntsvillian and I felt like supporting someone from my city and giving away a great cookbook at the same time. Well, I'm assuming it's great. Her first one was great, so I can only assume the second one is as well. 

So, if you want to enter to win a copy of Come Home to Supper by Christy Jordan, then just leave a comment on this post. The giveaway will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, January 30 and the winner will be announced on Friday, January 31. Thanks so much for reading everyone, and here's to another five years!

And The Winner Is...

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for the Callie Grant children's books published by Graham Blanchard. I realize I'm a little late in announcing the winner, but that's because I did not get on the internet on Sunday and really, there's nothing at all wrong with that. So, without further ado, the winner of the books is comment number three, Island Blessings. I'll be in touch about your win! Thanks again for entering everyone! Have a great week!

And The Winner Is...

Thanks to the five folks who entered The Pioneer Woman cookbook giveaway I hosted this week. I really expected more than five people to enter, but hey, what do I know. The winner of the cookbook is commenter number 5, Meri.

Yes, Meri sits by me at work and yes, I made her enter the contest so I guess she has me to thank for winning the cookbook. Meri is a good cook though so I know the book will be put to good use.

Thanks again to the five people that entered, and Merry Christmas to you all!