Book Review: One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life

I'll admit...I'm a procrastinator.

 So, when I got the chance to review a book called "One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life," I figured it might help me break some of those bad procrastination habits.

The back cover summed me up pretty well: "Are you suffering from "someday" syndrome--always waiting for someday when your schedule calms down, your finances improve, or your kids grow up so you can begin to live the live you've always dreamed of?"

Well, true to form, it has been a year, and I'm just posting my review now.

Don't blame it on the book. It's an excellent book. It has a lot of good advice. It is well-organized and thorough.  But...it takes dedication to work through it.  My procrastination gene overwhelmed the dedication gene, and instead of working through one chapter a day, I would pick the book up once a month or so and read a chapter or two. I didn't do the assignments at the end of each chapter (yet), so I don't think I got the full benefits from this book.

The book is broken down into 30 chapters that address four principles of life change: Living Passionately, Loving Completely, Learning Humbly, and Leaving Boldly. For each chapter, there is a paragraph of questions to make you think about what needs to be changed, more questions to direct you on how to "make it count" and some 'homework' questions to help you "Make it last for life."

This book isn't a magic pill to show you how to get rich, skinny and famous in thirty days. It's an excellent handbook to help you focus on what you need to change in your life -- what should stay and what should go, what's important and what's filler.  It takes commitment to prayerfully and diligently work on it each day, doing the homework and keeping a notebook to keep yourself on track.

There are inspiring stories at the back of the book - people who have taken the 30-day challenge and made a real difference in their lives. I look forward to going through this book again, the right way, and making my own inspirational story.

I received this book from Waterbook-Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

Movie Review & Giveaway: "This Is Our Time"

This week I got the chance to review a new family-friendly movie from PureFlix called "This is Our Time (To Seize God's Calling)." It's the story of five young people who graduate from college with high hopes for making a difference in the world for God.

About This Is Our Time

The movie tells the interwoven stories of Luke (T.J. Dalrymple) and Alé (Erin Bethea), who marry right after school and move to India to serve as missionaries for Embrace A Village, a ministry that cares for those afflicted with leprosy and their families; aspiring financier Catherine (Kate Cobb), who joins a prestigious financial institution determined to make an impact on corporate America; Ryder (Matthew Florida), who lands an impressive job in social media and can’t wait to use the powerful medium for a greater good; and Ethan (Shawn-Caulin Young,) seemingly the odd man out, who struggles to find his God-given-purpose and feels sidelined by God.

“What they all come to learn is that it never really was their time,” Arnold said. “It always was, always is, God’s time.”

This movie is so relevant to young people today - as they seek to find where it is they should serve God with their lives, why God allows bad things to happen to those who are serving Him, and what the true meaning of success is. 

I loved the movie and felt that it had valuable messages for people of all ages. I appreciate the way the movie-makers portrayed a tragic accident without any of the blood and gore that are so much a part of movies nowadays. 

I also loved the fact that the movie showcased an actual ministry! In the movie, Luke and Alé go to India to serve at a ministry called "Embrace A Village". Embrace A Village is an actual ministry that exists to transform the lives of leprosy patients and their families. Fifty percent of all proceeds from this movie will go to the "Embrace a Village" ministry. You can read a blog about the making of the movie at the Embrace A Village Website.

I think this movie would be an excellent addition to any family's video library, and I'd say it's a must for church libraries (that's where my copy is going!). I'm having a giveaway - just click on the Rafflecopter logo below, leave a comment, and you're entered! You can enter once a day! 

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"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Setting Goals for this Month

Wow! It's April! Time is flying by.

My New Year's Resolutions fell to the wayside months ago, so with this new month, I am starting anew. This month, I have some very specific goals.

1. To Lose Ten Pounds
2. To Log 50 miles of walking
3. To stick to a budget and keep grocery purchases under $500 this month
4. To use up the yarn in the ottoman
5. To raise $100 for new basketball uniforms through sales from my PenguinPlace shop

Okay, there they are. Now to explain a bit!

The first one is pretty self-explanatory. I've fallen off the diet and exercise bandwagon, and it's time to hop back on. Ten pounds in one month is doable. I just need to get back to eating healthy and exercising.

Hence goal #2. I keep telling myself I don't have time to exercise.

When the day's mail at work contains a stack of envelopes like this, it's easy to say there isn't time. For the sake of my health, however, I need to make time. Half an hour walking, biking on the recumbant bike in the basement, or on the elliptical, 4-5 times a week. I need to cut out some unnecessary stuff and get my workouts in.

Goal #3 - I love to shop. I love matching coupons to sales and getting bargains. That is why my cupboards and freezer are a bit too full right now. I need to plan meals that use up what I have on hand and back off from shopping for a while.

Goal #4 - Okay, here's what the inside of the ottoman looks like:

I would like to use up enough yarn in there that I can put in the ziploc bags of scrap yarn. That way, the scrap yarn would be easy to get at, but hidden from view. It looks rather messy in the basket next to my chair.



All that knitting leads up to Goal #5

My youngest daughter Bethany is getting ready to shoot a foul shot here.

The uniforms my daughter's school basketball team wear really need to be replaced. The numbers are falling off. They're stretched out from years of use. They're older than the girls on the team. The sizes are limited, so some girls who should be wearing a small have to use safety pins to keep their XL shorts from falling off. We're been working to raise money for uniforms through various fundraisers, and now we need $300 more to meet our goal.

For the month of April, all sales of my knit and crochet items from my Facebook or Etsy shop will go towards new uniforms. This will help me keep my inventory from taking over the closet (see below), and help the girls get one step closer to getting new uniforms!

I have a little bit of everything... from Character Cup Cozies ($4)

 To Beautiful Ruffled Scarves ($8 - $10)

Stop on by and look around, and help the Lady Falcon on their way to some jazzy new uniforms! (and ask me how well I'm doing on my other goals! I need to be kept accountable!)

2013/2014 Update:

Here are the girls in their new uniforms. 

Review & Giveaway: Jill Kelly's "Etched Upon My Heart"

Living outside of Buffalo, NY, I've seen and heard a lot of Jill Kelly over the years. When she married Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly in 1996, it was front page news. I followed her story when their son Hunter was diagnosed with Krabbe Leukodystrophy, and their family started Hunter's Hope to help other families going through the same heartbreak. Jill spoke at a ladies' event at our church a few years ago, and I've been in the same bleachers as her, watching as her daughter's basketball team creamed my daughter's basketball team. I cried my way through her book "Without A Word"

So, when I was offered the chance to review Jill's new book, Etched Upon My Heart, I was eager to take up the offer. Hearing Jill speak at my church really helped me to see the passion she has for living for Christ, and sharing the Good News. I wasn't disappointed. I was really blessed by this book, and will be sharing it with my family and friends.

In this book, Jill shares from her heart. She shares moments in her life, some recent, some from childhood, and shares a spiritual application that relates to that memory. I was in tears as I read of an incident in her childhood that left her feeling flawed and fearing rejection because of a birthmark on her arm. The lesson she ties in to this memory, about finding significance and satisfaction in God is a lesson that reaches across all ages, sizes, and colors of women and girls.

Jill shares lessons on love, significance, forgiveness, suffering, giving, prayer faithfulness and death. She has been down some difficult roads in her life, but instead of being bitter, she uses the painful times of her past to reach out to others in encouragement.

If you're in the Buffalo area in October, you can hear Jill in person at First Baptist Church of Marilla for our annual Ladies' Night Out. She will be here on Friday, October 18th, 2013. The event is free and will include a chocolate/dessert buffet. A great Christian speaker, great fellowship and chocolate... don't miss it! You can e-mail me or leave a comment asking for more info. Invitation letters will be going out in early September.

About Jill: Jill Kelly is the wife of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly. In September 1997,  months after their infant son, Hunter, was diagnosed with a fatal disease called Krabbe  Leukodustrophy, Jim and Jill founded the Hunter’s Hope Foundation. As chairman of the board of  Hunter’s Hope, Jill helps children suffering from Leukodystrophy, and their families by raising  awareness and research funds to fight this devastating disease. She and Jim live in Buffalo, NY, with  their two daughters and three dogs. Hunter’s Hope Foundation can be found online  at www.HuntersHope.org. Jill is also the author of Without A Word. 

 

Would you like your own copy of "Etched Upon My Heart"? I'm doing a giveaway! Check out the Rafflecopter logo below for more information. Enter by March 15th to win! 

 

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

 

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Review & Giveaway: Abel's Field

We enjoy having a family movie night at our house, so I'm always on the lookout for some good, family-friendly movies. When I got the chance to review "Abel's Field," I couldn't wait to get the DVD in my mailbox!

About Abel's Field

Left motherless by tragedy and abandoned by his father, high school senior Seth McArdle (Samuel Davis) faces enormous pressure as he strives to support his little sisters. At school, he endures the daily bullying of the football team. But fighting back only finds him singled out for punishment and assigned to an after-school work detail under the supervision of the reserved groundskeeper, Abel (SOUL SURFER’S Kevin Sorbo). Much to his surprise, Seth discovers that Abel may be the only one who truly understands his struggles. As dark times lure Seth toward desperate measures, the reluctant Abel may be the one person who can point him back toward the light.

The movie touched on a bunch of current issues: kids acting as the head of a family because the parents aren't around, bullying, peer pressure, and letting others minister to us when things get tough. I liked the fact that the main character in the movie was faced with some tough situations, situations that drove him to desperation, but he realized that he wasn't on the right road, and made changes. 

The movie was very family-friendly in that it did not have profanity, sex scenes or bloody violence. There were a few scenes of bullying where some punches are thrown, but the movie doesn't dwell on that with close camera shots and all that. You see the first punch thrown, you see the crowd gathered around, cheering on the bully, and then, in the next scene, Seth has some bruises that tell the rest of the story. 

We enjoyed this movie, and would recommend it for others looking for a good movie to watch on a Saturday night with the kids -- probably 6th grade and up would enjoy this movie the most. 

You can read more Abel's Field on Facebook or their website  (both their website and Facebook have movie trailers you can watch) or follow them on Twitter. 

I'm giving away a free copy of the DVD - enter via the Rafflecopter form below by Monday, February 4th, and you may be the winner of your own copy of Abel's Field. Limit one entry per person per day, age 13 and up. The prize can be shipped internationally, so even friends abroad can enter this one!

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Battling the Scrap Yarn Monster

I'm sure you've seen the bumper sticker: "She who dies with the most yarn wins".

I'm in the running. I have tote after tote of yarn in the basement. There's an ottoman by my husband's chair that's filled with yarn. Another tote in the living room closet. And the ever-present basket of scrap yarn by my chair.

It's the little balls of yarn that I have left over from projects, or received from people. Too small for most projects, but too big to throw away. I'm always looking for projects that will help keep the scrap yarn from taking over.

I was making progress on the basket above, so I went down to the totes in the basement to restock. This is what I found:

It took an hour to get it untangled, and then another hour to sort the yarn out into colors and get each color into a separate zipper bag, but now it's organized and ready for projects!

In the past week, I've come up with two favorite patterns that work up quickly and use up scrap yarn!

The first one is what I call "Scrapper Hats". They use up about 2 ounces of yarn per hat and size 13 needles (circular and double-pointed).

Cast on 48 stitches on circular needle. Connect and work in K2, P1 ribbing for 20-24 rows (depending on how much yarn you have and how long you want the hat).
Row 1 of decreases: K2 together, P 1 around
Row 2 of decreases: K2 together
Cut yarn, leaving a 4-6" tail. Pull tail through remaining stitches and draw tight. Tie off. Add pom-pom to top of hat. I love my pom-pom makers (pictured below)


Here are some of the hats I've made using this pattern:

 The other project that I've been making with scrap yarn is infinity scarves. These are made on a really big circular needle (size 17). The pink scarf was made on my size 13 needles, and is a little smaller. I grabbed a couple of colors that looked good together, with each ball of yarn weighing about an ounce and a half.

I cast on 77 stitches and knit in a K3, P3 pattern. Since 77 is one less than a multiple of 3, the rib gets shifted over one stitch each row, and makes a slanted rib pattern.

Basically, I just keep on knitting, not really keeping track of the beginning of rows. When it looked like my yarn was running out, I started to cast off. (Confession time... in the red/gray scarf I'm wearing below, I ran out of gray yarn while casting off, so the last six stitches are red yarn only.) With the big needles, the 77 stitches makes a scarf about 48" around. With the size 13 needles (pink scarf), it came out to 38". I just got a set of size 15 knitting needles, might try a few scarves with those, too!

I have a craft show coming up in March. We'll see how these sell! In the meantime, my neck is cozy warm!

Spiral Stripe Infinity Scarf

I have lots of scrap yarn. Next to my chair, I have a small laundry basket that is just small balls (half an ounce or less) of knitting worsted. I'm always trying to come up with projects that use up little bits of yarn like that.

So, earlier this week, I pulled all the small balls of yarn in light gray and blue. Then I found a half-used skein of cream-colored yarn.


I used a size 10 needle - my little 8.5" long circular needle that makes it easier to make things like mittens and narrow scarves.I love those needles, wish they came in more sizes (I have them in size 6, 8 & 10).


I cast on 35 stitches with the cream, and started my pattern of knit 3 in Main Color (Cream), 3 in contrasting color (blue or gray). Because it's one less stitch than a multiple of 3, it results in a spiral stripe, like this:

XXX___XXX___
_XXX___XXX__
__XXX___XXX_
___XXX___XXX

 I didn't use a marker to mark the beginning of a row - when I ran out of my first ball of blue yarn, I connected the gray yarn and just kept on going. When I finished with gray, I put on blue again, and so on, until the scarf was about 48" long. Then I cast off with the main color, and sewed the ends together to make an infinity scarf.


The scarf weighs 4.6 ounces, so I used about 2.3 ounces of cream and 2.3 ounces of assorted scrap yarn. I'd like to make another with just two colors... and I started one this morning with two spiral stripes going in opposite directions. I'll put up a new blog post with the pattern when that one is done.











This is my first time posting a "pattern" - so if my directions are as "clear as mud" let me know and I'll try to explain better!