Naturally Antibac Cutting Boards?

Local craft fairs are one of my favorite places to get unique gift ideas (for giving to others as well as my own wishlist when appropriate 😁), and Forever Boards is one of those small businesses. 

Forever Boards craft cutting boards (and more) out of reclaimed Corian scrap destined for landfills, which fits into my personal version of reduce, reuse, recycle, upcycle. Not rabid about RRRU, but definitely believe it falls under being a good steward of God's creation. 

Cheese Tray (Very useful size)

They also have some very interesting, fun and unique "shaped" cutting boards~ this is an obvious favorite in my house, but there are others that are equally interesting and fun.

Visit Forever Boards on their Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

I notice that unless you are purchasing in person at a craft fair, all boards are custom cut to order, and may take up to 2 weeks to ship, so something to keep in mind, :) 

 Blessings~

This was a totally unsolicited post. I just think this is a quality item worth sharing about

Pesto Tortellini Chicken Soup

Pesto Tortellini Chicken Soup

1 head of garlic + 4 large cloves, peeled and "bruised" with the flat of knife

1 sweet orange or red or yellow pepper

1.5 lb of raw chicken (I used thighs)

3 qts chicken broth 

4 medium to large carrots, diced (with one set aside) 

3 stalks of celery sliced lengthwise and chopped

1 lb dried tortellini (I used Trader Joe's pesto tortellini)

1-2 handfuls of fresh spinach, rinsed, stacked, and sliced into thin ribbons (You can slice it however you want, I just found stacking and slicing all at once worked quite nicely for me). 

1-3 tsp onion powder (to taste)

3 Tbs pesto sauce, or to taste (I used Aldi's Pesto sauce)
2 or 3 pinches of salt (if using low sodium chicken broth, otherwise, to taste, after it is all cooked)
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

After eating, I decided that some shredded Asiago cheese to "finish" it would have also been nice. 

Roasting:

1. Preheat oven to 400 for roasting garlic and pepper purposes
2. Lay out two sheets of tin foil
3. Slice the tips of the cloves on the head of garlic, place in the middle of one square of tinfoil and drizzle with olive oil. 
4. Slice the pepper in half and remove the seeds. Brush with oil inside and out and lay face down on the 2nd square of tinfoil.
5. Close the foil for both tightly to contain mess and allow the garlic/pepper to steam/roast for 35-40 minutes. 

Soup: 

I cooked my chicken in the instant pot and finished the soup there as well, but if you have a big soup kettle, that works fine also. 

1. Pour 2 qts of chicken broth into pot (It can start heating up, either with IP Saute' function or medium heat on the stove)
2. Add the chicken, the bruised garlic, the one set aside chopped carrot, the chopped celery, and the onion powder. 
3. IP ~ close lid and cook on HP for 12 minutes, quick release, stove~ bring to boil and then simmer for 25-30 minutes. 
4. Remove chicken from pot to shred (I like to get rid of the little fatty bits and skin that don't dissolve at this point, before shredding).
5. If you have an immersion blender, you can incorporate the cooked garlic, celery and carrot pieces into the broth now (I did). If not, I might fish out the garlic cloves ~ or not. 
   
6. Bring the broth to a boil and add the rest of the diced carrot and the tortellini and cook for 14-16 minutes (Or according to the instructions on your tortellini package. If it is fresh tortellini, dump the carrots in a little earlier)
7. By now the roasted garlic and pepper are probably done, so take the foil carefully out of the oven and let it cool a minute while you shred the chicken and add it back to the pot.
8. By now you can probably add the ribboned spinach and swirl it in to wilt
9. Squeeze the garlic out of 4 of the cloves, peel the skin from the pepper halves and smush it all into a paste and swirl that, the Pesto sauce, and the pinch(es) of salt into the broth as well. 
10. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes, then dish up into bowls, add fresh ground pepper and shredded asiago cheese to taste. 
    

Garnish with yummy toasted bread~ I crushed the rest of the roasted garlic cloves and mixed it with a little butter and olive oil to put on our toast. YUM! 

 Blessings~

Isaiah 40:8

Monday Musings

The benefit of taking the same walk with time between, and re-reading Scripture~ sometimes the illustrations become more clear. :)

Blessings~

God With Us ~ A Journey Home (Review and Giveaway)

Hello all~ 

I have another Children's Bible Storybook review and giveaway for you. 

From the publisher: Author Jeremy Pierre and illustrator Cassandra Clark want to awaken children to a brave journey — a journey home. This world is not our home. We live east of Eden and short of Heaven. The earlier children understand this, the more sense they can make out of this sad, wonderful place. This storybook aims to share their vision of the world as a place in-between, to awaken them to the brave journey they must take toward their true home — their home with God.

This book is written with a narrative perspective from the point of view of two angels.

My quick take on it is that it may be a good addition to a selection of Bible Story Books, but with a few caveats. I will give you my impressions, both the Beautiful and the Caveat. 

The Good and the Beautiful: 

• Scripture references are given before each story-chapter, as well as a verse that may not come from the passage, but is related. 
• There are many solid nuggets that offer a new perspective, or tie together thoughts that are less common but very true: "Then it dawned on us watching angels- Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed, all of their children disobeyed too. But God didn't wait for them to obey to invite them back home. First He invited them to believe His promise that home with Him is better than any home down here." 
• The illustrations are interesting and colorful. 
• I always appreciate a fresh "voice" retelling the Old, Old Story. 
• The entire East of Eden, short of Heaven emphasis will resonate with those who enjoy the Pilgrim's Progress type of allegory. 

The Caveats, bits for pause and consideration: 

• A few of the details don't quite fall into line with Scripture if read literally~ "The misery only got worse. Adam and Eve ate some fruit, then their children killed each other. Their grandchildren did too. Soon the world was full of hatred. Those evening walks with God were long forgotten."  This gave me pause, because the only child of Adam and Eve's that we know committed murder was Cain, so "their children" definitely hit me wrong. I understand the intent was to show that mankind slipped from walking with God to even the depths of murder and hatred in a single generation, but I tend to be a purist, even in a narrative retelling, and want these details to be correct. There were a couple of others that jumped out at me, all together illuminating an unintended point~ that there will be no "perfect" retelling of the Scripture story, because we are all human and imperfect ourselves~ which can be something useful to address with your littles as you read this.  
  
• 
  
  A little nit-picky illustration point~ the "angels" narrating the story are depicted as a boy and a girl angel... again, I understand the intent (to give boys and girls both a "connection," but honestly~ angels are not gendered as we know it, and all that are named are given masculine names. Again~ nit-picky, not a deal-breaker, but worth knowing. 
• Another nit-picky "grammar/editor" type of note: it seems that in some sections the author got a little careless in the crafting of the text. The stories of Moses' birth and encounter with the burning bush are filled with a number of "this happened. So..." and "that happened. So..." (In fact, out of 24 consecutive sentences, "so" is used in 6 of them. This is surprising, because much of the text is given to imagery, which incidentally lead to 
• My last nit-picky comment... For a retelling intended for children, there are sometimes phrases that hit as abstract imagery, which isn't what I would consider age appropriate/useful for the target audience. Those who love Ann Voskamp will identify with some of the prose of this book, but In my experience/understanding it doesn't often translate as well to those with younger ears. Beautiful, thought-provoking, but impacting the older reader more than the younger audience(?). 

Please note that while my Caveat list is longer, it *is* somewhat nit-picky in places, but information I would want to know before making a purchasing decision. Some may even be a factor in someone deciding it is a book they are very interested in, like the Ann Voskamp comparison... ;) 

The Good and the Beautiful is a lovely hardcover (268 pages) with full-color illustrations, suitable for gift-giving, and available for purchase from Shepherd Press ($29.99). 
If you want to hear a little more about the intent and concept behind "God With Us" you can listen to author Jeremy Pierre talk about it in five 3-5 minute videos on the Shepherd Press YouTube Channel. 

And if you would like to enter to win a free hardcover copy, no strings attached (You don't even have to pay shipping! ;) ), check out my rafflecopter below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Blessings~

Disclosure: Many thanks to Shepherd Press for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive the product in exchange for this review and post.

 #GodWithUsMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

Roar Like a Lion (New Devotional for kids~ Review + Giveaway)

Hello, friends! 

Goodness, but it has been quite some time since I have had a book to review here~ with the world so crazy and all for the past couple of years. I don't know about you, but oftentimes these days I find myself simply shaking my head, and wondering what on earth can be done to help tame some of the crazy. Levi Lusho understands that if the adults are feeling this sense of overwhelm, then the young ones in our lives probably are as well. He has written a  new devotional, Roar Like a Lion, filled with many little nuggets to help your kids navigate some of the unsteady, scary, and uncomfortable situations they are sure to encounter as they grow up, as well as learn to be bold in their faith. 

Although my kids are no longer the target age of this new devotional, having experienced the concerns of the younger ages, I do feel qualified to offer my opinion on this book. 😄

 

First, the less essential, but important details of the cover and graphics. This hardback book has a very eye-catching, colorful illustration of a roaring lion, and has a very smooth touch to the hand. It is an easy size to hold~ not too big and not too small. 

Each page has child friendly illustrations and colorful borders that give me a bit of a vintage Ruth Chrisman Gannett (Illustrator of My Father's Dragon, Miss Hickory, and other classics) vibe. Sorry for going a little geeky on the art, but that is a big part of a children's book's attraction for me. ;) 

For the more Nitty-Gritty, each devotional includes pleasing illustrations, fascinating facts, Bible verses and prayers, along with some simple action steps. This 90-day devotional will help your kids approach both fun moments and tough times with their hearts set on God's faithfulness.

                            

Roar Like A Lion covers topics like:

                            Facing fears about school and friendships

                            Dealing with peer pressure and bullying

                            Handling new challenges, disappointments, and grief

                            Having courage to try something new

                            Understanding how we each fit into God's great story

The devotionals are short and sweet (double-page spread), but pack a quick little punch of Biblical truth or wisdom that a child can understand and hold on to. I feel like even if you have older kids listening in, they might pick up on some of the truths, which are, after all, universal to all ages. ;) 

Whether using this as a start to your child's day, a before bed devotional, or a "tea-time" read (I think it would work well in an after school program for a snack-time devotional also~ just the right length!), these devotions offer simple encouragement to grow faith, and learn to share the Good News! 

Here's a look at the table of Contents: 

 #RoarLikeALionMIN
#roarlikealion
#tommynelsonbooks

Order Roar Like A Lion today and help the child in your life follow Christ more closely this Fall (or put it away and pull it out for a "New Year" new devotional option, Birthday present, Christmas present...). 

Tommy Nelson is also allowing me to give away one physical copy of this devotional to one of my US readers. It is a short turnaround for this giveaway, as I have to have your shipping information in to them by the 29th, so enter now! :)  


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings~

Disclosure: Many thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive the product in exchange for this review and post.