It's Been Too Long!

We have had a very busy but exciting week! My brother-in-law Josh, along with his wife Lesa and children Morgan and Silas visited us this week from Oklahoma. It was spring break for the kids and gave them the perfect opportunity to head east. This is going to sound really bad (well, because it is) but it had been almost SEVEN years since we have seen each other. I know, I know...how sad is that!!! It's amazing how fast time flies before you even realize it. Poor Silas didn't even remember us (probably because he was 1 the last time they were here).

Rob and I took a few days off this week so we could spend some time with them. On Tuesday we headed to Chattanooga for the day. We did the Aquarium, an Imax movie, and the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Here are a few of the MANY pictures Rob took throughout the day.

Morgan, 10 and Silas, 7

A prehistoric turtle shell

Butterfly garden (so neat)

The penguin exhibit was probably our favorite!

Chattanooga Choo-Choo was a little less than what I was expecting. Many of the shops and things were closed which was a bummer.

For dinner Rob and I ate at Sticky Fingers! YUMMO! We had ribs and wings and was absolutely delish!!!

We had a great time just hanging out with Rob's family, especially the kids! Morgan and Silas are two of the funniest kids I have ever been around! We can't wait to see them again SOON!!!!!

Kaleidoscope by Patsy Clairmont

The first book from Thomas Nelson Publishing that I chose to review is Kaleidoscope by Patsy Clairmont. Have you ever looked through a kaleidoscope and just been amazed at how all of those small pieces come together to make something so beautiful? The Book of Proverbs resembles all of those small pieces but Clairmont pieces them together and ties them to everyday situations and the entire Book of Proverbs seems to come together, like a kaleidoscope.
Each chapter begins with a Proverb and Clairmont connects the reader to the verse with a real-life story. For instance, one section begins with Proverbs 27:1, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." When reading that Proverb, I totally understood what that meant. Of course it means, that none of us have any idea what will happen tomorrow. No brainer, right? Well, in one paragraph Clairmont states,

"The theory that only the swagger-filled confidant people succeed seems rampant in our society. It's a puffer-fish theology of 'fake it until you make it.' But here's the problem: We don't have a clue about what tomorrow might bring. Tomorrow is already full, but we didn't pack it."

I LOVE this!!! Some people may not like Clairmont's brutal honesty, but I LOVE it. I NEED brutal honesty, not a tiptoe, walk on eggshell explanation.

I think this book would make a great daily devotional type because it's broken down into small chapter-type sections, with each section discussing one Proverb. I really did not know what to expect when I chose this book, but I was so pleasantly surprised that I read it in 2 days.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”

Book Reviews for Thomas Nelson

Since reviewing both Same Kind of Different as Me, as well as What Difference Do It Make? and LOVING them, I talked to the people with Thomas Nelson Publishing and have decided to become a part of Booksneeze, a group of bloggers who review new releases from the Thomas Nelson group. I pick a book, Thomas Nelson mails it to me, and after reading it, I give an honest opinion of it on my blog. Easy peasy, right? I'm really excited about this and have had a blast so far!

Look for reviews coming soon! :)

Warm, Busy Weekend

This weekend was beautiful, warm, and busy (which we LOVE). Friday night we were exhausted from a LONG week so we ordered Chinese food and caught up on some of our Tivo'd shows. Saturday we headed to Hoover for Elliott's 2nd birthday party (I can't believe he's already two). We had a great time at the party and I failed to take ANY pictures. Thankfully Little E's parents took plenty so I'm "borrowing" a few of theirs.On Sunday, we headed to lunch at Phil Sandoval's for some yummy Mexican food along with great company, Matt and Stephanie. After lunch we headed to the Home Builders and Remodeling Show and saw LOTS of things we WISH we could do to our houses. :)

After running a couple of errands this afternoon, I have started cleaning up the guest room and I cleaned and organized our front bathroom. We found out yesterday that Rob's brother, sister-in-law, neice and nephew are all coming this weekend and are probably going to stay with us at least one night so I have A LOT to do before next week!!! We haven't seen them in SO long and are very excited! (also a little stressed because there's a LOT to do)

I hope everyone has a great week!