A Net in Time

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God Loves God Hates

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I actually started this post for the crew blog as I had a post due for it, but it wasn’t sitting well as suited for that forum.   Ergo, I thought I’d put it up on my blog here for you all!  After all, I normally do poetry on Fridays don’t I?   I chose the title God Loves God Hates as currently as I’m going through Proverbs these two ideas keep being impressed upon me. 

God loves us, he doesn’t want us to have to learn everything the hard way.  He’s given us an instruction manual (the bible), and in particular he’s given us short statements that speak truth. 

God loves God hates

God Loves God Hates

A New Year is around the corner
Waiting
With baited breath.

Will it be a year
the same as the one
Just passed?

Or, will it be
a year of change?
That some pundits predict.

Oh, it’s difficult to
Predict the future
Isn’t it?

But one thing we know
Two things really
Provide hope.

Regardless of
What happens in the world.
God Loves, God hates.

These two things are
Consistent and true
Within that we live.

How does God hates
Provide for hope?
Knowing limits structure provides.

Proverbs says
Six things the Lord Hates,
Seven an abomination.

Structure given
Knowledge gained.
Limits known.

How does God Love
provide for hope?
A son given, a way shown.

For in this way
God showed his love
He gave his only Son.

Born, The Son.
Died, The Son.
Risen, The Son.

Hope fills
the world
with immense light.

Indeed, this is why
A new year is
filled with hope.

Join together
Discover all that God is
Love God, Hate what he hates

Together
As his very own
This New Year be hope!

Scriptural Inspiration

Proverbs 6:16-19

There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

I Peter 2:9-10

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Can you see it?  Can you see God loves?  God loves specifically and generally.

Can you see that God hates?  He hates specific things, these things are not good for people.  They showcase nothing of benefit to anyone.  

Wonderful December Meals

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It’s the close of a year!  Oh, the meals we’ve made over this past year.  As I sit here pondering our wonderful December meals I am also watching the Xmen movies with my family.  Every year we watch some series together and this is what my guys chose.  In the past we’ve done Lord of the Rings, and Marvel movies.  It’s a good family time!   

Anyways, on with some deliciousness eh!  🙂 

Wonderful December Meals

Meals the Lad Made

So I’ve been wanting my lad to cook at least one meal a week and it’s just been a battle to get him to follow through.   I finally said “You know what, your friends cook meals at home for their families, so you can cook meals for us too.”   He wanted to choose a mid-day to do it but I said “NOPE!  You can cook Sundays.  It’s a day I don’t want to have to fuss in the kitchen so it’s your day.”.   It’s working out really well.  A consistent day, no school to interfere, and I or hubby am around to help should he need it. 

He’s made this month

  • Manwich 
  • Chicken wings with sides
  • Turkey Croquettes.   We used this recipe that hubby found.   

The croquette recipe caused the lad to ask a ton of questions and have to do some problem-solving.  He was quite pleased with himself at the end of it and thoroughly enjoyed them. 

Turkey Croquettes

Baking

It’s Christmas… baking happened.  One needs treats for eating over the holidays even if you don’t have friends and family coming over.  

Most of the cookies we made I’ve already chatted with you all about. 

But we also did homemade turtles, dipped pretzels, and …. oh shoot.. I know I made something else but I can’t recall right now. 

Homemade Turtles, we made some with pecans and others with pretzels as the base. 

Christmas Dinner

Well.. I made the BEST STUFFING EVER!   See I don’t much like stuffing, but this stuffing was good… in the turkey and done on the stove top.  BEST EVER!

So what did I put in it?  Stuffing from a box, half pack hash browns (those diced potatoes), apple, pepper, onion, celery, carrot and various seasonings.  I made have used bouillon/chicken stock instead of water. REALLY GOOD.   I hope I can replicate it next year! 

Best stuffing ever made

Other than stuffing we also had Turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, cauliflower with cheese sauce, beans, plain potatoes, gravy, and cheese buns.  Very tasty indeed!

More Wonderful December Meals

Parmesan Herb-baked Salmon Fillet.  First time ever really cooking with a salmon fillet.  Oh my.. YUMMY!!!!!  Changes I made… I used more salmon so I needed to adapt the recipe and used dry basil instead of fresh. It disappeared too fast to get a picture.

I got inspired after visiting my mom and she had made an apple pudding.  I thought the lad’s would enjoy this meal and I was right!  Taste of home’s recipe was the one I chose to use.

We’ve made a number of hot sandwiches using bagettes.  Manwich, tuna salad, turkey fry with cheese, egg/potato hash, etc. 

Jerky!   We made both rabbit and beef jerky.   The rabbit made using a teriyaki recipe, the beef with basic jerky recipe. It was funny, the lad was threatened by his father…. for going a bit overboard on the jerky eating.  Next time we have jerky apparently the lad will be helping to make it so he knows how much work goes into it!   Tons of apologies.  I think next time sharing will happen a bit more readily eh?  🙂 

beef-jerky

In between Christmas and New Years I have to admit we did a lot of leftovers and junk food.  We did cheese and crackers, and chicken wings, and cookies, lots of cookies.  🙂 

How about you?  Does your meal planning go a bit wonky over the holiday season?  Did you make any wonderful December meals?  Do share them if you’ve a mind to.  I love discovering new recipes to make.

On Account of the Gum

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Silliness, that’s what you get with On Account of the Gum.  Silliness in pink gum and brown hair and laden with cats and aunties.  Adam Rex must have had a hoot writing and illustrating this grade school picture book.  Come on and laugh with me!  Affiliate links will be used. 

On Account of the Gum

About “On Account of the Gum”

Adam Rex wrote a hilariously fun read with On Account of the Gum”.  Written kinda like the books “If you give a mouse a cookie” where one action leads to another.  A fun read where you wonder just what pit-fall will happen next.  Your children will enjoy the unexpected consequences of good intentions. 

Published by Chronicle books, this 56 page picture book will delight children 5-8 years.  The bright colours will draw them in, the silly antics will bring out the laughter.   Can you imagine a rabbit in your hair?

The font is huge!   So great for reading with a group of children.  I can well imagine a circle of children giggling away.   Wouldn’t it be fun to stop at the end of a page and ask “what do you think will happen when they bring in the cat?”  Wouldn’t it be fun to hear all the answers?

Should you get it?

If you are looking for a silly book to enjoy with your children, On account of the Gum will fit the bill marvellously.

The full-colour images fill the pages and just add to the humour found within.  Wacky ideas, improbable solutions, and bizarre mishaps.  You never quite know what might happen next.   It was my pleasure to review this picture book for Raincoast Books. 

Turning the Page

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Today’s challenge with the crew is Turning the page.  Oh… that can mean so many things can’t it?  When I think of turning the page it makes me think of books to read and just how much I love reading an actual physical book.  Though in the past couple of years I really discovered the joy of listening to audio books as I work.  So many more books I can read that way!  🙂 

As I consider the books I’ve read this year I thought it incumbent upon me to share with you my favourite picture books I have reviewed over this past year.  Some of them have been wonderfully good.   Let’s talk shall we?  

I’ll link to my reviews as well as give you hot links to amazon (affiliate) should you be interested in turning the pages of these books with the children in your life.

Turning the page the best picture books

Picture Books for Fun

The Keeper of wild Words: Taking a journey using words removed from the children’s dictionary. 

The Fish Who found the Sea.  Discovering how to be comfortable with where you are. 

Build Your Own History Museum.  A fun build it yourself museum book. 

Cannonball.  Oh the fun of summer fun. Just a fun read. 

Florence and her fantastic Family Tree: the challenge of creating a family tree when you have a diverse family. 

Little Red Sleigh.  Can a little sleigh achieve her dreams? 

Pirate Nell's Tale to tell

Solve a mystery and find a library. Where is our library?

A Place inside of me.  Coping with pain inside of your community. 

A tender story of foster care, from both sides.  No Matter what.

A Word For Friend.  New places can be hard, making friends even harder.

Pirate Nell’s Tale to tell.  A fun read with a pirate who likes to read!

Santa Baby: just a fun Christmas read really.  🙂 

A seek and find book, a fun read with cats and mice.  Let’s Get Sleepy. 

Tiny Bird

Picture Books for Learning

Emily Writes.  Learn about the life of Emily Dickinson as a child.

Tiny Bird. The life of a hummingbird and the big trip it takes. 

Iceland: the puffin series.   Learn about Iceland AND puffins in a series of three books.  Solidly good books.  

My Friend Earth. Helping children see the wonder of the earth and ways they can help her for Earth Day. 

no reading allowed review

Laugh and Learn Bible for Littles.  A bible story book to help your children learn the bible stories. 

Run Salmon Run: The life cycle of the salmon. 

Let’s Fly a Plane. science exploring…this time with flight!

No Reading Allowed: Having fun with letters and sounds in words. 

Roadblocks in writing can be hard.  Get past them with My Pencil and Me.

Turning the Page continues

Books I have coming down the pike that I am looking forward to reviewing.

  • From Here to There.
  • Dino Dana
  • Snow Friends
  • The Song for everyone
  • Marie’s Ocean
  • The Wanderer
  • Me and the world
  • Natalie Portman’s Fables
  • Bear meets Bear
  • You are a beautiful beginning
  • Art is life

How about you?   What books will you be turning the page on?  Any favourites to share with me?  I’d love to hear. 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

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I originally posted about O Little Town of Bethlehem on my previous blog.  We sang it recently in an advent service and I thought it was worth repeating for you today.  🙂  

o little town of Bethlehem

Lyrics to O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together,
Proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth!

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous Gift is giv’n;
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His Heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

Where children pure and happy
Pray to the blessèd Child,
Where misery cries out to Thee,
Son of the mother mild;
Where charity stands watching
And faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

Author and History

Written by Philip Brooks, was an American, an Episcopal preacher.  Although he failed as a teacher, he ended up as the rector at Boston’s Trinity Church for a long time.  He was active in the political and religious circles, and spoke against slavery.  The city of Boston has pictures and a bit of a biography into his life. 

Brooks wrote O Little Town of Bethlehem three years after he took a trip to Bethlehem.  This poem, turned song, was a fond recollection of his trip to that tiny town of Bethlehem and the sights he saw there. His organist, Lewis Redner, put his poem to music creating an easy song for the children of his congregation to sing.   Most hymnals today omit the fourth verse. 

Pondering

Until today I didn’t know about this orginal fourth verse

Where children pure and happy
Pray to the blessed Child,
Where misery cries out to thee,
Son of the undefiled;
Where charity stands watching
And faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.

I love those last two lines eh?  Seeing the hope shown when glory breaks and Christmas is here again!  That celebration of what God wrought in the world.  A marvellous thing don’t you find? 

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

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raincoast FTC

A perennial favourite of many people is the story of The Nutcracker. I’ve seen bits of it done in ballet form, and a play I took my lad to once. I’ve seen it presented in a variety of ways, and now, thanks to FirstSecond books I have been able to see it as a graphic novel.  Come on, let me show you The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: the Graphic Novel!

The nutcracker and the mouse king

The Details

Geared for youth 6-10 years old, The Nutcraker and the Mouse King: the Graphic Novel is 144 pages of cleanly illustrated work.  Natalie Andrewson not only illustrated this novel, but provided the adaptation as well.  I am reviewing this ARC copy for Raincoast Books. 

From the cover

Of all the gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve, only one captures Marie Stahlbaum’s heart: a humble nutcracker.   ……

. . . and an ancient curse that can only be broken with the help of a true friend.

…. and her dream world threatened, Marie will have to find the strength to stand up for her nutcracker – no matter what it takes.

Haven’t we all seen the dance of the sugar plum fairy? This story is a wee bit different than the ballet adaptation.  Every creator/adaptor puts their own spin right?

What you find in The Nutcracker

You will find colourful panels filling every page.  The art work was not particularly my style, but colourful and suitable to the story. 

The text was really easy to read. You’ll find it mostly a standard black with occasional big variations in size and style for emphasis.  It was a retelling of the story and some details from the original German book by Hoffmann were remade to fit a graphic novel. style.  It’s not a light airy read but one filled with dreams and obsessive devotion and in the end…. freedom with imagination wins out.  

Ms. Andrewson allowed her interpretation of this classic story to shine through.  It’s quite different than the versions I’ve seen before, but it all turns out good in the end.   

Should you get The Nutcracker and The Mouse King?

Oh… such mixed opinions of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: A Graphic Novel that I have. 

There is much I like. But some younger readers might be alarmed by the dream sequences.  I am fairly easily alarmed, I just figure if something makes me feel a bit alarmed, some children might be the same. 

The story itself…good triumphing?  That’s a good thing and worth reading through. 

And introducing children to a classic story?  That’s an excellent thing to do. 

So know your children.  Consider their sensitivities and perhaps read together, or be available to talk it all through. 

Santa.com

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Do you need a reminder of how Christmas should be?  Santa.com calls the reader to look past expediency and commercialism into the heart of a real Santa Christmas.  Can Yo-yo help Santa remember what is best?

Santa.com

The Details of Santa.com

Santa.com is a beautiful hardcover book filled with glossy full-colour pages.  In fact you’ll get 32 pages of colour splashed across the pages, filling pages and carefully illustrating the story.  Illustrations are done by Ryley Garcia.   Authors are Russell Hicks and Matt Cubberley, if you’d like to know more about who they are check out my sponsor Raincoast books. 

Computers and technology fill the pages, and children 4-8 will delight in the numerous elves running around frantically trying to save Christmas. 

From the cover

In the good old days, the elves made toys by hand at Santa’s workshop, but times have changed. The North Pole modernized, and Santa.com was born. Now, Christmas wishes are fulfilled by robotic candy cane arms and delivered by peppermint drones . . . until Cyber Scrooge hacks the system! Little Yo-Yo the elf thinks they still have a chance to save Christmas, but can the reindeer still fly? And more importantly, will Santa come out of retirement?

The font is easy to read and varies in size depending on what is going on.  I loved all the problem solving that needed to occur.  How does one stop Cyber Scrooge from ruining Christmas?  With grit, determination and heart.

This is something Yo-yo possesses and he uses it to be helpful.  Makes for a great story for children. See Santa be the man he’s supposed to be and get Christmas back on track with just the right gift!

Should You Get it?

Santa.com, should you get it?  I think I’d like to borrow it from the library rather than own it.  It’s an easy read, with tons of great images.  I liked it, but nothing really made me say “go out and buy this”.  A story that reminds us of how easy it is to forget who you are in the quest to do it all better.  When that happens, it’s good to have someone remind you of where your heart truly is. This book…gives Santa that necessary someone.  🙂  

Other Santa Books Reviewed

I thought this Christmas ad fitting.  I hope you enjoy it!