End of November 2012 Camera Dump

We have had quite a few fun filled memory making weeks this fall. I suppose it's a good thing that I have not spent a lot of time blogging as I'm been too busy living! But now, it's time to get it all out there. Instead of remembering every story about every event, I'll just dump the camera and fill in the blanks.

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It was crazy hair day at children's church one week . . . these girls love to do the crazy hair thing!

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Haley was invited to a birthday party at Jungle Play-land (a glorified hamster wheel for kids to jump and run and slide). Afterwards, as she couldn't eat the birthday cake with her gluten intolerance, I took her to Big Scoop for a cotton candy dish of ice cream.

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We carved our pumpkins together. Grandma and Jerry even helped. And we cooked some pumpkin seeds - one of my favorite traditions that I ruined by burning the whole tray. Whoops.

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For Halloween, we had Taylor Swift and a ballerina to walk around our new neighborhood. Daddy had to take a pre-trick-or-treat nap and we were good to go. We LOVE our new home and area in which we live. We truly enjoyed chatting with neighbors as we walked around.

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For Travis' birthday, his brother came up, left the kiddos with us, and took him for a day of celebration. (The abridged version of their adventure goes as follows: Ryan's car kicked up a piece of the road ruining the underside of his car causing them to loose all the oil in the car in front of the Starbucks head quarters rendering them officially stuck down in Seattle awaiting AAA tow truck to come a few hours later. Joy.) Meanwhile, the kiddos had a good time here. Hannah made Juniper a tea party which she absolutely loved. Sweet cousin memories.

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We took a trip up north to spend some time with my grandma. Hannah had a wonderful time giving Namies a makeover and making her "beautious" as Namies would say!

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I took my special 9 year old to "Secret Keeper Girl PJ Party" based on the incredible books by Dannah Gresh encouraging girls to love themselves and see themselves as God sees them. It teaches modesty and the true definition of beauty. It was filled with dances to learn, giant balloons to play with, a fashion show, humor for moms and their little girls and a special night we got to have together.

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I met up with some great great great friends from high school for a night of lots of laughing and yummy food at a local brewery. I have some fantastic friends now who will be in my life for a very long time but there is something so fun about spending time with those who knew you when and can laugh until we cry about some of the experiences we had together. (Jill you're on for January!!)

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And finally, yes, we are those people who, the day after Thanksgiving, rip down harvest decorations, pull out all the Christmas boxes, fill the house with Christmas music, go get our tree, set the house up and snuggle down to Elf, the best Christmas movie of all time.

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That should catch you up on the Marsh household. Hope you are yours are enjoying the magic of the holiday season! (And I better get a Christmas card . . . .)

Finding Oneself

"Train up a child in the way HE should go and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

I heard a fantastic sermon once about this verse. The pastor explained that if you place an emphasis on the individual child and their calling in life, you have the ability to mold and encourage and teach.

I had the great honor of being contacted via email from the author, LeAnne Harder, to review a new book she's published. It's called "Crossovers" and I was thrilled to receive an autographed copy in the mail. (I love mail! And a new book in the mail? What could be better?)

This story, written for young adults (I'd say 6th-8th grade) follows siblings Ben and Denise and their quest to find who they are and what they want to do with their lives. As they begin to discover passions they have, they are both forced to examine the sterrotypes of "girl" sports and "boy" sports and decide if they are brave enough to step outside of the mold.

It's a tale of friendship, growing up, and choices in life. I'm not yet ready to let my 4th grader read it as some of the characters and situations require depth of conversation we've not yet had as it questions the assumptions some make of those who do not fit the "normal." I will, however, save it for when she is a bit older as I really enjoyed the concept to follow your dreams no matter how people percieve them. Stop worrying about what the "cool" kids do and think and find your own way within God's plan.

Thank you LeAnne for this opportunity!

To find out more about LeAnne and her books, check out her website and her blog. This week only, she is offering the Kindle version for $0.99!!

The Hunted Hare

Blog Review of  "The Hunted Hare" by Fay Sampson, published by Monarch Books. Guest Blogger: Travis Marsh.

Karla knows my love for mystery/who-done-its. It started very young when my Nana would play detective with me around their apartment complex.  I think it was just a good excuse to spy on the neighbors, but I digress.

 The Hunted Hair combines both mystery and a good dose of historical fact.  Fay Sampson has a very enjoyable reading style. She is able to develop complex characters with a variety of feelings.  She takes on terminal illness, parenting, death, mystery all in a smooth, believable transition.  The setting of North Wales adds to the mystery and allure of the book.  Her descriptions of the town, church and especially the landscape made my travel bug start jumping to go there!

It is nice to read a strong story with a intricate plot that attaches you to characters while trying to find the culprit. It seems like this will be one of many in a series, so there is more mystery to come!

To win a copy of this book, enter your name in the comments section and the winner will be notified soon.