The Book of Books

There is no more fitting a title then the title of "The Book of Books." Written by Trevor Dennis, this new bible interpretation is beautiful to look at and beautiful to read.

Released in January 2012, this complete bible captures the attention of all who read it. Intended for young adults, each section has a thorough, concise, informational and easy to read back ground of  who, when and why it was written. The bible stories themselves are very approachable yet very true to scripture. I appreciate that he made the bible easy to chew on for younger readers but not watered down as some versions for children tend to do.

Since it arrived in the mail, the whole family has enjoyed reading from this book. We even took it with us on a road trip and read it the entire way! You've heard me praise"The Jesus Storybook"  by Sally Loyd Jones for children. Now, I will add to my recommendations "The Book of Books" not just for young adults but families and adults alike. We will have this book forever and will continue to read this version of the bible bit by bit as a family as well as using it as a reference to gain insight and interpretation for bible study and other questions.

Like most of my book reviews, I'd offer a drawing to win a free copy . . . but the Marsh family is quite attached! You'll have to get your copy . . . and you won't be disappointed that you did. 

A First-Day-After-Schools-Out Daybook

Outside my window...

Dark now . . . spent the day resting and reading and playing family games. But, we have some lovely rain back in Western Washington. We had some refreshing sun that lasted all of two days and then were back to rain. We might as well expect rain and then be surprised by the occasional sun.

I am thankful for..

Summer vacation. I love our school and the opportunities our kids have at our school but I love having them home and am looking forward to lots of time to snuggle and make some memories.

I am thinking about...

The days and weeks to come. We don't have big plans but lots of little plans to look forward to and lots of days of nothing in between.

From the kitchen...

Some grubbin soup. I bought a "Johnny's Potato Soup Mix" at Costco that is gluten free and can be made into anything. Tonight I made it into a creamy clam potato chowder and it was delicious.

I am creating...

A clean home for our family to enjoy. It's a big transition having four people full time under this roof. I want it to be time together and not time wading through dishes and paperwork. That means a concise system for mom to keep up the day -lies.

I am reading...

Well, just finished a silly mystery about a murder in the PTA. It was a great fluffy start to summer reading. (And prep for a vice-presidency position in the PTA for next year?!)

I am praying for...

Extreme health struggles and hope in a hopeless situation.

I am hearing...

A peaceful quiet house. Two girls sleeping snug in their beds, a Daddy out enjoying an end of year night with the guys and a Momma cozy with a glass of wine and a laptop. And I just listened to greatest giggles from a baby I can't wait to visit. I dare you not to laugh while watching this sweet baby

Around the house...

Tidy, tidy and more tidy. A long time friend came to visit while in town from Denver who has never seen our new home so the deep down tidy was on and it's motivating to keep it up for the summer.

One of my favorite things...

Girls old enough to play together for so long. Although I'm having a difficult time with the transitions happening in our life right now (Haley's kindergarten graduation signifying a full time student next year) it's pretty incredible having them old enough to enjoy Barbies or dress up long enough allowing Mom and Dad to chat over a cup of coffee or enjoy a time of book reading without interruption.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

A birthday party invitation for each girl this weekend. Busy yet fun.

A Picture I am sharing with you...

Haley with her incredible kindergarten teacher Mr. Klein at the graduation that I was not going to cry at but spent my time crying my eyes out. I couldn't be prouder of all she has done this year and can't believe she is officially a first grader next year. When did my baby girl grow up?!

9 Years Ago . . .

Nine years ago . . . at precisely 5:00pm . . . the Lord blessed us with a 4lb 11oz one month early beautfiul little girl. There were multiple months of bed rest . . . 25 hours of labor . . . one hour of pushing . . . 7 days in the NICU . . . and worth every extra worry, doctors appointment, effort and prayer.

Her name means Grace for without God's hand upon her, she wouldn't be here. She has the most tender spirit, loving heart and thoughtful demeanor. She amazes us every day with her intelligence, maturity and sweetness. She is an avid book reader, incredible piano player and caring older sister. She loves to play basketball, soccer and golf. She is great at taking care of her younger niece and nephew. She is a loyal and thoughtful friend. She was an answer to prayer. She made me a Mommy and Travis a Daddy . . . roles we prayed for our whole lives. I am so grateful for her and am so blessed to be here every step of the way as she continues to shape and grow into a beautiful young lady. Hannah Grace Marsh - you are loved!

A "where in the world is summer" Daybook

Outside my window... 
Rain and clouds. I know we live in Washington but COME ON!!! On Monday it was so hot here we actually all wore tank tops and shorts. Tuesday, HAIL!!!! What in the world. God, do you have an ETA for summer around here because we would really appreciate it.

I am thankful for..
Imaginations. Haley has a friend over today and they just came downstairs with pictures they made for me. When I said thank you, I was told that I was really the mean queen and that I liked the pictures but I had no friends so I had to tell them to lock themselves back into their castle because I didn't know how to draw and they were only allowed to take walks on Sunday but it was time for their lunch and they could only eat grapes. (Oh to be a kid!)

I am thinking about...
The summer . . . ok . . . not the weather. We've already discussed that. I mean, the no-one-has-school-or-piano-or-kids-club-at-church-sleep-in-be-spontaneous-or-lazy-or-productive days.

Learning all the time...
To be happy with my accomplishments for the day. Why do we have to continually learn the same lessons over and over again? I go through phases of doing this well and then phases of not-even-close. I used to create a list of things I've done . . . as I completed a task (like a load of laundry) I'd write it on a list so instead of looking at a "to-do" list that I'd barely touched, I had a long list of things (big or small) that I did. I just reminded myself that is a good idea . . .

From the kitchen...
Leftover stir fry. Haley had a late dentist appointment the other day and when we got home, Travis was there to greet us with a huge bowl of incredibly delicious stir fry . . . and he even washed the dishes from the day!! Wow I love this man.

I am creating . . .
A growing list of "books I read" for the year . . . watch out Sarah . . . I'm gonna keep my title from last year!

I am working on...
Organizing the garage. Here's another of those never ending jobs. When we had our big neighborhood garage sale recently we had to stack a lot of stuff I was sorting and organizing all together to throw a tarp over and set up tables. It was totally worth it. (We made enough money to buy a nice new grill for the family.) But now I have to re-sort some stuff and get it all in a usable place.
 
I am going...
To take the girls to the library after school. I love how much our whole family loves to read. And Haley, as our newest lover of books, has gotten so good at reading, she can pick up anything she wants now out of the shelves and read it. It's so fun to watch her passion grow . . .

I am hoping...
That we can enjoy every bit of the upcoming weekend. Saturday we are meeting my family for a Fathers Day/Hannah's b'day lunch then we're off to a retirement party for Travis' closest co-worker friend. Then Sunday is church and Father's Day and Hannah's official 9th birthday. It's a lot of celebration and fun.

I am reading...
The Sound of Butterflies by Rachael King and How to Talk so your Kids will Listen and Listen so your Kids will Talk by Adele Faber. I'm reading the parenting book with my friend Melissa. It lays out different areas to work on and tips on how to incorporate them. I'm not sure exactly what I think about it yet but it never hurts to get new perspectives and ideas to ponder in this journey of raising kids.  

I am praying for...
Difficult transitions.
   
I am hearing...
The dishwasher. Wait! I need to go write that on my "I did it" list!

Around the house...
Clean rooms for the girls. They get themselves so overwhelmed that they don't know where to start in cleaning their rooms. I sat with them yesterday afternoon for two and a half hours getting them back to a system they can upkeep. Included in this process was a big purge of stuff. They have so  much stuff!! They love to play and appreciate what they have but do two little girls really need 14,000 pet shops and doo-dads to go with them? (Ok - maybe I'm exaggerating a little but it sure feels like that many when you find them EVERYWHERE!!)

One of my favorite things...
Finished scrapbooks. I used to spend a lot of time putting together scrapbooks for the family. I still have a few boxes of photos that I'd like to complete but with the blog (which if you have one - you have got to check out Blog To Book. All you have to do is enter the dates you want to go in your book and they do all the rest compiling all your entries and pictures - the whole nine yards. For Christmas, Travis told me to print the last two years of our blog - one per book. They are absolutely beautiful!!) and the ability to make quick and easy books on Snapfish, I don't intend to continue printing all the pictures and taking each one and pasting it on a page. BUT Hannah was asking me the other day to tell her more about when she was born. We pulled down the scrapbook and sat side by side looking at all the pages and the pictures and the journaling. It was such a special time together and was worth all the effort.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
After the horse riding birthday party, my mom took Hannah, Haley and I to see Madagascar 3 in the movie theater complete with a huge bucket of popcorn. It was such a fun treat to sit together and giggle at the mis-adventures of those crazy animals take place in 3-D.  

Having a HAY Day . . .

Hannah's birthday party was spent at the local equestrian center with our new favorite horse teacher (Miss Pam) and our new favorite horses (Molly and Cross Fire). The kids had so much fun!!

The only trouble we had was when we tried to like the candles on our "Ranch Animal Cupcakes" . . . we tried to light the candles . . .

And we tried to light the candles . . .

And finally, with many hands, we successfully lit the candles!!

It was a wonderful celebration for a wonderful little girl. And the equestrian center (if you're local, you HAVE to check this place out . . . ask me for the name!) took care of everything . . . horse lessons, horse rides, races, hula hoops, pinata, goodie bags, decorations, set up, tables and chairs and even napkins . . . and it was all led by Miss Pam. Do you know what I did? I stepped back and enjoyed watching my little girl have a wonderful birthday party! I didn't have to clean, or serve, or entertain . . . and I don't have ANY clean up to do after the party!! Thank you thank you thank you Miss Pam for making Miss Hannah's 9th birthday so special!

Giddy Up

We have found a new love in our family . . . horses. Who would have thunk it? Hannah's birthday is coming up and we were brainstorming a cool activity for the party. Travis was flipping through the local paper and advertisements and came across a coupon for a stable close to our home that offered a birthday package any little girl would love. Along with the discounted party, there was also a coupon for discounted riding lessons. We decided it would be a lot of fun for the girls to have some lessons before the party so they'd feel like an expert for the big event.

We put on their boots and away we went . . .

In two lessons (just an hour each time), they learned how to brush the horse, put on a saddle, ride the horse, stop the horse, turn the horse, trot the horse, weave the horse in and around barrels and smile non-stop from beginning to end.

The big party is on Sunday . . . two and a half hours of horse fun (with no clean up or prep from mom). Hannah can't wait. And in the Marsh girls future?? More brushing horses, putting on saddles, riding horses, stopping horses, turning horses, trotting horses, weaving horses in and around barrels and non-stop smiling from beginning to end. Watch out rodeo . . . the Marsh girls are going cowboy!