Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 39

Sunday Thoughts: Snow Day

Snow & Ice on the side of First UMC - Siloam Springs Feb. 2010In honor of the students I work with - because there's a chance for a snow day tomorrow....

Four steps to guarantee a snow day (the youth were discussing it at supper and I found them online)
Put your pajamas on inside out (bonus points if your pajamas have feet).Brush you teeth with the opposite hand (harder than it sounds).Flush a minimum of 6 ice cubes down the toilet (cubes… not crushed ice… another common mistake).Sleep with a spoon under your pillow (don't ask me why, just do it).Source: http://www.principalspage.com
A Few Quotes In Honor Of The Potential Snow DayA lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water ~ Carl Reiner

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event.  You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?  ~ J.B. Priestley

When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I'll know I'm growing old.  ~ Lady Bird Johnson

Snowflakes are kisses from heaven.  ~ Author Unknown

Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled.  ~ Author Unknown

When it snows, you have two choices:  shovel or make snow angels.  ~ Author Unknown

Valentine's Day Craft: (pt. 2) Scratch Off Valentines

Question: How do you keep boys entertained during a Valentine's Day craft project?
Answer: "Boy-a-fy" the project.
 Today's project was brought to you by some really cool mom volunteers who decided to come up with "boy-a-fied" craft projects for our district tween event.
Valentine's Vomit & Scratch Off Valentine's Day Cards.Part one told how to make the "Valentine Vomit."
You can find that post here.
In part two of this project,
we make the "Scratch Off" Valentine Cards.
Note: this isn't an original idea - in fact a quick survey of Pinterest shows how you can use this in the classroom (click here for one idea I found!) I'm pretty sure the cards were inspired by Pinterest!
So here's how you can make really cool "scratch off"  (a.k.a. lottery style) Valentine's Day cards in four easy steps.

Step 1) Gather your supplies & make your "base card."The Supplies: Clear dish soap & silver paint, paint brush, contact paper (and scissors to cut it to size) and your Valentine's Day card.


The Card: Create your "base" card. Make sure you leave a space for the hidden message.

In our case, the card read:  "I think you're a WINNER!(Scratch here to reveal your prize!)
Below which, there was a rectangle approx. an inch tall by three inches long - for the hidden message.

Step 2) Write your message in the space you want them to "scratch off."

Here's a message one ornery girl wrote for her parents - got to love tween girls!
Step 3) Cover the "hidden message" with clear contact paper.

The clear contact paper "protects" your message - and gives you a way to "scratch it off without smearing the ink.
Step 4)  Cover the contact paper with your paint/soap mixture. Basically two parts silver (metallic) paint to one part dish soap.

 Repeat as necessary to make all of your cards! Lay them out to dry (they dried pretty fast!)

Valentine's Day Craft (pt. 1) - Fake Vomit

Question: What do you do, when you have a tween gathering (from various churches) and want to make a Valentine's Day craft?

Answer: "Boy-a-fy" it!

Tonight (Friday) We had a gathering of tweens (a.k.a. fifth and sixth graders) from several district churches. We met at a central location, ate some yummy pizza, played a fun game - Grog - and created some care bags for a homeless ministry.

Of course, it wouldn't be a kid event without doing a craft or two. The moms in charge came up with some "boy-approved" Valentine's Day projects - Valentine's Vomit and Scratch-off Valentine's Day cards.


I know both of these ideas aren't original - but I was suitably impressed by the creativity and wanted to share the ooey-goey fun!

How to make the Valentine's Day Vomit in six simple steps!
Step 1) Gather your ingredients & supplies
Ingredients: Oatmeal, Rice Krispies, Spounges, Clear Elmer's Glue, Food Coloring (red or orange), and extra special ingredients - to make Valentine's Vomit, we used conversation hearts.

Supplies: A paper plate, bowl, spoon and plastic bag for each participant.

Oatmeal - the main ingredient
Rice Krispies - you'll just use a little!
Pieces of sponge - each child got one stick.
Clear Elmer's Glue with a hint of color - added by food coloring!Step 2) Make the "Base" of your vomit.
Fill the bottom of a bowl with oatmeal. Add a "pinch" of Rice Krispies (Oats are the "main" filler for this project.)

Step 3) Add in the sponge and "extra ingredients"


The extra ingredients in this "mess" were conversation hearts - to give it that "Valentine's Day" charm.

Step 4) Cover the ingredients with glue.


Step 5) When it's "covered" and has enough to have a "wet" look (and be held together), pour it out onto the plastic bag (or you could use wax paper at home).


Step 6) Smooth it out onto the plastic bag (on the plate), so it can dry.
Nothing says "I love you" like fake vomit.

Happy Valentine's Day.
Tomorrow (Saturday) Part 2 - Scratch Off Valentine's Day Cards!

Blog Tour: Saving Hope (Review)

Child prostitution, human trafficking and the dark side of humanity, are just a few of the issues Margaret Daley weaves into her newest release, Saving Hope, from Abingdon Press.

Through the eyes of a wounded young woman, a school director with a heart of gold and a brave Texas Ranger, Daley has created a story that is full of numerous twists and turns.

A bit "deeper" than Daley's offerings through other publishers, grabbed me at the beginning - and kept me engaged as I tried to figure out who was really the "bad guy."

I'll admit I suspected one person, only to find out he/she (not going to spoil it) was a victim as well.

If there's one thing I would have changed, I wish Daley would have had a bit more "closure" at the end. The book rushed to the conclusion with a crashing speed. When it was over, it was over. (But everything was resolved, so I guess, the good stuff was in the "chase.")

In all though, this was a fun read. The romance isn't too heavy - in fact it's more of a suspense novel, than romance. It shows the struggle that fathers have when relating to their daughters, the things people will do for a friend, the pain evil people can cause in the pursuit of greed and the strength that can be found through faith.

In all, it's a solid three and a half out of five. Saving Hope is set for a March 2012 release (but Amazon says it will be available as of Feb. 11. I'm going to enjoy checking out the next book in the series: Shattered Silence, set for an October 2012 release.

More About The Book


When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt's daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.     


Now it's personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.



About The Author
Margaret Daley is an award winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers' Book of the Year Contest.

Recently she has won the Golden Quill Contest, FHL's Inspirational Readers' Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, Holt Medallion and the Barclay Gold Contest.

She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines.

Online ResourcesBuy It At CokesburyFind it At AmazonGrab it at Barnes & NobleCheck out Margaret Daley's Website
Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Net Galley's blogger program. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.[image error]

Journaling My OLW: Rest

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.  ~Danny Kaye

Let me say, that I'm not a art journaler - and I'm not an artist per se. I take photos, a digital scrapbook and I create things in photoshop.

Two people in my life - my cousin and a friend at church - on the other hand, are both artists. I watch enviously as they create amazing things with ink, pencil and paint. There's just something beautiful in what they are able to make out of simple items.

I guess, subconsciously, I want to be that creative.

While shopping last weekend at Hobby Lobby, I found a small "art journal" on sale - mixed in with the Mardi Gras stuff (the things I really went to check out.).

Somehow, that journal ended up in my cart. Since then, I've found myself "testing" out my skills at art journaling.

There's something about creating with ink and colored pencil.

I'll admit, I'm a bit clunky right now. I almost ripped out the first page (above) when I first started.

My attempt at art journaling isn't perfect. It doesn't look like the idea I saw on Pinterest (you can be inspired by that idea here).


So far, I've filled two pages - using them as a "launching" pad. A lot of scribbles, but some glimpses of creativity poking thru. 
So this is my attempt to find rest thru art - a chance to stop, turn off the screens (laptop, iPhone, etc) and simply allow myself to make a few mistakes, in the hopes that I find art in the mix.
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep.  ~Scott Adams

The Purpose of Life

I'm not sure where this quote came from. But a few weeks ago, it surfaced - I think because of a sermon illustration - in the life of one of my parents at St. James.

We decided to turn it into the first "thought provoking" bulletin board in the kidz area.

The more I look at this quote, the more I love it. It's my hope that the kids not only think about what their gifts are, but how they can use them - to make a difference in the world.

Kind of a new way to think about the parable of the talents.

It also helps you think about life in a new way - because it reminds us that everyone has a gift. We just have to discover what it isn.

So what is your gift? How will you give it away?

(I'm not sure who actually said this quote. A search of the web has it attributed to several people.....)

Blog Tour: God Gave Us You (Review)

Small (15 pages) but adorable, Lisa Tawn Bergren and Laura J. Bryant have created a beautiful board book (and series) revolving around a little bear and her quest to know things.

God Gave Us You, is designed to answer Little Cub's question, "Where Did I Come From."

The book provides a sweet, yet honest way to tell a child how they were born - through the eyes of Little Cub and her folks.

It's definitely a book for birth parents - since Little Cub "grows" inside of mommy's tummy. In fact, Bergren said on her website that many parents were disappointed in this fact - so she created God Found Us You, a book for adoptive parents.

She based this book on the experience of five friends who adopted children, building on the theme that adopted babies are "treasured, loved and wanted all along."

I'll admit, was a bit disappointed at first, when I opened up my copy of God Gave Us You. I was hoping for a general book about how all children are gifts from God (not from a parent perspective), that I could use in February during one of the preschool chapels. I really wanted a "God loves you" themed book.

However, putting that aside, it's a beautiful story book. The board book format would make this a perfect gift for a young child (it is very durable.)

It's a great way to tell children how much they are loved and cherished by their parents and God.

The series also includes: God Gave Us Two, God Gave Us Christmas, God Gave Us Heaven, God Gave Us Love, God Gave Us So Much. My guess is,  God Gave Us Love might have filled my "February Chapel" need (so it's on order!)

In all, it's a solid three out of five!  God Gave Us You is a beautiful children's book - and one that I might use as a "baby gift" for new parents.

More About This Book
When a charming polar bear cub climbs into bed one night, she asks her Mama a very important question--one that little "human cubs" often wonder about, too: "Where did I come from?"


As Mama bear tucks her youngest cub under the quilts, she gently, tenderly, and reassuringly communicates the message loving parents everywhere (bears and non-bears alike) want their little ones to hear: "We wanted you very, very much, and we are so very glad because—God gave us you." 


Perfect for bedtime, naptime, storytime or anytime, God Gave Us You provides a valuable opportunity to build children's self-esteem every day and assure each one that he or she truly is a welcomed, precious, and treasured gift from the Lord. 

Also available in the God Gave Us series:
God Gave Us Two
God Gave Us Christmas
God Gave Us Heaven
God Gave Us Love
God Gave Us So Much

About The Writing Team

Author
Lisa Tawn Bergren is the best-selling, award-winning author of over 30 books, with more than 1.5 million copies sold. She just finished writing a Colorado historical trilogy (the first book, Breathe, Sing and Claim), and has begun a teen series called River of Time (Waterfall, book 1, comes out in February 2011).

Bergen's time is split between managing home base, writing (including a fair amount of travel writing), consulting and freelance editing (with a little speaking here and there). She's married to Tim, a liturgical sculptor, graphic designer and musician. They have three kids–Olivia (15), Emma (12) and Jack (7).

All five of the Bergrens make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Find out more about Bergren at http://lisatawnbergren.com

Illustrator
Laura J. Bryant attended the Maryland Institute of Art, where she received a strong foundation in drawing, painting, and print-making, with supplemental education in children's writing and book making. Illustrating children's books has provided her with both a rewarding and creative career.

Bryant's clients have included Simon & Schuster, McGraw Hill, Steck-Vaughn, and Penguin Putnam books for Young Readers, among others.

She currently lives with her husband nestled in the Shenandoah Mountains of Mathias, West Virginia.

Find out more about Bryant at: http://www.laurabryant.com/


Online Resources
God Gave Us You Coloring Page
Buy it at AmazonFind it at Barnes & NobleGet it at Christian Book Online
Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Blogging for Books.. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

OLW: Rest Sunday Thougths

Source: Click Here.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain...
-Vivian Greene (Source: http://www.beliefnet.com)

Here's to learning to dance in the rain. To learn to look at life in a half-full way.

Here's to starting to danc

Blog Tour: Four Letter Words (Review & Q&A)

How do you know what to say and how to say it, regarding your faith?

Dr. Bill Giovannetti hopes he's come up with the right answer, by creating "Four Letter Words: Conversations on Faith's Beauty and Logic."

The book focuses on topics surrounding these words:
- True
- Know
- Pain
- Ouch
- Evil
- Word
- Damn
- Wait
- Hope

Giovannetti said he wrote Four Letter Words for three goals:
1. Clarity: Know what you believe. 
2. Confidence: Know why you believe. 
3. Courage: Know what to say when you don't know what to say. 

I think he hit the nail on the head. Written in an easy to read format, the manuscript seems to unpack each issue in an easy to follow format.

Each chapter ends with a set of "talking points" designed to help the reader pursue conversations with a friend.

Additionally, this book is one of the first I've seen (Giovannetti believes it is one of the first) QR-enabled book released on the general market.

QR Codes are "postage-stamp" sized boxes with indecipherable patterns inside – Quick Response codes.

Giovannetti said he wanted to make the book an interactive experience. In theory users simply scan the code with a smartphone and it goes straight to relevant videos, audio mp3 and websites.

"Each chapter has a lot more resources on the website (www.fourletterwords.org) which you can reach either through the QR code or just by visiting the site," Giovannetti  said. "The geek-tech stuff in no way overwhelms the written word; it just supplements it. I hope readers like it."

I'll be honest, I think the QR codes are way cool - if they would work on my phone. I have an "old school" iphone, also known as a 3G model. I tried downloading four different QR code readers to see the interactive features. I couldn't make the codes work with any of the readers.

I suspect the inability to work was due to my phone's "age" since one of my students used his iTouch to successfully navigate the QR codes. Fortunately, it appears many of the same features are available on www.fourletterwords.org.

In all, regardless of the stumbles regarding the QR codes, I found this book to be a good resource - not only for youth ministries, but for multi-generations.

On the scale of one to five, I give it a solid three. It looks like a resource I can pass along to a friend who might use it as a sermon series - but it also looks like something I should keep on hand for when my older students have questions.

A Q&A With The Author
What's Four Letter Words about, and where did you get the title? 
Four Letter Words is about defending your faith in Christ. If you've ever felt tongue-tied standing up for Jesus, this book can help. 

Even though our culture claims tolerance as a virtue, that tolerance stops at Christianity's front door: witness the hostility directed toward a sincere Christ-follower like Tim Tebow. Judging by reactions to him, you'd think he just cussed out his grandma when all he did was say a word for Christ. Speaking God's truth and living your faith is quickly becoming today's profanity. Tougher days are coming; we need to get ready. 

There has never been a truth-system more satisfying, consistent, logical and beautiful than Christianity. I wanted to help God's people rise up and say so. 

What four letter words do you write about?
True: who says your truth has to be my truth too? Know: how do you know God is real? Pain, Evil, and Ouch: why doesn't God stop the bad stuff? Damn: how can a loving God send people to hell? 

Word: What makes the Bible so special? Wait: isn't it unreasonable to expect today's people to live by biblical standards of sexuality? Hope: what good has Christianity done in the world? 

The book has ten chapters, discussion questions (in the book and downloadable from the website), and 208 pages. 

Who is this book for? 
This book is for anyone who either struggles with faith or who wants to help friends who struggle with faith. I wrote to strengthen faith and equip believers to share faith. Our church has used this book with high school students, young adults, and senior citizens—it's been really well received across all age groups. Other churches are using it in small groups and youth groups. 

I would love to see this book in the hands of every high school graduate and new college student: they need to be inoculated from the anti-Christian venom they're going to experience. 

Toward the end, Four Letter Words invites readers to faith in Christ so it can be resource for evangelism too.  Discussion questions are included. 

If I read this book, what will get out of it?
I wrote Four Letter Words with three simple goals in mind:  
1. Clarity: Know what you believe. 
2. Confidence: Know why you believe. 
3. Courage: Know what to say when you don't know what to say. 

How did you pick the four letter words for each chapter?
I had a great team working with me to pick the topics. The young adult leadership team from my church hung out with me for a few coffee-shop meetings. We brainstormed ideas. We asked what questions kept surfacing in their relationships with seekers and what issues kept tripping up their conversations about Christ. 

The topics came from them. Each chapter grew out of the real-life struggles of real people in my church. I think this is why the book has connected in some pretty deep ways with readers. 

Would you say that Christians are persecuted? 
Not so much in the U.S., but persecution is definitely coming. It's not that Christians are changing; it's that culture is running from God so fast that yesterday's normal is becoming today's weird. Christians will be increasingly marginalized.

Tell a typical college student he needs to be celibate till marriage and he'll look at you like you're Amish. Why don't you hop in your buggy and trot along. A generation ago, our culture would have supported that value. Today, culture attacks it. It's going to get tougher to stay strong for Jesus. 

We need a new breed of Christ-follower: alert to the beliefs that tick people off, and ready to fire the weapons of truth and grace with courage, compassion, humor, and love. 

More About Four Letter Words:
(From The Publisher)
Thou shalt tolerate every opinion... except the Christian's. Today's postmodern "prime directive" leaves many followers of Jesus tongue-tied. In the global village, isn't it unreasonable, and even dangerous, to suggest that the Bible has a monopoly on truth?

The church needs a new breed of Christ-follower. We need Christ-followers who are alert to today's touchy ideas, the truths that fire up more heat than light. We need Christ-followers who can make a clear case for the Bible's worldview; who are ready to help our friends think through their beliefs; who can recognize inconsistencies and challenge them; and who can do all of this with humility, confidence, humor, and love. For more information visit http://fourletterwords.org.

About The Author
Dr. Bill Giovannetti is a professor at A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary and the senior pastor of Neighborhood Church of Redding. An experienced speaker and author,

Giovannetti informs the mind in ways that touch the heart. He enjoys life with his wife and two kids in northern California.

For more information about Giovannetti and his other books, visit  http://maxgrace.wordpress.com  and http://fourletterwords.org.

Online Resources
Follow the Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13338985
Amazon: http://amzn.to/tF3L3M
Direct from the Author (signed copies) http://maxgrace.1freecart.com
Website:  http://www.fourletterwords.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BillGiovannetti
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/billgiovannetti
Blog: http://www.maxgrace.com

It's A Contest!
Giovannetti is celebrating the new Kindle edition of Four Letter Words (for only $4.99)! He'll be traveling coast to coast over the next few weeks on this virtual book tour and he's celebrating by hosting a great giveaway!

Click here (http://fourletterwords.org/2012/01/contest-giveaway) to find out how you can win two gift certificates to Amazon (in the amount of $50 and $25) and free downloads of his yet-to-be-released title, Recession-Proof: Living a God-Blessed Life in a Messed Up World.

The whole scoop here: http://fourletterwords.org/2012/01/contest-giveaway/

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group.. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: Summer of Promise (Review)

Concerned about her sister, Abigail Harding acts on impulse and travels west to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, for a visit.

A stagecoach heist, strange happenings with her sister and family, and life at an Army fort await her.

Even though she plans to marry when she returns to Vermont, Abigail's life takes a variety of twists and turns as she begins to open up to Lieutenant Ethan Bowles - and explore the possibilities of remaining in Wyoming after all.

This novel, the first in the Westward Winds Trilogy, opens a wee bit slow, but then picks up speed as author Amanda Cabot unpacks the story.

A historical romance, Cabot also crafts a bit of suspense - with a surprising villain and a few unexpected twists and turns - in her tale.

The novel paints a picture of life in an Army fort in rural Wyoming. it shows the class structure between the enlisted soldiers and officers. It also shows how women existed in this setting - either as wives or as the "other"ones.

Summer of Promise ends with an expected twist. It will be interesting to see where Cabot plans to take the remaining two novels - which I assume will focus on Abigail s remaining sisters.

In all, I give this novel a three out of five . It's not my favorite novel, but it was a light read. I think it would be a simple, yet compelling read for someone wanting dive into Cabot's word pictures to escape the realities of 2012. 

More About The Book
(From The Publisher)
Though she had planned to spend the summer in Vermont, Abigail Harding cannot dismiss her concerns over her older sister. Charlotte's letters have been uncharacteristically melancholy, and her claims that nothing is wrong ring false, so Abigail heads west to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. 

When her stagecoach is attacked, Wyoming promises to be anything but boring. Luckily, the heroics of another passenger, Lieutenant Ethan Bowles, save the day.

Abigail plans to marry when she returns to Vermont, just as soon as she attends to her sister. As the summer passes, she finds herself drawn to this rugged land and to a certain soldier determined to persuade her to stay. When summer ends, will she go back East, or will she find her heart's true home?

About The Author
Amanda Cabot is an accomplished author under various pen names and a popular speaker.

The author of Paper Roses, Scattered Petals, and Tomorrow's Garden, she is also a charter member of Romance Writers of America, the cofounder of its New Jersey chapter, a member of the ACFW, and an avid traveler. She lives in Wyoming.

Online Resources
Read a review of Scattered Petals here.
Find out more about Amanda Cabot here.
Buy Summer of Promise at CBD
Buy Summer of Promise at Amazon
Buy Summer of Promise at Barnes & Noble
Read an excerpt of Summer of Promise here!

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell Publishing, a division of Baker Books. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.