Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

Our Homeschool Week in Review

August 31, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Last Saturday, Hannah and Abby volunteered at a fundraiser for the homeschool athletic team they play volleyball for. It was a road race, 2 mile and 10K. They passed out water to the runners. Dad was there, too, and since I wasn’t able to be there, big brother Calen went in my place. They stood on a corner and directed the runners. This is the main fundraiser for the teams. They use the money for uniforms, fees for the games, and for the referees. The only bad part was they had to leave the house at 5:30. Why yes, that is a.m.!

That was the main thing they had to do this past week. Well, that and church skit practice, church band practice, and as I’m typing this, all four of the kids are at a youth cookout at church. Too bad homeschool kids don’t get enough socialization! lol

Oh, yes, they actually did school work this week, too! They are still doing well with all their work. We were having a slight problem with some of the kids getting up in the morning, going on the computer, then not wanting to get off for school. I have fixed that, though. 🙂

Here are a few homeschool reviews I posted recently:

Golden Prairie Press Costumes with Character

Christian Liberty Press Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers

Apologia I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist

Check out theHomeschool Curriculum Coupon Codes I shared. Some end today, 8/31 and some are good for another couple of weeks.

Have you had a chance to watch the new show on the Games Show Network, The American Bible Challenge? It’s a great family show! Check out my The American Bible Challenge Review & Giveaway and enter to win a T-Shirt and Zondervan Bible.

Here are a few links I found interesting and helpful:

Parents Guide to Transcripts
Hole Punch Art Work
ACT Crash Course
Free Textbooks on Amazon
Meal Planning for Homeschoolers

The Dangers of Homeschooling
Printable Hebrew Vocabulary Cards
Homeschooled Teens Ripe for College
What’s in a Portfolio
Planning Day

To see more homeschooling posts, visit Weekly Wrap Up.

This Week’s Favorites

August 31, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

This Week’s Favorites is a collection of articles I loved to read, recipes and crafts I want to try, or recently tried.

To Read or Do:

My Kid Isn’t Perfect, What Does Matter
The Working from Home, Keeping the Home and Homeschooling Three Ring Circus
The Top 12 Best Paying Market Research and Survey Panels
How to Dry Garlic
Public Domain Images – these come in handy for projects, online and off.

Natural Health:

Homemade Cough Drops
16 Herbal Teas with Health Facts
Healing from Home Remedies
Putting Measles into Perspective
Stop Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

To Cook:

Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole – No cream soups!
Red Clover Lemonade – I really want to try this!
Summer Chopped Chickpea Salad
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
Potato Buttermilk Bread
How to Make Yogurt without Yogurt

To Craft:

Crocheted Basket Weave Washclothes or Dish Clothes
Fleece T-Shirt Quilt Pattern and Tutorial
Summer Cardigan
T-Shirt Up-Cycle to Beach Dress

I just bought three of these little cars for Christmas presents. $1.89 each with free shipping! That price won’t last long and they will make great little stocking stuffers.
Solar Car – World’s Smallest Solar Powered Car – Educational Solar Powered Toy (affiliate link)

I hope you found lots of new favorites, too!

Golden Prairie Press Costumes With Character Review

August 30, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

As part of The Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received the Costumes with Character eBook from Golden Prairie Press to review.

Make Your Own Costumes from Eleven Time Periods with One Dress! Costumes with Character is written by Amy Puetz. With a foreword by Jennie Chancey. 72 full color pages available as an ebook or printed book. View the table of contents and sample pages There are many pictures of the different costumes on the website.

Amy Puetz is a homeschool graduate who loves history.

She loves to tell the stories of people who impacted their generation.

She first wrote a historical costume book and then other historical books with a Christian worldview.”

Using costumes is a great way to make history come alive for kids and reinforce what they are learning. This easy sewing book has step by step instructions and patterns for making all the accessories needed for eleven different time periods. I really love that you can use one dress for all 11 time periods. Simply change the collar and cuffs. Then add the accessories like bonnets, vests, aprons to achieve the different looks. Patterns are included for all. The patterns are designed for young adults but a handy adjustment formula is included to help you use the patterns for younger girls. The patterns in the book are in grid form, you draw them and enlarge them yourself. The pattern ebook that I also received has some of the patterns enlarged and ready to print. Some of the patterns do take several pages to print.

The chapters are:

Colonial (Pilgrim & Puritan 1620-1700)
Quaker (1681-1860)
American Revolution (1775-1783)
Young Republic (1800-1820)
Romantic Era (1820-1848)
Pioneer (1800s)
Civil War (1861-1865)
Sailor (1865-1905)
Victorian 1880s
Victorian 1890s
Turn of the Century (1900-1910)
Tea Party

Each chapter has color instructions to make cuffs, aprons, bonnets, hats, collars, vests, etc. There are also lots of extra goodies like quotes, quizzes, and beautiful pictures. You will learn more about the history of the eras from reliable old sources. Hannah and I both liked all the historical information included. I had fun quizzing her with the quiz. lol This is a fun book for girls and ladies of all ages. Certainly a great book for mothers and daughters to read and sew together.

I let Hannah, 16, go through the book and choose where she wanted to start. She chose the Victorian 1880 section. She really liked the lace collar and cuffs. I printed out the pages that she needed, and she got to work. She did all the work by herself.

Hannah said the directions were easy to follow. The collar and cuffs were pretty simple to make. I printed the patterns from the pattern ebook onto legal size paper.

In this picture you can see both sides of the collar. There is a casing down the middle of the underside that a ribbon is threaded through. It is then gathered and tied around the neck. Hannah made the collar and cuffs according to the pattern size. She didn’t downsize the pattern, and they fit Abby, 14, very nice.

Hannah and I talked Abby into modeling for us. We already had this old fashioned dress that Hannah had made a few years ago. It now fits Abby perfectly. I just love the look of the collar.

Here’s the back of the collar. You can see the ribbon that is used to gather and tie. We left the ribbon hanging out, but you could tuck it to the inside, also.

The cuffs are great, too.

The cuffs are made with a casing on the inside like the collar, only the cuffs use elastic instead of ribbon. Neither the cuffs or the collar are attached to the dress, making it easy to transform one dress into many costumes.

I am impressed with the quality of the book and the patterns. Hannah liked the patterns and said she would use them in the future as the need arose.

The Costumes with Character eBook sells for $21.95. On sale for $17.56 Also available as a printed book The pattern ebook in PDF form that I used is free with the purchase of the Costumes with Character eBook. You can also purchase printed patterns for $15. On Sale for $12. These prices are current at the time of this post. In the future, patterns that you can buy and cut (like store bought patterns) will be available. I will keep my eye open for these to be available, as they would be great to have.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My opinions 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.”

Over the Edge – Book Review

August 29, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

About the Book:

Seth Kincaid survived a fire in a cave, but he’s never been the same. He was always a reckless youth, but now he’s goneover the edge. He ran off to the Civil War and came back crazier than ever.

After the war, nearly dead from his injuries, it appears Seth got married. Oh, he’s got a lot of excuses, but his wife isn’t happy to find out Seth doesn’t remember her. Callie has searched, prayed, and worried. Now she’s come to the Kincaid family’s ranch in Colorado to find her lost husband.

Callie isn’t a long-suffering woman. Once she knows her husband is alive, she wants to kill him. She’s not even close to forgiving him for abandoning her.

Then more trouble shows up in the form of a secret Seth’s pa kept for years. The Kincaid brothers might lose their ranch if they can’t sort things out. It’s enough to drive a man insane–but somehow it’s all making Seth see things more clearly. And now that he knows what he wants, no one better stand in his way. Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/cPxuv (not my affiliate link)

Meet Mary:

Mary Connealy writes fun and lively “romantic comedy with cowboys” for the inspirational market. She is the author of the successful Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie’s Daughters series, and her novel Calico Canyon was nominated for a Christy Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her husband, Ivan, and has four grown daughters.

Visit her on her Web site maryconnealy.com

MY REVIEW:

Over the Edge will keep you on the edge of your chair. Full of action and suspense, it also has some very heart warming moments. Callie met her husband, Seth, while she was a nurse and he was a patient. They married as soon as he got out of the hospital. However, Seth had more than just physical injuries from the war. Due to his trauma from the war, he leaves Callie without a word to her. She finds out she is expecting his baby, and as soon as she is able after the baby is born, they head out to try and find him.

After rough traveling conditions, including a stage robbery and gun fight, Callie finds Seth. Seth does not remember her, though. Which makes it tough, as she remembers him and wants to kill him for what he did. As if they hadn’t had enough trouble, they still have to contend with danger and kidnapping. Through it all, their love for each other (he finally remembers her!), and their son, draws them together and keeps them together.

Celebrate with Mary by entering to win a Nook Color with GlowLight!

See what folks are saying about Over the Edge!

One winner will receive:

A Nook Color with GlowLight
The entire set of Mary Connealy’s The Kincaid Brides series

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on
August 28th. Winner will be announced at the “Over the Edge” Author Chat Facebook
Party on 8/29. Meet Mary, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a
trivia contest, and more. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize
Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group.)!

So grab your copy of Over the Edge and join Mary on the evening of the August
29th for a chance to connect with her and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read
the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don’t miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of
winning. Hope to see you on the 29th!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My opinions 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.”

Knowing Your Ministry: Spiritual Gifts for Every Believer

August 29, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

Marilyn Hickey with Sarah Bowling

and the book:

Know Your Ministry: Spiritual Gifts for Every Believer

Whitaker House (June 26, 2012)

***Special thanks to Cathy Hickling of Whitaker House for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

“Encouraging, optimistic, upbeat and energetic” are just a few of the words used to describe her, and at age 80, Marilyn Hickey is still going strong. In recent years, she’s ministered in Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, India, China and Pakistan – she’s been to 130 countries over the past 50 years and hopes to visit many more. She also speaks in cities across the U.S. for Bible Encounters and at “miracle breakfasts”. Founder and president of Marilyn Hickey Ministries, many have heard her on radio, seen her on TV, or read one of her many books, pamphlets, or Bible study guides over the years. Most recently she has released The Names of God, Spiritual Warfare, Total Healing, and Your Pathway to Miracles with Whitaker House. Marilyn and her husband, Wallace Hickey, are the founding pastors of Orchard Road Christian Center, Denver, Colorado. They have two grown children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Sarah Bowling is Wallace and Marilyn Hickey’s daughter — her mission is “to make a radical, eternal difference in today’s world.” She is a Bible teacher, international speaker, author, senior pastor and founder of Saving Moses, an organization dedicated to reducing infant mortality worldwide. Sarah serves as vice president of Marilyn Hickey Ministries and co-host with her mother on the TV show Today with Marilyn and Sarah which reaches 2.2 billion households worldwide. Sarah and husband Reece are senior pastors at Orchard Road Christian Center, Denver. Sarah has taught, traveled, and ministered in over 40 countries at Bible Encounters, healing meetings, and women’s, pastors’, and leaders’ conferences.

Visit the author’s website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In Know Your Ministry: Spiritual Gifts for Every Believer, renowned Bible teacher Marilyn Hickey with her daughter Sarah Bowling collaborate to present an enlightening overview of the seven foundational gifts of the Holy Spirit found in Romans 12. They demonstrate how the passage offers insights on discovering one’s gifts and calling from God through personal examples, biblical illustrations, and practical application, and lead the reader to discover his or her primary gift. Once identified, the authors explain how one’s core gift relates to and works in tandem with other gifts and how it fits into God’s purposes in the wider Body of Christ. The authors offer direction and encouragement on how to apply and act in one’s area of giftedness, how to renew enthusiasm for serving others, and how to be being fruitful while carrying out God’s purpose in life.

Product Details:

List Price: $11.99

Paperback: 128 pages

Publisher: Whitaker House

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1603745025

ISBN-13: 978-1603745024

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

–>

Chapter 1

The Foundational Gifts

For
as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same
function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members
of one another.

—Romans 12:4–5

Know Your Ministry: Spiritual Gifts for Every Believer will help you to discover your
purpose and destiny. You may think that is a bold statement, and it is. But I
can make it based on the Word of God and on my own experiences through the
years, as I have applied this enlightening teaching about the foundational
gifts to my own life and also taught others how to apply it to theirs.
Likewise, I can make this statement with assurance: reading this book will be a
very personal experience for you as you learn more about who God has marvelously
created you to be.

Most people want to know their
purpose. Nobody wants to just stumble around in life. At some point, we all
wonder, “What am I meant to do on this earth? What direction am I supposed to
take?” If you don’t know where you are going, you won’t know when you get
there, and your life will be out of sync.

To
answer the above questions, we must understand that we have a corporate
purpose, as well as a personal one. As believers, “we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members
of one another” (Romans 12:5). God has called each of us to a
special role in the body of Christ, for the mutual benefit of all. Confusion over their unique roles is a primary reason why people
lack purpose.

Uncertainty About Our Callings

Many
times, we try to operate in areas of ministry or vocation to which we have not been called. We may try to imitate
ministries we admire because of our uncertainty about our own places in the
body of Christ. The results can be devastating: we become frustrated and
discouraged and do a disservice to the people to whom we are trying to
minister.

For
example, have you ever come across a particular ministry and decided, “I’m
going to do exactly what they are doing”? Many years ago, my husband, Wally,
and I were assistant pastors at a church in Amarillo, Texas. Every morning at
9:00 a.m., several of us met to pray. One woman in particular was a true
intercessor. After an hour of prayer, the rest of us were ready to stop—but she
was just warming up! I admired her so much that I—not God—decided that I had a similar calling on my life. One day,
I said to her, “God has called me to be an intercessor—just like you.”

But, to
my surprise, she replied, “No, He hasn’t. You respect me, so you’re trying to
latch onto my position in the body. Marilyn, you need to pray and ask God what
He has really called you to do.” That was very wise spiritual advice that I am
glad I listened to.

At
other times, we may try to compete with other Christians. Before Wally and I
entered the ministry, I met a woman who was a great soulwinner. She would go to
a hospital to minister and end up leading ten to fifteen souls to Christ. I
thought, If she can do it, I can, too!
She won fifteen souls to Christ, so I’ll win twenty! Was that desire
spiritually motivated? No. Actually, it was “carnal”—I was thinking according
to the fallen nature rather than according to the Spirit. (See, for example,
Romans 8:5–10.) I was trying to compete with my sister in the Lord. Why did I
do that? Because I didn’t know where I belonged in the body of Christ.

At still other times, we may wonder
why we don’t feel comfortable in the roles others expect us to fill. Before I
understood the foundational gifts, I felt out of place, trying to fulfill a
role that was not in line with the gifting God had given me.

My husband and I had started a church
in Denver, Colorado, and the congregation had certain expectations of me.
People often assume that a pastor’s wife ought to carry out specific functions
in the life of the local church, and, sometimes, that was troublesome for me.
For instance, many pastors’ wives seem to be musical. I am not. I didn’t play
the piano or the organ, and I didn’t sing well. But the people thought I should
lead the worship. Well, if I had led
the worship, nobody would have worshipped! In addition, I was called upon to
lead the women’s missions projects, which involved rolling bandages, making certain
items for people who had leprosy, and sewing blankets for infants and children.
These activities involved a lot of sewing, and I couldn’t sew well. Frankly,
even though I knew such projects were very worthwhile, I found them boring.

What did I like to do? I liked to
teach the Bible. So, I taught an adult Sunday school class. I also led home
Bible studies, giving women an opportunity to invite their neighbors who were
not Christians to meet and study the Bible over a cup of coffee and a
cookie—and people would get saved!

Even though I loved teaching, I felt
out of sync because, again, my abilities weren’t in line with those of many
other women who were married to pastors. I thought I wasn’t a good pastor’s
wife, and I felt very unspiritual. Yet my life was totally turned around when I
learned about the foundational gifts. I saw what my gift was and how satisfied
I was when I was operating in it, and I didn’t try to function primarily in the
other six gifts, even though I did learn to operate in them more as I grew in
my faith. I thought, I see who I am in
the body: I’m a teacher. There is nothing wrong with my wanting to teach the
Bible. I was so happy to see that God had made me that way. Before the
foundation of the world, He planned to give me certain talents and abilities to
use for Him. (See, for example, Psalm 139:13–16.)

This knowledge gave me a confidence
in what God had prepared for me to do, as well as an ability to trust in the
grace He had given me to accomplish it. It also released the measure of faith that
God had already placed within me to function in my gift of teaching the Bible. (See
Romans 12:3.) I realized that I wasn’t out of place; I wasn’t some “crazy”
pastor’s wife who was going to hurt her husband and his ministry. On the
contrary, I was going to be a blessing to my husband and to the church.

Seven Blessings from God to the Church

In
order to be effective as we minister to others, we must know where we truly
belong in the body. When
you understand your spiritual purpose and recognize the spiritual power contained
in that purpose, life is just awesome. It is encouraging and comforting. Why? Because
you don’t have to compare yourself to anybody else or try to be somebody you
are not. You will become the person God created you to be.

In this
book, we’re going to discover the seven wonderful “foundational gifts” God has
given the church: prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving,
organization, and mercy. Seven is the number of completion, and the Bible says
that we are complete in Christ. (See Colossians 2:10.)

I’ve been able to apply the truths of
these foundational gifts to my life in exciting ways, and I’m eager for you to
apply them to yours, too. I know they will help you to discover your God-given
purpose and direction in life, just as they did for me.

And, as
you study the foundational gifts, you will not only be able to identify your
own gifts, but you will also gain insight about and respect for other people in
the body of Christ. You will see what motivates your brothers and sisters in
the Lord, and you will clearly understand how much you need them. In fact, when
you observe the seven gifts in operation throughout the body of Christ, you will
see Jesus’ complete ministry. Sometimes, we want to be the “Lone Ranger”—we want
to ride into the sunset, calling, “Hi-ho Silver, away!” In other words, we want
to do it all. But we need each other; and, if every gift is not in operation,
we miss the completeness of Christ.

You may
be thinking, Is it possible for me to
have more than one foundational gift? As you study the gifts described in
the following chapters, you may—and probably will—recognize that certain traits
of more than one gift are operational in your life. Most of us are used in a
number of ways when we make ourselves available to Jesus for His purposes. But there will be one gift
(possibly two) that you will identify with most closely and be most comfortable
exercising, and through which you will obtain the most success in ministering
to others. This gift is your greatest strength. Whether it is prophecy,
serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, organization, or mercy, it is your foundational gift.

At the end of this book, there is a gifts assessment test,
entitled the “Foundational (Motivational) Gifts Evaluation,” which we have used
successfully at Marilyn Hickey Ministries for many years. It will help you to
confirm your primary foundational gift. It will also indicate your secondary
gift—the one in which you are the next strongest.

When you see what your primary gifting is, you will begin to
recognize and understand God’s purpose for your life. This is why knowing your
gifting is vital. And, once you have
identified your gift, you will notice how it flows through all your spiritual
activity within the body. For example, if you counsel others, and your
foundational gift is mercy, you will be a merciful counselor. Allow the Holy
Spirit to lead and guide you in this study of the foundational gifts. He will reveal
your perfect position within the body of Christ.

Through the seven foundational gifts
listed in Romans 12, God has shown us in a beautiful way that each of us does,
indeed, have a divine purpose and destiny. What is your purpose? What is the
power for living and for ministry that He has placed in your life? It is found
in one of the foundational gifts explained in the following pages. I invite you to pray now that you will come to recognize your gift
as you read Know Your Ministry: Spiritual
Gifts for Every Believer.

Dear heavenly Father,

I thank You for giving me a unique foundational
gift. I realize that it is not through my own works, but through Your grace,
that I have received this gift. Father, I promise to be available to minister
in my gift whenever You call me to do so. And I promise to keep my mind renewed
to Your Word, so that I will know what Your perfect will is. Now, Father, as I
study the various foundational gifts, I ask that Your Holy Spirit would reveal
to me the identity of my unique, special gift. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a PDF version of this book for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My opinions 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.”

What’s For Dinner?

August 27, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I’ve been busy preserving our garden harvest. I’ll share more tomorrow on Making a Home, so be sure to check it out.

We’re taking a break from pizza this week. While homemade pizza is cheaper than carry out (unless you get the $5. pizzas), they way we make pizza can get expense. Lots of meat and cheese. So in an effort to keep this weeks grocery bill down, no pizza. Nobody knows this yet, well, except for me, of course. They won’t be happy. They do all really like spaghetti, though, so I don’t think I’ll be hung out to dry. lol

What meals do you serve when your trying to keep your grocery bill low?

The Menu:

Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- leftovers

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Egg salad sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, homemade pickles

Monday – chicken – Italian Chicken and Rice, green beans from the garden

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with meat sauce, zucchini

Wednesday – super simple – Left overs, carrots

Thursday – beef – Chicken Taco Rice, yellow squash from the garden

Friday – Sabbath Dinner – BBQ Chicken, brown rice, whatever veggies we have from the garden

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith – Book Review

August 27, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Welcome to virtual book review tour for Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith.

Litfuse

About Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith.:

Like oysters, women often encounter unexpected grit during their everyday lives. In response, God’s love and grace covers this grit and transforms the pain into a precious pearl that leaves a layered, luminous lining within a shell: Mother of Pearl. This brilliant luster is strong, lasting, and purposeful—just like the love, lessons, and legacies left by the special women in our lives.

Mother of Pearl celebrates the collective iridescence of motherhood. Margaret McSweeney presents a collection of heartfelt vignettes from authors who communicate the importance of the unique relationships between mothers and their children, between granddaughters and grandmothers and between children and the mother-figures in their lives.

These stories tell of the power of faith, prayer, and values, exploring coming of age, the joy of becoming a mother, the importance of motherhood, the ways to heal from a bad relationship with a mother and weathering the death of a special loved one. Poignant and thought-provoking, the stories serve to inspire, encourage, instill hope, and strengthen faith.

The proceeds from the sale of Mother of Pearl will be donated to organizations helping struggling women and children. The charities include Wings (Women in Need Growing Stronger) to help fund the Safe House in the Chicago suburbs and to Hands of Hope to help build wells for schoolchildren in Zambia. Link to buy Mother of Pearl. (not an affiliate link)

Meet Margaret:

Margaret McSweeney is a well-published author often writing online articles for Make It Better (the former North Shore Magazine) and freelance articles for the Daily Herald, the largest suburban Chicago newspaper. In addition, she has authored and compiled several books including A Mother’s Heart Knows; Go Back and Be Happy; Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace, Mother of Pearl and Aftermath.

With a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina in international business, Margaret became a vice-president in the corporate finance division of a New York City bank and worked there 1986–93.

As founder of Pearl Girls, Margaret collaborates with other writers on projects to help fund a safe house for WINGS, an organization that helps women and their children who are victims of domestic violence, and to build wells for schoolchildren in Uganda through Hands of Hope. For the past 10 years she has served on the board of directors and leadership advisory board for WINGS. Margaret lives with her husband and 2 daughters in the Chicago suburbs. www.pearlgirls.info

MY REVIEW:

I thoroughly enjoyed the time time I spent reading Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith. There are 57 stories of love, family, faith, and hope. All the stories are only two to three pages long, making it possible for even busy moms to fit in reading this book.

I shared several Mother of Pearl stories for the last two Mother’s Days. If you want to get a feel for the stories in this book, read my 2011 and 2012 Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day Posts.

Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith is a very encouraging and uplifting book for women of all ages. The stories in this book are not just for mothers, but for all women. There are lessons to be learned, and support for every season of life. I don’t have little children any more, and I don’t have grandchildren, but I still found many stories that I could relate to and receive encouragement from.

I highly recommend Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith for all women.

To celebrate the release of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith I’m hosting an evening of chat, laughter, and encouragement on Facebook!

I’ve invited the Pearl Girl contributors to join us on the evening of September 4th. I’d be so
honored if you’d come too!

We’ll be giving away a ton of fun stuff {books, gift certificates and a
Beautiful Pearl Necklace set}.

Mother of Pearl celebrates the collective iridescence of motherhood. We’ll gather to
connect, be encouraged and make some new friends!

So RSVP today and then come back on September 4th (at 5pm Pacific,
6pm Mountain, 7pm Central, and 8pm Eastern) and join us for the “Pearl” party. Let’s
share our stories and encourage one another.

We’ll also have an update from the charities involved with Pearl Girls, Wings and Hands of Hope.

(See what others are saying about Mother of Pearl.)

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