Make it From Scratch Carnival

This is my first time hosting the Make it from Scratch Carnival and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Everybody sent in wonderful posts. Thank you.

Feature Post:
I had to feature this post, because this is exactly what I have been looking for. Joanna presents Magnetic Spice Rack Project & a Giveaway!! posted at keeping feet, saying "This was a fun, space-saving, frugal kitchen project, and I'm excited to share it with you!"

More Wonderful Posts:
SimplyForties presents Elizabeth on 37th's Oyster and Sausage Turnover posted at SimplyForties.

Neighbor Nancy presents A Ton of Garden, A Tiny Space: Vegetables for the 6" Container posted at Recession Depression Therapy, saying "Make it from scratch? How far are you willing to go with that? Dig in and join the adventure."


RecycleCindy presents Crochet a Spiral Scrubbie posted at My Recycled Bags.com, saying "If you want a cute kitchen scrubber check out this post. I added some recycled lettuce and ham plastic netting to make my crocheted scrubbie have extra scrubbing power."


christinemoers presents Tastes-Like-Spaghettio's Pasta Bake posted at Welcome to my Brain.

Alex presents Animal Coloring Pages posted at Home Life Weekly, saying "Give your kids some fun by making printed animal coloring pages."


Stephanie presents The Great Potato Experiement Year Two posted at Stop the Ride!.




Stephanie presents Cooking with Milk Substitutes posted at Make It From Scratch.

Linda Mundy presents Ginger Orange Cookies posted at LJM's Kitchen, saying "These cookies are easy to make, and you may find them addictive!"

Deana presents Fancy vintage inspired lampshade posted at Alchemyfineliving's Weblog.

Leigh presents Who Wants a Vegan Bran Muffin?! posted at Cheap Healthy Good, saying "Thanks for hosting."

Nathan Veldhoen presents Project: coffee table. Nate Veldhoen posted at Nate Veldhoen, saying "A Coffe table I made from a 97 ford tailgate, some leftover cedar and a piece of glass."

Annette Berlin presents Basil Vegetable Soup posted at Craft Stew, saying "My husband asked me to use up the little dribs and drabs of veggies left over in the fridge. This extremely delicious and easy soup is the result."

Victoria Kabakian presents Delicious Baked Eggs! posted at Mission: Food.

Anthony Delgado presents Make It From Scratch and Tell About it on eElixir - eElixir: Modern Cottage Industry posted at Anthony on eElixir.

Did you know your iPhone could do so much? Margaret Garcia shows us Top 20 Home Improvement iPhone Apps posted at Construction Management Degrees.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of make it from scratch! using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

What is Easter?

What is Easter?
Written By: Michelle Medlock Adams
Illustrated By: Amy Wummer
Published By: Candy Cane Press
Copyrighted: 2005
Number of Pages: 24 pages
Age Group: 4-8 years of age
Type of Book: Christian fiction
Physical Description: Cardboard book
About the Book: This book begins by asking the reader if Easter is about new clothes, candy and hunting Easter eggs. The answer that is given is “No!” Easter is about God's son, Jesus, and the life he gave to save us. The illustrations are very well done. Everyone is happy and the same outdrew are shown throughout the story.
What My Children Thought: This book was very popular with my children. My five-year-old son liked Jesus with the children, the Easter Egg Hunt and the chicks. He especially liked the page that explains what Easter is really about. My three-year-old daughter enjoyed the whole book. There was nothing they disliked.
What I liked: I thought the entire book was wonderful. I thought it was important to show the contrasts between how many people celebrate Easter and how it truly should be. My favorite phrase is "He wants to live inside you too and fill you up with love." That is very important to all of us. We all need to remember that.
What I disliked: Nothing.
Would I recommend: Yes.

Prayer of the Week- Living a Life of Jesus

I had a wonderful idea for my post tonight, but it did not work out. Here is what I had planned on giving you in a handwritten version for my prayer of the week, then I realized that I would not be able to make it large enough to be readable.

Tonight I am having a wonderful time thinking about how I am going to write my prayer of the week. I have decided to participate in the hour long time of using less electricity, so I am sitting at the table writing out my prayer in the light of two oil lanterns. As I look out the window you can tell the city has not decided to participate, because you can see the lights reflecting on the fallen snow.

I get my inspirations for my prayers from books, sermons, magazines and my children. If there is something you would like me to pray about, please leave a comment.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the wonderful day with my children and the snow that is coming down.

I would like help remembering that I should always be striving to be like Your Son. As Christians we need to remember that other people see Jesus through us. If we aren't living a life of Jesus, unbelievers will get the wrong message about what Jesus is really like. Please Lord, keep your hand on me while I am trying to be more like Your Son.

Thank you. In Your name, Amen.

Danish Sugar Cookies

Danish Sugar Cookies

1-cup butter
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
1-cup ground pecans
1-teaspoon vanilla

Mix. Form into rolls and freeze. Slice and bake at 350° until set about 8 minutes. Dip in powdered sugar while hot. Can make four dozen.

Enjoy these simple Danish Sugar Cookies!!!

The Story of Easter

The Story of Easter or La Historia de la Pascua En Ingles
By
Patricia A. Pingry
Illustrated by Stacy Venturi-Pickett
Published by: Ideals Children's Books
Copyrighted: 2001
Number of pages: 26 pages
Age Group: 4-8 years of age
Type of book: Christian Non-fiction
Physical Description of Book: paperback, 8x8 inches
Extras: There are letters in the beginning to parents or teachers and a list of the 200 words in Spanish and English in the back.
About the book: This was a wonderfully drawn and written story about Easter, The illustrations are very realistic, bright and nicely textured. There are enjoyable mentions of spring, why we have Easter, what happens on Easter. The most important lesson in this book is that Jesus gave his life so we may live.
What my children thought: My five-year-old son liked the bunnies, people going to church and the list of vocabulary words at the end of the book. He also liked that it was in English and Spanish. He thought it was important that the angel told the women, “Jesus has risen.” There was nothing my son disliked and he wants kids his age to read it. My three-year-old daughter liked the chicks, children splashing in the puddles and sheep. She did not like the angel, but she did think that kids her age would like the book.
What I liked: I liked the illustrations and the vocabulary list at the end of the book. I liked that the author pointed out, Jesus loves us and we love him. I enjoyed being able to read a version in English and Spanish
What I disliked: Nothing
Would I recommend: Yes, I would The Story of Easter.

The Easter Story

The Easter Story
By
Anita Garneri
Illustrator: Rachael Phillips
Series: Storyteller Series
Published by: Smart Apple Media and Evans Brothers LTD
Copyrighted: 2005
Number of pages: 23 pages
Age group: 6 years and up
Type of Book: Christian Non-fiction
Physical Description: hardback, 8 ½ x 11 inches
About the book: This book is about Jesus and what happened to him in the time near the crucifixion, holy communion, the cross, the Lord’s Prayer, and painting Easter eggs. The story begins with the beginning of the festival of Passover and then continues with the last meal where Judas learns that Jesus knows what he is doing. It continues with the Roman soldiers capturing Jesus and the crucifixion. Jesus is then placed in the tomb and rises from the dead. The illustrations were very well done. The people are very realistic and the backgrounds had an interesting texture. The photos of the Easter eggs were a nice addition so the reader can see what a painted egg looks like.
What my children thought: I did read this book to them even though they are only three and five. My five year-old-son moved at seeing the illustration of how Jesus died and the way He was nailed to the cross. There was nothing my son disliked. My three-year-old daughter liked the illustrations of the angel and Jesus at the Last Supper. She disliked the illustration of Jesus on the cross. Both of my children enjoyed the idea of painting Easter eggs and would recommend it to kids their ages.
What I liked: I liked this entire book. It was very clearly written and it shows us, as Christians, what Jesus went through for us. I am looking forward to trying the Easter egg project.
What I disliked: I thought the illustration of Jesus was too graphic for young children.
Would I recommend: Yes, I would recommend The Easter Story to those who want to learn more about Easter.

The Mystery of the Wrong Dog

The Mystery of the Wrong Dog
By
Elspeth Campbell Murphy
Series: Three Cousins Detective Club #3
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Copyright: 1994
Number of pages: 59 pages
Age Group: first chapter book (ages7-10)
Type of Book: Christian fiction
Physical Description: Paperback, 5x7 inches
About the book: Titus McKay has been taking care of Kingsley, a cranky dog, for his neighbors while they are at odds with each other. Titus and his two cousins decide to go to the bakery with Kingsley. They leave him outside and when they come back outside there is a totally different (attitude) dog waiting for them. Titus decides Kingsley has been switched with another dog. He confronts one of the owners and learns he switched dogs. Titus is able to get the dogs owners to consent to living with each other again. Titus is able to keep the other dog. Titus, his cousins and Kingsley’s owners learned about peace through each other and the story of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was a peacemaker between a wild wolf and a village.
About Author: Elspeth Campbell Murphy has written more than 100 books the past years. She is a graduate of Trinity College and Mood Bible Institute. She currently lives in Chicago and received a Gold Medallion award for Do You See Me, God?
What did I like best: I liked how Titus was a peacemaker between his neighbors like St. Francis was. It shows us, the reader, that everybody be a peacemaker.
What did I dislike: There was nothing in this book I disliked.
Would I recommend: Yes, I would recommend this book. If we all tried to consistently be peacemakers more this world would be better.

Happy Easter God

By
Elspeth Campbell Murphy
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Copyrighted: 2001
Number of pages: 29 pages
Age group: 2-6 years of age
Type of book: Holiday Christian fiction
Physical Description: hardback, square, shiny pages.
About the book: This book begins with a letter to parents discussing the setup of the book. Each group of pages includes a prayer-poem for the child and a Bible verse for the parents to meditate on. The prayer-poems have a variety of topics from chocolate Easter bunnies to the angel outside the empty tomb.
The illustrations were realistically drawn and fun to look at. Everybody has a big smile and we get to know the children by reading their nametags.
About the author: Elspeth Campbell Murphy has written more than 100 books the past years. She is a graduate of Trinity College and Mood Bible Institute. She currently lives in Chicago and received a Gold Medallion award for Do You See Me, God?
What my children thought: My five-year-old son thoroughly enjoyed this book; there was nothing he disliked. I read the Bible verses as well as the prayer-poems to the children and those were his favorite parts, because they were from the Bible. He also liked the pictures because they were shiny. My son thought the funniest picture was of the bunny on a girl’s lap. He highly recommended this book to kids his age. My daughter who is three enjoyed this book as well. There were many things she enjoyed: like the bunny, the children singing, and the Easter egg hunt. Her favorite child was Caroline. The only illustration my daughter didn't like was of the angel. She thought children her age would enjoy the book,
What I liked: I liked the entire book. I enjoyed the addition of the Bible verses for adult readers. I also enjoyed how my son appreciated the Bible verses. I felt invigorated after I read this book. I thought next time I would have my son help me read this book.
What I disliked: There is nothing I disliked.
Do I recommend: Yes, I do. Happy Easter God is a very enjoyable book for both children and adults.

Noah's Ark by Barbara Shook Hazen and Diane Muldrow

The Little Golden Book, Noah’s Ark is by Barbara Shook Hazen and Diane Muldrow and illustrated by Mirceau Catusanu. It was copyrighted in 2003 by Random House Inc. and is 22 pages. The most important theme in this book is that we can and should trust in God.

I liked this story, because it includes much of the information from the Bible, like the raven, who is usually not included. There is a very nice poem about the animals as they go in pairs into the ark.

I thought the illustrations were very good. I did think the eyes on the donkey were too wide. The illustrations in this story show well how Noah and his family are either happy or scared at the appropriate times.

This Noah's Ark is good for children who can pay attention for a longer story as this story has more words than the average Little Golden Book. My four-year-old enjoys this story, but it is just a little long for my two-year-old.

Prayer of the Week- Keeping Away from Evil

Join me for the prayer of the week.

Dear Lord,

Thank you the warm temperatures, the freedoms you provide in my country and the love you give me that I know will never change.

In today's society everywhere we look we see drinking, drugs and fame (to mention a few), please help me to stay turned away from that life. Help me to focus on you.

Teach me and teach my family how to stay strong so Satan cannot break through our Red Rover line. We will not let him break us.

Please bless us and keep us from doing evil.

In Your name I pray. Amen

I hope this prayer of the week will help you throughout the week.

Delicious Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 ½ cups flour

Whip butter until fluffy. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and beat well. Drop by teaspoons onto a non-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes; watch the edges so they are not too brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes 2 dozen.

These are some of my favorite cookies. I hope you like shortbread cookies too.

Mystery Pennies by Sigmund Brouwer

Mystery Pennies is book five in the Watch out for Joel! series by Sigmund Brouwer.
It was copyrighted in 2003 and published by Bethany House Publishers. It has 30 pages and is for readers ages 6-8. My three year-old and five-year-old both enjoyed having it read to them.

Ricky, age 13, has a job delivering papers, making 10¢ per house. Joel, age seven, wants to help deliver the papers. Ricky lets him deliver papers for one cent per house. Ricky feels badly when Joel uses all his money to buy Ricky a birthday present. Ricky learns he needs to treat Joel fairly. He decided to do that by giving him 10¢ per house for half of the route.

Sigmund Brouwer writes books that are fun to read. He holds writing camps and classes for more than 10,000 kids every year.

Tammie Lyon/Laurie Lambert Association illustrated the book with realistic drawings of Joel and Ricky delivering newspapers and having fun on Ricky’s birthday.

There are two interesting sections of the book. The one at the beginning talks of Romans 18:9 and how we should think as we read the story if we have acted like Ricky. The section at the end of the book has questions and how we should be fair.

The theme for this book is taken from Romans 18:9 about brotherly love. Ricky was being unfair. We need to remember to hold on to what is good and treat our brothers and sisters fairly. It will make all involved feel good.

I really enjoyed this book. I was glad to see that Ricky started being nice to the animals and sharing his newspaper route. I did not like how Ricky was always telling Joel he was only seven.

I would recommend this book to kids so they can read about what it feels like when things aren’t fair. This book will help remind them to be fair to their siblings and others.

St. Patrick's Day

By
Dorothy Rhodes Freeman
Series: Best Holiday books
Published by: Enslow Elementary
Copyrighted: 2008
Number of pages: 48 pages
Age group: Interest level 4 and up, Reading Level 9-12
Type of Book: Holiday Christian Non-Fiction
Physical Description: hardback, 8x8 inches
Extras: Words to know, more books to read and Internet addresses to fun sites.
About the book: From the first section it is easy to see this is a special, fun book to read. This book describes everything about St. Patrick and the day that is named for him. There were bits of information that had not previously been known to the reader, such as Patrick was not religious before he was kidnapped. There were many enjoyable photos, maps and illustrations that showed parades, leprechauns, and where St. Patrick lived.
What my children thought: My five-year-old son liked the green river and the Irish wolfhound. There was nothing he disliked. He thought children his age would enjoy it. My three-year-old daughter did not care to hear the book. She thought it was not for kids her age.
What I liked: I liked everything about this book: the layout, pictures and the discussions surrounding St. Patrick. We took the time to go to the Internet to listen to the songs mentioned.
What I disliked: Nothing
Would I recommend: Yes!!

Help Those Who have been Hurt by the Church.

I got this request in an e-mail this morning. This is exactly what I was talking about in my Prayer of the Week on Saturday. Please take the time to submit a letter of your own.

Request from www.TruthinMinistry.org

The purpose of this project is to bring together a massive group of open letters, from believers, making an appeal to those who have been hurt by the church or by other Christians to be reconciled to the greater body of Christ or even back to the foot of the cross.

T. Michael Cart - http://www.truthinministry..org/blog/63

Letters should be no more than 2,000 words. No particular format is preferred. All of the letters will be evaluated for content, flow and impact by a panel of Christian writers and then posted for people to read and comment on.

In addition, the top three letters will be awarded a free, signed copy of my book, T.R.U.T.H. In Ministry. You can send your letter to contributions@truthinministry.org or go to http://www.truthinministry.org, then:
1. Click "Create Content" in the navigation menu on the left.
2. Click "Letter"
3. Type your letter.
4. Save your letterSubmissions will be accepted starting now until midnight, March 31st.
Thank you for participating.

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland

Written and Illustrated By
Tomie De Paola
Published by: Holiday House
Copyrighted: 1992
Number of pages: 28 pages
Age Group: All ages, the listener just needs to be able to sit for many words on all the pages. There are many illustrations to view, done in the classic Tomie De Paola style.
Genre: Christian Fiction Biography
Physical Description: hardback, 8 ½ x 11 inches
Interesting Extras: Several paragraphs at the end of the book explain when Tomie De Paola first learned of St. Patrick and the joy of being half Irish.
About the Book: This book tells of the legends of St. Patrick and also of how he lived. The illustrations on each page relate directly to the text. Some of the pages have two pictures and others have just one. The illustrations clearly show what it was like when Patrick was: kidnapped by the Irish, sold as a slave, runs away, reunited with his family and called by God to back to Ireland to be a missionary. There are several legends included and they are: St, Patrick and the snakes, St, Patrick and the evil Coroticus, St. Patrick and the Altar stone and St. Patrick and the shamrock.
What my children think: My five-year-old son thought it was good that Patrick prayed to God so many times and that God answered his prayers, He also liked the colors of the clothes. My three-year-old daughter liked that the book was about God, when Patrick wore white and when God sent the food to the men.
What I like: I liked that it showed the power of prayer and how we can incorporate in our lives. If Patrick could pray 200 times a day we can surely do it as well. It also showed the great faith Patrick had when he was to go back to the county where he was enslaved.

What I disliked: Nothing
Would I Recommend: Yes, because this is a wonderful way to learn about Saint Patrick.

Prayer of the Week- Those Who are Missing from Church Fellowship

Dear Lord,
I would like to thank you for this warm, sunny day you have provided us after many cold days. It was enjoyable going to the park and taking a walk. Thank you for providing us with warm weather tomorrow so we can enjoy nature as you have given it to us.

Tonight I would like to pray for those who are missing from our church fellowship. I know you love us all and how you are concerned for the missing by the parables Jesus told of the missing sheep, the missing coin and the missing son. Help me to keep in mind some different aspects when trying to find those who are missing from our fellowship: count, labor, wait, pray, love unconditionally, welcome, restore and celebrate.

Thank you for all that you do for us. In your name I pray, Amen.

Irish Potato Candies

1 (8-oz) package Cream cheese
½ cup margarine or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 (1-pound) boxes confectioners’ sugar
2 cups flaked coconut
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. In large bowl using mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese, margarine and vanilla until well blended.
2. Stir in confectioners’ sugar and coconut until well blended.
3. If mixture is too soft to handle, chill 1 hour before shaping. Shape into 1” ovals or balls; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Chill 1 hour.
4. Place cinnamon in small plastic bag. Shake balls, 4 at a time, in cinnamon.
Store in refrigerator in airtight container. Makes 8 dozen pieces.

I hope you enjoy this unique dish on your St. Patrick's Day. They are very sweet, my mouth is watering just thinking about them.

The Hidden Message by Lois Walfrid Johnson

The Hidden Message, book 2 of Adventures of the Northwoods by Lois Walfrid Johnson was copyrighted in 1990. This Christian historical mystery was published by Bethany House Publishers has 142 pages and is for children 8-12.

Kate, Anders and Erik decide they need to solve the mystery of Josie’s family’s missing steer and Erik’s family’s canned goods. They discover it is their prime suspect, Stretch, but they never knew he did it because he was hungry. New brother and sister, Kate and Anders, need to help Mama while Papa during the winter of 1906 in rural Wisconsin. Kate and Anders along with Erik begin to suspect Stretch of taking the canned goods when Kate sees him with blue hands. Papa once told Erik that you should always believe in someone until proven otherwise. Anders and Kate both take that into consideration, but Kate has problems with it, because Stretch left her in the frozen lake to drown. Kate lies to her mother about almost drowning and she is send to her room every afternoon for a week. She sneaks out and little sister, Tina, tries to follow and almost falls out of a tree. Kate tells her mother, who forgives her. Now she just needs to ask God for his forgiveness. When they are visiting the Berglund’s and Kate sees the extra food in their cellar. They get Big Gust and go to see Stretch, who admits to taking the food and the steer, because his father left. Kate forgives Stretch as God forgave her. Kate, Anders and Erik learn to forgive and God is on their side. They need not fear when he is with us.

Lois Walfrid Johnson is well known and has a won a Gold Medallion for her series Lets-talk-about-it. She has written some pre-teen devotionals, which are bestsellers. She has a husband and three children and lives in rural Wisconsin. She included acknowledgements in the back of the book to all those who help and were there for her.

There are three clear issues in this story; God sent His Son to save us, believe in someone until proven differently, and God forgives us. I thought these were important to everybody, because we all need to be reminded about what God has done for us. We can so easily forget in this busy world what life should be about and this book show us what we should be thinking about. It is nice to be reminded that our sins are forgiven and not to worry any more.

I did not like how Kate did not always listen to Anders. She should listen to him because he has lived in the area longer, so he knows the area and the people. I liked how Kate took the time to learn special organs songs for Tina and Papa.

I would recommend this book, because we all need to remember to forgive others and that God is with us. It is always fun to read a good mystery.

Christian Carnival ii

Welcome to the March 11, 2009 edition of Christian carnival ii.

I hope everbody enjoys this wide variety of posts. I know I did. If there is a post you find especially interestesting, please comment on it. I would like to thank all of those who sent in posts. I enjoyed reading all of them.

Minister Mamie L. Pack presents No one and Nobody posted at The Life I Now Live.

Raffi Shahinian presents Incurvat-us: Sin and Systems posted at parables of a prodigal world.

Bible SEO presents The Parable of the Great Feast - Luke 14:15-24 posted at Bible Study Exposition Online.

FMF presents Free Money Finance: Contentment: Serving God Through Simple Living posted at Free Money Finance, saying, "Biblical key to managing money."

bryan presents Can't Win For Losing posted at EnglishBibleStudiesBlog, saying, "This blog is good."

Rodney Olsen presents Obedience posted at The Journey - Life : Faith : Family, saying, "Is obedience an outdated concept? Should we still require obedience from our children?"

christiantwopointoh presents Why Do You Believe? posted at Christian2.0, saying, "Take a minute to examine the motivations fueling your belief. Discover the power in knowing Truth."

Yolanda Lehman presents I'M STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER posted at Ain'ta That Good News?!, saying, ""I'm Standing in the Need of Prayer" offers a life changing and impactful epiphany regarding the importance of attending to our own relationship with Christ, rather than judging others."

ChristianPF presents God’s stimulus plan posted at Money in the Bible Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, "God still has a plan for our finances!"

Insurance Toolbox presents How to Get a Free Copy of the Bible Fine-Tuned Finances posted at Fine-Tuned Finances.

Jennifer in OR presents Parakeet Morality posted at Diary of 1.

Diane R. presents Who Should Be Teaching Our Church Youth? posted at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet, saying, "Who are teaching our youth in church youth groups? Are they perhaps a tad too young?"

Hopeful Spirit presents Affirmation of Faith posted at On the Horizon, saying, "A true story about a signed received . . . of faith, belief, and hope."

Annette presents True Woman - how to control your tongue posted at Fish and Cans.

Jim DeSantis presents 5 Ways To Keep Your Marriage Healthy posted at On Line Tribune Marriage Matters, saying, "When you are married or even in a long term live-in relationship, sometimes it's hard to understand what is going wrong, and it takes only the most basic advice to clear the fog of confusion. Try these 5 ways to keep your marriage or relationship healthy."

andriel presents The Emerging Ecumenicism: "We're Ready to Believe You!" posted at ReturningKing.com.

Mark Olson presents Confession posted at Pseudo-Polymath, saying, "In which Confession is considered."

Casey presents http://blog.thelimitless.com/2009/03/10/a-relevant-gospel posted at http://blog.thelimitless.com/, saying, "I believe to present the Gospel effectively, the church must present it in a way that is relevant to the person hearing it. For 2009, that might no longer be in stuffy sanctuaries, or evangelistic crusades."

Ken Brown presents Love, Life and Loss on Patch Adams posted at C. Orthodoxy, saying, "Rediscovering the power and danger of unconditional love in a classic movie."

Tiffany Partin presents You Can Lead A Horse To Water posted at Fathom Deep: Sounding the Depths of God.

michelle presents Ecclesiastes 3 posted at Thoughts and Confessions of a Girl Who Loves Jesus..., saying, "I am in a season of growing in ministry. I am preparing to go to Nicaragua on a mission trip to share the Gospel with children. I am so excited! I can’t wait to see what the Lord will accomplish on this trip!"

Jeremy Rooney presents Articles - I Dare You to Move posted at yourchristianvoice.

Jeremy Pierce presents Obama's Defense of Embryo-Killing posted at Parableman, saying "This is a look at President Barack Obama's statement defending his change in policy regarding embryonic stem cell research from the Bush Administration's policy."

Martin Roth presents Christian Counseling Services - helping you improve your marriage posted at Christian Counseling Services.

Weekend Fisher presents Blessing, Promist and the desires of God posted Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength, saying, "Do the beatitudes reveal an insight into what God himself desires? Weekend Fisher considers the question in Blessing, promise, and the desires of God."

Rey from the Bible Archive reviews The Watchmen with a suggestion that despite the sex and
violence, Christians should still go watch it.

Trent Cotton presents The Enemy Behind the Lines- Self-Reliance: at Christian Men Christian Warriors.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of christian carnival ii using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: christian carnival ii, blog carnival.

Noah's Ark by Christine Deverall

This Noah’s Ark was written by Christine Deverall and illustrated by Richard Deverall, James Deverall and Chris King and is part of the, Bible for little people series. It’s copyright is 2002 and is published by Grandreams Books Limited.

Noah’s Ark is a cardboard book with the spine on the top of the book. The story line is as basic as it can be written. It is so basic that it leaves out the parts when Noah sends out the raven and also the dove, which I think adds to the story.

I do like that it shows that if you listen God will tell you what you should do and that God will keep you safe. The illustrations are well drawn. The animals are shown in pairs and Noah and his family looks peaceful. Sometimes the text does not match the pictures.

Overall this is a wonderful book and my children enjoy having it read to them.

Prayer of the Week- Thank you

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this day you have given me. Thank you for the food on the table, the clothes on my body and the roof over my head. Blessing after blessing you have graciously bestowed upon me.

Forgive me my sins and help me to remove the log from my eye so that I may help others. Lord, please watch over those who are in financial dire straits, those who are homeless and hungry. Protect the innocent and encourage those who have been discouraged. There are many who are hurting and in need. Comfort them this day and give to them hope of a better tomorrow.

In your name Lord Jesus we pray, Amen.

I hope you gain from the prayer from my guest, Jon

Ice Cream Crunch

½ cup butter (melted)
2/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup nuts
1 cup coconut
2 cups rice chex

Pour butter into the mixed ingredients
Soften ½ gallon ice cream
Line 9x13 pan with 2/3 of the mixed ingredients, add softened ice cream and sprinkle rest of mixture on top. Freeze.

Long Shot by Sigmund Brouwer

Long Shot by Sigmund Brouwer is book two in the Watch out for Joel! Series. It was copyrighted in 2002 and published by Bethany House Publishers. This Christian fiction 28 page book is for beginning readers ages 6-8. My three-year-old and five-year-old enjoyed having it read to them.

Joel, age seven and Ricky, age 13 are visiting their cousin, Lisa (13). Lisa and Ricky build a large slingshot and knock out a bull while trying to get a rock into the pond. Lisa’s father returns when the bull is tied to the tractor and conscious. Lisa wants to build a large slingshot to shoot rocks into the pond. When the slingshot is ready they use a rock that hits Old Black, a bull. Lisa decides she is going to tie Old Black to the tractor. After they tie up Old Black he wakes up and Lisa’s dad comes home. Lisa and Ricky tell what happened and her dad will untie Old Black. Lisa and Ricky learn from her father that they should never try to hide mistakes. Joel, Ricky and Lisa need to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness. Their parents can always help them.

Sigmund Brouwer is an award-winning author, who holds writing camps and classes for more than 10,000 kids each year.

The illustrations by Tammie Lyon are fun and realistic. My children and I enjoyed all of the illustrations.

The theme of the book is taken from Proverbs 12:22, honesty. The theme is first talked about in the front of the book about the being honest. At the end of the story there is a lesson about honesty and discussion questions that can be talked about as a family.

This book shows all of us we should be honest. If we are not honest the lies will catch up to us. As young children we can always count on our parents to help and support us.

I liked how this book repeated lots of phrases so a young reader can have words reinforced. It did not like how Lisa and Ricky treated Joel as if he knew nothing. They did not need to keep repeating, “what do you know?”

I would recommend this 6x9” paperback book to everybody. It is a fun, exaggerated way to teach about honesty.

The Story of Jonah by Alice Joyce Davidson

The Story of Jonah was written by Alice Joyce Davidson and was illustrated by Victoria Marshall. It is an Alice in Bibleland Storybook and was published in 1984 by Grolier Enterprises Inc. The book is 31 pages.

In this story Alice is a little girl who goes to Bibleland, where she learns the story of Jonah by being a casual observe in his life. This book does a wonderful job of telling the story about Jonah. Alice learns three important things from her time with Jonah; we must obey God, God is everywhere and God has mercy, pity and forgives. She and Jonah both learned about God’s mercy and forgiveness and we must remember that we need to have those too.

The illustrations were realistic. Children reading the book can see how many times they can spot Alice in the story. I did not like how Jonah had the same look on his face in almost all the pictures. It was also a very interesting fish that swallowed Jonah.

My 4-year-old and 2-year-old both enjoyed this book. The fish was a favorite, but I think that the rhyming of every other line in each verse kept their attention.