Book Review: The Echo Within and Giveaway

Book Summary:

The Echo Within is a profoundly affecting, honest look at the myriad ways we are drawn into our life’s best work.
Written out of his own lifelong search for and response to the calling voice of God, Robert Benson recounts his discovery of the meaning of vocation, work, and purpose through the ups and downs inherent in family life, professional choice, and spiritual experience. With clarity and insight, and in the elegant prose for which he is known, he gently invites and encourages readers to find such deep truths for their lives as well. In particular, he illuminates the way for readers to explore:

· ways to sense the Holy in our pursuits, both in the pursuits themselves and within ourselves.
· how to fall into our vocation and chart a course toward it at the same time.
· how to love the work we do, and the process of doing it.

For anyone beginning a new career or sensing a needed change in their life or wrestling with a transition suddenly thrust upon them, Robert Benson delivers wisdom, humor, and heart in what he’s learned about listening for The Echo Within—and how it can help us discover our calling.

Author Bio:
Robert Benson has written more than a dozen books about the discovery of the sacred in the midst of our ordinary lives, including Between the Dreaming and the Coming True, Home By Another Way, and Digging In. His work has been critically acclaimed in a wide range of publications from The New York Times and USA Today to Spirituality & Health and The Benedictine Review. He is an alumnus of The Upper Room’s Academy for Spiritual Formation and was recently named a Living Spiritual Teacher by SpiritualityandPractice.com. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

This was a very interesting book - not that I am in the process of changing or looking for my calling but I think that a lot can be learned from reading a book. It is always interesting to see how others handle different experiences in life and see how I would have done or what I would have done differently. You can purchase the book online at these great stores:
- http://www.amazon.com/
- http://www.christianbook.com/
- http://www.familychristian.com/

The great people over at Multnomah Books, a division of Random House, have also given me two of these books to giveaway...so if you would like to win one of the wonderful books - just leave a comment and good luck!

Friday Funnies...

I need to start writing down more of the funnies that the boys say during the week...The other day C said something funny but I couldn't write it down at that moment - got distracted and now I can't for the life of me remember what it was but at the time I thought..."There is a Friday Funny!"

They have been singing, "Hey, Good Looking" by Hank Williams, SR. I think that is the name of the song anyway... Dan sang it for Karaoke one night and everyone thought he sounded great so I found the ringtone and downloaded it so that when he calls my cell that song plays. Well, the boys have both been singing it too. It is so cute to see their different styles of singing...D makes it sound more like a ballad and C definately has more of the twangy, country sound. C also does a little Elvis-like move as he is singing... I need to get a video of it and I would post it here but I am on slow-mow dial up and it would take FFFOOORRREEEVVVEEERRR!

So, until we get faster internet...here is something to laugh at....

Aloha Friday #2

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link on An Island Life's site. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends! You DO NOT have to be a blogger to make comments or to visit other blogs that are participating!!

My question this week is:

How do you potty train a three year old boy that does not want to be potty trained??? ANY help will be useful....Thank you!

Review: Outlaw Marshall by Al & Joanna Lacy

This was a very good book, the first of the new series Return of the Stranger. It was one that I had to force myself to put down to get things done. I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series and will have to go back and read the books of the first series Journeys of the Stranger Series and the Angel of Mercy Series, although this is not necessary to understand this series. The authors did a great job of making sure that you did not have to read the first series to enjoy this one. But I feel captivated to read more about the main characters of John and Breanna Brockman.

Here is some more info about the book:
A good deed grants outlaw Whipley Langford early release from prison and a friendship with Chief U.S. Marshal John Brockman. Another good deed gets Whip framed for murder and looking at life through a hangman’s noose. John arrives just in time to reveal the true murderers and lead Whip to Christ.

A new man and a fast draw, Whip becomes Brockman’s deputy. Life is still fast and dangerous, and there’s a pretty lady Whip would like to get to know better too. Before he admits his love, Whip is shot in a bank robbery. Survival looks slim until he awakens to hear his lady confess her love. Weeks later, they are married.

Readers who are familiar with the Journeys of the Stranger and Angel of Mercy series reunite with well-loved characters John and Breanna Brockman. Western history buffs will enjoy a wholesome, fast-paced story where the Gospel is presented clearly. Christian readers will learn how to lean on the Lord in times of trial and non-Christians will have the opportunity to make Christ their Savior.

About The Authors:
Al Lacy is an evangelist and author of more than one hundred historical and western novels, including the Journeys of the Stranger, Angel of Mercy, and Mail Order Bride series, with more than three million books in print. JoAnna Lacy, Al’s wife and longtime collaborator, is a retired nurse. The Lacys have been married over forty years and live in the Colorado Rockies.

Published by: WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Here is what our Valentine's Day special meal looked like...The boys each decorated their pizza and to my surprise ate most of their pizzas.

Each "decorating" their pizzas with the ingredients of their choice.

What the pizzas look like before going into the oven...

C and D enjoying the finished product...

both of them had fun decorating their own pizza heart.

After that we talked with Daddy on the phone - we wished you could have been here with us but we saved some of the toppings so we can make more pizzas when you get home...We love you!! Hope you all had a great Valentine's day!!!

Aloha Friday!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link on An Island Life's site. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question is how do you celebrate Valentine's Day as a family?

This year we are hoping that my husband is going to be home but otherwise we are making our own homemade heart shaped pizzas, watching movies all cuddled on the couch and then maybe playing some games. Have a great Valentines Day!

Friday Funnies - Who needs a diet?

Thursday Thirteen Signs of Spring...

...No Matter What That Groundhog Says!

1. Saw FOUR Robins on Sunday!
2. Rain in February!!
3. Snow has mostly melted.
4. The snow that is left is full of dirt.
5. The ditches are full of water.
6. The driveway has no snow on it.
7. The driveway is all mud.
8. Temperatures are above average at 40 degrees (Thank you God!)
9. There are tornados in Oklahoma! Yikes!!!
10. There are lots of puddles for the boys to go stomping through.
11. My floor is full of mud that has been tracked into the house.
12. My car is full of mud not salt.
13. The grassy patches that are in the yard have a hint of green to them...

I am choosing to ignore the snizzle (for you non-Minnesotans that is a snowy drizzle) outside right now and to not look at the forcast that has us just below freezing...there were ROBINS for gracious-sakes!

WW - Wish they could be this close and not fight when they are awake!

K's first ER visit...

Sorry we have once again been away from the blogging scene but that is because my little K was sick. She had RSV and bronchiolitus (spelled?). On Monday, we had a Dr appt scheduled for that afternoon but during the day she got progressively worse...She was coughing more, more lethargic, and not herself at all. At the appointment, her temp was running 101.9 and the doc said she had the start of an ear infection so he gave me an antibiotic to get rid of that. He also said to continue doing her neb treatments more frequently...As you can see from the pic that she really doesn't mind them. She usually falls asleep and will help me hold the mask.

Tuesday, I took the boys in because they both had coughs. Also, almost as soon as we left the Dr's office, C started to complain that his ear hurt. I had them both checked out and a strep test done. Both of them were clear...C's ears looked good - just a lot of wax. D's one ear looked a little red but could have just been from the cough - not enough to warrant antibiotics.

That night I went to bed, hoping for a good night sleep - NOT to be had! When K went down for the night I gave her ibuprofen because she had still been running a temp off and on all day. She woke up around 1:30 and was breathing really hard - I picked her up and she was boiling! I took her temp and it was 101.9 under the arm so almost 103!!! It was too soon to give her more ibuprofen so I searched for my infant Tylenol and gave her some of that. After a half hour I checked her temp again and it had come down but very little and her breathing was still very labored. I waited another half hour (so full hour) and it had still barely come down...so I was left with the dilemma - I knew she needed to go in and be seen but I was home alone with all three kiddos and so would have to wake up the boys to take her in.

At 3:00am we were at the ER, all four of us. The boys actually did great - I was surprised. Of course the didn't like being woke up (not to say I didn't blame them on that) but I had grabbed their Leapsters and so they sat and played with them and later watched Peter Pan. K was given more meds to bring her temp down, a neb treatment and an oral steroid to help her breathing. Then, of course, we had to get our all time favorite chest x-rays (Dan always seems to get out of going with the kiddos for these - one of these times hun - one of these times!). We went down to the room and I think she was just so exhausted from the fever and the breathing because she actually didn't scream TOO much. And of course the boys are trailing behind.

The x-rays came back showing that there was no pneumonia - Thank you God! but that her bronchial tubes were swollen (something like that - you expect me to remember everything when it was early morning and having minimal sleep?). The nurse did another neb treatment and then the Dr asked if I would be comfortable going home with her still breathing like that or if I wanted to admit her...NEITHER would be my choice but I decided to wait and see what happened once the meds kicked in. After about half an hour she woke up and ate good and seemed to be more relaxed breathing so we packed everyone up and headed for home... The only thing was we needed to pick up some meds and all of the pharmacies were closed and didn't open until 8am - this being about 6:15.

Great - we went home and laid back in bed - the boys in my bed with me... D fussed about having to go back to sleep but fell asleep almost right away. C on the other hand is a morning person like his Daddy and so was sitting in bed between D and I just chatting away. I dozed in and out until about 7:45 and then got up. I got the boys breakfast and then packed everyone up for another run into town to get the meds. Drive up to Coborn's drive-thru and they said it would be about 20 minutes...okay now what. Drove through McD's for my breakfast and a snack for the boys then drove around, went back and got the meds and headed for home again.

The boys took a 5 hour nap that afternoon because they were exhausted. Me on the other hand - I have gotten little to no sleep all week. K needed to be get her neb every four hours and of course she eats every three hours - plus she still had high temps and hard time breathing. The boys have slowly gotten better. D still has a cough....C says that D took his cough. ;) I had a head cold with sinus issues but I think that we are all better now.

K had her follow up Dr appointment today and the Doc said it would probably take another 2 weeks for her to fully recover. So in the meantime, we continue her nebs and keep an extra special eye on her. You can tell she is doing much better because she is smiling and singing once again. I just need to catch up on my sleep now.....................

Why am I still up??? I am waiting for a call from Dan to let me know his plane landed in CT and he got to the hotel okay. He is there for the day and then back to Miami - hopefully, training in Miami will go good enough for him to be home on Saturday around noon.

And the For The Love of Chocolate winner is...

Drum Roll please..........................................................

Number 121

Lisa said...
The BAYOU BOURBON GLAZE looks like something I'd like to try.the_outsider01AThotmailDOTcom
January 29, 2009 4:43 PM

Congratulations, Lisa and thank you to all who entered. Lisa has been emailed and she has three days to reply. If she does not within the three days then a new winner will be picked.

Lisa - enjoy your chocolate yummys!