God Gave Us Sleep

“Little Cub!” Mama called. “Time for bed.” 

Little Cub is having so much fun building an igloo with her friends that she doesn’t want to stop for bedtime! Who needs sleep when there’s fun to be had? Mama patiently answers her child’s questions as she puts her to bed, explaining the importance of daily rhythms of work, play, and rest. As they talk through the fears that come with nighttime—and work through Little Cub’s endless stalling tactics—our favorite bear learns to realize that God gave us sleep as a vital gift.
 
 
“God gave us rest so we have energy for our day, and patience to enjoy it. And so we have quiet time to listen to him.”
 
This charming addition to the best-selling God Gave Us series, with its Arctic characters and relevant message, will help all little ones prepare for a peaceful night’s rest.

I requested this book for my two younger children, in hopes that they would go to bed easier if they had a book that was about sleep. ha ha on me. They did enjoy this book though, and I love that it tells how God created sleep and how important it is for our bodies to get rest. 

*I received this book free in exchange for my honest opinion*

Book Review| Martha Stewarts Appetizers

Hors d’oeuvres made modern: Today’s style of entertaining calls for fuss-free party foods that are easy to make and just as delicious as ever. With more than 200 recipes for tasty pre-dinner bites, substantial small plates, special-occasion finger foods, and quick snacks to enjoy with drinks, Martha Stewart’s Appetizers is the new go-to guide for any type of get-together. 

I love cookbooks, so it's no surprise that I absolutely love this book. I'm always looking for new snacks to try and new appetizers. This book is truly amazing. It is 256 pages long and is full of wonderful recipes and beautiful photos. There are a few things in this book that I won't touch...but there are many that I love and cannot wait to make again.


*Disclaimer*
I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.  

Reservations for two

A culinary concoction of taking chances and finding love in the most delectable places
 
 
Food writer-turned-restaurateur Juliette D’Alisa has more than enough on her plate. While her trip to Provence might have unlocked new answers to her grandmother’s past, it’s also provided new complications in the form of Neil McLaren, the man she can’t give up. 
 
Juliette and Neil find romance simple as they travel through Provence and Tuscany together, but life back home presents a different set of challenges. Juliette has a restaurant to open, a mother combating serious illness, and a family legacy of secrets to untangle – how does Neil, living so far away in Memphis, fit into to her life? 
 
As she confronts an uncertain future, Juliette can’t help but wish that life could be as straightforward as her chocolate chip cookie recipe. Can her French grandmother’s letters from the 1940’s provide wisdom to guide her present? Or will every new insight create a fresh batch of mysteries?

*My Wife's Thoughts*

I requested this book for my wife to review because she was looking for a new book to read. As we were browsing the site looking for a book, she had me stop on this one because it peaked her interest. 

If you are looking to read a good romance, then you might just like this book.  Hillary Manton Lodge did a great job with detailing in this book. My wife said she enjoyed reading about the different culture. The recipes in this book are really good too.

*Disclaimer*

I received this book free from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Daily Painting-A Book Review

A unique system for jump-starting artistic creativity, encouraging experimentation and growth, and increasing sales for artists of all levels, from novices to professionals.
  
Do you want to bring the joy back into your art?

Have you landed in a frustrating rut? Are you having trouble selling paintings in galleries, getting bogged down by projects you can’t seem to finish or abandon, or finding excuses to avoid working in the studio? Author Carol Marine knows exactly how you feel—she herself suffered from painter’s block, until she discovered “daily painting.” The idea is simple: do art (usually small) often (how often is up to you), and if you’d like, post and sell it online. Soon you’ll find that your block dissolves and you’re painting work you love—and more of it than you ever thought possible! 

With her encouraging tone and useful exercises, Marine teaches you to:
-Master composition and value
-Become confident in any medium
-Choose subjects wisely 
-Stay fresh and loose 
-Photograph, post, and sell your art online
-Become connected to the growing movement of daily painters around the world

-My Review-

This is a wonderful book packed full of valuable information. I looked through the book and immediately. I don't paint(very well lol), but I requested this book for a young teen who at the moment has beaten her cancer! She loves to paint and it wonderful at it. I thought she would enjoy this book. 

Disclaimer-I received this book free from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for my honest review. 

Rooted in Design-Book Review

A stylish and full-color guide to creatively integrating indoor plants with home decor from the owners of the popular Sprout Home garden design boutiques.

Indoor plants play a large role in the design and feel of a space. Focusing on indoor gardening--from small containers and vertical installations with air plants to unique tabletop creations--Rooted in Design provides readers with the means to create beautiful and long-lasting indoor landscapes. Tara Heibel and Tassy De Give, owners of the successful Sprout Home gardening stores, offer expert advice for choosing plant varieties and pairing them with unique design ideas. Sharing practical tips honed through hundreds of plant design classes, Heibel and DeGive tell readers everything they need to know to care for their one-of-a-kind green creations.


Rooted in Design shows beautiful and creative ways to use indoor plants as art and decor. I really wish more information about how to keep the plants alive would have been added. The book includes instructions for building the different types of displays and containers for the plants. I think that this book has the potential to inspire people to use plants in their home decor.

*Disclaimer*

I received this book free from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for my honest review. All opinions given are my own.

Book Review- Just Add Watercolor

A beautifully illustrated, easy-to-navigate guide to creating contemporary watercolors, pairing full-page paintings with insights and tips for artists.
     Featuring 200 of the best works of young, modern watercolor painters, paired with bite-sized painting tips and art instruction, Just Add Watercolor gives aspiring artists access to information about–and examples of–top work in the medium. Artist and instructor Helen Birch breaks down each painting by techniques, subject matter, and tools, providing art enthusiasts and painters with a one-stop resource and gallery of the best that modern watercolor has to offer. Its small trim size with one painting per spread provides a bold, but user-friendly alternative to traditional, process-heavy painting instruction texts. Just Add Watercolor shines the spotlight on featured paintings, while still giving readers all the insights needed to get started painting in this popular medium.


My Thoughts-
This is a great book. It's smaller than I expected, not sure why I thought it would be a bigger book. It's about the size of a greeting card, with over 200 pages full of beautiful images, ideas, suggestions, and techniques from about 70 different watercolor artists. 

Each page spread features a full-color print of watercolor art on one side (sometimes a grid of several from the same artist), and one or two paragraphs on technique, plus a "tip" on the facing page.

There are no step-by-steps in this book. There's no "here's how to get started in watercolor". Instead, this book is more of a tiny exhbit of gorgeous watercolor works, plus a little insight on how the artist created them.

This is such a great book. I actually requested this book for review, send this book to a friend who loves painting. Highly recommended.

*Disclaimer*

I received this book free from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for my feedback. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Sweetapolita Bakebook: 75 Fanciful Cakes, Cookies & More to Make & Decorate

Paint, doodle, and sprinkle your way to stunning one-of-a-kind sweets. 
 
The world of Sweetapolita is sparkly and sprinkly and charming as can be, with 75 recipes for everything from pretty homemade cookies to decadent layer cakes. But what really sets these treats apart are interactive designs that let everyone in on the fun of decorating: Painted Mini Cakes are served with edible “paint” for guests to personalize at the table, the fondant-covered tiered Chalk-a-Lot cake is paired with homemade edible “chalk,” and Rainbow Doodle cookies are made for kids to go to town on with edible markers. 
 
Rosie Alyea, the creator of the Sweetapolita blog, frolics in flour and frosting, and she loves to get her two young daughters involved, too. The pages of her debut book are full of playful ideas that will inspire creativity in bakers of all levels—including a recipe for making sprinkles at home and numerous ways to showcase them, such as the Sprinkle-Me-Silly Pizza with rainbow jimmies and nonpareils galore. 
 
With 75 full-color photographs of cookies, cakes, and more plus step-by-step technique tutorials, The Sweetapolita Bakebook will change the way bakers decorate, while entertaining every kid—and kid-at-heart.

*My Review*

This book has so many amazing recipes. It has things I didn't even know about and I have been baking for many years. My grandmother taught me to cook and bake at a young age, and for that I am so thankful. This book has such useful information and how-to's. I am excited to try out all the recipes! I even found the perfect recipe for my wife's birthday next week.

Sweetapolita has so many cute ideas. There are a bunch of recipes that children would enjoy helping with. I have three children(11, 5, & 3) and they have all looked through this book many times to see which recipe they want to help make. 

From the moment this book arrived at my door I haven't been able to stop looking all the wonderful recipes and all the information this book had.

I recommend this book to everyone who loves cooking/baking...I would say for that special woman in your life, but I'm a guy and I absolutely love this book. It would make a great wedding/housewarming gift! 

*Disclaimer* 

I received this book free from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for my honest review.