No body makes rainwear like the English.  In a country where rain and mist are so common, they have truly excelled at making rubber boots (called galoshes) and raincoats (called rainmacs or Macintoshes – am I spelling that right?)  This online store sells adorable childrenswear – even pink (squeal) raincoats. Hey, I have four young daughters, I’m allowed to squeal now and then.

First, I must say that I’m not a single woman who is waiting for her future husband.  I’ve been married for almost ten years now, but I am the mother of four little girls so far, and we’ve already started praying for their future husbands.

Praying for Your Future Husband is written by two Christian novelists who not only have hearts for God, but who share their own experiences waiting and praying for their husbands AND as mothers of children who have waited and prayed for spouses of their own.  Along with the testimonies of these two families there are also stories of God’s goodness in answering the faithful prayers of waiting young women who prayed for their unknown husbands with bold determination.  I have to admit that I cried…several times as I read these beautiful, God-redeemed accounts from the heart.

Broken into thirteen chapters that focus in upon one specific topic and area of growth to pray for, Tricia Goyer and Robin Jones Gunn share their own stories alongside specific ways to pray for both a future husband AND for the personal character development of the young woman who is praying.  Using this double-pronged approach the authors gently encourage women to grow in the ways that they hope their own future spouses will be growing as they both prepare and wait for marriage.

Goyer and Gunn have very different stories that led to their marriage to the men God had for them, both are honest and transparent about where they fell short as young women, and how God led them through difficult times while they were waiting for The One.  Goyer in particular has a heart for young women who have made mistakes and given away parts of themselves before finding their future husband.  She shares honestly (but not graphically) about her own abortion, out-of-wedlock child, and the Godly man who came to love them both.  I am so thankful for Goyer’s truthful sharing and ministry to young women.  The hope that she has to offer women who have made mistakes and now want to commit their ways to the Lord is priceless.

The authors have a strong, Godly emphasis upon purity, patience, putting God’s will first, being content during waiting, and many other topics.  They start from the foundational issues – praying that the future husband will come to know God, to seek after Him, to love Him, and then moving into other areas that build upon the foundation of knowing and loving God.

The chapters focus on: his heart, being a God Lover, patience, understanding, trust, loyalty and faithfulness, strength, protection, intimacy, “The List” (which by the way is much more about character than it is about external details), contentment and commitment.  A list of 52 specific scriptures (one for each week) is also provided for young women who seek to pray the Word of God for their future husband.

We are a courtship-minded family, and though the authors speak in terms of dating, they do strongly encourage young men and women to save everything for their future spouse.  I have been so blessed by reading this book, and I highly, highly recommend you obtain a copy.  If you have a daughter it isn’t too early to get this book and start praying for her future spouse today.  If your is in her teens, this is an excellent book to read together as your family joins in praying together for the one who will some day become your child’s life mate.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM OR CHRISTIANBOOK.COM!

Have you ever bought shoes online?  I have to admit that I haven’t.  I’ve purchased clothing online (mostly nursing duds because they are a specialty item), but for some reason shoes just seem…tricky to me.  How do you know they won’t pinch your little toe?  Or just not QUITE fit somewhere?  You KNOW how finicky shoes are, right?

Despite my own personal reluctance to buy shoes online, there are many, many shoe stores out there.  I have to admit that I HAVE been tempted to buy some of the fancy Crocs online (because they are hard to find in Edmonton and I love Crocs – yes, I’m a geek that way).

I’m definitely, definitely picky, and yes – geeky and unfashionable when it comes to the shoe shopping thing.  I only wear flats – not the fancy heels you can buy online with Shiekh Shoes Coupon or with 6pm Coupons. I’m not even a ‘real’ country girl – no cowboy boots here (ouch, the toe pinching!) but still, I think that Boot Barn Coupons are more my style than stilettos!

Many shoe stores offer free shipping, free returns (in case they just. don’t. fit. – as mentioned above), and a price match guarantee.  Of course, that doesn’t work so well if you live in Canada, but it’s great for American shoppers.  Shoe coupons can add to the savings as well, and there is quite a proliferation of shoe coupons available on various websites.

The better websites will sort coupons out into reliable and unreliable coupon codes somehow – with rankings or ratings for how successful the coupon codes are, if they are actually useable or not, etc.  That way you won’t waste too much time shopping for specific, coupon applicable deals that are no longer available.

Have fun shopping for foot duds!  Personally, I’ll be waiting until I can hit the Croc store in West Edmonton Mall .

It was a fortuitous day that Diamond Jim Daddy and the Sheriff arrived at the local post office for our family to read and review.  We weren’t expecting it, but in the time that we have had it, this funny, Wild West tale with a twist has become a fast-favorite with all of my children.

When Diamond Jim Dandy – a peculiarly friendly rattlesnake slithers into town, he takes the good folks of Dustpan, Texas by surprise.  Not much every happens there you see.  The local sheriff has taken up babysitting to keep busy while the men hang out at the saloon and the ladies spend time at their sewing circle.

Diamond Jim is an immediate hit with the townsfolk.  Odette is inspired to embroider a diamond on her bloomers (this cracks my children up every time), the children chase him around the schoolyard, and the men-folk are highly entertained by his rope tying tricks (done with his own body nonetheless).  However, the faithful town sheriff sees his chance at some action and determines to boot that snake right out of town!

This book’s charm is hard to capture in words alone – it is laugh-out-loud funny, and never fails to send me into an animated southwestern accent.  Try reading it without one – I think it’s impossible!  It is so full of flavor, humor, and life – it might have a goofy premise, but this book is a big hit with all of my children, they ask for it again, and again, and yes – again.

If you live in snake-infested areas you will, of course, want to point out to your little ones that they should avoid most rattlers – not all of them are baby-rescuing heroes with winsome smiles and good looks like our friend Diamond Jim Dandy!

This is one dandy picture book for reading aloud, my smaller girls have recruited their big sister to read it to them once a day or so as well!

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM!

Are you familiar with the Christian Home Exchange program? This is a non-profit service that is designed to help Christians to connect Christians who are interested in trading homes with one another for vacations, clergy sabbatical etc.  This is a neat idea, and it can certainly be a much more affordable option for vacations than the typical hotel-stay (yikes, those rates can be high!)

I can see this being a particularly good option for larger families who often struggle to find hotels/motels etc. that can accommodate larger families.  So often there are strict room restrictions on how many people can be in a room (fire regulations contribute to this for certain).  And booking many adjacent rooms can be hard to arrange – not to mention terribly expensive!

Now, this is a very different concept in accommodations, because you do need to be willing to let someone else come into your home for a time – you can’t just live in their house for your vacation while they go elsewhere!  This ministry was started by a couple who had a successful home exchange (they were in England, their exchange partners were in Norway), and they have been looking for ways to reach out and facilitate home exchanges between others – hence this directory.

Our family is pretty much staying at home this year because of our milk cow.  We have tried putting her in with her calf during somewhat extended stays away (a few days), but it just hasn’t worked out for our milk production!  She always decides she would rather hold her milk in store for her calf…just in case we might put him in with her again.  Then our milk production drops WAY down.  Of course, not many folks have a milk cow they are tied to these days, so exchange away!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

We have a winner!  Congratulations to Jill – our very first entry in the giveaway!  She said that Lee Strobel’s works of apologetic Christian non-fiction were some of the first books she read after becoming a Christian!  I hope this work of fiction is a blessing to you Jill!  I’ve just sent you an email – please get in touch within 72 hours so I can have this sent out for you!

Everyone (well, almost) is familiar with Lee Strobel’s best-selling non-fiction works of Christian apologetics, but his latest release is something quite different – and exciting.  The Ambition is Strobel’s first major work of fiction, and though it is written in a genre that I don’t normally read, I was very interested in reading the results of his latest writing efforts.  I wasn’t disappointed.

When Tom O’Sullivan, a struggling lawyer with a gambling problem, accepts the task of slipping a bribe to a judge, he didn’t know the trouble he was in for.  When this same judge turns out to be a forerunner as a replacement for a corrupt senator, things are looking bad.   Eric Snow, the pastor of a suburban mega church throws his hat into the ring as a contender, attempting to downplay his spiritual affiliations and essentially denying God’s hand at work.  Thrown into the mix are also a strident investigative journalist, struggling through difficult financial times for his paper and trying to dredge up a story to save his job.

Written with all the earmarks of a legal/political thriller, Strobel deftly mixes the strands of political ambition, organized crime, legal corruption, and faith into a fast-moving blend that keeps the pages flipping.  There are quite a few characters (mostly male) to keep up with, the storylines are thoroughly interwoven, and this testosterone-driven tale is punchy and intense.  Drawing upon his own experiences as a journalist and pastor, The Ambition comes across as very realistic – this is the turf Strobel learned to write on after all.

Better than solidly written, Strobel shows real potential as a fiction author, and based on the cover style (it reminds me of the Left Behind series packaging) it seems that Zondervan agrees.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we see future installments in this same vein from Strobel.  More than a passing curiosity (hey, let’s see what Lee Strobel has gotten himself into now), this debut novel is both enjoyable, realistic, and points the way to very real political/faith collisions while asking meaningful questions about priorities.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM OR CHRISTIANBOOK.COM!

CONTEST DETAILS:

I have one copy of The Ambition to giveaway to one blessed winner in the US or Canada!  To enter just let me know why you’d like to win!

For additional entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog for updates – see the left hand sidebar. Leave an additional comment letting me know you’ve subscribed (or if you already subscribe).

2. Sign up as a friend of this blog using the Google Friend application in the right hand sidebar (under Blog Info – around half-way down).

3. Write a post on your blog promoting and linking to this contest. Leave an additional comment with a link to your post.

4. Add the Quiverfull Family button (see the code box in the right hand sidebar under BUTTON UP!) to your blog’s sidebar, or let me know if you already have the button displayed. Leave an additional comment with a link to your post.

5. Digg, Stumble, Tweet, Facebook or otherwise share this post on a social networking site. Leave an additional comment indicating how you shared this post.

6. Follow me on Twitter or let me know if you are an existing follower.

Each additional step taken counts for 1 additional entry. A total of 7 entries are available if you complete all of these steps. Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

The contest will close at 12 a.m. MST on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011. One (1) winner will be randomly drawn for this novel on Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 and notified by email. Please fill your email address in the comment form when you are completing your comment so that I can contact you. The winners must respond with a mailing address within 72 hours of my email, or a new winner will be chosen. This contest is open to those living in the US and Canada!

I am not a hardcore geek.  I’m not even going to pretend that I am or make aspirations to that title.  But, I have to admit to a penchant for electronic gadget news. (Hey, if iPads, e-readers, and iPods count as gadgets, who isn’t into that?) But really – even though we are all familiar with these ‘big-name’ gadgets, there is a plethora of quirky gizmos and gadgets out there just waiting to be discovered! I guess that’s where websites like Geekalerts.com come into the picture.

In addition to the latest neato gadgets they discover, they also share Apple Store coupons (I heart the Apple store, and honestly – who doesn’t?), and Newegg promo codes (okay, I’m obviously NOT geeky enough to recognize this one off the top of my head), amongst other discount offerings.

This geeky website doesn’t only do high-tech though.  More often than not, their posts are just plain off-beat.  Bacon-flavoured toothpaste?  Edible shot glasses?  If it’s sort of strange, chances are they’ll have it listed!  Be careful though, it can be easy to get lost wandering around in their listings of just plain unusual items!  It’s an easy way to entertain yourself, just be careful not to waste too much time there though!

Congratulations to April B.!  You have won the No Work Spanish giveaway!  I just sent you an email – please let me know your mailing address within 72 hours so I can have this sent out to you!  Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who entered.  Please stay tuned, I have another giveaway coming up as soon as I can get it posted!

So, quick question.  How many people do you know in real life who drive a Ferrari?  Hmm, that many?  I don’t think I personally know any.  Based on the results of my informal, one person poll, I’d have to say that the Ferrari Club of America might be beating the bushes to drive up membership numbers, but who knows? Maybe there is a secret cabal of Ferrari owners just down the road from us. I doubt it though. They do say that there are 5,000 members or so throughout the US and Canada though, so I suppose that’s nothing to shake a stick at.

It’s fairly common knowledge that the Ferrari is a highly engineered racing car (and if you DIDN’T know, maybe you should watch the movie Cars a few more times – I’ve seen it often, courtesy of my children). Because they are designed for speed it lends them a look that I personally find a bit funny – the pointed nose in particular, doesn’t do much for me, but hey – that’s just me. Don’t get worked up Ferrari lovers!

And can you say, “Fuel consumption?” Say it with me, “Fuel consumption.” I don’t know about where you live, but around here gas prices are climbing at a fairly good clip. It is costing us around $50 to make a round trip to the big city that is only an hour or so away. Needless to say, we are staying home quite a bit these days.

However, if you do now someone who owns a Ferrari, and likely isn’t too concerned about the cost of fuel – they are Ferrari owners after all – there is a dandy place to buy parts online including Ferrari exhausts. But, as I said before, we certainly won’t be needing to pick one up in the near future.

Vroom.  Vroom.

Most readers of Heaven is For Real will find that the Burpo’s sound like a fairly normal, Christian family.  Of course, there was that year when Todd Burpo, a part-time pastor, broke his leg in two places, suffered from kidney stones, had a mastectomy (breast cancer), and nearly lost his 3-year-old son to a burst appendix.  Then there were the revelations shared with them by their little guy, his experiences during a near-death-experience, an ‘in-the-spirit’ trip to heaven, the throne room of God, and into the arms of Jesus himself.

This is such a sweet and encouraging story, told by Todd Burpo, the father of Colton Burpo, a little boy who was graced with a glimpse of heaven that his family is now sharing with the world.   Not only is this a tale of God’s healing, provision, and revelation, but it is also very much the story of a family.  Of parents who love their children, of parents suffering to see their son deathly ill, and who struggle to understand his new knowledge of God and passion for evangelism.  I’ll admit that I shed a few tears while reading of their challenging passages together as a family.

Collaboratively written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent, it is difficult to say how much of the writing is Burpo’s and how much is Vincent’s.  Burpo has obviously provided all of the material, and since Vincent is making quite a name for herself as a co-author of memoirs and auto-biographical works, it is quite likely that we have her to thank for the clarity and crispness of the writing found in Heaven is For Real.  While I don’t know how such collaborative projects generally work, I’m certainly thankful for the professional quality of the writing, and the easy-to-read engaging style that she uses.

Thankfully, Burpo isn’t presenting his son’s experiences as definitive.  He shares them humbly, as what they are – words from the mouth of a small child who is still in the tactless, calling things as they are phase of life (you know – when your children point at people in the store and say rude, if honest things about them?)  I am relieved that Burpo is sure to use scripture to make connections between his son’s experience and the Word of God, comparing everything that is said to the ultimate revelation that God has given us – the Bible.

While this book is certainly an encouraging exploration of Colton’s child-like explanations of heaven that will bolster faith and rekindle our excitement to reach our eternal home, it is, perhaps more importantly, the story of an event that will hopefully reach out to doubters, to seekers, and help them find their way to heaven’s shores as well.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON.COM!