Blessings and love,




photo credit: A6U571N via photopin cc

If I Were a Worm is a children's book written by Carson and Davis Hill.  I read this book when I received it in the mail and thought it was very cute.

But who would be the best judge of a children's book?  Why not let our Pre-K 3 class decide?


So, I grabbed my camera and took photos as Heidi read "If I Were a Worm".  The children sat quietly and listened.  They enjoyed the darling illustrations by Sherrie Molitor.  The book was short which is a good thing since the attention span of little ones isn't very long. They learned something about the life of a worm.  They answered questions.  They even got to wriggle like a worm back to their desks after the book was read to them.  They loved that!  :)

It was perfect timing for the book.  This past week we've been learning about the life cycle of the butterfly.  We've been planting seeds for flowers.  We even got to see and touch real live worms.  Can you believe even Miss Debbie held a worm in her hand?

Since our class enjoyed the worm book, we offered it to Miss Annie who teaches another Pre-K 3 class next to ours.

She reported back that her class also enjoyed the book and sat quietly through the reading.

I received this book for free for the purpose of reviewing it.  I have to say that I would highly recommend it for children aged 3-5.

The authors Carson and Davis Hill are brothers.  I was very impressed that 10% of the royalties are donated to an organization called Compassion.  Their motto is releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.  That says much to me about their hearts.  I was impressed that these two young authors were already concerned for others.  I think Carson and Davis have an amazing future in front of them.  In fact, there will be more releases in the future like "If I Were a Fish" and "If I Were a Frog" and "If I Were a Bee".

You can purchase the book on Amazon for only $8.99.  There is even a Kindle version which is currently FREE.

So if you have little children or grandchildren, go and check it out.

Blessings and love,

Posted with permission from Mom, Mrs. G

Those tender moments are ones I cherish.  It's such a pleasure to observe children interacting with one another.  So often we're correcting them and teaching them.  But there are times when they teach us.

The twins, Lizzy and Mary were celebrating their third birthday. Everyone was excited.  I captured this special moment when Sam was blowing kisses at them.  How precious is that?

And this was another tender moment I couldn't resist.  Little Eric was excited to be standing next to Sawyer during flag.  They stand with their feet on the blue line as they say the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.  Eric wrapped his arm around Sawyer.  So cute!

Our science teacher Mrs. B was holding a jar with cocoons or chrysalises.  The children are learning about the process of transformation from a caterpillar into a butterfly.

Our school now has a special butterfly garden.  This will be the place where the children will eventually release the butterflies.

And speaking of gardens ...I am working on my entry garden to my condo.  I'm still not finished but it's coming along.

I love having my early morning quiet time outside.  It's cool but not too cool.  So I sit with my Bible, journal and cup of coffee.  It's a wonderful time as I get to hear the birds singing.  The complex is still quiet so I cherish these moments of peace.

I continue to count my every day blessings ...

#778 Moments of tenderness between the children
#779 The excitement on the children's faces as they learn new things
#780 A visit to the butterfly garden
#781 Beautiful flowers in bloom
#782 The best next door neighbor Caroline
#783 A lesson in living expectantly from our pastor
#784 An amazing book called "Empty" by Cherie Hill
#785 Learning lessons from Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well
#786 Receiving a children's book to review
#787 Beautiful sunny weather in Phoenix


I'm linking up with Ann of A Holy Experience for Multitudes on Mondays.



Blessings and love,

I learned a lesson from the TV show American Idol.

What did I learn?  After all, I'm not a singer.  Yes, I do sing with our Pre-K 3 class but I don't think that counts.  :)

Photo Credit: American Idol

I wish the show was called something other than American Idol. When I think of an idol, it's not a good thing.  But I notice there are many Christian singers who are contestants on the show.  Many churches have amazing singers.

Angie Miller is one of the contestants this season.  In fact, she's currently in the top five.  And they are all women!  I don't know if she will win but she does have a beautiful voice.

As the contestants learn and grow they are given advice from many professionals in the industry.  I'm sure it must be overwhelming at times to put that advice into practice.  And all of this in front of millions of TV viewers who are voting.  How do you please everyone?

You don't and you can't please everyone.  Angie Miller is a good example of this.  She had some amazing performances.  But then she began to try to show another side of herself to the judges and audience.  She dressed more seductively and sang songs that were more fun.  But it didn't seem to work for her.

One of the assignments last week was for each contestant to sing a song they wished they had written.  Angie choose Kari Jobe's song "Love Came Down".  She played the piano and sang from her heart. And the judges and audience loved it, including me.  See for yourself.


Angie Miller's Anointed Performance of a Kari Jobe Song on American Idol from theremix on GodTube.

So what did I learn from this?

Know who you are.

Stay true to who you are.

I can apply this lesson to my writing.  Sometimes I try to please everyone.  Yeah, like that works.  No way!

I have to be true to who I am and write from my heart.  Not everyone will want to read what I write.  Not everyone will agree with what I write.

If God has given me a message to share I want to be obedient even if nobody chooses to listen.

I'm linking up with Charlotte for Spiritual Sundays.

Blessings and love,