Beautifully Poor

The Cow Said Neigh by Rory Feek is a delightful short story perfect for kids ages 4-8, but a silly read the whole family can get in on. It is beautifully illustrated by Bruno Robert, with bold colors and soft edges that little kids will fall in love with. I personally love the ease of reading due to the rhyming on each page. It ties the short story together in a cute and fun way, and makes it easy for early readers to guess and/or read the next rhyming word. My only negative about this book, is that the description says it celebrates all the unique qualities, but that never comes out in the book. The animals just want to be like another instead of themselves and even the farmer in the end is silly about it. It is a good conversation starter for parents on the topic though. Overall,  The Cow Said Neigh   is an adorable story sure to get the whole family giggling. Who doesn't love a good family book? *I received this book to review from Book Look Bloggers. All opinions a

White as Silence, Red as Song by Alessandro D'Avenia is what I would call, the love story of a teenage boy named Leo. It is written in first person, almost as if it is a diary - which is fine by me. I used to read diary type books a lot as a young adult. It is, however, different to read from a young man's point of view. Some of it is just hum-drum regular kid stuff like soccer and hanging with his best friends, Niko and Silvia. A lot of it is his obsession with Beatrice. The very first section explains the title of the book. Leo compares different things to colors. Silence is white - which to him is nothing because there is nothing within white, no color, no feeling. Silence to Leo throughout the book is almost an enemy, something that distresses his very soul. He then compares his love interest Beatrice to the color red, saying that love is red - it is a tempest, a hurricane "that sweeps you away"*, and an earthquake "that crumbles your body to pieces"

Courtesy of www.anniespureandsimple.com You've probably seen my post(s) about green living so it really is no surprise that I am showcasing another great product. This one is an All-Natural, All-Purpose Cleaner with simple, READABLE ingredients.  Let me introduce you to  Annie's Pure and Simple Made with 3 simple ingredients,  Annie's Pure and Simple   offers an affordable and safe household cleaner in four different scents: Sweet Orange, Lavender, Peppermint, and Lemon. What are the ingredients you ask? Here you go: Organic Vinegar Distilled Water Therapeutic Essential Oils It is 100% Natural and 98% Organic - so you can be sure that this cleaner is safe for your pets, kids, the environment, and very importantly, yourself. Not only that, the ingredients are ethically sourced and the ONLY cleaner on the market with a green eco-scale rating from Whole Foods Market.  Annie herself reached out to me and wanted me to try her wonderful p

Let me say, this book is inspiring. Reading Sanya's story was beyond amazing, and as a runner I found it extremely inspirational, though I am definitely not even close to Olympic material.  Sanya Richards-Ross began running at the age of 7. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, she naturally wanted to be a runner. Running is huge in Jamaica just like Football or Baseball are big in America. She even says that this was her gift from God - to run. I love how each chapter begins with a Bible scripture.  Sanya tells us her story - the journey of becoming a U.S. Olympic Champion. With the support of her family, Sanya goes on to become a record breaker - a U.S. and World record breaker. Through it all she gives the glory to God, which is amazing for someone who has done so many great things.  I found this book a great, easy read. It is geared toward a younger crowd, I would say pre-teen - teen. As I said, extremely easy to read, has great sets of facts throughout the chapters. For

I love wine. I didn't develop a taste for it until I worked at what was called the Terrace Bay Inn in my hometown as a college student. We had nightly wine specials so naturally the owners wanted us to know what the wines we were selling tasted like. After that, there was no turning back. Now this. Winc . Ahhh, Winc ! Where have you been all these years! This is a really fun and exciting way to try new wines. It is extremely easy and convenient, and getting wine delivered to my house is just fabulous. Here is how it works: You go to  https://www.winc.com/usfamilyguide  (using this will get you $22 off your first month!!) Click Get Started and it will ask a series of simple questions about your palate. How do you like your coffee, how do you feel about salt, do you like citrus flavors, what's your take on earthy flavors, do you like berries, are you an adventurous eater - easy right? Then you get to build your box. You can choose 2 white 2 red, 1 red 3 white, 3 re

Ever since I read  Green Enough  by Leah Segedie, I have made a priority of cleaning up our household products to  be greener and healthier. Part of that is beauty products and toiletries, which can be pricey if you don't find the right stuff. I was introduced to  Dr. Jacobs Naturals  and am in LOVE. Why? Because their Castile Soap can be used for so many things! It can be used as a dish soap, body wash, shampoo, all purpose cleaner, shaving lather, even laundry soap. The newest thing I'm going to try is bathing my cats in it - HAHA. They get a monthly bath and it's coming up soon, so I am excited to use this. As a body wash, it has left my skin extremely soft. I have dry skin, and taking hot or long showers dries it out even more - and so does shaving! So having a soap that keeps my skin soft without me having to lather on tons of lotion post-shower is great. I also used it as a shampoo, which I have dyed hair that it cleaned really well - just make sure to

$22 Off Your First Month of Winc Wine - Winc offers 4 personalized wines each month. Bottles start at $13 each. Winc is not your traditional wine club : we are a direct-distribution global wine company that personalizes the entire wine experience - We are perfecting how wine is made, distributed, perceived and purchased via our Palate Profile quiz that recommends wine based on your unique tastes and I'll add enjoyed on behalf of a new generation of wine drinkers. It takes the hassle and guesswork out of picking a bottle from your local liquor store and delivers the perfect bottle directly to your doorstep. We do all this as part of our quest to improve the experience for consumers, create a platform for artisanal winemaking, and build a grape-to-glass supply chain that's sustainable for the planet. No more intimidating language and steep price points, and more joy in the act of sharing a bottle. $22 Off Your First Month of Winc Wine - New members can enjoy $22 off of thei

Daring to Hope  by  Katie Davis Majors   is an inspiring story of faith, love, and hope. The way Katie writes is so moving, so touching that it was hard to put the book itself down. I cried more than once reading about her beautiful life with the men, women, and children of Uganda. Her story is that of trusting God, even when it seems the hardest. I really have no words to describe the welling in my heart right now as I write this review about such a beautiful book. Katie Davis Majors  enraptured me into a world I can only but imagine. I have never seen the dirty floors of a hut, I have never watched women give birth and then die next to their newborn. I have never adopted one child, let alone 13. She is nothing short of inspiring. The way she writes as a real person, someone that is extremely relatable, I believe is the best part of  Daring to Hope . I am going to go as far as to say that everyone should at least read this book, if not make it part of their own library for re

Most of us have heard about "greener" living. Some of us have taken small steps towards it, others of us HUGE progress, maybe even living completely "green" . Personally, I am EXTREMELY busy with my life - small kids, homeschooling, keeping house, etc. A lot of us ARE really busy with life, so it is hard to dig into what "green" really means. Or, if you're like me, you have in the past, but have gotten slightly lazy in some aspects. Well, thanks to Leah Segedie , Founder and CEO of  Bookieboo Network  and  Mamavation , my job just got a whole lot easier. In  Green Enough , Leah touches on Green Living, in a sane manner. Not once is she judgmental to us mother's who are doing our best for our families. She is extremely relatable and shares such invaluable information, this book will not be a read once - it will become a reference for a "greener" life. The book starts off with food. Food - sometimes it feels like it can be ou