Picture of the Week!- December 29, 2013

A funny snowman the children made.

Have a wonderful week!

Zucchini Bread as Cake (Recipe)

We have always tried to have healthy cakes or muffins for the children for their birthdays.  I happened to have a wonderful recipe for zucchini bread and my son wanted a cake in this train pan, so I combined the two and it was delicious.  The whole cake was gone within a day.

Here is the recipe!

Zucchini Bread Cake

Grease and flour your pan.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Add to the mixture:

• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegetable or olive oil

Stir them, then add:

• 2 cups zucchini

Stir everything together, then pour the batter into the pan.

Bake 40-70 minutes or until done.  Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan.  Eat when it is cool enough!

Picture of the Week!- December 22, 2013

The beginnings of a fun and wonderful train adventure!

Ideas for Christmas Books to Read

I have spent the past week reading and reviewing some great Christmas books from Abingdon press on Christ’s Bridge.  I would like to share those links with you now.  I hope you enjoy the books.  Click on the book and you will go to the review.

I hope you enjoyed these reviews and found some new books to read.

Hot Buttons Bullying Edition and Hot Buttons Image by Nicole O’Dell

Hot Buttons Bullying Edition and Hot Buttons Image Edition (Hot Buttons Series)

By Nicole O’Dell

(received in exchange for an honest review)

 

Genre- Parenting

Published by- Kregel Publications

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 168 (Hot Buttons Image Edition) and 169 (Hot Buttons Bullying Edition)

Age Group- Adult and their teens

Description of book- paperback, listed price- $9.99 per book, ISBN 978-0-8254-4244-5 (Hot Buttons Image Edition), ISBN 978-0-8254-4243-8 (Hot Buttons Image Edition)

The Hot Buttons Bullying Edition and Hot Buttons Image Edition, by Nicole O’Dell, contain important information and strategic strategies to help you, the parent, and your teen to make the best decisions possible.

Each of these books have the same basic make-up with four parts and similar chapter titles, but the information is different. 

The books are made for the parents and the teen, with the parent taking the initiative.  Some of the topics are:

• “Prepared:Answering Why.”
• “Watchful: Answering When.”
• “Proactive: Answering How.”
• “Identifying the Image or Bullying Hot Buttons.”
• “The Armor of God.”
• “Strategic Scenarios.”
• and more.

About the Author-

Nicole O’Dell lives in Illinois with her husband and six children.  She is the founder of Choose NOW Ministries and is dedicated to helping guide teens and help parents.  She has written the Diamond Estate Series and also Scenarios for Girls interactive books.  Her two daughters helped her write the nonfiction book, Girl Talk.

My thoughts-

I recently read two of the latest books in the Hot Buttons series, by Nicole O’Dell.  I was very glad I read Hot Buttons Image Edition and Hot Buttons Bullying Edition, because as a parent of children who will soon be tweens and teens, these topics and how they are handled can be crucial to the success of the child.

O’Dell added a lot of pertinent facts in each edition, which lends to her credibility.  I liked how she added her personal story to the books as well.

I would have to say that my favorite part in each of these books is the “strategic scenarios.”  These scenarios with the situation and questions are a perfect way to practice the situation before it occurs.  I just wish these editions would include the best answer.  I have never been in most of these situations, so I’m not sure even from a Biblical point-of-view what could be the best answer.  I do know that the answer can be subjective, but the top two answers would be great.

These books are a great resource all parents need to read and implement into discussions with our teens.  I highly recommend these books.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Hot Buttons Bullying Edition and Hot Buttons Image Edition, by Nicole O’Dell, for free from the Kregel Publications’ Blog Tour.  All links were current when posted.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Picture of the Week!- December 15, 2013

We had a birthday recently and this was our cake.  It was zucchini bread in the shape of a train.  It was gone in a day.  There will be a recipe and more photos posted soon.

Have a wonderful week!

Writings We Have Read!- December 10, 2013

We have had a busy week here.  We have been reading and trying to make sure we have gotten everything taken care of before we leave for Christmas.

B has read:

• Big Bad Bruce by Bill Peet
• No Such Things by Bill Peet
• Cowboy Country by Ann Herbert Scott and pictures by Ted Lewin
• Huge Harold by Bill Peet
• Hank the Cowdog: The Case of the Coyote Invasion and also The Case of the Secret Weapon by John R. Erickson

C has read:

• Oliver and Amanda’s Christmas by Jean Van Leeuwen and pictures by Ann Schweninger
• Pony Mysteries- The Clue in the Clubhouse by Jeanne Betancourt and illustrated by Kellee Riley
• Under the Roof from The Crabtree Basic Series
• A Home for Sandy by Romney Grey
• Friends About Us by Grace E. Storm

One of the books I read this week was The Christmas Quilt, by Vannetta Chapman.  It was an excellent Christmas book.

Have a wonderful week!