Wordless Wednesday - Echinacea

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This post is linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life at Rossmont; and at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea's Scribble Pad.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

What I'm Reading - June 19, 2017

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This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next!

My schedule has been crazy the last couple weeks so I skipped the weekly What I'm Reading. Nor have I had as much time for reading as usual. So this will cover about three weeks worth of time, but I think you'll see that it didn't even double the amount of reading I did!

I finished reading . . . 

Wings of the Wind (Out From Egypt) by Connilyn Cossette - Alanah is a Canaanite woman that Tobiah, a Hebrew, found injured on the battlefield. He took her back to the camp in hopes of saving her life and then married her in order to protect her. After recovering from her injuries, Alanah must decide if she will follow Yahweh and remain with her new husband.  (My full review is coming - probably tomorrow!)



Rush Revere and the First Patriots by Rush Limbaugh and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh - I finished this second book and this fun series, and will share reviews of all five books after my Homeschool Coffee Break review has posted.

I'm currently reading . . .

The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer - I decided to start this novel that I've had on my Kindle for ages, but haven't got very far yet. It's starting off with the usual witty and rakish characters that Heyer is known for.




Rush Revere and the American Revolution: Time-Travel Adventures With Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh - This is the third in the series, with history teacher Rush Revere bringing his students into the action of the American Revolution.




Over the Edge (The Kincaid Brides) (Volume 3) by Mary Connealy - Exciting start to this novel, with Callie fending off an attack on her stagecoach as she's on her way to find the husband that seems to have abandoned her. Seth comes to the rescue, but after the horrors he experienced in the war, he has little memory of his wife and must earn her trust and get to know her all over again.




Next on the stack... 

Barbara and Susan's Guide to the Empty Nest by Barbara Rainey and Susan Yates
With You Always (Orphan Train) by Jody Hedlund

On my blogs recently . . .

Here on Just A Second:

Scripture and a Snapshot - Let This Be Written
Recent Reads - Empty Nest: What's Next?
Wordless Wednesday - National Building Museum
Recent Reads - The Trees Will Clap
Scripture and a Snapshot - Great Commission

And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - Another Week on the Go
A National Building Museum PhotoJournal
Virtual Refrigerator - Firebird
Internship for High School Credit - from Apologia
Ukrainian Firebird - Blogging Through the Alphabet
Homeschool Highlights - The Week I was Rarely at Home
Virtual Refrigerator - Galaxies
Nature's Beautiful Order from Memoria Press

What are you reading?

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Scripture and a Snapshot - Let This Be Written

Let this be written for a future generation,

that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:

"The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high,

from heaven he viewed the earth,

to hear the groans of the prisoners

and release those condemned to death."

So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalem

when the peoples and the kingdoms

assemble to worship the LORD.

~Psalm 102:18-22~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Glimpses is hosted by Embracing Every Day, a lifestyle blog by Barbie Swihart.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Empty Nest: What's Next?

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Empty Nest: What's Next?: Parenting Adult Children Without Losing Your Mind by Michele Howe - This is another book that I read quite some time ago, but waited to post a review here until after it had posted on The Old Schoolhouse website. I'd almost forgotten about it! Here's a shorter version of that review.

As my children are growing up and our own nest is beginning to empty, I've realized that there are not as many resources for parents of adult children as there are for parents of little ones. This devotional book offers encouragement and advice for parents navigating their changing roles as their children become adults. The book contains thirty brief chapters, each with a story from the author's own experience or the experience of someone close to her; some encouraging words about dealing with the situation with the help of the Lord; and a short prayer. Each chapter begins with Scripture and an inspirational quote. At just four pages long, the chapters are perfect for a daily devotional. The subjects covered include those that we all face as our children grow up as well as some of the crisis type of situations that we hope we won't have to face. Howe offers an encouraging perspective on redefining our changing roles, reinvesting in our marriage, allowing our adult children to make their own decisions, and more. She deals with topics related to welcoming our children's mates and navigating the new roles we'll play when we become grandparents.

I'm in the early stages of the empty nest, so I gained encouragement from the devotional thoughts and prayers even though I haven't come face to face with most of the situations yet. For parents that find themselves in the thick of the empty nest experience and perhaps facing some difficult circumstances, this book offers a reminder to continually trust our adult children to the Lord. You won't find step-by-step instructions on what to do when an adult child is facing a crisis, but you will find encouragement and compassion, and some direction for how to start praying in those kinds of heart-breaking situations. I recommend this as a devotional guide to moms whose children are beginning to move into adulthood, or for couples to read together. Although not exclusively written to mothers, I think moms will more readily relate to the emotions and struggles expressed. It would also make a wonderful discussion and prayer guide for a small group of empty nest parents meeting to support each other.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Wordless Wednesday - National Building Museum

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My husband and I visited the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, for Frank Lloyd Wright Day. Photos are not allowed in most of the exhibits, so most of the ones I got are from the main courtyard area of the building. 

See all the pictures and a few more words on my Homeschool Coffee Break post: A National Building Museum PhotoJournal.

This post is linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life at Rossmont; and at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea's Scribble Pad.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - The Trees Will Clap

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The Trees Will Clap by Bonnie Mae Evans - I finished this novel some time ago and my original review was posted at The Old Schoolhouse website. Following is a shorter version of the review.

This delightful and heartwarming novel tells the story of a little girl growing up in the rural Delmarva Peninsula in the 1960s. Yvonnah is only five-and-a-half years old when she gets a new name and almost everything in her little world changes. She learns to answer to her new name, Lacey, and has to adjust to living with her mother and new dad instead of with her beloved grandparents.

Lacey tells her own story as a memoir, vividly describing her thoughts and feelings and the world around her. Her relationship with her mother is rather strained to begin with, but she is very close to her Grandy and Nana. She is particularly attached to Grandy, and the security and love he and Nana have given her. Her new situation is frightening and unfamiliar to her, but she gains some new family members that she is learning to love. And best of all, she soon has a new friend named Lyddie. The two little girls become best friends quickly and explore their neighborhood together, and begin a sweet and childlike journey of faith and friendship together.

Her new friend, her new family members, visits to her grandparents, and time spent in nature help to heal Lacey's hurts, but when hardships and tragedies come along, Lacey learns about faith, forgiveness, and extending love and hope to others.

The first couple of chapters moved a little slowly, as Lacey's memories of the day she got her name change are combined with the memories and descriptions of people and experiences leading up to that day; but soon I found myself captivated by her evocative and often humorous descriptions of her world, and felt her heartbreak and confusion right along with her. Although set in the 1960s, Lacey's story is one that would resonate with many young people in today's world who long for stability and hope in circumstances where they have little control. The lyrical descriptive style makes it a charming read suitable for teens and adults, with a subtle but encouraging message that even in times of pain and heartbreak, God's love is still real.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Scripture and a Snapshot - Great Commission

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

~Matthew 28:18-20~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Glimpses is hosted by Embracing Every Day, a lifestyle blog by Barbie Swihart.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/