The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcomb.

We have a raised garden that we started years ago.  I have to say, when we have planted tomatoes, we have been able to get good crop for a season.  We have also planted other crops but it has been hit and miss.  We want to grow more but have a hard time getting an abundant crop.

I saw this book The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcomb which is an re-issue of a classic. What caught my eye is the fact that on a plot of 5x5 size, you can get a crop of 200 lbs of vegetable.  What!!!?? Get out of here, you gotta be crazy.  So that caught my attention and I told myself, I gotta read this book.

 

Here's a link to the author's bio below.

Author's Bio

There are drawings of many different types of postage stamp garden and the best layout for each style. Karen also delves into best time to plant, how to prep the soil and watering.  She makes it sounds so simple and easy but without any of the pretentiousness that sometimes you would associate with these DIY books.

In reading this book, I'm already imagining changes that I need to do for my own garden, it's been a long time coming and it looks so sad in my yard.  I especially like the latter half of the book where she lists out all different types of vegetables, when to grow, what they need and advise on growing them.

That is such a great reference tool because I want to grow other things than tomatoes...

Highly recommend this book, what more can you ask then grow your own food and do it easily. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Paleo Chef by Pete Evans

So a few years ago, I met a friend for dinner, whom I haven't seen in a while. The last time I saw him, he was a bit on the heavy side and wasn't in as great shape as he could be.

Well, when he walked up to me, I couldn't believe it was him.  He was almost half the size of when I last saw him and he had muscle definition.  We proceeded to sit down at eat (it was an all you can eat buffet) and he piled his plates with meat, meat and more meat.  I was like "dude, what's going on here?  You ready for a heart attack?"  He proceeded to explain to me how he started going on a Paleo lifestyle (he didn't mention diet) and how by cutting out starch/carbs/sugar/dairy free and eating proteins, vegetables and nuts, he has lost a lot of weight and along with working out has never felt healthier in this life.  I was amazed at the transformation and each time we get together, he continue to espouse his new lifestyle.

When I saw the book The Paleo Chef by Pete Evans, and felt I had to take a look at the book.  After all, here is an accomplished chef who has written a book about and with recipes for the paleo lifestyle.

 

In reading Pete's intro, I knew this was the right book for me.  First, he clearly states Paleo is not a diet but a lifestyle.  Diets don't work by lifestyle does.  He goes and makes the the case the in adopting Paleo, we are not missing out on carbs, sugars and grains but we are gaining so much more in getting carbs and sugars from natural sources instead of all the processed foods around his.  

However, Paleo is just one step in being and feeling healthy.  It includes rest, being outdoors, and a positive mindset.  All these, with Paleo will help enhance your life.

The book is broken out into seven sections: Breakfast, Vegetables/Sides/Snacks, Seafood, Poultry, Meat, Dessert and  Drinks.

The recipes are simple and easy, with ingredients that's generally easy to purchase from your neighborhood store.  Of course some you might have to purchase from Whole Paycheck (oops, Whole Foods).

The Vietnamese Chicken wings are awesome, cauliflower fried rice with chicken (who would have thought that you could sub Cauliflower for rice and its delicious), and the meat.

The desserts are what I like, being able to use other sweeteners besides sugar and they look fantastic.  Haven't had a chance to make any but here's the one's that I want to try:
Apple berry crumble
chocolate avocado mousse
chocolate beet mudcakes

actually want to try them all.
I like at the end Pete has a section on how to make the "basics" that's needed in his book.

I would highly recommend this book to all who wants to try the Paleo lifestyle yet eat well.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Draw-A-Saurus by James Silvani.

Who love Dinosaurs?  Who loves Dinosaurs?  Who loves drawing Dinosaurs?  We all do.    This book by James Silvani is exactly as advertised, its a guide to drawing Dinosaurs and even for my little one, they are able to use this book.  And me, who can't draw a lick, this book helped me become an "artist" (used very loosely).






This is what this book is, it shows how to draw Dinosaurs which my kids love to do.  Now they are able to draw their favorite Dinosaurs, from T-Rex to Raptors much better.

This book is great is bringing out the creative side in our family and have lots of fun doing it. 

This  is a great book for kids and brings out the kids in adults in drawing dinosaurs.  A lot of fun.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Clean Slate - Reset Your Health, Detox Your Body and Feel your Best - From Editors of Martha Stewart Living

There are lots and lots of books out there on detox and healthy living these days.  I got my hands on a copy of Clean Slate, a cookbook and guide on Reset Your Health, Detox Your Body and Feel Your Best.  This book was put together by the editors at Martha Stewart Living, who knows a thing or two about food.

Usually in the Martha Stewart Living magazines, there are not many articles on "clean" living so was surprised to see this from the editors.




First of all, I love this book is a softcover, it makes it easier to carry about and I'm not as afraid to get tis book dirty.

As the title says, this book is all about how to eat cleanly, what that means is naturally food and vegetables, though this book is not a vegetarian.  They just emphasize eating more vegetables than meat.

This book is broken up into two sections, the first sections gives various information about different nutrients, what's needed for the pantry and guide to 3 day detox. the second part of the book is all about recipes and there are lots of them.  All the recipes are in the "R" categories: replenish, reboot, recharge, reenergize, restore and relax.  I found this book very similar to Mark Bittman's VB6.

Many of the information in the first half I have already read about elsewhere but I was interested in the 3 day detox.  It's a short detox so easier for someone to do that the first time around than a 21 day detox.

There are plenty of pictures with each recipes, of course the pictures make the recipes look delicious but in reading the book, I was wondering, how do you get full on these food??

My favorite portion has to do with the reboot, which has recipes for drinks for my health, like smoothies and juice. Most of the ingredients are easy to obtain.

I would recommend this book to someone who is looking to get better health wise.  The recipes, in general are simple and most ingredients are easy to find.

This is a good book to have on hand in your journey of bettering your health.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Without You, there is No Us - Suki Kim

North Korea has always fascinated me.  A country that is sandwiched between one country that is a first world manufacturing and economic super power, South Korea and a true world superpower, in both military and economy, China.

It's a world that times seem have forgotten, or the Great Leader of North Korea have forgotten.

It is because of my fascination with North Korea that I picked up the book Without You, There is No Us by Suki Kim.

Suki is a journalist/writer based out of New York, who through timing and luck landed up being an English teacher at a Christian run university Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) in Pyongyang, N. Korea.  Though she is not a Christian, luck has it that her application to teach at PUST was accepted.  Thus begun her adventure of her relationships with her students (all male), who though held back by the censorship of N. Korea, begins to show them what life outside of North Korea is like.

It's a very gripping and fascinating tale of how she maintains her sanity in a country where everything you say, do, or don't do is being observed and scrutinized.  I remember one line where she said that everyone at school was exhausted, not from physical exhaustion, but from the fact they have to self censor themselves all the time, even in the privacy of their own room.

I like this book, however, my only "gripe" is how she portrays Christians in this book.  At times, she portrays her fellow teachers, who are all missionaries, as cultish like.  Maybe she could have been more fair/open in her presentation of the missionaries.  

Overall, I would recommend this book, it's a great read.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

When Lions Roar - The Churchhills and the Kennedy's by Thomas Maier

If you are a history buff, this is a book you will love.  When I got this book, it came in a really large box.  I was wondering what was in this box and when I opened the box, I had to make sure I lifted with my legs, not my back due to the size of this book.

This book chronicles two of the most powerful families of the twentieth century, the Churchill's (of Winston Churchill fame) and the Kennedy's (of the John F. Kennedy's fame).  I concluded the reason for such heft for this book is because Thomas Maier did a great job researching and writing this book.  I could not believe the amount of detail information in this book and the fact that there was three pages dedicated to cast of characters and a small book for notes and biography at the end.  I give kudos to the author for a well researched book.

This books details both family history, how they intersected and their rise and fall.  There are details about sexual infidelity, politics and family events. At first it was captivating but the amount of information and detail eventually was too much for me.  I wasn't able to finish the book all the way through and skipped around until the end.

This is definitely a book for people who love history, especially during the 20th century when these two families were so powerful.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

In This House We Will Giggle - Courtney DeFeo

As a parent of three and a follower of Christ, instilling the virtues of Christ is one of our top priorities as parents.  However, how we do it, is easier said then done.  There are many ways to try to teach our kids these virtues but many times we fail because we try to do it the "adult" way.

If we come to the kids eye level, how do they learn?  By doing, by having fun, by engaging them instead of lecturing them.

Ms. Courtney DeFeo book is exactly that.  As a mother of two, through her own experiences and observations, her book is about teaching our kids the Godly virtues by having fun with our kids.
She shared her own personal journey in getting to this point and understanding what's the best way for her kids to learn.

She takes the twelve virtues of Joy, Love, Forgiveness, Faith, Patience, Perseverance, Respect, Responsibility, Service, Humility, Gratitude and Generosity and breaks them up into twelve chapters full of actitives and short lesson. 

She suggested that each month, the family can focus on one of the virtues and do the activities in it.  She explains each virtues in a very clear and concise manner, that's easy to understand and explain to the kids.  At the end of each chapter, there is an activity relating to that virtue.  For example, for the virtue of respect, the activity is planning a party, but not the parents planning it but the kids.  It's about kids learning to plan the party and then interact in a respectful way with the guests.  

I love the one about service, where we service, in conjunction with other families to learn to serve others.

I can't wait to begin to try some of these.  I love that sprinkled throughout the book, she has 60 ways to bring out the giggles. Some of them are silly but isn't that the point. to do silly things with our kids and to bring joy to our family.

I highly recommend this book for parents who want to instill the above virtues to their kids in a fun and engaging manner.

Below is a short excerpt from the Introduction

Introduction: Why Giggle in This House?
Before my two girls came along, I had a vision for my home. I wanted it to look very similar to the home in which I grew up—full of life and joy. A house of love. A place where my children would feel welcome even when every single toy was not put away. Where they would feel free to be themselves and even to make a mistake or mess up. 

In my ideal vision of home, each member of the family feels accepted no matter what. There’s a lot of running and playing. You may hear an occasional word of correction or see a rule enforced, but all is covered with love and grace. If you peek inside those children’s hearts, you see them yearning to be just like their mom and dad. They are excited to grow up but anxious to return home to make more memories. And the sound that rings throughout that crazy house? Giggles!

That’s what I had planned for our family home: love and grace, memory making and giggles.

And then I had kids.

Some harsh reality came my way. Instead of giggles, critical words often echoed in our home. On some days, it felt more sterile than warm. Everything might be scheduled and organized, but smiles were fading.

Despite my early hopes, my home felt little like the one I’d envisioned—and a lot like the houses of fear I’d witnessed while growing up. In those homes, emotional tension and a lot of rules led to a sense of nervousness and fear. You could almost hear the Von Trapp family whistle calling everyone to scurry and line up for instructions. If you could peek inside these kids’ minds and hearts, you might observe them counting the days until their release from that home.

What a heartbreaking situation, and certainly not what I wanted for my family. Over time, my husband and I realized we wanted to make some changes. We began to loosen up on the schedule and noticed that everyone’s heart became lighter. We became less concerned about behavior enforcement and more interested in heart development—and we saw love and delight blossom in our home. And while we absolutely believe in the value of discipline and guidance, we started looking for fun, enjoyable ways to teach our children what matters most. As we daily make choices to lean toward love and giggles, our home is becoming much more like the one I dreamed of before I became a mom.

How about you? Which sort of home did you grow up in?

When you think about God and how you view Him, is He like the parents in the first home or the second?

Which home and view of Christ do you want for your kids?

Do you believe the joyful home is even possible?

I have to tell you, I’m convinced it is. And this book is all about taking steps to make that joyful home a reality for all of us.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.