Get to Know Mary by Nancy I. Sanders

"Mary and Joseph's house probably didn't have much furniture.  In Bible times, people slept on mats.  Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the other children probably slept side by side on their mats.  Then they rolled them up in the morning and stacked the mats next to a wall."

-Excerpt from the chapter "Mary and Joseph's Home" in Get to Know Mary

Making connections to the Word of God is important.  It is important for adults and it is important for children.  I always feel more connected to passages of scripture that I am reading if I know more intimate and historical details about the passage.  Get to Know Mary by Nancy I Sanders is a wonderful tool to help your student connect to the Word of God.  It will make the passages about Mary and Jesus and the time period surrounding come alive.

Get to Know Mary is a small, pocket-sized reference book, containing a wealth of information surrounding the life and times of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Inside, you will find information about the places Mary lived, the culture, worship, where they lived, food they ate, and scriptural passages that included Mary in the story.  There are also maps, artwork, and photographs representative of the time in which Mary lived.

There were a few things that were distracting from the text. There is lots of additional information on some of the pages besides the text, which made it seem too busy. On page 29, there was information about Mary’s journey to visit and Elizabeth and back home to Nazareth.  The map on the opposite page does not include Nazareth.  Also, some of the information had to be filtered through to find facts just about Mary.  It seemed to be a book more about the life and times of Mary, than just Mary herself.

I enjoy doing research about Biblical times. This was a very nice book to include in a child’s research library, and could be helpful for teens and adults as well. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am glad that I chose it as one for review.  I enjoyed looking at the artwork depicting Biblical people and events, as well as the photographs of the artifacts and historical sites in Israel.  My favorite part was learning about Mary and Joseph’s home.  

I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, whether you are someone who enjoys doing Biblical research or a homeschool student.  This is a wonderful book to include in your library.  The author has done a lot of research which will benefit you in your Bible study.  She ends the novel with the resurrection of Christ and how Mary’s story is completed in Jesus, as all our stories are, when we trust in Him.

Many blessings to you as you discover the wonderful truths of God’s Word!

Beth

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for a review.  I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions her are entirely my own.

To learn more about the author, Nancy I. Sanders, please visit her at her website nancyisanders.com.

To learn more about other books in the Get to Know series, visit www.zondervan.com.

the Blender Girl by Tess Masters

Recently, I have been talking to friends about juicing and blending.  Several of my friends told me blending is better because you save all the fiber in your fruits and vegetables.  I have always been really bad at blending.  I always get frustrated with the fact that the blades get stuck or smoothies don't get as smooth as I would like.  So, when I came across this book, the Blender Girl, by Tess Masters, I was eager to read it.

the Blender Girl is a recipe book with using your blender as the focal point.  Inside there are recipes for smoothies, appetizers, soups, desserts, drinks, and much more.  You will also find nutritional information, a guide to choosing a blender, how to make your own milk from nuts, seeds, and grains, and resources on where to find products used in the recipes in the blender.

Two things that helped me in the book were instructions on the order in which to put items in your blender for efficient blending and a "build your own smoothie chart", which lists items in a variety of categories to include in your smoothie.  The instructions about what to put in your blender first were very helpful to me since one of my problems has always been getting things smooth.  I have been practicing with the tips she gave and it works!  I have also used her chart to create my own recipes for smoothies and the ones I have created have not tasted as scrumptious as I would like.  Maybe I need to stick to Tess' recipes in the book for now...

Because my family has been moving towards gluten free and eating whole foods, the recipes were not too intimidating which can sometimes be the case with a new cookbook.  They seem simple and easy, and extremely healthy, a wonderful way to change your diet.  I bought some papaya this week at the grocery store and am looking forward to making the "papaya pleasure" smoothie found on page 59.

I recommend this book to families who are trying to switch to a gluten free diet or anyone who wants to eat more whole foods.  There is so much educational information about food in the book that it is difficult for me to share it all.  If you are interested in using your blender more frequently, but don't know where to start, this book is for you.  The recipes in the book can even be modified to your taste; some ingredients are optional.

Many blessings as you endeavor to live a more healthy lifestyle!  Happy blending!

Beth

To learn more about Tess Masters, visit her blog here at healthyblenderrecipes.com.

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from Blogging For Books for this review.  I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.