Day 27 :: Prayer for a Full Life

Do you ever take a moment before closing your eyes at night to refresh your soul?

Is it possible that by turning your thoughts heavenward you could enter into a more peaceful night's rest?

In the quieting of our hearts and minds we find a perfect peace that can only come from time with the Lord.

And our bodies can thrive in a sleep refreshed by spiritual truth.

Susie Larson, radio show host, national speaker, and author, has written a wonderful book titled, Blessings for the Evening, Finding Peace in God's Presence.

Her short prayers remind of God's truth, encourage with God's promises, and refresh with thoughts about Him.  This book is an excellent way to incorporate spiritual truths into those quiet moments before you drift off to sleep.  Your heart and mind will be blessed to rest so that your body can relax and be refreshed in sleep.

A Full-of-Life Life

May God surprise you with moments of grace and refreshment.

May He bring the long-awaited breakthrough.

May He bless you with sudden belly laughter and watery-eyed joy.

May He give you a gift that you least expect.

And may He inspire you to pray more audaciously than you ever have before.

He is with you and for you.

 -excerpt from Blessings for the Evening by Susie Larson-

For a list of all posts in this series go here.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for writing a review.  All opinions and photos are my own.

Stitching for the Kitchen, by Gooseberry Patch

Sewing for the home has been of my favorite hobbies since our wedding, almost seven years ago.  My husband's parents graciously gave us {me} a sewing machine as a wedding gift and I was thrilled!  I had always wanted to learn to sew, and right away I began making things for our apartment.

I was contacted earlier this summer about reviewing this new book by Gooseberry Patch, titled Stitching for the Kitchen: 30 Easy Projects for the Heart of your Home.  Because I just had a baby two weeks ago, instead of making a project from the book, I'm just sharing a little review for you today.

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This book has some great projects for handmade items to either keep for your own kitchen or give away to others.  Many of the projects in here are also great for young aspiring seamstresses who want to make a gift for a grandmother, aunt, or close friend.  The instructions are easy to follow, pattern pieces are included, and the back of the book includes some instructional techniques for learning how to sew.

My favorite part of this book is that they give some instructions on how to hand embroider.  This is something I've wanted to learn, as I would love to be able to personalize items without using a machine.  I'm looking forward to trying my hand at embroidering some napkins with monograms.

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If you're looking for some handmade projects, this book is perfect!

Be sure to check out the other bloggers who are participating in this blog hop.  Some are giving away copies of the book, and others are highlighting projects from the book.  Don't miss out!

July 22

Gooseberry Patch

July 23

Momma Young At Home

Craft Gossip

July 24

Glued to My Crafts

Green Eyed Momma

July 25

Sew Serendipity

July 26

Smashed Peas and Carrots

Marsha's Spot

July 27

Wild Olive

Only From Scratch

July 28

Pam Kitty Morning

Blue Nickel Studios

July 29

Old House Homestead

Susie QT Pies Cafe

Prairie Flower Farm

July 30

The Crafty Princess Diaries

Gramma's in the Kitchen

Two Maids A Milking

August 1

Vicki O'Dell

Homesteader's Heart  

August 2

A Creative Being

Delightful Country Cookin


I received a copy of Stitching for the Kitchen in exchange for writing a review.  All opinions are mine.  

Grace's Sweet Life, a Collection of Italian Desserts

Soon after Mason was born, I was sent a cookbook to review.  The book, Grace's Sweet Life arrived just before we headed out of town, so I took it along to peruse during the ride.  Let me just tell you, our mouths were watering after reading the first few recipes!  Bradley made me read aloud each recipe {not all the directions, just title and ingredients} and we had a blast!

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The recipes in this book vary between quite complicated {something to make when you have lots of time} to quite simple, but each one would be delicious and make you appear as a gourmet chef.  The step-by-step instructions make it easy to follow the recipes, so even those who are just setting out in the kitchen would be able to whip up these delicacies.  The first chapter in the book lists some of the basic components of Italian desserts, things like pastry cream, pastry dough, whipped cream, croissant dough, etc. so as you progress through the collection of recipes, you will often come back to these staples.

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If you are wanting to branch out with a new dessert repertoire, then this book is for you.  You can purchase it from Amazon, just simply click on the picture of the book below.

Grace also has a blog, La Mia Vita Dolce, where you can keep up with her latest creations.  The recipe below was just posted two weeks ago and it looks amazing.

So, go on over and check out Grace's blog, and if you're looking for a new cookbook, purchase a copy today!