Crochet Cute Critters: A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer


These adorable little critters are just the thing to get your creative fingers flowing! There is one “critter” for each letter of the alphabet! It’s really hard to pic a favorite as they are all simply precious! This book focuses on amigurumi, or the Japanese word for crocheting soft toys. It’s super fun to say and even a handy pronunciation guide right at the beginning!



I love the simplicity of these creatures and how they are based on very simple crochet stitches. You can begin with any of the critters you choose as they are based on the same principle pattern with just minor feature variations. I learned first to crochet snowflakes and doilies, but haven’t done any in a really long time. I was pleased how easy it was to pick this back up again after quite a few years to help my daughter learn some of the basic stitches. We used some practice yarn initially because she had never crocheted anything more than a chain of stitches before this. The basic ideas of these patterns have you building up to sculpt rather than out to make a large circle.


The hardest part seems to be attaching the various pieces (head, body, arms, and legs) together. Still, there are plenty of excellent photos illustrating the various techniques. All throughout the book there are several illustrations teaching how to stitch, stuff, and sew these adorable creatures.

Not matter which you choose to start with you can see these are some of the sweetest little stuffies you have ever laid eyes on! My daughter is really looking forward to working on several of these cute critters! Especially to give as gifts to our friends who have little ones!

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Peek at Our Week: August 12-16

Grace-Filled Writer
Back to school more regularly this week! We focused heavily on mathematics, literature, grammar, and spelling. It’s hard to just jump into everything, especially when we still have summer-time things happening. We will jump back into Heart of Dakota at the start of September. 


The end of the week was so much fun! We spent time at Kinetic Heights with our family. What an AMAZING experience! I highly recommend them if you are in the Charlotte, NC area. 



The ropes course was super fun and challenging! I’m a little afraid of heights, but persevered. I did not attempt the higher course, but Rose and her dad did. She loved it! 



After everyone had gone through the ropes course and moved on to other things Grace decided to give it a go again! She’s my super brave kid and she had fun trying different paths and pushed herself to do some new things! 



Beth is the one climbing up the wall here. She’s grown so very much over the last couple of years. She used to be terrified of a lot of things, one of them being heights and another falling and getting hurt. She flew through the ropes course like it was no big deal and she tried time after time to get up this wall. I don’t have an exact count, but I would guess it took her over 25 tries. This gal has developed grit and determination that is beautiful to behold. She did not give up and pushed herself to the limit! I don’t have a picture of the moment she made it up the wall…but you can see the video here!!! 


Since we were in the area we stayed overnight and had some fun at Carowinds. It was crazy hot, so we saw several of the shows we typically miss. Grace, my husband, and I thoroughly enjoyed Franklin’s Dance Party! My other two opted to watch and giggle at us! 



Franklin is one of my all-time favorite characters in the Peanuts series! I love his sensibility in the midst of everyone else’s overreactions. If you don’t know the history behind Franklin’s first appearance, check out this link. 



Of course Schroeder is right at the top too!
We’ve had a really busy few days. We’re all nursing some sore muscles and are quite tired so Sunday was a welcome reprieve. After church and then lunch we watched an episode Green Acres together. I spent a little time outside enjoying our hummingbird friends as well. I am constantly in awe at the beauty around us and the intricacies of creation the Lord has given us to enjoy. Even in a suburban little neighborhood I still see evidence of His handiwork all around me.

This feeder sits just outside our schoolroom window so the girls can enjoy the view during lessons in the mornings. 


There was our busy week! We have another one coming up with school, our 1st cross country meet, and another clogging trip in the mountains! 

Week in Review: August 5-9

Grace-Filled Writer
We had a great weekend and week! I have to back up to Saturday, August 3, because we had an incredible time at the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival! Only Rose participated in this dancing event as she has moved to the more advanced of the clogging classes. She was nervous but she, and the rest of the kids, all performed beautifully! 


This was such a fun performance! It was a pretty big week for Rose. She also turned 14! We are officially starting high school next week. Sigh…


Grampy and Grammy (My in-laws) were here for a few days. We played lots of games and just had a wonderful time together.

We finished off the week with Summer Blast, our church’s 2-day VBS weekend. It was clearly a FULL week, but definitely a great one! 




Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: EDIBLE EDITION – A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer
Hands on science is without a doubt the best way to learn concepts! Add in taste testing and you have a delicious way to remember scientific concepts! Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: EDIBLE EDITION is a super fun way to teach kids the science behind cooking! Our kids have enjoyed seeing science in action in the kitchen before, but when it creating edible experiments, the memories are just that much stronger. Not only are they involved with auditory, visual, and tactile learning, they also have multiple sense involved, specifically taste, touch, and smell. 


The layout of this beautiful book is quite simple. The experiments/recipes are broken down into 8 courses, just like serving a variety of courses at a fancy dinner! The courses each have a different scientific focus and the table of contents includes this information. This makes it super easy to choose a recipe to fit whatever concept you are covering in science. 

Each recipe includes all ingredients and equipment needed right up front so there aren’t any surprises! This is great for those of us who sometimes like to do something like this a little last minute. Also included are safety tips. The book does a great job explaining about keeping your kitchen clean from germs and why. 

Next are colorful photographs illustrating steps in the recipe. These are real kids actually making the delicious experiments! I love that immediately following the recipe there is a science connection. This is clearly explained and very thorough. Even if you don’t feel really comfortable with science, you won’t have any trouble teaching your kids about it. 


One really delicious way to learn about density gradient is through layering drinks of different sugar content. The recipe in the book is called Sunset Lemonade. This delicious concoction works because the simple syrup is more densely concentrated with sugar. The less dense lemonade rests atop the bottom layer before mixing. Such a cool concept! 


Once you understand this concept you can layer drinks with different sugar contents to achieve some really fun effects! 


Delicious! 

If you are looking for a way to liven up your science lessons this is an excellent way to add some fun! 

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery: A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer
I remember visiting my family in Kentucky when I was little and seeing the bookshelves full of the Foxfire books. They intrigued me so and I could tell they were well read and well-loved. I love learning about our family’s history and Appalachian heritage runs in my veins. I was really excited to have a look at The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery.

One of the beautiful aspects of this book are the many photographs, stories, vignettes, and recipes straight from the Appalachian region. This series is doing a wonderful job of preserving the ways and history of the people of Appalachia. There is a wealth of natural wisdom and this book captures the resources beautifully.


We often go there to take our family pictures and I just love how they turn out! 


I particularly enjoyed The Grist Mill chapter. We have a beautiful, working grist mill just a couple of miles from our home. It is no longer the primary way people have their grains processed, but it once was the primary means of grinding. The same stone still grinds cornmeal a few times each month during the warm seasons. 

My children are learning a bit about their Appalachian heritage through traditional clogging. I am enjoying sharing even more through this wonderful series! I hope to one day visit the Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center with the girls. It would be a bit of a drive from North Carolina to its location in Georgia, but it would be more than worth it!

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Peek at our Week: July 29-August 2

Grace-Filled Writer
Our house is finally *mostly* back in order. I’ve gotten rid of 5 large boxes of books, the girls filled 3 trash bags full of stuffed animals, and we also got rid of several games and other toys. Yay! We do this once or twice a year and it has gotten easier and easier for the girls to let go of things. 
The highlight of this week was traveling to see my sister-in-law and her kids! We roomed together at Toccoa Falls College and so we took a little road trip with all our kids and visited one of our favorite places on earth. The kids saw our old dorm room, we told them funny stories, showed them our classroom buildings and where we worked. It was truly and amazing, although much too short, visit. 






Draw 62 Magical Creatures and Make them Cute: A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer
NetGalley

Sketching and drawing cute things is relaxing to me. I’m not fantastic on my own, so sketching and drawing books like this one are a great help! 


The sketches in this book remind me of modern adult cartoons, think Simpsons style. I’m not a huge fan of this type of artwork. I didn’t realize it would be quite like this and honestly I’m not sure I would classify this style as cute! Still, there were some great tutorials within these pages. 

Each of the pages involves sketches only, which I really like. Nice clean lines make it easy to see what I’m supposed to do. For a non-professional like me this is quite important. I loved that the coloring was only on the final product and was still simply black and white. 


Again, the drawing directions are excellently laid out. I’m just not sure if I agree with the “make it cute” section. 

I created this in a little sketching journal I have. I started with a pencil sketch, painted with watercolors, and then use a think-line ink for the details. I picked this little salamander because we have a blue-tailed western skink running around outside in my flower bed. He’s really quite cute and eating some of the nastier bugs so I’m happy to have him living there. 


So even though I wasn’t impressed with the “cuteness” factor, I did find myself quite pleased with the outcome. Art is, after all, in the eye of the beholder. The best art books inspire you to create and give clear, simple instructions. There certainly isn’t any fluff here and since I’m pleased with my drawing, I give this book a high mark! 

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Painting School: A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer
NetGalley

I’ve been dabbling in doodling recently. Trying out sketching and watercolor just for fun. I’m never going to sell any of my artwork, not that I wanted to, but I do like improving my limited skills and learning new things. 


I was really excited about this title, Painting School by Tanya Emelyanova, for a couple of reasons. The first is that it’s geared towards kids and that’s about where I’m at! I also liked the look of the artwork. It has a Japanese Kawaii look to it with cute little eyes and facial features. I also like the variety and layout style of the book. 

Grace and I sat down to have a little art session! I had fun painting a whale shark and she a hammerhead shark. 


While I really liked the setup of this book and how the beginning is explained, it is very clear this artwork was done digitally. Now that isn’t a problem exactly unless you are trying to recreate using watercolors or acrylics as is suggested in the beginning. I’ve never made digital drawings so I started out with water color. The directions for painting these clearly makes it difficult for them to turn out the way you expect them to. For instance, you cannot put light colors over top of dark. I wish it had given clearer directions for painting in an order that would work. 
I do think this would make a great beginners guide to digital painting. 

Grace really enjoyed the painting. She didn’t seem bothered by the fact that it wasn’t easy to make it like the picture, but then she’s a kid and a really easy going one at that! My oldest daughter is a perfectionist and knowing her this would have been quite frustrating. 

Here are our finished art pieces! I ended up using watercolor pencils and then painting with water on top. Grace just used straight water colors and then added a fun background! 

Overall I still liked the book, but I think it could have been a little more practical or specifically address digital painting.

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

A Song of Joy: A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer
NetGalley

Lauraine Snelling has been one of my favorite historical novelists for quite a number of years. I was first introduced to her through the Blessings Series, which I eagerly awaited new titles as soon as I completed one! Dakota Treasures and the Secret Refuge Series were both compelling sets as well. It has been a while since I picked up one of her novels, so I was really excited to start turning the pages in A Song of Joy, the fourth title in Under the Northern Skies. 


As with many of Snelling’s titles the story centers around a Norwegian immigrant. I love the setting and time period for this particular title. Set in 1911 in Minnesota, it is a time of simplicity and new innovations all at the same time. Nilda, originally from Norway and most recently from a small farm near Blackduck, MN, works alongside Mrs. Schoenleber. The older woman completely trusts Nilda, who acts a sort of personal assistant. She is also quite altruistic around town and with those whom she encounters, much to the consternation of her brothers who are more miserly and greedy with funds from the family business. It becomes increasingly apparent that these brothers are conniving. Nilda, meanwhile, is struggling with memories which haunt her of a man who attacked her. He is no longer living, but even in death he makes her life a nightmare.

I love how Snelling weaves truths from Scripture throughout the pages. We see the very real struggle of what it is like to live with the darkness which comes to someone who is attacked. I appreciate her ability to empathize and guide the reader through what the experience is like. I also appreciate the advice given by Nilda’s family and employer to help her through this time. 

I also find the struggle some of the characters have with English a truly beautiful thing! We learn a few Norwegian words along the way, but are reminded that those new to our country may need some help, not to mention patience and understanding, when they come to this country. It is easy to take our native language for granted. 

There are three novels previous to this which I have not yet read. Although I greatly enjoyed the book, I would recommend starting at the beginning of this series in order to fully appreciate the family structure and know the background of the characters. I myself intend to go to the beginning of the series and read them all!

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

A Noble Guardian: A Net Galley Review

Grace-Filled Writer
NetGalley

Quality, clean historical fiction is my favorite genre. I don’t mind a little mystery as long as it isn’t too intense. Neither some romance, as long as it remains clean. A Noble Guardian by Michelle Griep filled these requirements well! 


This is the third title in The Bow Street Runner Trilogy. I have not read the first two titles, but this story stands alone and it is not necessary to have done so. I love that it is a pretty lengthy book! I love reading long books where there is plenty of time for character development. 

This particular title was peril-filled! Lots of action and adventure follow the heroine and hero along the way. I did have some trouble getting a good feeling for the setting, but I think this may have had to do with the nature of travel in the book. The heroine is traveling to meet her fiance and in the process the hero must accompany her for safety reasons after she is attacked. I do think if I had read the previous novels the setting would have been a little easier to grasp. 

I did like the heroine of this story. She is plucky, but also naive in many ways. At times I felt her reactions didn’t match other parts of her expressed character, but then I remember none of us is able to be exactly predictable in our natures. 

Like most romance stories there is a lot of will-they/won’t-they play back and forth. I appreciated that it was handled well and with tact. The more “romantic” descriptions were very tasteful, but were still a little deeper than I would have my daughters read until they are older, maybe college age. They aren’t interested in romance yet anyway, but I do keep that in mind as I am reading. 

I was pleased with the closure. There was miscommunication and misunderstanding, not all the fault of the characters, but it was cleared up eventually and everything tied up nicely. I do not like cliff hangers or unresolved endings and I was quite satisfied with how things tied up with both of the main characters as well as the young child who plays a significant role in their story. 

I would highly recommend this title, but I think going back and reading the first two in the series might be beneficial to getting the most enjoyment out of this one. 

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.