Gratitude Archives - By Quiet Waters

Sequin Sparkle and Change Bible

November 29, 2018 By Michelle

You may know that I really love the Word of God and enjoy receiving newly packaged Bibles to review here on the blog. Well this week I have not one, but two Bible’s to tell you about. Today, I have a new children’s Bible that I think will be a super delightful gift for one of my grand daughters. As a matter of fact, I am thinking about buying a couple more copies as I have several grand daughters!

Sequin Sparkle and Change Bible

The Sparkle and Change Bible is packaged in a teal blue or pink cover. The cover of the Bible has embossed detailing, and sequins that change color right before your eyes. I have caught my teens handling this book, and running their hands over the sequins. It is definitely eye catching and fun.

This Bible is set in ten-point type, with bold in-text subject titles. This will help kids find the passages they are looking for more easily. There are bold type words that correspond with the dictionary and the concordance. And as always, I appreciate the maps and timeline that are included.

There are pretty pages that include a presentation page, a place to record favorite verses and articles to increase a child’s understanding of Jesus’ love and purpose for her.

The translation of this Bible is the International Children’s Bible by Tommy Nelson. This translation was created for children, for readability and understanding. This is a good translation for children between about 6 and 10 to use in his/her own reading and following along in Sunday School and church.

One thing I’d recommend is that you don’t have your child memorize in this translation. Choose the translation that your family, or your church teaches from… and memorize from it. From experience I know the challenge of memorizing in one translation…and it not meshing with the memory work in the teen and early adult years.

My photos just don’t do this Bible cover justice. It is quite pretty and very sparkly. Thank you to Front Gate Media and Tommy Nelson for this free Bible in exchange for this post.

Gluten Free Kids in the Kitchen

September 8, 2018 By Michelle

Kids in the Kitchen

Having our kids in the kitchen has been a normal part of family life. My husband is a great cook and an excellent teacher. From the time the kids hung out in backpacks while we cooked, until now, Builder has been teaching them how to cook all the favorites. Builder loves to cook big meals, with Thanksgiving being at the top of his favorites. So you can imagine making sure the kids know how to prepare not just any meal, but the Thanksgiving feast is high on his priority list.

Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance

As the years have passed, some challenges arose to the way we’ve always prepared food. First was the lactose intolerance that caused us to sideline some family favorites like lasagna. Then a gluten intolerance issue that got worse, and celiac disease entered our vocabulary. Add some food allergies and meal time became more of a challenge than a delight.

Paul, the Apostle DVD Movie

July 15, 2018 By Michelle

This movie is written and directed by Andrew Hyatt. Starring Jim Caviezel, Jame Faulkner, Olivier Martinez, Joanne Whalley and John Lynch.

Have you seen this movie? It was a surprise to me how much I enjoyed this movie, and how much I am continuing to think about it. The Bible is precious to me and I love to read and study it. But there is something about “seeing” it that helps me to better see the layers and the humanity in those stories and passages.

As the movie unfolded, I was concerned about Biblical integrity. There doesn’t seem to be anything to be concerned about, and what I gained in Biblical application was rich.

The ending of the movie wasn’t what I expected. Paul’s entrance to heaven got me imagining that moment, which I guess is a good response.

Thanks to Front Gate Media for this complimentary Blue Ray + DVD + Digital copy of Paul, Apostle of Christ, in exchange for this blog post.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado Travel

April 23, 2018 By Michelle

For several years, as I looked at the Colorado map and thought about where to go next, Steamboat Springs and Dinosaur National Park were high on my list. But from home we have to drive somewhat diagonally across the state for many hours. Well in early January when Builder and I were talking about Spring Break, and we decided to make plans to stay in Steamboat Springs and explore.

Ever since our fantastic Florida Keys vacation a few summers ago, we have sought to stay in houses or townhome. Through Retreatia we rented a great 2 bedroom 2 bathroom townhome. The house had a washer and dryer which was a bonus after our day at the hot springs pool.

Fish Creek Falls always shows up when I search pinterest for Colorado Waterfall Hikes. All of the trails were snow covered and I forgot my trekking poles, so we simply took the .5 mile overlook path to see the falls.

We also spent hours at the Old Town Hot Springs, which was a blast. Just imagine how fun it is to spend an afternoon in a hot springs pool with teenagers, laughing as the snow falls in nice big flakes, then an hour later enjoying the sunshine while relaxing in one of the smaller pools. It was fantastic!

A gem that we found was the Off the Beaten Path book store! Two floors of books and a coffee shop.

We spents a couple of happy hours here. I enjoyed a Mr Darcy cinnamon mocha and this good book.

We also found some of the other hot springs, and enjoyed a visit to an art museum.

None of us are skiers, so I can’t tell you about that action in Steamboat, but explorers and hikers we are. It is quite a drive to get to this area, but I sure look forward to another visit in the not to far off future!

Prone to Wander LA, Phone Cases and More

April 17, 2018 By Michelle

“We are all prone to wander away from the things that really matter. Sometimes, we just need a little encouragement, a breath of inspiration, a quick reminder of THE Truth, our identity, and our purpose.

Prone To Wander LA creatively brings God’s Word in the little things we carry, wear, or see everyday. We exist to bless little lives with the little things we create.”

Aren’t these phone cases great? They arrived some time ago in a rather plain package that opened up to some super fun!

These pretty phone cases arrived and were promptly passed around. I quickly discovered which one I wanted to try out on my phone, the wood case. The case has held up to about a month of use, and a few little falls and drops. Originally I was concerned about the wood showing wear. But it still looks great!

My youngest has been using the clear case, and I think she is quite happy with it as well. After taking a look at the website, I have found that there are many designs to choose from.

Prone to Wander LA also offers various art products such as pillow covers, banners, ornaments and art prints.

Thanks to FrontGate Media for these complimentary phone cases, in exchange for this review. If you are a blogger and interested in reviewing new products, check out FrontGate Media!

Backpacking for the First Time

March 26, 2018 By Michelle

During the summer of 2017, I headed out on my first backpacking trip with one of my daughters. To be honest, I had spent more time pinning hiking and backpacking articles to my pinterest board, than preparing for this venture.

Gear

But the geared was gathered and packed in my new Osprey backpack, off we went. Our first trip was in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. This park is just about my favorite place on earth and I was pretty excited to experience it in a new way.

After picking up our back country permit, we headed to the trailhead. With backpacks on, we began hiking. There is a lot to learn in any new endeavor. It didn’t take us long to realize that we had the backpacks unequally loaded weight wise. We corrected this the next morning!

About 2.25 miles in we found the sign we’d been looking for. Much to my surprise, we turned off the trail and started heading DOWN. Way down. All I could think is, tomorrow we are going to have go climb back up. Crossing a stream at 2 different points, we suddenly came upon the campsite.

It was so exciting to be there. We found the best spot to hang our hammocks and prepared dinner. Our meals were quite simple. We ate macaroni and cheese with freeze dried broccoli for dinner, and oatmeal with freeze dried fruit for breakfast. We carried nuts, granola bars and apples to eat for lunch and along the trail as needed.

By the time we finished eating and setting up camp, it was beginning to get dark so we stashed our bear canister way on the other side of our site, in the trees, and we climbed into our hammocks.

Right at the moment of wishing each other a good night…a coyote howl. Now we had heard all about how to be bear aware, but coyotes? After a few startled moments I decided to just enjoy the experience, pray that the animal was in fact miles away, and drift off to sleep in the swaying trees.

After a chilly night’s sleep we rose to make breakfast and coffee. I woke many times that night from the cold, so I’ve been thinking it through and I think I have a lightweight plan to stay warmer next time!

Knowing we were not prepared for the snow that was deeper into the wilderness area, we went the other direction to do some exploring of different sites.

Backpacking the first time didn’t go quite how we planned, but it went perfectly. We learned a lot, and are better prepared for the next time.

Have you ever backpacked? Did you sleep in a tent or a hammock?

Sequin Sparkle and Change Bible

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