Plan to Have Plan City Toys

I must admit that I have been guilty of coveting. I have been enticed, if not lured by the subliminal messages that melodically stream out of those bright, multicolored, battery powered toys often advertised on television.

Why, every child that plays with these plastic creations is happy! They appear to play with the toy for hours (or at least 30 seconds) and these supposedly educational toys promote early walking. That's good right? (For more information on the IMPORTANCE of crawling, read Crawling: Is it Important? by Madeleine Fitzpatrick.)

I clearly remember the first time my imaginary toy broke and I became aware of the deceiving depiction that plastic toys solve all the woes of young children. A former student's mom showed some surprise over my baby registry. She wanted to know where the wood toys were.

She shared fond memories of wood toys under her Christmas tree enabling hours of open-ended and delightful play that was not xeroxed the following day. She never felt like she was losing her mind, because there was no repetitive song that played. She didn't contribute to the landfill with toxic batteries (yes, I know that rechargeable batteries exist, but they don't last NEAR as long.) Her house didn't look like a toy store. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem admitting that children live in my house, but it is nice when the toys blend in with the furniture. And her toys, wood toys, could be passed down to her grandchildren because they were durable and not made with toxic chemicals that had been recalled 20 years prior.

So . . . my curiosity was tweaked. However, I learned too late of the wonderful world of wood toys. I had opened all of the presents from various baby showers.

I began asking for wood toys for each birthday and Christmas. Our first introduction to wood toys was from Plan City. We got the coolest wood Jeep track. Five years later, it is still one of our most used toys (and it has had a few additions!)

wood+toys plan+city+toys open+ended+imaginative+play ebeanstalk.com

Written Word of His Own Initiation

Mr. Smackdown's first written word printed with extravagant love for the Hottie Hubby, who just returned home from a business trip. I took this precious morning picture with my phone, as Willow is a bit under the weather, and painstakingly pushed many buttons to produce these wonderful words in less than an hour. Watch out texting world-here I come!

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

I admit that I was skeptical that I would enjoy this book. Even though we are told to not judge a book by its cover, I judged the book by its cover. Sorry, Rick and Bubba. It's your fault! (Can you tell that I read your book?)

And to be honest, I didn't enjoy the book until the VERY last few chapters. Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage published by Thomas Nelson and written by Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey, is a marriage book that does not resemble my marriage except for their suggestions in the dating department and their helpful exhortation to have a marriage built upon a biblical foundation. I could have skipped the majority of the book and been happy to read the nearly last two chapters, "The Unthinkable" and "After Fifty Years of Marriage."

The cover appeals to women, but I really think the book is more appropriate for a man. To be honest, I disagreed with many of their thoughts and experiences that occur between a husband and wife in daily life. That doesn't mean that their experience is any less true, I just couldn't relate and don't have friends with such relationships. But having read the chapters I previously mentioned, I think that Rick and Bubba were reeling their reader in like a true fisherman. You get hooked by their stories, and then they give you solid fish to chew on for a good marriage.

Read this book if you would like to be entertained by marriage stories and the often humorous battle between the sexes. Don't expect it to change your life or give you a strategy to improve a crumbling marriage. At the very least, tell your library purchase it for general circulation.

And if you are wondering . . . no, I didn't buy this book. I'm thankful to be reviewing it for the Thomas Nelson Publishing Book Review Blogger program.

Rick+and+Bubba's+Guide+to +the+Almost+Nearly+Perfect+Marriage book+review Thomas+Nelson

Wordless Wednesday

My friend, Sarah, might very well shoot me for posting this picture.

But I absolutely love it. I think that pregnant women are beautiful.


Anyway, this is Sarah's belly. She is nurturing a little girl. And see that sweet little boy in the background? That little guy is Sarah's.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
Psalm 139: 13

And then those little bundles that God knit together in our womb . . . they turn into silly little Mr. Me-Too's.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
Psalm 139: 14

Who insist on wearing their goggles too tight!

Check out more Wordless Wednesday photos at 5 Minutes for Mom.


psalm+139 pregnant+belly+photos goggles Wordless+Wednesday

Encouragement through Life Verses

God speaks to us through His Word.


The verses I have captured for you on these photographs from our garden and the Hottie Hubby's trip to India are most likely life verses for us. I say probably because the Hottie Hubby is currently sleeping. I doubt that he would want me to wake him up right now.

These verses re-launched Hottie Hubby back into short-term missions. We had both been to India twice (pre-kids) and hadn't done any mission work in several years.

I think that these scriptures were valid for him over a year ago when he traveled to India with Engineering Ministries International (and his good friend, Toby--who happens to have the lovely daughter my son will marry) and I think that we will revisit them in the future.


Had it not been for these verses speaking into our lives, I think I might have been a nervous wreck to have my husband leave me with two kids and one on the way. But I was so confident that Hottie Hubby was to travel to India and use the skills that God had given him.

The first two verses culminated in us discovering this final verse found in Isaiah 58:12

Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

And this is the verse that captures EMI's vision.







Engineering+ministires+international EMI missions encouragement+through+God's+word Blog+hop