This calendar is currently ONLY available through Kickstarter but they are hopeful to have this available in stores by next Christmas (2019). However, you CAN receive one for your family by joining in on the Kickstarter campaign right now to order your own via the Kickstarter campaign website. I can tell you, it is well worth it for this beautiful product!

The One Night Advent calendar itself is huge! It’s completely hardback so it is durable enough to be used over and over for a lifetime. The cover opens like doors which also helps you to stand it for easy viewing as you go through the days leading up to Christ’s birth. And being hardback with a coating, it allows you to wipe candy off the cover as well from little hands as they learn using this gorgeous product.

Inside, the imagery is outstanding. It shows the City of Bethleham, complete with the countryside. The story is of two Brothers, the shephards who came to see Christ in the days following His birth.

There are 24 flaps that you will lift for each day of Advent, each sharing a different part of the story. The flaps are each designed to match the rest of the calendar, and include a part of the story as you follow along. Gorgeous does not even begin to describe this calendar.

The story of Christ’s birth have changed lives of people for centuries and this calendar truly helps to bring that story to life for you and your family. This calendar would look amazing beside your tree, ready to share the story of Christ’s birth and the Shepherds journey with all of those who are ready to follow along. Be sure to grab your copy through the Kickstarter campaign today!

Be sure to also view the video about One Night Advent calendar on the Kickstarter Campaign page as well!

About the Book

Book Title: Gone to Texas

Author: Caryl McAdoo

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: September 6, 2018

Can beauty truly come from ashes?

Deception drives seventeen souls to hard choices. Either stay on the land they thought they’d bought or heed the lure of free land in the faraway wilderness of a new Republic. Rife with peril and hardship, three families knit together by blood and friendship head out with a widowed man, daughter, and his slave, gambling everything they own on the prospect of land ownership and working it together. Does friendship pave a way to marriage? Can puppy-love survive through a harrowing journey to blossom into a forever lover? With duress at every turn, can the clan stay together all the way to Texas and accomplish their goals?

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Top priority is God’s glory, and that’s exactly what Caryl McAdoo prays her stories will bring. To entertain and draw readers into a closer walk with Him is next. A quick check of stars and reviews attest to the success of this award-winning, best-selling author—all by the Father’s faithfulness. Besides writing, she loves singing praises, including the new songs He gives her! Visit her YouTube channel. Ron, her high school sweetheart husband won her heart fifty-two years ago, and they share four children and seventeen grandsugars. Ron and Caryl live on thirty-four acres ‘The Peaceable’ in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas and wait expectantly for God to open the next door.

Guest Post from Caryl

As much as I hated leaving the Buckmeyers, Baylors, and Nightingales and the Red River Valley, I loved starting this fresh Family Saga series with all new characters! GONE TO TEXAS is Book One of the Cross Timber Romances and features three families—the O’Neals, Van Zandts, and Worleys—joined by blood and friendship through Liberty O’Neal. Laud Worley is her little brother and Mallory Van Zandt, her best friend since school days.

Together, they’d traveled south to settle in Tennessee and were about to harvest their first cotton crop that fall in 1840 when they discovered the deed to their land—the land they’d spent all their pooled savings on—was forged and no-good.

The legal owner graciously allows them to stay through harvest, taking his portion of their labor and cottonseed. At the gin, Seve Van Zandt hears rumors of Texas, a new Rebublic out west, offering free land to pioneers willing to tame its wildlands. This first story—book one—is all about their journey to the new country filled with hope and dreams.

A hired widower who with his daughter and slave helped harvest the clan’s cotton asked to join them on their journey, and so, on that faithful September morn, seventeen souls set out after they hung a hand painted sign on one of the cabins they left behind. “Gone to Texas”!

Another very special thing about this novel, one hundred twelve thousand words—about three hundred fifty pages, is that it is also book one in a brand new collection! The Thanksgiving Books and Blessings Collection that includes stories from eight other authors besides me: Lena Nelson Dooly, Heather Blanton, Kristin Holt, Kit Morgan, Suzette Williams, Pauline Creeden, George McVey, and Lynette Sowell!

All nine books will have Thanksgiving Dinner with family around the table, giving thanks to God for all his blessings. I’ve noticed many series launched in December, but Thanksgiving is my favorite. I love giving thanks to the Lord!

And as always, I pray my story gives God glory, and that its readers will be drawn closer to Him through it. He blesses and highly favors me daily. I cannot thank or praise Him enough!

Thank you, too, for reading my stories, reviewing my stories, and participating in the most AWESOME CELEBRATE LIT‘s Blog Tour!!

Blog Stops

Blog Stops
A Baker’s Perspective, September 11

Bigreadersite, September 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Caryl is giving away

GRAND PRIZE : $50 Amazon Gift Card

1st Prize: THREE Choice-of-Caryl’s Titles (print–US only or eBook)

2nd-4th: ebook of JOHN DAVID’S CALLING

5th-7th: print copy VOW UNBROKEN

8th-10th: $5 Amazon gift cards!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops to earn nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d1a6/gone-to-texas-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Review:
This book is a part of the Thanksgiving Books and Blessings series which truly brings you stories of thankfulness in times of deep anguish and stress. I love books like this one because they truly speak to my heart. Caryl McAdoo is one of my favorite authors. Her style just speaks to me and so I always find her books enjoyable.

The story is set on a wagon train to Texas and features several families which you will quickly become attached to. The book shares great detail on these characters giving a well-rounded view of their lives and their stories. It is the first of a series of books that are written by different authors. And what a great start it is! This is one book you do not want to miss out on!

From Roman Roads Media, we were gifted an online subscription to their program Picta Dicta Natural World. This is an online study tool to help your students learn Latin easily. It’s a great addition to any Latin study or just for fun!

Picta Dicta is completely online. There are three programs of study available: Natural World, Ancient World and Vocabulary Builder. For the purpose of this review, we were gifted Natural World. Nature World covers words for things we use today, such as animals, things, places, foods and more.

This program is useful for many stages of learning from early grades to adult. Young children can also benefit from the program. The format is simple and easy to follow.

You simply follow along by clicking the continue or thumbs up button found on the page. You select your answers to the available questions by clicking which you feel are correct as well. It’s really really easy to do.

There are 400 nouns from the Natural World introduced within this program. These later help with language development, Literature, foreign language and so much more. All great bonuses for the program as well.

The images used throughout this program are eye catching and captivating. They are hand-drawn specifically to capture interest. They are simple enough to not be overwhelming for students though.

Hearing is an important part of the program as the audible teaches the student correct pronunciation for the Latin words they are learning. You will hear the word used with the illustration and sometimes a sentence using the word as well to help your student better comprehend the word’s meaning. This is great for auditory students and for correct pronunciation as well.

The program is also helpful in helping you better understand the words it’s teaching you. There is a dictionary option that brings forward words you know and understand to help you gain a better comprehension of the word presented. This is a great tool for younger students who need more help in understanding meaning of words.

I was able to set this program up easily for 5 of us to use. In my account, I can easily see the family subscription and each member. I can see what has been completed by each of those students I have enrolled. I can also play the courses here to see what is involved.

The courses are easy to use and easy to follow along. You can either “train” or “go”. Train gives you practice while go sets you into learning. There is a history tab which shows you the percentage you passed the section with for the program itself.

Through this program we are learning the names of animals and foods currently. It is self-paced so we can work on it as we please for the length of our subscription which is 14 months long. Each of us can follow a different pace. No need for competition or completion before we are ready. It’s kind of like online flashcards where they will show us a word or a picture and we then click to choose the opposite: either a word for the picture or a picture that goes along with the word. All simple enough to follow along. And if you get it wrong, it kind of reviews until you get it right.

I personally did better with the matching the pictures with the words than with the words to the pictures but my learning style is completely backwards when it comes to processing anyways. The kids have done well with both ways so far. They’re really enjoying the simple format and learning with the program.

The cost of Picta Dicta Natural World is $49. It is an online subscription for 14 months.

You can find Roman Roads Media and Picta Dicta online at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RomanRoadsMedia @romanroadsmedia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romanroadsmedia/ @romanroadsmedia
YouTude: https://www.youtube.com/user/romanroadsmedia @romanroadsmedia
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/romanroadsmedia @romanroadsmedia

Read More Reviews:

Disclaimer:

We love Barbour Publishing in our home for their many great books and series. They publish some of the greatest books for our reading pleasure and The Kingdom Files series is one of the many they have available. Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? are just two of the wonderful titles from this series.

The Kingdom Files series is a biography series that is Biblically based. The series shares information and details about different characters of the Bible through the short readers. Each book shares about a different person, giving you insight to their character and meaning of their story.

The books are each around 100 pages in length and are smallish so they are easy to take along to read and fit well in a child’s hands. They are for children in grades around 4-6 or ages 8-12 years. There are currently around 6 books in this series.

The stories are set up as a Investigative research book. Each of the stories include an Action File, a Fact file and a Power file. The fact file shares facts about the characters and story. The action file shares events that show the character in action and what happened in their lifetime. The power file shows how this relates to your life and also shares important Bible verses to help you gain insight as to the reason for the story.

There are clues shared in the pages of each book which help you learn more. Maps of the area area also included. There are drawings throughout to add additional interest as well. There is even a section in the back of each book for you to add notes as you read along.

Who Was Jonah? tells the story of Jonah and the Whale, a well known story of the Bible for most. Jonah was told by God to do one thing and chose to run and ignore God’s request of him. This lead Jonah on a path that he was not expecting and straight into the mouth of a large fish that we assume to be a whale. Jonah remained in the stomach of the whale until he realized his mistakes and chose to do as God asked of him. Who Was Jonah? shares the ins and outs of this story, breaking down the details to help your child better understand it.

Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? shares the story of Mary, the virgin Mother of Jesus who was called upon by God to bring the life of Christ into this world. Mary was a young girl who was looking forward to a life of love and marriage but God called her for a much greater task. He chose her to birth His son and therefore lead the world to forgiveness of Sin through their child’s life. Mary was unsure of her task, scared, shamed but still she chose to follow God’s promise and bring light to the world through her decision. Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? shares Mary’s story, her ups and downs and triumphs through her life.

These are uniquely designed books that we greatly enjoyed reading together and discussing thanks to the amazing writing style of Math Koceich. We look forward to reading and sharing more about this series in the future. They are a great read along for your children and great as readers for those in the recommended age-group as well.

Find Barbour Publishing and The Kingdom Files online at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbourPublishing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/barbourbuzz
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BarbourPublishing1

Read More Reviews:

Disclaimer:

About the Book

Book Title: It’s Momplicated

Author: Debbie Alsdorf * Joan Edwards Kay

Genre: Non-fiction

Release date: September 4, 2018

Let’s face it: when it comes to mothers and their daughters, things can get a little . . . complicated. Momplicated, you might say.

Whether your relationship with your mom has been wonderful or stressful, redeemed or broken, close or nonexistent, it’s one of your life’s most important and defining connections. Its effects have probably followed you into adulthood.

If you have conflicting feelings toward mom—or if you wish you could get past some of the baggage that holds you back—this is your book. Combining spiritual disciplines and the best of current therapeutic practice, It’s Momplicated will help you discover

• How your early connection with your mother may have impacted your sense of self and your other important relationships—and what you can do to break the cycle
• Why you and your mother have the relationship you have—the underlying reasons that may be contributing to strain and unease
• Tools and exercises to help you cope with some of the most common effects of a broken relationship, including anxiety, depression, lack of confidence, and trust issues
• How to be the daughter and mother God wants you to be even if your mom wasn’t who you needed her to be.

It’s never too late to love, never too late to heal, and never too late to trust God to turn the pain in your story into a redemption song. As you read It’s Momplicated, you’ll realize that while God doesn’t promise to fix all your circumstances, He does promise to uphold you and lead you to a healing place of knowing you are truly precious and loved, no matter how your past has affected you

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Authors

Debbie Alsdorf: For the past twenty-five years, through her speaking and writing, Debbie Alsdorf’s mission has been to help women live a better story by leading them to the heart of God’s love and the truth of his Word. Debbie is a biblical lay counselor, a Christian life coach, and the founder of Design4Living Ministries. She and her husband, Ray, have raised a blended family of four adult children. Today Debbie’s favorite role is being a grandma to ten little ones.

Joan Kay Edwards: Joan Edwards Kay is a licensed marriage and family therapist in the East Bay of San Francisco and has been an adjunct professor at Western Seminary. She received her bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and her master’s degree from Western Seminary. She is happily married with two adult daughters, four stepdaughters, and five grandchildren.

Guest Post from Debbie and Joan

Mom. Mother. Mommy.

What do those words evoke in you? Wonderful memories of home cooked meals? A longing for nurture that was never fully met? A sense of not being enough? Gratitude? Sadness and loss? Anger and resentment?

Most women have a complex reaction when asked to think about their mothers–a mix of positive and negative, gratitude and hurt, happy and sad memories. Our relationships with our mothers are unique, rich, and complicated.

Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Debbie Alsdorf and Joan Edwards Kay, friends who have written a book together that explores the issue of moms and their profound effect on daughters. It’s Momplicated: Hope and Healing for Imperfect Daughters of Imperfect Mothers releases this September 4^th, 2018. Since every woman is a daughter, this book is for every women.

Every daughter receives less-than-perfect programming from her mother. The messages may be about our value, or how to relate to others, or even about how we think about bodies. However, God is our perfect parent who wants to rewrite that imperfect programming with his truth. Many of us don’t realize the wrong messages that are deep in our souls.

I (Debbie) grew up with a mother who was cold, distant and unavailable. I have one sister who was in her teens when I was born and married by the time I started school, leaving me to be raised as an only child. I grew up wondering what was wrong with me, “Why didn’t mom want to spend time with me? Why didn’t she hug me and hold me close like other moms did? Why was nothing I did to earn her approval good enough?” I was deeply imprinted with wounds of rejection and carried them through most of my adult life, even though I pasted on a smile, kept trying to do better, and could be the life of any gathering. On the inside, I was sad for as long as I can remember. Through working on this book, I have experienced a phenomenal inner healing, the exposing of lies long held secretly in my heart, and the ability to see the way the enemy of my soul has tried to use the “not enough” belief against me. I am beyond excited for other women to have the courage to own their own story, inviting Jesus to meet them in any points of pain and any relationships that need healing.

I (Joan) had a stay-at-home mom who cooked dinner every night, took us to the library and the beach, did art projects with us, and made me feel safe and happy. However, when I was nine years old, my father and then my brother both died of cancer within a year and my relationship with my mother changed. Understandably, she struggled to just hold herself together, but in my young mind I felt abandoned by her. I didn’t have the capacity to deal with all the loss and she didn’t have the strength to help me. I felt emotionally lost and alone. I longed for my mother to comfort me and show me how to overcome my pain. In retrospect, I wish she had shown me faith in a God who could bring hope and meaning to the devastation that had hit our family. But she was not a believer and did her best to stuff away the feelings and soldier on. I was deeply imprinted with the belief, I’m alone and can only depend on myself. As I worked on this project, the root of many of my struggles became clear to me and God has been comforting those young, lonely parts of me with his presence and his love.

What is your story with your mother? What false beliefs has this important relationship imprinted on your heart, and how does God’s truth rewrite them? It is our hope that every woman, as God’s daughter, will learn the beauty of who she is and receive her own healing so she can leave a legacy of faith, hope and beauty to the generation of women that follow.

One thing we know for sure: there are no perfect moms, just women partnering with a perfect God.

Blog Stops

Blog Stops
A Baker’s Perspective, September 8

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 21

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Debbie and Joan are giving away a grand prize of a “I’m Not Like a Regular Mom” T-Shirt!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d56c/it-s-momplicated-celebration-tour-giveaway

My Review:

This is a book for all of us who struggle with our relationship with our Mothers. This is a book for those of us who are imperfect Mothers and Daughters alike. This is a book for women who wish to change their relationship with their parent before it’s too late as well.

It’s Momplicationed helps you to better understand your upbringing, the pain that can sometimes cause, and the heart of a Mother as well. Biblically based, this book speaks of changing your heart to find forgiveness where it’s needed and strength from your past.

This book helps to lead you to healing those past pains that you may think are unforgivable but in the end, God can redeem your doubts and bring his purpose to a clearer understanding. It’s Momplicationed is a book that all women should read. Get your copy today!