4 hours ago
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Bargerhoff tackles so many issues and misinterpretations in this book, some that I was not even expecting. However, the part that I was really pleased with is how he incorporates principles for proper biblical interpretation while sharing these stories. He not only tells you how and why they are misunderstood, but how a proper Bible study method and interpretation of Scripture can help us avoid similar mistakes.
Everything in this book was biblically sound, the author shows the biblical support for his arguments about how certain Bible stories are misused, and he really got me thinking about new things with some of the stories he presented. He also is not afraid to shy away from controversial topics, taking a strong stand on the truth of God's Word.
The drawback of having literally no complaints about a book is that the review ends up being rather short - but it's a pleasant problem to have. This book was excellent, and I'd highly recommend it. I think I'll be picking up the other book by the author, The Most Misused Verses In The Bible as well!
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion.
Note: The (very cute) dress in these pictures is one I received for free for this post in partnership with PinkBlush! All opinions are my own.
In the past I've heard women make comments about how pregnancy is not their favorite state, and while I could understand that with my head, I had no personal experience with that feeling.
This pregnancy has been a little different for me though. It's not that I am not enjoying pregnancy this time (I am), but I don't feel as...cute?...this time around. I finally understand a little better why other women have made those kind of comments.
However, I have determined to enjoy this pregnancy, and well, I learned a long time ago that if I am no longer feeling good about my appearance, it's probably time to change things up! This is what I've done so far this pregnancy:
1. Changed my skincare routine.
In past pregnancies, I haven't worried too much about skincare. I knew there were some skincare ingredients to be avoided, so I just grabbed an inexpensive moisturizer that looked clear of anything harmful, and the pregnancy glow kept me feeling good about it. I figured out pretty quickly this time though that it was not going to be the same. Maybe it's just because I am getting older, but my skin was dry and dull and crying out for some TLC, and I didn't want to postpone getting the good stuff until after baby. So searched until I found some skincare products I was comfortable with during pregnancy, and I got into a really consistent skincare routine for the first time in my life! Taking a little extra time on my skin makes me feel less worn out in the morning and night, because my face feels fresh and healthy.
In past pregnancies, I haven't worried too much about skincare. I knew there were some skincare ingredients to be avoided, so I just grabbed an inexpensive moisturizer that looked clear of anything harmful, and the pregnancy glow kept me feeling good about it. I figured out pretty quickly this time though that it was not going to be the same. Maybe it's just because I am getting older, but my skin was dry and dull and crying out for some TLC, and I didn't want to postpone getting the good stuff until after baby. So searched until I found some skincare products I was comfortable with during pregnancy, and I got into a really consistent skincare routine for the first time in my life! Taking a little extra time on my skin makes me feel less worn out in the morning and night, because my face feels fresh and healthy.
2. I got a gym membership.
I have mentioned before that the weight is coming on alarmingly fast this time around - yikes! After hearing me griping about it for a few weeks, Derek finally suggested that he add me to his gym membership.
I have mentioned before that the weight is coming on alarmingly fast this time around - yikes! After hearing me griping about it for a few weeks, Derek finally suggested that he add me to his gym membership.
I have never actually worked out while being pregnant before (confession time), so this was a new thought. But I tried out the gym, and it was glorious! Not only do I weirdly enjoy the exercise bike, but heading to the gym a few times a week gives me some much needed refresh time in the evenings after a busy day with the kids. I can't say the weight gain has slowed down any, but I do feel healthier regardless, which goes a long way in feeling more "cute" again.
3. I got new maternity clothes.
This is my fifth pregnancy, I figured it was time to refresh my maternity wardrobe! A lot of the items I bought for my first pregnancy (seven years ago), are faded and out of style now. Being stuck with faded, out-of-style clothes does not make you feel cuter during pregnancy, I'll tell you that. In some ways it seems a pity to get new clothes that I'll only get to wear for a few more months since this is our last baby, but I decided not to feel bad about it. If this is my last pregnancy, I should enjoy it, and after four pregnancies in those other clothes I figured I have earned a few new things.
This is my fifth pregnancy, I figured it was time to refresh my maternity wardrobe! A lot of the items I bought for my first pregnancy (seven years ago), are faded and out of style now. Being stuck with faded, out-of-style clothes does not make you feel cuter during pregnancy, I'll tell you that. In some ways it seems a pity to get new clothes that I'll only get to wear for a few more months since this is our last baby, but I decided not to feel bad about it. If this is my last pregnancy, I should enjoy it, and after four pregnancies in those other clothes I figured I have earned a few new things.
The dress in these pictures is my latest new piece from PinkBlush! I love the fitted t-shirt dress silhouette, and it's fun during pregnancy since it shows off the belly. The material of this one is perfect for more formal occasions (I wore it out on our anniversary), but I think it's easy to dress down too. Since I do a lot more online shopping these days (it really is hard to try on clothes with four kids in tow), I've been browsing PinkBlush quite a bit this pregnancy, and they have so many cute maternity clothes!
So that's my strategy thus far in Operation: Feel Cute While Pregnant. And I think it is working for me! Next up on the agenda...get a haircut. In case you haven't been around that long, my hair length in these pictures is pretty long for me, and I'm ready to have less hair. Stay tuned!
Since we found out the gender of Baby #5 on July 3rd, I knew I wanted to do a patriotic-themed gender reveal party this time around! Kind of a late 4th Of July celebration/gender reveal.
It's pretty easy to do patriotic food too - I made some swirly patriotic fudge, and a s'more dip in the colors of an American flag. Throw some American-inspired Hershey kisses and red, white and blue flowers in there, and there you go!
We served hamburgers to our guests, and asked everyone to bring a side to share - and there was plenty to eat!
We had our friends and family wear a pin with their guess. I basically just cut up some decorations from Hobby Lobby and hot glued them onto pins - red hearts for a girl, blue hearts for a boy.
Everyone expects some sort of gender reveal party games at our parties, so I came up with a couple...
Game #1 - Guess how many pieces of candy are in the jar. There were slightly more red M&M's for those who thought they would be talented candy guessers. There were 311 pieces of candy, with $5 Starbucks gift card for the winner!
Game #2 - Our Baby Name Game involved learning the names of everyone in the room, and then coming up with a baby name (opposite of each person's gender) that starts with the same letter. There may have been ulterior motives to this game, since we don't have a girl name pick out yet. I got a couple ideas from everyone's sheets! For participating, guests were entered into a drawing for another $5 Starbucks gift card (the promise of a prize just makes any little game so much more appealing).
I won't show all the pictures of our friends and family here, but we had a great party! It was fun to visit with everyone and enjoy all the wonderful food that everyone brought! And of course, our family dressed up in all our patriotic attire.
Finally, for the actual reveal we did a little contest too. I made pudding/whipped cream pies for a "pie" eating contest...
In each pie was a paper with the combination to open this box:
I put a pink glow stick on the inside! We had originally planned this party in the evening because we wanted to announce Baby's gender with a sparkler...but our county was put under a fire ban right before our party, so I resorted to a glow stick instead. It worked out pretty well! Everyone was extremely competitive and fought over the box, but in the end, my sister got to open it!
Baby #5 is a sweet baby GIRL, and we are so excited!
Also, for those of you who entered your guess on Baby's Gender...the poll ended up being almost dead even for boy vs. girl guesses! Thank you to everyone who participated, I had so much fun reading through all the guesses. And the winner of the drawing from those who guessed correctly was...my blog friend Alex, from Inspiration Clothesline! I'll shoot you an email soon Alex so I can send you your prize!
2.5/5 stars.
In this Sweetbriar Cottage, Noah and Josephine thought they got a divorce 18 months ago - only to realize that a paperwork glitch resulted in them still be married. Through the book we find out more about how their relationship started, how it ended, and glimpses into Josephine's troubled past.
I have to say, this wasn't my favorite book by Hunter. The main character's past was pretty dark, involving r.ape, and subsequent promiscuity, all that she hid from her husband while they were married. I thought Hunter handled it all in a tactful way, but it was more than I was expecting and the subsequent problems in Josephine and Noah's marriage got all psychological, more so than in her other books. Hunter also has had a tendency in all her books to focus on the physical attraction between her characters too much for me, and it seemed especially pronounced in this book - I'm assuming because of the sexual sin in the character's past, and remembrances of previous intimacy in her marriage to Noah. Like I said, it all ended up being too much.
Also, we find out a lot about Josephine and her past, but hardly anything about Noah's. He didn't seem to have as much of a backstory, and I wish he had.
My final complaint about this book is that the salvation message was really weak. Josephine asked Jesus "into her heart" as a child, but obviously turned away from Him. She has a renewal of "faith" in this book, and "the cross" is briefly mentioned, but it is never clear what she is being saved from. She is plagued by the guilt of her past sins in this book, but her sin is never called sin (neither is Noah's, as he acknowledges his lust several times) and it's never clarified that that's why Jesus died in the first place - to cleanse us of our sin when we repent and put our trust in Him. He didn't die for us so we could feel less guilty about our sin, He died so He could take our sins away from us and give us His righteousness. This wasn't communicated well at all, and that troubled me. The message seemed to be about Jesus's "unconditional love" for us, but didn't address sin and repentance really at all - and that's pretty much crucial to salvation. So I was disappointed in that.
All that said, I did shoot through this book. Like I said, she always keeps me turning the pages to find out what happens. But this book wasn't my favorite.
Note: I received a digital copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a makeup kind of girl, and I love to try new products and colors - it's one way I express my creativity I guess, through my makeup (and my clothes), and summer always seems the perfect time to switch things up. Maybe it's because the heavier foundations start to feel a little too heavy (and melt off in the heat). Maybe it's because I have this weird idea that each season deserves it's own colors (in clothes and makeup). Whatever the reason, I started off this summer with buying a few new makeup products to try...and I lucked out because all of them are working out just as I hoped they would!
(Some affiliate links below!)
I thought it would be fun to share with you my summer makeup favorites, so here are the products I'm loving (and why).
Whether it's the summer or the winter, I've learned the hard way that your skin can still be damaged under makeup that supposedly has SPF. This sunscreen is a staple of makeup routine, whatever the season. I like this one in particular because it's not as oily as normal sunscreens, so it doesn't feel like I'm greasing up my face and then slathering makeup on top of it. It really is "dry-touch".
Is it just me, or does that name make it seem like I bought this mascara at Victoria Secret? Ignore the name, because this really is a nice mascara. I put on my mascara before anything else. I usually go with my Loreal Cat Eyes mascara, but I decided to try this one and I'm glad I did! It has a super-skinny mascara brush, and a formula that doesn't go on too thick all at once, so I feel like it stretches out my lashes while still looking natural. If I have to try a new mascara, I always look for one with a skinny brush, and I've been happy with this one!
I am not one of those people that can go without some sort of foundation or concealer - I have a bit of melasma from two pregnancies ago (that's how I learned the hard way to wear a sunscreen under my makeup, even in the winter). However, I hate putting on a thick foundation in the summer - it just feels like summer is a good time to go more natural and let my skin breathe. Enter this BB cream, which is amazing. It covers surprisingly well for being so lightweight! And the bonus is that the "fair" shade actually works for me - I have very pale skin and usually have a hard time find makeup in my shade, but this one blends with my skin tone.
I always wear a powder over my concealer or foundation or BB cream, because without it I get black mascara smudges under my eyes. The oil in those products makes even my waterproof mascara smudge unless I dry it out with some powder. I just tried this stuff for the first time this year, and I love it. It not only smooths and sets my BB cream, but it does seem to act like a "corrector" too, and fades my melasma spots even more. With the BB cream and this powder, I really feel like you can't see my skin's sun damage at all.
I also always use some sort of highlighter/shimmer powder. It brightens up my makeup and draws attention to my eyes somehow - you wouldn't think a thing like a highlighter would make such a difference since it adds no color and is not very noticeable, but I'm telling you, it makes all the difference. I've tried many, but this is my current favorite.
6. Ulta Eye Shadows (Colors pictured here: Luxury, Whatevs, Roaring 20's, Frozen, Peekaboo).
In the winter I like to play with my eyeshadow colors, but in the summer I like something more subtle and natural looking. I'm not sure why I included Luxury (the purple shade) in the picture, because I've mostly been using the other shades in the summer. I usually do Whatevs or Peekaboo on my lid (the yellowish neutral shade and the pinkish shade), Roaring 20's or Peekaboo in my crease (taupe shade and pink shade), and Frozen right under my brow (the white shade).
7. Tarte Blush in Warmhearted (not pictured).
If I'm going out in the evening or just want to look a little more put-together, I'll swipe on some of this blush, which came included with a Tarte eyeshadow palette that I use in the winter. My advice with blush is to not be afraid to go with the shades that look ridiculously bright in the packaging, because they are usually very flattering when you put them on with a light hand. I like my bright colored blushes better than my more neutral shades, personally.
Are you a makeup kind of girl like me? What are your summer makeup favorites?
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