Book Review : NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible Large Print

Posted on by Mary

Book Review

Beautiful Words

The NIV Beautiful Words Coloring Bible  -Large Print  edition is published by Zondervan and has hundreds of scriptures for you to color.  It contains Artwork by 7 different artists.

Artists Include

  • Kerri Charlton
  • Jasmine Jones
  • Micah Kandros
  • Angela Reiss
  • Jay and Kristi Smith
  • Tiffany Zajas

There is an index in the back of the Bible that lists out under each artist the page numbers that include that specie artist’s Handiwork.

The book description claims

 “this Bible’s thick white paper with lightly ruled lines in the extra-wide margins provides ample space for your own artistic expressions and journaling.”

Te outside Cover is a cloth, sewn hardcover and comse in a beautiful cardboard box.  That leaves the navy blue cloth spine exposed.

Outside of what I have already described.  It is a normal Bible with coloring pages included.  I had a lot of fun with this book review.  It took some time and I made it into an experiment seeing just what new tools I could use in it.  NOW I have a confession before any further.  I had preconceived Notions about such Bibles and when I saw this one come available I was eager to kind of rip it apart…NOT literally though.  I had the idea that they were basically a one time use Bible.  What do you do with it when you have completed all the pages?  Do people actually read the text next to it?  Because let’s be realistic when I buy a Bible I want God’s word not fancy-ness next to it.  SOOOO all of that being said we are going to go through this baby and I will give you the break down according to the basic elements.

The Beautiful Cardboard Sleeve

Now I know toy are thinking Im nuts for even including this BUT. This is HUGE.  It is a tough box and it handled traveling to and from camp being shoved in a bag multiple times AND it serves a HUGE purpose, It helps to keep the light colored fabric CLEAN!  With four kiddos and a veritable zoo in my house it would not take very long to ruin the cover of this Bible.  So even after two months the cloth cover is still clean and Beautiful!

The Cloth Hardcover

Beautiful

The cloth, sewn cover is a lovely watercolor floral pattern with as I said before a Navy Cloth spine with white Script lettering. It is gorgeous but since it is so light I was constantly worried about it getting dirty.  So that cardboard cover did a Dandy job protecting the light cover. I would recommend storing it in it for protective purposes

The Paper

This is where things take a turn downhill.  The publisher claims thicker paper and I will grant them that it is thicker than most Bible pages.  However, there is quite a pit of shadowing by it’s very own ink without Clorox or pen ever being added. so much so that the faint gray journaling lines are hard to see if they happened to be opposite a thicker lined drawing.

Beautiful;

So I ran tests on the pages using various mediums

  • Colored pencils
  • gel pens
  • water color
  • regular graphite percils
  • Micron pens
  • G2 pens in .7 and 1.0
  • a regular old ball point pen
  • Markers
  • a Highlighter
  • a flair pen

and here is what I discovered….

every single one of them including the standard graphite pencil had shadowing opposite side of the paper.

Markers, watercolor and gel pens had moderate to sever bleed through.

AND if you used pencil with medium pressure you would get indentation as far back as 6 pages.  I did not use heavy pressure as I was afraid of  tearing the paper.

The Artwork

I loved the artwork.  It is pretty much all gorgeous, though I will say that if you are marketing a large print Bible you are trying to hit an audience with vision difficulties.  And some of the pictures have SUPER tiny spaces and gray lines versus some of the more dark lined artwork.  .  Now all of that being said I have a friend who owns the original smaller version of this Bible and we compared the two.  It is considerably bigger and darker.  so that really earned extra points

beautiful         

Overall

This Bible is beautiful

and I would recommend it.  I just would change (if possible)  the paper quality and the issues with marketing it as large print .  So for that I give it 4 art palettes out of 5!!

And a GREAT BIG THANK YOU  to BookLook Bloggers for give me a copy of this book to  review with no strings attached

I’m Late-Happy Homemaker Tuesday!

Posted on by Mary

lateOh Man

Our life been Crazy. It’s seems like I am either late or behind on pretty much every things.  We have been FLYING by the seat of our pants.  Our schedules are almost non-stop in this new season of life…we will soon have 3 Tweens in our house!  There are piano lessons, drum lessons and soon to be baritone lessons.  Awana. and then all the other “normal” church stuff that comes with being. pastor’s family!

So this is late.  Are you ready LET”S GO!

Happy Homemaker

Breakfast time….what is on the plate this morning::::

I’m not really a breakfast person.  oftentimes it ends up being an egg white omelette other times it’s gazing.  Today it is a grazing kind of day

Looking around the house::::

I have some general decluttering that needs to be done.  I need to finish adding the fall decor.  I started a big project on Saturday of making everything look pretty.  I am hoping to take care of some more today!

On today’s to do list::::

  • Blogging.  Besides this post I have two more that I need to write for Write 31.
  • finish fixing and hanging decorations.
  •  Declutter 3 flat surfaces in kitchen
  • deal with the paper piles in the alcove in the living room
  • Bible Study
  • catch up on reading
  • make J a drys appointment
  • dishes
  • laundry
  • dusting

And the list could go on and on and on!!

Currently reading::::

  • Motherhood Matters
  • my Bible
  • Growing Great Kids
  • and I will be randomly working on smoother books that I have not had a chance to finish

On the TV today::::

Nothing

The weather outside is::::Crisp and cool though it will get into the 70’s today and it is very sunny
On the menu this week::::

Monday

Chicken and Biscuits

Tuesday

Pasta Bake

Wednesday

Vegetable Beef Soup

Thursday

Sandwiches and chips

Friday

Burgers and Fries

If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::

Blog my brains out…lol

New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::

Made a new beef stroganoff recipe last week that was a HUGE hit

One of my simple pleasures::::

coffee outside in the morning

Favorite photo from the camera or internet::::


Praying for::::

  • Those in Las Vegas
  • Hard Situations in the Lives of our Friends and family
  • our kiddos and their schools
  • upcoming ministry events
  • the Raising Generations Today Conference

Bible Verse, Devotional that is resonating with me at the moment::::

I will be sharing my thoughts today on Confidence and what that looks like according to my verse for the year which is Jeremiah  17:7-8 which says

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

New International Version (NIV)
For More Happy Homemaker Monday posts check out Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Write 31-Day 1 – Why Confidence?

Posted on by Mary

ConfidenceI know I know, it’s day 2 and I am already behind.  That’s because I have been wrestling with….you guessed it a lack of confidence.  It has been something that I have wrestled with since I was very young.  And I must confess right here and right now that some of this has to do with my personality and then some of that REALLY has to do with circumstances that have happened as well.

And that leads me to tonight’s topic, WHY CONFIDENCE?

Well last year at this time I was beginning to really contemplate my word for the following year.  But life was about to get CRAZY!  We went from a household of 6 to a household of ten.  The circumstances of that change is not something to be discussed on the internet, but it was something both hubby and I felt very strongly that hubby and I were called to do.  And to this day we will stand by that decision and we are glad we did!  But in all of this I came to become glaringly aware that I doubted almost all that I did.  But as I prayed about this new found fear that gripped my life I began to pray….HARD! And you know what I realized?  It has ALWAYS been there.

Fear of doing the wrong things ruled my life.

Fear of making people angry.

Fear of disappointing people.

Fear of failure.

Fear of Failure to make the wrong choice.

Fear of ruining someone else’s life.

FEAR ran my life.

Fear is the antithesis of confidence.  Fear gives control to someone else. HMMMM.

I cannot pin down the moment that confidence became my word in January of this year but I knew it two or three weeks into January when the lightbulb finally went on.  Then came the study, searching out the verse that would become my verse for the year and I landed in the book of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV

7.  “But blessed is the one who trusts the Lord,

whose confidence is in Him

8.  They will be like a tree  planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.

WOW WOW WOW

Did you catch all that verse  said?  Well Have no fear, WE ARE GOING TO BREAK IT DOWN!

Because this is so important for ALL of us to understand.

So That is why confidence.  I needed confidence .   But not just confidence in myself either.  I have NOTHING to offer.  Despite all my friends thinking I am the strongest person they know, That is a direct quote people .  I stand back and I look at myself in the mirror and I see this weak, broken person who doubts every  little thing.  I needed a bigger answer.  I needed God-fidence .  It did me absolutely no earthly good to have confidence in me.  I had nothing to offer outside of what Christ has done in me.  I was fearful.

Now the thing is I am still fearful.  I am 9 months into this journey.  I have not arrived and I have to give that fearfulness over to God, and realize He is far bigger than me.

So even though I lack confidence when …

I am fearful, He is  all-knowing and all-powerful

I am weak, He is strong.

I fail, he ALWAYS succeeds.

I am not enough for whoever, He is always enough for everyone AT ALL TIMES!

I am imperfect, He is perfect.

And there is so much more.

I know this word places a high value on self-confidence.  Even the church does.  Because only the self-confident will stand up for themselves.  But I am here to tell you that standing up for yourself, tearing another person down to get your point across and voicing your pet peeves is NOT a biblical principle.( NOTE:: There  is a difference between  fighting for your  ” self imposed rights” versus  your physical safety.  If you find yourself in danger LEAVE!!). Fight for what God says is right not what you think should be right!  That is called entitlement.

Time and again we are told not to fight for ourselves but that God will fight for us.

Bible Knowledge .Com lists out 29 verses that Talks all about relying on God  to fight for us!

May I encourage you to look at the verses tonight and tomorrow.  Then tomorrow we will delve into my verse for the year and we will be discussing what God-fidence REALLY looks like.

And then hopefully later tomorrow I will get caught up with Day 3 and we will look at the differences between self confidence and God-fidence.

Have a GREAT NIGHT

Blessings

Mary

Write 31 Days-God-fidence- Writing Through My Word for the Year

Posted on by Mary

Hi All

I am Mary and I am new to this place, though I have been following this group for a couple of years , this year is my first  year!  I have jumped in with both feet and I will be writing along with all of the others within this group

So a little about myself.

I have been married to my pastor hubby for nearly 15 years!  I can’t believe it has been that long.  We have 4 kiddos, ages 12, 11,alomost 10 and 7 1/2. There are 3 boys and a girl.   One of our children has Autism Spectrum disorder in the mid-functioning range and another child has a learning disability known as  Central Auditory Processing Disorder.  We also have 3 cats and a dog.  Hubby has been pastoring at tour church for nearly 9 years.

I have been blogging for about 10 years now  and my goal is to reach my 1000th blog post by the end of this year..and I am so close I can taste it!I love being a pastor’s wife. I felt the call to be in full time ministry at the age of 16 or 17.  At the time I thought it was to be a missionary but over time God redirected my path and I met my hubby.  Today not only do I serve within my local church but also in our community through the local crisis pregnancy center as a mentor and also on the planning team for the Raising Generations Today Conference .

What I do for fun:

Write- I love to write!  it is one of a few creative outlets.

Paint-  I have been learning how to paint- watercolor

Paper crafts  qulling, scrapbooking, card-making

home decor-  I love my Cricut and I will beginning  a fun project creating a Christmas villageincorporating some paper antiquing and some paper houses.

Dance parties in the kitchen with my kiddos

Reading

Write 31 Topic- what I will be writing about-

When I was praying about this upcoming month of writing about a specific topic I meandered through many topics and finally landed on something I have been studying all year!  It’s my word for the year : CONFIDENCE.  Though I know that is not what the title says, but I am stealing a term that is coned by Renee Swope  called God-fidence.  I wanted to build my confidence in God, rather than myself.  and I’m not gonna lie, its been a testing year in that area.  I have grown a lot but when I write about it, it’s not about being an expert because quite frankly I am still very much learning!

A Few of the Topics

  • Confidence- what is it?  God-fidence? And what is the difference between the two?
  • Confidence put in it’s place
  • Confidence Broken to Bits
  •  when you have lost your confidence….and there is NONE to be found, what to do and how to do it!
  • What it feels like to be confident-less
  • what does God say on the subject
  • Even if ….I still will (Yes that has to do with Confidence)

And that is just to name a few.

I want this to be an opportunity to grow together.  So won’t you join me as we journey to gain a new understanding of what it REALLY means to have full confidence in God!

Happy Homemaker Monday 9/252017

Posted on by Mary

6-12-2017

Happy Monday to all my wonderful friends I wanted to say sorry I haven’t been around in quite a while I was reluctantly forced into a blogging break as we have been running into a crazy schedule and then (GASP) my computer kicked the bucket…for good! so I had to wait for my new one!  so she is here and it has been so much fun getting aquatinted with her!   you will get to catch a glimpse of her further down!  Well I hope you have a wonderfully splendid week…I hear it is actually supposed to turn fall like by the end of this week!

So on with the Happy Homemaking

The weather:::  HOT! As in the 90’s  The hottest it has been all summer long (AND it is a few days into fall)

On my reading pile::: My Bible One thousand Gifts And a bunch of others

Movies or Shows I watched this weekend::: Fixer Upper

On my TV::: A Movie on PureFlix

On the menu for this week:::

Monday Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake
Tuesday- Beef Stroganoff
Wednesday-Chicken and Dumplings
Thursday-Grilled Cheese and soup
Friday -Beef Stew
Saturday- sandwiches before the hayride, hotdogs after
Sunday-Meatball Subs

On The To-Do List::  What’s not on the to-do list.  Life has been so incredibly busy that I just kinda feel like everything needs looked after right now!!

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::  I am working on decorations for The Raising Generations Today Conference next month….watch for a sneak peek in the next couple of days…EEK I am so EXCITED!!!

Happening this week:::CRAZINESS…church haired. Bible studies at least three and RGT planning meeting and the list goes o and on

Looking around the house::: I’d rather look outside to be honest

From the camera:::Happy

The new laptop and her lovely accessories

What I’m wearing today:::well I have had two outfits on today  Both of which included my walk for Life T-shirt and I had khakis on for little beans appointment and then I changed into blu capris when I got home

One of my simple pleasures:::  sitting outside.  I don’t care what I’m doing but I love to sit outside and enjoy Creation

Bible verse, Devotional:::   This week I will be meditating on my verse for the year

Jeremiah 17:7-8New International Version (NIV)

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

For More Happy Homemaker Posts Check out Diary of a Stay At Home Mom