Category: Book

Book, history, Review

Italian Ballerina ~ Book Review

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The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron gives a rare look into the Nazi occupation of Rome and the fake Syndrome K of WW2 . Based on actual historical events it leaves you wanting to go back in history to reread events you may have missed. She gives the reader a wonderful story of the beauty even in the war from the London ballet stage and the allies storming the beaches of Salerno to the one moment that forever changed a soldier and a little girls life and those that got swept into life changing moments alongside them . The book bridges the beauty in how God can use each of us in a mighty way and create family where there is none.
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As the story unfolds I couldn’t help but think of the holocaust museum in Washington DC and the moment where I stood in the hallway and countless photographs were hung of those who were missing or killed in the war. Families that stepped from this world to eternity . It made me wonder and think about how their pictures ended up there . I’m sure there is a story in all of it and this book reminded me of that . However, they did, I’m so thankful they did so that they could be remembered❤️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Book, reading, Review

Currently Reading

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Here’s what I am currently reading so be watching for reviews.. I already posted the Lady Unrivaled..so good!

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What are you reading? I gather most of my must read books from others recommendation so I would love to hear what you are loving right now. Post in comments❤️

Book, Review

The Lady Unrivaled ~ Book Review

redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

This was such a great read! It had all the feels of Downtown Abbey with mystery and faith mixed in. I loved the lineup of characters. The author did a great job layering and weaving the characters throughout the story . This is book 3 but can totally be read on its own. The other books explore some of the other characters you meet so I’m looking forward to reading those as well ❤️

Book, Review

New Release ⭐️ Teen Author

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So excited for this book ! Katelynn has done a terrific job in writing this .. oh and did I mention she is a Teen Author! So proud of her for pursuing her talent and dream❤️
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Head to her website
https://katelynnbalcom.com/
To sign up for all the info on picking up her book.

Book, Gathered thoughts, Goals, Health, homemaking

Feasting on Gods Word vs Fasting on Sugar

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The visual in the @40daysugarfast of stacking Bibles on a cake plate like a cake to remind us to feast on Gods word was something that hit home for me.
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I quickly grabbed my husbands Bible, my pretty Bible and my carry every wear Bible. Such a simple concept but wow what a huge impact it makes to see these on my kitchen counter.
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Undoing unhealthy eating habits isn’t a one -time thing . It’s a process of daily desisions one at a time .. continuing to choose health .. much like faith .. we often don’t see the results of faith but we have to keep choosing to walk in faith . Wherever you are in this walk dear friend there is a God who loves you so very much and YOU ARE NOT ALONE❤️

American Girl Doll, Book, homeschooling

American Girl Doll History~McKenna Brooks

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What better doll to start with on our new doll lineup then McKenna Brooks. She is from Seattle , Washington and dreams of being a gold medalist on the Olympic team . She loves gymnastics but really struggles with reading . As her story unfolds , she is teamed up with a tutor, Josie. As her friendship develops with Josie, we see McKenna grow in maturity and we see how they both help each other in their friendship .. so good!
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We also learned about the history of the Olympics and gymnastics.
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We added our sticker to Washington State for the geography of where Mckenna lived .
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Our craft for Mckenna was a balance beam for our dolls. This was such a fun project ! We started by wrapping the beams in colorful duct tape. Some of the students decided to leave them unwrapped so their friends could sign them. The students also had the opportunity to hammer their legs onto their balance beam.Thankfully no one hammered their fingers .


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Our Tea party was the highlight! We had Oreo cookie medallions .. Yumm! And Cheeto torches made out of icecream cones. So cute!



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And we had lots of opportunities to shop! The students earned class money from doing homework pages . I have attached them below ⬇️


American Girl Doll, Book, homeschooling

Felicity~American Girl Doll History

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Felicity

Recently ,we had the opportunity to learn about Felicity Merriman for our American Girl Doll History Class.
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It was so fun going back in time to Williamsburg, Va and taking a peek inside Colonial living and what it would have been like living in Felicitys time.
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We jumped right in and started with making our butter and our spiced almonds.

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The butter took lots and lots of shaking the heavy cream .. then letting it sit and then shaking throughout which gave us two products, A cream to use with our scones and then shaking some more produced the butter. 

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We also worked on coating the almonds in between the butter so we rotated everyone through to have a chance to make the spiced nuts. 

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While the spiced nuts cooked, we sat down to have our tea party . We enjoyed scones with raspberry compote( our version of the raspberry flummery) and the cream from our shaking. We also enjoyed Felicity’s Liberty Tea which is actually red Raspberry leaf tea without any added sweeteners. We also talked about proper tea service and table setting , something Felicity would have learned at her Tea lessons. It’s fun seeing how these simple traditions are carried through time. 
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Below are some helpful links, the recipes, printables , books and activities,I used in class⭐️

Butter in a jar:

https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/how-to-make-butter-in-a-jar/


Spiced Nuts:

https://dandridgehousedolls.com/2019/05/17/felicitys-spiced-nuts/


Felicity Lesson plan:

https://fieldsofdaisies.com/product/colonial-america-american-girl-felicity-printable-power-pack/


Books :

Movie:

We are an Amazon Affiliate and receive a percentage of your purchase when you use our links…Thank you for supporting our blog❤🧡💜

American Girl Doll, Book, homeschooling

American Girl Doll History~Kirsten

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We recently learned about Kirsten for our American Girl History class.
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@americangirlbrand Kirsten series is a wonderful story with historical roots . Her story starts as a family immigrating from Sweden and gives you glimpses of what it was like to be on board a boat headed for America.
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It was a wonderful read with some hard parts of loss and what is was like in that time era.
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Our Tea Party was pioneer themed. We had heart shaped cakes , cheese and crackers.


The heart shaped cakes were based on the Little House on the Prairie and the heart shaped cakes that Laura received in her stocking. The pioneers treasured flour and sugar and so it was a fun way to incorporate this treat into the Kirsten Tea Party.
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While the girls enjoyed their treats and tea, we shared our favorite moments from the books.
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We then played a fun bingo with vocabulary words on the bingo sheet that were from the books. This was a fun part that really helped reinforce what they had learned and it gave the girls a chance to earn class money to use in the class store.
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The girls also had the opportunity to learn to sew. They made aprons to match their dolls. This was the perfect craft for this time era since aprons were such a big part of the pioneers and their daily lives.


We then finished up by 🛍 shopping. The girls had the opportunity to use the money they had earned to buy items for their dolls ❤️
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I am attaching some of the printables and the links we used for this class below. I hope you find it helpful❤️

Heart cake recipes

Map where we put a sticker of the doll for where she lived

usa-state-lines

We purchased the history packet here .It was a wonderful tool! It had the bingo and crosswords and so much more!

Pioneer America (American Girl Kirsten) – Printable Power Pack

Amazon is a great place to pick up the books as well as the mini stickers to have to add to your map. The coloring book below has several dolls to color including Kirsten❤️We participate in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thanks for supporting us by clicking below to purchase your products❤️

Book, Review

My Dearest Dietrich ~ Book Review

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My Dearest Dietrich by @amandabarrattauthor was our book club book for this month. It gave an incredible inside view of some of those fighting WW2 in their own backyard.
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It also provided a different view point into that part of history that had me researching and trying to make sense of what happened and why. So often we hear from the ones who were persecuted but to hear from those on the other side brought light to some areas of that part of history that was good. It helped answer those questions like .. did anyone notice what was happening? We’re they all willing so easily to persecute others and how did they not fight back?
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I don’t know that I would agree with every choice that Dietrich made but I do love how he was seeking God in every situation,for his approval, his forgiveness or his help. I’m also challenged in my own thought life of how would I have handled those same situations. Would I have responded the same way? Definitely a book that gives you lots to think about❤️

American Girl Doll, Book

American Girl Doll History ~Melody

redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

This month we learned about Melody @americangirlbrand as our doll of the month
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We read through the books then came together to have a tea party and talk about what we learned about Melody.
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The books were well done and we learned about some of the civil rights movement through Melodys eyes and what her family experienced
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One of my favorite parts of the book that made me cry was when her grandfather talked about how the night before the Emancipation Proclamation was to be signed , how they stayed up all night knowing in a few hours there would be freedom. It became known as the Watch Night.
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It’s hard to understand that anyone would be treated that way but it was good for us to talk about it as a class and how we can respond
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For our tea party, the table was decorated like a block party with lemon plates and napkins just like Melody and her friends did:) There were double chocolate cupcakes just like Melody’s birthday cake.. Yum!
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One of the things Melody loved to do was to work in her grandfathers flower shop . So we made a flower shop where the girls could all make their own arrangements just like Melody did. It turned out so fun and the girls had a great time picking and choosing flowers
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Then it was time to shop! The girls had a great time shopping with and for their dolls. They earned class money from reading the the books, learning about the state Melody was from and doing some worksheets to go along with the book❤️


Below are some of the items we used for the class. We receive a small portion of your sale when you’re use our links:) Thank you for supporting our blog✨