Wordless Wednesday: Boston Terrier Vintage Valentine

Found at Birdhouse Books:  Vintage Dog Valentines

Book Review - Let's Learn About the Lord's Prayer by Catherine DeVries

Synopsis
Let’s Learn about the Lord’s Prayer (David C. Cook, September 2015) 

In this first book of the HeartSmart series, preschoolers are invited on a playdate with Emma. Together they learn the Lord’s Prayer and practice “teaching” it to Emma’s favorite teddy bear. 

Introducing HeartSmart, a Scripture memory series designed to create opportunities for children to fill their heart with God’s Word. HeartSmart combines key Scriptures with songs, giving parents a spiritual formation path for building a strong foundation of faith.

The entire Lord’s Prayer is included, along with a custom song (free download with access code).

My Review
Let's Learn About the Lord's Prayer is a board book for young children.   Children will meet Emma, who is four years old, in this book, as well as her stuffed bear, Blueberry.  

As Emma goes about her day, she learns The Lord's Prayer.   In addition to memorizing the prayer, she also learns what the words mean in a real and meaningful way in her life.  For instance, she learns:

"Forgive us our debts,
as we have also forgiven
our debtors."

She discovers that this means to forgive friends in situations like a disagreement on the playground.

I love the unique way that this book incorporates scripture in a manner that is accessible for young children as they learn the meaning and application of the words in real-life situations.

This book has cute illustrations by Ryan Jackson that will appeal to preschool children.   It is sturdy and well made.  As a board book, it is great for many rereads.

As a former preschool teacher, I always think it is wonderful to find books that are a great read aloud.  Let's Learn About the Lord's Prayer adapts well for reading aloud at home, in Sunday School, or in a preschool classroom.  Emma asks readers interactive questions, like how old they are and what their favorite food is.

There is even a link provided to download a song that accompanies the prayer.  The song, along with the prayer, provides a rich learning experience for young children.

This is a lovingly crafted book, and would make a wonderful addition to a library at home, church, or religious preschool. 

Author Bio
Catherine DeVries has written twenty books for children, including the bestselling "The Adventure Bible Storybook." As associate publisher of Children’s Resources at David C Cook, she leads product development for The Action Bible collection, which has sold over a million copies. Catherine lives with her husband, their three children, and their big furry dog in the Colorado forest.

I received a copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review.

Did You Know Tuesday: Lustron Houses

There was a huge housing shortage in the United States after World War II as GIs returned home.  Lustron houses were designed to help with this housing need.  These unique homes were manufactured in a former airplane factory and made of prefabricated enameled steel.  2948 Lustron houses were constructed between 1948 and 1950.  The average sales price was $10,500. 

These homes were made in four colors:  Surf Blue, Maize Yellow, Dove Gray, and Desert Tan.  The interiors were modern, with an emphasis on efficiency and space saving.  For instance, there were built-in wall units in the bedroom and living room.   The interior walls, ceilings, and kitchen cabinets were all made of enameled steel.  Home owners had to hang pictures up with magnets!  The sound quality inside was different because they were made of metal.  The ranch homes were available in two- and three-bedroom models. 

The Lustron company went bankrupt in 1950 because of production delays and distribution problems.

There are about 2000 Lustron homes still in existence, and they are treasures.  One of my friends, who is an architect, found one in the Atlanta area.  We drove to see it and I was very taken with the house - and the story behind Lustron homes.   You can find a listing of Lustron homes on Wikipedia:  Lustron homes in the United States.

Here are some more links you may enjoy:

Great resource on Lustron preservation from the Ohio Historical Society. 

Interesting story with photos and a detailed PDF about a Lustron house in Arlington, Virginia that was disassembled and moved to the Ohio Historical  Society for display - The story of Lustron House #549.

Have you seen one of these homes?  Would you enjoy living in one?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "I Hear A Symphony" by The Blossoms with Darlene Love

I found this video by chance. "I Hear a Symphony" was a big hit for the Supremes (1965). It has always been one of my favorite of their songs.  This cover, from about the same period, has The Blossoms, with lead singer Darlene Love, performing the song.  It is from Shindig, a 1960's variety show that I have only heard of.  I looked up Shindig and found it aired 1964 - 1966, and The Blossoms were regular musical performers on the show.

The Blossoms were a girl group that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1954.  The group evolved, and there were a number of different women included over the years.  The most famous group was Fanita James, Jean King, and Darlene Love (pictured above).  They sang on their own, and also worked as back up singers (for The Ronettes, Shelley Fabares, Marvin Gaye, and more).  

Here's a short video of The Blossoms.  What do you think?   I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Author Interview - Second to Nun by Alice Loweecey

Second To Nun
(A Giulia Driscoll Mystery Book 2)
Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 270 pages
Publisher: Henery Press (September 22, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1941962930
E-Book ASIN: B010BUDQVI


Synopsis

The Other Side has hired Driscoll Investigations. The owner of Stone’s Throw Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast insists that a tarot reading told her to hire Giulia to evict the family ghost. Since the ghost is cutting gas lines and flooding cellars, Giulia and her husband Frank head to the B&B to discover the real perpetrator.

The client also has a family legend: A highwayman who stole a pile of gold. Giulia has a pile of suspects, including a psychic the client hired to conduct weekly séances. So much for romance with Frank at this getaway.

Instead, Giulia’s juggling arson, creepy clown dolls, and the psychic going all Exorcist on her. Then the ghost tries to push the client off the lighthouse and throw Giulia down three flights of stairs. It should’ve known better than to mess with an ex-nun. Giulia has connections and she’s about to use them.

Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), humorous murder mysteries, book club recommendations, private investigator mystery series. 

Books in the Giulia Driscoll Humorous Mystery Series:

• CHANGING HABITS (prequel short story)
• NUN TOO SOON (#1)
• SECOND TO NUN (#2)
• NUN BUT THE BRAVE (#3) July 2016

Birdhouse Books Interviews Alice Loweecey 

Birdhouse: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? 

Alice:  At age 9 I wrote a small poem about going back to school. The bug bit me then and never left. Fortunately, I shredded all my angsty teenage poetry. I’m so pleased my teen years were pre-Internet. 

Birdhouse: What was your favorite book as a child? 

Alice:  Let’s Pretend, by Nila Mack, illus. by Catherine Barnes. It’s a book of fairytales that were expanded and used for a 1940s radio program of the same name. The writer was skilled enough to make each one memorable and the illustrations were lush. I reread that book at least 50 times. I got lost in it.  I’ve unearthed my mother’s copy and will be rereading it again tonight. 

Birdhouse:  What is your writing day like?  Do you have any interesting writing quirks? 

Alice:  Work, home, supper, laundry, THEN writing. We have a pond next to our deck with a small waterfall and 9 koi. Writing by it is like a mini-vacation.

My biggest quirk is my fountain pen addiction. I have one for each book I’ve written, but I can quit any time. I swear. Really. 

Birdhouse:  What was the most surprising thing you learned while creating this book? 

Alice:  Treasure hunters are True Believers. The websites are filled with people who are convinced that one more map, one more trip, one more search with metal detectors with unearth a fortune. From stashes of stolen diamonds or gold coins or bars, they believe. Some have quit their jobs to search 24/7. It’s rather eerie. 

Birdhouse:  Who are your favorite authors? 

Alice:  HP Lovecraft, Tracy Groot, CS Harris, Kazuya Minekura, KA Stewart, Dickens. I am eclectic.

Birdhouse:  What are your favorite fictional (book or movie) depictions of nuns?

Alice:  Bahahahaha! Don’t have one. I don’t do nun movies. They give me flashbacks, even after all these years. 

Birdhouse:  What is your next writing project? 

Alice:  I’m finishing up the next Giulia Driscoll mystery, Nun but the Brave. Doomsday preppers and many online dating sites are involved. That was some eye-opening research.

About The Author –
Baker of brownies and tormenter of characters, Alice Loweecey recently celebrated her thirtieth year outside the convent. She grew up watching Hammer Horror and Scooby-Doo Mysteries, which might explain a whole lot. When she’s not creating trouble for Giulia Falcone-Driscoll, she can be found growing her own vegetables (in summer) and cooking with them (the rest of the year). 

Author Links:
Website: www.aliceloweecey.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alice.loweecey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliceLoweecey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4166880.Alice_Loweecey

Purchase Links:
Amazon B&N