Just4Girls

Two New Give Aways

2012-02-09T08:36:00.001-08:00

The first package has Confessions of a Non-Barbie: A Real Girl's Guide to Finding Beauty and Pursuing Happily Ever After by Kinda Wilson, Rock n' Happy Heart The Devotional by Yancy and the Barlow Girls CD. To win this, simple send a picture of yourself reading The One Year Devotions for Girls Starring Women of the Bible in your most unusual reading place. I'll post them (without giving out your info) and the others readers will vote on the best picture. Send photo to kathycassel(at)knology.net. The second pack of books has Taken: The Quest for Truth a fantasy/sci fi fiction book by Brock Eastman, Annie Henry and the Secret Mission (Adventures in the American Revolution series) by Susan Olasky and The Rhyme and Reason series: Matthew by Cathrine Zoller. To win these, answer this trivia question: What three Bible men were chosen from birth to be Nazarites? (a Nazarite was a person set apart for God who followed special rules like not cutting their hair, drinking wine or touching anything dead) Leave your answer as a comment.

Are You Reading the OYD book?

2012-01-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

Are you reading through The One Year Devotions for Girls Starring Women of the Bible? If so, which Bible woman so far is your favorite? Which are you most like? What have you learned from each? Please leave me a comment. And if you e-mail me a picture of you with the book, I'll post it here to (but without any info about who you are!) kathycassel(at)knology.netEve helps us remember that God has given us the personality and talents for the job he's called us to do.
Mrs. Noah reminds us that sometimes we have to live differently than those around us.
We are just starting to read about Sarah.

Devos in Orlando

2012-01-17T16:41:00.001-08:00

On Saturday and Sunday we were in Orlando at Disney World. We started at Magic Kingdom. It was somewhat cold and windy at the time, so the girls were trying to warm up with Tigger when we were supposed to be getting our photo taken.
We saw Stitch.
And hung out.

We saw Buzz and Woody, and Sully and Mike.
And we even took our devo books to Orlando. We finished Eve and started Mrs. Noah.
We always discuss how we can apply the devos to our own lives, but the girls were a little wound up! It was about midnight. Anyone else get totally silly at midnight?
Devos are not usually so hilarious! But at least we had devos on the road Friday night, in Orlando Saturday and Sunday nights and before we left for home Monday morning.

Devos

2012-01-11T04:52:00.001-08:00

Jasmine, Jessica and I are reading through this book together this year. The one day we can't do it together is Wednesday, because Jessica leaves for college at 8:30, picks Jasmine up for dance straight from college (jazz and tap), takes the twins home from dance (tumbling but it's at the dance academy) and makes supper. Then she's left for her night class (used to be church orchestra but she has to take a class Wed nights now to graduate her two year program in May) by the time Jasmine and I get home. By time she gets home, Jasmine is in bed. We try to read it together daily as soon as both girls are home from school and that time varies from 3:30 to 4:30. On the weekend we do it whenever we can. We are even taking it on our Disney trip this weekend!

So far we are reading about Eve. I wrote about Eve on this blog several months ago. It's in the archives under Bible women. The thing about Eve is that we forget she's more than just the woman who ate the fruit, she was God's unique creation. She was the first woman to walk the earth. She came into the world as an adult and had her own personality, talents and abilities. The thing for us to remember is that God gave each of us the personality and abilities that we need to accomplish the things he has for us to do.

Anyone else reading the book too?

Bible Trivia Quiz

2011-12-30T05:53:00.001-08:00

First person to correctly answer all the questions below wins these books:

UPDATE:WE HAVE A WINNER

You may pass them on to someone who would enjoy them, but please do NOT sell them on e bay or anywhere else as they were generously given away at the book convention in July.

U.S. mailing addresses only.

Here are the questions. They are all from Genesis.

1. What child did Eve say was given to her to replace Abel after his death?

2. What instruments did Jubal play?

3. Lot's wife looked back at the city they'd left and was turned into what?

4.What did Rachel steal from her father when she left his home?

5.What animal did Pharaoh see in his dream?

Leave you answers in the comment section for this post only.

Sisters!

2011-12-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

Look at this awesome group of sisters who will be reading the devo book together this year. What a blessing to have so many sisters! It's almost like a built in small Bible study group. I'm praying God does amazing things in their lives this year.

Fall Challenge

2011-12-15T05:04:00.001-08:00

Christmas vacation starts Tuesday at noon. Jasmine and I plan to finish the Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible during vacation. Kayla hasn't done anymore on the Just for Me book so we'll have to see if she wants to continue it or wait until she's older.

I hope that all the girls doing it are learning or have learned something new about the Bible. Let me know if you haven't gotten a copy of the One Year Devotions for Girls Starring Women of the Bible.

Joy

2011-12-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

This is Joy with her new book. Joy is doing the fall challenge and is in the section about the Psalms.

Mail Call

2011-12-06T07:45:00.001-08:00

All the books were sent out yesterday media mail. Let me know when you get yours if you're expecting one.

We are far behind on the fall challenge, but we'll get there. Jasmine is in the chapter on the prophets now. Homework has been intense this year! And there's dance, church choir and band too. Soccer is over for the year. Jasmine has decided to take drum lessons in place of spring soccer. She's learning at band but will probably learn faster with one on one instruction.

I know that one girl has finished The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible. How is everyone else doing?

Girls' Devotion Book for 2012

2011-11-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

All the books have been claimed, and I will be sending them out Monday.

I had originally made this book available to those doing the Fall Challenge, and each of those girls will automatically get a copy.

But I have six other copies that I will send to girls 10-14 (more or less, older adoptive children may also benefit and younger readers with strong comprehension skills as well) who will write a review of the book and post it on amazon.com, christianbooks.com, their blog, facebook or wherever (unless of course you hate the book, then don't write a review!) But more importantly than getting the word out through reviews, I'm excited about the content. It was a fun book to write, and I learned a lot about Bible women researching it. There are some amazing women in the Bible who dealt with jealousy, sibling rivalry, unfulfilled dreams, abuse, peer pressure and more. There were godly women, heroines and villains. There are well known women like Rachel and Ruth and lesser known ones like Caleb's daughter. And we can learn something from all of them.

Leave me a comment if you are a fall challenge participant and want a copy or you are a 10-14 year old girl who'd like to read through the book next year. It has 366 devotions--one for each day of the year and an extra for Leap Year.

Learning About the Bible

2011-11-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

The past two Sunday evenings I got to talk to children about the Bible.
With the younger group, we call it Adventuring through the Bible and wear our adventure hats. We start by talking about four things that make the Bible special.

The phone stands for: God told men what to write.

We talk about how God used ordinary men to write the Bible--fishermen, a tax collector, a cup bearer, prophets, shepherds, kings, a doctor and prophets (s0me of those were shepherds too).

Then we load the animals on the ark.

And we marched around the walls of Jericho.

Did two crafts

This is the older group. We do some of the same things, but we don't do Noah or Joshua.

The older kids had to move the frogs out of Egypt using a spoon held in their mouths.

It's not as easy as it looks!

And they had a race to see who could put the books of the Bible together first.
They also learned the twelve C's of the Bible-they take you from Genesis to Revelation. And we did a couple of crafts.

My best helper!

If you are a girl age 5-13 and you want to learn more about the Bible, join our fall challenge. Just go back and read the past few posts to find out what we're doing.

Today

2011-11-05T18:57:00.001-07:00

Kayla started chapter two in Just for Me: The Bible and Jasmine started the books of poetry in the Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible.

This is the craft from the first chapter of Just for Me: The Bible.

If you're just joining us, go back the THIS post and read forward to catch up. I still have some books for give away so contact me if you might be eligible for one of the books. And keep sending pictures! : )

We're Behind!

2011-10-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

We are still finishing up Heroes in History. Jasmine did the friendship pins. We haven't gotten any farther on Just for Me with Kayla but hope to get her going here soon. So if you're behind or just starting, no worries. Go at your own pace. We are trying for about 10 pages a week. I still have lots of books to give away for different things so scroll back through the posts and see if you're eligible for any of them because the pile keeps getting knocked over on my desk!!!

I had a bunch of beads for this craft when I did it at a bookstore, and they all got dumped together. Jasmine helped me sort them out and put them in Ziploc bags.

Craft Pictures

2011-10-22T17:38:00.001-07:00

Here are two girls doing the Tie dyed shirts a little different way. Looks like a lot of fun. And notice they did theirs outside! We did ours inside and turned the kitchen blue and orange! (You can see ours in the September 19 post) Anyone else do one of the projects? Remember, send a picture and chose a book from the Sept 30 post.

Books of History

2011-10-11T18:33:00.001-07:00

This week the girls reading The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible should be in the chapter called "Heroes in History." By the end of the week we should be at about page 78. If you're behind, no problem. Take your time learning about some of the Bible's unlikely heroes.

I think my favorite judge is Shamgar. He killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad, a common farm instrument. Sometimes when it seems I have no true abilities or talents, I think about Shamgar and the fact that he used what was at hand to do God's work. Certainly we can all do that! What can you use for God?

The Just for Me girls should also be reading about Old Testament Heroes. Kayla has just started so we are behind the others.

Remember to leave your comments and send your craft pictures. Once I've heard from you four times, I'll send you your copy of One Year Devotions for Girls Starring Women of the Bible.

This Week

2011-10-09T18:58:00.001-07:00

Kayla joined the Fall Challenge. Jasmine read the first few pages of Just for Me: The Bible with her.

We are lagging a bit behind and have just started the books of history but hope to do some catching up this week. I need to make time to read with Jasmine ten minutes a night out of the Bible book. That doesn't sound like much at all, but some days she goes activity to activity and then finishes her homework after 9:00. That may not sound that late, but when you consider she has to be up at 5:15, it's late.

I still have lots of books to give away. So keep sending pictures, leaving comments and letting me know how you're doing. And it's not too late to start. You will just end later, like Kayla, and that's fine.

Next Give Away

2011-09-30T16:37:00.001-07:00

I have books to give away. I have two copies of Taken by Brock Eastman published by Focis on the Family, three copies of Annie Henry and the Secret Mission by Susan Olasky, and two copies of Meghan Rose on Stage by Lori Scott, published by Standard Publishing. I'm telling you the titles and authors so you can look the books up and know what they are. Each girl who send a picture of herself with one of the crafts or projects from one of the Bible books can choose a book. And since I know it's really the moms who have to take and send the pictures, I have four copies of Courageous Living: Dare to Take a Stand by Michael Catt for the moms.

So if you're doing one of the projects this week, snap a photo and e-mail it to me at kathycassel(at)knology.net.

Moses' Messages

2011-09-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

This next week we should be finishing up Chapter Two, Moses' Messages in CGG to the Bible. But if you started late or are behind, don't worry about it. Just try for about ten pages a week.

Those reading the Just for Me pages should have read about penguins this week. You probably also saw that the illustration for the door hanger in no way resembles the craft! The craft is a door handle hanger not one that covers the whole door. I don't do the illustrations, only the written part. This week you should be making travel snack!

If you do the crafts or activities, send a picture for all of us to see. You've seen how our shirts turned out and how Joy's turned out. I think next time we will not rinse the shirts, but will leave them all night on grocery bags and see if the color sets more. Then wash them the next day.

What is the most interesting thing you've learned so far from or about the Bible?

Reader Pictures

2011-09-20T17:01:00.001-07:00

This is Joy, our oldest participant--13 and 8th grade (so if you think you're too old, you're not!) She's holding the Legend of Faith booklet she got for doing to CGG to the Bible quiz and posting her results.

This is her tie dye shirt.

This Week's Craft

2011-09-19T17:25:00.001-07:00

The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible has tie dyed shirts as a craft in our reading this week. Everyone got in on it at our house although I don't know if everyone is in the pictures. We started by accordian folding and rubber banding our shirts.

The first day we had pink, blue and purple to choose from. We added orange the second day for round two, but orange proved to be very messy and nasty looking when blending with blue. The first day we did two colored shirts and the second day we got creative and did three colored shirts.

Rinsing the shirts. You don't even have to use new shirts. This is a good thing to do with white shirts that are stained. Who will know the difference by time you dye them?

Before being washed and dried. I was just going to dry them, but decided to wash them first to get extra dye out. The color faded though so maybe I should have dried them all the way first and then washed them??

Jasmine's first shirt.

Here are the shirts from the first day. I don't have pictures of the finished shirts from day 2.

This Week

2011-09-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

CGG to the Bible let's try to read pgs 37- mid 47 this week. J4M: The Bible pgs 23 up to the Sarah & Katie story on pg 30. If you get behind, don't worry. Just do what you can. The point is to have mother-daughter time and to learn more about the Bible.

I want to send one of these books to every girl doing the fall challenge. Here's how it will work. Once a girl interacts 4 times on this blog-starting today-I will send a copy of the book. I want to make sure the girls are really with us : ) They can leave a comment about something they read this week, send a photo with their book or a craft (kathycassel@knology.net), or anything like that to count. It doesn't have to be deeply profound. Just share and interact with the other girls doing the fall challenge.

CGG to the Bible has a craft this week. It's a tie dye shirt. We did this yesterday and today. Yep, it's messy. I'll be bleaching my counters later. I let all the kids do it, not just Jasmine. They all made two shirts. Some of the little ones dyed men's T-shirts to be sleep shirts. I even made one. I'll be posting pictures soon.

I have a couple of Legends of Faith booklets left. I had more than I thought to start with. If you didn't get one, just go back a couple of posts and leave your comment.

Don't Forget

2011-09-10T15:10:00.001-07:00

to leave your comment on the last post and get your Legends of Faith booklet. There are three left.
I think we have agreed to start doing ten pages a week starting next week with chapter two. Let's try to read pages 25-36 of The CGG to the Bible or 13-the top of 23 of JFM: The Bible. That way no one will get behind or discouraged. We want everyone to have fun with this. If you do a craft, send a picture so we can all see it.

Off and Running

2011-09-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

This was a busy weekend. We traveled to get my oldest son from college. We planned to go snorkeling. But the weather had other plans for us. There was a tropical depression that dumped tons of rain on us. The waves were wicked! So we stayed in the hotel and watched The Trial and Soul Surfer.

We took these first two pictures on the way home from returning Tyler to college. The rain had stopped for a while, but the water was still very choppy.

It was almost bedtime when we got home, but we took time to read the introduction to The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible together.

And Jasmine took the quiz. She got 10 out of 14 right, so she is a Bible pro. But even if she'd missed them all, it would have been okay because all of it is covered in the book.

Did you start reading yet? How did you do on the quiz? If you are reading Just for Me: The Bible, what did you think of the Katie and Sarah story? You'll read about them all the way through the book.

The first five readers to post comments will get a Legends of Faith booklet. But if more than that leave a comment, we'll find something for everyone!

Six

2011-09-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

girls are doing the fall challenge so far. There's room for you to join us. There will be lots of give aways along the way PLUS lwe'll be learning more about the Bible together.

We'll be starting chapter one next week. It starts off with a quiz to test your Bible knowledge and has an overview of the Bible in The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible. There's a Bible bag craft at the end of the chapter.

Just for Me: The Bible also starts out with an overview of the Bible. It has a Bible bookmark craft in the first chapter.

Slide on in

2011-08-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

to the fall challenge! Read the past two posts for information.

Fall Challenge Participants

2011-08-17T13:19:00.001-07:00

Joy, 13, 8th grade

Gracie, age 5, kindergarten

Gerdy, 11, 5th grade.

Jordan, 10

Maddie, 8

Sarah, age 11, 6th grade

Jasmine, age 10, 5th grade

Give Away for Moms

2011-08-13T09:40:00.001-07:00

This give away is for moms who are committing to the fall challenge with their daughters ages 5 or 6 to 12 or 13 (depending on reading and interest level). There is more information in the last few posts about what we'll be doing.

Send a picture of your daughter(s) with the book(s) she will be reading for the fall challenge. Either Just for Me: The Bible or The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible. I'll be posting the photos with only a first name and age.

After you send the photo, choose the book you want from below. The top right in the bottom picture is a DVD not book. Let me know in the comment section on this post what book you want. That way others will know what's already been chosen. Check the other comments before choosing your book to make sure someone hasn't already asked for it. U.S. address only please.

Send photos and mailing address for the book to kathycassel(at)knology.net

This give away will be open until Sept 5th when we being reading the Bible books.

Update: "Learning" and "A Love That Multiplies" are gone.

Fall Challenge

2011-08-08T10:33:00.001-07:00

The fall challenge starts in September. We will be reading through these books. If you are 9 and up, you'll need a copy of the top book. Eight-year-olds who are strong readers may want to do this one too. Younger children will do the bottom book.

There will be rewards and incentives along the way. Even some for the moms! In fact, I'm going to be doing a blog soon where moms can win a book by sending a picture of you with the book you are going to read for the fall challenge. Stay tuned.

Bible Women: Hagar

2011-08-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

Do you remember a while back we were talking about Sarah? She was jealous of Hagar because Hagar could have children and she couldn't. Most of us know what it feels like to be jealous--but what about when you're the one who has what someone else wants? That's kind of the flip side of jealousy. And that's the position Hagar was in.

Hagar's story is intertwined with Sarah's. You already read how God promised that Abraham and Sarah would start a great nation, but years passed, and they still had no children. Sarah came up with her own plan. She told Abraham to have a child with her maid, Hagar. So Abraham did what Sarah asked, and Hagar became pregnant.

Sarah had wanted to have a child for years, but it was Hagar who was pregnant. Since Hagar was pregnant with what was assumed to be the promised child, she began to act like she was more important than Sarah. That was too much for Sarah.

Sarah was strong in faith, but she was human. She had the same emotions you have when you see someone else getting what you want, especially if they flaunt it in your face. Sarah was jealous, she was angry, and she took it out on Hagar. She even blamed Abraham for the predicament, even though it was her own idea for Hagar to have a son for Abraham.

Hagar teased Sarah. Sarah became jealous and angry. No one was winning. Abraham told Sarah to handle it however she wanted, and Sarah mistreated Hagar. That is all the Bible tells us about what happened between Sarah and Hagar, but whatever happened was bad enough that Hagar fled to the desert to escape Sarah.

Jealousy and teasing rarely lead to good relationships as the problems between Hagar and Sarah show.

Sarah desperately wanted to have a baby. Hagar became pregnant with the child Sarah wanted. Hagar flaunted her pregnancy, and Sarah reacted with anger and jealousy.

You may have been in that situation. Not with a baby but with other things. You want to be best friends with someone, but another girl comes along and becomes the best friend. You want a particular pair of shoes. Your mom says they are too expensive. You see another girl wearing a brand new pair of those shoes the next day at school.

Can you think of a time when someone got what you wanted? How did you feel?

Has there been a time when you had something (a possession, a talent, an award) someone else wanted? How did that make you feel?

No matter whether you are the one who wants what another has or are the one who has what someone else wants, it's important to act graciously and kindly. Jealousy and pride both lead to hurt. Give it a try this week!

If you haven't signed up for the fall challenge yet, go back a post and do that.

Fall Challenge

2011-07-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

Want to know more about the Bible? Want to do craft, puzzles and activities that help you learn about the Bible? Join us this fall in reading through one of these books a chapter a week starting after Labor Day.

And if you are home school, maybe you can include this as part of your school work.

There will be prizes and give aways along the way.

Details coming soon, but if you'd be interested, leave a comment below.

Book Give Away

2011-07-15T08:34:00.001-07:00

I have two copies of this book. One is signed by the author and one isn't. Since I got them free, I am giving them away free. I am going to give them to the two blog readers who have the newest siblings aged 0-4. So if you have a new sibling who very recently joined your family by birth or adoption and is 4 or under, leave a comment with the child's first name, age and when he or she arrived.

It's Been a while

2011-07-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

since I posted about Bible women. I'll get back to that soon. I'm also going to be doing a fall challenge on here and will tell you more about it soon too. If you did the summer challenge a couple of summers ago, it's going to be similar.

This week I was at ICRS. ICRS is International Christian Retail Show. That's where publishers and companies bring their merchadise and showcase it. Book store owners come and see what's available and place orders. A lot of authors are there, and they sign books and give them away! I have a few extra books and I'm going to be giving them away as part of the fall challenge. Stay tuned for details!

Here are a few pictures from ICRS

It started with music by the Duggar family
Nicole C. Mullins sang too

We were right by Centennnial Olympic Park. This the Olympic Ring fountain

This is it in the morning.

We walked about a mile to the World Congress Center where the convention was held.

This twins are pointing to my book cover for the book which will be available October 1.

This is us with Christian suspense author Brandilyn Collins.

The Duggar family sang and played again.

Us with Karen Kingsbury.

Tyler with Wayne Batson. He writes fantasy.

Me with my author friend Eva Marie Everson.

With Nancy Rue. You might have read her Lily series or Sophie's World series.

These are the guys who wrote Facing the Giants, Fireproof and Courageous which comes out in theaters Sept 30. Get your dad to go see it! It's a message to dads.

These are some of the guys in the movie.

In the fountain.

Summer Ministry

2011-06-27T05:43:00.001-07:00

Two of my girls are at Teen Missions for the next six weeks.

They train at Merritt Island, FL until July 9. On the 10th they leave for AZ. This is not church camp, it's a tough, no frills camp. Long pants and work boots are worn at all times. Kids sleep in tents and wash their clothes and themselves using buckets. It's not for the faint of heart (or the spoiled)

Jessica has done this a couple of times before but Jasmine has only done Mustard Seeds--which is ages 4, 5, and 6. It's only four days long and a parent attends too. So this is going to be a challenging summer for Jasmine.

She wasn't so sure about it when I left her yesterday, but the rest of the team will be arriving on Tues & Wed and she'll soon be making new friends. They had to go early because Jessica is a leader.

So what are you doing this summer? VBS? Church camp? Hanging out at home?

Banana Boats

2011-06-17T12:55:00.001-07:00

We just made banana boats! They are super easy. If you have The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible, instructions are on page 182.

Got Fear?

2011-05-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

Most of us fear something.

Remember when I was talking about Sarah's desire for a child? I think if Sarah had to name her fear, it would have been the fear of never having a child.

For me it's heights. Not all heights. Just heights that make me feel like I could fall. I look down and feel dizzy. I haven't always felt like this. This first time I noticed it was when I was about 20, and I saw a small child at the top of the biggest slide I've ever seen. Mom was nowhere around and I was sure this child was going to fall at any minute. He couldn't make it over the top to come down the slide, and he couldn't back down. He was stuck. I sprint to the slide and climbed to the top.

Then I had to figure out how to get over the top with the child and safely down the slide. It was tricky, but I managed. Then I looked down. Whoa. And that's when I knew I had a problem with heights.

And you know what? Instead of pretending I don't feel that way, I give myself permission to feel that way. It doesn't prevent me from going about my daily life and doing the things I want to do.

It's okay to have fear, but not if it keeps you from doing what you need to. Like if you're afraid of dogs and you have to walk by a big, ugly barking dog on the way to school everyday, that might make you want to stay home. Or if you fear tests, that might make you do poorly at school. Then it's time to talk with someone about it.

Why I am bringing this up? Because last week I offered my children the chance to parasail. One of them had done it before, so she knew she liked it. The others weren't sure. They'd never been that high, so they didn't know how they'd feel about it.

were too young, one didn't really want to try it (not heights, just not interested) and three decided to do it. Jasmine is only ten, so I had all three go together.

Jasmine panicked as they started to go up, so the other two decided that the three of them would sing all the songs from Tangled. Jasmine loves to sing and she watches Tangled at least three times a week, so singing those songs was a good plan to take her mind off of her fear.

Me? I stayed on the ground of course!

Adventure Book

2011-05-14T06:16:00.001-07:00

I've started a blog for my fiction book:The Emerald Coast Youth Group:Kidnapped in Haiti
If you are 9-14 or so, or reading level 4th-7th grade please visit the blog and read the first chapter. HERE

I'm also going to be putting the names of those leaving comments into a drawing for one copy of God's Girl: Becoming the Woman You're Meant to Be by Hayley Dimarcoand one copy of God's Guy: Becoming the man you're meant to be by Michael DiMarco

Weekend Highlights

2011-05-09T04:49:00.001-07:00

I treated my kids to a weekend out over Mother's Day. On Saturday Adam, Jasmine, Kaleb, Kayla and I went to Gulf Breeze Zoo and a beach. The other kids had to work. On Sunday the others--except Tyler who had to work--joined us. We went on a three hours snorkeling/dolphin watch excursion.

Destin Commons

On the zoo train.

Adam seeing which animal he can jump as far as.

At the beach

Snorkeling. Of the three little ones, Kaleb was the bravest snorkeler.

Jessica and me

Doesn't this look like a painting?

Jasmine wanted to try this, but she wasn't sure about it.

Jessica wanted to dip in the water, and where one goes they all go. : )

What did you do over the weekend?

Bible Women: Sarah part 3

2011-05-03T17:31:00.001-07:00

Sarah, like other women in the Bible times, wanted children. They were a sign of God's blessing. When a woman didn't have a baby, other people wondered if she had done something wrong and was being punished. We don't think of it that way now, but that's how it was then.

So what Sarah wanted most of all was a child. And God promised her one. Genesis 15:5 says

Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Sarah must have wondered about God's promise since she and Abraham didn't have any children at all. But God kept his promise--although Sarah had to wait many years--and Isaac was born. He was the promised child. God fulfilled his promises through Isaac.

Sarah was a mother at last! And she was happy. Now the other women would realize that God had blessed her too.

On Sunday we celebrate Mother's Day. This may be a sad day for women who want children but don't yet have any, but a happy day for those who are blessed with children. Families add children through birth, adoption and foster care. I have two children by birth, three adopted from Haiti, one adopted through a private adoption in the United States, one adopted through foster care and a step child.

Even though children join families in different ways, each is equally valuable, and God has an amazing plan for every child because each one is created in his image.

This is a picture of my family. Leave a comment and tell about your family.

Book Cover

2011-04-26T04:53:00.001-07:00

Some of what I've been sharing about women of the Bible comes from my devo book which will be released next October. This is the cover for that book. What do you think?

Picture Books

2011-04-18T11:44:00.001-07:00

I've been making a list of 100 pictures books every child should read on my family blog. I'm up to 89 books. What books do you think everyone should read that aren't on this list? 1. Blueberries for Sal, McCloskey

2. Make Way for Ducklings, McCloskey

3. The Little Engine that Could, Piper

4. Goodnight Moon, Brown

5. The Runaway Bunny, Brown

6. Paddington Bear, Bear

7. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Burton

8. Madeline, Bemelman

9. Corduroy, Freeman

10. Millions of Cats, Gag

11. Caps for Sale, Slobodkina

12. Harold and the Purple Crayon, Johnson

13. The Snowy Day, Keats

14. Green Eggs and Ham, Seuss

15. The Cat in the Hat, Seuss

16. Horton Hears a Who, Seuss

17. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Martin

18. Very Hungry Caterpillar, Carle

19. Ten, Nine, Eight, Bang

20. The Polar Express, Van Allsbury

21. Where Wild Things Are, Sendack

22. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Viorst

23. Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom, Archambault

24. Amazing Grace, Hoffman

25. Are You My Mother, Eastman

26. Clifford the Big, Red Dog, Bridwell

27. Don't Forget the Bacon, Hutchins

28. The Doorbell Rang, Hutchins

29. Better Not Get Wet Jesse Bear, Carlstrom

30. Gid the Kid Miller, Brothers

31. Just Grandpa and Me (Little Critter), Mayer

32. I'm So Mad (Little Critter), Mayer

33. Berenstain Bear and the New Baby, Berenstain

34. Berenstain Bear Get the Gimmies, Berenstain

35. Berenstain Forget Their Manners, Berenstain

36 The Berenstain Bears:The Spooky Old Tree, Berenstain

37. Winnie the Pooh: The Blustery Day, Slater

38. Just Like Daddy, Asch

39. Raggedy Ann and Andy's Grow and Learn Library

40. Pretzels by the Dozen, Hunt

41. Three Trees, Hunt

42. I Like Me, Carlstrom

43. The Crippled Lamb, Lucado

44. Abby, Caines

45. Just in Case You Ever Wonder, Lucado

46. Mop Top, Freeman

47. A Country Far Away, Gray

48. Golden Bear, Young

49. Humpy, Grumpy Camel, Tangvald

50. The Best Thing About Christmas, Tangvald

51. Mama Do You Love Me? Joosse

52. The Gingerbread Man, Aylesworth

53. The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Lawrence

54. Jambo Means Hello, Feelings

55. The Boy with a Drum, Wilken

56. Jamaica Tag Along, Havil

57. Will You Be My Pet, Tusan

58. Fiddle I Fee, Sweet

59. The Engine that Could

60. While You Were Sleeping, Butler

61. Pokey Little Puppy, Lowrey

62. I Love You This Much, Hodges

63. The Elf and the Shoemaker, Grimm

64. Where's Spot, Hill

65. Goodnight Gorilla, Rathmann

66. George Washington's Cows, Small

67. Sheep in a Jeep, Shaw

68. Snipp, Snapp and Snurr and the Yellow Sled, Lindmann

69. Flicka, Ricka and Dicka and the Strawberries, Lindman

70. A Chair for My Mother, Williams

71. Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type, Cronin

72. Curious George, Rey--I am split on these. Engaging story but to me it teaches that it's okay to disobey as long as good comes out of it

73. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Numeroff

74. Grandfather's Journey, Say

75. Little House picture books, Ingalls Wilder

76. Ira Sleeps Over, Waber

77. Harry the Dirty Dog, Zion

78. On the Night You were Born, Tillman

79. A Child's Garden of Verses, Stevenson

80. Leo the Late Bloomer, Kraus

81. Sail Away, Crews

82. The Monster at the End of the Book, Stone

83. Amelia Bedelia, Parish

84. No David, Shannon

85. Richard Scarry's Cars and Truck and Things that Go

86. Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy Town

87. Koala Lou, Fox

88. The Giving Tree, Silverstein

89. Good Night Baby Bear, Asca

Bible Women: Sarah part 2

2011-04-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Sarah had a problem common to us today--jealousy.

Sarah gave up on God's promise to give her a baby and took matter into her own hands. She told Abraham to have a baby with her servant. Yet when Hagar became pregnant, Sarah was angry. Then she blamed Abraham for the problem.

Jealousy brings out the worst in most people. When a person has talents, possessions or popularity that another person wants, it can become ugly. This was true in Abraham and Sarah's day and is still true today. Just look around you.

Imagine that a less popular girl shows up at school in a really cute outfit. A few people will compliment her on it, but many will make rude comments about how it looks. Why? Because they don't think the less popular girl deserves that outfit. They should be the ones with those clothes.

Or imagine that one group of girls have been the cheerleaders for three years straight. Then a new girl tries out and bumps one of them from the squad. Uh oh. She'd better look out. She now has the position another person wanted and having what someone else wants leads to jealousy. The girl whose spot was taken will probably be watching for any little flaw in the new girl's performance. The friends will make the new cheerleader feel unwelcome.

There is no reasoning with jealousy. Whether you are jealous like Sarah, or the brunt of the jealousy like Hagar, life is difficult. The only cure for jealousy is to learn to be content with what you already have. Rather than playing the comparison game, be thankful for your own talents, abilities and possessions.

Do you have a problem with jealousy? Take the quiz below to find out.

1. You work hard for several weeks on an essay for a contest. You get third place. You:

a. Should have gotten first place. Your essay was better than the winning one.

b. Hope the winner doesn't enter next year so you have a better chance.

c. Are disappointed but plan to try again next year.

2. You've worked really hard on your balance beam routine but are still having problems. It seems so easy for the others girls. You:

a. Hope you do better than they do on the bars.

b. Work hard and ask the coach for tips.

c. Hope one of them falls off of the beam during the meet.

3. Your friend's dad is taking everyone to the amusement park and then out to eat for her birthday. You had cake and ice cream at home with your family for your birthday. You:

a. Hope your friend's birthday is a lot of fun. After all, you get to enjoy it too.

b. Wish your parent were as cool as her parents.

c. Think it's unfair that she gets everything she wants.

How did you do?

The correct answers are: 1-c, 2-b, 3-a

It's okay to want to improve. The desire to improve motives you to work harder. It's when you wish for something bad to happen to someone else or get caught up in the "it's not fair" game that it becomes a problem. Try not to compare yourself to others. That's when jealousy gets a grip. Be happy for their successes, and don't let them make you feel less important. You are an individual with your own talents and successes. Using what you have and what you own for God and others is the real key to being happy.

Bible Women: Sarah part 1

2011-04-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

Spring is coming, and with it comes changes. Some changes are good like flowers growing, warmer days, making new friends and finishing another school year. Some times changes are hard like when a friend moves away--or you move, a grandparents becomes ill or a pet dies.

We have both good and bad changes in our life. Sarah was like that too.

Abraham and Sarah, then called Abram and Sarai, lived in Ur of the Chaldeans along the Euphrates River in what is now southern Iraq. This was an important city in the ancient world. Abraham was probably a very educated man, and Sarah most likely had all the luxuries of life.

Abraham's father, Terah, decided to move the whole family from the thriving town of Ur to the land of Canaan-- a land very different from Ur. The family packed up and said goodbye to their home and all they knew. Then they set out. But for some reason, Terah stopped halfway to Canaan in the village of Haran in what is now southern Turkey, and the family remained there.

Sarah's life took a dramatic turn when she left behind the art, culture and thriving businesses to follow her family. The Bible doesn't say much about this move, but we can guess that it was hard for Sarah to leave her life in Ur to become a traveler and then reside in Haran. Yet she accepted it, and the family stayed there until Terah's death.

Once again Sarah had to pack up and leave all she knew to follow God's leading. The family journeyed another 600 miles into the area that is now modern Israel. Abraham and Sarah had faith in God and they obeyed him. In turn, God poured out his blessings on Abraham's family in generations to come.

Changes aren't always easy. Eve had to leave the beautiful Garden of Eden, Mrs. Noah had to leave everything behind knowing it would all be destroyed, and Sarah had to leave behind a bustling city for Nowhere Ville. Yet the Bible doesn't mention them complaining about the changes. How do you handle changes? Read each sentence below and choose a, b or c to complete it. If my dad were to announce a move I would be:

A excited B upset C anxious

Starting a new school:

A is a chance to try new things. B means leaving friends and activities behind. C might be okay

I like: A new experiences B things to stay the same C some changes in my life Did you mark A's, B's or C's? If you marked:

A's You welcome change. Moving to a new home or starting a new school is a chance to try new activities and make more friends. Chances are, you aren't a bit shy. It's easy for you to adapt to change.

B's You like things to stay the same. You may be shy and find it hard to adapt to change or you may just like your life as is and don't welcome any changes right now.

C's You are cautious about change. You welcome changes you can control, but you need time to get used to the idea of a new place or new routine. Once you've settled in, you are okay.

There may be changes in your life you don't have control over. Try to face them with a positive spirit like Mrs. Noah and Sarah. Trust that God is in control even when you don't see him at work.

Review of Tangled

2011-03-29T05:34:00.001-07:00

Credit for this goes to Plugged In Online (but I added the pictures to break up the print!)and you can read the original HERE.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on Tangled. Tangled

The witchy Mother Gothel knows one thing for sure: You've got to grab magic wherever you can find it … and hold on tight. So when she finds a magic flower that can heal and keep her perpetually young, well, she's determined to keep that thing hidden away. Unfortunately for the artificially rejuvenated crone, the kingdom's pregnant queen becomes ill and the townspeople search out the glowing blossom for a healing potion.

When the now-revived royal gives birth to a baby named Rapunzel, Mother Gothel can't help but notice that the infant's golden locks shimmer with a familiar glow. So she kidnaps the child in the dead of night and smuggles her away to a secret tower to raise as her own.

Through 18 years of frequent hair brushings and lilting songs of renewal, Mother G stays young. As long as Rapunzel's hair remains uncut, why, this extraordinary enchantment could go on forever! There's only one problem: The girl with the long shimmering hair isn't a little girl any more. Rapunzel is now a restless young woman who longs to venture beyond her doorless tower. She dreams of seeing the nearby kingdom up close—especially the glowing paper lanterns that float skyward from the castle every year on her birthday. What can they mean? Who can be sending them aloft?

The wicked mommy dearest keeps Rapunzel's dreams in check with frightening tales of a world full of ruffians and thugs who desire nothing more than to hurt young defenseless girls. So when a roguish and rather handsome thief unexpectedly climbs in through Rapunzel's tower window, things start getting, uh, hairy.

Positive Elements This is a music-sprinkled story of heroism and self-discovery. And there's plenty here to like. Rapunzel is an innocent who has been raised without knowledge of her royal heritage. She only knows a tower prison and a self-focused, borderline vindictive, overly controlling mother. Yet in spite of it all, the young girl is a loyal daughter who tries to make her world as sun-filled and pleasant as possible. At one point, the movie clearly compares Rapunzel's desire to leave her tower to a coming of age struggle with adulthood. The thief Flynn even says, "This is part of growing up—a little rebellion and a little adventure—this is healthy."

But while Rapunzel is overjoyed at truly being free, she worries over the rightness or wrongness of defying the authority of her "mother." This is all handled well and could be used as a solid parental discussion point about growing up and becoming your own person.Flynn Rider discovers quite a bit about himself as well. Thanks to Rapunzel, he realizes that he's far more than the traveling thief persona that he long ago adopted from a favorite childhood novel. In fact, Rapunzel makes it clear that she prefers the average guy Eugene over his adventurer Flynn alter ego. In the end, Flynn/Eugene transitions from quasi-bad guy to a hero willing to do what's right—even if that means giving up his life for the one he loves. Ruffians and thugs sing about following secret dreams of being important and respected. [Spoiler Warning] The never-dying hope and love of parenthood is well represented in Tangled. Rapunzel's anguished parents never give up on somehow finding their beloved child. And when they are all reunited in embraces and tears, the royal family readily welcomes Flynn as one of their own.

Spiritual Content The power of the magic flower and Rapunzel's glowing hair is said to have been derived from a drop of pure sunlight. It makes her hair near sentient, and it's used several times to either heal or rejuvenate. Rapunzel sings an incantation to the magic flower to unleash its healing properties: "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine/Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine/Heal what has been hurt, change the Fates' design/Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine."

Sexual Content Mother Gothel wears a formfitting dress that also reveals cleavage. During one musical theater number, an old bearded thug wears nothing but a diaper and wings, swinging about as a cupid-like figure. Rapunzel and Flynn kiss.

Violent Content There's all sorts of comedic peril and bam-boom. When Flynn climbs into Rapunzel's window the young girl responds by thumping the intruder on the head and knocking him out with a frying pan … several times. In fact, she ties him up in a chair with her hair, and he ends up falling over and crashing down face-first a couple of times. Once outside the tower, Rapunzel and Flynn encounter a tavern full of thugs—and the drubbing/swashbuckling/thumping continues. (Flynn is the comedic foil who generally ends up being tossed about and pummeled.) A dam breaks, trapping Rapunzel and Flynn in a cave that quickly fills with water. Flynn receives a gash on his hand from a sharp rock. And in the film's most intense scene, Flynn is stabbed by Mother Gothel. She stands behind him and we don't actually see her plunge the dagger in, but we do see her pull back the blade as he crumples to the floor. We're shown a red stain on his shirt. [Spoiler Warning] Flynn appears to die from the injury, but he's magically revived. And Mother G withers back to her true, ancient age—falling out of a tower window and literally disappearing as her cape smacks the ground below in a puff of cloth and dust.

Crude or Profane Language Someone is called a dummy. I don't consider this particularly crude : ) Drug and

Alcohol Content Tankards of some kind of strong drink are seen in a crowded roadhouse. A small bearded ruffian appears to be inebriated.

Other Negative Elements We all know the story, (I only know the Barney and Baby Bop versions!) so seeing Rapunzel trick Mother G into leaving her alone and disobeying the woman's order to stay in the tower doesn't carry the same weight as, say, seeing your average tween run away from home because her parents won't buy her an iPad. But Rapunzel doesn't know her whole story, so her actions still bear the need for discussion.

Conclusion It's been said that Walt Disney himself once considered an adaptation of the Rapunzel fable way back in the 1940s. The Brothers Grimm-penned tale, however, never made it to full Disneyfication till now. And going in to the theater, I couldn't help but wonder just how modernized—or dare I say, Shrekified—the princess with the supersized golden tresses may have become while waiting in the back of Disney's collective brain for 60-plus years. I needn't have worried.Yes, the old fairy tale has surely been updated. The tower-bound beauty sports a more self-reliant panache then most of her princess predecessors. Her one-liner-popping beau is a bit goofier than yesteryear's Prince Charmings. And even the story's title has been rejiggered from an old-school Rapunzel to a more hipster-friendly Tangled. But the heroine is still wide-eyed and endearing, the hero comes through with charm, the villainess is dealt with and the potentially sad, sad ending pirouettes just in time to deliver a moment of self-sacrifice, a joyful reconciliation and the perfect happily ever after. I guess, then, you could say that the Disney fairy tale formula is still as rock-ribbed as the Magic Kingdom Castle itself. As always, magic is in the mix. But if anything it's handled with a lighter flourish than in Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. Certainly it's less of a concern here than it is in The Princess and the Frog.

The floating paper lantern segment is beautiful and romantic, but not so much that young boys in the crowd will groan or start to fidget. The 3-D I saw it in 2 D scenes sparkle. The animal sidekicks made me chuckle. And even though you probably won't walk away singing any of the Alan Menken and Glenn Slater tunes, they beautifully fit the movie's emotions. Parents may soon be sick of hearing pleas for overpriced shampoos or dolls with long knotted-up hair that seems impossible to comb out. But as far as a family movie night is concerned, Tangled is plenty easy to get wrapped up in

Tangled!

2011-03-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Nope. Not posting about a Bible woman this time, but a horse--the horse from Tangled. He is my favorite character in the movie. I think it's because he looks and acts like a horse I've ridden recently. My daughter and I decided to take riding lessons, but due to cost we can't go very often. So since we started in November, we've only ridden six times.

Here's the horse from Tangled. (Double click it to bring it up in you tube so you can see the whole width, which is block by my sidebar.)

And here's the one I ride.

I really like this movie but I'm not sure why. Maybe because there is a less than perfect princess who struggles with her conscious about leaving the tower, who is finding out who is and who has a dream she's determined to fulfill. She's also refreshing human--a bit like Belle in Beauty and the Beast? There's also a changed hero, and both a horse and chameleon with a lot of personality. And don't forget the men at the Snuggly Duckling who all have secret dreams. Guess you can't judge people by their looks!

So, if you've seen the movie, who was your favorite character and why? What's your dream?

Bible Women: Mrs. Noah part 3

2011-03-11T12:22:00.001-08:00

Next week is spring break and I want to take the youngest three to play at the park and at the beach. But rain is in the forecast. If it rains, we'll go to see the Yogi Bear movie at the cheap theater where we'll eat too much popcorn with butter.

Have you ever thought about what it must have been like for Mrs. Noah and the whole Noah family? Saying yes to God's plan was a really smart thing to do, after all, look what happened when Noah tried to say no to God's plan. But it also meant a year in very close quarters with her family and the animals.

What do you suppose they did? I wonder they had games they made up to pass the time, or maybe they sang or told stories. What do you think they did? Leave a comment and let me know your ideas.

I still have both copies of the book to give away from a couple of posts back.

And I found that the place that reviewed my book has actually reviewed three of them! HERE

Middle School Review

2011-03-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Check it out HERE.

Who's Your Favorite Bible Woman?

2011-03-03T04:57:00.000-08:00

I have two copies of this book to give away to the first two girls who leave comments telling who their favorite Bible woman is and why. Comments must be at least 25 words long to count. U.S. only please due to postage costs.

I will be at the Florida Christian Writer's Conference when this posts but I'll check the comments as soon as I get back Sunday night, or sooner if I have Internet.

And if you think of it, stop by the new legacy blog HERE and cut and paste your comment to that blog too.

If you are one of the first two comments, be sure to have your mom send your mailing address to kathycassel(at)knology.net. Let me know if you want me to sign the book to you.

Bible Women: Mrs. Noah part 2

2011-02-28T04:31:00.001-08:00

God looked down on a world dark with sin. Then he saw a single light. It was the Noah family. The Noahs obeyed God's commands and they taught their sons to do the same. Just as a flashlight pierces the darkness closest to it, so did the Noah family.

The Bible tells us that we should let our light shine so people can see our good works. This will bring glory to God. How bright is your light? Take the quiz below to find out. Circle the answer that best describes what you would do in each situation. Be honest!

1. You are tired of riding your old bike to school and are saving for a new one. During your church mission conference, they announce that a special offering will be taken to build a school in a poor country. You:
a. Give a little bit of your money. You understand that they need the school but you need the bike too.
b. Give all the money. You can mow lawns during the summer to earn money for the new bike for next school year.
c. Keep your money. You already tithed on it so why feel you need to give more?

2. You are on your way into the school when you see the class bully fall. He backpack is open and stuff goes everywhere. An apple rolls down the sidewalk and lands at your feet. You:
a. Hand him his apple and continue on to class.
b. Stop and help him gather his belongings.
c. Think it serves him right and continue on without another thought.

3. You finish your math work early. The teacher suggests you help a struggling student. The same student called you names at lunch. You:
a. Help her with one problem and then get a book to read until class is over.
b. Explain to her how to do the problems and watch that she does them correctly.
c. Say no thanks. She really embarrassed you at lunch.

Count how many you have of each letter.
a's _____
b's _____
c's _____

If you have mostly a's, you have a fading light. You know what you should do but only do it half-heartedly.
If you have mostly b's, you have a bright light. You are giving to others unselfishly and letting the love of Jesus flow through you.
If you have mostly c's, you have a dim or no light. You aren't letting God's love shine through you. Ask God to help you unselfishly reach out and give to others.

Book Review

2011-02-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

Check out this review of my book HERE.

Happy Birthday Jasmine!

2011-02-18T04:49:00.001-08:00

Ready to go home from the hospital.

Cleft lip repaired.

First Christmas

First birthday

Getting bigger

Making new friends - Roach Approach

talent show-she sang Jana Alayra's Dig Down Deep

gymnastics-we've replaced it with dance now
kindergarten graduation

dance costumes

More new friends-Po

Berenstain Bears (Michael Berenstain was there showing how he illustrates his books)

Karen Kingsbury

Nichole C. Mullins

Happy Birthday!!

Bible Women: Mrs. Noah part 1

2011-02-16T11:32:00.001-08:00

But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Genesis 6:18

We don't know her name, and we often don't give her much thought, but Mrs. Noah is an important part of the flood story. In some ways her life was probably not much different than a wife and mother's life today. She cared for her husband and three sons. She fed, rocked, clothed and watched her sons grow up. She loved her husband and carefully prepared food for him. Life went on pretty much the same day after day.

Then came the day Noah got the message from the Lord. God was tired of man's sinful ways. He was going to send a flood to destroy the earth and start over with just Noah's family. God gave Noah specific instructions on how to build a boat to keep his family and pairs of animals safe during the flood.

For 120 years, Noah dedicated himself to building the ark. His son were probably involved in helping with preparing the wood and building also. What did Mrs. Noah do? Probably the same thing she had been doing—feeding, clothing and caring for her husband and sons. But she also must have wondered about the message her husband received from the Lord. Was it really true? How would she explain to her friends why her husband was building a huge boat? What would she say to those who questioned God's message and laughed at her family?

Mrs. Noah probably told her friends what God had said about destroying the earth, and it probably didn't make her very popular. Or perhaps she didn't have any friends because the other women were all living sinful lives.

Mrs. Noah may have had some doubts and questions, but she responded to God's message in faith and helped ready her family for their unusual journey.

Sometimes we don't understand why God does the things he does, but our job is to, like Mrs. Noah, obey and be willing to follow God's plans.

Bible Women: Eve part 4

2011-02-12T07:01:00.001-08:00

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Satan tempted Eve. He pointed out the delicious fruit to her. He made her think she was really missing out on something. Eve was tempted to eat the fruit. Being tempted is not wrong. Eve sinned when she acted on the temptation and took the first bite.

You probably face a lot of temptations every day. That is part of being human. You may be tempted to:
Say something rude to an unkind classmate.
Look at someone's test paper.
Disobey your mom's instructions to set the table.
Tell a lie.
Say a bad word.
React in anger.

Those things are wrong, but being tempted to do them isn't wrong. You will be tempted as long as you live on this earth. The things you see and hear at school or on television may tempt you. If others around you are acting in inappropriate ways, you may be tempted by it. Sometimes it's easy to go along with what others are doing even when you know it's wrong. The right thing to do is to walk away, but that's not always easy.

Imagine you are at a friend's house, and her older brother says he has a DVD you will love. The problem is that the DVD is rated PG-13 and your parents have told you that you may not watch anything above PG. Your friend encourages you to watch it with her and her brother. It's a really popular DVD, and you feel left out when others discuss it at school. You know your parents would probably never find out, but you'd know. What should you do?

There are several right choices. You could go home and do something with your family. You could suggest watching another movie. You could suggest doing something outside. You could ask your friend to come to your house.

With every temptation is there is a way out. You just need to look for it.

So, what can you do when temptations pop into your head?
Pray it through. Ask God to take away the thoughts from your mind.
Say it through. Memorize today's verse or another favorite verse and say them often when you are tempted.
Think it through. Instead of thinking about the temptation, change your thoughts. Do something to take your mind off of the temptation—call a friend, play a game with your brother or go for a jog.
Sing it through. Listen to praise music and sing along.
Talk it through with a close Christian friend or parent, or write in a journal.
Walk away. Remove yourself from the temptation.

This is our last look at Eve on this blog, but the devo book coming out in July has two weeks of devos on Eve focusing on being unique and special, finding and using the talents God gave you, standing up to peer pressure, and making good choices.

On to Mrs. Noah...

Bible Women: Eve part 3

2011-02-09T12:16:00.001-08:00

We've looked at how Eve was the first women and the mother of all creation. We've seen that God made her in a unique and amazing way with a special purpose--just as he does for each of us today.

But of course we remember Eve as the one who took the fruit.

God said, "You can have it all but this one thing."

Satan said, "God just doesn't want you to have something good."

Eve listened to the wrong voice and made the choice to eat from the tree that God said not to eat from. God could have put up an electric fence or do not touch sign, but he wanted Adam and Eve to choose obedience.

What could Eve have done differently when Satan came along? She might have asked God about what Satan said.

What would have happened if Eve said to Satan, "Let me ask God about this when I talk with him in a little while"? Would Satan have left and returned later to try again?

Would he have just made up more lies that sounded true?

We'll never know what might have happened. But Eve made her choice and the result is that we are all born with a sinful nature. We don't need Satan to come tempt us personally, because we give in to our own weaknesses.

Thankfully Eve's choice to sin isn't the end of the story.

The most amazing thing about Eve's story is that even though she sinned and had to leave the garden, God made a plan to redeem her. And God blessed her and allowed her to be the mother of all people. God is a God of second chances.

And God had Plan B. It looks like this:

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. " John 3:16

In Old Testament times, people had to offer an animal sacrifice for sins. Blood had to be shed. God sent Jesus to be the final sacrifice. Because of his death, we can be forgiven just by asking.

Romans 5 says:

"Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous."

Adam and Eve blew it--and to be honest, I would have too. But Jesus' death made everything right again.

Bible Women: Eve part 2

2011-02-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Eve was created in God's image. That doesn't mean she physically looked like God or that she was perfect like God. It means that she had the ability to love, show kindness, be faithful and in other ways resemble God. She was a reflection of God's glory. She was chosen to be the mother of all creation. It was a big responsibility.

Even after Eve sinned and had to leave the garden, she was still the mother of the human race. She gave birth to Cain, Abel, Seth and other children.

Just as God had a plan for Eve, he has a special plan for each person he creates. The Bible says we are created to do good works, and he knows ahead of time what these are. They aren't the same for each person, because God gave each person a unique personality and talents to equip him or her to do the job he has planned.

God may have gifted you with ability to program computers or do graphic design. He may have given you musical talent. Perhaps God gave you athletic ability. Maybe you are good at working with children. Everyone has strengths, even if they aren't the kind you can show off on stage. Whatever gifts God gave you, he plans for you to use them for him and others. Don't hide or ignore your gifts.

Are you using the abilities God gave you? Below are three descriptions. Choose whether A, B or C best describes you.

1.
a.I don't really think about my talents--if I even have any.

b.I have talents but my friends have more.

c. I use my talents whenever I can to help others.

2.
a.I let other girls take the lead in projects and tell me what to do.

b.I offer suggestions for projects but let others decide.

c. I volunteer to do what I'm best at to help the group.

3.
a. I don't really have any goals or plans.

b.There are things I'd like to do but I haven't really made any plans yet.

c. There are things I am working to accomplish.

How did you do?

If you checked mostly As, you are missing out on the wonderful things God has planned for you. Either you haven't found your talents yet, or you haven't learned to use them. Ask a friend or parents what they think your strengths are, and look for ways to use them.

If you checked mostly Bs,you realize you have talents, but you remain a spectator in life. You need to put your talents in action. Find one way to do that this week.

If you checked mostly Cs, you are using your unique abilities to make a difference. You are confident about who you and are and what you're capable of doing. Keep up the good work.

Bible Women: Eve

2011-02-02T05:32:00.000-08:00

(This is a random picture, not my book cover. My book is for girls 10-14)

This coming summer I have a book coming out with Tyndale. I'm not sure of the exact title but it's something like One Year Devotions for Girls Starring Women of the Bible. I thought I'd share what I learned from some of the women on this blog over the next few weeks.

Eve is the first woman we read about in the Bible. We're introduced to her in Genesis chapter 2.

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”

Most of time when we think about Eve, we think about her as the one who ate the forbidden fruit and got kicked out of the garden. But she was so much more than that. She was the first woman created. She was unique and individual. She was created in the image of God with a special purpose in mind. That purpose was to begin the human race.

God also created you in a unique and special way. Don't believe it? Check out these truths from the Bible:

God created you in his own image. Genesis 1:26-27
God created in you in a unique and amazing way. Psalm 139:14
God has a special plan for you. Jeremiah 29:11
God calls you by name. Isaiah 43:1
You are a friend of Jesus. John 15:15-16
You are bought with a price. 1 Corinthians 6:20
You are a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17
You have victory in Christ. Romans 8:37
You can do all things through Christ. Philippians 4:13

Take time to read each verse for yourself.

More about Eve later.

Book News

2011-01-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

There really isn't a lot. I am doing the edits now for One Year Girls Devotions Starring Women of the Bible. The editors have made some changes in word choice and minor things like that but that will make it a much stronger book.

This devo book will look at the major women of the Bible who you already know such as Eve, Sarah, Rachel, Rebekah, Hannah, Mary and so on. It will also have devotions about lesser known women of the Bible like The Five Sisters, Caleb's daughter, Jepthah's daughter and so on.

I will be having a give away on the blog for this book once it comes out.

I just made the last change to The Christian Girls Guide to Me: The Quiz Book. There are 25 quizzes that will help you learn more about yourself--and they're fun too--but there's more than that. It has some stories and crafts just like the other Girls Guides.

I think that comes out next July too. And I will be having a give away for that book also.

So stayed tuned.

Family Updates

2011-01-26T11:57:00.001-08:00

Tyler's half-birthday was Sunday. We usually celebrate with either a half-cake, or a small cake or cupcakes. In this case, he got the teddy bear cake to himself and the rest of us shared the round cake.

Jessica is going to be a mission team leader next summer. Her team is going to an Indian Reservation in AZ.
She went to leadership training last weekend.
Jeff has graduated from high school and is trying to enlist in the army.

He ran a 5K and was first place overall. That means he was the very first one to cross the finish line.

Adam ran in the same 5K.

He was fourth overall. This race did not have a lot of people because it was so cold, so they will have to work a lot harder to finish 1st and 4th next time because there will be more competition.

Jasmine had the first part of a two part neck surgery before Christmas. She is getting weekly adjustments to her neck, and should have the second half of the surgery in the spring.

She is keeping busy with fourth grade, jazz & tap classes and church choir.

The twins are playing basketball now.

Yesterday we celebrated them being home one year.

Learning about the Bible

2011-01-19T05:55:00.001-08:00

If one of your parents is reading through the Bible this year, why not join him/her by learning more about the Bible yourself with one of these two books? The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible is for ages 9-12 but really it could be for an 8-year-old who reads well or a 13-year-old who needs a basic foundation of Bible knowledge.

Just for me says 6-9 but I'd really say 5-8. Both books go through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation using stories, puzzles, crafts and more.

Grades Need a Boost?

2011-01-17T14:28:00.001-08:00

If one of your resolutions was to get better grades, get a copy of this book. It even has a section on setting goals.

Happy New Year

2011-01-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

from the whole crew

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

author pictures

2010-12-20T14:36:00.001-08:00

I needed an author picture, so Jessica shot some quick ones in our yard before we left for the church program.

Orlando and a Wrinkle in Time

2010-12-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend just Jasmine and I went to Orlando for a day. We hung out with our favorite characters.

It's a long drive and we listened to both a Wrinkle in Time and Number the Stars on tape/CD on the trip. It surprised me that A Wrinkle in Time had so many Christian and biblical references. Number the Stars has a Psalm in it and that Psalm is where the book gets its title.

The first bloggers who leave a comment with the the reference of one of the verses quoted in A Wrinkle in Time (please tell me what chapter of the book its in in case I missed any--I have two particular verses in mind) or the Psalm from Number the Stars will get their choice of one of my books. PLease only list one verse so three people can win (or more if I"m forgetting any verses used).

Almost Done with the Crafts

2010-11-22T05:01:00.001-08:00

I'm finishing up the crafts and hope to have all the book revisions done by Wednesday.

Once I get the crafts done, I want my house back! There is paint, ribbon, buttons, bags etc all over.

Jessica has done most of the crafts that require sewing.

Thank you notes.

The Christian Girl's Guide to Me: The Quizbook Crafts

2010-11-20T17:54:00.001-08:00

The work on this book continues with everyone pitching in on the crafts. I think this is going to be an awesome book.

Here are some of the bags we created for a take to church Bible bag.

Rick ironed all the bags and put the applique on Jasmine's.

Jasmine tried to sew on her own button.

She got a hand from big sister

and me

She's happy with the outcome.

This is Kayla's. We used fabric glue.

I might use this one for stuff

or this one. I haven't decided.

Jessica is still working on hers.

The Christian Girl's Guide to Being Your Best

2010-11-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Won this award. I think it was a few months back, but I just found out about it.

Still at work on crafts

2010-11-19T05:42:00.001-08:00

Crafts for the book still continue. There will probably be 8 or 9 altogether. You'll remember in the last post that I only make crafts that are easy to do since I'm craft-challenged, and they have to use readily available supplies and be either cute or useful.

When I started these CD and foam animals, I was planning to use them for coasters, but they needed decorations and buggy eyes and such to be cute, so using them for coasters was out. So they became door hangers for a different chapter--on about sleep.

You wouldn't be able to prove Adam isn't biologically related with the shared peanut butter addiction around here. I found a recipe in an old manuscript that never got used, so of course we had to make it : ) (But it's not going in this book because it doesn't fit anywhere.) Adam took time out to make these:

Unbaked Peanut Butter Cookies
You will need:
1 cup sugar
1 cup light colored corn syrup
2 cups peanut butter
4 cups rice krispies
Waxed paper

To do:
Combine the sugar and syrup in a pan.
Heat on a burner.

Boil for one minute stirring constantly.
Add the peanut butter, stirring constantly.
After the peanut butter is blended in, add the cereal and stir.
Remove from the heat and let sit for a minute.
Scoop out a spoonful of the mixture at a time and drop onto the waxed paper.Let cool, then eat!

Crafts for the Christian Girl's Guide to Me

2010-11-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

I'm working on revisions to the Christian Girl's Guide to Me. One thing I need to do is add some crafts.

I have my own rules for crafts. I have to make them up or at least give a whole new spin to old ideas--obviously they can't be copyrighted but I also don't want something that's been done a zillion times. They need to be easy to make--I am craft challenged so if I can make it, anyone can. They need to use readily available stuff. And they have to be cute or useful or both. Other wise, why bother?

So here we are at 9:00 pm Wed making crafts. Usually someone besides myself either makes it according to my directions or at least tries it with me. Sometimes several kids all make it and we compare the unique spin each child gives it.

I decided on a pillow made from a hand towel and decorated with buttons and ribbons to go with a chapter/quiz "What's Your Bedroom Say About You?" Jessica volunteered to take the idea and supplies and run with it. She used her machine but it could be done by hand.

The chapter/quiz about learning styles is going to have a flower pen (overused idea) and a flowerpot as a penholder.

Adam was grumbling a bit that the pictures of him would all be of him making flowers.

Flowers from craft foam to go on the pots I painted earlier today.

He made a whole bouquet.

Jessica hard at work on the pillow.

Didn't it come out cute? I bought towels, ribbons and buttons in two colors. I think this is going to be the cutest but we'll see after the other one is made.

Stay tuned to see how we progress on the crafts!

Pictures and Book News

2010-11-17T05:05:00.000-08:00

Right now I am working on revisions for The Christian Girl's Guide to Me. Each chapter has a quiz as the main part, but also has a story, ideas, activities or a craft. I think it will be a really good book. This book was supposed to come out July 2006 but there were lots of delays due to two moves the publisher made and several editor changes. I am hoping he plans on the book coming out July 2011. Many of the new books are released at the book convention each July.

My One Year devotional with Tyndale will come out July 2011. I haven't been asked to make any changes to it yet. In January they will be considering another devo idea I submitted. I have to send them more info mid December.

I still have a couple of Just for Me: My Family books to give away so if you've been planning to make the penguin cupcakes, do it. The books are just setting here on my desk waiting for a home.

Just a few pictures...
Halloween. We went to three different church festivals. Some went to four.

We all went to the Veteran's Day parade.

I decided not to sit around bored this weekend so I took whoever could go to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios in Orlando. That's a seven hour drive so we didn't have lots of time there, but we had lots of fun.

Love It

2010-11-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

Check out how this family is using one of my books HERE.

More Cute Penguins

2010-11-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

It's not too late to send your pictures and get your book too. Just go back a few posts for details.

Reader penguin family

2010-10-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

A whole family of penguins!

There are still plenty of books left for give away so send your picture too.

Some of Our Penguins

2010-10-15T18:50:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the penguins that were created at our house.

Send pictures of your own creation and get a free book. See details in the previous post.

Books are Here!

2010-10-14T07:18:00.001-07:00

Want a copy? I'm giving away ten. Here's what to do (for 5-8 year old girls):

Go to my webpage http://www.katrinacassel.com/.

There is a picture of a penguin cupcake from this book. It was kid-made by a five-year-old. Just follow the directions and make your own. You can really use any kind of candy or crackers or whatever works. The picture posted doesn't actually match the directions because we couldn't get the graham cracker bars like we used when we invented the project.

Send me a picture of you with your cupcake. Use the link on the webpage for my e-mail if you don't have it. Shipping within the US only please.

And as always, if you like the book, please post a review on your blog, amazon.com or christianbooks.com.

Arriving Soon...

2010-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

...I hope. And I will have a few give away copies which I'll post how to get.

Packages

2010-10-05T05:01:00.001-07:00

Shy inspects the packages that are being mailed out today. Each of you should recieve your books soon.

I will be having a different kind of give away in a few weeks. Keep checking back here and at my website for details.

And the Winner Is...

2010-10-03T16:34:00.001-07:00

All books will be mailed out Tuesday.

Time to Vote

2010-09-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

It's time to vote for your favorite picture. (Anyone outside the CONUS--due to high postage--or related to me was dropped from this competition) Just leave a comment with the picture number. Picture with the most votes Sunday at noon will be the winner. All the rest of the books and the prize pack will be sent out Monday.

#1

#6

#7

#8

With a rhyme

2010-09-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

This picture even came with a rhyme!

I could read it here, I could read it there,

I could even read it in my chair

I could read in on my little tryke,

But I’d rather read it on Daddy’s bike!

Another picture

2010-09-21T04:04:00.001-07:00

Have Books, Will Travel

2010-09-11T19:16:00.001-07:00

Nope this alligator isn't reading one of my books. I was hoping he'd stick his head up higher for a picture!

These are just a few of our picture ideas. Send me yours! Still have lots of book packs to give away--go back a couple of posts to see.

Reader Pictures

2010-08-30T10:25:00.001-07:00

What a cutie. Lots of places to read!

You never know who's reading your books.

First guy reader picture

Here is the first picture sent for the give away! What a cutie.

See give away details below.

New Book Give Away

2010-08-30T06:01:00.001-07:00

I gave away several books on the last give away, but since I get so many at convention, and duplicates of some, I have a whole shelf full of books still to give away.

Anyone who owns a book written by me is eligible to win one of the book packs below. (If you don't own a book written by me, b uy one!!) What I need for you to do is have someone take a picture of you (or your daughter if you're the parent) reading a book authored by me in her favorite place, or an unusual or creative place. E-mail the picture to me at kathycassel(at)knology.net. Then choose which book pack you want. I'll try to update this post as to which ones are chosen.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT BOOKS I'VE WRITTEN, LOOK ALONG THE RIGHT AND THERE ARE PICTURES AND REVIEW OF ALL OF THEM.

At the end, I'm going to ask bloggy friends to choose the best picture, and the person who sent the winning picture will win the addition prize pack of books at the end.

Anyone can do this no matter how many previous books they've gotten on give away but ONE pack per family please.

#1

#2

#3

#4 CLAIMED

#5

#6
CLAIMED

#7

#8
CLAIMED

#9
CLAIMED

#10

#11

This is the top book of pack #11

#12

#13

#14 CLAIMED

Prize pack for best picture

I have two cardboard Relient K license plates for the first two who request them along with their book pack.
ONE LEFT

I have two advanced reader copies of this books for the first two who request them along with their book pack. Advanced reader means it's not the final book. The pages may have uncorrected typos etc but the story is the same.
GONE

Give Away Ending

2010-08-26T14:34:00.001-07:00

The give away mentioned a couple post down will be ending Sunday, but I have two more coming up. You will see many of the same books because I have several copies of some of them!

Book Give Away Picture

2010-07-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

New Readers & book give away

2010-07-29T07:22:00.001-07:00

I have several of the books below still available to those who will help promote my books. So please send me your photos! I'll be mailing the first books out tomorrow.

Lots more books

2010-07-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

for the book give away I posted in the last post.

historical fiction

true life stories
kid's books

suspense

non fiction/self help

Book Give Away

2010-07-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Books to be given away

So, as I said in my last post, I found out that my Just for Me series is not selling as well as hoped. These books sell for 6.99 and are for ages 6-9 according to the cover but I really feel they are more 4-8. I guess it depends on interest and reading level. They can be read individually, as part of a mother-daughter time, as part of the home school curriculum, in a small group setting etc.

I need help promoting them, and I am giving away books to those who will help. Here's what I need people to do.

1. Buy two Just for Me books any time after I post this (please don't use copies I sent you previously or that you bought a year ago etc.). You can buy two of the same book for sibling or friends to do, buy one of each, buy them for gifts etc.

2. Send me a picture of you/your child with the books and tell me when and where you got them.

3. Post at least one review on amazon, Christianbook, your blog etc.

What I will do is send you the book of your choice in the photos. Please look the books up at amazon or somewhere so you know what you are getting. They are all new books and many are signed by the author

My books cost $6.99 (but, yep, you're buying two). Almost every book in the pictures cost much more than that. For instance, Betsy's Return sells for $10.99 and Ted Dekker sells for $24.99. The two "It's Your Move" church resource books go together.

So, if you want to do this, buy your two Just for Me Books. Look at the pictures along the side of the blog to see what they look like. Send me your photo and info to kathycassel(at)knology.net. You can do this as many time as you want. For instance, if you buy six books for your homeschool group, you get three of the books in the pictures. I have LOTS more books to give away but these are the ones I'm starting with.

Just for Me

2010-07-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

I found out that my Just for Me series isn't selling as well as the publisher had hoped. There is a new one coming out in September called "Just for Me: My Family." The Bible and Friends are already in print.

I will be doing a book give away here soon--not of my books, but of books by other authors to those who would be willing to help promote the just for me books.

Stay tuned. I have some really awesome books to give away by authors like Kingsbury, Dekker and more.

Book Updates

2010-06-10T07:12:00.001-07:00

The Middle School book has been out since January and is available through amazon.com, christianbook.com and some local Christian bookstores.

If you are giong into 5th, 6th or 7th next year, you might want to read this over the summer.

Right now I am less than three weeks from my deadline for my Tyndale book: One Year Devotions for Girls Based on the Lives of Bible Women. It's been fun and interesting learning more about some of the well-known Bible women and discovering some lesser known ones.

I am also going over the proof pages for Just for Me: My Family. That will be out later this year. It's for girls ages 6-9 (really it reads younger than that--I'd say K-5-second grades).

In other news:

Tyler is in Indiana until June 25th.

Adam leaves for a choir mission team on the 24th.

The girls, Kaleb and I will be going to Chattanooga, St Louis and Elkhart leaving here on the 23rda nd returning about July 10.

Making the Most

2010-04-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

of a sunny day.

Getting Ready for

2010-03-30T05:12:00.001-07:00

spring pictures at school. It's a uniform free day.

Books Left

2010-03-29T05:08:00.001-07:00

I have a couple of the middle school books left. I will be mailing the others this week. Read below to find out how to get a book.

Middle School Book Give Away

2010-03-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

I am giving away five copies of my new middle school book. Please click HERE and read the first chapter or two. You have to scroll down a ways. Then come back and tell me your first name and grade in school. Tell me why you want the book or how you think it will help you.

Writer's Conference

2010-03-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Jessica and I spent five days at Lake Yale for The Florida Christian Writer's Conference.

It was a chance to see other authors that I haven't seen for a year!

Jessica worked on our book off and on throughout the day.

My books in the bookstore.

Jessica got a little dramatic.

I did an interview with Anitra from Reach FM.

It was fun seeing friends from the past and making new ones.

I was on the children's panel as an author.

We have to redo several scenes from our adventure book.

Hanging out in the 24/7 cafe with friends.

I handed out chocolate.

Jessica gets a little carried away after midnight.

Hehe. Aren't they so scary?

Jerry Jenkins, author of the Left Behind series.

Book Give Away Begins

2010-02-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: I have a few books left to give away. Some people e-mailed me rather than leaving a comment which is okay. But if you left a comment and didn't e-mail me your address then I have no way to send your books.

I have three books to give away to girls who have come home to their adoptive families in the U.S. since the earthquake. Sorry, I haven't written any boys books. The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible is on back order so I don't have any copies of it.

I have ten copies of this for girls 6-9 but really it reads younger more like 5-8.

I have ten copies of this book for girls 6-9.

I have twenty copies of this for girls 9-12 but really up to 14 since the newly adopted girls may have problems understanding some of the concepts.

These books are bought by me as a gift to the girls (yes, I have to buy them even though I wrote them) as long as they last so first come, first serve. I will even pay postage. Of course my hope is that you will love the books and tell all your friends to buy a copy. I would appreciate any positive review on amazon.com, christianbook.com, your blog or anywhere else but it is not required.

So here's what you need to do. Leave me a comment on this post with:

which book you want

first name of child only

age

orphange in Haiti

date of arrival in U.S.

anything else you want to share about your girl

e-mail me your mailing info: kathycassel(at)knology.net

THIS ENDS FEB 20 or when all the books are gone.

Book Give Aways

2010-02-04T06:50:00.000-08:00

Very soon I will be giving away copies of four different books on this blog. I am just waiting for them to arrive. Most people don't realize it, but I have to buy my own copies of the books I write. Once they are here, I will post the details.

The Twins are Home

2010-01-27T05:04:00.001-08:00

At the airport ready to go home after 36 hours.

At the hotel

Mc Donalds on the way home

At home

TV interview

Our Orphanage after the Earthquake

2010-01-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

The babies are in the big truck. I remember riding in the back of this May & Aug 07.

The children are all outside.

Someone brought in tents.

You can see the wall broken down in the background. That is leaving us open to looters.

Pierre holding Elzama.

Kayla Frednise. Looks like they are dealing with it okay but the word is that they are now out of water and are in need of water, food, formula, medicine, IV fluid and removal of a body.

I think this might be the big van.