Lasagna in the Slow Cooker

Today, for dinner, I'm making Slow Cooker Lasagna. Whenever I say that I make lasagna in the slow cooker, I get funny looks. Yes! You can make lasagna in a slow cooker. Yes! It tastes good. My family actually prefers it made this way instead of the traditional on the stove then into the oven method. I personally have never met a lasagna I didn't like, so I'm flexible on the preparation method. This way is very easy, though, and you get it going early in the day. The house smells great all afternoon, and you just set the plates out at dinner time.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

8 lasagna noodles

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/3 cup water

1 lb cooked hamburger or sausage

1 15 oz container ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Break 4 of the noodles into pieces and put in the bottom of the pot. Combine the water sauce and meat. Put half of it on the noodles. Drop half the ricotta cheese by spoonfuls on top of the sauce mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese. Repeat all the steps with the remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 5 hours. Very good and very easy.

Book Review:Jesus Calling Devotional Bible

Recently, I was given an opportunity to read and review the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible edited by Sarah Young. This Bible includes 260 prayers with devotional answers from Sarah Young's books, scriptures highlighted throughout the text, and an index to the devotions. The copy I received is a hard cover, NKJ version.

I have found the set up of this Bible  to be fairly easy to follow. The devotions are organized into subjects and indexed in the front. Some of the subjects are abiding, brokenness, hope, joy, peace, and worship. You simply choose the subject you want to read and go to the indicated page. The devotions are on a two page spread with a prayer on the left side and the devotion on the right. Sarah Young's devotions are unique, because they are told in the first person from God's point of view. I really enjoy this writing style. It's very personal, and has given me a new perspective on God and his word. The only problem I had with this Bible came when I was looking up particular passages. The devotion pages are not numbered, and the prayer pages are numbered halfway down the page. This cause a little confusion, but overall I liked the set up.

This is a beautiful devotional Bible that I think most Christians would enjoy. I think the writing style would be preferred by women, but men might enjoy it, too. It would make a lovely gift, and, because the devotions are not dated, it can be given at anytime of the year.

I received this book for free from Book Sneeze for the purpose of review.

Book Review: A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

I recently read A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner. This is the Third book by her that I have read, and I have enjoyed them all She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The story is about ghosts, a creepy house, second chances, and letting go of the past. It is set in two time periods, the present day and the Civil War. The author uses both of these setting to tell a interesting story that spans generations. One of the most important characters in the story is Holly Oak, an antebellum mansion that has been in the same family for generations. It seems to have a mind and personality of its own. I really enjoyed this book. It was part mystery, part love story. I would recommend it to readers who like historical fiction.

This book was given to me free by Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of review.

Fall Into Reading 2011

Well, today is the first day of fall. That means cooler weather should be coming our way...eventually. I'm planning on lots of Starbucks this fall and lots of reading. Callapidder Days is hosting the Fall Into Reading challenge again and I have my list ready. I picked most of these books randomly, so there really isn't much rhyme or reason to my list.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff

Jillian Dare by Melanie M Jeschke

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz

Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

A Distant Music B J Hoff

Bad Ground by  Dale Cramer

In the Arms of Immortals by Ginger Garrett

 The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz

I've had some of these books a ridiculously long time, so I am looking forward to getting them read. Or at least deciding not to read them. We'll see how it goes. I'll give an update and some book reviews in December when the challenge is over. Wow! By then it will be almost Christmas! Oh well, happy fall and happy reading.

Book Review: The Skin Map

Kit Livingstone always thought his grandfather Cosimo had deserted his family. He went to the market one day and never returned. Imagine Kit's surprise when Cosimo shows up almost one hundred years after his disappearance and tells Kit and amazing story of traveling through time. Kit is a little skeptical, until he makes the journey for himself. This is how The Skin Map begins.

The Skin Map is a fun beginning to The Bright Empires series by Stephen Lawhead. Throughout the story, the characters travel through "leys" which are roads that lead to parallel universes. All of these universes have been mapped out by a previous traveler and tattooed on his body. When he died, the map was removed and eventually lost. Kit and his friends must find the map before it falls into the wrong hands.

The Skin Map is a fast paced, enjoyable story. The time travel element makes it easy for characters to show up in unexpected places, and, some times, to get lost. I had some trouble keeping track of everyone. I had to go back a couple of times to figure out who was where and what they were doing, but overall it was a fun read with enough suspense to make me want to read the next book. I would recommend The Skin Map to anyone who enjoys the Science Fiction or Alternate History genres.

I received this book free from BookSneeze for the purpose of review.

Book Review: Desiring God by John Piper

Well...I am going to come right out and say it. I really struggled reading this book. I agree with with what the author is saying, but I found it very difficult to read. It came highly recommended by my father-in-law who is a pastor, so I know it's good. I have read two other books by John piper that I really enjoyed. He has a very warm writing style. I think the content was a little too technical for me right now.

I received this book for free for the purpose of review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

You Can't Mess Up Kindergarten

I was talking to my niece a few weeks ago about home schooling. She has a pre-schooler and she  was sharing some of her concerns about starting up, so I thought would share some of the resources I've used over the years. I don't do formal schooling until kindergarten, and even then I keep it light and fun. I have home schooled 2 Kers, and they have both turned out fine. My mantra is "you can't mess up kindergarten". So...here are some of my favorite resources and curricula.

Five in a Row: This is what I use as my spine. It uses literature based unit studies to cover social studies, language arts, fine arts, applied math (I don't do formal workbook math until 1st grade), and science. There is a list of picture books in the front of the book. Each week you choose a book. Everyday you read the book and cover one subject. There are several lessons to choose from. You can do as many as you want or only do one. I have used this since the first day I home schooled. I love it.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons: This is the reading curriculum I used. It's pretty dry, but it gets the job done. After the whole manual is completed your child should be reading at about a 2nd grade level.

A Reason for Handwriting: This is a traditional handwriting approach. It uses scripture for practice which makes it easy to incorporate Bible memory into your routine.

That about sums up how I did kindergarten. We were always done by lunch time, which left the afternoon for rest, free play, and lots of snuggling on the couch with a good book. As far as socializing goes, I never did much outside of church activities and programs. If your church doesn't have much for school age children I would recommend finding an AWANA program or something similar in your area. I would be happy to answer any questions anyone might have about home schooling. Just remember: You can't mess up kindergarten!