Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews

Tell Your Time: How To Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Fulfilled by Amy Lynn Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Simple. Short. Easy. Practical. Hands-on. Inspiring. Helpful.

As an organization freak I can honestly say I have read dozens of books on time management. And I have even read many books about reading books about time management. Yes...I have issues! However, setting my "issues" aside, I must say that THIS book is the BEST book I have ever read about the topic of, solution to, and aid for time management.

Hands down. Without a doubt.

It is short and sweet - only 30 pages! - and it's extremely simple. So simple that it only took me 3 hours to read the book, print off the four resource/tool pages, and complete the action steps. I really liked how I could fill out the downloadable worksheets as I read through the book making it all one smooth process. This book sticks to the basic principles and breaks them down into four easy and manageable steps. There are no long chapters waxing eloquently about what we should do, but rather step-by-step instruction, encouragement, and personal example of what to do. Whether you are a fellow "freak" like myself, or someone who hates time management, you will be encouraged and enabled by this book to become more managed in your time.

I highly recommend and challenge you to put down the big, thick books you're reading and pick-up this short book and see some results! Find your freedom in time!

You can purchase your own copy through Amy’s website or through Amazon.com.

Christy by Catherine Marshall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Catherine Marshall whisks you back in time to a secluded place in the Smokey Mountains where you see life through the eyes of Christy. She is a spunky and courageous young teacher who wants her life to be about more than just who she knows and what parties she attends. As you find yourself walking the rugged hills and viewing the majestic sights in your own imagination, you will also find yourself learning wholesome life lessons.

The characters come to life through this audio version of the book and you finish this story feeling like you have new friends. Kellie Martin - who played Christy on the CBS dramatized version of this book - reads the book with passion and depth.

I not only enjoyed hearing the whole and original version of Christy, but was captivated by the tale. I couldn't wait to get up and get to work around the house so that I could continue listening to this amazing journey of Christy and the many other people woven into her story. I would highly recommend this book for older children to adults. It would make a great resource to entertain the family on a long road trip or over a longer period of time in commuting to school or around town.

There were parts that may be slightly scary - such as shootings, burials, and some of the folklore - but overall I think that it would still be appropriate for the average person, child, or family.

BOOK OVERVIEW:

Christy Huddleston left home at 19 to teach school in the Smokey Mountains. There she came to know and love the wild mountain people with their fierce pride, their dark superstitions, their terrible poverty, their yearning for beauty and truth. Christy found her faith severely challenged in these primitive surroundings; and, confronted with two young men of unique strength and needs, she found her own growing yearnings challenged by love.

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This review copy was provided courtesy of Oasis Audio.

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This book is awarded with the To Read, Or Not To Read badge of distinction  - Best Of The Best - for the fact that because it is so good, it has been added to Mandy’s bookshelf!

The Busy Mom’s Guide to a Happy Organized Home by Kathy Peel

The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home: Fast Solutions to Hundreds of Everyday Dilemmas by Kathy Peel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Are you feeling overwhelmed?

Do you feel like you are always busy?

Do you long for way to simplify your life?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions then The Busy Mom's Guide could be the book of the year for you!

In an easy reading format this book provides help and encouragement for the organized and unorganized Mom alike. It is fun to read straight through or easy to read in any order you need. It also is a great book to read a page a day with-out feeling like you're lost. Kathy breaks life down into 7 manageable categories and then provides a variety of helpful tips and ideas to make each of those categories work better in your life. Whether you browse the book or read from cover to cover, this book is for you! It is a great addition to anyone's personal bookshelf and one that you will go back to over and over through out the years of motherhood as you fine tune your home and routines.

I liked the easy read format along with the index for quick finds if searching for tips on a particular subject. I also enjoyed all the sidebar tips, tricks, and tid-bits. Kathy has truly given you fast solutions to hundreds of everyday dilemmas!

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This review copy was provided by Tyndale House Publishing, but the opinions expressed are strictly that of my own.

Queen Of The Castle by Lynn Bowen Walker

Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker by Lynn Bowen Walker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Queen Of The Castle is the perfect book for a woman who wants some inspiration and encouragement in the area of homemaking. Whether you are domestically challenged, or just simply looking for some refreshing ways to spice up your skills around the house, Lynn Bowen Walker has written a book for you.

Walker has divided the book into 52 short chapters that contain fun tid-bits like a new word to learn, a short devotional/encouragement reading, quotes, prayer prompts, and a great variety of advice. Every 5 chapters are followed with a Chocolate Break where she gives a yummy recipe containing chocolate, and who doesn't enjoy chocolate?! This book covers a wide range of topics about homemaking; from holiday ideas to schedules and chores, organization to housework and meals - Lynn talks about it all.

I enjoyed reading a chapter of this book each Saturday to encourage me for the upcoming week. While you could read it all in one sitting, it is enjoyable to read like a weekly dose and use the tips as a way to slowly tweak your household skills. Queen Of The Castle is fun and easy to read and I found it to be the perfect amount of encouragement for each week.

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Creative Counterpart

Creative Counterpart : Becoming the Woman, Wife, and Mother You Have Longed to Be by Linda Dillow

rating: 5 of 5 stars

Creative Counterpart is a thorough, yet easy to read, book about the topic of being a wife and mother that brings glory to God. Linda Dillow has captured the complexity of living out the rolls God has placed us in with a simple format and explanation. This book will encourage and exhort you as a wife or wife and mother. While she does talk about our roll of being a mother, the majority of the book is about the position of wife. I highly recommend this book if you are married or soon to be married.

My favorite quote from this book is "Are you willing to suffer in order to bring about healing in the life of your husband?" A powerful and challenging thought.

Designing Your Home On A Budget

Designing Your Home on a Budget: *Knowing the Rules and How to Break Them All * Finding the Bargains * Loving the Results! by Emilie Barnes

rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emilie & Yoli give you a great overview and in depth ideas of decorating your home on a shoestring budget. I enjoyed the easy reading style and all the great tips. If you don't know what your decorating style is then this is the book for you! Or maybe you already have your house headed in the dicection you want it to go but would love to have ideas on easy and cheap do-it-yourself projects - then this is for you! I am sure anyone who desires a nice looking home will enjoy this book.

Ordering Your Private World

Ordering Your Private World - Man In The Mirror Edition - Includes Study Guide by Gordon MacDonald

rating: 5 of 5 stars

276 pages of great reading! Though this is not an easy read by any means, it was a good book that was thought provoking and challenging to the soul level. It's slightly hard to begin and "get into" but once you do I think you will find yourself caught up in how you can order not just your day and schedule, but your private world.

Living Organized

Living Organized: Proven Steps for a Clutter-Free and Beautiful Home by Sandra Felton

rating: 3 of 5 stars

Do you feel overwhelmed by your house? If your answer is "yes" than this is a great book for you! This is Sandra Felton's updated and re-titled book:The Messies Superguide. It is a quick read, a simple read, a practical read. You will walk away with hands-on tips and encouragement from those in the trenches. If organizing is not your "thing" this book should be at the top of your "to read" pile. If your house is already running smooth, you may want to choose another book to read.

The Quick-Fix Home Organizer

The Quick-Fix Home Organizer: Making Your Home Beautiful and Your Life Clutter Free by Emilie Barnes

rating: 3 of 5 stars

An easy read, quick tip book! Full of tips and help for getting organized from the kitchen to the bathroom, from your clothes to the kids rooms. Emilie covers it all in a quick, "easy dosage" style.

Martha To The Max

Martha to the Max!: Balanced Living for Perfectionists by Debi Stack

rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book the first time I read it. I want to read it again. But first I need to find it! I helped me understand myself better and put things into proper Biblical perspective more and more. But it is a book that you read once, make some changes. Read again, change some more...so on it goes.

Shopping For Time

Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed by Carolyn Mahaney

rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great book!

First of all it was a quick read which made it feel like you were accomplishing something!

Second it was filled with challenges and easy to apply application. Not too deep, but not shallow by any means!

This book was to my life what a frappaccino is to my energy level in the afternoon hours! A pick-me-up for my time management that crossed over into my time with God, time with family, time with friends, and how to balance them all.

Have 2 hours of time? Invest them in this great read!