WINNER :: Fiskafriends Blog Hop Giveaway

Thanks to all who stopped by and commented on my Fiskafriends Blog Hop giveaway (& LEGO Brick Necklace tutorial)...and a very special thanks to each of you who are followers of this blog.

Vicki in MD

Congratulations!

Please send me an e-mail with your US mailing address so I can get your prize out to you.
{You can find my e-mail address in my blog header or on my Blogger profile.}
{The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their information.}
{Due to shipping costs, giveaways are available to US mailing addresses only.}

WINNER :: Berenstain Bears' Country Cookbook

Thanks to all who stopped by and commented on my Berenstain Bears' Country Cookbook giveaway...and a very special thanks to each of you who are followers of this blog.

Sarah

Congratulations!

Here is the family-favorite recipe Sarah shared:

Easy Pumpkin Swirl

3/4 cup Bisquik
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in dry ingredients. Pour into jelly-roll pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake at 375 for 13-15 min.
Invert on towel dusted with powdered sugar, roll up. Place seam side down on wire rack and let cool. Unroll, spread with filling (following) and reroll. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Filling ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese
6 TBL butter
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together until smooth.

Looks delicious!

Please send me an e-mail with your US street mailing address so I can get your information to Zondervan.
{You can find my e-mail address in my blog header or on my Blogger profile.}

If you didn't win this time - stay tuned! Zondervan has allowed me to host monthly giveaways...so there is a lot more to come!

Note: Zondervan will ship the giveaway book(s) directly to the winner. Winner(s) can expect to receive their prize within 10 to 14 business days from when they submit their address information to me.

Zonderkidz/Zondervan's rules for giveaways:

Winner must be a US resident.

Winner must be able to provide a street mailing address (no PO Box, please) for UPS delivery.

Zondervan does not store, use, or sell the winners’ contact information or address(es).

The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their information.
Winner chosen by True Random Number Generator at Random.org

LEGO Brick Necklace Tutorial {& Fiskafriends Blog Hop}

The Introduction:

If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from Cindy deRosier's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!

If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are on Facebook, please "like" Ink Blots by TRD.

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please feel free to join along in the hop - you can start at the Fiskafriends blog.

The Hop Order:

You can find the full blog hop order on the Fiskafriends blog.

The Project:

I was able to attend a few Fiskateer events and at one of them we created LEGO necklaces. One of my sons recently had a LEGO themed birthday party and LEGO brick necklaces were the perfect addition to the goodie bags.

With a Fiskars craft drill, these necklaces take less than a minute each to create:

Simply drill through one side of the LEGO brick, thread with twine, and you are done!

My Prize:

In addition to the sponsored prizes that are up for grabs, I've decided to host a little giveaway of my own! (Just add LEGO bricks and you can make LEGO necklaces, too!)

The winner will receive:

- a Fiskars craft drill

- a spool of Mandarin twine

- a spool of Peapod twine

To enter:

• Leave a comment on this blog post. That's it!

If you would like additional chances to win you can do so in one (or all) of the following ways:

• Follow this blog. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.} 
• "Like" InkBlotsbyTRD on Facebook. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.}
• Share about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, or anywhere else. {Please let me know where you've shared by leaving one additional comment.}

Blog comments for my giveaway will close Sunday, March 29th @ 11:59pm (Pacific) and the winner will be announced Tuesday, March 31st here on my blog.

Please remember to check back here to see if you've won.

{The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their information.}

{Due to shipping costs, my giveaways are available to US mailing addresses only.}

Sponsored Prizes:

You can find details about the sponsored prizes (and how to win them!) on the Fiskafriends blog.

{Note: Only one comment per person on this post will be counted for the sponsor prize. The additional comments will count only for my personal giveaway.}

Thanks for stopping by today!

The Next Stop:

Cheryl Waters

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery;
Tools: Fiskars (Craft Drill, Scissors);
Other: LEGO (Bricks);

WINNER :: Bible Basket Giveaway

Thanks to all who stopped by and commented on my Bible basket giveaway...and a very special thanks to each of you who are followers of this blog.

MommaM

Congratulations!

Please send me an e-mail with your US street mailing address so I can get your information to Zondervan.
{You can find my e-mail address in my blog header or on my Blogger profile.}

If you didn't win this time - be sure to check out my other giveaway (ends Sunday, March 29th)! 

Also - stay tuned! Zondervan has allowed me to host monthly giveaways...so there is a lot more to come!

Note: Zondervan will ship the giveaway book(s) directly to the winner. Winner(s) can expect to receive their prize within 10 to 14 business days from when they submit their address information to me.

Zonderkidz/Zondervan's rules for giveaways:

Winner must be a US resident.

Winner must be able to provide a street mailing address (no PO Box, please) for UPS delivery.

Zondervan does not store, use, or sell the winners’ contact information or address(es).

The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their information.

Winner chosen by True Random Number Generator at Random.org

Book Reviews :: NIV Gift Bible and NIV Gift Bible for Kids (Zondervan)

The NIV Gift Bible is a fairly basic Bible that is suitable for any gift-giving occasion. The cover is "leather-look" Italian Duo-Tone™ in tan and blue with white stitching. The cover is soft and flexible and feels well-made. Inside, there is a presentation page. The pages of the NIV Gift Bible are thicker than normal Bible pages and have gold edging. The NIV Gift Bible comes in a paper sleeve (not a hard box) and should fit most Medium size Bible covers. The NIV Gift Bible also includes a ribbon bookmark.

The NIV Gift Bible has black text (including headings) with the words of Christ in red, laid out in two columns. This is the NIV (2011) version of the Bible. The text is rather small. There are footnotes throughout. There are no maps like you might find in many Bibles, but at the back of the NIV Gift Bible you will find a few helpful resources like: "Table of Weights and Measures" (1 page), "Introductions to the Books of the Bible" (3 pages - gives a brief, 1-3 sentence description of each book), "The Life of Jesus" (3 pages - includes Scripture references for key events, miracles, and parables), "Life in New Testament Times" (3 pages - covers everyday life, food, clothing, worship, and more), and "Dictionary and Concordance" (23 pages).

The NIV Gift Bible has the basics you need (plus a few extras), wrapped up in a nice cover. I think this is a great choice for a gift Bible.

Another gift Bible to consider is the NIV Gift Bible for Kids.

The NIV Gift Bible for Kids is a fairly basic Bible that is suitable for any gift-giving occasion. The cover is "leather-look" Italian Duo-Tone™ in slate blue with blue stitching and a debossed design. The cover is soft and flexible and feels well-made. Inside, there is a presentation page. The pages of the NIV Gift Bible for Kids are thicker than normal Bible pages, but do not have gold edging like the NIV Gift Bible. The NIV Gift Bible for Kids comes in a paper sleeve (not a hard box) and should fit most Medium size Bible covers. The NIV Gift Bible for Kids does not have a ribbon bookmark.

Once you remove the outer paper sleeve, the NIV Gift Bible for Kids is practically identical to the NIV Gift Bible. (Once the outer paper sleeve is removed, there is nothing that makes it a "kid" Bible, meaning it would be great for anyone.)

The NIV Gift Bible for Kids has black text (including headings) with the words of Christ in red, laid out in two columns. This is the NIV (2011) version of the Bible. The text is rather small. There are footnotes throughout. There are no maps like you might find in many Bibles, but at the back of the NIV Gift Bible for Kids you will find a few helpful resources like: "Table of Weights and Measures" (1 page), "Introductions to the Books of the Bible" (3 pages - gives a brief, 1-3 sentence description of each book), "The Life of Jesus" (3 pages - includes Scripture references for key events, miracles, and parables), "Life in New Testament Times" (3 pages - covers everyday life, food, clothing, worship, and more), and "Dictionary and Concordance" (23 pages).

The NIV Gift Bible for Kids has the basics you need (plus a few extras), wrapped up in a nice cover. I think this is a great choice for a gift Bible.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

GIVEAWAY :: Bible Basket Giveaway {Zondervan/Zonderkidz}

Zondervan/Zonderkidz has graciously allowed me to participate in their Great Easter Basket Giveaway by offering this fantastic selection of Bibles to one of my blog readers! 

I am so excited to share this giveaway with you!

Here's what you can win:

"Basket" includes:

The Beginner's Bible, Holy Bible NIrV

NIV Gift Bible for Kids

Teen Study Bible, NIV

Tiny Bear's Bible

The Details:

To enter:

• Leave a comment on this blog post. That's it!

If you would like additional chances to win you can do so in one (or all) of the following ways:

• Follow this blog. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.} 
• "Like" InkBlotsbyTRD on Facebook. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.}
• Comment on any of my giveaway posts (associated with this particular giveaway) on Facebook. 
• Share about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, or anywhere else. {Please let me know where you've shared by leaving one additional comment.}

Blog comments for the giveaway will close Sunday, March 22nd @ 11:59pm (Eastern) and the winner will be announced Tuesday, March 24th here on my blog.
Please remember to check back to see if you've won.

Note: Zondervan will ship the giveaway book(s) directly to the winner. Basket not included. Winner(s) can expect to receive their prize within 10 to 14 business days from when they submit their address information to me.

Zonderkidz/Zondervan's rules for giveaways:

Winner must be a US resident.

Winner must be able to provide a street mailing address (no PO Box, please) for UPS delivery.

Zondervan does not store, use, or sell the winners’ contact information or address(es).

Good luck!

Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

GIVEAWAY :: The Berenstain Bears' Country Cookbook {Zondervan/Zonderkidz}

Zondervan/Zonderkidz has graciously allowed me to give away a copy of The Berenstain Bears' Country Cookbook! I am so excited to share this giveaway with you, my blog followers!

{My review of The Berenstain Bears' Country Cookbook is coming soon.}

Here's what you can win:

The Details:
To enter:

• Share your favorite family-friendly recipe right here in the blog comments. Bonus points if your recipe is bear themed! Please be sure to share a photo of your recipe as the winner's recipe will be shared with the winner announcement. (You can link to a blog post/website with a recipe photo or e-mail your recipe photo to me at the e-mail address in my blog header.)

If you would like additional chances to win you can do so in one (or all) of the following ways after you have shared your recipe:

• Follow this blog. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.} 
• "Like" InkBlotsbyTRD on Facebook. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.}
• Comment on any of my giveaway posts (associated with this particular giveaway) on Facebook. 
• Share about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, or anywhere else. {Please let me know where you've shared by leaving one additional comment.}

While you are gathering your recipe and photo to share, check out this Bear-y Good Mac and Cheese cooking video featuring the Berenstain Bears:

I've shared several recipes right here on my blog, but if you are looking for our top, family-favorite recipe...it has to be these delicious Garlic Rosemary Buttered Skillet Rolls:

Blog comments for the giveaway will close Sunday, March 29th @ 11:59pm (Eastern) and the winner will be announced Tuesday, March 31st here on my blog.
Please remember to check back to see if you've won.

Note: Zondervan will ship the giveaway book directly to the winner. Winner(s) can expect to receive their prize within 10 to 14 business days from when they submit their address information to me.

Zonderkidz/Zondervan's rules for giveaways:

Winner must be a US resident.

Winner must be able to provide a street mailing address (no PO Box, please) for UPS delivery.

Zondervan does not store, use, or sell the winners’ contact information or address(es).

Good luck!

Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

Book Reviews :: How to Make Friends and Monsters & How to Survive Middle School and Monster Bots by Howard Boward, with a little help from Ron Bates

I must admit, I really enjoyed the Howard Boward series books. When I received these, I first let my son (age 9) read them, and I would hear him giggling constantly while he was reading. When I read them, I found myself giggling, too!

The series starts with the book, How to Make Friends and Monsters. In this book, we meet Howard Boward, self-proclaimed middle school nerd. We follow Howard through his adventure in "making" (literally) a friend and his interactions with his peers. How to Make Friends and Monsters is fun to read and I felt that it kept a good perspective in light of the many middle school shenanigans.

I was honestly not expecting to like How to Make Friends and Monsters as much as I did, but it was very funny and enjoyable to read. My kids loved it, too. My kids love to read (a lot), so the 347 pages was a good length, but I can see that it might be a bit long for some kids.

In How to Survive Middle School and Monster Bots, we meet back up with Howard Boward as he prepares to enter a robot-making contest. Just as in How to Make Friends and Monsters, How to Survive Middle School and Monster Bots deals with friendship (& nerdiness) and is very enjoyable to read. The author, Ron Bates, has a great writing style and I couldn't help but giggle as I was reading along. 

After reading How to Make Friends and Monsters, I was excited to start reading How to Survive Middle School and Monster Bots and I think the main downside to this book was that it was more then 100 pages shorter than the first. I enjoyed both books in the Howard Boward series and hope to read more from Ron Bates (and Howard Boward) in the future. 

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Book Review :: The Beauty of Believing: 365 Devotions that Will Change Your Life (Faithgirlz!)

The Beauty of Believing is a new devotional from the editors and authors of Faithgirlz!. There are 365 devotions in The Beauty of Believing which are numbered (not dated), which I prefer so that it is not a deterrent to start mid-year.

Here are the authors included in this devotional:

• Tasha Douglas - author of My Beautiful Daughter / God's Beautiful Daughter
• Mona Hodgson - author of Real Girls of the Bible
• Kristi Hall - author of No Boys Allowed, Shine On, Girl!, Chick Chat, and Girlz Rock
• Lois Walfrid Johnson - author of Girl Talk
• Allia Zobel Nolan - author of Whatever: Livin' the True, Noble, Totally Excellent Life
• Nancy Rue - author of That Is So Me 

From what I can tell - The Beauty of Believing is a compilation of portions of the 6 authors' books (mentioned above). The Beauty of Believing is divided into 6 sections:

1. Growing Seeds of Faith (pages 1-77)
2. God's Promises (pages 78-150)
3. Finding Strength in Hard Times (pages 151-225)
4. God Speaks To Us (pages 226-267)
5. A Helping Body of Believers (pages 268-308)
6. The Beauty of Believing (pages 309-365)

Each of the 6 sections has a 1-2 page introduction followed by a selection of daily devotional readings. (Section 6, The Beauty of Believing, does not have an introduction.)

Each of the devotionals in The Beauty of Believing are 1-2 pages long (most are only one page). They include: an opening verse, the devotional text, "More to Explore" (additional Scripture reference), "Girl Talk" (something for the reader to think about), and "God Talk" (a prayer). 

I love that there is one devotional for each day and that there are a variety of authors included. If you are looking for a devotional for your tween or young teen, I would definitely suggest considering The Beauty of Believing.
FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Book Reviews :: Tiny Bear's Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Igor Oleynikov and Little Bunny's Bible by P. J. Lyons, illustrated by Melanie Mitchell

Tiny Bear's Bible is a Bible story boardbook wrapped up in a soft cover. The material for the bear is a medium brown, fuzzy fabric and the ears are flaps that can be lifted and played with. The material covering the background is a soft tan/cream fleece fabric. The title ("Tiny Bear's Bible") appears to be iron-on lettering on an oval of blue felt. The blue straps on the bear are also made of blue felt. Everything appears to be securely stitched in place. Although the fuzzy fabrics on the cover of Tiny Bear's Bible don't seem to come apart when I pull at them, I am not sure what they would do if a baby put them in their mouth...and I am not going to put this in my mouth for the sake of a review. ;o)

(Note: There is an older version with a cover for Tiny Bear's Bible that has a fuzzy, light brown bear on a fuzzy, light brown background, shown below. I have this edition as well and much prefer the new cover with the medium brown bear on a cream colored fleece background.)

(Note: Tiny Bear's Bible also has an alternative "pink" version with a pink bow on the bear's head. I do not own this version, but imagine that the cover is just as soft as the one I am currently reviewing.)

The text of Tiny Bear's Bible is written by Sally Lloyd-Jones. There are 11 Bible stories retold (in rhyme) in Tiny Bear's Bible. 

They are:

• God Makes the Whole Wide World, Genesis 1-2 (Creation)
• God Promises to Rescue Noah, Genesis 6-9 (Noah's Ark)
• God Keeps Moses Safe, Exodus 1-2 (Baby Moses)
• David Fights a Horrible Giant, 1 Samuel 17 (David & Goliath)
• God Protects Daniel in the Lions' Den, Daniel 6 (Daniel in the Den of the Lions)
• Jesus is Born, Luke 2 (Birth of Jesus)
• Jesus Stops a Scary Storm, Mark 4 (Jesus Calms the Storm)
• The Lord's Prayer, paraphrase of Matthew 6 (The Lord's Prayer)
• The Friend of Sinners, Luke 19 (Zacchaeus)
• God Makes Jesus Alive Again!, Matthew 27-28 (Death and Resurrection of Jesus)
• "I am with you always", Matthew 28 (Reminder that God is always with us)

In each each story is a reference to Tiny Bear and something that ties in to how the story relates to us (God keeps his promises, God takes care of us, God helps us, etc.). I appreciated these additions to the story-telling to remind us that these are more than just stories.

The illustrations in Tiny Bear's Bible are done by Igor Oleynikov. Each 2-page spread is fully illustrated. On the left page of each opening (along with the title and Scripture reference), there is an illustration that corresponds to the Bible story being retold. On the right page of each opening (along with the story text), there is an illustration that shows Tiny Bear in a scene that corresponds with the Bible story. The illustrations are beautifully done in a colorful, but slightly muted color palette. The illustrations are not quite as cartoonish as you might expect in a children's book, but I appreciated that.

Little Bunny's Bible is a Bible story boardbook wrapped up in a fuzzy cover. The material for the bunny is very soft, fuzzy fabric and the ears can be lifted and played with (the tips are stitched to the cover, but the rest of them are loose). The material covering the background is a soft light gray fleece. The title ("Little Bunny's Bible") appears to be iron-on lettering on an oval of gray felt. Everything appears to be securely stitched in place. The fuzzy fabrics don't seem to come apart when I pull at them, and seem quite sturdy. Even with that said, I am not sure what they would do if a baby put them in their mouth...and I am not going to put this in my mouth for the sake of a review. ;o)

The text is written by P. J. Lyons. There are 8 Bible stories retold (in rhyme) in Little Bunny's Bible. 

They are:

• God's Wonderful Work, Genesis 1-2 (Creation)
• God's Friend Noah, Genesis 6-8 (Noah's Ark)
• Daniel in the Lions' Den, Daniel 6 (Daniel in the Lions' Den)
• Jonah Learns a Lesson, Jonah 1-3 (Jonah)
• God's Greatest Gift, Matthew 1:18-24, Luke 2:1-7 (Birth of Jesus)
• The Lost Lamb, Matthew 18: 12-14 (Parable of the Lost Sheep)
• It's a Miracle, John 6:1-13 (Feeding of the Many with Loaves and Fishes)
• Jesus Opens Heaven's Doors, Luke 23:44-24:8 (Death and Resurrection of Jesus)

The illustrations in Little Bunny's Bible are done by Melanie Mitchell. Each 2-page spread is illustrated (although they are not edge-to-edge illustrations). The left page of each opening has a white background and includes the title, Scripture reference, story text, and a small illustration of Little Bunny in a circular frame. The right page of each opening is a full-coverage illustration that corresponds to the Bible story being retold. The illustrations are cute and colorful, as you would expect from a children's book.

If you have seen Little Chick's Bible, Little Bunny's Bible is very similar. There are, however, 3 stories that are in Little Chick's Bible in place of 3 that are in Little Bunny's Bible.
They are:

• Baby Moses in a Boat, Exodus 1-2 (Baby Moses) - in place of Daniel in the Lions' Den
• David Fights a Giant, 1 Samuel 17 (David & Goliath) - in place of Jonah Learns a Lesson
• The Real Neighbor, Luke 10:25-37 (The Good Samaritan) - in place of The Lost Lamb

Since I received both Tiny Bear's Bible (by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Igor Oleynikov) and Little Bunny's Bible (by P. J. Lyons, illustrated by Melanie Mitchell) to review, I cannot help but compare the two. I the covers on both Little Bunny's Bible and the new cover on Tiny Bear's Bible (they are SO soft!), but prefer the text and illustrations from Tiny Bear's Bible. However, if it comes down to it, I think either (or both!) would be great to share with little ones.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

I'm Here For You {MFT Sketch Challenge 217}

Well...there has been a lot of buzz lately about the challenges over at MFT (My Favorite Things), and the most recent sketch challenge immediately gave me an idea for a card when I saw it. 

Here's the sketch:

Here's my card:

I love the MFT Abstract Art stamp set and thought it worked perfectly for the challenge. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Midnight Black 130#, Brilliant White 80#);
Stamps: My Favorite Things (Abstract Art, Get Well Wishes);
Ink: My Favorite Things (Dye - Black Licorice); Memento (Dye  - Lilac Posies, Pear Tart, Tangela, Bahama Blue, Dandelion);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);