Book Review :: Noah, Noah, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, illustrated by Melissa Iwai

Noah, Noah, What Do You See? was an instant favorite in our house. And I mean FAVORITE - a day is not complete if we don't read "Noah, Noah, See" (what my little guy calls it) at least once. 

Noah, Noah, What Do You See? is co-written by Bill Martin Jr. - the author of classics like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (and other books in the Brown Bear and Friends line) as well as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (and other Chicka Chicka books). 

In Noah, Noah, What Do You See?, we look in on Adam, Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Daid, Daniel, Esther, Jonah, Mary, Zacchaeus, Peter, Paul, a little child, and Jesus - and we find out what they "see". Some of the things they "see" aren't exactly visual (ex: Paul sees an earthquake), but that is being nit-picky. You will definitely get a lot of practice saying the words "see" and "me" in this book, but it is such a cute idea that it is worth it.

My little guy loves this book so much that I am considering buying two - one to keep in the car or at church. This one is definitely a must-have in our house!

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

Adventures in Bible art & journaling :: Abide With Me

Well, I've done several reviews of Christian books and journaling Bibles lately, but haven't done much actual Bible journaling. I am trying to get back in the swing of things, though, and this page is my "comeback":

I made a weave of washi tape, gave it a little layer of paint to stamp on, and then stamped and did some quick coloring. It was a fairly simple approach, but has kept this idea ("Abide With Me") bouncing around in my head for weeks...which is why I love Bible art & journaling so much. 

Have a great day!

Find all my posts pertaining to Bible art or journaling here.

Supplies:
Bible: Zondervan (NIV Holy Bible, Journal Edition);
Stamps: Ink Blot Shop, LLC (Floral Frenzy, Chunky Alphabet (Solid)); Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (Outline Alpha);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black);
Tape: Washi Tape;
Paint: Plaid (Apple Barrel - Antique Parchment);
Page Prep: Ranger (Multi Medium - Matte, Clear Gesso);

Book Review :: NIrV Kids' Devotional Bible, Hardcover

The NIrV Kids' Devotional Bible is both a Bible and devotional in one. (I received the hardcover edition to review, but it is also available in imitation leather.)

At the front of the NIrV Kids' Devotional Bible is a presentation page, Table of Contents, "How To Use Your Devotional Bible", and "A Word About the NIrV". The text of the NIrV Kids' Devotional Bible is laid out in two columns per page, with all black text (including the words of Christ). This is the NIrV version of the Bible (© 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014). Each book of the Bible is preceded by a short introduction (a paragraph or two). 

Extra "Got It!" devotions are found at the end of many of the books of the Bible.

At the back is a Dictionary and a "Subject Guide" (referencing the topics discussed in the devotions). 

The NIrV Kids' Devotional Bible contains devotionals to read: one per day during the week and one on the weekend, enough for a full year.

The general format of the devotions is:

- a verse (written out) plus a reference to read for the day (weekend devotions have verses for both Saturday and Sunday)

- a short devotion

- a prompt ("Ask Yourself" for weekday devotions) or prompts ("Some Things to Think About" and "Some Things to Do" for the weekend devotions)
- a check box ("I Have Read This Devotion")

- a note telling you where to find the next devotion and where to read more about the current devotion's topic

What I found extra exciting about the NIrV Kids' Devotional Bible (on top of the other things previously mentioned) is the cute line art. As someone who loves Bible art & journaling, I automatically saw an opportunity for this to be used as an introduction to Bible art for kids (like a coloring book) as well. Although the devotional artwork is repeated throughout (Monday's devotions always feature the image of a sun, Tuesday's devotions always feature the paint palette image, etc.), and the book artwork has several images that are repeated, I find this to be a good "dip" into the Bible art waters.

The NIrV Kids' Devotional Bible immediately gained my interest (and the interest of my children), and I think it is a great value for a kids' 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.

Recipe :: Herbed Cream Cheese, Pesto, and Bacon Chicken (for a crowd...or for your freezer)

This is a recipe I've been asked for many times, so I figured it was time to "officially" write it out. It was inspired by a dinner that our family got once from one of the assemble-your-own-freezer-meal places (I can't remember what it was called), and I messed around with the ingredients until I got the flavor I wanted. 

This is a great option to make in a large quantity and freeze in portions that will work for your family size. For our family of 6 big eaters, this makes 3 freezer meals. (Yay for freezer meals!) It is also very easy to make for a crowd, so I am sharing a crowd-sized recipe. 

Ingredients:
16-18 pieces frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or approx. 6 lbs., depending on the size of the pieces)
52-60 oz. marinara sauce (meat-free)
5-8 oz. cooked bacon crumbles (or substitute with 1 uncooked piece of bacon per piece of chicken)
1/3-1/2 c. prepared pesto sauce
Herbed Cream Cheese (recipe below)

Looking to make this in a smaller quantity? For 6 pieces of chicken you will need approximately 20 oz. of marinara sauce, 1-2 oz. cooked bacon crumbles, 2 tbsp. pesto, and 6 tbsp. herbed cream cheese.

To make the Herbed Cream Cheese:
8 oz. tub of whipped cream cheese (or substitute with 8 oz. softened cream cheese)
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried dill

Directions:
For the full recipe: set out four 9x12 casserole dishes.
Tip: If you are using uncooked bacon and want to broil it to get it crispy, make sure you are using metal casserole dishes. I have some from this line. This one might be a good pan option, too.
Pour marinara sauce into the bottom of each of the dishes, making sure the bottom is covered with about 1/4" of sauce.
Lay frozen chicken breasts into the casserole dishes.
Place approximately 1 tsp. of pesto on top of each chicken breast.
Place approximately 1 tbsp. of herbed cream cheese on top of each chicken breast. (If I have some left over, I like to dot it over the marinara sauce in the dish.)
Sprinkle bacon crumbles over the top (or if you are using uncooked bacon, place one strip of bacon on each piece of chicken).

If you are preparing this as a freezer meal, cover your casserole dishes and place them in the freezer.
Tip: If you are using a metal pan, do not cover directly with foil. Use plastic wrap to create a barrier between the metal pan and the foil, otherwise your foil will create a battery and "melt" into your meal. Yikes!

When you are ready to cook your meal, place into an oven that has been pre-heated to 375 degrees.

Bake (uncovered) for approximately 45 minutes or until the chicken (and any uncooked bacon) are cooked through. If you started with uncooked bacon, you can use your oven's broiler to crisp up your bacon (just be sure your pan is broiler safe!).

We love to serve this with rice, making sure to scoop out some extra sauce onto our rice.

It's also great with mashed potatoes.
And don't forget to make some delicious rolls to go with it, too.

Enjoy!