Joseph.....

Joseph 03/29/12 from Holly Neaton on Vimeo.

Cookbook Review - Farm Fresh Southern Cooking

I love books in general, but am very fond of cookbooks. Farm Fresh Southern Cooking by Tammy Algood did not disappoint. It is chalk full of beautiful photos and what look like yummy recipes. I'm sure it would be more suited for the southern cook who would have more year-round access to fresh produce, but there are recipes for everyone in there.

I can't wait to try a wide range of recipes once I have more local fresh produce available to me. Some that I have marked to try include ~

Hot Bacon Dressing over Wilted Greens
Y'all Come Pecan Brussels Sprouts
Florida Sunshine Glazed Rutabagas
Divine from the Vine Tomato Sauce

Later this week, I'm going to make the Fall Squash and Sausage Soup...I have some squash from last fall saved away in the freezer.

Beautiful book that any home cook can find inspiration in.

I received this book free from the publisher through the Book Sneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

God bless -

Book Review - The Good Wife's Guide

I'm not sure how I originally found Darlene's blog - Time-Warp Wife - but I've been reading and gaining inspiration and help for some time now, so when I had the opportunity to review her new book I jumped at the chance. I received a PDF file of The Good Wife's Guide : Embracing Your Role as a Help Meet by Darlene Schacht from the author for an honest review.

I found the book to be a quick read and filled with great information and inspiration to better equip me to be a better wife to my dear husband. The first parts of the book deal with life issues and our own heart and the second parts go into practical applications in regards to keeping a home. All of this done with Biblical references and insight.

I loved the reminder in chapter 6 that God equips those He calls and that my calling is to be a keeper of my home. I don't have to be perfect but it's about being a gift to my family and my small sacrifices for my family and to the Lord should be done with a willing, cheerful heart.

It was also nice to see her cleaning schedules and deep cleaning checklists in the second part of the book. I had looked over her schedules in the past on her website, but the inclusion in the book was a great reminder that I need to be more mindful of keeping a better schedule in regards to some of those cleaning tasks.

I really enjoyed this book and love that Darlene is a down-to-earth mom, wife and homemaker like a lot of us. She is not perfect and she doesn't pretend to be.

A couple of points I found myself underlining as I read.....

Everything that I present to my family is a reflection of my heart. I can either show them I value them by giving of myself with joy, or I can do it begrudgingly because it's something that has to be done.


True love is giving without expecting return. It doesn't keep track of wrong doings. It doesn't expect perfection, and allows room for fault. It plants gardens where brick walls have once stood. True love is painful and pleasant, while perfect in every way. It's grace in action.


You can get your Kindle copy of The Good Wife's Guide on Amazon.com right now for just $2.99.  And it looks like a paperback version will be available in April.

Darlene's Blog - Time-Warp Wife
Darlene's Facebook Page - Time-Warp Wife on Facebook

God bless -

Joseph Jr. - 15 Months Old

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. ~ Psalm 127:3

Baby boy's new favorite place to be ~ inside the dryer. 

(Don't worry...his sisters have been told not to close him in there!)

Joseph is 15 months old and the bigger he gets the more clear it is that he is all boy. Wherever he goes he is consistently picking up sticks and rocks and dirt. Earlier this week I found a pile of dirt and a ziptie in the fridge because he dropped it there when his sisters were looking for a snack.

He is crazy busy and always moving and can keep up with his sisters most days. 

He loves being outside and can throw a great tantrum when it's time to come in. Today, we played out in the rain for about an hour and everyone was just happy as could be to be mucking around in the mud and puddles. 

The weather has been awesome and we spent the afternoon at the park recently. It took Joseph no time at all to get comfortable on everything and was going down the slide all by himself almost immediately. 

We have been so blessed that all our kiddos are pretty good eaters...Joseph included. He loves all the yummy things like popcorn, fruit and bacon, but also enjoys brussel sprouts, broccoli and oatmeal. 

Our growing boy gives a mean hi-five and gives loads of sloppy kisses that sometimes include a good head butt. 

He is still nursing and he and I are still limiting dairy and gluten which seems to be keeping his skin looking great. I have noticed that I can have some of those things and he seems to tolerate them, but does seem to react when he has them directly. The reactions are slight and much better and shorter lived than they use to be...so just maybe his little digestive system is maturing and he is outgrowing his intolerants.  

What a blessing he is to us!

God bless!

Just because...

I was looking through some old photos and wanted to share what the kids all looked like around the same age. They sure are cute!

Charlie - 15 months old

Cori - 14 months old

Joseph Jr. - 14 months old

God bless!