Friendship Promises

Here is the book summary:

Friendship Promises is a meaningful gift book, for both the giver and the recipient. Sharing these encouraging words will help friends walk confidently toward a sweet, strong relationship grounded in honesty, kindness, and a devotion to God and one another. Featuring reflections about friendship from Never Unfriended by Lisa-Jo Baker, and Craving Connection from the (in)courage community, Friendship Promises combines beautiful graphics with devotional reflections, prayers, Scripture, and journaling prompts. By giving this lovely book, you are sharing your heart to be a friend that is authentic, present, encouraging, and rooted in Christ.

And now, my review:

This book has a light pink amazing linen cover.  That’s what I personally love most about it.  It’s a great coffee table book for display.  I enjoyed the encouragement written within about friendships and the importance of opening your home to invite friendships to advance to deeper levels.   On the flip side, I felt that it was very basic in design on the inside.  It has full pages of just a centered thought or verse with beautiful pictures/images.  Some of the images are repeated and that was disappointing to me.  I was able to move through this book quite quickly but I think that is typical for most coffee table picture books.  I do think this could be a great encouragement to share with a friend that is special in your life.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Friendship-Promises-courage/dp/1535934425/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3KZODQNCA4PR1&keywords=friendship+promises+gift+book&qid=1555771646&s=gateway&sprefix=friendship+promises%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/friendship-promises-in-courage/9781535934428/pd/934428?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/friendship-promises-in-courage/1128912001?ean=9781535934428

Open-Door Living by Jen Schmidt

Here is the book summary:

Would you like to replace the expectations and anxiety of hosting people in your home with creative encouragement and easy ways to host others, all while pointing them to Christ? In Open-Door Living, Jen Schmidt helps you see that this is much easier than you think. She starts with an invitation to the heart of hospitality, then shares her best practical ideas to remove stress from four aspects of hosting: food, cleaning, atmosphere, and connection. Featuring beautiful graphics and devotional reflections, Open-Door Living will give you the confidence you need to share the gift of your home.

And now, my review:

Open-Door Living by Jen Schmidt is a great “coffee table” book just under 100 pages that has a beautiful cover to display and great insights inside to help in the area of hospitality, in the Biblical sense.  It’s about welcoming people in and pointing them to Christ.  She writes, “As Christ has welcomed me, so I welcome you.”  She helps you think through the prep and my favorite is the conversation starter hints that she includes.  Beyond the affordable decorative ideas that are amazing, she includes helpful hints of what to serve along with recipes.  Once we are set up with a few staples we can be on our way to success in this area.  The display of a personalized chalkboard was a favorite of mine as well as the encouragement to KISS meaning to keep it simple and sweet.   Having a Charcuterie Board on hand with all the fix-ins is the first goal for me.  This will be a shelf item that I can have at the ready for the drop by visits prayerfully starting soon. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Open-Door-Living-Easy-Share-Hospitality/dp/1535934433/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ISULS362R6V8&keywords=open+door+living&qid=1554254284&s=gateway&sprefix=open+door+%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/living-easy-ways-share-gift-hospitality/jen-schmidt/9781535934435/pd/934435?product_redirect=1&Ntt=934435&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/open-door-living-jen-schmidt/1128911998?ean=9781535934435#/

Hand Made by Melissa K Norris

Here is the book summary:

Homemade Shouldn't Be Hectic

Do you wish you could slow down and create a home you and your family love and enjoy spending time in? Melissa K. Norris, author of The Made-from-Scratch Life and voice of the Pioneering Today podcast, offers down-to-earth tips and guidance to help you learn how to...

·        bake old-fashioned recipes (everything from biscuits to shepherd's pie) with quick, stress-free steps

·        grow, harvest, and preserve culinary and medicinal herbs (with DIY tutorials for soaps, salves, and balms)

·        make your own cultured and fermented foods at home following simple instructions for buttermilk, sour cream, sourdough, and more

·        simplify your routine and declutter your home with room-by-room guides and Depression-era wisdom

Open your heart to God-given rest and discover practical and tangible ways you can craft your home into a refuge for yourself and the ones you love.

And now, my review:

From the Great Depression to good old-fashioned hospitality to homemade delicious recipes from scratch of family hand me downs, this book is amazing.  I thought that Melissa’s sharing of what she has learned and is holding onto herself is inspiring.  I found her sharing very open and I was blessed to hear her experiences.  She really helps with what a home looks like if in the right balance.  Encouraging that last minute guests for dinner is a welcomed experience if balance is in place in the house…  YIKES!  A healthy alternative, with a frugal agenda, to all the processed foods in the store is SO needed in our culture today.  Way to go Melissa, A+ for this one!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Made-Modern-Made-Scratch-ebook/dp/B075572JJ7/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518992005&sr=1-3&keywords=Hand+Made

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hand-made-melissa-k-norris/1125130393?ean=9780736969673#/

https://www.christianbook.com/modern-womans-guide-from-scratch-living/melissa-norris/9780736969673/pd/969673?event=ESRCG