Heaven is for Real is an emotional, true story by Todd Burpo. Todd went through an agonizing phase in his life in which his son, Colton almost died. What started out as mild stomach pains and was thought to be a simple case of the stomach flu, turned out to be a ruptured appendix that required emergency surgery. Luckily, Colton survived his ordeal and recovered during a long period in the hospital.

Several months after the illness, Colton began to speak about the ordeal, telling his parents about what he experienced while he was on death’s doorstep. Colton said that he went to Heaven and was able to tell details about family members that had passed away long before he was born. Colton even mentioned meeting a miscarried sibling, even though neither parent had ever told him about the miscarriage. Although the book is written by Todd, Colton’s voice is strong and many of his experiences are told in his own words- the sweet, innocent words of a 4-year-old.

Some people have spoken out against this book, claiming that it is all a ruse, or saying that it should be discouraged because the theology isn’t completely perfect. But I think that any person of any religion could take this story at face value, and appreciate a modern-day miracle that happened to a family that genuinely cares for each other. The theology isn’t supposed to be perfect- it’s a 4 year old’s tale. I enjoyed reading this book, but if you’re looking for a deep, detailed discussion about the afterlife, this story is not for you.

http://www.sweetestkitchen.com/2009/04/homemade-peanut-butter-cups/#.TsgDCbKVpkY

You can see the entire recipe by following the link above, and let me go ahead and tell you, this is definitely a recipe to try! So easy and so yummy! The only hard part is trying to keep yourself from eating the whole batch!

And just one word of caution be careful to spread the bottom layer of chocolate thinly. I think I got a little excited and put too much chocolate in the cups in the beginning, which just made a really thick bottom layer. It doesn’t change the taste, but since I just pulled them out of the refrigerator, the hardened layer of thick chocolate is a little difficult to bite into.

One of the biggest challenges is the fact that I am at an inner-city school, with all Hispanic students who speak Spanish much better than English. I don’t speak Spanish past the very basic that I can remember from high school, so it’s been hard for me to communicate the new ideas and concepts to them properly. A lot of the students are also pretty far behind grade level, so I’m having to find a way to bring these kids from a 1st grade or lower ability level up to a 3rd grade level in just one year. Ah!

I’ve been working…7 weeks, I think, because I got hired at the last minute and started late.  I still feel like I am always in catch-up mode and have no idea exactly what I’m doing. Although I think I had a great experience with my student teaching at Baylor and subbing during the past year, and think that I am probably more prepared than most first-year teachers, I’m learning so much every single day.

New Thought Number 1- Technology is not necessarily my friend.
I had always thought that as a young teacher, I would be very open to using technology in my classroom. I’d jump on the chance to get in the computer lab, beg for the laptop cart and create lessons on the Smartboard. However, I’m finding out it is often much more trouble than it’s worth. For example, the laptop cart. This thing has 25 laptops on it, but they don’t all work at one time. I get my students logged on, to the correct website, only to have the internet disconnect from about 3 computers at a time, and have to constantly go from student to student to reconnect each laptop to the internet.

New Thought Number 2- The worse the school is, the more useless paper you are required to do.
In a desperate effort to pull the student scores up, we are required to keep detailed analyses of each assessment. We have Excel spreadsheets showing the class average overall and the student scores on each percentage. I agree with the need to look over and assess exactly how students are learning, but the idea of putting the same information in 3 different forms is a bit excessive. We are wasting a ton of paper to print individual student profiles for each test and spend much more time on this than almost anything else.  The data that we are required to keep and show to prove that various interventions are working is incredible.

New Thought Number 3- Its not going to get any easier.
At first, I kept telling myself, “yes, you’re really busy right now, but don’t worry. It will get better eventually. Some of the stress and the constant work will go away soon.” But I’ve now realized that this is not the case. At least it is not the case at my school. Most of the teacher seem just as stressed as me, even those that have been teaching for years. There is always just so much to do to satisfy the “powers that be.” And as soon as one task is completed, another one is set out. This year has already seen several 12 hour work days,and I’m anticipating many more throughout the year. I bring a bag-load of paperwork or a giant stack of papers home every night to grade. I knew teaching was difficult, but I didn’t excpet it to be a constant work load. I mean, come on, it’s not like I’m making the big bucks at some high-up business-type job…

I’ve already come so far from where I was on day 1, but I can only imagine how the rest of the year is going to be. I’m sure I’ll have many more new things learned and have some funny kid stories to share. Wish me luck! (I’m definitely going to need it in order to survive!)

Michael Leehan grew up in a dysfunctional, distant family. After several near-death experiences in his early twenties, a failed marriage, and additional family problems, Leehan finally came to the conclusion that God didn’t care about him and turned to what he believed had ever been the only force in his life- evil. After committing himself to Satan, Leehan’s life began a downward spiral. Depression, suicidal thoughts, and missions from Satan that ruined the lives of others became Leehan’s every day live. Despite all the evil that was evident in his life, God had another plan for him. Several years of emotional turmoil and soul-searching took place before the network of Christians that God had placed in Leehan’s life began cut through the evil surrounding him. Eventually, Leehan completely repented of his Satanic lifestyle and is now one of the most outspoken evangelicals in the country.

Although I am a Christian and believe that the devil can do awful things, I had not realized how all-consuming and powerful Satan could be. Reading this book open my eyes to the types of evil in the world, reminded me of the constant battle between Good and Evil, and showed me that God is always the most powerful.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a refresher on how powerful the Almighty can be and to anyone who doubts the forces of evil that are at play in the world. After reading this book, I now feel like I am more on guard against the devil. I was captivated by the book and enjoyed the eye-opening accounts that Leehan shared.

One thing I was missing was a pencil cup for my desk. I realize that I could probably buy a new one at Wal-Mart for $5, but craft time is so much fun! I took an old pickle jar and turned it into a super cute pencil cup that will look perfect on my desk.

Reason Number 1: Everything that football represents.
My dad used to coach high school football, and I’ve been attending football games since I was a tiny baby. Every Friday night, my mom and I, sometimes my grandpa, and eventually my sisters, would pack up and head out to the stadium, cheering on my dad’s team. After I got into middle school, I started hanging out with my friends at the games. In high school, I was in band. I have so many, many great memories at football games, even though I think the game itself is crazy boring. When football season comes back around every year, I’m reminded of all those nights I spent under the stadium lights, having so much fun.

Reason Number 2: Football means it is (almost) fall.
Even though in Texas we are still in triple digit heat and not really anywhere near the fall season, I know it’s coming soon. Winter is really my favorite time of the year, and I can’t wait until we are all wearing jackets and scarves when we head out to the game, and watch while bundled up beneath a blanket. It is thoughts like this that allow me to keep going through all the 110 degree weather.

Reason Number 3: I love my Baylor Bears!
Tonight, Baylor played #14 ranked TCU, the 2011 Rose Bowl Champs! I am still in shock over this game because I originally didn’t think we would stand any kind of chance; I was actually kind of embarrassed that such a terrible game would be our season opener. However, I, and tons of TCU fans, were proved wrong as the Bears gave such an incredible, exciting, close, nail-biting game! We really held our own, and although they scared me for a while in the 4th quarter, the Bears held on and pulled through to a victory. This is actually the first win Baylor has had against a ranked team since victory against Texas A&M in 2006…crazy! I am so proud of my Bears and wish I could have been in Waco for the game and the rushing of the field!

It’s easy to see why I’m excited that football season is back. Even though I don’t really appreciate the game (it just drags on for so long!), football season is a great time of the year. School is back in session, fall is almost here, the Bears have started off great, and new memories are getting ready to be made.
Wonderful.

After growing up in a dysfunctional family, working for every penny to put herself through college, Carolyn won a scholarship to study graduate work at Oxford in England. Shortly after arriving, Carolyn becomes acquainted with a man that she refers to as TDH  (tall, dark, and handsome), who ends up sharing the Gospel and his own testimony with her. Over the course of that year, Carolyn wrestled with her agnostic beliefs and doubts, and questioned things that she had always believed in. With the support of a variety of diverse friends, Carolyn eventually discovers God and realizes her true purpose in life.

I appreciate how Carolyn asks questions that many non-believers have. At the beginning, she is skeptical and really puts the religion of Christianity to the test. Not many books that are designed to share the Gospel will actually acknowledge the doubts or questions that people may have. Her honest voice and sincere search for the truth make this a great read and a great book to recommend to someone who may be questioning Christianity.

3 simple ingredients that you probably already have lying around the kitchen can make you some of the best peanut butter cookies ever. And it’s so simple! So, without further ado, the recipe for super quick, super easy peanut butter cookies.

Ingredients: (makes approx. 2 dozen small cookies)
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg

(yes that really is all you need!)

1. Mix all the ingredients and roll into balls of dough.
2. Place the balls on the cookie sheet.
3. Using a fork, press down on the balls to squish them a little. You should do it in a perpendicular manner so that your fork lines cross.
4. Sprinkle extra sugar on top. (Optional)
5. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

See? These cookies are so quick and easy and don’t call for any special ingredients. They turn out soft and a little chewy, just like I like my cookies to be. I’ve never had anyone be able to resist getting a second cookie and they never stay around the kitchen for long! Enjoy!

But the thing I love most about Google is how fun they can be.

Case and point- Google Doodles.

If you aren’t an avid Google user, maybe you’ve never seen one. Or maybe you have seen one, but didn’t realize that it is a frequent occurence and that you should check back on almost a daily basis to see if there is a new one. So you might be wondering, “what on Earth is a Google Doodle?”

It is the way Google celebrates. For each major holiday (and many other random days in the year), Google transforms its usual logo into a picture that has something to do with the theme of the day. For example, on New Year’s Day, it might have a picture of fireworks, or other iconic images of celebration, worked into the Google letters. But the doodles aren’t limited to only the usual holidays; famous birthdays and world-wide events also are included. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, each day of the games saw a different doodle with various sports being the focus of the logo.

Google Doodle also is not limited to only US holidays, events, or celebrities. Google does country-specific doodles that will only show up if their website is accessed in that country. For example, the recent Africa Day featured the second g being turned into a picture of the African continent. But this was only shown in the African countries. Everyone else around the world saw the regular Google image.

Although the pictures are quite entertaining, the best doodles are those that are interactive. What a great idea for procrastination! Playing with a one-day-only “game”. It’s so fun. Finding what needs to be clicked on, moving around, and exploring the world within the image is actually a great time-waster and I look forward to these interactive logos very much.

My favorite Google doodles of the past year are:
The Les Paul Guitar, celebrating Les Paul’s 96th birthday: this was shown globally on June 9. Users were able to play the guitar and even make a recording of their own song.

The World’s Fair scene, celebrating the 160th anniversary of the World’s Fair on May 1st, shown globally. With your magnifying glass, users were able to get a closer look at the scene involving people, an elephant and a running water fountain.

The Wedding of  William and Kate, on April 29. This wasn’t interactive, but just a cute scene overall, shown in selected countries.

Charlie Chaplin‘s Birthday, celebrating the actor’s 122nd birthday on April 16. To honor him, they made a silent film in the style of his most famous movies. I love Charlie Chaplin, so this was a real treat.

Jules Verne’s Birthday, celebrating his 183rd birthday on February 8. This one is really my favorite and the first one I really took notice of. It made me really start paying attention to the doodles. Users get to captain their own submarine in reference to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. By maneuvering the lever, users got to dive down into the depths of the ocean and could move left, right, up, or down to glimpse various fish and deep-sea divers. All of this was visible through the Google letters, transformed into port holes for the voyage. How cool!

Of course, there are many, many other neat doodles, some interactive, some animated, and some just simple images. Each one is designed by a different artist, so they are totally unique and are all worth a look. For a complete list of all Google doodles, go here- http://www.google.com/logos/index.html and check out the doodles from 1998- present. (Of course, they are much better and more frequent nowadays than they were in the early stages of the internet. But it’s fun to see how Google has evolved!)

If you haven’t ever taken interest in these before, I highly recommend making a stop by Google.com everyday to check and see if there is anything going on. You don’t want to miss something like your chance to be a rock star on a Les Paul guitar! http://www.google.com/logos/2011/lespaul.html

Ian tells his life story simply and honestly. He is very open and shares a real voice about what it was like growing up with an alcoholic father. He is funny and witty at times, which is a good juxtaposition to the sad and eye-opening stories about an extremely dysfunctional family. He says that it is only “sort of” a memoir because, like most memoirs, there are areas that are exaggerated or simply made up, since the details have been lost over time. It is that sort of honesty that I really appreciated while reading.

Another thing I liked was the fact that Ian wasn’t afraid to make modern references to things that are going on in our world. Many times, when an author pens an autobiography or memoir, they are so focused on making sure to keep the details of the time correct, that they don’t want to make any references to our current culture. However, Ian makes several movie and political references as he looks back and re-examines his life. I especially enjoyed the Harry Potter references as he described a particular character in his childhood.

Each chapter is begun with a quote that relates to something that will occur in the following pages. I always enjoy books that do this, since I am always looking for inspirational quotes. One of my favorites from this book is ” If God wanted a world filled with saints, He never would have created adolescence,” from Susan Beth Pfeffer. What a great opening to a chapter filled with stories about his troubled teen years.

Not only is this story entertaining, it was very eye-opening about the struggles of a family dealing with alcoholism, and it was a great testimony to what God can accomplish. This book helped me to realize that God can take any individual, raise them up, and use them, no matter what their background is. This is a great story for anyone who is not sure that God can use them or doesn’t think that God cares about them. I was forced to look into my life and think about all the times that God has answered my prayers.

Definitely worth a read.