6 New Releases

Art of the Margins (Christian, nonfiction)... This one is for you, creatives! This made me think about the creative delights God has placed in my heart and just where they fit into my God-given purpose here on Earth. 

Jerusalem Calls (Christian, nonfiction)... This has been a lovely addition to my morning time stack. I expected a more dry, academic approach to the Jewish feasts but have been pleasantly surprised by the author's warm and tender recalling of her own Jewish heritage and childhood celebrations & her conversion to Christianity. This is a great resource for anyone attempting to understand more orthodox traditions. 

The Jesus Centered Planner (Christian, planner)... struggle every year to find a good planner. The best I've ever found is now making only one version, one that is literally curse word themed. I'm so happy to try this alternative in 2027! The weekly spreads are column-style, my personal preference so I can lay out my daily routine in order. I also appreciate that the weekend days are the same size as week days. My Saturday is always just as busy as my Monday, but when I was working I needed those weekend slots more than I did weekday slots! I also appreciate the gratitude and reflection spots each week. 

Loved by God (Christian, picture book)... I just adore this delightful picture book! It has a good, important message and so many illustrations I love. I can tell this will be a favorite in my house for years to come. It'll also make for a wonderful baby shower gift for a friend. 

Man of God (Christian, nonfiction)... I am obviously not the target demographic for this book but I have a husband and a teenage son I thought might enjoy it. A favorite quote, from the introduction- "biblical manhood is not defined by culture, power, or personality. It is defined by obedience. A godly man leads not by control but by example, because he himself is being led by Christ." Along with a lot of great messages the book is also visually appealing with lovely tree art on the chapter headings. 

Tales of Buttercup Grove (Christian, early reader/ chapter book, fiction)... I love this little book! This early reader book was so cute! I loved both the sweet animal illustrations and the sweet kindness/ friendship stories. There are four seasonal stories (which reminded me of Brambly Hedge!) and they each begin with a Bible verse. 

* I received a free copy of each of these books in exchange for an honest review. 

Good News Christian Books in Libby, Montana

This weekend my family and I got to enjoy a very bookish Montana adventure! We went specifically for some work regarding our homeschool curriculum, Teach Homeschool Finance (if you live in Kalispell, check the free shelf in your mall, on the Red Lion side, for a free copy of our curriculum!), and we took that opportunity to hunt for some of the books on our lists.

Today I'll just share all the photos I took at Good News Christian Books in Libby, MT. This was a cute small-town bookstore and the owner was sweet. 

Discount cart

So many cute mugs! 

My personal favorite 🐝🍯 💛

Christian Fiction for Music Lovers

🎶  Because You're Mine (suspense)... This is a creepy standalone about an Irish singer whose husband was just killed. It's quite clear that she's in danger and it's a great mystery to unravel. It's also set in the Carolinas which always feels so summer-y to me!
🎶 Bespoke (Christmas, historical)... This one is very short, readable in one cozy afternoon, and follows the daughter of a famous secret symphony composer. Fans of classical music will appreciate this one.
🎶 Beyond Ivy Walls (historical)... Piano fans, this Beauty and the Beast retelling set in 1903 Iowa is for you!
🎶 A Carol for Christmas (Christmas)... This one is heavily focused on a young marriage and its struggles but the young wife is a guitar player and we see that quite a lot, too.
🎶 Long Way Gone (general fiction)... This Prodigal Son retelling is going to be a bit too gritty for dome of you but it follows a young musician who leaves home to make it big. This one is filled with talk of guitar and singing.
🎶 Love and a Little White Lie (romance)... Although I'm not a romance fan I really enjoyed this one. Our female protagonist is agnostic but accepts a clerical position at her aunt's church in an attempt to start over. Then she meets the church guitarist and her aunt's landscaper. Watching her decide who she belonged with was more fun than I expected.
🎶 The Roads We Follow (romance)... Again, not typically a romance fan... but very typically a Nicole Deese fan! I loved this story of a young woman her sisters road tripping with their famous singer mother while everyone has so much going on in the background!
🎶 Roots of Wood and Stone (historical, time slip)... This one is for jazz fans which I do believe is a rarity. Our heroine is uncovering her family history and we're slipping into that past but she happens to make jazz music on the side just for fun.
🎶 The Shunning (Amish)... This Amish fiction, the first in a trilogy, is not about music (it's about a young Amish woman finding out she's adopted snd searching for her birth mother) but talks a fair bit about guitar-playing.
🎶 Wedding Dress Christmas (Christmas)... A magical wedding dress, the owner of the wedding dress shop, and a hunky country music star all come together in this Christmas story I really enjoyed. This story would work fine as a standalone but will mean more if you've read The Wedding Dress (which I also love). 

Also, Jesus loves you ❤️ 

2026-2027 Curriculum Choices!

It's almost time to start a new school year and we are so excited! These are the things we'll be using this year.

*I make my own language arts courses after reading The Brave Learner and Wild + Free. Some (but not all) resources I like to utilize: a journal for each kid to write in on Mondays (typically about their weekends, interesting prompts when the weekend wasn't very write-able), spelling, TGTB Simply Spelling and online language arts, English Grammar Workbook, Evan Mor Writing books, Greek & Latin Roots, buddy reads, read-alouds, and independent reading, various writing projects of my choosing

*All four big kids participate in a local extracurricular activity as well. 

* Morning Basket goodies: Vocabulary cards // Soaring Through the Bible // 4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication // Keep Thy Heart Bible study 

* My husband also does computer and shop classes with the kids and I do cooking lessons with them. 

8th grade: Math // Homemade language arts // Chemistry + my own expansions // Health + nutrition review // History // Homemade Geography // Spanish + Butterfly Spanish // Teach Homeschool Finance // Drawing 1 // Music Appreciation 2 // Guitar 

6th grade: Handwriting // Math // Homemade language arts // Chemistry + my own expansions // Health + nutrition review // History // Homemade Geography // Spanish + Butterfly Spanish // Drawing 1 // Music Appreciation 2 // Nature notebook // Creative Writing // Typing 2 // YouTube paint tutorials

5th grade: Handwriting // Math // Homemade language arts // Biology // Health + nutrition review // History // Homemade Geography // Spanish + Butterfly Spanish // Drawing 1 // Music Appreciation 2 // Creative Writing // Typing 2 // YouTube paint tutorials

3rd grade: Handwriting  // Math // Homemade language arts // Biology // Health + nutrition review // History // Homemade Geography // Spanish + Butterfly Spanish // Music Appreciation 1 // Creative Writing // Typing 1 // A Hive of Busy Bees 

It's inevitable that I find new material and read-aloud as the year goes on but this is the general idea! 

Bookish links- August 2026

August New releases I'm excited about: The Heiress and the Woodsman 

Summer reading recommendations for your kids 

Ideas for homeschooling through chronic illness 

I got some great recommendations for my son on this Reddit list of Christian fiction recommendations for men 

I've got a still-growing men's fiction list of my own, too! 

Please consider sharing our homeschool finance curriculum with any homeschool parents you know! The intro course, which we believe will make a huge difference for many young adults, is completely free! You can share it with non-homeschool families with teens, too 💙 

Art lovers, this site pairs art with scripture to help bring your reading to life visually! Pretty cool! 

One of the ladies in my bookclub sent us this no-spice romance book database reel for all you romance fans! 

The best Christian books for mums 

Books build what screens can not: Benefits of reading aloud to kids even after they can read 

This is fascinating- writing out the Bible by hand! 

3 gripping historical spy novels to keep you guessing 

These fast forwarded kind of paintings always make it look so quick and easy! 

Bookish art I love- Storybook // Meadow // Seaside // Soft Hour // Under the Apricot Tree // Summer in the Forest // Picnic 

We watched the new Little House on the Prairie as a family last month and all loved it! We're happy it's already been renewed for season 2! 

Emily Lex recommends this free class on Ephesians 

We use a different handwriting curriculum but how fun are these literature-themed handwriting books? 

This was a fun list of books by and about homeschoolers! 

I know I'm late to the party but we finally watched David as our family movie last night and it was so good! 

Non-book things I loved in July: 4th of July shenanigans // Sheet pan gnocchi (we used crumbled pumfu as the sausage... I paired it with mushrooms and steamed cashew cream kale. Everyone loved it, but two daughters asked for smaller veggies next time) // Vacation Bible School excitement // giggles and shrieks of delight from running through the sprinklers and playing at the water table in the yard // air conditioning// learning about the Story of Nicholas Winton rescuing over 660 children in the Holocaust and telling no one. When his wife found the scrapbook, this happened 💙