Book Review: Love Your Heart

Love Your Heart, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., is the story of Katie, who can’t decide what to do for the School Talent Show. After a few quite humorous trials and mishaps, she decides to bring her amazing dog, Palio, into the act for a one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen performance! The night of the talent show finally arrives, and Katie is waiting backstage when she sees her friend Sophie crying. What happens next is a sweet, selfless surprise – an act of kindness that leaves Katie’s dad saying: “I love your heart.”

Each page is richly illustrated with fun fonts and whimsical illustrations by Abigail Marble, and Katie’s sweetly boisterous spirit sparkles and bounces right off the pages – showing that the very best of you lies not in what you can do, but in who you are.

In Love Your Heart, Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas once again capture the heartwarming father-daughter relationship that delighted readers in My Little Girl.

Another bonus for our little one is the fact that the book is richly illustrated with lots of purple and pink – even the title on the front cover and the large emphatic fonts throughout are in varied shades of those favorite little girl colors!

The brown paper package from Thomas Nelson Publishers, containing this sweet story especially suited for Daddy to read to his little girl, arrived in our mailbox just in time to wrap for a fourth birthday party. We love the celebration of the father-daughter relationship and the emphasis on the reality that true beauty is on the inside. We like to conclude the story by emphasizing that we need Jesus and His grace to give us clean hearts so that we can be truly beautiful on the inside. A real princess is a daughter of the King of all kings!

At a list price of $16.99 this beautifully illustrated jacketed hardcover book makes an extra special birthday or Valentine’s gift for little girls, ages 4 to 10.

A flip version of the book is available here.

Disclosure:
A complimentary copy of the book was provided to me, as a reviewer for Mama Bzz, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. in exchange for today’s blog tour.

A big “Thank-you!” to the folks at Thomas Nelson, Inc. for the opportunity to enjoy and review this wonderful book!

Birthday Party Menu

We ended up postponing the party due to sickness and inclement weather, but we still enjoyed a little family party – just the three of us!

The theme was "healthful" this year. We should always do it, but we made a greater effort for the sake of my nephew. It was fun to see sales correspond with the "healthful" idea; hopefully, there will be similar sales when we reschedule.

This was the plan:

Organic Tortilla Chips (from Sam's Club)
Carrots (from Sam's Club)
Radishes (from Publix)
Celery (from Publix)
Broccoli (from Publix)

Homemade Hummus Dip
Pinto Bean Dip (from the freezer)

Deviled Eggs
Black Olives (from the pantry)
Mixed Nuts (from the pantry)

Grapefruit Punch (from Publix)

Homemade Fruit Smoothies:
Bananas (from Sam's)
Apples (from Publix)
Pears (from Publix)
Frozen Peaches (from the freezer)

I was planning to make a Chocolate Birthday Cake – from scratch – but decided to wait until we reschedule the party. (Instead, I used a brownie mix I had on hand.)

Recipe for Hummus

The balsamic vinegar gives this recipe a definite Mediterranean twist!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp garlic powder (OR 1 clove garlic, peeled)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cumin
2 to 4 Tbsp plain yogurt

Directions:
In a blender (or food processor), combine garbanzo beans, oil, vinegar, garlic (powder), salt, and cumin. Blend, gradually adding yogurt, until desired consistency is achieved.

Serve with fresh vegetables, crackers, pita chips, or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!