The Accidental Detectives Mysteries

This is one of my favorite mystery series of all time. First published in the early 90s, by Sigmund Brouwer, The Accidental Detectives series actually appeals to both boys and girls. I knew they had gone out of print and was delighted to discover that they are back in print now with three new books! My little brothers are just about the right age to start reading them (about 8) and I know they will be as crazy about them as I am.
The plots are solidly written. They are not like some kid’s series that are basically the same book over and over with a different cover – no – these books keep you guessing from page one.
They’re not boring either. I started reading “Race for the Park Street Treasure” out loud to my DH and he didn’t want me to stop! The vocabulary is perfect for the middle school age group, the chapters are fairly short, and the action is so fast you don’t have time to lose interest.
One of the best aspects of this series is the humor. I could barely finish reading to my DH because we were both laughing so hard. The ideas the kids come up with are AWESOME. My personal favorite is the wheelbarrow watermelon slingshot. (See which book I was reading above for that one.)
The characters are so well rounded I suspect they are based on real people. Ricky Kidd is the main character/narrator of the books. His friends Mike Andrews, Ralphy Zee, and Lisa Higgins nearly always are in on any and all action that goes on. Ricky’s younger brother, Joel, also plays a starring role in many of the books.
While not overtly Christian, this series definitely comes from a Christian mindset and Ricky usually learns some kind of lesson in each book. I learned a lot more from this subtler approach when I was a kid than I did from more “preachy” books. "My hope is that the characters in my novels will live real lives beyond the walls of traditional church and allow my fiction to give voice to truth." – Sigmund Brouwer
I am SO glad these books are being republished. Then I can get my boys their own set :)

Books in the republished series:
1. The Volcano of Doom
2. The Disappearing Jewel of Madagascar
3. Legend of the Gilded Saber
4. Tyrant of the Badlands
5. Shroud of the Lion
6. Creature of the Mists
7. The Mystery Tribe of Camp Blackeagle
8. Madness at Moonshiner's Bay
9. Race for the Park Street Treasure
10. Terror on Kamikaze Run
11. Lost Beneath Manhattan
12. The Missing Map of Pirate's Haven
13. The Downtown Desperadoes
14. Sunrise at the Mayan Temple
15. Phantom Outlaw at Wolf Creek
16. Short Cuts

Read the 1st chapter of each of the books in this series on Sigmund Brouwer's website HERE. (But be warned: you will want to read the rest of the book and be completely hooked for life!)

Colds

So, remember a couple of weeks ago when I got all that medicine for cold season?
Well, now I have a nasty cold & I can't take any of it! Grrrrr. Tylenol, hot tea, and occasional naps are my weapons of necessity. That and ignoring it so I can go about the normal life of a mom. Bleck. I dislike being sick. But now you know why I haven't posted a whole lot this week.

Wow. I must be sick. My grammar in this post sucks!

Sunday Shout Outs

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Today's Sunday Shout Outs are going to be about food. Because right now I am getting hungry :)

Taste Of Home - This is my #1 resource to go to when I need a recipe for something. I especially like it when I have a few ingredients I need to use because you can search for recipes by ingredients. I have never had a bad-tasting recipe from this site & since I have used over 100 recipes from here that is saying a lot!

The Thrifty Food Plan Challenge - This is an article from the website "Get Rich Slowly". I found it quite interesting and challenging to look at my food budget and see how much I could whittle it down and also how much other people spend on food.

Since it is getting cold outside, I am using my crockpot again about once a week. The Hillbilly Housewife blog has some great looking crockpot recipes HERE. I am hoping to try out a bunch of them this winter. Until then, my all-time favorite crockpot recipe is a lasagna recipe from my Aunt Pam :)

Clothes

Photo from Girl Talk

I am getting tired of clothes.

This week is the clothing exchange at church and I have been there every day. While I have found some nice stuff for every person in my family, I am tired of washing clothes, folding clothes, putting away clothes, and doing it all over again.

Interestingly enough, clothing was one of the things mentioned in the devotional a good friend of mine recently gave at Evan's baby shower. I have thought of her words a LOT this week.

Here is what she said:

Proverbs 31:25, "She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come."

"So much of our lives as moms revolves around clothing - mending, purchasing, cleaning, storing, growing out of, growing into, clothing exchanges - the list goes on and on. But you can laugh at the days to come if you'll only keep in focus that the things to "put on" aren't measured by size or neatness or matching print or designer label. Choose strength and dignity. They'll always be in fashion."

So as I go to switch the laundry (again) and fold yet another load of clothes I can laugh and be thankful that my children have lots of great condition clothing to wear this winter. I am thankful that I found a pair of jeans that fit (even if they are two sizes larger than I want to be). I am thankful for all the clothes I was able to bless others with. And I am thankful for my friend and the reminder of what is really important.

Sunday Shout Outs

This week our Sunday shout outs all revolve around romance <3.
The Marriage Bed - this is my all-time favorite website to go to for ideas for our marriage! I love in particular how they really encourage you to check everything you read against Scripture. Great articles from a Christian perspective about all kinds of marriage related topics. It's got EVERYTHING in the forums - from discussions of the best places to get lingerie to easy date nights at home after your kids go to bed to well, stuff directly related to bed. Plus, you can sign up for "the generous wife" or "generous husband" tips. They are daily and really good! I would definitely recommend this site to any engaged/married couple looking for Christian advice/ideas on marriage!!!!





Family Life - Not nearly as good as the marriage bed, but still a solid, Christian website with great ideas for marriages. We enjoy their "Simply Romantic Tips".





Book22 - A Christian, no nudity site with intimacy enhances for married couples.