Review of The High Calling eNewsletter



I'm a teenager.  I know firsthand that teenagers, especially as we get older, have responsibilities and lifestyles that are different than an adult's, while we often have the maturity level and understanding of many adults.  Therefore, I love to read advice articles written for adults, especially Christianity-related.  However, it often frustrates me when such articles have titles that sound promising - I think Ooh, I could really use help with that right now! I wonder what they suggest? - and then I read the article and realize that it's specific to a certain full-time job or part of adult life that doesn't relate to me.

Granted, these articles were written for a target audience that I'm not in.  My reaction to or takeaway from the article isn't important to the company, blog, magazine, etc. that wrote it.  But I really appreciate when advice is written in a way that is generic enough to apply to my life while at the same time practical enough to actually help people.

The High Calling eNewsletter offers articles like that.  It sends out a weekly round-up of an audio message, a video, and several articles from their website.  The focus of the articles and messages always fits the website's mission: to "create an online community by actively listening and educating people about work, life, and God."

The titles and one-sentence descriptions of the articles are perfectly geared towards helping readers choose the articles most suited to their needs.  The articles themselves are godly, applicable, and well-written.  The videos seem to be divided into two types - animation or interview style.  The animation videos are short and fun.  They take a story involving something simple - like hair dryers - and teach a lesson through it, often in under a minute.  The interview videos are equally short and focus more on personal advice from individuals in the workplace.  Each video answers a single faith-related question - considering spiritual gifts in the workplace, for example - and again deals with that topic in about a minute.  The audio messages are also about a minute long and are easy to understand.  Still, for those who are visual learners or have hearing difficulties, a transcription is printed next to the audio play button.

To sum up, this enewsletter provides personal, practical advice and encouragement for adults that is also helpful for teenagers.  I especially like how almost everything on the site takes less than two minutes to read, watch, or listen to.

I was requested to read the archives of this enewsletter and review the content by Handlebar marketing.  I received a $10 Amazon gift card in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

13 Ways to be a Really Cool Older Sister

Most people don't naturally think of siblings as cool.  Bossy or annoying, yes.  Cool, friendly, awesome, even fun to be with?  Not so much.  But not all siblings are like that - we can all think of at least one person, even if it's on television or in a book, whose older brother is their hero or who protects and loves their little sister above all else.

I'm not an expert at sibling affection (as if), but I do have brothers and a female cousin who seems particularly attached to me.  So, since I can at least relate to older sisters and sister-figures, I thought I'd share my own personal experience on what makes you cool to people with fewer years behind them.  Please note that these tips are neither in order of importance nor infallible.

Also, I'm not going to list "be patient" or "be nice."  If you're reading this post, then you obviously want to be a cool older sister, so you should already know those things are both important and impossible to master.

 

 

1. Keep up your personal appearance.  Younger brothers don't really care what you look like, while younger sisters may or may not care.  Still, they notice - consciously or not - when you can put together colors or patterns that look nice or when you've got an awesome hairdo.  Later, this translates to "She can help me pick which tie goes with these pants" or "Maybe she'll do my hair today."
2. Have candy.  Any kind - even if it's just mints - in your purse, your room, your car, it doesn't matter.  Just have it and be willing to share it.
3. Share an interest.  My brothers and I all enjoy reading, some of us more than others, but we share books or recommendations with each other.  They'll come into my room at random intervals begging for something to read, and sometimes they even surprise me at their willingness to read "girly books."
4. Have a nice room.  It doesn't have to be impressive.  Just a clean floor, a bed that's made (so they can flop onto it and mess up), a nice chair, bright colors, good lighting - any/all of these things make a difference.  Trust me.  My brothers spend more time in my room than their own.
5. Have Internet access and experience.  This is huge.  You don't have to have your own laptop and blog like I do, but siblings definitely like an older sister who can help Google articles for their research paper or find something they can do on a rainy Saturday.  If you're new to the wealth of information that is the Internet, Pinterest is always a good place to start.  *knowing wink*
6. Try new things. A lot.  This includes recipes (my brothers now love my cake batter milkshakes), crafts (like these popsicle stick bows and arrows), games (which may involve teaching them or them teaching you how to play something) - anything at all that you haven't done before!
7. Keep up with deals, coupons, and especially freebies.  Yes, I'm talking those coupon mom blogs and the email newsletters with this week's WalMart cashback deals.  They'll be boring and make you feel like a complete dork, but that'll pass and you'll start to love the little gems you find - like the Facebook deal that landed me an entire bag of Lindt truffles for free!  A good place to start (and my personal favorite) is the Money-Saving Mom enewsletter.
8. Share a talent.  I'm good at planning parties, so when Nick's birthday rolled around this year, he and I had already spent weeks talking about and preparing for it.  We had a blast with streamers everywhere, a scavenger hunt and human board game, pinata cookies, and lots of other stuff I found online.  Maybe you could teach your little sister to catch every soccer ball coming her way, or knit a fun hat for your little brother.
9. Converse with them frequently.  Notice I said neither "listen to them" nor "talk to them" - because conversing is both!  All cool older sisters make their siblings feel included in their lives, so tell them about your trip to the mall last week and listen - with interest, pay attention! ask questions! - to them drone on about the lastest Mario Wii game.  Naturally this doesn't mean either of you will spill every detail of your life with the other.  Just be more open!
10. Get (or make) good presents.  You know how important presents are to kids.  So pay attention to what they want and be willing to spend more money then you'd like or more time than you'd planned on that video game, homemade giftcard, or manicure set.
11. Play with them.  I don't care if you're scared she'll snag your doll's old sweater on the velcro or if you don't even know how to walk, much less jump, on the stupid moving Mario blocks.  Play with them, be willing to look ridiculous, and you will earn super-mega cool points.
12. Help with their homework.  Do I have to explain this one?
13. Help with their chores.  This is as important as presents and as self-explanatory as homework.  Don't wait to be asked, either, because odds are they'll never think to until you offer.

Come to think of it, these are ways to be a cool... well, anyone.  Cool friend, cool daughter, cool student.  I know being nice and friendly isn't the thing these days, but take it from someone who has no enemies: this stuff works like a charm, and eventually it rubs off.

The Pinterest Report: DIY Painted Bobby Pins

 

Week Six: DIY Painted Bobby Pins

{all photos linked to source}

 

The Pin:

 

 

Nail polish bobby pins

 

 The Link:

 

Lines Across: Nail Polish Bobby Pins

The Test:

You'll need: Plain metal bobby pins, nail polish, index card or cardstock

What to do: Slide the bobby pins onto the index card or cardstock.  Make sure to space them out. 

Paint them with any nail polish you like - basic colors, glitter polish, it doesn't matter.  Some colors may need a second coat.

Let them dry and carefully slide them off the index card or cardstock.  It's that simple!
 





 

I put mine on a clean index card for storage.  You can also make a matching or complementing set and slide them onto a small piece of scrapbook paper, a pretty card, or a decorated index card and give it as a gift.

 

I've already used mine several times, and I haven't had any problems with chipping polish, which was a concern my mom mentioned.  I love mine!

 

The Grade:

 

 

30 Ways to Help Others

This list was drawn up by one of the pastors at my church, Mikado Baptist, and he gave me permission to share it here.  I keep it pinned to my bulletin board (real, not Pinterest!) as inspiration.

Just a note: my previous list of 9 Ways to be a Better Steward of the Earth now has a pinnable image!

30 Ways to Help Others
a list by pastor ed

1. Volunteer somewhere
2. Learn the names of the people who work at the places you frequent
3. Make and deliver goodies to someone who is struggling
4. Call someone and let them know you miss them
5. Listen to people
6. Send flowers to someone when they don't expect it
7. Thank a previous Sunday School teacher/coach
8. Smile at everyone you make eye contact with
9. Hold a door open for someone else
10. Invite a neighbor over for dinner
11. Give a genuine compliment to someone
12. Buy someone a copy of a book that was meaningful for you
13. Sit with someone who is alone or out of place
14. Help a neighbor when you see them outside working
15. Share a favorite verse with at least five people today
16. Say thank you
17. Go the entire day without complaining about anything
18. Take someone out for ice cream
19. Give something anonymously
20. Tell someone how glad you are to see them
21. Write something nice on a car window of someone you know well
22. Mow a neighbor's yard
23. Help a widow or single parent with anything
24. Wash someone's car
25. Write someone who is away from home
26. Teach something specific that you know about
27. Look for opportunities to mentor someone
28. Pay for the stranger's coffee behind you in line
29. Let love for others drive your life
30. Recognize when God calls you to serve

Book Review: Sneak

Sneak by Evan Angler

A secret Markless community is growing across the globe, and Logan Langly's mission to save his sister is about to bring them all together.

Click the cover to buy

I'll let you read the original back-cover description for this one, but be warned there may be spoilers.  (To read the description, highlight it with your cursor.)

When Logan went on the run after the events of SWIPE, no one thought he could survive on his own.

He proved them wrong.

But when Logan finally makes it to Beacon City, he finds that the capital holds more secrets than anyone could have guessed. And all his careful planning is worthless against a government that will do anything to gain absolute control.




I've been waiting for this book from the moment I finished Swipe, and I was not disappointed.  The voice of each character and the writing style of the author is just as brilliant and clear.  I've begun to notice certain writing rules Evan Angler breaks regularly, but it really works for him, because he does it consistently and it matches the tone of the book.  The plot in this book was absolutely sparkling!  I honestly doubted anything could trump Swipe, and there didn't seem to be much to reveal when Logan already knew what he'd set out to discover in the first book.  But I was so wrong!  The story just keeps getting better, more realistic, more tangled in secrets and danger.

The original characters - Logan, Erin, Dane, Hailey, the Dust - are all back and true to themselves in their thoughts and actions; plenty of new characters arrive, too.  Some are friends, some are foes, and with some you can never tell.  But every character - new and old - is well-constructed and, though not always likeable, always real.

In conclusion, I love Sneak as much as (dare I say more than?) Swipe.  Also, I'm thrilled to find out that Evan's already finished the original draft of book three!!

I received a free copy of this book through BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are mine.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Click the cover to buy

I'll be honest.  This review is going to be hard for me.  When a book affects me like this one, I normally add it to my mental list of favorites and vow never to write a review because I'll be too biased (by writing style or story) to be honest about the stuff I didn't like.  But it's the only Teen Top Ten nominee that I've read, and as a blogger and reviewer participating in the Teen Read Week Blog Tour, I feel kind of obligated to talk about it.

I borrowed this book from a friend who had to write an English paper on its symbolism.  It was full of highlights and underlines and a few marginal notes which were actually fun to read, except one which was a bit of a spoiler.



There's a reason this book was assigned for English class and then pretty much forced onto me by a student of that class.  This is a deep, thoughtful, make-you-think book full of the kind of quotes you find on decorated Pinterest images.  (The good kind, not the corny ones.)  The writing is alive and brilliant and pure genius.  The characters are so much more real than most found in even my favorite YA books of today.  The plot was perfect because it was imperfect - it was lifelike.  The lessons and symbolism and takeaway were so huge I feel like the thoughts it left me with were not even a drop in the bucket.

There were things I didn't like, too.  There were inappropriate scenes, language, and behavior I would not approve of.  But it's one of the very (very, very!) rare instances where that sort of no-go behavior in literature is passable in my mind.  Why?  It wasn't in the book just because they're teenagers, or it sells, or it's what everyone does, etc etc.  It was all a part of the character building (cynical, dying Hazel and perfect, trying-too-hard Augustus).  It was necessary to keep from breaking out of the POV voice.  And it tied with the symbolism and philosophy amazingly.

I am a highly opinionated person.  I'll admit that by today's definition I am very closed-minded.  I don't apologize for that.  So for an author to hold beliefs and write things into their stories that I don't feel are right, and still get my thumbs-up not just in a book-by-book basis but as a person and as a writer, that author would have to be really amazing and impressive and intelligent and a master at their craft.

John Green is most definitely all of the above.

I give this book 4.5 stars.

* * *

To all those visiting for the TRW blog tour, welcome! I'm Emily Rachelle, a teen girl with a love for God and words. Here at my blog I talk about everything in my life, from faith, family, and friends to books, politics, and philosophy. Feel free to have a peek around, and leave me a note telling me you came by!

My Favorite YA Reads

Today for the TRW blog tour, I've decided to look through the my bookshelf and share some of my favorites.  All cover images are linked to their Amazon store pages.  Also, thought I'd share this link with y'all - the Teen's Top Ten winners!

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie

 

Replication by Jill Williamson

 

The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

 

The Last Survivors Trilogy by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix

 

Interrupted by Rachel Coker

 

Swipe Series by Evan Angler

Prophecy of the Stones by Flavia Bujor

Things That Are by Andrew Clements
(third book in the Things Not Seen trilogy, but the only one I've read)

Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Ever by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Books of Bayern Series by Shannon Hale

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson

Carter House Girls Series by Melody Carlson
(image and link for book one)

On the Runway Series by Melody Carlson
(image and link for book one)

Gallegher Girls Series by Ally Carter
(image and link for book one)

TrueColors Series by Melody Carlson
(image and link for book one)

Christy Miller, Sierra Jensen, College Years, and Katie Weldon Series by Robin Gunn
(corresponding series; linked to author's Amazon page)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

 

 

 What are your favorite young adult books/authors?  Are there any I've listed that you love too or wish I'd write a review of?

 

* * *

 

 

To all those visiting for the TRW blog tour, welcome! I'm Emily Rachelle, a teen girl with a love for God and words. Here at my blog I talk about everything in my life, from faith, family, and friends to books, politics, and philosophy. Feel free to have a peek around, and leave me a note telling me you came by!

Today's Schedule:

8:00—Inklined

10:00—Blog of a (Maybe) Teen Author

12:00—Ink in the Book

4:00—Paulina Czarnecki

6:00—The Life of a Teenage Writer

8:00—Inklined

Teen Read Week Blog Tour

Some of you may have noticed the button that's been adorning my sidebar for a few weeks now.

 

You can see what Teen Read Week is or visit my profile at the links.  In a nutshell, it's a week of celebrating and promoting teen reading and young adult fiction.  It's always been a library-based thing, with programs and activities going on at libraries and being shared by word-of-mouth and flyers.
My friend Sarah from Inklined, however, had the brilliant idea to take this celebration to cyberspace and get a virtual Teen Read Week going in the form of a blog tour!

The tour officially started on Sunday, but I decided to hop in on my usual posting days, so I'd like to start my leg of the tour with some polls for you, my lovely readers.  First off, the Teen Top Ten.  It's a list of young adult novels (published in 2011 or 2012 for this year's list) nominated for a spot on the American Library Association's top ten list; votes for the best are cast by teenagers online.  Voting started in August and ended in September.  The winners were announced yesterday.

Poll number one: if you did vote, which book(s) did you vote for?  If you didn't, which book(s) would you have?

Poll number two: which books from the list have you read?

Poll number three: are there any books on this list that you think shouldn't have been nominated?

The nominees:

All Good Children by Catherine Austen
Ashes by Ilsa Bick
Abandon by Meg Cabot
Tempest by Julie Cross
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Where She Went by Gail Forman
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge
Legend by Marie Lu
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Shine by Lauren Myracle
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

* * *

 

To all those visiting for the TRW blog tour, welcome!  I'm Emily Rachelle, a teen girl with a love for God and words.  Here at my blog I talk about everything in my life, from faith, family, and friends to books, politics, and philosophy.  Feel free to have a peek around, and leave me a note telling me you came by!

Today's TRWBT schedule:

8:00—Inklined

10:00—Here! ;)

4:00—Paulina Czarnecki

6:00—Ramblins of a Young Author

8:00—Inklined

The Pinterest Report: DIY Melted Crayon Art

 

Week Five: DIY Melted Crayon Art

{all photos linked to source}

 

The Pin:

 

Naptime = Craft Time! Melty Crayon Art

 

The Link:

 

Naptime = Craft Time! Melty Crayon Canvas Art

The Test:

You'll need: Hot glue gun and glue sticks, canvas, regular wax crayons (number of crayons depends on size of canvas and whether you prefer horizontal or vertical), blog dryer, newspaper or other drop-cloth/protect-your-work-surface item

What to do: Line up your crayons on the side or top of the canvas.  I forgot to take photos until after I finished, so you'll have to follow the link to see the original photos.  The lady from the link left her wrappers on, but I used a generic non-Crayola brand I found for 10 cents a box (score!), so I peeled the wrappers off mine.

Once your crayons are lined up how you want them, hot glue them to the canvas.  Then lay out your newspaper (I used wax paper because I was a total idiot and forgot how much scrap newspaper we have).  You'll have to do some figuring to get the canvas propped up - you want it slightly slanted, but mostly standing up.  Be warned that this project can get messy.

Now use your blow dryer on high to get the crayons melting.  Switch between settings and move back and forth as necessary.  Different colored crayons have different dyes, and some are melt-happy while others and virtually melt-resistant.

Once you've gotten a look you like, turn off the blow dryer and let the canvas sit and dry for a minute.

Once I got the hang of it and figured out which crayons were melting better and how different blow dryer positions affected the dripping, this was a lot of fun.  I still have a couple of canvases left and I intend to try this again, using a different method from a separate pin.  I'm also thinking about printing off some black silhouettes and doing color themes, like a Katniss or Mockingjay silhouette with all orange, red, and yellow crayons.  The possibilities are endless!

The Grade:

 



one year {a wordless post}