The SG Notebook

Sooooooo, it’s a fall morning and your house is in perfect order. Your children are bathed, brushed, and fed, sitting like little china dolls in a row. Right?

I’ll tell you honestly that this isn’t true of my house. The beds are made, but the kitchen is still showing the flurry of breakfast. One of my children is dressed and fed, but the other is still wandering around in her jammies!

We are moms just like you, and we have the same struggles, trials and anxieties that you do. But we have another thing in common with you! We want the best for our children, and we are concerned about raising them as little beacons of light in an otherwise dark world.

I’d like to encourage you to consider giving your child, grandchild, friend, niece or nephew a spiritually based gift amid all the other things you’ll place under the tree.

I’ll be popping in to suggest products to you every now and again.

The first product I’d like to suggest is our Stepping Heavenward Gift Set. It is only $10.00, and what an encouragement you’ll be to a young lady.

I’ll be stopping in with more suggestions. We’ll also be recommending a few books to you as well.

God Bless Friends,
Beverly

Well, we’re back! We’re back from vacation and the long spring sale just ended, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t find a good deal at SG. We’re keeping the Dover Little Activity books at the sale price because we really want to see them in the hands of little children. They’re great books so we would strongly encourage you to take advantage of this special. We doubt that you’ll find a better price anywhere. For the special price, the books must be purchased as a nine pack assortment and we’ll keep them at this price until they are gone! Read all about it!

Maxine and Beverly

Our spring sale is just getting under way and I hope you are aware of the good deal which can be yours with regard to the Dover Little Activity books. I would not steer you wrong–these books are great. Younger children love them. We have a small supply of them leftover from the days of our fun bags, which always included one of these books. Dover sold them for $1.00 for years, but the price has increased and the same books are now $1.50 each for retail. We think we’re offering quite a nice deal on an assortment of the sticker little activity books by offering a bundle of 9 for just $4.50.

You never know when having some of these around will come in handy. Just one is a nice little gift to give to a small child when you go to their home for a visit, or they come to yours. Great stocking gift at Christmas time. Wonderful prize for Sunday school or VBS. Great prize for anything, for that matter.

While you’re at our spring sale page, look at the other items that we have, especially the cassettes. Also, you’ll want to throw in a pack or two of the blank puzzles (six pack for $1.00) with your order. This is another item that children enjoy receiving as prizes. You can use them yourself and write out verses or messages on them, break them apart, and mail or give them to children to put the puzzle together.

Tell others about it, won’t you?

Talk to you soon.

Maxine (a/k/a Nanna)

A favorite here at Speakable Gifts is the one by Elizabeth Prentiss which is not as well known as her Stepping Heavenward: We’ve been carrying Aunt Jane’s Hero for years and it is so beloved that I’ve written a companion to it for young people. It is something of a dream that in this companion, there would be the opportunity for this housewife, with no great credentials or degrees, could function in a capacity that somewhat nears that of Aunt Jane, one of the principals in the book. There have been various delays with the companion, but we’ve not given up hope to have Speakable Press publish it. It’s still currently being revised and edited, but the Prentiss book itself is still available in our products section. I guarantee that any young single woman, or newly married one, will love it. Even some young men would. I’ve done some devotionals at my devotional blog on this book, with titles and thoughts from the companion. Thought I’d copy and paste the one on Chapter One here:

Jesus calls us: o’er the tumult
Of our life’s wild, restless sea,
Day by day his sweet voice soundeth,
Saying, “Christian, follow me.”

Jesus does call us, you know, and He does call us day by day. “Follow Me,” He says. “Don’t listen to the sounds of this corrupt world trying to suck you in. Listen to Me, Christian–only Me.”

In the first chapter of Aunt Jane’s Hero, Jesus was making this plea to a young man named Horace. But attention was not given; the Voice was not heard. The Voice wasn’t an audible one in the midst of some dream or vision or similar phenomenon. It came via someone who loved Horace, an older saint whom he called “Aunt Jane.” Mrs. Prentiss opened this story with a conversation and through this conversation, we are introduced to these two principals.

We learn from their discourse–we are given more than a glimpse into the character and disposition of each of the participants. We become aware of Horace’s neediness while listening to his declaration of having fallen in love with a certain young lady; we discover as well the extreme concern this brought to his godly friend. Eventually, we realize that there are clues given as to why this particular woman had an almost filial attachment to this young man who was not related to her by blood. It is a perfect introduction to what follows.

But what stands out most for me as we gather evidence regarding the state of affairs of Horace’s life at that time, is the godly counsel he received during that conversation. From the time I first read this opening chapter, I’ve wanted to be like Aunt Jane. If someone I love comes to me in the same state as Horace did, I hope I would give to them what she gave to him that evening. His response was realistic. What we have to say won’t always be received well. But my hope for myself, and for you, is that we’ll give them what is true and loving: righteous guidance, whatever the response. And then add prayer when they’ve gone.

“It must be comfortable to have such faith in one’s own prayers,” he said, thoughtlessly.

So it may be that the conversation ends like this one. But you and I know the power of prayer, don’t we?

I doubt that this is the last time you’ll hear me speak about this wonderful book.

Talk to you soon,

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna

With Mother’s Day approaching, I thought I’d mention that we do have a couple of items here that would be quite appropriate to give to remember someone. It doesn’t have to be your own mom; it could be a sister or friend. Or even your own daughter, who’s also the mother of your grandchildren.

There’s always the Stepping Heavenward giftset. The book itself is pocket size, which means it can be carried in a purse to conveniently take out when she wants to snatch a few minutes of reading time. And the mini journal companion can easily be carried anywhere as well!

Then, don’t forget about our “Old Time Roses” gift box. It contains several stationery items that any lady of any age would appreciate having. What lady doesn’t like receiving roses? And the Proverbs 31:30 mini frame is ideal for her to put in a little corner of a shelf as a reminder of your thoughtfulness.

Check these items out – one of them might be that little touch you’re looking for this year. And the best part is that neither of these gift ideas is expensive.

Talk to you soon,

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna

This is a great book to use in your homeschool. Let your children practice their penmanship while learning about character qualities and Scripture verses. The nostalgic line drawings are lovely. It also can be used as a devotional study in your family. We appreciate every opportunity where your children can learn about character, a forgotten issue these days. This inexpensive book would be a great addition to your schooling of any age. Go to the product page for more info.

Talk to you soon.

Maxine (a/k/a Nanna)

Question: Who Made You? Answer: God. What a question. What an answer. This is the opening question/answer team to the Catechism for Young Children, used by parents to teach biblical truths to very young children for decades. We have this booklet now. Add it to your order and use it as God leads. It costs little and weighs little.

Take care.

Maxine (a/k/a Nanna)

Okay, according to instructions, I needed a third test. For this post, maybe I’ll tell you which of our products is my favorite. I had to think about this for a bit, but if I really had to pick a favorite, I think it would be the Stepping Heavenward giftset. First of all, there is still no book that I love better. The edition we use in our set is a pocket sized one. Very readable, it will fit in a purse to be taken on trips, visits to doctors’ offices and so much more. We think we’ve made this gift set very affordable with the addition of our little mini journal and bookmark. Might be worth looking into if you want to have it on hand for just the time you want to encourage someone. I doubt that this is the last time I talk about this product!

 Maxine (a/k/a Nanna)