Mary Ostyn

I really loved this book! I've read Mary's blog, and her cookbook, and I so appreciate her humble spirit. She is very real in the book using lots of examples from her own life - her failures and struggles, not just the successes.

This book gives a sort of general overview of what to expect if you're considering adoption, or if you've already adopted, and it's best used as encouragement. If you adopt, you'll still want to get into the nitty-gritty of attachment and other issues as they pertain to adoption. Ostyn recommends several books and resources.

I loved a few quotes in her book:

"And here's the thing: it's easy to imagine being patient with a child whom you only know as a picture on your fridge with a sad life story. But when you get up every morning with the best intentions, determined to work for growth in the relationship, and are rejected day after day after day, pain can begin to overshadow the compassion you felt so easily in the beginning." (p.137)


"I came to understand the love of Jesus on a much deeper level during those oh-so-hard early years. I came to be in awe at the kind of love that tirelessly yet gently pursues a heart when being rejected, that shows grace in the face of hateful words, that chooses to hope even when relationship sometimes can feel like a hopeless dream." (p.138)… (mais)

I'm on a quest to conquer my grocery budget, so I checked this out from the library.

It's cute, clear, and straightforward. I really like how Ostyn gives a recap checklist at the end of each chapter to remind you of the action steps you can take to become more of a frugalista in the kitchen and grocery store.

I didn't really learn a whole lot of new information about how to cut costs, but if you're not into scouring the internet and message boards for these tips and tricks, this is a great one-stop place to get great cost-cutting tips, like creating a price book and menu planning.

I would have given this a higher rating, but even though Ostyn gives a lot of lip service to including meatless meals in her menus, she really doesn't deliver in the recipes section. There are a handful, but none are really that new. This was really disappointing to me, because of all the ways to cut down on your grocery bill, going vegetarian is such a no-brainer! Not saying this should have been a vegetarian book, but I was hoping that at least 1/3rd-1/2 would have been. OR as an alternative, having vegetarian options for some of the "regular" recipes would have been a really easy way to include more people AND show omnivores even more ways to cut down on buying expensive meat.

That's my beef (ha ha!). But overall, I really appreciated Ostyn's tips. She gives a lot of useful information in a way that's not overwhelming to the reader.… (mais)