CG Hi-Jacked Crazed Mind

College Girl here, hijacking my Mom's blog for a guest review. Yay! When I first opened the envelope (with Mom's okay, of course) and saw Shannon Honeybloom's book Making a Family Home, I grinned my biggest grin and turned to Mom. Yes, at twenty-two, I'm still fully capable of pulling out the pleading puppy-eyes look when I need to. ;) I wanted to review this book, so I asked before even showing it to her. Better yet, after she saw it, she agreed! So, here we are and I get to tell y'all about this wonderful book. Also thanks so much to Tolly Moseley for sending it our way!

One of the first things I noticed were the beautiful photographs by Skip Hunt. These pictures are just as wholesome and clear as the book's message. As an amateur photographer myself, I love looking at and occasionally critiquing the work of others. The images in this book are beautiful and very well selected and placed. Amazing work.

The book itself is very straight-forward in its message, telling the
reader different ways to bring the focus of the home back to the
family, one room at a time. I love this idea, especially since its the
way I was raised and its how I want to raise my own family someday.
Shannon heralds the idea of a front porch area to prevent the social
isolation that so many seem to practice these days, whether they're
aware of it or not. She speaks out against the "electronic babysitter"
and toys that offer too much stimulation and not enough imagination.
Kids are encouraged to help out in the kitchen, which I always loved
to do.

The quote that I feel best summed up the book was in the chapter on
living rooms. "A lot of institutional architecture...strikes me as
lacking any real warmth. Designed with a strictly utilitarian or
pragmatic approach, they do not often have a personal, individual
touch. A home is different..." Reading this book was very much like
going back to my own childhood, days when I spent all my time outside
or curled up with my books. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this review and
plan on keeping this book in my personal collection. It's refreshing
to know that someone else out there gets it, that people still
understand that life isn't always about electronic gadgets or spending
money or going to work. Social activity for the sake of itself is
healthy, necessary to us as humans.

Thanks for letting me do this, Mom. I'm stealing your book. ;)

A note from mom and blog owner. Ok, yes College Girl grabbed my site, but you gotta let the kid help out some. She is really wonderful. Thanks to her for this review. But more so to Shannon Honeybloom. Shannon, a fellow Texan, mirrors my thoughts so well on making your house a home. Not the trappings of what looks the best but helping the family work as a unit. That stuck togetherness that gets you through hard times and makes celebrations wonderful. I would love to tell you I would share my book, but CG stole from me already. Yep! In her bags to go back to the dorm with her. But I can host a giveaway! Yes, Tolly is helping out here. So if you would like your own copy then pop over to Shannon Honeybloom's site for a visit. Come back to comment and of course do the regular entries. Additional entries can all be done with a separate comment for each for following, having my button, twittering, links on face book, sending others to the giveaway (they have to credit you) and blogging about this great giveaway. Make sure that I can contact you some how in order to let you know if your the winner.