10 Books Every Husband And Father Need To Read

Hello! Mr. Cottage here again. I know it has been awhile. The Girls have been trying to get me to write another blog post. So I have decided to do just that.  I am writing this for those of you out there that are husbands, fathers or those who are about to be one.

I want to recommend 10 books that you need to read and why. These books can benefit you with your walk with God and your family.

The first book is actually 66 books in 1 with 40 different authors. If you guessed the Bible, then you are correct. The Bible is the most important book we will ever read. It shows us how to live our lives while going thru life. How to treat family and neighbors and even our enemies. I recommend reading the Bible daily.

Related Post: Dear Dad's 22 Things You Should Know

All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 2 Timothy 3:16 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Second I would recommend Kingdom Man by Tony Evans. Tony Evans is the founder and president of the Urban Alternative,  Evans also serves pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas.

Kingdom Man walks through the building blocks of becoming a man of God. Its broken down into three parts; The Formation of A Kingdom Man, The Foundation Of A Kingdom Man, and The Function of a Kingdom Man. Dr. Evans walks you thru each section and then how to obtain it. The reason I recommend this book is it helps us to be Godly men and how to put these attributes into action. It is so easy to just get swept away with day to day living and forget the spiritual. Dig in men! This is a great place to begin your journey.

Third is The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Dr. Gary Chapman reveals how different personalities express love in different ways.  Tare five specific languages of love: Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. I like this book because it explains each group very well. This book helped me figure out my wife, my twins and even my mother in laws love languages. Not everyone’s language is the same. As the leader of the family, it is wise to know each individual person’s love language so we can make sure they feel loved and help them grow as a godly person.

And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then] You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

The fourth is the Point Man by Steve Farrar. In this book, Steve Farrar challenges men to take their God-given positions on the front lines of the battle, to the fight for their family. This book helped me understand that as the father I am the point man in my family. As point man, that means that I am the leader of my family. How I lead will determine how my family will survive life crisis…. If I lead my family in a Godly way then they will follow.

Fifth is another book by Steve Farrar, Anchor Man is sort of a sequel to Point Man. In this book, Steve presents the high calling of fatherhood, the traits of a Christian father, the adventures that await him, and the significance of his role. This book helped me understand that as the father in my house I am not only the point man but I am also the anchor that holds my family together. We have to be a Godly anchor to keep our families anchored down when the storms hit. Trust me the storms will hit sooner or later.

Sixth is “What He Must Be….. if he wants to marry my daughter” by Voddie Baucham Jr. In this book, Voddie Baucham breaks it down into ten desirable qualities. If you have daughters this book will help you to teach her what to look for in a husband or if you have sons then this book will help you raise them to be Godly men. I liked this book because it helped me understand what God is looking for in a husband for my daughters. It also helped me with ways to improve my relationship with my wife.

 Seventh is This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. This book is a fictional story, but well worth the read. This book actually changed my life but that is a blog post for a later date. In this book Frank Peretti dramatizes prayer warfare. It really doesn’t cover family per say but it shows you a different side to spiritual warfare and what is at risk. As the leader in our house, we should be praying constantly for our loved ones. The more I pray and are in the Word of God the better off our families will be.

 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.                1 Corinthians 15:13

The eighth book is “What a Difference a Daddy Makes” by Kevin Leman. In this book, Dr. Leman writes about what makes a healthy father-daughter relationship. I liked this book because he helps understand how important our relationship with our daughters really is. If we have a good relationship with our daughters then they will expect that out of their relationship with guys. If we have a bad one then their expectations from the guys they look for in a relationship will be lower.

If you ever watched the movie Fire Proof then you will know what is next. Number 9 is the Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick.

 This will help you if your marriage is on the rocks or even help if it is not. It is a book given to the main character of the movie by his dad. It's a 40-day challenge that builds on itself each day as you go thru it. It is one that after you go thru, you can repeat over and over. I am planning on starting it again!

The last book is “Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman. In this book, you'll learn the differences between a fan and a follower. You'll be prompted to identify which category you fall in and then grow from there. Jesus doesn't want a fan, someone that knows all about him- He wants a follower, a relationship. This is a really great read, and will help you grow in your relationship with Him.

Installing Cabinets With Mr. Cottage

Well, Mr. Cottage is wonderful! Just thought I would let you know. He took our plight of having a small kitchen with not enough cabinets for our dish collection to heart and went to Lowe's to buy us some more cabinets. He used a stud finder for the wall to find the studs to secure the cabinets. Mr. Cottage decided not to make a toe kick for them but bought legs so that they will look like furniture instead.

RELATED POST: Remodeling The Kitchen (Week 1)

He bought some golden oak stain and we stained the legs and he attached them to a piece of plywood.

He measured the base of the cabinets as we wanted them and then put that measurement onto the plywood cutting out a base. Then he used a drill and predrilled the holes for the screws to secure the legs to the plywood. He then screwed the plywood to the base of the cabinets and the cabinets to one another building as he went.

RELATED POST: Kitchen Remodel (week 2) 

Next, he added the shelves and the doors and Yeah! We have cabinets!

Stuffed Bell Pepper's With Mr. Cottage

One dark and stormy October night- 

Oh! Hi there, sorry about that. Today I'm mastering the grill with my trusty sidekick Tongs to show you how to make Stuffed Bell Peppers. Ready? Well then, here we go,

Ingredients: 

Bell Peppers (I made six)

Celtic Sea Salt 

Onion Powder

Mrs.Dash Lemon Pepper 

Garlic Powder and what ever else sounds good to you.

1 lb. Grass Fed Ground Beef (Use what you have, this can be made with ground chicken, turkey, bison,`1 what ever sounds good to you.)

2 12 Oz. Cans of Hunts Tomato Sauce (I like Hunts for the flavor, if you have a favorite... by all means use it or... HOME CANNED! YUMMY)

2 cups Precooked rice Rice

Coconut Oil

Step 1: Wash your peppers and slice off the tops.  Remove the stem but reserve the tops.  Remove seeds. Rub peppers with oil (I use coconut oil) coating inside and out. 

Step 2:  With a POW! and a BANG! Sprinkle salt and pepper and what ever your favorite seasoning is over the peppers (Feel free to make sound effects, it makes life so much more enjoyable and it keeps the neighbors questioning.)

Step 3: Place them on grill as seen above or you can even roast them over the eye of your gas range. Make sure the peppers are the ones on the grill and not your fingers and shut the lid. 

Step 4: Meanwhile, back in the kitchen... begin cooking your rice and cook the ground beef seasoning well.  I use a bit of Lemon Pepper Mrs. Dash, and Celtic Sea Salt to taste. When meat has been browned, mix with your rice.  Taste for seasoning.  You want this seasoned well.  

 One dark and frigid [Artistic license taken in force -The Cottage Girls] October night I intrepidly started the grill of intrigue and insanity, as lightning split the sky around me [Again artistic License Was Taken Liberally -The Cottage Girls]. Pop! In an insanely fast move I dropped a pepper on the grill and reached for the next...

Step 5: Open grill.. check your peppers and turn.  It is ok that they get a little black. These roasted peppers are going to give your dish so much flavor.  Turn them on every side until they are well roasted.  

And I waited. The storm intensified. 

Then in another blinding move I wrestled the peppers from the evil lord grill [Mmmhmmm... - The Cottage Girls] and flipped the peppers. 

Step 6: Bring inside and place them in a baking pan (like the one for your lasagne) [Insert Dramatic Music Dun-Dun-Dun {Who didn't see that coming?}] when done and spoon the beef and rice mixture into your peppers, 

Step 7: Pour over your peppers a large can of Hunts Tomato Sauce . Cover with the lids of the peppers and add more tomato sauce over the top.  I like to use two large cans because the sauce is so great with these roasted peppers in it. Top with salt and Mrs. Dash to taste.

The storm stopped. The grill had been defeated! Quickly I removed the peppers and stuffed them with pure deliciousness.

Step 8: Well there really isn't a step 8 unless you consider EAT! as a step like I do in which case step 8 is- EAT! 

And that is how I defeated the Evil lord- the grill of intrigue and... (Wait for it)

Insanity.

Join Tongs and I next time as we defeat another vicious tyrant! 

Ikea Couch Review

I've been meaning to get this up for awhile, several months ago we purchased these couches from Ikea. They were super easy to put up and we absolutely love them! They look nice and are very comfortable. This couches will go with so many different styles and being white they really brighten the room. There have been more than one stormy night spent on these great couches. If the slip covers get dirty all you have to do is pull them off and throw them in the wash and line dry. Mr. Cottage and I put ours together and it was so easy! I think we had both put together in a half hour. 

The pieces to the couches were delivered in giant boxes for us to assemble.

Then you take them out of the box and following the directions attach the arm of the chair. 

Then the other.

Screw on the legs.

Slip on the slip cover.

Slip the pillows into the slip covers and put in place. That's it! 

Making Broth With Mr. Cottage

Hi there Mr. Cottage here. How are you all doing? I hope you brought your aprons because today I'm going to show you how to make broth.

What you will need:

Crock pot or slow cooker, raw apple cider vinegar, veggies (I used carrots, celery, squash, zucchini, onions, and mushroom), 1 gallon bottle of water, salt, and last but not least... bones (Cue the spooky  music) Dunt-Dunt Da, (You can use chicken, beef, pork ect. You can also throw chicken feet in if you have them.  Yes I know, that sounds gross right? But they are really high in collagen and make a very healthy broth.) I like to add some extra collagen in my broth too.  

First Chop your veggies.

Put your bones in the crock pot. Well not your bones- Oh you know what I mean. And add the veggies.

. Pour the water in until full. Add about a tablespoon of Celtic sea salt. Cook on low for two days, then strain all the veggies and bones out, depending on the state of the veggies you can either keep them and make another batch or throw them away with the bones. Store in the fridge or can it. And your done! Now you can make soup or anything else that you think of.

How To Build A Chicken Coop ~ With Mr. Cottage & The Rosevine Girls

Cheyenne- We had some unexpected visitors on our hands that kept getting into our aviary that Mr. Cottage built for the birds.

Here is a picture of our most unwelcome visitor inside of our chicken aviary after killing all of our bantam silkies.  We just felt like something was wrong and went down to the pen and this is what we found.  It was angry that we stopped its meal.

We think that it got in by squeezing into the roofing.  It was so heart wrenching.  Mrs. Cottage and I rushed in and she held a stick like a baseball bat to protect her face and I went in behind her and got the door to the bird's barn dugout (there were so many shavings that the door was stuck open) so there I am digging it out with my booted foot.  I was terrified.  Mrs. Cottage prayed a mile a minute but I got it done and all the rest of the birds into the barn with myself and Mrs. Cottage and we backed out the other barn door.  We were so scared.

Mr. Cottage and his boss stopped by and let the Buzzard out of the aviary and off it flew for the moment.  But sadly it came back daily and tried to find a way in.  We patched every spot we could think of, but still, it got in.  Finally, we had enough and decided to build another home for the birds.

Mr. Cottage -We made the run part out of 2x4's and rabbit cage fencing. We placed the house on top of the run with the nesting boxes coming off the back and supported by poles. The frame for the house I made from 2X4s then cut the plywood to size and screwed it onto the frame.

On the floor of the house, we sprinkled DE ( Diatomaceous Earth) then put Linoleum over it to enable easier scrubbing and to help preserve the wood. I also made it so one side of the house opens to make cleaning easier.

For the nesting box I used a 2x2 for the frame and again cut the plywood to match my frame then screwed it on to the frame and attached it to the house. The nesting box door opens up to prevent the chickens from bumping the door open if it is accidentally left open. -Wink- (Not That ever happens...ahem) For the roof I cut the boards the length of the house and made them lay like shingles to help drain water off without actually using shingles.  I did the front of the house the same way. 

For extra support, I also added a 2x2 cross beam lengthwise across the house about a foot from the roof to help support it (Our street is nicknamed Tornado Alley for a reason).  For the chickens to come in and out we made a 1' 2x4 frame and put it in the floor then made a ramp from scrap wood. After we finished the run and house we cut a hole in the wire roof of the run and inserted our homemade feeder into it. 

I wasn't sure they would like it after having so much room in the aviary.  I knew the answer when I saw this in the AM.  Yep, they had settled in just fine.

You can also check out our Chicken Tractor

(Chickens, Farm, Coops, Runs, Barns, DIY, Chicken Tractors, Homestead, )

Mr Cottage's Nature Tree

This is Mr. Cottage's tree. Every year you can be sure to find something new handmade or store bought on this giant tree. This tree always stand in the entry way to greet anyone who enters.

The Bethlehem Star that sits atop this tree is made of twigs and nuts.

Bear ornament 

Cross ornament 

Bear ornament

Owl ornament 

An old fisherman lives here with the catch of his life!

Bird and nest 

Boating anyone? This was a gift we made for our dad for his first father's day.  He kept it on his wall but it is hung on the Christmas Tree every year too.  It reminds us all that we need to be a fisher of men.

Home made ornament that we made for the tree one year.

This is the back of another homemade ornament that my dear friends and I did and then all signed.  They now live in Freetown Africa serving as full time missionaries. 

Gold Bird

I think this was actually on a gift basket some one gave us.

Who can have a nature tree in the Rosevine Cottage without a chicken? 

Moose ornament