Sporadic Saturday--Voyage of the Dawn Treader and More

All right, today has been a big day.  We went to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3-D,  and I cried!  Yep, I haven't told anyone else till now.  There I was with my 3-D glasses with tears running down my face.  Why, you may ask?  The story is full of adventure, and it was very well-done.  I would highly recommend it to anyone except for families with very young children.  It could be frightening, and I don't think  children who were below first grade would get the meaning.  But why did I cry?

At the end of the movie--just like in the book--the weary travelers make it to Aslan's Country.  Those who understand C.S. Lewis's symbolism will know that Aslan represents Christ. So His country would be heaven.  The mouse, Reepicheep, has waited all his life to see this country.  But once you enter, you do not return.  And so he enters.  I cried tears of joy realizing that one day I would enter God's rest.

Now then, I really lost it when Aslan made this statement to Lucy:  "I am known by another name in your world.  You must learn my name there.  I brought you here so you could learn Who I was."  How my dear friend needs this message.  Martin does not know God, and I so long for him to know God!  So I cried.

As to other events, I lost a follower today.  I know that things are busy right now, and it is always disenheartening to see a follower leave.  I know there are many reasons.  I have not had time to think of any other giveaways.  I have been so busy lately that my blog gets neglected now and then.  I do apologize to my followers for that.  You are so loyal!  I know they say that blogging is becoming a thing of the past, but I don't buy into that.  I couldn't  imagine my life without blogging!

I plan this week to list another giveaway or two.  We'll see  what happens.  I do have a PR lead I have to follow up on that could be really good.  I just have no time!

Please be sure to let me know what I can do for you, my dear readers.  I want to meet your needs and minister to you.  I have no real social life apart from this, so I certainly want to do all I can to keep you as a reader.

I will be posting soon about what my Secret Santa got me.  I participated in two this year,and one still hasn't made it to me.  I am toying with the idea of sponsoring a Valentine blog swap, but I have to think of a theme. And I am not sure how many of you would be interested in doing something like that.  I have always loved the swaps I have been a part of.  But maybe we are just too busy!

Fortified Friday--It was easy during the summer!

I had no problem planning out meals and sticking to it this summer.  It is  so hard with school!

But I now have 2  weeks off. I have not decided on every dish we are eating,  but I have two blog posts from  elsewhere that have some great  recipes I want to try!

The first blog from which I am getting recipes is: Lamp Unto My Feet.  These sound like fantastic recipes!

I can't find the other one, but I definitely want to make these cookies!

So I will give you the update about the recipes from last week.  The soup was all right, but I loved the French Toast, and I truly enjoyed the curry chicken.  If you are interested, check out the post.

Thoughtful Thursday--A Sundry of Items

I was thinking tonight that I really need to begin dreaming big on my blog.  I don't have a whole lot of time tonight, but I am thinking that I need to set goals that may not even seem attainable.  God says He can do far exceedingly above all we can ask or think.  Maybe I need to actually take him at His Word!

On a different point, I was authorized by my dad today to buy my mom's presents for him.  It was nice to go on amazon with my my free 2-day shipping and find a bunch of stuff that added up to less  than 80 dollars!  I just love Amazon!!

One more day, and I get two weeks off.  We go off to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader on Saturday.  I am looking forward to having the time off!

I will be wrapping Christmas presents tomorrow and this weekend.  Hopefully I have most of my gifts purchased if not all!  I think I have gifts for my daughter all the way up through Easter!

Hope you are doing just as well!!

Well-Spoken Wednesday--"The Help" book review

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was on the waiting list for this book for almost 6 months.  When it came through, I have to admit that I thought I might not like it.  And if I would have based my review on the first 30 or 40 pages, I would have let it go.  I just couldn't connect with the story.  I really struggled with dialect of the black servants.  And I felt like I was thrown into the middle of the story with no background.

Around page 50, the character of Minny finally got my attention.  I was genuinely interested in what happened to her.  And then the very next chapter was Skeeter, the white woman who does so much good in the book.  I can only hope that if I lived back then, I would have been as brave as she was.  She did not back down, and she was willing to do whatever it took to change things.

There were some classic moments in this book that really drew me in--I am still talking about one interesting little pie recipe in the book.  And not all things in the book happen like you think they should.  There are moments that will outrage you and probably even cause you to cry.

I enjoy the way the author wrote the book.  She writes from the perspective of three people, I think.  And you can tell that the author knows much of what she is talking about.  And her note in the back of the book confirms this.  She grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and the author herself had a black servant.

If you would have asked me last week about my rating of the book, I would have given it four stars.  I give it five because once I got into it, I really didn't like to put it down.  The author knows just when to switch over to a different perspective, and the reader has to wait to see what happens in that situation a few chapters later.

No sex is in the book--I like that.  There is some bad language, but the concept of true Christian faith is also in the book.  The women are strong, and the blacks are so willing to stand up for their rights in spite of the consequences.  In fact, some of them see it as a chance to have a fresh start.

If you enjoy historical fiction, this book would suit you.  If you have strong feelings about civil right and equal rights for women, you would like the views of this book.  If you like a good romance, sorry, this book really doesn't have that.  And if you come into this book with racist/prejudiced views, you will probably hate it as the woman who runs the town, Hilly, did.  It is definitely one that will stick with you!

View all my reviews

P.S.  Sorry I didn't post last night.  I intended to and only realized that I went to bed, I hadn't done it.  I even knew what I was going to write about!  I'll save it for another time.

Music Monday--Reminiscing

Well, I have been a fan of Sesame Street since I was about third grade or  so.  I'm sure you read that and  think that I meant 3 years old.  Nope.  I didn't discover Sesame Street nor Mister Rogers Neighborhood until I was around third grade.  I happened upon it on PBS.  I absolutely fell in love with Mister Rogers.  I still have an e-mail from him that I cherish.  It was hard when he died, but I know that he was a Christian--I am totally convinced.

Sesame Street brings up other interesting things in my childhood.  I checked out a record from the library called "Bob Sings."  It is no longer available.  But I see Bob McGrath of Sesame Street as my earliest voice teacher.  That  album was filled with beautiful songs, and I sang along, trying to match his voice.  Yes, he is aged now, but I still love to see him now and then with Sesame  Street crew.

I am posting one of his early songs from Sesame Street - Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.  I remember the first  time I saw this.  I stayed up late one Christmas Eve--I think  it was around 11 or midnight, and I loved it.  I had heard it on an album, but I hadn't seen it.  So here goes.  I guess I have a lot more I need to post from  my childhood, don't I?  You guys might really find me crazy once you read about my childhood dreams.  But they are a part of who I am.

Solution Sunday-CSN Stores with product review!

Well, I think  I can now review my purchases at CSN stores since I have had some  time to use them.  So here goes:

The first product is the Food Slicer Pro by Deni II.  Here is what I said about the product when I reviewed it on CSN stores.

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Features:

• Large 7 1/2 inch diameter, stainless steel blade
• Angled platform allows food to fall easily
• Adjustable thickness knob for precision slicing – slice foods wafer-thin to more than 1/2” thick
• Perfectly even slices ...

Food Slicer Pro II

Fantastic for the Price

By Ruth Hill from Yelm, WA on 12/12/2010

4out of 5

We were looking for a meat slicer that would thinly slice meat and cheese. We did not want to spend a lot of money, so this fit the bill quite well. It is very easy to use, and it will slice your meat deli thin if you want. We found that it sliced beef brisket and ham in uniform slices with very little effort on my part.

My only complaint really is that it is difficult to clean. You have to be very careful when taking the blade off, and there is no way to sanitize it. I would not recommend it at all for raw meat. But for the price, you cannot beat it!

(legalese)




Moving along, I think I'll review one  more product from them tonight.

This is the Carex memory foam knee pillow. There are no reviews of this, so I will definitely review it!

Actually, this review is posted here.  I figured out how to do it!  Go me!!

I think the best thing about CSN stores is that they have a huge selection and are often cheaper than even amazon or Walmart.  What I would like to see improve is their search features on their blog.  It is often difficult to find exactly what you are looking for.  I would like to see their site more user-search friendly like Amazon, but perhaps in time.  I would like to see more flat rate and free shipping, too.  But they do ship the items out quickly.  I cannot fault them for that!

My Review of Memory Foam Knee Pillow

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Features:

• Ergonomically designed to provide ideal spinal alignment to help reduce lower back leg hip ankle or joint pain
• Sleeping or sitting can be difficult for those with back leg hip or joint pain
• Keeps your legs hips and spine parallel and aligned

Memory Foam Knee Pillow

Fantastic Product for Knee/Hip Problems

By Ruth Hill from Yelm, WA on 12/12/2010

 

5out of 5

I have slept with a pillow between my legs since I was pregnant with my daughter. I was too cheap to get an actual leg pillow, but I often thought about it. Since I had a gift card and the price was good, I decided to gamble on this.

I remember when it came in that my daughter wanted to try it before I did. I informed her it was mine! I love the fact that it does not move around during the night, and it elevates my legs just enough. It is small, and although I have not taken the cover off, I like the fact you can take off the cover and throw it in the wash. As I have used it more and more, it has contoured to my legs--a nice memory foam characteristic.

(legalese)