"The Father's Love" DVD Review

*Disclosure:  I was provided with the following DVD in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.  I have not been compensated in any way.

About the movie:

Sarah, an aspiring filmmaker meets the man of her dreams. Charming, handsome, and wealthy, Reece becomes her world. As their story unfolds, Sarah is taken on a journey of heartbreak and forgiveness, exploring the meaning of her relationships both past and present.

Take a look at the trailer:

My Review:
"The Father's Love" was a very pleasant movie to watch.  I thought it was fairly nicely made and had good acting.  It was easy to see how the main character, Sarah, got caught up in the charms of Reece.  It made those of us watching want to see how the story played out.  It's not the typical romantic love story, but it's still neat to see how God works through Sarah to learn to forgive and move forward.

Buy It!
"The Father's Love" DVD is available for purchase from amazon.com.  It is currently only $9.79!

Old Fashioned Novelization and "The Old Fashioned Way" Companion Book Review and GIVEAWAY! (7/8) #OLDFASHIONEDMOVIE #FLYBY

*Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

About the Old Fashioned Novelization:

Turning his back on his reckless lifestyle, former frat boy Clay Walsh has settled down to turn an antique shop in a small Midwestern college town....and to purse lofty and outdated theories on love and romance.  But when Amber Hewson, a free-spirited woman with a gypsy soul, rents the apartment above his shop, Clay can't help being attracted to her spontaneous and passionate embrace of life.  Amber also finds herself surprisingly drawn to Clay, but his ideas about relationships are unusual to say the least, and they bring to light her own deep wounds and fears about love.  They say opposites attract, but can Clay and Amber move beyond their differences and their pasts to attempt an "old fashioned" courtship?

My Review:

After seeing the movie Old Fashioned, reading the novelization of the movie has been quite neat!  I always thought I'd prefer reading the book first, but it's interesting to be able to read what the characters are feeling and actually get details that I didn't necessarily pick up on while watching the movie.

The story is the same as in the movie, of course, and there is definitely something refreshingly sweet about the idea of the 'old-fashioned' dating style that Clay and Amber have. :-)

Buy it!

Old Fashioned, the novelization, can be purchased here for $11.99.

About The Old Fashioned Way: Reclaiming the Lost Art of Romance:
Contrary to popular opinion, being "old fashioned" doesn't mean you're dull or unromantic.  In fact, a true old fashioned relationship can be more exciting and romantic than anything you've ever experienced!  So what does it mean to do things the old fashioned way?  Sure, it means opening doors, holding out chairs, and taking things slow.  But a true old fashioned romance goes much, much deeper than that.  Inspired by the motion picture Old Fashioned, this book will show you how to reclaim the lost art of romance by introducing you to romantic love as God intended it.  Regardless of your past mistakes, where you've been, what you've done, or where you are now, you can find and create a love that will last a lifetime!  As you work your way through this forty-day journey of inspiring readings and questions for reflection, you'll discover all the unique and amazing benefits of doing things the old fashioned way.  And before you know it, you'll be well on your way to creating a love story for the ages.   

My Review:
This companion book to Old Fashioned would be a great guide to use before starting to date.  It goes over things like the benefits of online dating, building your character, treating each other with respect and a bunch more!  I wish I had read something like this before I jumped into dating...although I'm super happy with who God has blessed me with, so I must have done okay! ;-)  I just appreciate the topics discussed in The Old Fashioned Way and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of dating!

Buy it!
The Old Fashioned Way companion book can be purchased here for $10.99. 

Check out the official website here: http://www.oldfashionedmovie.com

Follow Old Fashioned on Social Media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldFashionedMovie

Twitter: @OldFashionedVow

GIVEAWAY!

Congratulations to comment #43, Julie Waldron!

One lucky reader is going to win a copy of both books, the novelization of Old Fashioned and The Old Fashioned Way, PLUS a copy of the Old Fashioned DVD!  What a great prize!! :-)

To enter to win leave a comment below. Please be sure to leave your e-mail address with the comment, so I can contact you if you're the winner.

 If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

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Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Sunday, July 8th, 2015 at 11:59 EST. Winner will be chosen shortly after and contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will have to choose a new winner.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Some pictures I've been able to capture around our home recently reminded me of an old hymn, "All Things Bright and Beautiful"...

All Things Bright...

(A young cherry tree that blossomed bright blossoms for the first time.)

and Beautiful,

(A young apple tree that blossomed beautiful blossoms for the first time.)

All Creatures Great...

(New calves that came that will grow to a great size.)

and Small,

(A small Bluebird seen on our fence post.)

All Things Wise and Wonderful,

(Pic from Wikipedia, although we did have a wise and wonderfully handsome owl as a 'guest' recently.)

The Lord God Made Them All

In seeing these things, I can't help but stop in awe of the beauty and wonder of God's creation.  A welcome pause in the busyness of life. :-)

Volunteering at School

I had a couple opportunities to volunteer in the school this year.  Blake's teacher asked for moms to help during centers on Tuesdays, so I'd go for an hour or more every other Tuesday (or so).  I thought it was a fun opportunity to see Blake in school and meet, and get to know, some of his classmates.  I had a great time with them!  (Kids are just so cute!)  Well, the last week of school, Blake's teacher came and found me in the other place I volunteered, which I'll tell you about in a minute, and gave me this sweet gift!

The idea for the gift is so neat!  It's a pitcher with a spoon and Country Time Lemonade mix along with a thank you from all the kids in the class and the teacher.  I'm totally keeping these and rereading them.  They say things like "you are my favorite in centers", "you must be a great mom" and one was signed "your little friend".  Blake even wrote that he wished I could come more.  They all just melted my heart!

The other volunteering I had the opportunity to do was in the school library.  The librarian asked for help in the the parents that worked the scholastic book fair so I offered.  I had no idea how much work goes into keeping a school library going!  I'm sure that the school librarian isn't paid enough for all she does, but it's a neat job for sure. I really enjoy working in their, shelving books, checking books in and out, and doing whatever is needed.  I'm definitely planning on going back again in the fall.  The librarian also gave me a thank you gift of this cute bird feeder and seed.

Rich hung it out front for me in the Mountain Ash tree so we can watch the birds through the front window.  It's going to be fun watching the birds year round!  Morgan spotted this little guy today:

The kids have a great school and I'm happy I've had a chance, in a small way, to be part of it!

Dance Season 2014-2015

This was Morgan's 4th year of dance.  She enjoys is just as much as ever, but has decided to take a break this next year and do art with Blake.  There were so many changes this year in the way things were run that I was getting a negative attitude about dance and am personally happy to have a little break.  I know I'll miss the conversations with the other moms though and Morgan will miss the time dancing with friends.

With all that said, the dance teacher surprised us a couple times with recognizing Morgan!  The teacher doesn't know yet that Morgan plans to take the year off, but she still unknowingly made me feel guilty!  Morgan was the 'Student of the Month' for May and she brought home this sign to display the honor.

She was also recognized in the dance studio's newsletter.

The dance recital(s) took place a couple weeks ago.  Morgan did another lyrical this year to "Let it Go".  I actually made sure to watch and only tried snapping a couple pictures.  I thoroughly enjoyed the routine and Morgan has really made progress!  It was truly awesome to see!

Posing for a picture.

Another pose with her dance friends.  (Thank you Karen for the picture!)  I didn't ask permission to post their pictures, so I've hidden their sweet faces.  :-)

Another surprise!  Morgan received an award for "Most Improved Dancer" and all the girls/dancers received trophies this year!  Both were very exciting for Morgan. :-)

Morgan's New Hairdo!

I didn't take a picture before Morgan got her hair cut, but this is from last week at Rock Glen.  It was getting really hard to manage and she had been wanting to cut it off and donate it for at least the last month or two.  I'd been meaning to get the kids in to have their hair cut at the same time and we finally went yesterday.

Aren't they cute!?  Morgan's got styled, which I hadn't planned, but we're both super glad the hairdresser suggested it!  Morgan loves how light it is, first of all, but also loves the way it looks and wants to keep it this way.  She thinks she looks like Nancy Drew.  (She loves those books!)

This is the back.  (Super cute, right?) I'm almost thinking of doing the same with my hair....but it'd just end up in a ponytail anyway like always. :-)

 She looks so different!  LOVING it though, so I wanted to share. :-)

A Great Day at Rock Glen Conservation Area in Ontario!

The kids had never been to Canada before.  It was hard for them to understand that we were headed to a whole other country.  Blake kept asking "What state we were going to again?"  Lol!

We crossed the Blue Water Bridge and the kids were in awe!  Morgan was a little anxious about being up so high over the water, but Blake thought it was great!

 Even though the TomTom didn't take us directly to Rock Glen, we managed to find it fairly quickly.  A little exploring and we found the museum there.  We checked out all sorts of fossils and other cool things...

 ...then hit the trails again!  We found water and could hear the waterfall!

Some more trails, a bunch of steps, and then there it was!

Beautiful!

The water beyond the falls.

Some water dripping near the falls.

A toad enjoying the beautiful area with us.

 And while the waterfall was beautiful, the main attraction of finding fossils quickly took away the kids' attention.  The anticipation was so much for Blake that he was even looking well before we got anywhere close to the fossils.

We ended up finding several...

 ...and then the kids were satisfied with their findings and could relax.

 These are corral fossils from what we could tell from our visit to the museum.

 I don't know what this one is called, but it's super cool too!

One thing we discovered, while fossil searching, is that you get muddy! This sign was kinda cool...you could leave your muddy hand print on it!  I thought it was a very cute idea. :-)

It was my mom's idea to take the kids here.  (Great idea, Mom!)  She thought Blake especially would like a 'real' experience digging for fossils.  What's even better is each person could keep one fossil they found, so we could bring them home with us too!

The kids also experienced Tim Horton's for the first time.  I think it was my first experience having lunch there too.  I had no idea that your side item, when you bought a combo meal, was a donut!  I'm pretty sure the kids thought that was better than fries at McDonalds. :-)

"Old Fashioned" DVD Review and Upcoming Giveaway! #OLDFASHIONEDMOVIE #FLYBY

*Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

About the movie:
 A romantic-drama, OLD FASHIONED centers on Clay Walsh, a former frat boy who gives up his reckless carousing and now runs an antique shop in a small Midwestern college town. There, he has become notorious for his lofty and outdated theories on love and romance as well as for his devout belief in God. When Amber Hewson, a free-spirited young woman with a restless soul, drifts into the area and rents the apartment above his shop, she finds herself surprisingly drawn to his strong faith and noble ideas, which are new and intriguing to her. And Clay, though he tries to fight and deny it, simply cannot resist being attracted to her spontaneous and passionate embrace of life. Ultimately, Clay must step out from behind his relational theories and Amber must overcome her own fears and deep wounds as the two of them, together, attempt the impossible: an "old-fashioned" and God-honoring courtship in contemporary America. 

DVD Releases on June 16, 2015

115 minutes // Genre: Drama // Rating PG-13 

"Old Fashioned" movie links:
Website:  http://www.oldfashionedmovie.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OldFashionedMovie

Follow on Twitter: @OldFashionedVow

Check out the trailer:

My Review:
"Old Fashioned" is a wonderfully made movie about keeping old-fashioned, Christian values while dating.  Both Clay and Amber, the couple in the movie, have pasts where they either were hurt, or had hurt their significant other, because of today's ideas about dating.  It's refreshing to see how they create a beautiful relationship, having fun and getting to know one another, without jumping into a physical relationship.

I want to mention that I felt that the main actors in this movie did a great job!  It actually felt like they were a 'real' couple while watching the way they interacted.  I felt myself being drawn in and pulling for them as the story developed.  Well worth watching!

I highly recommend "Old Fashioned" to everyone of dating age!  It shows the pain that can come from contemporary dating relationships and how wonderful dating in an "old-fashioned" way can be. :-)

Buy it!
The "Old Fashioned" DVD can be purchased here for $15.99.

GIVEAWAY coming soon!

"Pirate's Code: The Adventures of Mickey Matson" DVD Review and GIVEAWAY! (6/21) #PIRATESCODE #FLYBY

*Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

About the Movie:
In this follow up to Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Treasure, Mickey Matson is at it again; this time pitted against the evil Admiral Ironsides and his gang of pirates who are intent on destroying civilization.  Their new invention, the Tesla Coil, is a weapon of mass destruction that will send an electromagnetic pulse throughout the world, destroying every electronic device in existence.  With the help of a secret organization, Mickey and his best friend Sully embark on a mission to stop the pirates from taking over a submarine and stealing the last part needed to complete their devastating weapon.  If Admiral Ironsides succeeds in his plan, civilization will be sent back to the Stone Age.  It's a race against time, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. 

To learn more about the movie check out the following sites:

Twitter:  @MickeyMatson

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mickey-Matson/211224175604758?fref=ts

Official Website:  http://mickeymatson.com

Take a look at the trailer!

My Review:
"Pirate's Code: The Adventures of Mickey Matson" is a family-friendly, action-packed hero movie.  The film is definitely targeted to kids, so there is nothing for a parent to be concerned about in letting their child watch this.  I would advise that the children be at least 6 before seeing it though, due to the fight scenes.  (While the scenes are quite tame, younger children may be bothered them.)

My kids and I watched "Pirate's Code" for a family movie night. My daughter (9 years old) thought the movie was going to be scary, from seeing the cover but, at the end, she decided that it wasn't that scary at all!  My son (7 years old), is more inclined to want to see a pirate movie, and enjoyed every moment.  They both actually liked it so much that they wanted to watch it again the following morning!

"Pirate's Code" is a sequel to another Mickey Matson adventure that we haven't seen.  While that fact didn't take away from our enjoyment of the movie, it was quite evident.  I can see finding a copy of the first Mickey Matson movie in the future to see where his adventures started! :-)

Buy it!
"Pirate's Code: The Adventures of Mickey Matson" is available for purchase here for $11.99.

GIVEAWAY!

Congratulations to comment #9, Sandra Davis!

One lucky reader is going to win a copy of the DVD, "Pirate's Code: The Adventures of Mickey Matson".

To enter to win leave a comment below. Please be sure to leave your e-mail address with the comment, so I can contact you if you're the winner.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or is you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Extra Entries: (1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)

*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.

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Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Sunday, June 21st, 2015 at 11:59 EST. Winner will be chosen shortly after and contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will have to choose a new winner.

Blake's Spring Art Class Projects 2015

Blake had another fun 4 weeks of art in March/April where he was able to try some new things!

I LOVE these!  I think I'll be putting them out on display each Spring. :-)

Super cute bear!

 The kids really look forward to the week they get to work with clay.  This is Blake's first clay project that sits on a shelf.  (The rest have been more like pictures that hang up.)  He really enjoys creating things like this and I think he did a pretty great job on his penguin!

This project is neat.  They painted then tore paper to create the waves in the water and they also used a fun technique to paint their own mat to go on their picture.

We may look into a class this summer, but if not it'll be Fall again before Blake takes another class.  Morgan wants to join him doing art this next year and will be taking a break from dance.

"Virtuous" DVD Review

*Disclosure: The following film was provided to me in exchange for my honest review.  I have not been compensated in any way.

About the film:
When Simone Burner (Brandy Allison) is accused of murdering the man who assaulted her, she seeks out the help of attorney Jack Evans (Erik Estrada “CHiPS”) to prove her innocence. As her trial progresses, the prosecution brings to light the truth about Simone’s past. A past that she had long hoped to escape.

From the producer of Finding Faith, “Virtuous” is a film created to inspire and ignite women to live out the principles of Proverbs 31, instilling solid convictions of faith, wisdom, and integrity.

Boasting a female-led cast that includes Angelita Nelson (Courageous), Erin Bethea (Fireproof), Vanessa Ore (My Name is Paul) and American hero, Jessica Lynch, this film weaves together stories of powerful women from the battlefields of Afghanistan, to an American news studio, to a home for troubled girls, and the pulpit of a church, all while revealing the truth of God’s transformative love and grace.

Visit the website for more information, including a tour schedule, church screening info and other resources. http://www.virtuousfilm.com/

Take a peek at the the trailer:

My Review:
I really enjoy movies that are inspiring in some way.  I don't 'like' to cry, but I know the movie is really quite good if it moves me to tears....and "Virtuous" did that!

As I watched this film not only did it take me on a roller coaster of emotions, but it kept me guessing throughout as well!  So many aspects of the characters lives are unknown, but at the end it all comes together and makes perfect sense!  "Virtuous" really draws you in and makes you want to keep watching to find the answers.  Another great quality of this film!

While I sincerely enjoyed much of the movie, I should mention that some of that acting wasn't the best.  Also, there were aspects of the trial that didn't seem like they'd happen in a true court.  I think the overall message, and other enjoyable qualities, of the movie far outweighs the few seemingly unfavorable aspects though.

I can't finish this review without saying a little something about Erik Estrada.  I have faint memories of seeing episodes of "CHiPs".  (Most likely reruns, since I wasn't born until its second to last season on TV.)  Because of those memories, seeing Erik Estrada pull up to his house on a motorcycle, in one scene, just made me smile! :-)

Buy it!
"Virtuous" retails for around $20.00. (Price varies depending on retailer.)  To order the DVD online visit the Virtuous website.