I have to apologize to all those who entered my giveaways over the weekend. I accidentally deleted your entries this morning instead of publishing them. Those two buttons are just way too close together! :-/ I feel terrible, because I know it takes a good deal of time to type out and do all the entries.
If you'd like to re-enter, please just type out something quick for each of your entries...for example: "tweeted". There is no need to tweet again or leave links. Also, you are more than welcome to take an extra enry...you can just type in "oops entry" if you'd like. ;-)
I plan to turn the comment moderation off as well, so hopefully I don't lose any more entries in the future.
Thank you so much for following Kristie's Notes! And again, I'm very sorry for inconviencing you. :-(
Monday, November 18, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Melissa & Doug Terrific 25 List and Giveaway
*Disclosure: By sharing this post, I have a chance to win Melissa & Doug toys. I have not been compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.
Melissa & Doug have come out with another great list, their Terrific 25 List, that compiles Melissa & Doug's greatest Christmas gifts for the year. To celebrate this gift list they're having a “25 Days of Terrific 25” Giveaway on their Facebook page. They'll be giving away a toy from the list each day and one lucky winner will receive ALL 25 toys on Black Friday! Be sure to check out the list and enter to win some awesome prizes! :-)
"Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" DVD Review & Giveaway!! (12/1)
*Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the following movie in
exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. All
opinions are my own.
About Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas (From the Press Release):
Top-rated reality television star, Si Robertson, is transformed into a loveable and wise okra janitor named Silas. Silas narrates the adventures of the holiday flick, which stars Larry the Cucumber, the vibrant Head Elf of the mall who will stop at nothing to assist a compassionate young girl on her quest to help a neighbor in need for Christmas. Bob the Tomato co-stars as Phillip Fleagle, a harried mall employee who takes some time to realize that there is more to the holiday season than material gifts and light displays.
The uplifting theme song, “Light of Christmas,” from radio hit maker Owl City, featuring multi-Grammy award winning artist, TobyMac, brightens the release and is certain to be a holiday hit among children and music lovers of all ages.
My Review:
I've enjoyed VeggieTales since I was in high school and "Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" is just as great as the first ones. This DVD not only made me laugh, but also shared a wonderful message of helping others at Christmas.
Those who enjoy Duck Dynasty will love that Si Robertson is featured as the narrator! I have yet to see Duck Dynasty, but I have a feeling I'd love watch and see how God is central to their family and their lives.
"Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" is definitely a great show to watch with the family this Christmas. Be sure to buy it, watch it, and then do some of the fun activities that I mention below! :-)
Fun Activities:
First of all, check out the featured song from the movie!
The kids and I enjoyed listening and dancing to this several times! It carries a wonderful tune and a wonderful message. Start this up and dance with your kids...or by yourself, because I did that too. ;-)
Besides dancing to to "Light of Christmas" be sure to check out some of the other activities to go along with the "Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" at the Veggie Tales website. Here's a direct link to a Merry Larry Activity Pack. The kids had fun coloring their coloring pages we found on the site.
Most importantly, to follow the message of this movie, take time to help others in need this Christmas. Each year, the kids pick out gifts for children their age to put in a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. Our shoe boxes are already wrapped and waiting at our church to be dedicated, but this is a post from a previous year if you'd like to see a little of what Operation Christmas Child is about. Also check out the Operation Christmas Child site for more details.
Buy it!
"Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" is currently only $8.99 at VeggieTales.com!!
GIVEAWAY!
About Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas (From the Press Release):
Top-rated reality television star, Si Robertson, is transformed into a loveable and wise okra janitor named Silas. Silas narrates the adventures of the holiday flick, which stars Larry the Cucumber, the vibrant Head Elf of the mall who will stop at nothing to assist a compassionate young girl on her quest to help a neighbor in need for Christmas. Bob the Tomato co-stars as Phillip Fleagle, a harried mall employee who takes some time to realize that there is more to the holiday season than material gifts and light displays.
The uplifting theme song, “Light of Christmas,” from radio hit maker Owl City, featuring multi-Grammy award winning artist, TobyMac, brightens the release and is certain to be a holiday hit among children and music lovers of all ages.
My Review:
I've enjoyed VeggieTales since I was in high school and "Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" is just as great as the first ones. This DVD not only made me laugh, but also shared a wonderful message of helping others at Christmas.
Those who enjoy Duck Dynasty will love that Si Robertson is featured as the narrator! I have yet to see Duck Dynasty, but I have a feeling I'd love watch and see how God is central to their family and their lives.
"Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" is definitely a great show to watch with the family this Christmas. Be sure to buy it, watch it, and then do some of the fun activities that I mention below! :-)
Fun Activities:
First of all, check out the featured song from the movie!
The kids and I enjoyed listening and dancing to this several times! It carries a wonderful tune and a wonderful message. Start this up and dance with your kids...or by yourself, because I did that too. ;-)
Besides dancing to to "Light of Christmas" be sure to check out some of the other activities to go along with the "Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" at the Veggie Tales website. Here's a direct link to a Merry Larry Activity Pack. The kids had fun coloring their coloring pages we found on the site.
Most importantly, to follow the message of this movie, take time to help others in need this Christmas. Each year, the kids pick out gifts for children their age to put in a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. Our shoe boxes are already wrapped and waiting at our church to be dedicated, but this is a post from a previous year if you'd like to see a little of what Operation Christmas Child is about. Also check out the Operation Christmas Child site for more details.
Buy it!
"Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" is currently only $8.99 at VeggieTales.com!!
GIVEAWAY!
Congratulations to comment #13, Daniel M!
One of my readers is
going to win their own copy of "Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas"!
To
enter to win, please
leave a comment below. Please be sure
to leave your e-mail address, so that I can contact you if you're the
winner!
Extra Entries:
(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest
Extra Entries:
(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest
*Pin an image from this post to one of
your boards
*Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and
let me know which post.
Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Sunday, December 1st, 2013 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.
Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Sunday, December 1st, 2013 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.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Halloween Activities 2013
Our Halloween activities started at the beginning of October. Some friends invited us to camp with them at a nearby campground during one of their Halloween Weekends. It was a warm weekend for October which made it nice to be outside. It was rainy too, but only at night while we were sleeping. The kids enjoyed a scavenger hunt, looking at the campsite decorations and trick-or-treating. There was a haunted hayride too, but we figured they were too young.
Morgan as a fairy and Blake as Hulk.
The kids with our young friends.
***********
The following Friday night we had made plans with another friend of mine to go to one of Greenfield Village's Halloween nights. It had cooled off a bit, but was a pleasant night and perfect for being outside.
The kids just outside the gates waiting for our time to go through.
The amount of carved pumpkins was AMAZING! There must have been hundreds lining either side of the walking path, plus more stacked in places and the neatest was seeing several decorating a tree!! (Bottom left picture is the tree with the jack-o-lanterns.)
There were several 'spooky' sites, but nothing really scared us. Some of our favorite spots were a covered bridge that was full of smoke, the carousel with ghosts riding, the mad scientist lab where all the glassware glowed neon colors and the headless horseman! The kids thought for sure the headless horseman must have been fake. We reassured them that he was alive. His costume was just so good that you couldn't really tell that his head was in it...we didn't tell the kids that though ;-)
There were also treat stations along the way with people in really neat elaborate costumes. The whole experience was really quite awesome! The only thing I wished was different is that it wasn't so crowded! Keeping track of the kids, in the dark, in shoulder-to-shoulder people, was a tough task! Thankfully they're really good about sticking with me.
************
We didn't make any new decorations this year, but we enjoyed the ones we already have. The kids absolutely LOVE the decorations that glow and had me take pictures of them all. They thought it was fun to turn them all on and shut the lights off to make it 'spooky' in the house. :-)
***************
We also took advantage of the library's Halloween activities this year. They had a Halloween Origami night this year. The kids were able to make some neat origami pumpkins and bats!
The library also had a movie night where they showed Monsters U with snacks, a treat bag and a costume contest. Blake was still the Hulk, but Morgan changed her mind the week before and said she wanted to be a vampire. When I asked her why, she said her teeth made her look like a vampire anyway! LOL! (She was missing her 2 front teeth.) I didn't think it'd happen, since we didn't have anything to make her look like a vampire, but she found a cape at her grandma's, she wore her own black pants and white shirt, Blake's vest and some orange teeth he got from his teacher, we pulled her hair back and she inherited her pale skin from her mom. ;-) She was all set! She won 2nd place ($2) in the costume contest! :-)
***********
Halloween day was busy! I didn't even stop to take pictures...how bad is that?!? The kids had their Halloween activities at school that I went to to be with them. They went at separate times to see a magician who was quite good and it was all Halloween themed tricks! They would typically parade through town and the businesses would hand out candy to them, but it was rainy and our town's main street was torn apart, so someone from each of the businesses lined the hall of the school to pass out candy. Then they'd usually enjoy donuts and juice outside, but they had that in their classroom instead.
I then took them out of school early, so I could run them over to meet up with my mother-in-law and go to Rich's great-grandmother's nursing home were they handed out candy to the kids. Afterwards we had dinner with Rich's family, then spent the rest of the evening driving around visiting family.
That was the gist of our Halloween this year. Very fun times that I'm sure we'll always remember. :-)
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
"Coming Home for Christmas" DVD Review & Giveaway!! (11/27)
*Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the following movie in
exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. All
opinions are my own.
About Coming Home For Christmas
After their parents
separate, two estranged sisters who haven't been on speaking terms reunite in
hopes that having a family Christmas all together for the first time in years
will bring their Mom and Dad close again. They plan to do this in their old
family home... the only problem is someone else lives there now.
Director: Vanessa Parise
Cast: George Canyon (Christmas Miracle, Dawn Rider, Man of Steel),
Aaron Pritchett, Britt McKillip (Dead Like
Me), Carly McKillip (Hot Rod)
The DVD includes a
limited edition Norman Rockwell print! Who is Norman
Rockwell? Rockwell was famous for his famous American
culture illustrations and artwork. He was born in the late 1800’s and died in
the mid 1900’s.
This is the Norman Rockwell print that came with my DVD...sorry the picture turned out a bit blurry.
My Review:
The kids and I had a little movie night at my mom's house to watch this movie. The kids enjoyed it and made us laugh at their comments and reactions throughout the movie. Morgan would get squirmy each time there was a romantic moment...there wasn't even kissing! It was too funny! Blake had a really hard time keeping the sisters straight in the movie. I couldn't blame him, since they're real-life sisters they do look A LOT alike! Every scene change he was asking, "Is that the big one?", meaning the older sister. He had a hard time sitting still and paying attention, though, so he may have been a little young to watch it.
As far as the movie itself, I think the storyline was cute and fun. I think the acting was quite good for a lower budget film, but the actor's lines, or script, didn't seem to flow well all the time. All-in-all, it was a very enjoyable movie though. A nice movie to watch with the family this Christmas season and remember how nice it is to have loved ones together sharing traditions on Christmas. :-)
As far as the movie itself, I think the storyline was cute and fun. I think the acting was quite good for a lower budget film, but the actor's lines, or script, didn't seem to flow well all the time. All-in-all, it was a very enjoyable movie though. A nice movie to watch with the family this Christmas season and remember how nice it is to have loved ones together sharing traditions on Christmas. :-)
Buy it!:
"Coming Home for Christmas" can be purchased at Wal-Mart for $14.99.
Thank you to FlyBy Promotions and Wal-Mart for providing a copy of Coming Home for Christmas for me to review and another to give away!
Thank you to FlyBy Promotions and Wal-Mart for providing a copy of Coming Home for Christmas for me to review and another to give away!
GIVEAWAY!
Congratulations to comment #6, Debby@JustBreathe!
One of my readers is
going to win their own copy of "Coming Home for Christmas"!
To
enter to win, please
leave a comment below. Please be sure
to leave your e-mail address, so that I can contact you if you're the
winner!
Extra Entries:
(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest
Extra Entries:
(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest
*Pin an image from this post to one of
your boards
*Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and
let me know which post.
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Wednesday, November 27th, 2013 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.
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Wednesday, November 27th, 2013 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.
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