Fall Into Reading 2011 ~ My Goals

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Somehow…I’m not sure how it happened, the official jump into fall managed to sneak right past me and along with it, the start of Fall into Reading 2011. I’m always reading and have books that I want to read, but for some reason I’ve been having a hard time nailing down an official list of books to read this fall.

Essentially, I’m just not feeling the desire to set any goals.

BUT, Lindsey reminded me that I needed to link up and since I’ve participated for the past 3 {or is it 4???} years now, I figured I needed to get in gear and pull one together.

I’ll keep it simple for you:

Goal #1: Re-read the entire O’Malley series by Dee Henderson. It’s been YEARS since I read the seven books in this series, but I loved them when I did.

Goal #2: Read at least five of the books that I’ve downloaded for free on my Kindle. I have a huge pile of books sorted into my “to read” folder.

Goal #3: Read some more great books {and review them} from some wonderful companies like Bethany House and Barbour. I just finished a whole bunch and need to get busy writing some reviews.

Goal #4: I’m kicking around the idea of also re-reading the entire Mitford series by Jan Karon. I read them about three years ago and my family lost me for about a week, so we’ll have to see if I actually manage to pull this one off without losing a child or something.

That’s it in a nutshell. Now the fun part will be keeping track of the books that I do read over the next three months. Do you have any fun reading plans or suggestions for me?

Don’t forget to visit the official launch post for Fall Into Reading 2011 to check out all the other participants!

 

Because I NEED a Scarf Tutorial {no really, I do!}

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Pinterest has become a wealth of information for me lately. I have decorating boards, craft ideas, recipes out the wazoo and even a ‘fashion’ board…just in case I ever feel the need to get trendy.

The other day I came across this video tutorial on 25 ways to Tie a Scarf and had to share it, because frankly, it’s PURE GENIUS.

 

Combs and Mohawks

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The boys have both been begging for me to make their hair look like a mohawk. I keep forgetting to buy gel whenever I go to the store, but when Grandma was here this past weekend, she had some handy and let the boys use it.

Kaleb and Zachary both wet their hair down and had me fix their hair and were running around. After a few minutes, Kaleb came running up to me and asked,  “Mom, can you check my comb and make sure it’s ok?”

Think that the boy has been around roosters enough?

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Surrender the Dawn {Book Review}

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Cassandra Channing is desperately trying to help her family during the War of 1812 and decides to hire a privateer. Because she is a woman, no one will take her seriously. She is forced to work with Luke Heaton, a man with a less than shining reputation.

Luke agrees to captain the Channing’s ship in hopes of spending more time with Cassandra. As their relationship begins to develop, something from Luke’s past threatens to disrupt not only his future with Cassandra, but his entire life. He is blackmailed and forced to supply the enemy ships, but sees no way around the situation.

What Luke doesn’t know is Cassandra has stowed away on his ship in an attempt to discover what is really going on with Luke ~ putting her life and the lives of many others at risk.

A video clip introduction of Surrender the Dawn…

My Thoughts

Surrender the Dawn is the third book in the Surrender the Destiny series by MaryLu Tyndall.  The series is not one that runs in a time order, but rather one that runs parallel time-wise to the other stories. I have read the other two books in the series {both as equally wonderful} and throughout the stories you have glimpses of characters from the other stories as they interact.

I have loved this look into a crucial point in our American history and have really enjoyed the Surrender the Destiny series overall. The fact that the books can also be read independently without missing any story line plots from the other books is an added plus {although you really want to read the rest!}.

Truthfully this book has given me a renewed interest in our country’s roots and history and I love the perspective that they have provided. I received this book in Kindle format to review, but will also be purchasing the book to have in paperback to complete the series that I already own. :)

Find Out More

~ Visit Mary Lu Tyndall’s website

~ Buy Surrender the Dawn at Amazon.

This book was provided for review by Barbour via Net Galley. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

The Shunning ~ DVD Review & Giveaway

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If viewing in a reader, see the video clip for Beverly Lewis' The Shunning here

From the website release:

Before she succumbs to cancer, the dying wish of Laura Mayfield-Bennett is to be reunited with the daughter she never knew. Unfortunately, that daughter, Katie Lapp, is a member of the Amish order. Katie is about to be married, but uneasy about the path ahead.  Now she discovers the secret her parents have kept from her: she's adopted.
The film is based on the celebrated first novel of the best-selling "The Heritage of Lancaster County" book series from author Beverly Lewis. Stars Danielle Panabaker & Sherry Stringfield.

My Thoughts

I have read so many of Beverly Lewis’ books and was excited to see this come to video. This video more than met my expectations and is truly a wonderful production! The filming and acting were more than I expected and I was so glad to hear that they are currently working on the screenplay for the next book in the series {The Heritage of Lancaster County series was three books}.

While some viewers may be disappointed in the ending, it is a part of a series and they did not cram all three story lines into one movie ~ which I am grateful for. There are a few things that would be inconsistent in the Amish society {the wearing of makeup, for instance}, but I understand the world of making people look good on film! :)

The film is listed as unrated, but I would give it a PG rating, although I do not recall any language or other material in the film. One of the main characters does talk about her past when she was an unmarried, pregnant 16-year-old, but everything is handled really well and would be suitable for older children to watch. This is definitely a movie I’ll be holding onto!

Film Specifics

This film is unrated and has a running time of 88 minutes.

The Giveaway

Would you like to win a copy of The Shunning on DVD?  Fly Propeller has offered a copy to one of my readers! Leave a comment on this post ~ be sure there is a way for me to contact you. The giveaway will be open until Monday, September 26th at 8pm.

This movie was provided for review by FlyPropeller. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Life at this Moment

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The last two months have seemed so chocked full of activity. We’ started back with school at the beginning of August and had what seemed like a non-stop array of visitors during those first few weeks.

Rick has been working like crazy to get our bonus room finished above our garage so we can have a separate space for our schoolroom. It’s been a work in progress over the last few months and we’re just about finished!!

Painting is just about done and we’re finishing up trim and moving everything into the room. And organizing.

We had this past week off from school and are starting back up on Monday ~ and the kids and I are so very excited to be in the new room!! Can’t wait to share the finished room and give you a tour around.