Movie Review: Beyond the Mask

First movie review I've ever done on here. Should I be nervous? How does one even do a movie review? But then again, this was the first time I'd been to the theater in ten years, and it was awesome (except for when I spilled a ton of popcorn). I got to go see "Beyond the Mask" in theaters. It was really, really cool.

So here's what I thought... (I think I'll just do it the way I do the books.)

The Setting:
I loved the adventuresome setting of the Revolutionary War because of the heroism and gorgeous costumes! (Except for the villain's dorky dressing gown and wig. That was weird. I should put that in with what I thought was humorous because I nearly laughed out loud when I saw him.) ; ) Everything looked awesome and period to me (except for one short scene and a definitely animated shipyard). I told my dad afterwards that he would have loved the explosions since they were very realistic. ; )

The Story:
The story was great! (Maybe a teeny straightforward at some points.) Full of adventure with a great Christian worldview/message that salvation is not something we can earn. I loved the unexpected twist of the false redemption (I'll say no more) and all the daring escapes. My two favorite scenes were a chase across the rooftops of Philadelphia and when a dock railing breaks. ; )

The Characters:
I loved the characters. Sir Thomas Kemp was an intimidating and complicated bad guy (If you could get over the fact that you felt like he should welcome you to Abingdon Falls), Will was both tragic and heroic, and Charlotte was a sweet and daring heroine. (And I just loved her costumes!) The best character, as far as humor goes, was Benjamin Franklin. Boy, was he awesome!!

The Concerns:
Parents should have caution while considering this movie for younger viewers because of some intense action (i.e. children in danger, things on fire, etc.), implied violence (but nothing super graphic), and romantic scenes including kissing. A few themes that might cause interesting discussion are being careful to use your head even when you are in love and whether or not it is all right to rebel against authority doing evil.

Altogether, I found it a very fun, very awesome Christian movie! I'm very grateful to have seen it! Have you seen "Beyond the Mask"? What did you think of it?

(Hello, it's now a year later, and I've had to update this a little since I just watched it again. It was even better this time! I highly suggest you watch it!!! And just a cute random fact--the two lead characters are now married!!) ; )

New Experiences Every Day

One of my new experiences lately (besides having pop rocks--they crackle all the way in the back of your brain or at least that's what it feels like!) has been to make my own blog button for this corner of the cyber world. You may have seen on the sidebar the one I made for Noble Novels. Well, I didn't quite like the size it came out so I did a little more experimenting on this one. (I also had to do some experimenting over because I forgot how the program I was using works.) ; ) It was a ton of fun, and I'm very happy with how it came out.

So there it is. If you'd like to add it to your own sidebar first save the picture to your computer. Then go to your blog's layout page and add the gadget for images. They'll give you an option to make it a link, and you can just copy the url for my blog over there. Then, if I'm not making any sense at all, cry and Google (that is a verb) better instructions. ; )

Another new experience has been to do the Bible Bee for the first time ever! It's been so much fun and a bit of good work too! The host family is from our church and only lives half a mile away, so we've gotten to help out a little bit. ; ) It's been really great to make new friends and to become better friends with the old ones. But the best part is that it makes me open the Word every day and actually use my brain to discern what God is saying. I unfortunately don't have any pictures for y'all, but I'll try to get some sometime. ; )

Oh, and pop rocks. Um, they are truly very cool; but BE WARNED, it's a really weird sensation... ; )

Do Not Grow Weary

"And you will arrive in heaven used up. And He will give you a whole new you. And He'll say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You used yourself up for Me just like I did for you." ~Daddy, on having a servant's heart and not growing weary of giving yourself

I'm so grateful for good family conversations. It interrupted the beginning of algebra, but what I did learn was more important. ; )

Story Excerpt: Climbing the Mountain

One of my favorite parts from my story "The Book of Dreams"...

              In less time than it takes to tell about the mountains of pancakes; the sweet, sticky syrup; and the fresh, creamy butter Gwenn had made that morning, it had all been eaten and the cousins set out on their visit.

            The sun was proclaiming itself to the world that morning, and patches of light illuminated the grass where it filtered through the trees. The twins each wore a light shawl on their heads, one green and the other blue. Aaron was very glad they had chosen different colors for he was often confused as to which girl was which.

            “Where are we going?” he asked Lindsay as they wound their way up the steep path that cut steadily up the mountain.

            “Grandma Rowanna lives up on the mountain in that little cottage,” she replied pointing to the wisp of smoke that was the only sign so far of her chimney.

            They continued to climb until a perfect sea of wildflowers stretched out before them. Rising out of the flowers as if it had been planted there, stood the cottage. Its windows looked back at them like two bright, happy eyes watching as they made progress through the sea. A small dog rushed towards them and jumped happily around, barking as loudly as he possibly could.

            The door opened just as they reached the porch and an old woman said with a bright smile, “Hello girls! And Aaron, how good to see you! Come in everyone, and don’t let Cinnamon get you absolutely muddy. She loves hunting in the marsh these days.”

            Following her bidding, Aaron and the girls found themselves in a cozy sitting room and kitchen. The walls were painted in the cheery colors of spring, and flowers from the field were arranged in various vases all around the room. Aaron couldn’t help but wonder if this house knew any other season besides spring; and it did seem that the little old lady with her happy talk and light step couldn’t fit into any other time.

            Gwenn set down her basket on the kitchen table and drew out a jar of jam and a jar of butter. “These are for you, Mother sent them,” she said in her quiet way and held them out to the admiring lady.

            “Thank you very much, dear girl. Please be sure to thank your mother for me,” Grandma Rowanna said holding the jar up to the light streaming in through the windows and admiring its deep purple color.

            She gestured them over to a little sitting room she had set up across from the kitchen, and the girls seated themselves on the couch beside her. Aaron took a place on the rug where he tussled playfully with the dog and only half-listened to their conversation. His ears perked up when Lindsay said, “Grandma, I went to read the Book of Dreams last week.”

What do you think? Would you like to see more excerpts from this story or any of the others?

Life Right Now

Life has been very full right now with such beautiful things as...

Church life and the ministry and fellowship opportunities that come with it. 

It's been so amazing to be a part of this body of believers!

Our new resident dogs. (Patrol is on the left and Ella is on the right.) We love them. ; )

School. I'm particularly excited about this subject right now because I only have two lessons left in it! That's one of the best things about being homeschooled--if you're better at a certain subject or more interested in it you can finish it faster than the others. I love graduating subjects early. ; )

 Nephews. : ) This little guy loves shoes of all kinds, but he looks especially cute in his daddy's shoes. ; )

And I just had to throw this one in for fun. 

It's so much fun taking the little boys outside and playing a bit with them.

And reading. Oh, wow. It looks like I went to the library and brought the whole thing home. : ) So far, I've devoured The Return of the Indian (fun story but I wouldn't suggest that its target age range read it) and The Giver (and really good, but there's some stuff I don't agree with). ; ) 

I'm really looking forward to reading Andrew Peterson's On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (not from the library actually) because my brother has been reading hilarious excerpts aloud.

There's also been some book shipping; lots of dishes, cooking, and house cleaning (goes with the fellowship, ya know); hilarious family times; and a bit of writing. (I'm working on a new story called "The Twin Arrows"--over nine thousand words!)

So, it's been the best of times and the worst of times. I'm very grateful for all the times. : )

Oh, and BTW--one of the worst times was when I found a dead stinkbug down in my toothbrush after I had started brushing my teeth with it. It was bad. And a really hilarious story to tell afterward. Every stinkbug has a silver lining, you know. ; )

Book Review: Rustlers

"The ranches around Rough Rock have been hit by cattle rustlers, and Norman and the sheriff both suspect that someone local is involved. After the Triple Creek Ranch hands discover unknown riders on their range, Norman is determined to put a stop to the whole thing. Join the Mavrich family as they hunt down rustlers, celebrate new life, and experience the joys and challenges of living a Christian life."

Last year, when I heard that Rebekah A. Morris’ third book in the Triple Creek Ranch series had come out, I went and looked it up on Amazon. I was almost giddy when I saw the cover. I’m sure you can guess why. ; )

The Setting:

This story was set on a ranch in the Midwest during late spring. Awesome descriptions of ranch life. Their little town figured much more into the story than in the first two books, and we get to see a couple other ranches as well this time. The illustrations—they are fabulous. : )

The Story:

The storyline was really great! I loved seeing how the Mavrichs’ story continued as they worked together as a Christian family. This story is a little more action packed than the first two, but it was exciting and clever plot! I would have never guessed how the rustlers were working. Lots of sweet home life stuff too which I like a lot. : ) Really awesome lessons about dealing with worry, loving people as Christ does, living as a Christian, and leaning on God’s strength were integrated into the book. The fact that it is spring in the story is really fun too since there are baby animals to enjoy hearing about. : )

The Characters:

The characters were awesome! Same awesome cast (love the Mavrichs!) and crew (love Scott, Hearter, and Mrs. O’Conner!), plus some new characters. (My only complaint—too many ranch hands to keep track of. Fortunately all of them aren’t main characters.) Mr. Mavrich and Mrs. Mavrich are so sweet, and Orlena is definitely improved! : ) Everyone is very realistic, and it is interesting to note how people’s motives can move them to act in different ways. (I hope Ky is cool later on.)

The Concerns:

Parents should have caution in considering this book for younger readers because of (SPOILER ALERT!) a western shootout. While very not-graphic, two characters do get hurt, and there are slight mentions of wounds and blood. (They are going to recover though!) The main thing I thought would not be good for younger readers is that Orlean has to walk by a saloon, and someone drunk is trying to be mean to her. (One of her brother’s very nice adult friends helps her out before anything happens, though.) There is also a mean little girl at the school that Orlena goes to that says some uncharitable things, but Orlena is learning to deal with that and reach out to her. Also, although the marriage relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Mavrich is very sweet and godly, some parents may not want younger readers to read this yet because there is a lot of married kissing throughout the book. : )

Once again, this awesome author provided me with an amazing book to read and enjoy! (When I wrote this, book four was in the works; but thanks to Amazon money for Christmas, I didn’t have to wait long. Review coming soon!)