My Name is Paul (Movie Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the movie via Edify Media in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the movie-

Caught between The Way and The World, Paul blinded by hate and intent on destruction is determined to find and kill Peter the enemy of his Leader. However, a terrible accident and a miraculous discovery where he learns to live and love the way.

My thoughts-

The story of Paul is easily one of the most interesting and uplifting journeys in the Bible. For someone to go from being a murdering non-believer to one of the most prominent sharers of the word in just a brief amount of time is astounding, but that is our God for ya. "My Name is Paul" is a modern day re-telling of Paul's story, in a post-apocalyptic world. I thought it was interesting to watch a sort of mash up of Paul's story and the end times, especially in this time when so many people are interested in dystopian stories. This movie was full of action and was very intense to watch at times. There was a little bit of comic relief thrown in here and there which I was thankful for, but the tone overall is serious. I thought Andrew Roth did a wonderful job playing both sides of Paul. At the beginning of the movie, he is absolutely believable as a hate filled murderer, but after he is blinded on the road he is equally believable as a servant of God bent on sharing the truth and being useful anyway good sees fit. This movie was a very good representation of how Paul's change of heart took place. I think that it was also a good picture of what a post-apocalyptic world would look like and some of the situations that could likely happen then as well. I think anyone interested in the Bible and Paul's story, would find this to be an interesting in seeing this end times portrayal of his story. I would recommend "My Name is Paul" pretty much to any Christian and anyone interested in end times or Biblical based stories.

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About Word Entertainment-

A leader in the music industry for over 60 years, Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, is a unique, comprehensive entertainment company comprised of multi-faceted artist service departments including publishing, merchandising, booking, and online initiatives. Word Entertainment represents some of the top names and brands in music, including Meredith Andrews, Chris August, Francesca Battistelli, Big Daddy Weave, Jason Castro, Patrick Ryan Clark, Everfound, for KING & COUNTRY, Group 1 Crew, Love & The Outcome, Dara Maclean, NEEDTOBREATHE, Point Of Grace, Sidewalk Prophets, Skillet, Switchfoot and We As Human and is home to 25 Entertainment, Word Distribution (representing Curb Records and Big Idea/VeggieTales among others), Word Music Publications & Church Resources, Word Films, Word Music Publishing and Word Label Group’s Word Records, Word Worship and Fervent Records.

"My Name is Paul" will be available to purchase on DVD at Christian retail stores nationwide on April 8, 2014. You can pre-order the movie at Amazon.com.

Bulu Box (Health & Wellness Subscription Box Review)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.


I think subscription boxes are just the best idea that anyone could ever think up. As a consumer, I love the opportunity to try a bunch of products I may not have picked up individually if not for the box and as the daughter of long time business owners, I can see how it could benefit companies to get word out about their various products. It is a win-win and such a fun thing to receive in the mail. There are so many different types of subscription boxes available now, but the general idea is the same, you are sent several trial size products in what ever category or theme the subscription box is for a set price per month.

As someone who really enjoys health and wellness and fitness, I really excited to learn about Bulu Box. I am always on the look out for products to improve my workouts, my well being and my overall health. When I opened the box, I saw a product I am absolutely familiar with- Smarty Pants vitamins. I was super excited! These are the vitamins I give my children daily, so I already know how wonderful the companies is, but I was excited to see that these were gummy vitamins meant for adults. I think it is super important to take a multi-vitamin, but even more important to make sure we are getting enough omega 3s and vitamin d and you usually don't find that rolled into one multi vitamin. To top off the convenience of it, these taste great! I will definitely be getting more of these. I was not familiar with any of the other products in the box, but that is the whole point of theses subscription boxes, do discover new things. There was a container of Tapaz 2 Go- hummus and lentil crackers. I sent those to work as a snack for my husband and he absolutely loved it. There were two packets of Rootology Breathe Free for nasal, sinus and eye health. On the package it says a non-drowsy formula. I will reach for these in a few weeks when everything in Texas is blooming and my nose and eyes are itching! I like that both vitamin c and vitamin d are included in these capsules. Every time someone I know is sick, I always urge them to TAKE VITAMIN D! It is such a huge immunity booster. Other products that were in the box included NeoCell Beauty Bursts Gourmet Collagen Soft Chews, Body Glove Surge Energy Gel and BSN N.O. Explode (for energy before working out). I can tell that Bulu Box and I think alike, I would definitely reach for the majority of these products, or at least be curious enough about them to give them a try.

In addition to the product samples in the box, there are several coupons included, as well as a postcard that explains a little about each product. The postcard also includes a sample journal, where you can write down how you feel before and after each product you try from the box. I thought that was really cool. It shows me that Bulu Box truly does care about your well being.

Overall, I thought this was a good health and wellness box. I would be interested to see what the difference is between this box and the box that they offered geared toward weight loss is. I have a feeling that, at the moment anyway, that box would better suit my needs. I think anyone who is interested in health and wellness or doesn't know where to start to get healthy but wants to would love Bulu Box.
Bulu Box is just $10 a month including shipping. Use the coupon codes below to save money when you buy a 3 or 6 month subscription-

• Purchase a 3 month subscription and get your first Bulu Box FREE with code: JUMPONIT3 ($15)
• Purchase a 6 month subscription and get your first 3 months FREE with code: JUMPONIT6 (30)

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*I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tribes-a-Dozen Voila! Hallah Bread Mix Review & Giveaway!

Not perfect, but delicious Simply Spelt
Voila! Challah.

Disclosure of material connection- I received free products in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.
There is almost nothing I like to do more than get in the kitchen and cook something from scratch. However, homemade bread and I have a love/hate relationship. I so badly want to be the type of person that makes bread at home, but pretty much every attempt I have made at it, I have failed. Still, I continue to try because really you can not find a product that mimics the taste of homemade bread.

I have never had Challah before, but it looks so beautiful and delicious when I see a friend of my friends posting her homemade loaves of it on Facebook, I really want to give it a try. I was excited to get the opportunity to review not one, not two, but THREE different types of Tribes-a-Dozen bread mixes to try. That gives me the chance to really hone my bread making skills and 3 tries to perfect it! Voila! Hallah comes in three different types- original, wholey wheat and simply spelt.

I tried the original first, I figured that was a great place to begin. From start to finish it took around 2 hours. When the bread came out of the oven, it just didn't look right and I just could not figure out what I did wrong. The next day, I noticed the yeast packet sitting on my counter, I can not believe I forgot THE most important part of the bread. I still give it a try and it was still delicious!

A few days later, I made the simply spelt Voila! Hallah. This time I managed to get all of the ingredients mixed and there was definitely a difference in the appearance of it. I was so excited that I finally succeeded in making a loaf of bread. Don't get me wrong, it was still by no means perfect, but it looked pretty and tasted great, so that is a big win in my book! I am not exaggerating when I say my family devoured it. The kids, my husband and I all had a slice with a pat of butter with our dinner and everyone asked me for another piece the next morning at breakfast, so they were all big fans of it. I am a big fan of it too, not only for the delicious taste and ease of directions, but because there are no junky ingredients in it. I don't serve things at my house if I can't pronounce or recognize the ingredients on the label. I was impressed by the short list of ingredients and the big, awesome taste of the bread!

The best thing about this bread mix is that it helps cut down on the time, but you can still make homemade bread. I don't have a bread maker so I made mine by hand and it still did not take a super amount of attention and work. I will definitely be getting more of these bread mixes to keep at my house!

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Voila! Challah is available at several retailers including Walmart, Giant Stores and other Kosher and specialty stores. You can also find them online at Amazon.com and Abe's Market!

Enter below via the Rafflecaptor to win all 3 types of Voila! Hallah!
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The Here and Now by Ann Brashares (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received an advanced e-arc of the book from the publisher via NetGallley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

From Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking—and a must-read novel of the year.

My thoughts-

Lately I have not been able to get enough of the young adult genre. When I saw there was a new ya novel by Ann Brashares of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fame, without even reading the plot synopsis I knew I would want to read it. When I did read what it was about, I was even more excited. I am a sucker for time travel stories and I really don't think there are enough of them out there. I felt like even though this book was written in present day, Prenna's descriptions of the future that she is from, the book had kind of a dystopian vibe. I thought it was a unique twist on things since she was not living in the dystopian world, but trying to acclimate herself to her new environment while trying to follow the many rules set before her by the elder people who traveled with her. I loved the beginning of the story by the pond when Prenna arrives, that set up let me know this would be a book that I would enjoy. There were a lot of elements to this book, it was not just a YA novel, which I appreciated. There was some mystery and suspense and of course the expected romance. I thought one of the most interesting things about The Here and Now was accompanying Prenna on her journey to figuring out things that she just believed blindly, might not exactly be 100% true. I enjoyed her interactions with Ethan, but I felt that something was lacking there. That may be due to her trying to keep her distance because of the rules even though she is clearly attracted to him, but I am hoping that if this becomes a series, the relationship between the two will be further developed. If this is a stand alone novel, I would not be fully satisfied because I feel like there is more to explore with these two characters and that more crazy stuff could happen because of the way it ended. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books with time travel, romance, or suspense or anyone who likes reading novels from the young adult genre.

About the author (from Goodreads)-

Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with three brothers and attended a Quaker school in the D.C. area called Sidwell Friends. She studied Philosophy at Barnard College, part of Columbia University in New York City. Expecting to continue studying philosophy in graduate school, Ann took a year off after college to work as an editor, hoping to save money for school. Loving her job, she never went to graduate school, and instead, remained in New York City and worked as an editor for many years. Ann made the transition from editor to full-time writer with her first novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Ann and her husband live with their three children in New York.

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The Here and Now will be released on April 9, 2014. You can pre-order a copy Amazon.com.

Purex Crystals Limited Edition Fabulously Fresh Review & Giveaway

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a free bottle of Purex Limited Edition Fabulously Fresh in exchange for my honest thoughts on the product. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

I think that we can all agree that when it comes to laundry, when it comes out smelling wonderful, it just makes it all seem more clean and fresh overall. I went for years not being able to use any type of scent in my laundry because of how sensitive my skin until I decided to try Purex Crystals. I was ecstatic to find that I do not have a sensitivity to the crystals. I think my husband probably did a dance of joy over that because I know it bothered him not to have a "laundry" smell on our clothes. It is especially important to have a nice smelling scent now that our children are getting older and playing harder. We definitely appreciate that Purex Crystals eliminate odor in addition to leaving our laundry smelling fabulous. I have tried pretty much every scent of Purex Crystals. I normally prefer Crystals for babies for it's soft, gentle scent, but I had a feeling I was going to love the limited edition scent. You just really can not go wrong with a scent called "Fabulously Fresh". I absolutely am in love. It is the perfect scent for spring. There is definitely a strong floral tone, but there are some fruity undertones to it, which brings it all together for me. Plus, there are pictures lilies on the bottle and they are, in my opinion, the best smelling flower out there and you can definitely smell the lovely lily smell. I think this scent of laundry enhancer will be well liked by a wide array of people! Sound good? Enter below via the Rafflecopter for your chance to win one of three free product coupons to get your own bottle!

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Feeling lucky? Head over to the Purex Facebook page and enter to win a $1000 shopping spree!

The Sparkle Egg by Jill Hardie Review & Giveaway

*Disclosure- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via FlyBy Promotions in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions state are 100% my own.

About the book-

Easter is coming, and Sam loves Easter! But this year, he is upset about a lie he told his

parents. Even though he apologized and they

forgave him, Sam can’t shake the feeling that he is a bad kid for what he did. Meanwhile, his parents help him make a special Easter craft

called a Sparkle Egg. His mom tells him to write anything he feels sorry about or ashamed of on a piece of paper and put it inside his

Sparkle Egg.

On Easter morning, when he opens his Sparkle Egg expecting a surprise, Sam finds that it is empty! His parents explain that because

Jesus died and rose again, we are forgiven. Like the tomb that first Easter Day, Sam's egg is empty—and Sam’s wrongdoing is

completely forgiven. Once he accepts this forgiveness fully, Sam realizes a truth: we can sparkle and shine with God’s light when we

let God’s gift of grace into our hearts. This touching story will strike a deep chord with readers of all ages, and the Sparkle Egg tradition will help readers and their

families grasp the totality of God’s perfect grace.

My thoughts-

As soon as this book arrived at the house, all three of my kids were itching to read it. The cover is full of vibrantly colored things that relate to Easter that really caught their little eyes. As we read the story, my six year old daughter began asking me tons of questions about the story and about Sam not being honest with his parents and why. This book definitely opens the story to teach children not only about forgiveness and redemption, but about the resurrection of Jesus Christ in a way that they can understand. I think even as an adult, it is a good book to remind us that we all mess up, we all have faults, but because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, it isn't our burden to bare. We should still try to be the best people we can be, but when we mess up, we confess our sins and accept God's redemption. We have read this book several times since we received it and the first few times I could barely get through the entire thing without tearing up. I think a sparkle egg is a great tradition to start and a great representation of the resurrection of Jesus. My 4 year old boys enjoyed this book too and asked a lot of questions about the story, but do not have quite the grasp on the concept that my 6 year old did. I think it is worth beginning to read to early learners as well as school aged children. Kids are so often told what they should be doing right that sometimes when they mess up, they feel like failures. The Sparkle Egg is a wonderful reminder that nobody is perfect and that we are all the same in God's eyes. This is absolutely a book you want to add to your child's home library!

About the author- Jill Hardie’s first book, The Sparkle Box, ignited a new Christmas tradition that helps center Christmas in the true joy of the season. Now Jill is hoping to touch lives with a new Easter tradition with The Sparkle Egg. She lives in North Canton, Ohio. Check out my review of The Sparkle Box here.

About the illustrator- Christine Kornacki illustrated the highly acclaimed The Sparkle Box. She has a love for painting and a knack for bringing stories to life. Christine received a BFA in illustration from the University of Hartford and spends most days painting in her studio, which adjoins a charming café in New Haven, Connecticut.
You can get your own copy of The Sparkle Egg at Idealsbooks.com, Amazon.com or at Christian retailers nationwide! Connect with Ideals Books on Facebook.

The awesome people from Ideals Books want to give one lucky reader a copy of The Sparkle Egg. Enter below via the Rafflecopter for your chance to win!

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The Bouqs Co- Floral Bouquet Service

Disclosure of material connection- I received a complimentary Bouq in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

I had the pleasure of reviewing a lovely bouquet of gorgeous deep orange lilies from The Bouqs Co. back in January. They lasted such a long time and looked beautiful on my table for weeks. I love that lilies are so long lasting, it is why they are my absolute favorite flower!
When got word that I was going to have the pleasure of reviewing another bouquet, I was tempted to get more lilies, but for the sake of variety and the fact that most people love roses (myself included, we had white and red roses as our wedding bouquets many years ago!) I decided that this time around, I would chose to get roses. I have a sweet 6 year old daughter who absolutely LOVES flowers (her daddy spoils both of us by keeping us both well in stock so we will have pretty flowers around to look at). I knew she would absolutely love the confetti bouquet the second I saw it. There are a ton of beautiful rose bouquets to chose from on The Bouqs Co. website, so it wasn't an easy choice, but I knew the confetti bouquet would be loved by everyone who saw it on my kitchen table. These eco-friendly, sustainable flowers come from a farm in California right to your doorstep. They arrived looking beautiful. The white, yellow, pink, lilac and orange roses were a great mix of open and closed blooms, but after a fresh cut of the stems and putting them in water almost all of the flowers were open after just a few days. My mother-in-law and sister have both been by in the week I have had the confetti roses displayed and both told me how beautiful they thought the arrangement was and how they loved all of the colors. I think the confetti bouquet would be well liked by pretty much anyone who loves, or even just sort of likes, flowers. My favorite of the bunch is the orange-ish red bloom, but they all are very pretty!

Get beautiful bouquets from eco-friendly farms, starting at just $40 – FREE SHIPPING. Send a smile!

The Bouqs Co. makes ordering flowers easy by offering a few different ways to pick out your bouquets. I like that the selection of flowers has something to suite everyone’s taste or for people like me who just love flowers in general, there are many different options to change things up a bit from time to time. You can search by occasion or by color and you can send one bouquet or you can choose to set an auto delivery to that someone special you want to shower with flowers. I absolutely recommend The Bouqs Co. for the place to get the prettiest, most affordable bouquet of flowers!

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Scentsy Spring Giveaway!

I have been a Scentsy Independent Constulant for almost 5 years now and I still love the products just as much today as I did when I first signed up. As I type this, I have a bar of pineapple sorbet warming in the kitchen and I just keep thinking Scentsy won't be able to keep topping themselves, but they continuously do. The spring and summer catalog is full of beautiful warmers to suit all sorts of tastes and there is something in every price range. There are also so many great scents this go round. A short list of just a few of my favorites are- pineapple sorbet, zen garden, shaka, simply lemon, lemons and berries, beyond the sea, and atlas cedar! There is a CRAZY good deal going on right now for spring! For the low price of $30, you will get not only the adorable egg warmer pictured below, but a 3 pack of bars including French lavender, jumpin' jelly bean and coconut lemon grass! That is a $50 value. Hurry to get yours though, it is only for a limited time/while supplies last kind of deal! In celebration of the new catalog, I want to give one of you a chance to win a few bars from the spring catalog AND a room spray. These Scentsy room sprays last forever and the scents are wonderful at sticking around for a while. Enter via the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win! Don't forget to tell your friends! to head over here and enter to win!
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The Beloved Daughter by Alana Terry Blog Tour and Book Review + Enter to Win a Kobo Mini!

*Disclosure of material connection- I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

The Beloved Daughter, an inspirational suspense novel by award-winning author Alana Terry, is a story of persecution and triumph set in the oppressive North Korean regime.

About the book-

Synopsis: In a small North Korean village, a young girl struggles to survive. It is her father's faith, not the famine of North Hamyong Province, that most threatens Chung-Cha's well-being. The Beloved Daughter follows Chung-Cha into one of the most notorious prison camps the contemporary free world has known. Her crime? Being the daughter of a Christian.

The Beloved Daughter has won awards from Women of Faith and the Book Club Network. It was also a #1 amazon bestseller in Christian suspense and is the top-rated ebook in several different kindle categories. The Beloved Daughter is available in kindle or paperback. You can also get the audiobook narrated by four-time Audie award-winner Kathy Garver.

My Thoughts: 
 
This book was gut-wrenching from the start. The story is about Chang-Cha, a 12 year old girl in North Korea and how she ends up in a prison camp because her father is a Christian who refuses to renounce his faith. Prison Camp 22 is an awful place to be. It is already just gut wrenching to think of someone being in a prison camp simply because they believe in God, but the treatment of these prisoners and the things this 12 year old girl has to go through are things nobody should ever have to go through, let alone a child. These types of novels, fictionalized versions of things that are true to life and horrible, are hard to read, but read them we must if for anything to pray for the people that are in these situations in real life and pray that things will change in countries like North Korea. Back to the story- Chang-Cha goes through everything you can possibly imagine, even at the tender age of 12, in this prison camp. She suffers a betrayal by someone she thinks of as a friend (and you will feel bad for that situation too, because that character is also a child just trying to stay alive) she suffers ridicule and shame at the hands of the guards, feeling as though she has to give herself over in ways she isn't prepared for just to make sure she is given a decent amount of food. Chang-Cha also understandable so, struggles with her own thoughts about faith and Christianity and some of the most interesting parts of the book are her coming to terms with what she believes, with some wise words from an old woman she is imprisoned with at one point. Although it is difficult to read, Beloved Daughter is very well written. Alana Terry has done a great job with these characters and making the reader feel like they can feel how Chang-Cha and the other characters in the book feel as they go through the surreal motions of being held prisoner. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read fictionalized accounts of possible real life situations or likes to read books written by Christiana authors.


Order your own copy of The Beloved Daughter.

About the author-

Alana Terry is getting ready to release her next novel, Slave Again, about a North Korean refugee who escapes prison camp only to get trafficked across the border.

Alana is giving away free copies of her next release to anyone who makes a donation to Liberty in North Korea, an organization dedicated to rescuing refugees who escape North Korea. She's also giving away a Kobo Mini e-reader and several copies of Slave Again, so be sure to enter the giveaway below!



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Majestical Jewelry Review & Giveaway!

Disclosure- I received earrings from Majestical Jewelry in exchange for my honest thoughts on the product. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

I am a total girly girl. I love dressing up or coordinating outfits with accessories and jewelry and adding a great manicure to match. The fun of being a woman is having so many options to play around with when it comes to fashion. I was so excited at the opportunity to review a piece from Majestical Jewelry. As soon as I opened the package that contained these earrings, I already had several outfits in mind for what I would wear them with. In the picture, you can see that they are long, dangle style earrings and are mostly a pretty gold color. What you might not be able to see is the beautiful pearl circles that begin the earrings and the absolutely adorable gold flowers with a little sparkling center. I loved the cute little blue bag that came with the earrings in the box, arriving perfectly set up for gift giving.

The cool thing about a set of earrings like the ones pictured above, is that they can jazz up a casual outfit, but could also hold their own as a nice focal point for a dress or other special occasion outfit. There were a couple of things in my closet that I thought would go really well with these earrings. The first was a casual outfit-


I thought that since the earrings were so avertly feminine that a cute, frilly cardigan, a lacy gray camisole and skinny jeans would all go together super nicely. Add a dusty rose nail polish with a mint polish for accent nails and I think we have a pretty good casual outfit. To round it out completely, I would probably add a dainty gold necklace or bracelet.







The next outfit I had in mind, was more simple, yet refined and elegant. I have a thing for purple. I do have some little black dresses, but I have several dresses in purple and the one pictured below is one I have worn to a few special occasions already. I always get tons of compliments on it-

I think the Majestical Jewelry earrings and this very flattering, comfortable, beautiful purple special occasion dress are a match made in heaven. I think that the two stand alone well and no accessories or other pieces are needed. For the nails with this outfit, I would use Zoya's Tomoko from their Pixie Dust line, for a beautiful sparkle. Simple, yet sophisticated.

Majestical Jewelry has so many different pieces and styles of jewelry to offer, there is truly something for everyone. I am a big fan of pearls, so I absolutely love all of the freshwater pieces they have to offer, especially the gorgeous necklaces and bracelets. Something I really love about the website, is that there is a sale section, so I know exactly where to begin! Right now, you can stretch your dollars even further by using the promotional code 15DOLLARSOFF to receive $15 off a purchase of $55 dollars or more!

Like the fashion earrings featured in this post? Enter below for your chance to win them for yourself!!

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Veronica Mars DVD Giveaway!

*Disclosure of material connection- all material below and giveaway prize are courtesy of the sponsor.

Crowdfunding has been around for a few years now and one of the more well known websites that helps people achieve their goals through crowdfunding is Kickstarter. Crowdfunding is a great way to raise funds for a project that might not otherwise have the financial backing that it needs to be successful. One of the most well known crowdfunding campaigns is the Veronica Mars movie campaign. The huge fandom of the television show jumped on the opportunity to get this movie made, becoming a record breaking campaign for Kickstarter in April 2013 and was made in a short 23 days during the early part of summer. The Veronica Mars movie will open in theaters nationwide on March 14, 2014. In case you are wondering what the movie is about (I am guessing if you are a Veronica Mars fan, you don't need me to tell you this information, but I will anyway, just in case!) here is a short summary- "On the eve of graduating law school, Veronica Mars has put Neptune and her amateur sleuthing days behind her. While interviewing at high-end New York law firms, Veronica Mars gets a call from her ex-boyfriend Logan who has been accused of murder. Veronica heads back to Neptune just to help Logan find an attorney, but when things don't seem right with how Logan's case is perceived and handled, Veronica finds herself being pulled back into a life she thought she had left behind." Excited for the movie? To get in the spirit of things leading up to the movies release, there is a great Veronica Mars app! You can find it at the bottom of this post! Take the 3 levels of Purity Test Marshmallow Super-Fan Trivia and see where you stand! And don't forget to enter below via the Rafflecopter for your chance to win a Veronica Mars DVD.

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Find out which 10 episodes director Rob Thomas things are the ones you *must see* below!

Between Heaven and Earth by Steve Berger (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I was provided a copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest thought. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% own.


About the book-

It's not easy separating fact from fiction when it comes to heaven, nor is it always easy to see how the afterlife can affect our lives today. After a car accident caused his nineteen-year-old son to unexpectedly enter heaven. Pastor Steve Berger chose to reject despair and commit himself to carefully studying his son's new, eternal home. He had no idea how much there was to learn, and his life hasn't been the same since. The biblical and deeply personal study of heaven will give you hope for the future.

But more than that, it will show you what it means to live today in light of the reality of heaven. If your view of heaven isn't life-changing, it needs to be adjusted. Let Pastor Berger's exploration of eternity fill you with overflowing hope, courage, and purpose.

My thoughts-

I am not sure exactly what it was I expected from this book. Of course, any book about a place as lovely and as equally mysterious as Heaven, I fully expected to be encouraged. To have that hope that all Christians have magnified and renewed. But there was something I wanted that I just didn't find in these words. Steve Berger definitely has a passion for sharing the hope of heaven and living for heaven and not for Earth. There are great examples from the Bible throughout these pages of people who longed for heaven, people we should try to be more like in that regard. Heaven is a mystery, so whatever it was I was hoping to find would have probably been impossible to reach. There were parts in the book that I found especially encouraging. Chapter four has 2 charts, one lists the things that we are promised in the Bible that are not going to be in heaven, along with their corresponding Bible verses and even more enthralling, there is a chart that reminds of us all that WILL be in Heaven that we can look forward to. I also enjoyed the very next chapter that highlights the verses in Revelation in which John describes what heaven will look like. There is no way we can imagine what heaven will be like because it will be better than anything we can fathom, but it is interesting to have even the smallest inkling of what it would like.

Although I didn't find exactly what it was I thought I would in this book, I found it to be encouraging. We as Christians probably do not think of heaven as often as we should. I think if we thought of where we were headed more often, we would probably be more joyful, more apt to share our joy and hope with others who aren't on the same journey with us and more likely to just be better people over all. Between Heaven and Earth is filled with wonderful verses and great reminders of what an awesome God we serve and that this Earth is just a temporary home and there is something much better right around the corner. Who wouldn't want to read a book that reminds them of such important and wonderful things? I would recommend this book to any Christian or someone who is curious about the Christian faith and/or heaven.

About the author-

Steve Berger is the senior pastor to more than four thousand people at Grace Chapel, Leipers Fork, Tennessee. Steve is also a part of the teaching faculty for the National Worship Leader Conference and regularly contributes to several publications. Steve and his wife, Sarah, live in Franklin, Tennessee, with three of their children, Heather, Cody, and Destiny.

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Between Heaven and Earth is available for purchase at Amazon.com and Christian retailers nationwide.

Don't Even Think About it by Sarah Mlynowski (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received an e-arc of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-
Secrets. Scandals. ESP. A terrific and sexy new novel about a group of Tribeca teens from Sarah Mlynowski that will immediately appeal to fans of realistic fiction as well as readers who enjoy a little magic.

"We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.

So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening."
My thoughts-

When I read the plot synopsis of this novel my thoughts drifted to whether or not I would want to know what all of my peers in high school were thinking. I definitely think there are some things I wouldn't want to know, but I think when it all boils down to it, it would be nice to know that all teens have the same kinds of fears and insecurities regardless of how they portray themselves on the outside. I wouldn't want them listening into *my* thoughts though, what a horrifying thought! I was intrigued with this fresh take on young adult fiction and definitely wanted to see how the story panned out. I liked that there was a little touch of "magic" if you will, with the bad batches of flu shots causing telepathy in the teen recipients. Mlynowski definitely hit the nail on the head being able to get into the psyche of several different teen minds in a very believable way. There were times I felt bad for some of the characters and others being able to read their minds or everyone knowing their business before them. There were other times I was super annoyed with some of the characters, but to me that is the sign of a good author. As long as I have strong feelings one way or another about the characters, there is good writing involved. I liked that the ending left room for this to possibly be a series. I am always more likely to read a book if I continue further on the journey with the characters. For some of my more conservative readers, I will warn that there is a bit of language that may be off putting, but if that sort of thing doesn't bother you or you can ignore, this was a fun, fast little read. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy young adult or fantasy novels.

About the author-

Sarah Mlynowski is the author of the Magic in Manhattan and Whatever After series, as well as Gimme a Call, Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have), Milkrun, and more. Her books have been translated into twenty-two languages and Bras & Broomsticks was optioned to Hollywood. Sarah was born in Montreal but lives and writes in New York City.

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Don't Even Think About it will be available on March 11, 2014. You can pre-order it on Amazon.com.

When Calls the Heart: Lost and Found (DVD Review)

Disclosure- I received a copy of the DVD via Edify Media for review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the DVD-

When Calls the Heart: Lost and Found tells the captivating story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow), a young teach accustomed to her high society life, who receives her first classroom assignment in Coal Valley, a small coalmining town where life is simple, but often fraught with challenges. Lori Loughlin plays Abigail Stanton, a wife and mother whose husband, the foreman of the mine. along with a dozen other miners, has just been killed in an explosion. The newly widowed women find their faith is tested when they must go to work in the mines to keep a roof over their heads. Elizabeth charms most everyone in Coal Valley, except Constable Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing) who believes Thatcher's wealthy father has doomed the lawman's career by insisting he be assigned in town to protect the shipping magnate's daughter. Set against the wild canvas of 19th century coal town, Elizabeth will have to learn the ways of the frontier if she wishes to thrive in the rural west on her own.

My thoughts-

This is the second installment in the When Calls the Heart series on the Hallmark Channel. You can check out my review of the pilot here. Even if you haven't seen the pilot, this movie can stand alone. When it begins Elizabeth is on the last leg of her tumultuous trip to get to Coal Valley to accept the teaching job that was offered to her. When she gets there she is surprised to find that things are not at all well. She is determined to prove that she can handle life on the frontier and be a good teacher to the children of coal valley. I enjoyed watching Elizabeth get her footing with the kids and learning how to teach them in a way they could understand. She also had her work cut out for her with the mother's in town, none of them seem to have much faith that she can handle the job she has come to do and it is nice to see her eventually win them over Perhaps the most interesting relationship Elizabeth has is with Jack Thornton, the new town Constable who it turns out her dad sent to babysit her basically. They do not start off on a good note at all, but you can tell they are intrigued by each other. I love that this is a tv show so I can continue to watch their relationship grow and as a hopeless romantic, I am of course hoping that sparks do eventually fly. I love the time period in which this show is set, the early 20's and that although Elizabeth is well to do, it focuses on people with more meager means. I love watching shows like Downton Abbey that show the ins and outs of high society, but it is a nice change of pace to have a nice period drama on television about the working class as well. Anyone who is a fan of the Love Come Softly movies will probably really enjoy When Calls the Heart. I would also recommend this series to anyone interested in history, period dramas, and uplifting shows that can be watched with the whole family. In fact, my 6 year old daughter set down and watched this with me and told me she really loved the scenes when Elizabeth was teaching the kids. I like having a show we can enjoy together! It can be difficult to find these days! When Calls the Heart airs on The Hallmark Channel on Saturdays at 9/8c.

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When Calls the Heart: Lost and Found is now available on DVD. You can also purchase the digital copy on Amazon.com. You can also watch several episodes of the show for free on Hallmark.com.

About the Director: 

 

Michael Landon Jr. has been in the film business for over two decades. He has been a part of two of the highest rated films in the history of the Hallmark channel and has several top ten releases targeted to the Christian market. He has also developed or worked on projects in some capacity for Fox, CBS, NBC, Disney, Sony, Lifetime and others.

  

About the Writer/Producer :

 

Brian Bird is co-founder with partner Michael Landon, Jr., of Believe Pictures, a film and television production company.  He was co-executive producer and writer on the successful television series, Touched by an Angel. Bird has also written and produced episodes of Step by Step by Step, Evening Shade and The Family Man. He also wrote and produced Gametime for NBC and The Shunning, inspired by the novel by best-selling author Beverly Lewis for the Hallmark Channel, among others.

 

About Word Entertainment: 

 

 A leader in the music industry for over 60 years, Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, is a unique, comprehensive entertainment company comprised of multi-faceted artist service departments including publishing, merchandising, booking, and online initiatives. Word Entertainment represents some of the top names and brands in music, including Meredith Andrews, Chris August, BarlowGirl, Francesca Battistelli, Big Daddy Weave, Jason Castro, Patrick Ryan Clark, Everfound, for KING & COUNTRY, Group 1 Crew, Love & The Outcome, Dara Maclean, Point Of Grace and Sidewalk Prophets and is home to 25 Entertainment, Word Distribution (representing Curb Records and Big Idea/VeggieTales among others), Word Print, Word Films, Word Music Publishing and Word Label Group’s Word Records, Word Worship and Fervent Records.

Let God (Movie Review)

Disclosure- I received a copy of the dvd for review via Edify Media. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own.

About the movie (from the back cover of the dvd)-

As rumors of gold in California spread across the United States in 1848, Levi decides it is time to head west with Amelia, his young housewife, ,to stake their claim and build a better life. Against her better judgment, Amelia honors her husband's demands. leaving her home and family. Secretly, they join the last wagon caravan of the season dangerously late, leaving behind a string of bad debts. On the trail, they encounter unimaginable danger that will ultimately change the course of their lives.

After a savage attack takes her husband, Amelia is left alone and without resources. For the first time, Amelia must take her life into her own hands, battling winter, hunger and the unknown. As she grows weaker by the day, she finds strength in a mysterious and unexpected guide.  Survival becomes a race against time and Amelia must find something greater than herself to help survive the frigid winter along the Oregon Trail.

My thoughts:

I just can't seem to get enough of period pieces. Whether it be a movie or a book, there is just something about reading about past eras that intrigues me. Movies about other periods in time are always so interesting because we get a visual of how people lived in that time period- what kind of clothes they were, what they ate, where they lived and what kind of challenges they face. "Let God" is the story of Amelia, who has reluctantly headed out on the Oregon Trail with her husband after hearing rumors of gold in California.  She learns that her hesitance was well warranted as she ends up the sole survivor of an attack in the dead winter, lost and without food. Amelia has to try to find her way to town, but she has no idea how far it is or if she will be able to survive long enough to find it. I really enjoyed the acting skills of Jasmin Jandreau. I can only assume it is really difficult to be in a movie with a very small amount of scenes shared with others. Most of these scenes are Jandreau fighting the elements and her own mind as she tries to reach her final destination. This woman definitely has skills. She portrayed Amelia in a very believable way. I was captivated by the situation in which she found herself and definitely found myself wondering how I would feel if I were in her position, far away from her family and friends, alone and seemingly without hope. Although there were times it seemed like she might give up (and who could blame her when things looked so bleak) Amelia persevered and was as strong as she could be given the situation. Somewhere in the middle of her journey, she runs into an interesting guide. This little one gives her the strength to carry on. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys movies about earlier era's in time, dramas with great acting or movies with a great message.


About Word Entertainment-

 A leader in the music industry for over 60 years, Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, is a unique, comprehensive entertainment company comprised of multi-faceted artist service departments including publishing, merchandising, booking, and online initiatives. Word Entertainment represents some of the top names and brands in music, including Meredith Andrews, Chris August, Francesca Battistelli, Big Daddy Weave, Jason Castro, Patrick Ryan Clark, Everfound, for KING & COUNTRY, Group 1 Crew, Love & The Outcome, Dara Maclean, NEEDTOBREATHE, Point Of Grace, Sidewalk Prophets, Skillet, Switchfoot and We As Human and is home to 25 Entertainment, Word Distribution (representing Curb Records and Big Idea/VeggieTales among others), Word Music Publications & Church Resources, Word Films, Word Music Publishing and Word Label Group’s Word Records, Word Worship and Fervent Records.

The award winning movie "Let God" is now available Christian retail stores nationwide.

Watch the trailer below:

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Grapevine Texas- KIDS GO FREE Printable Coupon!

*Disclosure- I may receive complimentary passes for my family for sharing this promotion with my readers. Regardless, I only recommend products and places I would personally recommend and that I think my readers would enjoy.

I grew up in north Texas in a suburb of Dallas and I wouldn't have it any other way. I prefer the feel of a small town, my husband would rather live in a big city, so we settled on a mid sized city. There are a lot of options here, but the good thing is no matter where you live there are cool things to do everywhere around you. One of my favorite cities to visit is Grapevine. It is about half an hour from where we live and it has the best outlet mall around- Grapevine Mills. A few years ago, Grapevine Mills became an even greater place to visit with the addition of the Sea Life Aquarium and LEGOLAND. I have three little ones, so we have been to LEGOLAND our fair share of times since it opened. When we first started going to LEGOLAND, my kids were still toddling around, but even then there was plenty for them to do. There are stations with all kinds of LEGOS set up throughout LEGOLAND. There are sections that are clearly meant for toddlers, which is nice. They have the nice big DUPLO blocks that those kids enjoy playing with. Now that my kids are a little bit older, they like to explore all of LEGOLAND. There is a 4D movie theater on site that my kids have loved going to. There are usually two movies playing there alternately and we have definitely been known to watch them more than once. My daughter (who is 6 years old) absolutely loves the little roller coaster ride called Kingdom Quest Laser Ride. It is fun for the older kids, but not too scary for the younger ones either. I think my kids' absolute favorite thing at LEGOLAND is the big, soft playground. They can spend hours in there. Sometimes I have to coax them out to go check out the other stuff.














LEGOLAND is currently offering a great special-KIDS GO FREE with the purchase of an adult. The coupon code is valid for up to (4) free children's ticket per coupon with the purchase of (4) adult tickets.


Head over to USFamilyGuide for the printable coupon. LEGOLAND is a great place to have a day of family fun, but what makes it even greater is that you are already in Grapevine Mills Mall so there are endless options to make the most of your family's time in Grapevine. There is so much to do, you may find yourself heading back to fit it all in.