The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn {Review}

I haven't done much reading since having our baby boy, but really enjoyed getting back into it with The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton.  One of my favorite kinds, Christian historical romance, this one is full of adventure, suspense, and romance. The settings, events, and characters are all described so well. The main characters, Jesse and Tamsen, are very likable. Often times, I can figure out how most stories will typically end, but I really couldn't figure this one out and was pleasantly surprised how it all came together in the end. I will definitely be looking out for more books by Lori Benton!

From the back cover:

Frontier dangers cannot hold a candle to the risks one woman takes by falling in love

In an act of brave defiance, Tamsen Littlejohn escapes the life her harsh stepfather has forced upon her. Forsaking security and an arranged marriage, she enlists frontiersman Jesse Bird to guide her to the Watauga settlement in western North Carolina. But shedding her old life doesn’t come without cost. As the two cross a vast mountain wilderness, Tamsen faces hardships that test the limits of her faith and endurance. 

Convinced that Tamsen has been kidnapped, wealthy suitor Ambrose Kincaid follows after her, in company with her equally determined stepfather. With trouble in pursuit, Tamsen and Jesse find themselves thrust into the conflict of a divided community of Overmountain settlers. The State of Franklin has been declared, but many remain loyal to North Carolina. With one life left behind and chaos on the horizon, Tamsen struggles to adapt to a life for which she was never prepared. But could this challenging frontier life be what her soul has longed for, what God has been leading her toward? As pursuit draws ever nearer, will her faith see her through the greatest danger of all—loving a man who has risked everything for her?

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

Blessings,

Rhyme to Read {Review}

I recently had the chance to review a great new app called Rhyme to Read.  Since Lovebug is so excited to start Kindergarten since he turned 5 a few months ago, I thought this would be a fun app to try out and see if it is something he could use soon.  This app has 20 books that focus on word families.  Here is a screen shot of book 1 using the -at family.

This is near the end of the book and all the -at words that have already been used in the book are on the left.  This makes it easy to review the words before trying to read the sentence on the right.  Some site words are also introduced throughout the story and there is always a list of those in the upper right corner.  Kids can touch any of the words to hear it read to them if they are having trouble with it.

Each book also has some great suggestions for use at the beginning to give me ideas of how to best use this with Lovebug!

 Here is a little more about the app from the Rhyme to Read site:

The program emphasizes word families (e.g., cat, rat, sat) which are color-coded to assist children in discriminating the different patterns. The only prerequisites are the recognition of letters and knowledge of consonant letter-sound connections. Rhyme to Read enables children to feel confident as they enter the world of reading.

I think this will be a great app to use in helping my kiddos learn to read and I recommend it to any of you that would like to help your own kids!  Just head over to the Rhyme to Read site and you will be able to try one book for free or purchase all the books for only $9.99.

I received this app for free for review and all opinions are mine.

Blessings,

The Promise Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for The Promise DVD!  Here is the winner that random.org picked:

Congratulations Carla!  You will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will have to pick a new winner.




Blessings,

The Sound of Music Live!

 Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

One of my favorite movies is The Sound of Music.  I enjoy so many of the songs from it and it is such a great family movie.  So I was pretty excited to hear about the upcoming new LIVE version of this classic movie!  Coming this Thursday, December 5 at 8/7c, The Sound of Music will be shown live on NBC.  I can't wait to watch this with my family and hope that you all will be able to as well!

From executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron ("Smash," "Hairspray," "Chicago") comes an instant holiday classic: "The Sound of Music," based on the original Broadway musical. Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer star as Maria and Captain von Trapp in this beloved story of the young novice who falls in love with Captain von Trapp and his seven children, set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Austria. The jewel in the Rodgers and Hammerstein crown, "The Sound of Music" contains some of the most famous songs ever written for the stage, including "The Sound of Music," "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "Climb Every Mountain" and "Edelweiss."

This new version of "The Sound of Music" will be a faithful adaptation of the original stage musical, to retell the story for a whole new generation. And more than that, it will be broadcast LIVE, adding a whole new level of immediacy and excitement. Get ready to reintroduce your family to the most joyful, most emotional and most musical family adventure of them all.

This post is part of the Faith & Family Viewing Party featuring THE SOUND OF MUSIC, live on NBC.  As a participant in this party, I will be receiving a $25 VISA gift card for pizza and snacks.

Blessings,

The Promise {Review and GIVEAWAY!}

We recently received a really great Christmas DVD called The Promise.  It is a musical about the first Christmas, Jesus' birth.  We loved watching this together as a family.  The kids liked that it is animated, but I really like that it is not a typical cartoon animation.  It is beautifully done!  We all enjoyed the songs, but it wasn't all singing and the story came through very nicely.  I think this would make a great gift for someone this Christmas season and highly recommend it!  Here is a trailer of it for you to enjoy:

The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah is an animated musical celebration of one of the most pivotal events in all human history, the birth of Jesus Christ.

This beautifully crafted musical is a faithful adaptation of the birth narrative from the Gospel of Luke in both story and song. The animated production leverages optical motion technology to blend traditional animation techniques with the performance talents of ballet dancers and dramatic stage actors. The result is a unique and worshipful story experience that will inspire audiences young and old for years to come.

And now for the giveaway! One of you lucky readers will receive your own copy of The Promise!  To be entered, please leave me a comment letting me know your favorite Christmas movie.  Please be sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner!  This giveaway will end Monday, December 9 at 8 pm when I will pick a winner using random.org.

I received this DVD for free for review from FlyBy Promotions.

Blessings,