Hallmark Rudolph Storybuddy and itty bittys Plush Review & Giveaway #LoveHallmark

Hallmark and Rudolph - a winning combination!

My kids love Rudolph!  They always have.  In fact, when B was born, December 2005, A watched Rudolph over and over with anyone who would sit with her while we were in the hospital with our new baby.  Aunt Jane watched it a few times with her, Bob watched it at least once with her, and Grandma watched it several times!  We received the most awesome Hallmark Rudolph filled box including the Rudolph and Friends Pics 'n' Props Kit, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Interactive Storybuddy, and Santa and Bumble Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 50th Anniversary itty bittys plush.

Rudolph Interactive Storybuddy

Have you seen the Hallmark Interactive Storybuddies?  They remind me a bit of my Teddy Ruxpin when I was a kid.  You hear Rudolph come to life as you read key words aloud from his book, or play his read-along CD!  First make sure to take Rudolph out of demo mode, then push the button on his left ear to turn him on.

 Changing Rudolph out of demo mode

D hearing Rudolph talk for the first time!

 Happy with her new friend.

 I love this photo of the kids reading together.  Baby F had to get into the action.

The Rudolph Storybuddy comes with a fun read-along CD.  Rudolph interacts with both the CD and your own voice.  I never had a problem with Rudolph recognizing my voice or the CD (instructions say to have Rudolph within 6 feet of the audio); however, the kids have been hit or miss.  My older kids have much better luck as their pronunciation is more spot on than my younger ones.  Some of the phrases that Rudolph interacts with appear twice during the story.  I really enjoy that Rudolph has more than one response to the interactive phrases.  There are three different responses for each prompt.  For example, when you read, "He went down in history!", Rudolph might respond with "like George Washington", "Aww shucks fellas", or "Well golly it was nothing".  Our Rudolph Storybuddy is cute, fun and festive - a great addition to our Holiday cheer.

 E loves the itty bittys.  They are the perfect size for little ones!

You may have seen Hallmark's line of itty bittys already.  The itty bittys plush are so cute.  These tiny plush versions of Rudolph and his friends from the classic Christmas special are sure to bring a smile to little faces everywhere.  My kids love to pretend play with them and they are a great size for kids of all ages.

Rudolph Pics 'n' Props Kit

You can really let the reindeer games begin with Hallmark's Rudolph and Friends Pics 'n' Props Kit.  Everything is included to capture holiday memories with these adorable 15 holiday props including Rudolph with a glittery red nose.  This kit is perfect to have a holiday photo booth and it makes it so easy and cute.  Check out some of our fun below.

 Elf B

 Clarice A

 Yukon D

There are a few awesome promotions going on right now - "Buy a Buddy, Give a Buddy" and Rudolph itty bittys $1 Donations.  Each time someone buys an Interactive Story Buddy at a Hallmark Gold Crown store, Hallmark will donate and Interactive Story Buddy to Toys for Tots.

 A close up of our Bumble itty bitty.  You can see the Toys for Tots promotion on the tag.

Hallmark will also donate $1 to Toys for Tots each time one of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 50th Anniversary itty bittys are purchased - includes Rudolph, Clarice, Santa Claus and Bumble.  Pretty awesome right?

Rudolph Prize Pack

Ready for a giveaway?  One lucky reader will win their own Rudolph Prize Pack including Rudolph Interactive Storybuddy and a set of Santa and Bumble itty bittys!  Just enter below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Hallmark for providing me with these awesome Rudolph themed items and allowing this giveaway!  I am proud to be a Hallmark Blogger.  All opinions expressed are my own.

When Calls The Heart Movie Review

I had the pleasure of watching When Calls The Heart A Telling Silence recently.  I have said it numerous times before but I am a huge fan of Janette Oke and this movie is inspired by her best-selling books.  I am also a huge fan of Hallmark and Michael Landon Jr. so this was perfect for me.  Let me give you the synopsis first.

Synopsis
Elizabeth Thatcher begins to feel sorry for one of her students, an 8 year old mute who lost her father in a mining accident.  When Rosaleen goes missing, Elizabeth and the town begin searching for her.  Meanwhile, constable Jack Thornton uncovers evidence that Cat Montgomery (a single mother who also lost her husband in the mining accident) may have been involved in a suspicious church fire.

I enjoyed the characters, the storyline and the acting in this film.   I previously reviewed When Calls The Heart and I love getting more insight and additional information and story about the characters that I have already grown to love, especially Elizabeth.  There is encouragement, mystery, adventure and a touch of romance.  If you are looking for a clean and wholesome series I definitely recommend the When Calls The Heart series!

Check out the trailer here and let me know what you think!

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Edify Media for providing me with a copy of When Calls The Heart A Telling Silence on DVD to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered Series

I have a new original series to tell you about, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."  It is a wonderful mix of romance, comedy and drama.  This series follows the lives of four postal detectives who ban together to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail.  I love the premise as my Mom and Grandmother both retired from the post office (my Grandmother as a clerk and my Mom as a letter carrier).  I could actually see my Mom doing this!  If she picked up letters that didn't have enough postage she would often times add postage herself so the letter wouldn't be returned! 

I thought this show was delightful.  The episode I watched is about a special couple with Down Syndrome.  When a lost letter is delivered, the couple discovers their future which in turn inspires their parents.  And there are lots of flowers and stars in this episode, both of which I love!

The American Bible Society has built a bible study to go with this series that you can sign up for here!  Please check out this wonderful series and let me know what you think!

Read more about this series below and tune in yourself to the Hallmark Channel on Sundays, 8/7c.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered 

The new original series "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" is a wonderful combination of romance, comedy and drama that follows the lives of four postal detectives who transform themselves into a team of detectives to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail.  Their missions take them out of the office where redirected letters and packages can save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves and change futures by arriving late but somehow always on time.  The team includes charming Oliver O’Toole (Eric Mabius), the group's leader is a man of faith who prayerfully approaches his work with the goal of making a difference in people's lives; new team member, Shane McInerney (Kristin Booth), a technophile who brings 21st century sensibility to the group; free-spirited, “girl next door” Rita Haywith (Crystal Lowe) who has a photographic memory; and lovable Norman Dorman (Geoff Gustafson), a master in conventional research methods.

What would you ask a Hallmark writer?

I was recently asked an amazing question.  What have you always wanted to ask a Hallmark writer?  Hmmm, that's a good one!  I eventually settled on - How did you become a Hallmark writer? Was it a job you knew you wanted to do or did you fall into it?  And guess what?  Jake Gahr, a Hallmark writer, answered it.  Enjoy - thanks Jake!

When Calls The Heart Movie Review

I have a great movie to tell you about, When Calls The Heart by Michael Landon Jr. based on the book by Janette Oke.  My friend Maura introduced me to Janette Oke books years ago and I absolutely adore them.

I really enjoyed this movie for a number of reasons.  It was clean, wholesome and just a pleasure to watch.  I know that sometimes when I watch made for television movies I expect the acting to be subpar but not so in this wonderful film.  I was pleasantly surprised with the cast, the actors did a great job filling their roles nicely.  I also liked the two complimentary story lines that unfolded - young Elizabeth and her desire to teach (even with a harder assignment) and her Aunt Elizabeth serving as a teacher on the frontier years ago (discovered through her diaries).  I liked how the young Elizabeth was able to receive encouragement through her aunt's past adventures in her diary and ultimately take a leap of faith and trust God with her future.

This movie was encouraging, refreshing and enjoyable just as Janette Oke books have been to me as well.  There is a little bit for everyone - adventure, romance, comedy and drama.  I hope if you get the chance you will watch this movie and enjoy it as I have.

This movie originally aired on the Hallmark Channel and recently released to video last month (November 19th).

Read more about this movie below.

When Calls The Heart
Directed by Michael Landon Jr. and based on the best-selling books by Janette Oke, this film tells the story of a young, high society teacher receiving her first classroom post in a prairie town in the Western Frontier.  Determined to prove to her family that she is brave enough to live on her own, Elizabeth (Poppy Drayton) struggles with her own fears and doubts until she discovers her late Aunt's diary.  Her aunt (Maggie Grace), also named Elizabeth, had set off on a similar adventure as a teacher into the frontier, where she struggled with prairie life and eventually met and fell in love with a Royal Canadian Mountie (Stephen Amell).  Reading her aunt's words, the young Elizabeth decides to put her future in God's hands and embark on her own adventure where she uses the diary as her guide as well as Edward, another Mountie (Daniel Sharman), sworn to see her arrive.

When Calls the Heart debuted on the Hallmark Channel to more than 3.2 million viewers, making it the No. 1 movie of the week on ad-supported cable.  Distributed by Word Entertainment, the DVD became available for purchase in Christian retail last month on November 19th, 2013.

Michael Landon Jr. - Director
Michael Landon Jr., son of the late television legend Michael Landon, has been in the film business for over 25 years.  With two of the highest rated films in the history of the Hallmark channel, and several top ten releases targeted to the Christian market, Michael has become known for creating heartfelt, inspiring films that connect to the family.  He has developed and/or produced, directed, and written screenplays for Fox, CBS, NBC, Disney, Sony, Lifetime, and 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 on-line 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.

Check out the trailer here and let me know what you think!

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Edify Media for providing me with a copy of When Calls The Heart on DVD to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.