Saturday, December 7, 2013

Holiday of Surprises Giveaway Week #9

Another great week to partner with other blogs in the Holiday of Surprises Giveaway - this time for Week #9.  I hope you enjoy this event with some pretty snazzy prizes!  Good luck and let me know if you are a winner.

Holiday of Surprises Giveaway Week #9
Along With


Proudly Brings you Holiday Surprises Giveaway Week #9

Grand Prize Package:

1 - Thomas Kinkade 8" Spirit of Christmas Sound Clock
1 - $50 Bulu Box Gift Certificate
1 - Country Bob's Sauces Gift Box
1 - 50 Movie Sci-Fi Classics "Anniversary Edition" 12-Disk  DVD Set


Second & Third Place

1 - Thomas Kinkade 8" Spirit of Christmas Sound Clock
1 - Country Bob's Sauces Gift Box


Let's Take a look at the prizes:


Thursday, December 5, 2013

The Promise DVD Review & Giveaway

Disclosure:  I was provided with this DVD to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.  Thanks so much to FlyBy and the sponsor for providing this information and giveaway.

  


I have a new film to tell you about - perfect in time for Christmas, The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah by Glorious films.  My family has really been enjoying this production.  This film is extremely faithful to scripture which I truly appreciate, and also creatively elaborates a few new characters; Mary's mother is probably the most surprising example, and Zechariah adds some fun humor.

The Magnificat was amazing and done superbly!  This scene is worth the price of the whole movie, for sure.  And the song is catchy, too - it is not uncommon for me to wake up in the morning to 4 of my 5 children singing I Will Magnify, super awesome.

 Here B and D are acting out the Magnificat scene - praising the Lord.

And here are Mary and Elizabeth in the film.

However, there are other times that the characters' dance and the story line didn't seem to always line up, or the ballet movements are sort of awkward.  Unfortunately, one of these occurs right near the beginning as the Jewish religious leaders help open the setting on the streets.  You might also look out for the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary - to me the choreography there felt a bit off.

Overall, the film is a true win and I would highly recommend watching it.
 
Read more about The Promise and Glorious Films below and don't forget to enter the giveaway!  It is also available for purchase here.

ABOUT THE PROMISE
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.

ABOUT GLORIOUS FILMS
Glorious Films is the home of high quality entertainment products created from a strong biblical worldview. The creative and technical teams are world-class and have come to from all over the globe. Their first film, The Promise, is an animated musical about the nativity story that will be released in 2013. The second film, The Prodigal, an animated musical based on the parable of the prodigal son, is in production for a Spring 2014 release.

Ready for a giveaway?  One of you will win your very own copy of The Promise!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Sound of Music Live - December 5th on NBC

Disclosure:  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.  Thanks so much to FlyBy and the sponsor for providing this information and allowing me to be a part of this blog and twitter party.  As part of this campaign I am eligible to win prizes. 
  


Do you know what my favorite movie of all time is?  It is even in my profile, The Sound of Music!  I just adore this movie.  Well, guess what?  NBC is presenting The Sound of Music Live Thursday, December 5th 8/7c!    I am so excited.  I cannot wait to see Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer in this live telecast of this beloved classic.  Hope you will tune in too :).

Read more about this version of The Sound of Music below!

About The Sound of Music
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.

There's a Music App for That! [Infographic]

There's a Music App for That! [Infographic]

Forget Angry Birds – when you need to kill some time, music apps are a great way to listen, learn, practice and play even when you don’t have your instrument! Check out the infographic below to learn about some of our favorites...
TakeLessons Creative Community

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Students – Listening to Music While Studying...

Do you listen to music while studying? Interesting article.

Students – Listening to Music While Studying...

It is widely accepted that the best environment for concentration is a quiet one; however the majority of students in the US say they prefer to study while listening to music, and in fact the highest achieving students are even guiltier of this. Why do students do this? To block out more distracting noise, to motivate themselves, to stay awake or to calm nerves… Whatever the reason, it’s important to find music that will serve your needs, while causing the least amount of distraction. The type of music a student listens to while studying contributes to how much information she can retain and how well she can focus. The most common type of music students report listening to while studying is popular music. However, if a person chooses...Read More
TakeLessons Creative Community

Happy Birthday D

 D's last day as a 3 year old!

I have probably mentioned this before but we have a tradition, the night before your birthday everyone gets an extra special hug - the last of its kind.  Last night, we all got our last 3 year old hug from D.  We woke up and got our first 4 year old hug.  It seems like such a simple thing yet it means so much to everyone in our family.

My Birthday Girl

 And she got to eat a fun cake for breakfast!

About to blow out her candles!

D is currently in love with the lullaby All the Pretty Little Horses.  I am not sure which version we have on CD but it says, "when you wake you shall have some cake, and all the pretty little horses...".  That was the inspiration behind her party this morning.

Yummy Strawberry

Hope your day is a sweet one!