return to the hiding place: a *movie* review . . .

You may not know this about me . . . but I adore movies, I truly do.  In fact, I've got quite a collection--a lot of children's (read: Disney) and older movies. The trick these days is finding movies that are good stories, with solid plots, decent acting, and without the language, sex and violence that is so prevalent these days.

That's why when FishFlix contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in receiving a DVD in exchange for an honest review, I immediately said, YES! Especially since the movie they wanted to send was Return to the Hiding Place. Having read (and watched) The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and being very familiar with her amazing (true) story, I was quite interested in watching this film and had no idea what to expect.

Just hearing the movie title, Return to the Hiding Place, led me to believe it was a followup to Ten Boom's story, but in actuality, the "untold true story" runs parallel to The Hiding Place and intertwines Ten Boom's story with that of the secret (college) student army that worked fearlessly and tirelessly under Ten Boom's supervision (and roof) to advance the cause against the Nazis.

Watching the movie I was pleased to see that there were some familiar faces, most notably John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings), David Thomas Jenkins, and Slate Holmgren. I actually had to the pause the movie midway through and pick it up later, and was on pins and needles wondering what was going to happen next!  I was drawn into the plot and surprised at the twists and turns.  This was well written (Bart Gavigan and  screenplay by Peter C. Spencer), well acted, and well directed (Peter C. Spencer and Josiah Spencer). Faith-based movies haven't always measured up, but I see a trend that they're getting better and better, and this one definitely *does* measure up.  It's a keeper and a movie I'll not only re-watch, but I'll share with friends/family!

Thank you to FishFlix for allowing me the opportunity to watch and review Return to the Hiding Place.  FishFlix is a great source for Christian movies for the whole family to enjoy!

:)

simpler things . . .

I've been a long-time fan of Amish fiction . . . having spent quite a bit of time camping with my family in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country during my childhood and see the Amish lifestyle from afar, it always intrigued me.  I was a natural-made fan of the fiction!  So it's no wonder that as an adult, I've often wondered how "plain" or a more simpler way of living would be.  In many of aspects of our life, we've accomplished that, to a degree.  Moving from our 'sticks and bricks' home to our 'home on wheels' caused me to give up most of the "stuff" that filled our closets and shelves and really make a determination on what was important. From clothes and jewelry to furniture and decorations to even food and products.  But still . . . we have electricity and technology and cars . . . not quite Amish!

My third squishy happened to be a book!  

A bloggy friend of mine had mentioned that she was a reviewer for Bethany House publishers and, being intrigued by the idea, I did a little research and signed up.  When the first list of books to chose from was e-mailed to me, this one caught my eye *right* off the bat!  Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman?  It had to be for me!

When I got home, it was waiting for me ... and do you know, I opened it up on Sunday and stayed up Monday until I'd finished it?!  It wasn't quite what I expected ... because it's not about an Amish family ... but it was fun!

So if you're like me and you've ever come to the end of a rough/tough day--where the phone never stopped ringing, the e-mails were endless, and technology seemed to give you more to do, not less--and wondered what life might be like if you lived the simpler life of the Amish? Then this story--Almost Amish--is the perfect story for you! Main character Julie Charlton tires of her daily grind, and in an opportunity that's part "Survivor" and part Amish fiction, she and her family accept a challenge to "live simply" for the summer. It really was a fun (and funny) read - seeing how they faced their weekly challenges and watching the so-called "simple life" become both comfortable and comforting.  And most importantly, how it changed the dynamics of their family life.

Cushman does a great job of developing the story line and her characters and includes a few fun twists in the plot, as well. Definitely a happy summer read.

So . . . if this sounds interesting to YOU, and you'd like to try it for yourself, leave me a comment telling me what kind of books you most like to read.  You don't have to be a follower (though it's nice) -- just leave one comment!  I'll randomly pick a winner on Wednesday, August 15th!  (And who knows?  I may throw in some other *happies* as well!)

**Disclaimer:  Bethany House publishers did not compensate me for this review.  I did receive a free copy of the book to read and it is this copy I am giving away.**

:)

c&t review . . .

To Be An Elm Creek Quilter

I am a huge fan of the Elm Creek series. I adore reading, and to be able to read about quilting to boot, well, that's a huge plus for me! That was the initial draw for me; it was an Elm Creek quilting book.

As I started paging through it, I realized it's actually a compilation of blocks done by several *real* women, who entered their blocks in a 'spirit of Elm Creek quilting' contest. The finalists' blocks were then put together into an Elm Creek sampler quilt, which is quite beautiful. There's lots of eye interest!

The book is well laid out, with clear instructions for each block. That being said, however, I wouldn't recommend it to the beginner quilter! There were plenty of well-shot photos, and a nice "Quilting 101" section at the back of the book. The templates were all concise and clearly labeled.

What I missed in this particular book was story dialogue. It didn't feel like there was anything, other than the title, that actually connected the book to the series. Even a small blurb about why each woman created the pattern she did would have been nice. This may not be a big deal to some, but because what drew me to this book was my love for the series, the lack of story dialogue disappointed me greatly.