Mansion Kids Update

I finally finished the sketches for my Mansion Kids book!! Here's a few of my favorites:

The Kids

The Villian

The Rope Swing Room

Responsibly calling the police

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Super Saturday Sneak Peek

I spent today working on these crafts for our upcoming Super Saturday activity!

Sunday Cans- we originally got the idea from this article, although this article that came out recently was good incentive to keep it!

New Sew Baby Bows- we got the idea for bow ties from this tutorial, and the baby girl bows from this tutorial. Both are way easy, and I was able to make all 6 fairly quickly.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

When Things Don't Go As Planned

Have you ever had your plans blow up in your face? To the point where you seriously have to re-evaluate what you should be doing with your life? That happened to me today. I'm still trying to figure things out. I had this vision of what life would be like, and it's not going to happen anymore. At least not right now.

I feel like Derice at the beginning of the movie "Cool Runnings" when he fails to qualify for the Olympics because a fellow runner trips and knocks him over.

Derice knew he could have qualified. But he's told that he'll just have to wait four more years. To come so close to fulfilling a dream and then being told to wait is a hard pill to swallow. So Derice figures out a way to get to the Olympics earlier--by forming the first Jamacan Bobsled team to compete in the Winter Olympics.

I guess I'll just have to figure out what my "bobsled" will be.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Movies

Matt and I have watched a variety of movies this summer, and I thought I'd post about the one's I've liked.

 The BoxTrolls- I wasn't sure what to think of this movie at first, and I was kind of worried that it would give me nightmares. But it was completely different than what I expected. I really liked the social message of this movie, and felt like it comically taught several different principles, including the importance of fatherhood, the willingness not to believe every rumor you hear, and accepting those who may look and act differently than you. 

Hugo- an visually artistic movie, I really felt the message hit home with this quote: "I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too." Hugo has a great message of healing, and I loved the imagery and foreshadowing throughout.




Penguins- Other than being a "valued and important member of the team" message (and I suppose the message that revenge doesn't make you feel better), I mostly liked this movie for the classic penguin comedy. I also loved how the script writers worked in famous actor's names into the dialogue. Examples: "Nicholas! Cage them!" or  "Kevin! Bake on!"

Mall Cop 2- Admittedly not my favorite of the summer, but I did appreciate how clean it was- very little swearing or sexual scenes.

I loved Inside Out! It had some characters I wasn't expecting, and a great message about valuing all feelings. As far as criticism for the movie goes, I'll let this clip speak for me. 

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Recent Reads # 2

I just finished the Ascendence Trilogy by Jennifer A Nielson.  While the castle was the draw for me in the Castle Glower series, the Sage/Jaron was what kept me reading this trilogy. Sage/Jaron is sassy (for lack of a better word) and smart, and keeps the reader on their toes as they try to figure out just what is going on in his mind and why he does the things he does. I also loved the dialogue in the books. I don't have a favorite in the series, as they all built so well upon each other.

Here's the teaser for the first book:
In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Dear Dash: Eight Months

Dear Dash,
You are soooo close to crawling. You can get on your hands and knees now, but have yet to figure out how to coordinate them. This frustrates you, which means you hate tummy time once again.

You've branched out and tried lots of new foods, including some that Mommy doesn't approve of, like napkins, cardboard, other people's hair, and grass.

You have officially learned how to pull yourself up from sitting to standing position, and you love it. You would rather be standing than doing anything else.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Recent Reads

Now that I'm out of school, I have time to read for fun again!  I just finished the "Castle Glower" series by Jessica Day George.

Here's a quick synopsis of the first book: "Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. This delightful book from a fan- and bookseller-favorite kicks off a brand-new series sure to become a modern classic."

I liked all of the books, but the first in the series was by far my favorite. I loved learning more about the quirks and secrets of the castle, and cheering the children on as they defended it. (This is probably because of my love for magical settings like the Mansion Kids.)

Rhetorically,
Rebekah