This is one of my husband's favorite Christmas songs. He likes it performed by THIS group, and he specifically requested this video again this year. Hear you go, Dear.
Just to be fair, I'm including one of my favorite Christmas songs. The video is not the greatest, but it's the interpretation that really speaks to my soul. I feel such a kinship with this particular singer. I know if we ever met I would be her BFF.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
In Support of the Troops
This is dedicated to the men and women serving in our armed forces. They are sacrificing so much for the cause of freedom throughout the world. The United States does not mandate military service, as some other countries do. There is currently no draft, as there has been in the past. The members of our military volunteered to serve their country. They deserve our love and respect and support.
In memory of PFC Jacob Hamilton Allcott. Born July 26, 1984, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Killed in the line of duty April 22, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq.
"And now if Christ had not come into the world,...there could have been no redemption. And if Christ had not risen from the dead . . . there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ." (Mosiah 16:6-8)
In memory of PFC Jacob Hamilton Allcott. Born July 26, 1984, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Killed in the line of duty April 22, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq."And now if Christ had not come into the world,...there could have been no redemption. And if Christ had not risen from the dead . . . there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ." (Mosiah 16:6-8)
Wexford Carol, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and LDS Women's Book Review Contest
Here are two traditional carols, the "Wexford Carol", from Ireland, and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", from England.
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Now here's a really fantastic contest to enter. Click here to enter.
***Countdown to Christmas Contest***
LDSWBR will hold a drawing on Christmas Day for a $25 eGift Card from Deseret Book, as well as a variety of books being offered by some of the LDS authors that will be featured on the blog. Simply post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas author posts to enter. Here are the rules:
* LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a "thoughtful" comment.
* Only one comment per person per "Countdown to Christmas" author post will be entered into the drawing. This allows the potential for 24 entries per person at the end of the contest. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you'd like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
* Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 24, 2009. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on December 31, 2009 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
* Book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
Books that have been generously donated by the author for drawing prizes:
* Loyalty's Web by Joyce DiPastena
* Hidden Branch by G.G. Vandagriff
* Altared Plans by Rebecca Talley
* A Modest Proposal by Michele Ashman Bell (includes a bonus copy of Michele's Christmas booklet, A Candle in the Window)
* Her Good Name by Josi Kilpack
* MISSING by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
* Famous Family Nights by Anne Bradshaw
* Love Letters of Joseph and Emma (autographed copy) by Angela Eschler
* Family Home Evening Adventures by Rebecca Irvine
* Counting the Cost by Liz Adair
* Shudder by Jennie Hansen
* Mormon Mishaps & Mischief by D. N. Giles & C. L. Beck
* Dawn's Early Light by Laurie (L.C.) Lewis
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And don't forget everything else that's going on.
First of all, there's my Boxing Day Giveaway. Just comment on any or all posts from December 1st to 25th. You'll be entered in the drawing once for each post you comment on. I'll draw names on December 26th.
Win a copy of An Angel on Main Street at Kathi Oram Peterson's blog in ">The Angels in Your Life Contest
Win a copy of the Family Record Keeper at Mary Greathouse's blog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now here's a really fantastic contest to enter. Click here to enter.
***Countdown to Christmas Contest***
LDSWBR will hold a drawing on Christmas Day for a $25 eGift Card from Deseret Book, as well as a variety of books being offered by some of the LDS authors that will be featured on the blog. Simply post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas author posts to enter. Here are the rules:
* LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a "thoughtful" comment.
* Only one comment per person per "Countdown to Christmas" author post will be entered into the drawing. This allows the potential for 24 entries per person at the end of the contest. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you'd like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
* Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 24, 2009. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on December 31, 2009 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
* Book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
Books that have been generously donated by the author for drawing prizes:
* Loyalty's Web by Joyce DiPastena
* Hidden Branch by G.G. Vandagriff
* Altared Plans by Rebecca Talley
* A Modest Proposal by Michele Ashman Bell (includes a bonus copy of Michele's Christmas booklet, A Candle in the Window)
* Her Good Name by Josi Kilpack
* MISSING by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
* Famous Family Nights by Anne Bradshaw
* Love Letters of Joseph and Emma (autographed copy) by Angela Eschler
* Family Home Evening Adventures by Rebecca Irvine
* Counting the Cost by Liz Adair
* Shudder by Jennie Hansen
* Mormon Mishaps & Mischief by D. N. Giles & C. L. Beck
* Dawn's Early Light by Laurie (L.C.) Lewis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And don't forget everything else that's going on.
First of all, there's my Boxing Day Giveaway. Just comment on any or all posts from December 1st to 25th. You'll be entered in the drawing once for each post you comment on. I'll draw names on December 26th.
Win a copy of An Angel on Main Street at Kathi Oram Peterson's blog in ">The Angels in Your Life Contest
Win a copy of the Family Record Keeper at Mary Greathouse's blog.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Pat-A-Pan, hand bells, and Bone Warriors
I've watched a lot of Christmas music videos in the last three years to choose what to put on this advent calendar. This has got to be one of the best fan-made videos I have ever seen. It is absolutely amazing.
I found another cute little kid video. This time it's a 3-year-old participating in his first hand bell choir. Grandma is holding the camera.
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My book spotlight today is on Bone Warriors by Bron Bahlman. This guy is a prodigy. He began writing the book when he was 11. He finished it when he was 14. It was published when he was 15, by Sweetwater Books. Just to compare, Christopher Paolini self-published Eragon when he was 17 years old and it was later picked up by a national publisher.
Here's a blurb about the story from the website:
Craving power and lusting for human souls, the wicked necromancer sweeps the land, leaving behind nothing but death and devastation.
Returning home, 15-year-old Derrick and his friend Tweaks find their homes burning and their families missing. They immediately embark on a rescue quest for redemption and retaliation. Such evil cannot be allowed to roam exempt.
Sinister giants, collosal green jungle cats, and undead monsters confront them as Derrick and Tweaks encounter inconceivable threats in the forbidden woods, as well as gain unlikely allies.
The boys soon realize that their only hope to save their families comes from the very creature they cannot trust. But they're running out of time. How can they put an end to the necromancer's terrifying reign?
Sounds pretty good, huh? Believe me, it is. I was lucky enough to get a review copy and once I started reading, it was hard to put down. It's a fairly short book by today's standards, only 278 pages, and I found myself wishing Bahlman had made it just a little bit longer. I could have stuck with the characters for another few hundred pages.
One aspect that particularly stood out to me was the interactions between the hero, Derrick, and his mother. Maybe it's because I'm the mother of teenagers, but it just resonated with me. Derrick's mother acts EXACTLY the way I would with my teenage son and his friends. (I'm sure Bahlman got his inspiration from his own mother, Shirley, who I could also picture doing the same thing.) I won't spoil it by saying what Derrick's mother does. You'll just have to read the book. You can order a copy of Bone Warriors and read two sample chapters at this link.
Unfortunately, there is no book trailer for Bone Warriors. But I did find a fun video about the author, Bron Bahlman.
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Remember to enter the contests going on right now. First of all, there's my Boxing Day Giveaway. Just comment on any or all posts from December 1st to 25th. You'll be entered in the drawing once for each post you comment on. I'll draw names on December 26th.
Win a copy of An Angel on Main Street at Kathi Oram Peterson's blog in ">The Angels in Your Life Contest
Win a copy of the Family Record Keeper at Mary Greathouse's blog.
I found another cute little kid video. This time it's a 3-year-old participating in his first hand bell choir. Grandma is holding the camera.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My book spotlight today is on Bone Warriors by Bron Bahlman. This guy is a prodigy. He began writing the book when he was 11. He finished it when he was 14. It was published when he was 15, by Sweetwater Books. Just to compare, Christopher Paolini self-published Eragon when he was 17 years old and it was later picked up by a national publisher.Here's a blurb about the story from the website:
Craving power and lusting for human souls, the wicked necromancer sweeps the land, leaving behind nothing but death and devastation.
Returning home, 15-year-old Derrick and his friend Tweaks find their homes burning and their families missing. They immediately embark on a rescue quest for redemption and retaliation. Such evil cannot be allowed to roam exempt.
Sinister giants, collosal green jungle cats, and undead monsters confront them as Derrick and Tweaks encounter inconceivable threats in the forbidden woods, as well as gain unlikely allies.
The boys soon realize that their only hope to save their families comes from the very creature they cannot trust. But they're running out of time. How can they put an end to the necromancer's terrifying reign?
Sounds pretty good, huh? Believe me, it is. I was lucky enough to get a review copy and once I started reading, it was hard to put down. It's a fairly short book by today's standards, only 278 pages, and I found myself wishing Bahlman had made it just a little bit longer. I could have stuck with the characters for another few hundred pages.
One aspect that particularly stood out to me was the interactions between the hero, Derrick, and his mother. Maybe it's because I'm the mother of teenagers, but it just resonated with me. Derrick's mother acts EXACTLY the way I would with my teenage son and his friends. (I'm sure Bahlman got his inspiration from his own mother, Shirley, who I could also picture doing the same thing.) I won't spoil it by saying what Derrick's mother does. You'll just have to read the book. You can order a copy of Bone Warriors and read two sample chapters at this link.
Unfortunately, there is no book trailer for Bone Warriors. But I did find a fun video about the author, Bron Bahlman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember to enter the contests going on right now. First of all, there's my Boxing Day Giveaway. Just comment on any or all posts from December 1st to 25th. You'll be entered in the drawing once for each post you comment on. I'll draw names on December 26th.
Win a copy of An Angel on Main Street at Kathi Oram Peterson's blog in ">The Angels in Your Life Contest
Win a copy of the Family Record Keeper at Mary Greathouse's blog.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Bellagio Fountains, and Trimming the Tree
I think the next time we head south, we might just stop in Vegas to see the Bellagio fountains. (And maybe Donny and Marie.)
So do you have a Christmas tree yet? I think we're going to get a permit and go trudge through knee-deep snow up in the hills to cut our own again this year. It's one of my husband's favorite traditions. (Just thinking about it makes me shiver.) Then we have to drag it into the house and put it in the stand and wind the lights around all the branches and put the ornaments on. It's a lot of work, but once we're done it's nice. I think this little guy has a way to make the decorating more fun.
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Lots of contests going on right now. First of all, there's my Boxing Day Giveaway. Just comment on any or all posts from December 1st to 25th. You'll be entered in the drawing once for each post you comment on. I'll draw names on December 26th.
Win a copy of An Angel on Main Street at Kathi Oram Peterson's blog in ">The Angels in Your Life Contest
Win a copy of the Family Record Keeper at Mary Greathouse's blog.
So do you have a Christmas tree yet? I think we're going to get a permit and go trudge through knee-deep snow up in the hills to cut our own again this year. It's one of my husband's favorite traditions. (Just thinking about it makes me shiver.) Then we have to drag it into the house and put it in the stand and wind the lights around all the branches and put the ornaments on. It's a lot of work, but once we're done it's nice. I think this little guy has a way to make the decorating more fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lots of contests going on right now. First of all, there's my Boxing Day Giveaway. Just comment on any or all posts from December 1st to 25th. You'll be entered in the drawing once for each post you comment on. I'll draw names on December 26th.
Win a copy of An Angel on Main Street at Kathi Oram Peterson's blog in ">The Angels in Your Life Contest
Win a copy of the Family Record Keeper at Mary Greathouse's blog.
Breath of Heaven and Heirlooms
Here are two beautiful Christmas songs from Amy Grant. The first is "Breath of Heaven," sung from Mary's point of view.
This next song is "Heirlooms." I love how it ties together families and Christ, which are "all that I come from, and all that I live for, and all that I'm going to be."
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And speaking of families (how's that for a segway), the Family Record Keeper was created by Mary Greathouse. It's one binder style book with sections to record all the important information for your family and your life. Have you ever had to look everywhere for your children's immunization records? How about trying to remember where your son is at in the scouting program? How about everyone's school schedules and work schedules and church meetings? This is the one place to track everything. It's a handy size, just 7" x 9", to fit in a purse for a visit to the doctor, or in a 72-hour kit in case of emergency. I can think of several people (like me) who could really use this as a Christmas present.
Here is what Mary says on her blog about how she came up with Family Record Keeper.
"As the mother of seven, I know just how hard it is to keep track of everyone's important records. My own calendars....wherever they are now... are covered with special events, health crises, activities and so many other things that I need access to. I got tired of pulling out seven baby books to access dates and medical records, including immunizations. Not to mention no one made a book for MY medical records as an adult.
"I got the big idea that I should have all of those records in one book that I could drag around with me or grab in an emergency. Kind of a hand sized command center. No one made such a product. And it wouldn't have room for nine people if they did. Hey! I could use a three-ring binder like my cookbooks and add all the people I needed. Plus, I could keep the book with my cookbooks where I could actually find it. Voila! The Family Record Keeper."
Click on this link for ordering information.
This next song is "Heirlooms." I love how it ties together families and Christ, which are "all that I come from, and all that I live for, and all that I'm going to be."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And speaking of families (how's that for a segway), the Family Record Keeper was created by Mary Greathouse. It's one binder style book with sections to record all the important information for your family and your life. Have you ever had to look everywhere for your children's immunization records? How about trying to remember where your son is at in the scouting program? How about everyone's school schedules and work schedules and church meetings? This is the one place to track everything. It's a handy size, just 7" x 9", to fit in a purse for a visit to the doctor, or in a 72-hour kit in case of emergency. I can think of several people (like me) who could really use this as a Christmas present.Here is what Mary says on her blog about how she came up with Family Record Keeper.
"As the mother of seven, I know just how hard it is to keep track of everyone's important records. My own calendars....wherever they are now... are covered with special events, health crises, activities and so many other things that I need access to. I got tired of pulling out seven baby books to access dates and medical records, including immunizations. Not to mention no one made a book for MY medical records as an adult.
"I got the big idea that I should have all of those records in one book that I could drag around with me or grab in an emergency. Kind of a hand sized command center. No one made such a product. And it wouldn't have room for nine people if they did. Hey! I could use a three-ring binder like my cookbooks and add all the people I needed. Plus, I could keep the book with my cookbooks where I could actually find it. Voila! The Family Record Keeper."
Click on this link for ordering information.
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