A perfect family gift, ICE AGE: A MAMMOTH CHRISTMASland ed on Blu-ray and DVD November 26 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and features the original voice talents of Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Sean William Scott. Available for a low price ICE AGE: A MAMMOTH CHRISTMAS arrives on single disc DVD and a Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy combo pack with extra features, making it a great holiday stocking stuffer for the whole family to enjoy.
In ICE AGE: A MAMMOTH CHRISTMAS, America’s favorite arctic herd is busy decorating for the holiday season. In his rush to help, Sid (John Leguizamo) destroys Manny’s (Ray Romano) favorite decorations. Manny is so upset he convinces Sid he is now on Santa’s naughty list. Sid, Crash (Seann William Scott), Eddie (Josh Peck) and Peaches (Ciara Bravo) take off for the North Pole to plead their case to Santa (Billy Gardell). Meanwhile, Manny, Ellie (Queen Latifah) and Diego (Denis Leary), worry over Peaches’ safety and race to find her. Back at the North Pole, Sid and his crew accidentally destroy Santa’s Workshop on Christmas Eve, and it’s up to these newfound friends to orchestrate a Christmas miracle. The instant holiday classic, directed by Karen Disher, also features the voice talent of Chris Wedge, T.J. Miller and Judah Friedlander.
With over $4 billion in box office, home entertainment and consumer products sales, the “Ice Age” franchise is a perennial hit, and continues to grow with next summer’s all-new animated feature “Ice Age: Continental Drift.” From Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, the film features new characters voiced by Janenifer Lopez, Wanda Sykes, Keke Palmer, Aziz Ansari and Drake, among others. Share in the all-new adventure as they join the original cast voiced by John Leguizamo, Ray Romano, Seann William Scott, Queen Latifah and Denis Leary. “Ice Age: Continental Drift” arrives in theaters everywhere July 13, 2012 in 3D.
I've always been a fan of the Ice Age movies and this is a super nice addition to the collection. This is a short movie, only 26 minutes, but if you are looking for something new to add to a child's Christmas movie list, this is a cute pick. The outstanding cast, enjoyable story line, and incredible visuals really bring this movie to life. My 4 year-old daughter highly enjoyed the characters and Santa, of course. Plus, the glimpse at the new Ice Age movie “Ice Age: Continental Drift” made me super excited to see it this summer. You can find Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special on amazon and in stores. It's very inexpensive and if you or your child is an Ice Age fan, you gotta get this! Follow Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on Twitter @FoxHomeEnt
Hey everyone! Today kicks off the Baby, It's Cold Outside blog tour! Aimee, Kate, Heidi and Amy have stopped by today to do a few fun"This or That" and Fill in the Blank questions. Be sure to check out the giveaway below for a $10 Gift Card! A new giveaway will be featured during each week of the tour.
FOLLOW THE TOUR
AIMEE CARSON This or That List:
Hot or Cold: Cold! I grew up in Florida and I hate hot weather. Hot Chocolate or Coffee: In answer to your question, I lugged my espresso maker all the way to last year’s Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim. I’ll be taking it next year too. Real Tree or Fake Tree: Real. You just can’t beat the wonderful scent of pine on Christmas morning. Spending time by the fire or Spending time in the snow: I’m gonna be greedy here and say I want to play in the snow and then snuggle up in front of the fire afterward. The two kinda go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Fill in the Blank: My story is perfect for the holidays because_______ my feisty heroine has just suffered through the worst year of her life when she runs into the hero on New Year’s Day. ‘Tis the Season to be Tempted is all about new beginnings, and having the courage to start over. My characters begin the story as (friends, enemies, strangers, etc.)_______ Hmm, this is a tough one. My hero is best friends with the heroine’s older brother. They grew up together, with the hero always being a little disapproving of the heroine’s questionable choices. She’s … ah, kind of a nonconformist. And there’s always been this lingering unspoken attraction. Of course, they were too different to consider a romantic relationship. So… friends? Sort of. Enemies? Sometimes. Strangers? In all the ways that really count. This book is about them revealing their true selves. A perfect gift for the characters in my story would be_________ a gourmet set of kitchen utensils, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why! *insert evil laugh* If I could spend Christmas with any celebrity it would be_________ Conan O'Brien, because he makes me laugh!
KATE HARDYThis or That List:
Hot or Cold Cold — I can't sleep if I'm too hot!
Hot Chocolate or Coffee — Coffee (especially if it's a skinny latte — though after my one proper coffee a day I tend to drink instant whole bean decaf)
Real Tree or Fake Tree — I would love a real one, like the one we had when I was a child, but we have a fake one which is narrow and doesn't take up quite so much room
Spending time by the fire or Spending time in the snow — as long as I don't have to drive in it, snow (otherwise, please let me stay by the fire with a good book!)
Fill in the blank
My story is perfect for the holidays because _________ it's all about second chances and learning the true meaning of Christmas
My characters begin the story as (friends, enemies, strangers, etc.) ___________ total strangers
A perfect gift for the characters in my story would be __________ exactly what they get — each other!
If I could spend Christmas with any celebrity it would be _________ Antonio Banderas, because he's utterly gorgeous (as well as coming across in interviews as a really, really nice guy) and he dances the tango beautifully (see 'Take the Lead' for details): o) And as we're learning the tango in ballroom dance class next term, I would love to dance the tango with him. (Or the waltz. I bet he waltzes perfectly, too!)
HEIDI RICE This or That
Hot or Cold: Cold (and snuggly)
Hot Chocolate or Coffee: Coffee with Skimmed milk when I'm being good, Hot Chocolate with cream when I'm being bad (I'm usually bad!)
Real Tree or Fake Tree: Real tree, gotta be, it's not Christmas if you can't smell the Norwegian spruce in our living room.
Spending time by the fire or Spending time in the snow: Time by the fire (after time in the snow!)
Fill in the blank My story is perfect for the holidays because _______ it'll whisk you away to a luxury department store on Fifth Avenue where there are no queues, you can have anything you want without paying for it and there's a hunky guy on hand to rub your feet when you're done! And there's a really hot romance in there somewhere, too!
My characters begin the story as (friends, enemies, strangers, etc.) ______ strangers with misconceptions about each other.
A perfect gift for the characters in my story would be________ Each other! If I could spend Christmas with any celebrity it would be _______ Pierce Brosnan who would take me to Mauii. Why? Because I've heard he looks super cute in a sarong!
AMY ANDREWS This or That Hot or Cold — Hot Hot Chocolate or Coffee — Hot Chocolate Real Tree or Fake Tree — Fake Spending time by the fire or Spending time in the snow — By the Fire (whilst watching the snow out the window)
Fill in the blank My story is perfect for the holidays because _it’s about two strangers in a snowed-in cabin, perfect for long, lazy days snuggled up in bed!______ My characters begin the story as (friends, enemies, strangers, etc.) ___strangers. A perfect gift for the characters in my story would be ___a super-size box of condoms! If I could spend Christmas with any celebrity it would be _George Clooney because I couldn’t think of any other celebrity I’d want to kiss under the mistletoe quite as much as George!
Baby, It's Cold Outside by Amy Andrews, Aimee Carson, Kate Hardy, and Heidi Rice Published: Entangled Publishing (November 19th, 2012) Reading Level: Adult
Four novellas from four of the biggest names in romantic fiction!
Kate Hardy's 'TIS THE SEASON TO KISS SANTA
With the help of a sprig of mistletoe and some snow angels, a recently single pastry chef teaches a highly successful and sexy Scrooge the true meaning of the holidays on a snowy Christmas Eve that quickly heats up.
Heidi Rice's 'TIS THE SEASON TO GO SHOPPING
When a Christmas Day blizzard strands an up-and-coming marketing manager and her boss's very off-limits, very hot playboy son in his department store, the two toe the line between naughty and nice as they unwrap their holiday presents—and each other!
Amy Andrews’s ‘TIS THE SEASON FOR KISSING
A down-on-her-romantic-luck kindergarten teacher plans to drown her New Year’s Eve sorrows in a gallon of spiked eggnog, but the arrival of her best friend's sexy brother threatens to melt the snow piling up outside the tiny Vermont cabin.
Aimee Carson’s ‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE TEMPTED
After the worst year ever, a jilted music manager rings in the New Year alone, swearing off men forever. But things get complicated when her brother's best friend, the perfect man with the perfect body, tempts her to break her vow—if only for one hot night!
"Elmer The Christmas Elf is the newest in the growing list of my children's books and is one of my personal favorites. Elmer is overcome with grief when he discovers he has missed sending a toy with Santa to one child and he doesn't know how he will get that missing toy to the little boy. He prays for help and an angel hears his plea and helps him with the answer he needs and then Santa saves the day on Christmas morning when he solves the problem in a most unusual and heartwarming way. It is a solution that Elmer is overwhelmed by and it makes his Christmas, not just knowing that the problem was solved, but also knowing how much he is loved by all the boys and girls he works so hard for each year."
I read "Inside Out " before "Elmer the Christmas Elf." Why is this at all important? Because, compared to "Inside Out, " I was a little disappointed.
Elmer's story was alright, the illustrations were mediocre, and the language didn't flow like I had expected it to. Despite this, the message was concrete and beautiful — it just wasn't implemented as well as I thought it would be, after reading "Inside Out."
An 'okay' Christmas read, I will be passing this book on to one of my many cousins' children.
"This is the perfect book for the Holiday season." — Miss Remmers
From Amazon.com...
"Celebrate the season with Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future—and discover how the greatest Christmas classic was based on the greastest story ever told.
This special edition includes the complete text of A Christmas Carol along with notes and discussion questions written from a Christian perspective."
This book was a wonderful read. While I have seen several different film adaptations of "A Christmas Carol," I had not read the book. I won't lie, I was a bit intimidated by the thought of this book. I mean, everyone's heard of it and Charles Dickens himself is an intimidating figure in literature.
Because of this, I particularly appreciated the annotations that explained the biblical allusions, Dickens faith, and the Christian themes throughout the novel. The discussion questions were also extremely helpful in understanding the depth to the novel. Should I ever use this book in a classroom (which will, undoubtedly, happen), the discussion questions (particularly A and B) will come in extremely handy as essay/reflection assignments.
As for the story itself, it was as beautiful as one would expect. Not nearly as "scary" as I had previously thought, the story was beautifully written and is the perfect book for the Holiday season.
I especially loved the quotes in the discussion section of the book:
"'Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves'" (30). "What is good for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (31). "God bless us, Every One!" (120). "Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (121).
Big thanks to Julie from FSB Associates for sending me a review copy of this wonderful Christmas story.
Continuing today's unofficial theme, here is another holiday article from the author of "I Used to Know That," which I will be reading/reviewing in the very near future. Thanks to Caitlin from FSB Associates for providing me with this article.
12 Days and 12 Facts for This Holiday Season — Caroline Taggart Author of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School
Ever catch yourself saying I Used to Know That?
Each holiday season brings another round of cocktail parties, family get-togethers, and corporate gatherings — and invariably, lots of small talk. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when discussing politics, literature, and other intellectual "stuff," especially when what is thought to be general knowledge is often long-forgotten. Enter I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School. From English and Literature to Math and Science, from History and Geography to Religion and Other-Worldly Topics, this book leaves you equipped to handle any topic of conversation.
Here we've cherry-picked twelve fun facts for the holiday season — one for every day of Christmas (or whatever holiday you prefer!) Quiz yourself to see how much "stuff" you need to brush up on before hobnobbing with the boss or office crush.
1. On building sentences: Just what is a "clause"?(Not to be confused with Santa Claus.)
Answer: A clause contains a subject and a verb and may stand alone as a sentence or as part of a sentence (when it is often called a subordinate clause): Santa Claus loves cookies but can't eat them without milk.
2. How many bones is the spine made up of?
Answer: 26 small bones called vertebrae (Be careful lifting all those heavy holiday boxes.)
3.Acclaimed author Charles Dickens (1812-70) wrote which Christmas classic?
Answer: A Christmas Carol. The miserly Ebenezer Scrooge tries to ignore Christmas and is haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Marley, and by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who show him the error of his ways.
4. The fist chapter of this famous book opens with "Call me Ishmael." Name the book and author. (Hint: it makes a whale of a gift!)
Answer: Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Melville is also the author of Pierre and the unfinished Billy Budd.
5. There's a name for the process of watering your Christmas tree? Who knew?
Answer: Grab the kids and give them this science factoid as they nurture the family tree: Osmosis is a form of diffusion that is specific to the movement of water. Water moves through a selectively permeable membrane (that is, one that lets some types of molecules through but not others) from a place where there is a higher concentration of water to one where it is lower.
6. Can you name all 6 wives of Henry VIII, father of the Church of England?
Answer: (Listed in order) Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Catherine, Catherine. They are often remembered as divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Sure makes you think twice when complaining about bad relatives.
7. Who was the 7th President of theUnited States?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln (R, 1861-65) and yes — he really was born in a log cabin on a winter's day. Notably famous for many reasons including his Gettysburg Address: "Four Score and Seven Years ago our fathers brought fourth upon this continent a new nation conceived in Liberty... "
8. 'Tis the season to be jolly giving! Don’t forget to tip well this season — etiquette coaches will tell you that means no less than 18%. So just how much should you tip on a bill of $50?
Answer: Percent means by a hundred, so anything expressed as a percentage is a fraction (or part, if you prefer) of 100. So 18% is 18 parts of 100, or 18/100 or. 18. If your bill is $50, multiply 50 by. 18 to get your tip total of $9. If you're feeling generous, a 20% tip would require you to multiply 50 by. 20, for a total of $10.00
50.00 x. 18 = 9.00
50.00 x. 20 = 10.00
Percentages can also be holiday-relevant when it comes to figuring out in-store sales. In this case, you want to multiply by the inverse of the percentage listed. So if you have a $50 sweater that's on sale for 25% off, multiply 50 by. 75 for your total of $37.50. That same $50 sweater on sale for 40% off would equate to $30, or $50 multiplied by. 60.
50.00 x. 75 = 37.50
50.00 x. 60 = 30.00
9. Brr, it's cold outside. But just how cold does it have to be to get some snow around here?
Answer: Did you know that the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit? Keep an eye on the temperature and watch your footing for ice on the ground. (See previous fact about those treasured vertebrae!)
10.Everyone knows Santa and his elves live in the North Pole. But what about the South Pole (akaAntarctica)?
Answer: The South Pole was discovered by Roald Amundsen (1872-1928, Norwegian), who was also the first to sail though the Northwest passage, the sea route from Pacific to Atlantic along the north coast of North America. Antarctica is the only continent that contains no countries — instead, it is a stateless territory protected from exploitation by an international treaty. A good place for the elves to protest low wages?
11. Which Ocean is bigger: the Pacific or theAtlantic?
Answer: The Pacific Ocean is larger at 69,374 square miles — that's almost double the Atlantic, which comes in at 35,665 square miles. Making it evenmore astonishing that St. Nick can cross the globe in just one night.
12. Remember the reason for the Season!Can you name a few things that both Judaism and Christianity have in common?
Answer: Both are monotheistic religions that share the first five books of the Christian Old Testament. Both religions view Jerusalem as a sacred site, the former for the Wailing Wall (contains the remains of the temple that was thought to be the place where God resides on earth) and the latter for Christ's burial and resurrection site.
Author Bio Caroline Taggart, author of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School, has been an editor of non-fiction books for nearly 30 years and has covered nearly every subject from natural history and business to gardening and astronomy. She has written several books and was the editor of Writer's Market UK 2009.
Last week I conquered the Christmas Stockings on a Curtain Rod project, this week I attempted to conquer conquered the Christmas Card Wreath. Remember I'll leave a link to how to do the project, but this post is more or less meant to show you how it actually turned out for an uncreative, not artistic person.
When I saw this Christmas Card Wreath (link to the Pinterest Page) , I knew I wanted to try it. I had just received two Christmas cards in the mail and wanted to display them but didn't know how. While I did have to purchase most of the supplies for this project, much like the Stockings on the Curtain rod, the supplies were not expensive. I had a wire hanger in my closet but I did have to buy clothes pins, red beads, ribbon, glue, wire cutter (strong pliers), and green spray paint (for a complete list of supplies and the step-by-step instructions, please visit Gwenny Penny) .
The first thing I think you should know (that is left out) is that if you are only making one wreath — a small can of spray paint will do. However, if you are planning on making a wreath for a gift or (as I am) are throwing a "Create a Christmas Card Wreath" Party — you'll need multiple cans of spray paint. I started out with a small can and I ran out and had to purchase more. The clothes pins were easy to find at Walmart and were very inexpensive, as were the rest of the supplies. I did have to purchase a wire cutter (pliers) as my pliers were a flat end and didn't really cut through anything. I also bought Krazy Glue, but I'm wishing I would have just bought fabric glue*.
You should also know that spray paint is sticky. I painted the clothes pins on Thursday night and by Saturday night, while they were dry, they were still a bit sticky and it was very hard to get off. Maybe creative people know that, but as an uncreative person who doesn't deal with spray paint often — this would have been nice to know.
Actually putting together this project was fairly easy: red bead, green clothes pin, red bead, green clothes pin and so on and so forth. When I got to the last few beads and pins it got interesting. The Krazy glue I bought wasn't sticking to the metal clothes hanger. So I ended up manipulating the clothes hanger to wrap around the end (in a very unattractive way) and then wrapping the hanger with the red ribbon. I then used the ribbon to make a make-shift hanger (not like in the original post directions) and used the Krazy glue to put the two pieces of fabric together*.
Here is my project:
I'm not 100% happy with it as my hanger is less circular and more "hot mess." Also, I think I'm going to add a bow to make the wreath a bit more complete — but I haven't figured out how to create a bow yet (something the original post left out or assumed I would know how to do). Some of my pins put pressure on the other pins — I don't know if this is because my hanger is too small or not, but the pins are a bit cramped.
As a person who doesn't deal with clothes pins on a regular basis, I also wish someone would have told me that they won't stay "pin down" on the wire, they constantly need to be manipulated. But once they are hung the pins use the wall as support and stay where I put them. I also wish I would have spent more time painting the pins. But because I had people coming over on Sunday to make the wreaths and I didn't know that the spray paint took so long to dry, I didn't have time to turn my box with the pins on it upside down and get the underside of the pins green as well.
Overall Verdit: This project definitely wasn't as easy as it looked and my finished product is no where near as beautiful and put together as the example. But it doesn't function well and once I figure out how to make a bow, I think this project will come together quite nicely. I'm glad I attempted it, but it was definitely a "figure it out as we go" type of deal in regards to the left out helpful pieces of information.
Also, my ribbon is probably too big.
Edit: I tried my best to add a bow. I'm still not very happy with it and have changed my Verdict to BUST. There are some other great ideas to display Christmas cards and I'm just not feeling it. It's not circular and the bow is and ribbon is complete chaos — you can call me an uncreative perfectionist if you'd like.:) But unless it's perfect and I'm proud of it, I'm just not sure I want to display it in my house as part of the decor haha.
Happy Christmas everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday (snowed in or not). I don't want to take up too much of your time, but I did want to share bit of Christmas cheer with you. Below is my absolute favorite Christmas video — I don't even care that it's a commercial for Walmart. I love the feeling of the video and all that it presents (even though I'm a Pepsi girl myself). Absolutely wonderful marketing by Walmart here.
While we can't all share a bit of Walmart Coke together this holiday, I do think of you all as my extended family and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.
I beat the storm home last Saturday and have spent the week at home. While it seems like I haven't gotten a lot accomplished, I have. I successfully reattached my 'enter' key and reinstalled Word. I lost most of my music (about 8GB) while trying to transfer music from my iPod to my PC (I've come to terms with said loss) and had a pick me up by having Santa bring me a new iPod Touch (not that I know how to use it yet). I have seen three movies in theaters since last Sunday including: "A Christmas Carol" (let down), "The Princess and the Frog" (surprisingly amazing), and "Sherlock Holmes" (slight let down). Last Sunday my phone broke and they were sending me a new one. It was supposed to arrive on Wednesday. It is now a week later and I still do not have a working phone — but again, I've come to terms. As you can tell, I had a pretty rough week (in regards to technology). Slowly (but surely) things are starting to look up.
This week I reviewed "Inside Out, " "The Source of Miracles, " "Elmer the Christmas Elf, " "A Christmas Carol: Special Edition, " "I Used to Know That, " and "Cracked Up to Be. " As a result, this has probably been one of the most productive weeks (in regards to blogging/recreational reading) that I have had since August. I'm SO enjoying it. "The Source of Miracles " was one of the best books I've read in such a long time! I can't shut up about it! I did read/finish "Love You, Hate You, Miss You" as well — the review is coming. I did have to abandon two books that have been hanging over my head all semester. I've had both of them for months and I've continually tried to pick them up and read them — but I was forcing myself to do it. And I can't condone forcing myself to read when I have such an awesome bunch of books to read. So, I'll be passing them on (hint hint). Stay tuned.
Sadly, part of the 8GB of music lost included "Confessions of a Shopaholic." I wasn't too far into it though so I'm not too upset about it. I'll probably look for it at the library. I also didn't do an "In My Mailbox" post as I haven't received anything (not even a phone)! But I do know that I have a book or two waiting for me back at school that I will get sometime this week when I head back for New Years.
Cassie was this week's Guest Reviewer — donating her review of City of Bones. Please share some book love and visit her at Happy Book Lovers.
My new holiday campaign to collect Guest Reviews has been a great hit — we've acquired 44 reviews! Thanks to everyone who has donated! Campaign ends January 4th and is open to absolutely everyone! I have four more Guest Reviews to post (scheduled) but those are only the ones that I received via email. Many people only left a link on Mr. Linky — which I guess is okay and it is still appreciated. I just feel more like I'm plagiarizing then — but reviews are reviews and the more the better.
I gained three followers this week and now have 34 amazing followers. Welcome and Thank you!
My list of books to read/things to do during break:
Read "Inside Out"
Read "Elmer, the Christmas Elf"
Post all the Guest Reviews I've received for My Holiday Book Review Campaign
Finish "The Source of Miracles" (Review)
Read "Lucifer Rising" (Review)
Read "Comfort Living" (Review)
Read "I Used to Know That" (Review)
Read "Some Girls Are" (ARC — Goodreads Winner)
Read "The Van Alen Legacy" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Love You, Hate You, Miss You" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Truly, Madly: A Novel" (ARC — Goodreads Winner)
Read "Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Single" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Sea Change" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Jumping off Swings" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Before I Die" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Embellish" (Review)
Read "Gone" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Cracked Up to Be" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "How to Buy a Love of Reading" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Oh.My.Gods." (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Dark Places" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Read "Nothing But Ghosts" (Library — Momma Remmers)
Christmas is coming, and in light of the festivities, today I am going to share with you an article to further inspire the Christmas spirit. Thanks to Julie from FSB Associates for providing this article for me!
The Ultimate Christmas Gift: Renewed Appreciation for the Lord's Prayer
Kathleen McGowan, the author of The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord's Prayer
We are often reminded this time of year, and rightfully so, that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season." I can think of no better way to celebrate what Jesus gave to us than to renew our appreciation for his most amazing gift, The Lord's Prayer. In the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus is asked by one of his disciples, "Lord, teach us to pray." He responds very specifically, with the Lord's Prayer. He also teaches this prayer as a component of the Sermon on the Mount. Thus we see in scripture that when Jesus teaches us to pray it is always with these words.
The prayer is perfect. It is our greatest spiritual gift, from the Great Spiritual Giver.
When I set out to write a book about the power of the Lord's Prayer, I was stunned to discover that there were very few published works that dealt with it in any depth. Nearly one third of the planet's population recites this prayer — over two billion people — and yet there were essentially no books about it.
The time had come! What I have been asked most often since writing The Source of Miracles: Seven Powerful Steps to Transforming Your Life Through the Lord's Prayer is: why did I feel the need to write it and why now? What is it about the Lord's Prayer that is so important for us to examine anew as we make our journey into the new world of the 21st Century?
The simple answer is that using this prayer in a specific practice has transformed my life and I have witnessed it as the source of extraordinary miracles, not just for myself, but for countless others. I know it can change lives, and maybe even the world, for the better. Therefore I equally knew that I had an obligation to share this prayer practice with as many people as possible — and fast. The world is at critical mass, people need hope to go forward, and this prayer can and will bring them that — and more. Everything we need for personal transformation is included in just over fifty words that most of us already know by heart, but many of us have forgotten how to use effectively.
In my own journey as a writer and researcher, I came across an amazing prayer practice that was taught by a Christian sect in France during the Middle Ages. For these medieval Christians, the Lord's Prayer was not only the cornerstone of their faith, it was the guidebook to living a perfect life. They understood that every word of the prayer was carefully considered by Jesus, and given to us as a loving and careful instruction for building our faith while living a joyous life through God. I began to work through this prayer as a spiritual practice in the medieval manner, which breaks the prayer down into seven lessons about life: Faith, Surrender, Service, Abundance, Forgiveness, Overcoming and Love. The results were astounding and immediate. My faith was strengthened and my life transformed in ways I could never have imagined prior to learning how to live through this prayer.
The Lord's Prayer is now, as it was when Jesus lived, the incorruptible formula for personal and global transformation.
While most of us can rattle off this greatest of prayers, many of us have forgotten the extraordinary power and meaning behind the words, if we ever thought about them to begin with. I learned the Lord's Prayer when I was three years old, in pre-school, many years before I would ever know what words like hallowed, trespasses or temptation meant. Like most children, we were taught to speak it on cue, like obedient little parrots who could make the appropriate sounds come out after endless repetitions, but had no ability to understand the somewhat exotic sounding syllables.
I can assure you that we were not taught the origins of the prayer as children, and even if someone had tried to explain it to us, we were far too young to understand it as a dynamic spiritual practice and a fool-proof recipe for creating a joyous and fulfilled life.
So many of us grow up never knowing that, with the Lord's Prayer, Jesus was giving us the formula for manifesting miracles; not only when we most need them, but on a very regular basis. It was his gift to us, and one that we can reclaim for ourselves and our loved ones this holiday season. We can create our own miracles in this season which is dedicated to them. It is literally the gift that keeps on giving!
The Lord's Prayer addresses the issues that hurt us, confound us, and impede our progress, and illuminates the way in which we can overcome these obstacles. The prayer is our guide to purifying our spirit of anything that troubles it and holds us back from functioning at our highest potential, a potential that leads directly to happiness and abundance. Using this prayer regularly as a spiritual practice creates real and lasting change at the soul level, change which becomes manifest in very earthly, visible ways.
When spoken with faith and intention, these are literally magic words.
I believe that if you study and hold tight to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, a handful of parables, and what Jesus tells us in Matthew 22, verses 37-39 — love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and love thy neighbor as thyself — then you pretty much have everything you need to live a perfect life and encourage peace on earth. But foremost of these gifts, the center from which all blessings spring, is the Lord's Prayer. While the other elements teach us valuable spiritual lessons, this great prayer is the tool that connects us immediately and directly to the source that is within each of us: the source of faith, the source of love, the source of forgiveness. And, in combination, those things are the source of very real miracles.
My own life has been transformed dramatically by utilizing the Lord's Prayer as a regular spiritual practice. As a result, I have witnessed the most miraculous events, including wonders of life and death. My own life has been blessed with extraordinary abundance and joy, thanks to the gift of this prayer practice. I hope to share this joy with you through the great prayer that unifies us all and is available to everyone. Together, we really can create heaven on earth — just the way Jesus taught us. Amen!
Kathleen McGowan, author of The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord's Prayer, is an internationally published writer whose work has appeared on five continents and in at least fifteen languages. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three sons. Kathleen is a dedicated activist, and commits a portion of her time and royalties to causes that protect women and children from the horrors of human trafficking and sexual slavery. She has teamed with The Emancipation Network and Made by Survivors to fund and participate in programs which provide shelter and safety for victims of abuse, and raise awareness of this global epidemic.
For more information about the book, please visit www.KathleenMcGowan.com.
This Pinterest Project Creation is a little bit different than the others as it didn't really take a lot of effort or creativity (sort of).
I found this Christmas Card Photo idea (link to Pinterest Page) and absolutely loved it! So I decided to try to recreate it! Twice.
First of all, it took me FOREVER to find a strung together "Merry Christmas" sign. I went to Target, Walmart, and finally tried Party America. Even Party America had slim pickings — they only had every reflective colored signs. I didn't try the dollar store — but I will for next year*.
The first time we attempted to take the photo it was too dark out an the letters reflected (plus, the photo was NOT very flattering — so much so that I may have already accidentally deleted it from my camera. The second time we tried it was dusk and, while it isn't awful, there is this weird fog thing (demons? angels?) in the photo that was not there when we took the picture. And, you can't really see what it says — I think it's more distracting than pretty. But the rest of the picture looks nice!
Final Verdict: So, for this year*, we went without. But when I have more time and am not so rushed to find the strung letters, I would like to try this photo op. again next year. Tomorrow I'll post what our final Christmas looked like — if you're interested!
Do you have any suggestions for an uncreative person in regards to "pulling off" this photo?
2011 was definitely the year of The Apple for me (as I assume it was for many others with the death of Steve Jobs); I now consider myself "Applefied." The husband gave me an iPad 2 for Christmas this year, I bought an iPhone in June, I purchased my MacBook Pro last September (2010), the iTouch (3rd generation) was a Christmas Gift in 2009, and (this is really impressive) my iPod Classic (now labelled "Old iPod") was my very first Apple product purchased when I was in High School! This iPod was really my first big purchase as I had just started working; I remember saving up for quite awhile for this bad boy. This iPod was my most valuable object in high school.
When my MacBook crashed the semester before I graduated from college, this iPod was all I had my music on and I was able to enable it as a disc and save the majority of my music. That Christmas (2009) I received an iPod Touch and have used that primarily since. But as I was considering my "Applification" I brushed off the Classic, cleaned it real well, plugged it into my computer (for the first time since 09), restored the settings, and reinstalled all my music. After all this time it still works. It's extremely scratched up and there are no "fancy" gadgets to it; it's merely a device for listening to music. It's simple and basic — but I kind of miss that.
This weekend I've sort gotten used to carrying it around with me again. It's so much heavier than my iPhone or iTouch and it's sort of fun to rediscover it (like the button on the top isn't a shut off button but rather a "hold" button).
With three listening devices (iPhone, iTouch, and iPod) in working order I'm trying really hard to make sure to utilize their differences. For instance, I have fewer than 50 songs on my iPhone as I use it primarily to listen to audiobooks and I don't download my audiobooks to the Touch. It's amazing how far I've come. I remember in high school when this whole MP3 thing was first brought up and I looked at the hundreds of CDs I had accumulated (that now sit in a box in storage) and thought "I'll never give you up!" It's been years since I purchased a CD.
I also remember being very hesitant to the Apple brand; when I thought of Apple I thought of old funny computers in the library that no one used because everything was opposite. Today, I can proudly say that I'm Applefied and loving it!
Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Jeri Smith-Ready.
I have finals coming up next week (a 25 page paper on Educational Psychology, EEK) so I won't have an IMM next week, boo: ( But I do have things planned and ready to go so no worries! Lots of exciting tours, reviews, interviews, and parties coming soon!
Review Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky Vixen by Jillian Larkin Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
Purchased The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson Take Me There by Carolee Dean Kiss It by Erin Downing
Picture Book Feature Sweet Moon Baby by Karen Henry Clark Mommy Hugs by Karen Katz Surprise Shade bookplate and bookmark (signed) from Jeri Smith-Ready.
And here is my Christmas tree! I bought new stuff for it last year after Christmas so I was super excited to get it put up: ) Now, I just need gifts under it!
What did you get in your mailbox this week?
*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristie at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.
"Named for the Northern Lights, Aurora faces a woeful plight. To many lands she must roam, searching for her true home.
Come along as author Holly Hardin conjures a mystical world of adventure, sprites, and magical charms. After losing her parents, little Aurora sets off on her own. Because she’s different, Aurora finds it difficult to find anyone who will listen to her story, even at Christmas time. As her story continues, Aurora receives special gifts to keep her safe and important clues to find her new home.
Follow the journey as Aurora encounters a host of creatures along the way—including one very famous bearded man. What follows in this beautifully illustrated and delightfully written book is a heartwarming story of a home lost and found—and a Christmas lesson for us all."
This is a great Christmas story! It's the first book I've accepted for review in this "children's literature" genre — and I'm so glad I did. A quick read for you and I — but a beautiful story about accepting others and finding your own path. I highly recommend this book to any one with a young child learning how to read. The rhymes are fun and the pictures are vividly beautiful to look at.
I will not be passing this book on. I will add this to my collection for my 'future' children or cousins who will be learning to read. Really — this is a great children's story. Santa Clause even makes an appearance! But if you wanted to delve deeper into the analogy, you could. Highlighting three different cultures — this book could potentially be a great diversity read as well for children of a young age. Highly recommend.
I'd like to welcome Megan from Write Meg! as my very first Guest Blogger!
************************* Give me a call on a Friday night and ask what I’m doing. (Go ahead, I’ll give you my cell.) If I’m not at the movies or running around shopping, I promise you this: you’ll find me curled up in my living room, a thick paperback wedged at my side while skeins of burgundy-and-gold yarn cover my legs. In my hands, maybe along with a mug of tea, will be a long purple hook. And attached to that hook? That yarn. And lots of it. My mother Lisa taught me to crochet when I was a rather serious 8-year-old; as soon as I could hold the hook capably, I was making runners out of pastel-colored yarn. I still have the first piece I made: a lumpy, uneven stretch of pink yarn with very fine stitches. Now? I’m a 24-year-old crafting machine who’s all about Etsy, where I set up shop last February, though it took me a solid five months to get my first sale. And that first fateful transaction was for the item in my shop I thought would attract the least amount of attention: a burgundy-and-gold Gryffindor scarf. And thus my “Harry Potter” scarf business was born.
Since last July, I’ve made approximately 30 Gryffindor scarves (in trademark burgundy and gold) and Slytherin scarves (in gray and green) and sent them to folks all around the United States and Canada. Fans of our beloved, valiant Harry will be happy to note a HUGE disparity between the number of Gryffindor students now running around — lots — and the smaller number of those in the house of the nefarious Draco Malfoy. Good still trumps evil. I’m a huge fan of J.K. Rowling’s sweeping series myself, reading all seven books for the first time the summer that Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows was published. I’ve taken in every film with wide, excited eyes. Making “Harry Potter” scarves is a labor of love — an extension of the love I have for the series. I don’t turn a major profit, but I’m not trying to — crocheting has always been something I do because I simply love it. And I’m pretty sure my friends and family will strangle me with my crocheted creations if I give them even one more scarf. When Christmas rolled around this year, I even crocheted the scarves while watching “Harry Potter And the Prisoner Of Azkaban” (a fact I noted in the thank-you cards I wrote to customers!). Maybe making “Harry Potter” scarves while watching “Harry Potter” will bring the wearers good luck? Regardless, it made me feel awesome to imagine happy brothers, sisters, kids and parents opening my Gryffindor and Slytherin scarves on Christmas morning. And hey, if any of us finally get our acceptance letters to Hogwarts? We’ll blend in seamlessly with the other students crowding the school’s hallowed halls! Though I might have a bit of trouble tracking down some appropriately glamorous dress robes... naturally, mine would have to be pink. And sparkly. ******************** Thanks Megan for stopping by and sharing your passion for crocheting and Harry Potter with us! While I don't know how to crochet, I do knit. And by "knit," I mean I can probably make a straight simple table runner. I'm not even sure if I could 'end' it though, I've never gotten that far! It sounds like a great idea though, knitting and reading at the same time. I wonder if I'm coordinated enough? Thanks for stopping by and make sure to visit Megan at Write Meg! and her Etsy shop for your own Hogwarts Scarf needs.
As most of you know, this year I have discovered my love of the audiobook. I listen to audiobooks primarily when walking our very stubborn dog (who refuses to go outside and play in our huge fenced in backyard by himself to do his 'business') several times a day. Our walk takes about 15-20 minutes and audiobooks have really helped pass the time and make this chore seem like, well, less than a chore. However, because I read faster than I can listen, one huge downside to the audiobook is that it takes longer to get into — literally. This isn't because the book isn't any good it's just that without a strong narrator and a captivating start — audiobooks can fall flat.
Tomorrow, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is released in theaters. After seeing the trailer a few months ago I figured I should read the book before I saw the movie. I received the audio via Interlibrary Loan from my library and downloaded it to my phone and began my walk. It's not unusual (for me) to be a bit bored with an audiobook for the first couple walks, but after three days I was still bored! So I started listening to Pandora's "Swingin' Christmas."
I'm not sure if it's just because I love Christmas music or what, but I'm having a really hard time getting into this audiobook! I know the book must be fantastic and I really do want to read it — but I'm just frustrated that it's taking so long for the audiobook to "get good." I think I'll give it two more days (roughly two hours) but after that, I'm going to have to go to something else.
Do you ever struggle with audiobooks for this reason? Any suggestions of great audiobooks that have a fantastic start?
I am "stealing" this from The Story Siren. If you want to find out more about it in my blog. Anyway, these are books I got this week at the bookstore, library, and in the mail, of course.
After returning home from Bismarck to visit Dan's family, Dan was in rush (yep, you heard that right — Dan!) to spend his Christmas/Birthday money. He's been on a real Star Wars kick lately and got one of the first books for Christmas, (and not that he's done with it yet) and wanted to go around Sioux Falls looking for the other books/games. So, Button and I gladly took him to our two favorite local used bookstores — Last Stop CD Shop and The Book Shelf. He then even asked to go to Barnes and Noble!
Why is this odd? Because normally, whenever I bring home a book or say "Hey, I'm going out with Button to look for books," I'm nearly burned at the stake (okay, maybe not burned... but definitely singed). But now that he is on this kick he actually asks if we can "just" read? He'll ask me to drive so he can read! I love it! I think it's the cutest thing ever! As long as I can keep him reading, 2011 is going to be the most fantastic year ever!:) For Review: Won: From the library:
Downloaded:
"Beasts and BFFs" (Prequel to "13 to Life"): : Free Kindle Download (I downloaded the Kindle App to my iTouch to take advantage of these books! Thanks to @parajunkee for the info! http://bit.ly/gvaKtc
"Wish"
Purchased:
"If I Stay" from Last Stop CD Shop $4
"The Morganville Vampires" from Last Stop CD Shop $4
It's been a while since I've done this — so let's have it it. The last twenty books I read have come from: 1. The Things That Keep Us Here — Review Copy 2. The Hunger Games — Library 3. Lucifer Rising — Review Copy 4. Isabelle's Boyfriend — Library 5. Girlfriend Material — Library 6. Some Girls Are — Won 7. Cracked Up to Be — Library 8. I Used to Know That — Review Copy 9. Love You, Hate You, Miss You — Library 10. The Source of Miracles — Review Copy 11. Elmer the Christmas Elf — Review Copy 12. Inside Out — Review Copy 13. A Christmas Carol: Special Edition — Review Copy 14. The Recipe Club — Review Copy 15. The Prince Harming Syndrome — Review Copy 16. Lighting Their Fires — Review Copy 17. A Duty to the Dead — Review Copy 18. The First Thirty Seconds — Review Copy 19. Everything Sucks — Review Copy 20. Thanksgiving at the Inn — Review Copy
1/20 — I won 5/20 — Library 14/20 — Review Copy
I was a little bit surprised at the high number of Review books I've read. Recently I've been shaking up review copies with library books, whereas last December I was definitely reading all review copies. But this could have something to do with my course load too — last semester I had an English heavy course load and was reading academically all the time and read only Review copies because of my 'obligation' (oh, if only I felt 'obligated' to eat ice cream!). Now with a more education focus, my reading load has significantly decreased and I find that I have more time to read recreationally (which is always a good thing).
Last Holiday Season I asked for reviews for Christmas and I had a fantastic turn out. This year I'll be doing the same thing (with an updated button, although I might change it). I haven't done it in months, but I really need to get back in the habit of posting guest reviews on a weekly basis. If you're new to Miss Remmers' Review and don't know what a "Guest Review" is, please see this post.
My mission since transitioning from student to student teacher to (finally) classroom dictator... um, I mean loved teacher... has not changed. I love receiving books for review and connecting with bloggers, readers, teachers, publicists, etc, but the purpose of this blog is to supply my students with an abundance of reviews to spark their interests in reading. I can't do this alone.
I know this is a busy season for everyone and there are so many fantastic projects, challenges, etc going on. It doesn't take a lot to become a Guest Reviewer.
Let's break it down (now):
1. Think of your favorite YA book that you think struggling readers would devour. 2. Look at my left side bar. Is it listed? If yes, please email me and I'll add your review link to the bottom of the post. If no, fill out the form with a link to your review.
It is basically that easy. Of course, in order to be entered in the contest it does have to be a NEW review to this blog. But basically, if you're a book blogger, it's as simple as copying and pasting the review link from your blog into the form.
Did I say contest? OH I DID!
Submit more than five reviews and be entered to win the GRANDPRIZE: an ARC of Lauren Oliver's "Delirium"
Submit less than five reviews and be entered to win any of the following prizes:
an ARC of "In the Arms of Mr. Darcy" by Sharon Lathan
an ARC of "I'd Know You Anywhere" by Laura Lippman
an ARC of "Take a Chance on Me" by Jill Mansell
an ARC of "HERO: For One Kid, the Time is Now" by Mike Lupica
an ARC of "Dreaming in Chinese" by Deborah Fallows
an ARC of "Emma and Vampires" by Wayne Josephson
"Sea Change"
This contest will go until January 3rd. If you'd like your name added to this post — please send in a review!
