Grace-Filled Writer

Princess Cut from Watchman Pictures: A TOS Crew Review

April 11, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Family friendly films are sometimes hard to find. I’m excited to see a resurgence of this genre in theaters and on the small screen. We are extremely cautious about what our daughters watch. This is not only because of the language and violence, which is an extreme problem. We are also concerned about how women and love are portrayed in fictional stories. We watch very little live tv and when we do we often turn the tv off during commercials because even they objectify women and promote a value system completely opposite from our own.

I was interested in the opportunity we had to view Princess Cut from Watchman Pictures. The premise definitely intrigued me.

The story opens with a young girl, Grace, looking for love in all the wrong places. While many well-known love stories start this way, this one goes a completely different route from most mainstream films. Grace begins a new relationship which concerns her parents. She is given advice from sources which are completely opposite from her parents who are striving to raise their children with a biblical worldview. After this advice goes badly, she finally talks to her parents who give some guidance about growing close to the Lord rather than just seeking someone to marry.

I thought her love interest would be someone completely different than it turned out to be. I actually kind of liked the guy she started to date at the beginning. He was not portrayed as creepy or weird until Grace turned down his physical advances. I’m glad the movie took this approach. Usually you don’t like the guy you aren’t supposed to from the start. This really shows that you must be discerning and listen to wise council. Just because a guy seems nice doesn’t mean he is! I want my girls to be discerning so they are not manipulated in their future relationships.

I like that the idea of faith plated a pivotal role. Still, this is not a preachy film. There were minimal references to Scripture, but biblical themes still ran throughout. I’m a Christian and very serious about my faith, but “preachy” films annoy me.

While I really did love the message and themes presented throughout this movie, the plot felt pretty slow. Some of the conversations and wording in extremely serious moments felt forced and unnatural. Grace’s character was very genuine and I liked her very much, as well as her youngest brother who provided some fun light comedic moments. One funny spot was when he places an ad in the newspaper to get his sister a guy and all sorts of weirdos show up!

It would be a great family movie night if your kids are a little older. If they are still in the cartoon phase most of the time they probably won’t really be into it though. I believe my 12 and 10-year-old would like this one, but probably not my youngest who is eight.

Check out the trailer!

My final assessment is it is definitely worth checking this out if you are a fan of faith-based films!

Check out what my Crewmates have to say!

Deceivers: A New Book Review Crew at New Leaf Publishing Review

April 9, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

We live in a world of deception. The prince of this world thrives upon deception and our culture has done more than merely accept it, it is glorified and honored through media and pop culture. So how do we wade through the mire of lies and falsehood presented to us in a constant stream? Deceivers: Exposing Evil Seducers & Their Last Days Deception, a new title from New Leaf Publishing Group, is a collection edited by Terry James and written by a variety of authors. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of religious and social deceptions around us offering unique perspectives and approaches.

Sometimes we have a hard time discerning truth in our culture. A good lie sounds appealing, it is something we want to accept. It usually contains an element of truth, but is wrapped up in packing of falsehood. It is especially difficult if you do not have years of experience walking out your faith. In these pages you will identify the deceit presented as “religion” and be better equipped to recognize it.

Prepare yourself: A lot of incredibly trendy names from the 1990s through today and named as falsely teaching the gospel in the first chapter. While I am in no way opposed to this naming I felt the it was perhaps too focused on this. I was not surprised by who was listed or what was stated because I already had come to those conclusions myself. If someone is coming out of the emergent church movement or prosperity gospel movements this could be extremely helpful, but I would have appreciated a bit more Scripture to help back up the statements.

Subsequent chapters contain a bit more practical information although I am cautious to accept all that is written here as absolute fact, especially the chapter concerning prophecies. It is very important to study biblical prophecy of the end times and it is equally important to recognize we are living in the “last days”, but I believe the authors of prophecy, especially in the New Testament, firmly believed they too were seeing signs of the end times and that Christ’s return was imminent. I’m cautious anytime a current teacher assigns particular current events to specific prophecies in Scripture. They may be correct, but they may not.

The chapters I liked best were ch 4-6: Cultural Craftiness, Tracking Truth in Deceptive Times, and The Schoolroom Seducers. These particular chapters contained the most practical information as well as what I felt was the most biblical backing without adding personal opinion as fact to the mix.

One chapter left me feeling rather uncomfortable and a bit confused. It focused heavily on UFO sightings and reports of animal mutilation. The final conclusions in this chapter were that all of these events are actually satanic occurrences carried out by the ancient false gods of the Old Testament and many ancient cultures that require blood sacrifice. I believe the author of this chapter contends that this is part of the spiritual warfare occurring in a realm just beyond our own we cannot fully behold. I absolutely believe in spiritual warfare as the Bible teaches, but this particular chapter left me with little conclusion to the UFO sightings and supposed abductions.

Overall there is some good information in this book, but I was not as pleased with it as I usually am with titles from New Leaf Publishing. Too many chapters dealt with author opinions, but stated as fact without much for biblical backing. I would be cautious to recommend this particular book in its entirety even though some chapters were useful and of great benefit.

Chemistry: A New Book Review Crew at NLPG review

April 7, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

My worst memory of high school was my chemistry class. Honestly, I don’t remember very much about this course except that I hated going to the point that I would make myself sick. My teacher was from another country as a part of a teacher-exchange program. He told my honors class we were stupid idiots multiple times a day, every day, for an entire year. I was afraid to ask questions and he gave us spelling tests because he said American schools were stupid. Yea, I didn’t come out of that learning very much chemistry!

Currently my daughters are taking a weekly science class which makes my heart extremely happy. One less thing off my plate, they are learning in a safe and God-fearing environment, and they are collaborating with peers with the one subject I think that particular skill is highly valuable. Still, this class ends with Middle School and I am looking ahead to what we will do for high school. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to review the student edition go Chemistry by Dr. Dennis Englin from Master Books (A Division of New Leaf Publishing Group).

First of all, this book is intriguingly beautiful! The cover is only the beginning. When my youngest daughter saw this she said, “Oh! Are you going to learn how to make clouds?” Let me assure you the inside of the text is just as lovely! The illustrations and photographs are gorgeous!

The content of this text is as lovely as the illustrations. Beyond a few element symbols, whatever I learned during that horrific year of chemistry did not stick. I was a little bit intimidated opening this book initially. What if I was completely confused? There is no way I could guide my daughter through this course on the knowledge I have. I shouldn’t have been nervous at all! The conversational style of writing really kept me interested! I haven’t gotten through the complete text yet, but I plan to by the end of the summer!

There are experiments throughout each unit to help understand the concepts. Hands-on is always the best way! These experiments can absolutely be done in the home, but being a high school level course, expect the need to purchase high-school level equipment. Some of the items will be found around the house like food coloring and vinegar, but other such as balances and weights or a molecular model kit will probably need to be purchased. I personally feel this to be a valuable investment which will aid your student’s learning as much as math manipulatives do in early math instruction. Don’t skimp on the important things!

The teacher guide provides lesson plans, scheduling help, quizzes, and tests to give a full years-worth of high quality high school science. You can rest assured your student will have a wonderful foundation of chemistry once completed.

As with all of the Master Books’ materials the quality of the science taught is paired with a biblical worldview of creation. This is as important to our family as the quality of the material. Biblical connections and seeing creation through that lens while still providing interesting and quality material is sometimes difficult to find. You will be very pleased with this particular study through chemistry!

Disclaimer: I received this title in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Preserving Memories: Week of April 1st

April 7, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

My husband was my hero once again this week! We have been having pretty major wifi issues recently. This has made scrapbooking difficult for me because I store all of my materials on a wireless hard drive. I thought the slowdown was because my computer is several years old. I’m not in the market for buying a new one and so we started looking into upgrading what I have with the help of a friend from church. After a ton of research, multiple phone calls between a variety of companies, and the addition of a couple of new pieces of hardware he fixed for much much less than a new computer! As a result I’ve been scrapping to my heart’s content!

If you follow my scrapping you may remember I was competing in Scrapping Survivor at GingerScraps. I’m glad I participated, but I now know it really isn’t my thing! I did respectably well and lasted through the first 4 rounds. The thing is, I’m not at all competitive. So while I had fun, I’m going to pass next year. It is good to try new things, and it is good to learn those new things aren’t for you!

Here are some of the layouts I’ve completed this week!

Template: Flower Frenzy Templates by Miss Fish

Kit: Sunday Mornings by Boomer Girl Designs (retired)

Template: Photo Swap Out – Rainbow Templates by Miss Fish

Kit: Big City by Chelle’s Creations (Retired)

Template: Destination Adventure 1 from Miss Fish

Kit: Totally Buggin’ from Britt-ish Designs

Let’s Dance BUNDLE by MagsGraphics

Template: Freebie from Brook MaGee

Dodgeball For All BUNDLE by MagsGraphics

Story Time 3 Templates by Miss Fish

Swim Like a Fish by Clever Monkey Graphics

Week in Review: April 2-6

April 6, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Welcome Spring!

Well, kind of…

We are in the throws of So Much Pollen season! On a side note, if you are in the South and you haven’t yet found. It’s A Southern Thing, you need to right now! This makes me laugh every time and so far it is all very family friendly, quite a feat for online content!

Anyway, on to our week…

We were back up and running with “Full School” as my daughter refer to it. Basically that means everything in our regular schedule. It is good to deviate from the norm whether it is for breaks or reviews. They don’t get bored with routine that way!

Grace (2nd Grade): Bigger Hearts for His Glory Unit 20

Grace is enjoying working through a new study about the human body as one of our reviews. She is devouring the content! She’s very interested in being in the medical field maybe as a nurse or doctor…as long as she doesn’t have to deal with any blood! We will have to see how this works out.

We worked through her other schoolwork without any trouble and had some excitement at the end of the week! I had noticed some thing about her vision that made me want to have her checked out by more than just the screening at our yearly pediatrician’s visit. She had a lot of fun at the appointment and it resulted in this…

Beth (5th Grade): Creation to Christ Unit 27

Beth also went to the pediatric ophthalmologist, but her eyes are fine. I’ve been really pleased to see her put more effort into her handwriting recently. I know all of my girls have the ability to write neatly, but that isn’t always their choice. I really have to keep on to them about this! Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just me?

She’s quickly growing up and I’m starting to see little glimmers of the young woman she’s becoming. She is very much enjoying the Bible study from Kid Niche Christian Books she asked me to work through. I was a little disappointed at first to set aside the study alongside Heart of Dakota, but I’m so glad I said, “Yes.” She is excited to dive into this study like I have not seen her before. If you are interested in what she is going through this study click here to learn more about it! Once she finishes I plan to buy the second part of the study for her.

Rose (7th Grade): Revival to Revolution Unit 12

Rose is working steadily through her studies. As she is working towards finishing up her 7th grade year we have been talking more about high school and what we are planning. These conversations have been good because while her dad and I are ultimately deciding how to handle high school her input for direction is incredibly important to us. We’ve also been having more conversations about her goals and God’s calling on her life. It’s never too young to start these conversations!

We gave our girls some fun chalk supplies this year as Easter gifts. We had some nice weather even if I had to stay inside for most of the time. The girls had fun trying out chalk spray, powdered chalk bombs, and chalk markers. Our driveway never looked so beautiful!

How was your week? You can see what my Crewmates on the Review Crew have been up to this week below!

Snow Unit Study & Pine Trees from Creation Illustrated: A TOS Crew Review

April 2, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Our family has a traditional boxed curriculum we use regularly, but every few weeks we need to do something different. We need a change of pace so we don’t become too routine or bored with what we are working through. I love using unit studies for this purpose. I was incredibly excited to use two unit studies (Snow Unit Study and Pine Trees) from Creation Illustrated for my girls. Rose (12) and Beth (10) worked through these studies and enjoyed them very much! My favorite part of these studies was the Scripture study. I really like that there is a list of Bible verses for the kids to look up and see what the Bible had to say about the particular subject matter studied.

Rose (7th grade) – Pine Trees
Rose worked through the study on pine trees. She used the Fall ’17 Digital Edition of Creation Illustrated for her study. Throughout this study She learned about the intricicies of these majestic trees. Living in North Carolina this was the perfect time to study this particular tree. We are observing their rather annoying explosion of yellow pollen currently, but understanding them better makes it a little less annoying! The Bible portion of this study had Rose determine whether the reference was to a pine tree or a fir tree. The explanation of the Hebrew word was incredibly interesting and helpful in understanding the verses better. She loves learning about biblical languages anyway, so I liked this a lot.

Beth (5th grade) – Snow

Beth worked through the study on snow. She used the Winter ’18 Digital Edition of Creation Illustrated for her study. We love a good snowfall although it can we don’t enjoy it all the time. Beth really enjoyed all of the word activities and I was excited about the mathematics section. This is the perfect kind of study for use when we take a break from the ordinary because its interdisciplinary nature covers everything!

In the study Beth determined whether the reference to snow was being used figuratively or literally. That is a pretty advanced line of thinking for her, but she completed this section very easily.

In addition to learning the scientific information there is also mathematics, a word study, and a Bible study! The world is telling our children to ignore everything they may have been taught about the beginnings of time. We are scoffed and mocked as ignorant at best and deceitful at worst for believing in a literal Genesis account of Creation. We constantly weigh the resources available to us for world-view and perspective. We use many resources which do not hold the same world-view as we do, but when we find something that teaches science from the perspective that God is the Creator, it is golden. This magazine is beautifully crafted and scientifically accurate while maintaining the absolute authority of God and His Word. I highly recommend this new-to-us resource and am excited to see it available as a digital magazine! Here is a sneak peek at the spring issue!

Take a look at what my Crewmates have to say!

Our Adventures in Odyssey Top Picks

March 31, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

In honor of Adventures in Odyssey’s 30th Birthday Collection, Fan Favorites, I thought I would give you a rundown of our family favorites!

Rose (age 12)

1. Find a Penny (Parts 1 & 2)

2. Crash Course

3. Mistaken for Good

Beth (age 10)

1. A Very Bassett Wedding (Parts 1 &2)

2. 30 Jays Hath September

3. The Perfect Gift

Grace (Age 8)

1. 3 part story she calls, “Eugene Loses His Mind”. The actual titles are A Most Intriguing Question, A Most Surprising Answer, and A Most Extraordinary Conclusion.

2. Push the Red Button

3. Wooton’s Broken Pencil Show

Dad (Age 41)

“Anything with Jay Smouse”

As long as Jay is involved, my husband loves it! Here is a bit of trivia for you, the character who plays Jay used to be on McGee & Me (Old school Focus on the Family!) and was also the little boy in the original Jurassic Park! Some of his favorites with Jay are “Unbecoming Jay” and “The Friend Formula”.

Me (Age 38)

I like the Story Arc sets. My favorites are…

1. Novacom

2. Blackguard Chronicles

3. The Green Ring Conspiracy

My family really likes the ones that make us laugh. I like intrigue. There is something for all of us! What is your favorite episode?

Make sure to give the Adventures in Odyssey Club a try! With a free-trial you don’t have anything to lose!

Week in Review: March 26-30

March 31, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Our week was lighter than usual school-wise. The girls read literature, biographies, and completed math each day. Wednesday was their science class and we were planning to have our Passover on Thursday, but some other things came up so we postponed that until Friday. Friday night was our Good Friday celebration at church. I love hearing my husband preach. I learn so much under his teaching.

So my kids aren’t as miserable as they look here! They are listening to my husband guiding us through the Passover symbols.

Besides that, we mostly just enjoyed some beautiful warm weather! After no less than three snowfalls in March it was nice to have some t-shirt weather. I know that is probably normal for most of you, but for us in the South this is completely out of the ordinary. It was just really cold and wet and miserable. Yay for warmer air!

We also took advantage of the closing of Toys R Us and the girls spent some of their savings. Rose bought a build-your-own drone kit and has had so much fun with it! I had a friend ask if this was for school or fun. Well, I definitely didn’t assign this as a project, but this hands-on learning opportunity was incredible!

So that was a bit of our unconventional week of learning! We will be back to our normal learning routine Monday. How was your week?

Check out what my Crewmates have been up to!

Preserving Memories: Week of March 18

March 25, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Traveler’s Notebook Bundle 1 by Miss Fish Templates

Easter Eggstravaganza KIT by MagsGraphics

Kit: Dinosaur Rumble BUNDLE
Template: Card Me 4 Templates

Scrapping Survivor Layouts

Week 3

Tuck It In Templates from Miss Fish TemplatesAround The World from Magical Scraps GaloreMarching Band – Kit from Connie Prince

Week 4

Template: Traveler’s Notebook Bundle 1 by Miss Fish Templates

Kit: Llama Love by Clever Monkey Graphics

Stop Sign Element: Destinations: Road Trip by Magical Scraps Galore

Campfire/Wooden Heart/Pine Greenery/Under the Stars Word Strip: Happy Camper by Designs by Connie Prince

Week in review: March 19-23 (AKA Spring Break!)

March 24, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Spring Break week was extremely low key around here. We enjoyed some family time together and my favorite part was around the fire pit!

We started Monday touring a small Christian publishing company, New Growth Press. We enjoyed a family drive listening to Adventures in Odyssey and had a great time there!

The girls helped me with a little decluttering of the schoolroom, specifically the art supplies. We donated a bunch of stuff to my friend’s preschool classroom that we just weren’t going to use and sorted through everything else. Now it is all handy and easy to find. I am just waiting on more tape for my label maker to add the finishing touches. I should have taken a before picture. It is a dramatic overhaul! I know it doesn’t look all that exciting, but it’s exciting to me!

We watched a spring snowfall that didn’t stick and then it warmed up a little! Then it cooled off again for the weekend. Beth had a clogging event downtown and had a great time despite the cold.

Grace’s favorite part was their PJ day. She helped me cook lunch that day in her jammies.

Rose and I enjoyed roasting marshmallows around the fire pit. We had giant marshmallows, toasted them, pulled off the outer toasted shell, then retoasted it. Wow! This was DELICIOUS. I can’t wait to roast marshmallows again.

I did some scrapbooking as well. We will be back at school next week, but not the entire week. We will take Thursday to celebrate Passover and Friday off for Good Friday. It’s going to be a good week leading into our celebration of Resurrection Sunday!