Ring the Bell
“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the products mentioned below for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This Is Our Time
2013
Directed by Lisa Arnold
Not Rated
104 minutes
Big-shot sports agent Rob Decker has his priorities all mixed up. With a busy schedule, life is passing him by. He threatens to fire an employee because he wouldn’t miss his kid’s first ball game to sign a great high school pitcher, Shawn Hunt, to his agency. His assistant, Claire, tells him that he needs to slow down, and perhaps he should be the one to make the 3-hour drive to a small town to talk with Shawn.
Once he arrives in town, with a car engine that needs to be fixed(!), Rob has a lot of time to think as he walks from place to place. He meets the people in town, who seem to think he’s missing something, which he thinks is crazy because he’s the one with the fancy car, lots of money, and an impressive career, while they just have their small town stuff.
By the end of the movie, Rob discovers more than a high school star pitcher, and a sweet girl and her brother who runs the ranch where Shawn lives. The stories of the people he meets, and the message from the Casting Crowns concert that he takes the ranch boys to, opens his eyes to see that there might be more to this life. He discovers that he really was missing something…Someone, in his life.
I love that this film is full of humor, but also makes you dig deeper. You’ll find yourself wanting to go to this little town and becoming friends with all the characters there. And another incentive to watch the movie? You’ll learn to do The Middletown Meltdown. It’s sure to impress all your friends. 
If you like baseball and a heart-warming story, this is it.
- Joyce
Other reviews of Ring the Bell:
Amazon.com
IMDb
Barnes & Noble
Can’t-Wait-Willow
Can’t-Wait-Willow
by Christy Ziglar
Ideals Children’s Books
32 pages
For ages: 4 – 8 Years
Here are the girls’ review of the book:
Melody
Like: There are sparkles on the cover and it’s about getting a second chance.
Dislike: When she was crying because she didn’t have enough money because she spent it
Recommend: Not recommended for my friends because they are older, but recommended for little kids.
Emily
Like: I like the sparkles, the star, and cotton candy.
Dislike: Her being excited about everything but missing the show.
Recommend: No, because it’s my secret.
Notes from Melody and Emily’s mom:
I love that this book is not just a story, but that there is a life lesson taught using an example that kids can really go through in real life. My favorite part of the book is that throughout the book, there is a star on the page. Kids are to use that star to determine the emotion that is being felt during the certain point in the story. It is a great guide for parents who do not naturally stop in the middle of a page to talk about what is going on.
Can’t-Wait Willow! from Ideals Children’s Books from Ideals Books on Vimeo.
Other reviews of Can’t-Wait-Willow:
Amazon.com
goodreads.com
Barnes & Noble
christianbook.com
“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Hey God, I’ve Got Some Guy Named Jonah in My Stomach…
Hey God, I’ve Got Some Guy Named Jonah in My Stomach and I Think I’m Gonna Throw Up!
by Troy Schmidt
B&H Publishing Group
32 pages
For ages: 4-8 years old
I’ve asked the girls their thoughts about this book, and here’s what they had to say:
Emily
Like: I like the pictures. They’re funny. He was kicking around inside the fish.
Dislike: I don’t like him saying, “Hey God!”
Next book in the series: I want a story about Jesus because He is powerful!
Melody
Like: I like the words in the story. They are good. They are interesting.
Dislike: There is nothing that I don’t like.
Next book in the series: Esther from the point of view of Mordecai
Notes from Emily and Melody’s mom: I know that there’s debate on the whole ‘big fish’ and ‘whale’ thing, but I’m not going to say anything about that. I love that there is a lot of humor in this book, because a lot of times, people get the idea that the Bible is boring. You know, Leviticus can be very exciting to some people. :p The best part is the Parent Connection at the end of the book. It’s a helpful guide for parents to use to talk with their child more about the story.
Other reviews of Hey God, I’ve Got Some Guys Named Jonah in My Stomach…:
goodreads
Christianbook
“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes
Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes
by Shauna Niequist
Published by Zondervan
2013
279 pages
Sooo, if you follow me on Twitter, or Facebook, or Instagram, you saw me raving about this book…seriously, since the first day I got it. I had actually never heard of Shauna Niequist before, I just saw that a lot of bloggers who inspire me were reading the book, and I know that Shauna will be one of the speakers at our MOPS Power On Leadership Connection this Saturday.
Once I started in on it, I really started to LOVE it! (Buy this book! or at least borrow it from me if you are local to me.) By the end of the book, I felt like I knew Shauna. <– You see, we’re on a first name basis already. Her writing makes you feel like she’s a new friend who you’re having coffee (or wine, or tea, or whatever beverage of choice), and sharing life with, as you get to know her. And it’s possible if you’re local because she has a good friend who lives in Alameda. No, I’m not a stalker, she posted it on her IG during book launch week.
It’s not, actually, strictly, about food for me. It’s about what happens when we come together, slow down, open our homes, look into one another’s faces, listen to one another’s stories. – Shauna Niequist
Growing up, our family has always been a food kind of family. My parents did own a restaurant, and are superb cooks. So there’s that, but also that we enjoy eating our meals together. I’m sure we had our days when we sat in front of the TV or whatnot to eat lunch, but we mostly ate together, even if one or two of us were not home that day. And this is still true of my own family. We eat all our meals together at our kitchen table (no dining set yet) every night. There are a few rare nights when we don’t, but we mostly do. And we love having people over to enjoy a meal together, even if I’m not a good cook, or if we just order out, or if it is a potluck. Is it always a perfect time together? No. Let’s face it, kids don’t sit for that long. But I love that we get to feed our bodies and our souls with food and conversation. And we love trying new food (bummer that a lot of our friends are picky eaters!), and trying new recipes.
When you offer peace instead of division, when you offer faith instead of fear, when you offer someone a place at your table instead of keeping them out because they’re different or messy or wrong somehow, you represent the heart of Christ. – Shauna Niequist
Through her collection of essays, you hear Shauna’s story. And it’s not one of those stories that you read and continue on with your day. It’s one of those stories that makes you think, and connect, and laugh or cry… Trust me, she’ll make you laugh, and she’ll make you cry. Grab some tissue now. They’re great stories. She has a great story to share, and you will find a connecting point, because, well, we all need to eat. 
Bread & Wine will make you want to go all Bobby Flay in the kitchen. We don’t have TV, so I think he’s some kind of food guy, right?
Bonus: At the end of the book, there are some complete menus using recipes from the book, for a four-week book club/cooking club discussion guide.
Other reviews of Bread & Wine:
Amazon
goodreads
Barnes & Noble
“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This Is Our Time
This Is Our Time
2013
Directed by Lisa Arnold
Not Rated
104 minutes
This movie starts out with 5 friends who have just graduated from college. They had big dreams for what the future holds for them. Luke and Alé get married right after college and go to India to work in a leper colony. They serve in a ministry called Embrace A Village. Alé’s brother Ethan, who was an English major, is left wondering what he was supposed to do with his life now he has graduated and no graduate schools have accepted him. He works in his dad’s sandwich shop as a waiter. Catherine wants to do big things in corporate America. She works for a prestigious financial institution. And Ryder gets a job in social media.
As the movie progresses, we watch the new lives unfold before them, and it is NOTHING like what they imagined. Catherine is stuck as the new, young girl who seems to be stuck between a rock and a hard place when she finds out something that the big boss is hiding. Ryder’s also runs into trouble when it seems that what he has done is not exactly in line with what his bosses intended for him to do. Ethan still thinks God has left him out, as he is left behind as his friends are moving forward. When tragedy strikes, none of those things matter. One of these friends don’t make it through this first year out of college, and the other four gather together with the gifts that God has given them to do something even bigger than what they thought they could do.
My only dislike of this DVD is not even part of the actual movie, but rather how the DVD itself works. I’m not sure if it is just the DVD we have, or if it is like this with all of them. You can not skip the previews! We didn’t watch the whole movie through because we watched it after the kids went to bed, but it was interrupted twice by a little one who needed something from us. So each of the first two times that we went to watch the movie, we would have to sit through the previews before getting to the main menu to select the scene we stopped off at.
- Joyce
Other reviews of This Is Our Time:
Amazon.com
christianbook.com
Koyomi Japanese Cuisine
Address: 2652 Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley, CA 94546
Phone: (510) 690-9500
Website: http://koyomisushi.com/
Joyce and I visited Koyomi Japanese Cuisine on our most recent date night. It’s one of the few Japanese restaurants in Castro Valley. There were pictures in the menu for all of the sushi for those who are visually-oriented. The chairs were pretty comfortable to sit in as well.
The dinner started off with free Edamame, hot water (which was then refilled with Hot Green Tea), and ice water with a lemon slice. Miso Soup and a side salad came with the combo dinner set mentioned below.
We ordered the Dragon Roll (California Roll with Fried Shrimp Tempura topped with Unagi and Avocado pictured on the left) and a Sushi/Sashimi Combination set (California Roll, 6-piece Nigiri, 6-piece Sashimi pictured on the right). The sashimi was very fresh.
We need to go back and try some more items to give a more comprehensive review, but pretty good so far.
- Norm
Children’s Menu [y]
Changing Station [?]
Highchairs/Boosters [y]
Stroller Access [usual]
The American Bible Challenge: A Daily Reader
The American Bible Challenge Daily Reader
Written by Troy Schmidt
Published by Thomas Nelson
2013
176 pages
*On what mountain did the burning bush appear in Exodus 3?
*At the sound of what instrument will we all be changed in 1 Corinthians 15?
*What did Abraham tell Sarah to make for the visitors in Genesis 18?
*How old was Joseph when he first tattled on his brothers in Genesis 37?
(Answers can be found at the end of this post.)
You will find these questions and more in The American Bible Challenge: A Daily Reader. This is a 9-week devotional based on the questions asked on the Gameshow Network’s hit show The American Bible Challenge hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. If you thought the Bible is a boring book, you will see it differently after reading this book. Troy Schmidt adds a dose of humor to serious subjects and stories from the Bible. Each day’s reading includes a Bible passage, a short devotional, and 5 questions from the show.
Other reviews of The American Bible Challenge: A Daily Reader:
amazon.com
goodreads
Christianbook.com
Answers: Horeb, the mountain of God (Exodus 3:1); the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52); bread (Genesis 18:10); seventeen (Genesis 37:2)
