Check This Out!

Teresa is giving away a cupcake scented gift set by Embrace Bath & Body, over at her personal blog. The contest is for USA and Canada only.

New Addition to the Family! Meet Aztec . . .

When I picked up middle child from her horseback riding lesson, she was holding a little kitten, about 4 weeks old. My daughter LOVES animals and looked at me with pleading eyes saying "Mommy, can we keep it? Please? Please?" And what can I say, I'm a softie. I replied "We'll have to ask your Dad." Yeah, put it on him - that way (in my world anyway) - it won't be "my" cat - just like the dogs are "his" dogs - and I don't have to take care of them. Well, Daddy said OK, just keep the kitten away from the dogs - it would make a great "snack" to them. The dogs stay outside during the day - and come inside only to sleep - in the laundry room. So, it shouldn't be too difficult.
However, I am allergic to cats and dogs. The dogs aren't really an issue since they stay outside. However - cats tend to roam around your house - claiming it as their own. Plopping down on your bed and pillow - meowing outside closed doors - yeah, that's why I am not a cat person. So, right now - we are crating the kitten at night and when we aren't home. When we are home - it stays in the kitchen/dining room area. I figure this is better than it staying a stray at the horse barn - and he seems fine with the arrangement - for now. We'll see as he gets older - I'm already leaning towards not crating him when we're gone during the day - I'm just hesitant. Mainly because I know the damage cats can do to furniture - he already tries to climb up the legs of my wood table.
Anyways - my daughter is happy to have a kitten and is learning responsibility by cleaning the litter box, cage and keeping it fed/watered. And the kitten is just SO cute!

Movie Review Monday - Journey to the Center of the Earth

Movie Review #15
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem
Rated: Rated PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments
Type of Movie: 3-D, Science Fictioin, Action, Adventure
Theater or DVD: Theater
Description: Professor Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) teaches earth sciences at the university and heads the Center of Volcanic Activity. Max Anderson, Trevor's brother, built the monitoring system and placed the units around the world 10 years earlier. For some unknown reason, Max did not return, leaving behind a wife and son, Sean (Josh Hutcherson). Sean's mother leaves the teenager at Trevor's house to get some quality time with his uncle. They look at Max's copy of Journey to the Center of the Earth (Enriched Classic) by Jules Verne and find a secret code. Back at the monitoring center Trevor compares the volcanic activity numbers and finds that they are exactly the same as the ones in the book. Trevor and Sean fly to Iceland to check one of the units and to see if they can find some information about where Max went. Trevor hires a beautiful mountain guide, Hannah (Anita Briem), to take them up the volcano. During an electrical storm on the volcano, they get trapped in an abandoned mine. They search for a way out of the mine and discover a wall filled with large diamonds. Unfortunately, the floor they are standing on can't hold their weight, and they fall down a volcano tube for miles and miles until they reach the center of the earth. Once there, they encounter prehistoric glow birds, flying piranha, man-eating plants, and T-Rex dinosaurs that have been extinct for millions of years. They find that they are seeing the same things that were printed in the Jules Verne book. This gave them hope that someone was able to escape from the center of the earth and return to the surface.
OK for Kids? YES! Great Family Movie
Opinion: First off - given the choice to view this movie in 3-D or no 3-D - definetly go see it in 3-D! It was probably the best 3D movie I've seen. The 3-D effects weren't just thrown in there in a few parts as they do at the IMAX for some movies - the whole movie appears to have been made to show and enjoy in 3-D. My eldest son saw it both ways and said he enjoyed the 3-D much more!
That being said - also know the movie is very different than the Journey to the Center of the Earth book! The movie follows the son and brother of Max (aka Harry/Alex in the book) who in the book, went into the center of the earth with Professor Lindenbrock. In the movie - Max never made it out of the center of the earth. His son, Sean, and brother, Trevor find his copy of the book with lots of notes and clues in it. They follow the clues and end up taking a journey similar to the one in the book.

Differences aside - the movie was very enjoyable. No bad language, no sex, lots of action and adventure - 3-D fun - you can't ask for more out of a movie fun for the whole family!

I've seen reviews where people knock the "science" of the film (and the book for that matter) - but you must keep in mind - the book was written in the early 1900's when science didn't know a lot of what it does now. Verne was "guessing" and "making up" theories and science fiction that was as far-out to the people of that era as some of the science fiction from movies like Minority Report. Don't analyze it too much - just enjoy a night out with the kids!

(Four out of Five!)
You can go here and here for more reviews of the movie.

Visit here for a review of the book!

Winner!

Jennifer won the drawing for the The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling (The Yada Yada Prayer Group, Book 6) book! It was a fun book - I highly suggest the whole series - Yada Yada Prayer Group Set Vols 1-6 (Prayer Group/Gets Down/Gets Real/Gets Tough/Gets Caught/Gets Rolling)! Congrats Jennifer - please email me your address so I can mail you the book!

BOOK GIVEAWAY! - Scroll Down for New Posts!

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling (The Yada Yada Prayer Group, Book 6) is a great summer read! I really relate to the narrator of the story, her thoughts and feelings so resemble my own! I love the diverse group of women and how they come together and worship Jesus. This is the 6th book in a series of 7 and I highly suggest the whole series. If you don't win - you can buy The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling (The Yada Yada Prayer Group, Book 6) here for $4.99.

To enter - leave a comment here with a book you have read this summer and suggest that I check out. Good Luck!

Drawing will be on July 14th.

Can or Bottle?

OK - time to move on from the posts about the fire - I think I'm done with that - well, except for an occassional update on the rebuilding of her house.

Every morning I go to the drink machine and put in my 35 cents (our soda's are cheap - subsidized by the company), and get my Diet Coke (I'm not a coffee drinker). Luckily, they come out in a can. I DO NOT LIKE sodas out of bottle. The small bottles or 2 liters - don't like them. In a can, they get nice and COLD. And they fizz - but in a good way - not like in the small plastic bottles.

My favorite soda is DIET COKE PLUS. Hey, if you're going to drink soda - may as well get it as healthy as you can! DIET COKE PLUS has essential nutrients - 15% RDI of Niacin and Vitamins B6 & B12, plus 10% RDI of Zinc and Magnesium. It's also flavored with Green Tea - and though I don't like Green Tea by itself - I like the little zing it gives DIET COKE PLUS. Try it!

So, what about you - are you a can or bottle soda drinker?