It is New Year's Eve, and what a year 2014 has been! It wasn't a good year by any means - we faced eviction (and was thankfully able to stay in our home), lost our car,plenty of hospital visits, and I faced some personal issues. But my family was able to persevere and come out on top. In that time, we found our faith again, which has really made a difference in the way I handle things.
I always say that the new year will be the best year I can possibly have. Well, we all know that never works out the way we hope or plan. Things get thrown in that can completely throw you for a loop.
So, instead of hoping that 2015 is "the best year I can possibly have", I have decided to make 2015 the year I work on myself. I still plan to lose a lot of weight (which I am currently working on), enroll into college, start dating, and see where I can take Edge of Insanity. In fact, I have a lot of ideas for Edge of Insanity in 2015 that might surprise a few people. But those announcements will come in the next few days.
But I can honestly say that I have learned more from this year than I have previously. It has allowed me to grow more as a person and towards the person I want to become.
I know 2015 is going to be an amazing year - not only for me, but my family as well.
Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC's 16 CCFR, Part 22: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising"): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are my 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Identical twins. Two worlds. One destiny.
Starring Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Seth Green, and Blake Rayne, The Identical is a redemptive movie about a young man, the son of a preacher, who rejects his father's desire to join the ministry and instead embarks on a career as a rock singer. As he struggles to pursue his dream and rise to stardom, he find love, pain, success, failure, and ultimately uncovers a hidden family secret that reveals who he really is. The Identical is a captivating story about a family restores and a life discovered that lifts your soul and warms your heart.
On January 13th, the movie will be available on DVD and Bluray. If you pre-order through FamilyChristian.com, your purchase will also come with a DVD of The Identical series!
WHAT WE THOUGHT
I personally love movies. But what I love more are movies that tell a heartwarming story and The Identical didn't disappoint! It was full of heart, love, and great music. By the way, this review may contain spoilers. I'll try to keep from it, though!
Two identical twin boys are born during the depression era, but because their parents can't take care of both of them and the local reverend and his wife can't conceive, the parents of the twin boys decide to give one of the twins to the reverend and his wife to raise him as their own. The deal was not to tell the child who he was or where he came from until his biological parents were dead.
So the reverend and his wife keep to the deal, raising the child in the church and even going as far as enrolling him into ministry school. But that's not what Ryan Wade (played by Blake Rayne) wants to do. He wants to sing. He wants to become a rockstar. At the same time, Drexel Hemsley rises to stardom with his Elvis-esque moves, voice, and appeal. Liking the style, Ryan tries to be a Drexel impersonator. But he goes through a lot of struggle and pain only to find out a family secret. Can he deal with the secret and still go for his dream?
Can I just say that I fell in love with the music? There is plenty of Elvis songs, but the song I fell in love with most is "Your Love's Keepin' Me Tonight", sang by the talented Blake Rayne. In fact, I tracked it down on Amazon and downloaded it. I might even set it as my ringtone on my phone. That's how much I loved the song.
The only thing I didn't really like is how they didn't really show much of Drexel Hemsley's life. I wanted to know more about him and his rise to rockstar status. But other than that, I thought it was a wonderful movie! It's definitely a movie that families will enjoy.
Giveaway
Because I want you to experience the movie in all its glory, one(1) winner will receive their own copy of The Identical on DVD! Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Enter below. Good luck!
For a VERY limited time, you can get a variety of Flipeez hats for only $2.49 at Kmart.com! Styles available include: Kitty, Puppy, Monster, and Monkey. Limited quantities.
Sign up for Shop Your Way Rewards and earn points that can be added towards future purchases!
Be sure to check out the store's return policy. Most stores have a 30-day limit. So unless the giver bought the gift within the month of December, you may be out of luck. Also, make sure you know the store's return policy inside and out. It's probably a better idea to print it and take it with you. If the giver bought it online (and it hasn't been 30 days), you may be able to return it via mail, at the cost of shipping.
Some stores may only allow exchanges or the refund on a gift card. Speaking of gift cards, stores may not allow refunds or exchanges on gift cards.
Be ready for lines or delayed returns. As the month goes on, more and more people will be returning items (at the store or online) so customer service may be slow.
Most stores will ask for a reason for the return. A thought-out reason (wrong size, didn't work, etc.) will get you through a store's line a lot faster. Make sure you have almost all of the paper, plastic, tags, and doohickeys the item came with. This will allow for a faster return.
Make sure the store doesn't have a restocking fee, which you will have to pay. It may say in the store's refund policy, but if you're still unsure, ask.
I really don't like returning things. It's not too terrible, but if you have a busy day, it can be a pain in the you-know-what! But luckily, I don't have anything to return this year. But I think my worst return was when I received a Walmart gift card from a family member and when I went to buy something online, I realized that it wasn't working. So I asked for the receipt and tried to see what can be done, we realized that the gift card number wasn't even on the receipt! Luckily, we got everything under the control. But oh boy, that customer service person wasn't too happy with me.
It is Christmas Eve, at least here in the States. The day is usually a flurry of activity - last- minute wrapping, getting ready to go over to Grandma's house, pre-cooking some of the meal for Christmas Day, making sure that what was supposed to arrive by December 25th has, indeed, arrived as expected, and doing whatever that was forgotten the day before.
Usually on Christmas Eve, the family heads to my grandmother's house for Christmas Eve festivities. There's food, family we haven't seen in a long time, gifts, and the White Elephant game (though they used to call it Chinese New Year, for some reason). We usually go by oldest to youngest or youngest to oldest. Then afterwards, we come home and talk until everyone is ready to pass out.
As Twin and I head to bed, we turn the TV onto the TBS marathon of A Christmas Story and that is where it will stay until we just can't take "You'll shoot your eye out!" anymore. It isn't exciting, but it's tradition for our family and we covet traditions.
Anyways, I want to wish every single one of you a happy holidays and Merry Christmas from my family to yours. May your day be filled with warmth, love, and fuzzy feelings that only Christmas can bring.
For those that don't celebrate Christmas, I want to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. May your days be filled with warm, love, and happiness.
The title sounds like a book for children, doesn't it? Well, it isn't! Every year, we usually have a snowflake somewhere and I noticed that we didn't have any thing year so I go out my tacky glue, glitter, printer paper, scissors, and set out to work. (Note: It is probably better to do this on a table or the floor than a bed. Glitter everywhere!)
I knew I wanted to make a mini snowflake, since they look all pretty when they are sparkling. But I did not realize that the only glitter we had (which is tinsel glitter) would make the snowflakes come out looking they they grew golden fur.
I just didn't stop at the furry mini-snowflake. Nope. I felt the need to make a cross and douse the whole thing in this clingy tinsel glitter.
It may seem like my snowflakes are furry and shiny, I am happy with them.
If anyone is interested, I can create a whole posted dedicated to making these!
By the way, does anyone know a great way to get tinsel glitter off the floor and bedspread?
