Family Life Sparks
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In this section we would like to share some things that we enjoy as a family. We have called this section Family Life because we do many of these things together as a family, and although reading is one of those things that is generally done singularly, we have read some Box Car Children books out loud on a few evenings, as well as the Chronicles of Narnia collection. Our family is growing older, and with it some of our family life is changing, but check out the board games below. These are games that our youngest, when she was only four years old, could play |
| with a little assistance and yet are entertaining even for the adults. Among literature and music our tastes are as diverse |
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| as you might find anywhere. On our bookshelves you will find classical works by Hawthorne, Blackmore, and Stevenson as well |
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as contemporary works by authors like Asimov, Thoene, and Peretti. Our musical interests cover nearly as broad a spectrum, though they are more focused in the realm of contemporary music. |
| Movies can always make for a fun evening at home. We don’t really do a lot of movies but here you will find a few of our favorites. |  |
Take some time out and enjoy life together! |
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"I have heard it said that the first ingredient of
success - the earliest spark in the dreaming youth - is this: dream a great dream." ~ John Alan Appleman
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The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings is one of the most famous tales of a distant land and time. It is a rather "earthy" fantasy - that is, there is a quest, magic, otherworldly creatures, a struggle between good and evil, everything that |
| makes the best tales just that. The story is often referred to as a trilogy, but it is actually a single novel, contained in three volumes. It is a tale of men, dwarves, elves, and a curious race known as hobbits. Some have said it is overly long, but Tolkien himself called it "too short." Being a lover of the book, I rather agree with him, but the book is still a great read. ~ Alex |
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| Kirsten's Surprise by Janet Beeler Shaw I like the entire American Girl Series, but Kirsten's Surprise is my favorite. Kirsten is a Swedish girl who lives on a new farm in Minnesota with her uncle, aunt and her cousins, Lisbeth and Anna. They have trunks in a far |
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| away town and Kirsten longs for them. Her doll is with the trunks and she doesn't want Christmas to come without them. ~ Rebekah |
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Christy Miller Collection by Robin Jones Gunn How to explain the Christy Miller books? Well, there's Christy Miller, her family and friends, God, oh and tons of excitement that keeps me reading for hours. Basically it's just Christy Miller on her journey through high school and college, dealing with guys, emotions, her relationship with God, and all the |
| struggles and joys of growing up. But remember, that's just the basics. There are 12 volumes available. ~ Danielle |
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| The Boxcar Children Mysteries by Gertrude Chandler Warner I like Daddy to read the Boxcar Children because it's adventurous and you never know what's going to happen. There's so many things to find out, and I like Benny because he almost never gives up and he always wants a mystery. ~ Victoria |
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Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt I first began to love Victoria Holt when I was in high school. This is a pen name used by Eleanor Alice Burford, who wrote more than 200 books in her lifetime, under various names. She wrote 32 books under the name Victoria Holt. I have read all of them and have been able to collect 25 for my personal |
| library. Mistress of Mellyn was her first book under this name and was published in 1960. Her last book, The Black Opal, was published the year she died, in 1993. I love these books because each story centers on a strong young lady and includes mystery, historical fiction and romance with no distasteful smut. ~ Patience |
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| The Zion Covenant - Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene I have loved every book I've read written by Bodie Thoene and her husband Brock, but the two Zion sets are my favorites. Chronologically, The Zion Covenant books take place before The Zion Chronicles, even though they were written later. Vienna Prelude is the first book in this series and opens in |
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| 1936 as the Nazis are gaining power. The storyline is engaging and I love the historical aspect as we read about events leading to the Holocaust. Other books in the series are Prague Counterpoint, Munich Signature, Jerusalem Interlude, Danzig Passage and Warsaw Requiem. ~ Patience |
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The Zion Chronicles - The Gates of Zion by Bodie Thoene Written in the engaging style of the Thoenes, this series is a historical journey of the events leading up to the birth of the Jewish state. This first book starts in 1947 and follows the characters from the Zion Covenant. Other books in this series are A Daughter of Zion, The Return to Zion, A Light |
| in Zion and The Key to Zion. ~ Patience |
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"You know you always need a spark in |
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Hearts of Space Hearts of Space is a weekly radio program that can be heard |
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on many public radio stations throughout the
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| Casting Crowns I love this group. This is one of the few musical groups that has kept my interest with every CD they've recorded. Their lyrics are relevant and thought-provoking, touching the heart and soul, and their music is creative with several layers to catch the ear. Their first release was self- |
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titled and includes the popular song, If We Are the Body. That is probably my least favorite selection from the album, my favorites being, Voice of Truth, Who Am I, and Life of Praise. Their second project is titled Lifesong, and it speaks to me just as much as their first release. My favorites here include the title song, Lifesong, as well as Praise You in This Storm, and And Now My Lifesong |
| Sings. Their third and latest album is titled The Altar and the Door. It's funny because the song by the same title was written on the way to the recording studio! My favorites on this CD are East to West, The Altar and the Door, and Somewhere in the Middle. |
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| One thing that has always captured me about this group is their practice of including the Bible verses behind the songs with their lyrics in the jacket cover. I love that so much and it's something I incorporated into my own CD project. ~ Patience |
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Suspended Animation by John Petrucci Recorded in response to fans and friends, John Petrucci's first solo guitar album includes only 8 songs in 58 minutes. On this album, he has gone all out and poured all of his skill into the music. It is highly technical, often lacking feeling. Some have criticized him for these so- |
| called shortcomings, but it IS his style, thus that is what he plays. Overall, I enjoyed this album and I would recommend it to any metal or rock lover. ~ Alex |
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| All Gas. No Brake. by Stellar Kart This is a CD that I can listen to when I'm hyper and need a fast song, or when I'm ready to sit back and listen to a slower one. I listen to it a lot when I'm baking because it's a good CD to sit and sing along with when |
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| the cookies are in the oven. ~ Danielle |
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Beyond My Words by Patience Constance I like Beyond My Words because my mom wrote it and it soothes the savage beast. That means it makes me fall asleep faster. Not saying that I'm a beast, but I can get pretty wild. ~ Rebekah |
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| Boppin Blue' Kids Sing Along by Various Artists I like Boppin' Blue because it's fun to listen to and it's fun to make up motions to the songs. You can choose to listen with words or without. |
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| My favorite songs are (There's Gotta Be) More to Life, Anything is Possible, and The Devil Is Bad. ~ Victoria |
____________________ Until the Whole World Hears was a must-have, even during a time when our budget is very tight, and I must say that I have not been disappointed. Several of the songs have spoken directly into my spirit and given encouragement and peace during this difficult time. I highly recommend this CD and my favorite songs are Always Enough, At Your Feet, and Glorious Day.
by Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns has done it again! If you listen to Christian radio, you've probably heard the title track, but there is so much more to this project. They have continued to write Bible-based songs that capture attention. After listening to each track on a demo CD, I decided that it
~ Patience
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"Our brightest blazes of gladness are |
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Imaginiff by Buffalo Games This game is for 3-8 players, it's simple and a lot of fun. Use the dry erase pen to write names around the board. During game play, questions are asked such as, "Imaginiff ____ was a building, which kind of building would he/she be?" Then choices are given and you place one of your |
number cards face down indicating your choice. The fun thing is, you must figure out which choice the most people will make. And if playing with your sister-in-law, always choose that she would be an angel fish and not a crab! |
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| Whoonu by Cranium This is our favorite "quick" game. Each player takes a turn holding the envelope, while the players choose from the four cards they are holding, what the envelope player will like best. The envelope is passed and each player inserts their choice. Then the player holding the envelope |
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ranks each card according to what they like best, down to what they like least, and point chips are then awarded. It's a lot of fun and we also like to play it "backwards," by trying to choose what the person would like least, and working to get the least amount of points. The game is for 3-6 players and recommended for ages 8 and up, although our girls have since they were about 5. |
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Squint by Out of the Box This game is for 3-8 players. The pieces include cards with shapes, lines and designs of all kinds. Once you have your "assignment," you must create the "picture" using the design cards without saying a word. The other players must guess what you are working to convey. |
Recommended age is 12 and up, but our girls have played since they were about 5, teaming up with one of us and then making their own picture once they could read. It's a lot of fun to experience everyone's imagination and it really does help you see the picture if you Squint! |
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| Blokus by Educational Insights Blokus is a strategy board game for 2-4 players. Even though our whole family cannot play at one time, we love this game. The pieces are shapes made up of 1-5 blocks. Your goal is to be the first one to play all of your pieces. It's harder than it sounds, and I love that it challenges |
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| your brain to think! Recommended age is 5 and up. This game won the Mensa Select award and would be a great addition to any family game collection. ~ Patience |
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"Computers are magnificent tools for the realization of our dreams, but no machine can replace the human spark of spirit, compassion, love and understanding." |
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The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring I like several movies, but this set is one I keep coming back to over and over again. In fact, we watch the set at least once a year, usually between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and sometimes during the year as well. The movies are based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel, The Lord of the Rings, |
| and while I have not yet read the book, Alex lets me know that a few things are different in the movies. Even so, all the films are very engaging. It's rare for me to find a movie that I can watch again and again because I like the mystery of not knowing what's about to happen. We have the extended version you see here in the photos, and altogether, it's just over 11 1/2 hours of viewing, which is why we no longer try to watch them all in one day! One thing I love about these |  |
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films is that there is no bad language. Today, it's rare to find great movies that haven't been tainted by at least one crude word or phrase. I love the story, I love the music, I love the characters, and I love that you can watch the movies for the 10th time and catch something you've never noticed before. Check out The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. ~ Patience |
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| Pirates of the Pirates of the Caribbean has been a box office smash so it seems I hardly need to review it for you, odds are you have already seen the movies. But, just in case you may be someone who hasn’t seen the movies, here is a brief overview.The Curse of the Black Pearl sets the stage and introduces us to |
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| the primary individuals who will take us through this story, which include: Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swan. Treasure that bears a curse, a kidnapping and rescue attempt, and Jack’s attempt to regain his beloved ship, the Black Pearl, are the basis for the storyline in this first movie, and we discover that there is honor among pirates, at least so far as it applies to “The Code”, and are left pondering the question, “Is Jack Sparrow indeed the worst, or is he the best, pirate that you have ever seen?” |
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In Dead Man’s Chest we meet a new villain, Davy Jones, and find Jack trying to get out of his debt of “a hundred years before the mast.” Will is once again trying to rescue Elizabeth, or Elizabeth is trying to rescue Will, whichever the case may be as the plot twists and turns. Jack must get the fabled Dead Man’s Chest as a bargaining chip to avoid his debt, but it turns out there are others who are also after the chest, for reasons of their own. |
| At World’s End finds pirates around the world facing what appears to be their final hour. Their only hope lies in rescuing Jack from Davy Jones’ Locker, a place where you’ll find that it is easier to get there than it is to get back. After Jack’s rescue, the players are drawn toward a common destination though each is pursuing their own end, and as we witness Jack escape from each successive devise we are left with the question, “Do you suppose he plans it all out or just makes it up as he goes?” |  |
I love these movies. I like the combination of myth, legend, and a little history, brought together with a good dose of humor and adventure, and it may seem a little unusual, but I have also found some sage advice and words of wisdom in these movies as well. I can’t really put my finger on a particular reason, but I find that the first movie of the trilogy is my favorite. For my daughter, Danielle, though, she seems to be most taken with the third. Now bring me that horizon! ~ Kevin |
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Pride and Prejudice |
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| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull When official news that this movie was being made first came out, Indy fans everywhere were divided. Some were overjoyed, some were skeptical, some didn't even believe the news. As time went on, Lucas Films' secrecy made more and more people skeptical, and many thought it would be a poor quality |
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| film. After the film finally came out, a great many skeptics were no more. The end product of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's combination of minds was better than anyone thought it would be. Again, they used a legendary object, again Indy didn't get to keep it, and again, he barely escapes with his life. Overall, I give this movie a 15 out of 5. ~ Alex |
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National Treasure I like this movie and National Treasure 2. They are both funny and have lots of puzzles, and lots of adventure like kidnapping the president, almost going to jail, and stealing the Declaration of Independence. ~ Rebekah |
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| Beethoven's 5th Beethoven's 5th is about a dog named Beethoven and he finds money in a mine shaft, and everybody believes there are ghosts. I like it because it's funny and I like the music. ~ Victoria |
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