It is a beautiful day here in the mountains. Spring is in the air! The sun is shining, the snow has melted, and all the thunderstorms have rolled on through. With the warmer days, I start the grand tradition of playing in the dirt and planting!
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I absolutely love gardening. The joy of seeing baby seed leaves peeking out of the ground, the thrill of harvesting food you have grown yourself, that first tangy bite of sorrel after the long winter nights. Ah, it is truly wonderful.
lettuce sprouts peeking through the dirt photo by: Michelle Durst
It is always incredibly humbling and empowering to realize that with every seed I plant, I am part of a human tradition stretching back thousands of years. Your parents ate fruits and vegetables, your grandparents ate fruits and vegetables, and back and back and back! Thousands of years ago when the fields were watered bucket by bucket, seeds were being coaxed into abundance by a farmer. Every bite of leafy greens you eat was grown by someone. That lettuce was planted by someone. That cucumber was cared for by someone. That broccoli was harvested by someone. A plate of veggies is the culmination of an entire season of love!
Gardening is not just a wonderful way to connect with our roots (…I regret nothing!) it is also good for us. Playing in the dirt is healthy. According to the researchers at Rockefeller University in New York City and Swansea University Medical School in the United Kingdom, plain old dirt has microorganisms that are incredibly effective against a wide range of harmful bacteria, including MRSA. Not only that, Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol, found that dirt actually acts as an antidepressant! By playing in the dirt we boost our immune system, aid our mental health, and grow delicious, nutritious, food.
I recently got a chance to watch the animated musical, Strange Magic, released in 2015. In a land of faeries and flowers, the princess Marianne is set to wed the dashing Roland. Meanwhile, tensions simmer along the border of the Dark Forest where the nefarious Bog King rules.
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To start with, the art is spectacular. Lucasfilm Animation and Industrial Light & Magic knocked it completely out of the park. The characters have weight, they truly interact with their environment – soaring, twirling, dancing, and squirrel-riding.
I am not typically a fan of musicals as my own taste in music tends towards metal and Mongolian throat singing. Nonetheless, I stuck with it and I am so glad I gave Strange Magic a chance. The musical score truly grew on me. By the end I was singing along with young Dawn, Marianne’s sister, every time she opened her mouth.
But there is another side of Strange Magic that is very easy to miss. It is clear to see that the animation team lovingly rendered every leaf and every petal in the magical land. As I watched it, I grew more and more impressed. There are daisies and bluebells. California poppies wave in the breeze. Blueberries, ivy, mushrooms, hollyhock, and of course primroses all feature prominently among many more. As a fan of the old Victorian tradition of the language of flowers, I was stunned to realize that the flowers themselves tell a story.
Who has never given a red rose to one they love or a pink carnation to a dear friend? We still say words without speaking through a flower or three. But this film is the first I have seen where the entire storyline is being spoken not just by the singing faeries but shouted aloud by the floral background. A crown of daisies, that flower of innocence, being smashed to the stone floor. Mushrooms for suspicion, whispering to one another all the gossip of the dark. Poppies wave their sympathy while moss crawls with dissatisfaction and boredom. The primrose petals warning all who know floriography that the love was not fairly earned. I salute Lucasfilm Animation and Industrial Light & Magic for this enchanting use of an almost forgotten art.
For a wonderful book on Victorian floriography (writing with flowers) I recommend Floral Poetry and the Language of Flowers by the mysterious J. H. S. from 1877. As it is in the public domain, you can read a complete copy for free here. At the very back of the book are two excellent indexes summarizing many of the Victorian uses of flowers in easy to understand meanings.
The new live action movie of Aladdin is coming to theaters May 24, 2019! In this thrilling adaptation of the Disney Classic, we find Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie searching for their happily ever after. However, with futures so uncertain and with an evil Jafar running around, will it take a wish or courage of the heart to make it through their magical journey? I suppose we all will find out May 24.
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In anticipation of the live action film, Aladdin, coming to theaters, I thought it would be fun to share a few Aladdin printables I have saved over the years. I will even include the items I have created myself like the Lego coloring pages and cubeecraft paper crafts. Also included are:
Bookmarks
Picture frames
Paper craft play sets
Door Hangers
Puppets
Paper Dolls
Pin Wheels
Memory Game
and more
To download these fun printables simply click the images below and save the PDFs to your computer. Then print and create (instructions are included on the paper crafts) for some magical fun! Be sure to also check out the new Aladdin Website for more information on the new movie coming to theaters May 24, 2019!
NEW YORK CITY (May 9, 2019) — At yesterday’s espnW Summit NYC, Marvel Studios hosted a “Captain Marvel” panel and revealed an all-new trailer and in-home release dates for its first female-led franchise film, centered on Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel. The spectacular, 1990s-era Super Hero adventure, which electrified and inspired audiences worldwide and surpassed $1 billion in ticket sales, is available on Digital in HD and 4K Ultra HD™ and Movies Anywhere May 28, and lands on Blu-ray™ and Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD™ June 11.
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Arriving home with extensive line-up of extras detailing the development of this highly anticipated addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), “Captain Marvel” includes Featurettes that highlight the transformative journey of Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) and her character’s impact on audiences around the globe; the influence of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) on significant events within the MCU; the perfect pairing of directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck; the ongoing conflict between the Skrulls and the Kree; and the raw talent behind the fetching feline named Goose. Viewers also gain access to six deleted scenes, director commentary, a gag reel loaded with funnies, flubs and Flerkens, and never-before-seen concept art and production photography.
“Captain Marvel” comes packaged in various formats to best fit today’s varying consumer desires. Viewers can bring home the film two weeks early on Digital 4K Ultra HD, HD and SD and gain access to two exclusive features, including a behind-the-scenes visit with the Visual Effects team that makes the filmmakers’ visions of the MCU come to life and an inside look at the epic team effort that goes into an action-packed sequence within a Marvel Studios film. A physical copy of “Captain Marvel” is available as either a 4K Cinematic Universe Edition (4K UHD+Blu-ray+Digital Copy) or a Multi-Screen Edition (Blu-ray+Digital Copy), granting fans the flexibility to watch on devices of their choice.
More about Captain Marvel:
Set in the 1990s, “Captain Marvel” is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that introduces the MCU’s first stand-alone, female-franchise title character—Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel. When we first meet Danvers, she already possesses her superhero powers, having left her earthly life behind and become a member of an intergalactic elite Kree military team called Starforce, led by their enigmatic commander, Yon-Rogg. But after Danvers has trained and worked with the Starforce team, and become a valued member, she finds herself back on Earth with new questions about her past. While on Earth she quickly lands on the radar of Nick Fury, and they must work together against a formidable enemy in the form of the Skrulls—the notorious Marvel bad guys made even more dangerous by their shape-shifting abilities—and their leader, Talos, who is spearheading a Skrull invasion of Earth.
Based on the beloved Marvel comic-book series, first published in 1967, “Captain Marvel” stars Academy Award® winner Brie Larson (“Room,” “Kong: Skull Island”) as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson (Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “The Hateful Eight”) as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Mississippi Grind”) as Talos, with Annette Bening (“American Beauty,” “20th Century Women”) as Supreme Intelligence, with Clark Gregg (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) as Agent Coulson and Jude Law (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”) as Yon-Rogg.
The film also includes a talented supporting cast that features Djimon Hounsou(“Blood Diamond,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Korath, Lee Pace (“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Ronan, Lashana Lynch (“Bulletproof,” “Brotherhood”) as Maria Rambeau, Gemma Chan (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Humans”) as Minn-Erva, Rune Temte (“Eddie the Eagle,” “The Last Kingdom”) as Bron-Char, Algenis Perez Soto (“Sugar,” “Isolated Victim”) as Att-Lass, Mckenna Grace (“Gifted,” “I, Tonya”) as Young Carol Danvers and Akira Akbar (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as Monica Rambeau.
Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” is produced by Kevin Feige and directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (“Half Nelson,” “Sugar,” “Mississippi Grind”). Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, Patricia Whitcher and Stan Lee are the executive producers. The story is by Nicole Perlman & Meg LeFauve and Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck & Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and the screenplay is by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck & Geneva Robertson-Dworet.
Directors Boden and Fleck’s creative team also includes director of photography Ben Davis (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange”), production designer Andy Nicholson (“Gravity,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), costume designer Sanja Hays (“The Fate of the Furious,” “Star Trek Beyond”), editors Elliot Graham (“Steve Jobs,” “Molly’s Game”) and Debbie Berman (Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming”), visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend (Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”), special effects supervisor Dan Sudick (Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Black Panther”) and composer Pinar Toprak (“The Angel,” “The Challenger”).
Just for a little fun, in anticipation of this epic release, check out the awesome stereograms found on the Captain Marvel Website! Can you see the images? I will admit, I never can. It is a super power that was never gifted to me, however, it is sure fun to try. Be sure to print and display these for others to try. See how many actually see them.
She-ra Princess of power season 2 is available now on Netflix. For the Honor of Grayskull, we finally get to see what happens to Entrapta, Catra, Sje-ra and Shadow Weaver. To celebrate the release of season 2, I have created a printable party kit that the fans can easily download, print, and create!
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The fun printable decorations feature many of the characters seen in She-ra Princess of Power such as:
The printables include banners, cupcake wrappers, cupcake toppers, treat bags, and place cards that can double as name tags! To download the printables, simply click the images below and save the files to your computer. Then extract, print, and create for a powerfully princess party!
NOTE: These files are large, some of the group files are over 20 mb.
While these are free, they do take a lot of time to make. So if you like them and/or use them, please consider donating. Every little bit helps.
Banners This zip file contains 15 printable banners featuring a different character from Dreamworks She-ra: Princes of Power. (This zip file is 24 MB)
Treat Bags This zip file contains 16 printable treat bags featuring a different character from Dreamworks She-ra: Princes of Power. (This zip file is 27 MB)
Place Cards This zip file contains 18 printable place cards featuring a different character from Dreamworks She-ra: Princes of Power. If printed on sticker paper they make great name tags, labels, and more! (This zip file is 5 MB)
Goodie Bag Topper
Cupcake Wrapper
Cupcake Toppers This 2 page PDF of printable cupcake toppers featuring different characters from Dreamworks She-ra: Princes of Power. When printed on sticker paper these make great presents in goodie bags.
There seems to be a lot of love going out to the Narwhals right now, and I will admit, I have jumped on that bandwagon and taken it to the high Arctic seas. I mean what’s not to love? Especially with their cutest nickname, Unicorn of the Sea. <3
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A few Narwhal facts:
Narwhals are a porpoise, related to the Orca and the Bottlenose dolphin
They travel in pods
Instead of migrating, they remain in the Arctic
Their horn or tusk is actually a very sensitive tooth
The tooth can grow to be 9 or 10 feet long
They eat Shrimp and squid
Ok, enough facts, time for the awesome DIY fun. Thanks to www.joann.com, there is an awesome craft to make a Narwhal out of a balloon! It is literally as easy as inflating the balloon, printing and cutting out the template, and taping it to the balloon.
To download the template and make your own Narwhal got to How To Make Narwhal Balloons and download the PDF. Then follow the instructions to make the Narwhal balloon. (Please share pictures of these beauties on my Facebook page)
Every year I make Easter Bread and a few cute snacks I know my family will love. While the Easter Bread is a traditional food I make every year, I like to make different snacks. Thanks to the internet and the wonderful search bar I usually can find a wonderful array of ideas.
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I have a certain criteria when I am searching for Easter treats: 1. They must be cute. 2. They must be easy. 3. They must (hopefully) be delicious
Below are seven recipes that match my criteria, which I can’t wait to try and make for my family. I know the most popular will be the bunny butt cupcakes. I mean it’s a bunny’s bottom, it’s impossible not to laugh.
Paas also has tips on how to cook a perfect hard-boiled egg, tips for decorating eggs, other egg-cellent recipes, and a little history about the Easter eff. Simply go to their tips page and read all the details.
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Disclosure: Unless noted otherwise, no monetary compensation was provided. I simply found these in a search online and decided to share with my readers. I only share and recommend products or services I think will be a good fit for my readers. All the opinions are 100% my own. In exchange for referrals, some posts may contain affiliate links that I may receive commission for payment. (See more here)
Easter is just around the corner. While we are all getting ready for the Easter Bunny, candies, and the Easter egg hunts, it is also the time to remember what Easter is truly about, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. To honor the events of the Bible that lead to the ultimate sacrifice for all, Kathie Lee Gifford journeyed through Israel and the experience changed her life. Today she shares that life-changing experiences in a short film recording the stories of Hagar, Ruth, David and Jesus. The short film is available today at GodWhoSees.com and features Nicole C. Mullen and the wonderful song “The God Who Sees”
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NEW YORK, NY (April 5, 2019) – Kathie Lee Gifford released her film directorial debut today, which can be found at www.godwhosees.com.
The God Who Sees is a breathtaking short film based on the song of the same title, available also on iTunes now, and is written by Gifford and Grammy-nominated, Nicole C. Mullen. Mullen is featured as the narrator and performer as she journeys throughout the Holy Land recounting the stories of Hagar, Ruth and David during their wilderness experiences, and ending with Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem at the tomb of the Risen Savior, Jesus.
In addition to the accompanying film, the song, photos, behind the scenes, a “Making Of” featurette, other resources and materials are available at www.godwhosees.com.
The God Who Sees is a product of Gifford’s The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi Foundation, which she established through her heart for rabbinical study and her life-changing experiences in Israel, with a purpose to utilize the arts to produce films and music that will bring the glorious experience of learning Scripture from the Holy Land to a hurting world.
To highlight Gifford’s final week on NBC’s TODAY, Mullen surprised her with a stirring rendition of the song, seen in this emotional performance live on the TODAY Show here, earlier this week.
The 11 ½ minute song “The God Who Sees,” which quickly rose to the top of iTunes charts immediately upon this week’s release, can be purchased here.
About The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi Foundation:
Kathie Lee established the foundation after being so strongly impacted by her rabbinical study trips to Israel in recent years. She decided to set up a 501c3 to be used as an evangelistic tool seeking to share the Word of God and hoping to touch souls.
Kathie Lee’s belief is that the Word of God, when studied in the land of its origin, with extraordinary rabbinic scholars, is the most transforming power she’s ever experienced. In light of that, she looks forward to using the arts to produce films and music that will bring the glorious experience of learning Scripture from the Holy Land to a needy world.
The first project is the short film, THE GOD WHO SEES. She co-wrote the song with Grammy-nominated Christian artist, Nicole C. Mullen. Nicole also performs the song. They traveled to Israel in March of 2019 to film with Kathie directing the powerful piece.
Kathie’s hope is that The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi Foundation will be a vehicle for friends who are similarly aligned in their desire to share the Word of God in a world that is in desperate need of the Gospel of Jesus. Info can be found at: www.godwhosees,com
Kim possible is out on DVD, which many of you already know because you have followed my blog and entered the contest for the DVD giveaway. What’s the sitch now? Well thanks to Disney Channel, there is even more fun to be had! To celebrate the release of Kim Possible’s live action scenario, Disney Channel has released a fun yet fashionable DIY necklace craft for all the fans to make and enjoy!
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To make the Pendant and necklace we will need:
Black felt
Mod Podge
Paintbrush
Black rattail cord
Velcro fasteners, self-adhesive
Pendant, 1 inch circle
Necklace template
KP logo template
1 inch circle punch
Scissors
White pencil
Glue gun
String
Ruler
To fownload the instructions and the templates click the image below and save the PDF to your computer. Then print and create!
The live action movie of Disney Channel’s Kim Possible is now on DVD! We get to watch a basic average girl save the world with her best friend Ron, his naked mole rat Rufus, computer genius Wade, and a new member to Team Possible. Athena. But saving the world is going to look easy when it comes to starting school as a freshman in high school. Although, Dr. Drakken doesn’t help the situation and actually seems to have big plans this time around.
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Read more about the movie and enter for a chance to win a copy of Kim Possible on DVD from my blog here.. Or, buy a copy of the DVD from Amazon.com
In honor of Disney Channel’s release of Kim Possible on DVD, Disney has given their fans a fun Dr. Drakken Milkshake recipe activity the whole family will enjoy, especially if we are looking for something sinister to quench our thirst.
To get the recipe simply click the image below and download the PDF to your computer. Then print and create for the delicious yet evil drink.
Note – the items you will need to complete this recipe are:
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