Yearly Book Review #4

I read 27 books in the first year (deleted that entry though long ago, whoops), 36 books two years ago, and 51 books last year. My goal for this year was 52 books (which is a book a week) To keep updated on what I'm reading throughout the year, add me on GoodReads (read my fuller reviews there)!
Let's see if I made my goal! Anything rated between 4 and 5 stars are in bold.

2011 Reads
1. Farmer Boy (Little House on the Prairie #2) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 4 stars
2. Little House on the Prairie (Little House on the Prairie #3) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 3 stars
3. On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House on the Prairie #4) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 4 stars
4. By the Shores of Silver Lake (Little House on the Prairie #5)by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 3 stars
5. The Long Winter (Little House on the Prairie #6) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 3.25 stars
6. Little Town on the Prairie (Little House on the Prairie #7) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 3 stars
7. These Happy Golden Years (Little House on the Prairie #8) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 4 stars
8. The First Four Years (Little House on the Prairie #9) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 2.75 stars
9. Tortured For Christ by Richard Wurmbrand - 4 stars
10. The Hunger Games (Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins -4 stars
11. Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier by Chris Enss - 3 stars
12. Enslaved: True Stories of Modern Day Slavery by Jesse Sage - 3 stars
13. Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart - 3 stars
14. Religio-cide: A Primer on Deconstructing the Current Religious Structure For the Sake of True Relationship by Tommy Green III - 3.75 stars
15. Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy by John Bowe - 1.75 stars
16. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren - 3 stars
17. Selling Olga: Stories of Human Trafficking and Resistance by Louisa Waugh - 3 stars
18. Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins - 3 stars
19. Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins - 5 stars!!!
20. The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life: How to Sew a Sampler Quilt & 49 Other Projects for the Modern Girl by Jennifer Worick - 3.75 stars
21. Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie - 4 stars
22. So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood, and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids by Diane E. Levine - 3 stars
23. Beyond the Soiled Curtain: Project Rescue's Fight for the Victims of the Sex-Slave Industry by David & Beth Grant - 4.25 stars
24. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle - 3 stars
25. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan - 2.75  stars
26. Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will by Kevin DeYoung - 3 stars
27. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt - 5 stars!!!
28. The Christian Athiest by Craig Groeshel - 3.5 stars
29. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis - 2.5 stars
30. Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll - 4 stars
31. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - 4 stars
32. From Congress to the Brothel by Linda Smith - 3 stars
33. Renting Lacy by Linda Smith - 3.75 stars
34. More Than Rice: A Journey Through the Underworld of Human Trafficking by Pamala Chestnut - 3 stars
35. This Immoral Trade: Slavery in the 21st Centurey by Caroline Cox - 3.25 stars
36. Escaping the Devil's Bedroom: Sex Trafficking, Global Prostitution and the Gospel's Transforming Power by Dawn Herzog Jewel - 3 stars
37. Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James C. Dobson - 3.25 stars
38. The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #3) by Rick Riordan - 3 stars
39. Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God by David Platt - 3.75 stars
40. Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working by Craig Groeshel - 4 stars
41. Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media by Susan J. Douglas - 2 stars
42. Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Connor Grennan - 3 stars
43. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #4) by Rick Riordan - 3.5 stars
44. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin - 4.25 stars
45. The Ballet Companion: A Dancer's Guide to Technique, Traditions, and Joys of Ballet by Eliza Gaynor Minden - 3 stars
46. Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls are Not For Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself by Rachel Lloyd - 4 stars
47. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #5) by Rick Riordan - 3 stars
48. Evermore (The Immortals #1) by Alyson Noel - 2 Stars
49. Blue Moon (The Immortals #2) by Alyson Noel - 2 stars
50. The Joffrey's Ballet School's Ballet-Fit by Allison Kyle Leopold - 3 stars
51. Every Heart Restored: A Wife's Guide to Healing in the Wake of a Husband's Sexual Sin by Fred & Brenda Stoeker  - 3.75 stars
52. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry - 2.5 stars
53. Passport Through Darkness: A True Story of Adventure, Danger, and Second Chances by Kimberly Smith - 4 Stars
54. The Love Dare Day by Day: A Year of Devotions for Couples by Stephen Kendrick - 2.5 stars

55. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt - 3 stars

56. Shadowland (The Immortals #3) by Alyson Noel - 1 star

57. Bruchko by Bruce Olsen - 5 stars!!!

58. Dark Flame (The Immortals #4) by Alyson Noel - 1 star

59. Night Star (The Immortals #5) by Alyson Noel - 1 star

60. Everlasting (The Immortals #6) by Alyson Noel - 2.5 stars

61. The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf - 3 stars

62. Knowing God by J.I. Packer - 3 stars

63. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells - 3 stars

64. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien - 3 stars

65. West From Home: Letters from Laura Ingalls Wilder , San Francisco, 1915 by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 2.75 stars
66. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom - 4.25 stars
67. Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie - 3.25 stars
68. Vicki and the Black Horse by Sam Savitt - 2.75 stars
69. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables #1) - 4.5 stars
70. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables #2) - 3 stars
71. One Year Book of Devotions for Preschoolers by Crystal Bowman
72. A Log Cabin Christmas: 9 Romances of American Pioneer Christmases by Various authors - 3 stars
73. Quest Study Bible (NIV) by Various authors - 5 stars!!!

Wow. Looks like I exceeded my goal quite a bit.

Covers of the best (I read) of the year

Oh, The Things I Do! #3

1. Me and Rachel
2. My boys being Naruto Ninjas
3. Rizzo. . since I felt badly that he wasn't in the new Muppet movie
4. My sweet husband

1. A car accident outside of my home
2. a drawing Leto did for a girl in India (her name is Rajiya)
3. Micah the night before his 3rd birthday

4. The boys built a double track and told me to take a quick shot of it

 1. Me (with my bangs down)
2. Micah pretending to sleep as we cuddled together (with his new Ugly Doll he loves)
3. My boys helping my mom peel Potatoes a couple weeks ago
4. Me and Cristina after we felt full from our IHOP food

Movie Suggestion Post #55

Movie Ratings are on a scale of 1-5. Anything rated over 3 stars and is in bold, is totally worth seeing! - I rate pretty harshly.

See my list of favorite Christmas movies here (a post I made last year)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 2011 (w/ Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace) - 4.25 stars - This is the 66th RDJ movie I've seen. It was amazing. I've been so sad to hear that a bunch of critics rated it so low. It is as good as the first movie (though I think I like the first more, but this is seriously on the same level).  We get to meet Moriarty in this one (the nemesis throughout the stories).  It is very interesting, sad, and funny throughout the film. I think the reason why maybe people don't like it as much is because it is missing the romance that was involved in the first one. Mr. Holmes is trying to find a way to destroy Professor Moriarty. He's been following all his crimes and needs to figure out what he's hiding and how he continually gets away with destruction.  Of course Dr. Watson is going to get married and ends up becoming involved.  I cracked up laughing so hard for one scene in particular that I cried and couldn't stop laughing (I tried to calm down for the sake of the surrounding viewers).  content: kissing, man in women's clothing, a man's chest seen, a man is naked but not visibly so - you see part of his bum's crack and he turns around but is covered by a pile of books, a nude statue, women in tights for an acrobatic scene, women not wearing as much for that time (though they are relatively modest), drinking, smoking, a couple instances of language, murder, fighting, violence

Dance, Girl, Dance 1940 (w/ Maureen O'Hara, Lucille Ball, Louis Hayward, Ralph Bellamy) - 2 stars - a group of girls who had gone to a dance school all look for a job as a troupe.  While one girl seems to be willing to do whatever she can to make some money, another wants her ballet to be appreciated and used. It was a nice story and I didn't know that Maureen O'Hara danced (though I know that Lucille Ball did).  content: immodestly dressed women (doing hula dances and such), death, slapping faces

The Muppets 2011 (w/ Jason Segel, Amy Adams) - 3.75 - My boys loved it (mainly the older one).  Considering how often I've immersed myself into watching the very original muppet films since childhood (The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan) - You can truly see SO many clues, props, set-ups, outfits, etc throughout the film! I thought that was cool because I picked up on a lot of throwbacks. I have seen a lot of The Muppet Show as well, but not as much as I have watched, memorized, and rewatched those three films. I've seen all the other films, too (and in theatres) but those are just classic! This story is about Walter and his brother. They have always been so close and Walter has adored The Muppets his whole life.  When his brother Gary plans on having a ten year anniversary with his girlfriend, they end up getting involved with the actual Muppets! I liked the storyline. It was sweet. I didn't like all the violence and punching (though I excuse it when it involves Miss Piggy because she's just "hog wild").  I was sad that they didn't have more original songs in it (Loved the "Muppet Man" song). They played songs from the past (like "Rainbow Connection" and "The Muppet Show"), and maybe about 3 original songs, but I was hoping for a great soundtrack like The Great Muppet Caper has (which I have on vinyl).  I'm a really huge muppet fan so I guess most of my expectations were satisfied, while some were not. I did like it though! content: kidnapping, punching, tackling, kicking, worst word was the use of "idiot", two muppets kiss, muppet imagines people in underwear (mostly people in well-covered slips and such), a comment about not being "done" with his balls (on his costume), women in dancing outfit that resemble the late 70s/early 80s dance costumes (legs are showing, rest is modest), . . they are kept in a closet though which is a little cruel to me, a brief showing of a woman walking by in a two-piece on a beach (she's not centered and part of the focus though), a building gets blown up by its' owner, gunshots heard, a joke of burning another muppet, punching a teacher for a show they talk about on T.V. (which gets canceled and is spoken of as wrong)

Take Me Home Tonight 2011 (w/ Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, Teresa Palmer) - 1.5 stars - The best part of the movie was the Michael Ian Black cameo. This movie COULD have been great. It was pretty funny. However, with the great amount of content it was quite terrible and I hated it!!!  Back in high school in the 80s, Matt was an amazing student, a geek, and he didn't get the girl of his dreams. He never got over her. When he comes across her again 4 years later, his heart goes all a flutter and he wants her in his life but lies to her a bit to try to make her like him.  His best friend and his twin sister are by his side cheering him on and have their own issues on the side too.  content: there is sex in the movie (I assume, I skipped a bunch) because a guy wanted to watch his wife/gf have sex with someone to be able to get turned on and she was getting naked when I skipped the scene (though according to netflix's details, she was indeed naked and sex was in it). another couple is seen taking off clothes (underwear seen) but nothing further shown.  Lots of kissing, touching, far too many innuendos and perversity, loads of language.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II 2011 (w/ Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham-Carter) - 3.25 stars - I know, you're thinking this is rated too low. I liked Part one much better than part two. I know I should probably rate them together, but I had rated the first one after seeing it in theatres and hadn't a chance to see this part in theatres. I just feel they left out a few things that were important in the story from the book, though they did get the majority. It was wonderful to see. This part is about finding the last of the horcruxes and settling things with Voldemort once and for all. content: kissing, violence & death, scary images (not recommend for children to see).

Safe Harbor 2009 (w/ Treat Williams, Nancy Travis) - 2 stars - At first this film was really cheesy.  The music was so lame-movie-from-the-early-1990s sounding. The acting at times was so bad. A married couple wanted to go around the world to sail here and there.  They come across a few teenagers who have been in and out of Juvie. They have some hardships in the process but they truly learn so much about these boys that they've taken under their wing.  It is based off of a true story. content: punching, attempted suicide, saying words like "stupid"

Green Lantern 2011 (w/ Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong) - 3.5 stars - A show-off test pilot who seems a bit full of himself, though who really truly wants to protect people and live up to his hero (his father) who died when he was a boy gets chosen by an alien to become a Green Lantern and protect the earth from destruction.  He receives new abilities and adjusts to his new life, all while trying to impress the girl he likes and the other Green Lanterns who just laugh at him as a measly human. This was very well done. I was impressed and thought it was great! content: man and woman in bed together (not married) to imply they had sex the night before, man in underwear, kissing, The Lord's name in vain, some language (sadly more than necessary), scary imagery of people being killed and souls being taken, punching and fighting, social drinking (not drunkenness) 

Kindred Spirits

I started reading the Anne of Green Gables book series a couple of weeks ago. I have read the first two so far but am taking a break to read a Christmas book. I used to have so much of the T.V. mini-series memorized, and the book was way better! If you know anything about the story, Anne talks about finding bosom friends in which she can pour her heart out to and have them do the same for her. She often finds people who spark with personality in which she feels a connection to (or those who have a "scope of imagination"). She calls these people "kindred spirits".

My friend Rachel is a kindred spirit to me. I've known her since 2nd grade, and although we didn't have classes together each year or hang out on a regular basis (though we did keep in touch and see one another throughout the years), I've always felt connected through our personalities, interests, and our love and desire for God (ultimately).  OH! Also we both got married on the same day but in different years (that's pretty kindred spirited). She was my first friend and always accepted me even when people mocked me when we were children. She's filled with encouragement and has a great heart. Make sure you visit and read her amazing blog: Even One Sparrow

When Rachel and her wonderfully-matched husband Elliott along with their sweet daughter came to visit what was once Rachel's home; they also visited our home for a few hours for dinner. A couple days later I had the opportunity to photograph her family and admirable parents. When I arrived I thought it was cute that we were both wearing outfits that were in a bit "prairie inspired" as well as oxford styled shoes. It was unplanned. I asked her husband to take a few photos of us together (Thanks Elliott).  [Photos of Rachel alone were taken by me.]

[For additional Anne of Green Gable love, Rachel starred as Anne Shirley in a play in high school. She did an amazing job (I watched the performance - she's extremely talented in acting and singing on stage).]
Rachel is wearing her mother's dress (from the 1970s) and lovely oxfords she's had since high school (for the play). I love this outfit!!! Looks great!

I'm sorry for the lack of updates lately. I will be posting a movie review post later in the week (sorry for such a long delay)!!!!
 

I'm Thankful for Life

Vintage Dress: Cake Vintage | Shoes: Modcloth | Hairclip: Lila-Jo | Belt: Delia*s

Thanksgiving is quickly jumping to my favorite holiday ever simply because I recently read Washington's Thanksgiving Day proclamation explaining why the day was created (which is so beautiful).  And here I was raised thinking it was just because of the Pilgrims wanting to establish their own church and be missionaries to the Native Americans and sharing a large meal together with them. It had nothing to do with that story at all! I do love Thanksgiving also because there is no created magical turkey or people deceiving their children with stories that eventually disappoint them. I don't talk very openly on my blog about my distaste for seeing the minds of children played around with, but it hurts me to see parents thinking it is fun.

Now about this outfit. . I don't have a lot of really colorful clothing, and this outfit was so pretty! I could honestly wear prairie dresses and outfits forever. I've posted myself wearing them often here, and have been asked before what style I love the most (since I wear so many different ones) and this is what wins. As for the shoes, my dad somehow inherited a pair of very old shoes (see them here) from the late 1800s/early 1900s that are a size 5 (I'm a size 9) and I used to always want to wear them. When I saw modcloth had a modern pair that looked so similar to my dad's pair, I was so excited!

Rob had to show off his teefury tee of a mash-up of Portal & Doctor Who.

No I didn't pee this puddle, though we joked about it

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!