Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

Veggie Tales DVD Review and Giveaway

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Have you heard of Catholic Family Gifts? This is a great online store with a huge selection of quality religious items to celebrate Baptisms, First Communion, Confirmations and other sacraments, as well as bibles, books, videos, crosses and religious jewelry.

The owners of Catholic Family Gifts are the parents of six children and they are proud to nurture the faith of families everywhere through the wonderful products they sell.

There are many wonderful children’s books:

Indoor and outdoor statues and ornaments:

And gifts to celebrate the sacraments:

You can even order custom-imprinted cards to celebrate occasions like baptism:

I was introduced to a wonderful lady named Ruth at Catholic Family Gifts, and when I told her we had lots of young children, she very thoughtfully sent a Josh and the Big Wall DVD for us to review:

The theme of this short 30-minute feature is “Anything is possible with God” and the setting is the momentous battle of Jericho, where the children of God are tested for obedience. Like all Veggie Tales videos, you have the lovable cast of pint-sized talking vegetables, bright and shiny animation and catchy little tunes.

All of our children, from Joseph (age 9) on down to Susanna (age 1) got a big charge out of this little feature. They loved the sneering green peas (with French accents) who sit atop the walls of Jericho and laugh at Israel’s plan to conquer their mighty city. And they rewound the scene over and over again where Jericho pelts the poor children of Israel with ice cold slushies! But the patience of Israel wins out, and their obedience to God’s strange orders to march around the city and blow trumpets lands them the ultimate victory.

Is it better to do things our way, or God’s way? Josh and the Big Wall teaches clearly that His way is best because He loves us and know’s what’s good for us.

Besides the animated featured, there are some cute extras on this DVD – some silly songs, behind-the-scenes clips, Veggie Karaoke, an art gallery and a fun voice-changing game. We love our new Veggie Tales DVD and are so thankful to Catholic Family gifts for adding this to our family collection!

You can find lots of other great Veggie Tales titles just like this one at Catholic Family Gifts. Shipping starts at the very affordable rate of $3.95 and expedited delivery is also available. Be sure to check out the Sale Items at Catholic Family Gifts, with markdowns up to 40%

* GIVEAWAY * CLOSED

 

New Creation Apparel Skirt Review & Giveaway

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I love to wear skirts! They are warm in the winter, cool in the summer and are very flattering and feminine. Who doesn’t enjoy wearing something with a touch of grace, and a bit of twirl? Although I’m seeing more and more skirts in stores these days, which is great, a lot are on the shorter side. Really short. The graceful silhouette of a longer skirt is a classic look that will never go out of style.

I don’t go for the “extreme” styles that pop up in stores each season. Not only are they likely to become dated very quickly and pushed to the back of my closet, but they are usually designed for size 2 pre-teen bodies and not for the average woman on the streets.

Luckily, I discovered New Creation Apparel a few years back. Their website is full of beautiful skirts in classic styles for both normal wear and for expectant mothers. And prices are great, ranging from $22 to $35. There’s also a huge sale and clearance section with skirts as low as $11!

Here’s a skirt which was designed in response to requests from New Creation customers. The Neah skirt comes in khaki, navy, gray and brown and features a cute flounce at the bottom. It’s practical, but very cute!

What I really appreciate while ordering skirts at New Creation is the option of selecting the length I want. They offer a wide selection of styles, sizes and lengths to accommodate different body shapes and sizes.  Most New Creation skirts are available in women’s sizes 2-24, and you can choose from lengths of 33″, 36″ and 39″. So whether you are average, tall or petite you can find just the right length.

And for mothers who are shopping for their daughters, New Creation will be re-stocking “size o” very soon, which was added by popular demand! And many more women’s styles will be coming in June, so make sure you bookmark the site.

Sigrid Peterson, who co-owns New Creation, very generously let me pick out a skirt to review for my readers and I chose the Diagonal Stretch Denim, which is one their most popular:

It retails for $33 and is available in a wide range of sizes and varying lengths. After receiving my skirt and trying it out for a few days, I quickly learned why it’s so popular with New Creation customers. The denim is sturdy, but fits very smoothly, and the diagonal cut is very flattering. I also love the plain flat waistband and nearly invisible side zipper.

Honestly, this is already one of my favorite skirts! It’s much more interesting than your average denim skirt, and the dark fabric is very forgiving (think: grimy toddler hands and splatters in the kitchen). It can be dressed up or down and will easily carry over into fall and winter with a cute pair of boots.

And there are so many other great choices at New Creation! I can’t post them all here, but this is a beautiful maternity skirt that my sister recently bought and she has worn it frequently this spring. It looks really sharp paired with a black top and is perfect for church or special occasions:

And this beautiful floral skirt with a flounced hem is on sale for just $25. There are only a few sizes left of this one, so you’ll have to hurry!

One of my readers will get to pick an in stock skirt of choice at New Creation! Just enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

 

 * Giveaway Closed: No Longer Accepting Entries *

The Brown Rabbit’s Art Supplies for Children Giveaway

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Today’s giveaway is very different from any other I’ve ever hosted because the sponsor just happens to be my mother, Susan Poitevin, who is an accomplished artist and teacher! Her studio is called The Brown Rabbit and sits near the banks of peaceful Mill Creek, a perfect place for inspiration and contemplation.

My two oldest children are fortunate to take art lessons every week from their grandmother. Every Thursday brings a brand new project based on a particular theme or media. Here are some colorful spring flowers that Joseph and Catherine created f few weeks ago:

My mother mainly works with watercolor and oil, but dabbles in other mediums as well. This dramatic painting called Loch Ness Castle is one of my favorites.

Here’s another called Spring Buffet, which features a brown cow munching on good Flint Hills grass.

Besides painting and teaching, my mother (Susan) also makes lovely hand-crafted bookmarks and note cards.

If there is a painting in The Brown Rabbit’s online gallery that interests you, please contact Susan to inquire about availability and shipping!

God’s renewal of creation every Spring is so glorious that it can inspire just about anyone to feel artistic. The Brown Rabbit studio has generously offered to sponsor a giveaway to treat a little budding artist in your life.

PRIZE: The art supply prize package for 1 lucky child includes: 1 pad of premium Strathmore drawing paper, 12 watercolor pencils, 24 colored pencils, 16 Cray-Pas oil pastels, 1 kneaded eraser, 1 squirrel rubber stamp, 1 child-safe ink pad, 1 pack of farm animal stickers, 1 original watercolor bookmark from The Brown Rabbit herself, and 1 Darice clear storage box to hold everything. This wonderful package to get your young artist started is worth over $30.00!

To enter, use the easy Rafflecopter form below! Good luck and happy creating!

* Giveaway Closed: No Longer Accepting Entries *

Catholic Gifts and More Review

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We’ve found a wonderful new place to find gifts, books, DVD’s and other religious items for the Christian home at an online store called Catholic Gifts & More.

We were sent a package which included the four items pictured above: The Bible: In the Beginning DVD, two board books entitled God Gave us You and Saint Francis and the Animals and a little paperback called Bible Stories for Children. Alice at Catholic Gifts & More included a very kind note which expressed her wish that our family would enjoy these items.

One of the first things the children wanted to do was look at the cute little book called God Gave us You. It uses a cozy polar bear family to illustrate how marvelous the gift of a child is. Catherine (8) and Joseph (9) were absolutely taken with the engaging story line and the soft, appealing illustrations. Catherine’s favorite picture was of the mother bear getting a lot of attention from the other forest animals as the baby grows in her tummy.

The children also loved the little paperback called Bible Stories for Children. It consists of short re-tellings of the most well-known stories and a colorful little picture to go along with it. Many of the illustrations are beautifully detailed paintings and have a very classic and traditional look.

My two youngest boys (Benjamin and Samuel) had a lot of fun looking at all the creatures in Saint Francis and the Animals. This short board book encourages children to show kindness to animals in the way that Saint Francis modeled. I was especially impressed by the high quality of the artwork in all of these little books, since so much of what’s on the market for children these days is poorly done, and in some cases, just plain ugly. That’s really a shame because children are so impressionable. It is good for their little souls to see things of beauty!

The fourth item we received, The Bible: In the Beginning DVD, was geared toward an adult audience. We spotted many famous faces (and voices) in this film which dramatizes early events from the Old Testament: John Huston as Noah, George C. Scott as Abraham, Ava Gardner as Sarah and Peter O’Toole as one of God’s messengers. Some parts of the movie, such as creation and the story of Adam and Eve, move slowly, but overall it was well done. Our favorite segment, hands down, was the portrayal of Noah and the flood. John Huston’s interaction with the animals was memorable and humorous.

There are so many beautiful things on the Catholic Gifts and More website that I can’t highlight them all here, but this will give you just a sampling:

Wall crosses

Bibles (including versions for children, family, study, gifts, etc)

First Communion gifts

And over 100 different rosaries!

You can connect with Catholic Gifts and More on Facebook and Twitter.

You can also use coupon code CGMZHBLOG to receive free shipping on your order! Please visit their website and share with me what you think!