Results tagged “TV” from Mrs. Happy Housewife

This is Vincent Van Gogh's Vase With 12 Sunflowers - painted in 1888. It is one of several inexpensive art posters we have around the house. I love the Impressionists and I love sunflowers, so here is a double blessing. (Yes, I know Van Gogh was actually a Post-Impressionist. Let's not nitpick.)

I have the children sketch a still life every other week, but D was inspired by an episode of Doctor Who (featuring Van Gogh) to instead sketch this painting using pencil with a bit of colored pencil added for clarity.

She wanted me to post the original painting along with her hasty sketch. I believe she likes Van Gogh's art a lot. I know we both wish someone could have calmed his tumultuous mind.

There is Good and Evil.

The path we have chosen is evidenced by how we treat our fellow man.

There is always a chance for redemption.

Science does not exist without faith. 

Love is powerful.

We all die...and death is only a doorway along the path our souls travel.

These are the truths I found in the six years of "Lost" and, though I disagree with the show's belief in a limbo-land betwixt death and the Great Hereafter, I can understand that worldview.

There is, however, one misstep in the Lost theology that is too great to ignore, one truth that renders all others useless: it is only through Christ that we may be found.

He is our chance for redemption. He is the path that we must choose.

Many these days tend to shy away from the "Him or nothing" belief; it seems so black and white and lacking of mercy. But He is the mercy and faith in Him and His death in our stead is the one and only way to ever pass on from this world into Paradise.

Love is powerful and the greatest love of all is God's.

We may be lost, but God knows right where we are and he can lead us Home.

Am I the only mom who hums the Redwall theme song? I always thought the tune was rather catchy.  I never actually watched the show, but the children saw all of the episodes - thanks to Netflix. And, yes, they informed me of every discrepancy with the Redwall books.

For those who play instruments, here is the sheet music.

The Official Redwall website is here.

I'd like to alert you to a new sidebar feature.

If you look at the far right sidebar,

below my photo,

below the Twitter button,

I have added a Google Friend Connect widget.

Google Friend Connect allows readers of a site to form a community. It also allows Google Friend Connect members to become friends with each other, if they so wish. Doesn't that sound...friendly?

If you enjoy this site and feel so inclined, won't you please be my neighbor Google Friend.

I think Mister Rogers would definitely approve.

Fess Parker, who played Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and the father in "Old Yeller" has passed away. We knew him best as Davy Crockett in the vintage Disney series, which is reputed to be the first miniseries in the history of television.

In honor of Mr. Parker, here's "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"

In one of my very first blog posts (back in 2005), I mentioned a great organization show called Neat. I recently started watching the show again - thanks to the FitTV channel and my DVR. Neat is a great source of organization inspiration and I was pleased this week to discover that the host, Hellen Buttigieg, has her own website, ezine, and blog. Buttigieg is also on Twitter. Four more ways to get inspired about organization - isn't that neat?

The Tim Tebow commercial which aired during the Super Bowl was supposed to lead to the destruction of life as we know it. This was the event that the Mayans warned would end the world.

Or not.

I'm waiting to hear a lot of backtracking today. More than likely, though, those who made such a ruckus will pretend nothing happened. Maybe being exposed for the Chicken Littles that they were will wake a few people up. I doubt it.

I hope the good folks at Focus on the Family are enjoying all the free press the pro-abortion folks have given them. This tempest in a teacup is still providing press this morning as most news outlets are discussing how non-controversial the ad was. Even the celebrity gossip website TMZ is shocked that this benign commercial was the source of so much hoopla:

After weeks of hype and outrage, the Super Bowl commercial with Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow finally aired Sunday night -- so what was all the fuss about?

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the rest of us have been asking since the story on the Tim Tebow commercial first broke: What is all this fuss about?

In case you missed the ad, take a look for yourself:

A successful son and his loving mother - definitely a recipe for apocalyptic mayhem 

While many were watching the Grammy Award Show, the children and I had our own TV viewing.

First, we watched "A Special Duggar Delivery". It was so sad to see the suffering of the Dugger parents and their tiniest baby. We're glad to hear that Josie is now doing well. The show will resume this Tuesday at 9pm Eastern Time. If you visit the TLC website, you can view photos of Baby Josie. You can also visit a forum and read silly and inane comments about the Duggars. I especially enjoyed the accusation that the Duggar children are uneducated about World Cultures. Most Americans do not send their children off to foreign countries to aid the indigenous population. That is more of an education than reading a textbook. What a logic fail!

Next, we viewed the rest of the "Emma" miniseries on PBS's Masterpiece Theater. Hooray! We loved it. Though it did not include all of our favorite lines or scenes and did have an anachronistic PDA (public display of affection), one member of the family has petitioned for this "Emma" to now be declared our Emma. Is this so long and farewell to faux British accents? No, I think we can love more than one Emma. However, for those of us who long to see a bit of post-wedding bliss (my daughter), this newest incarnation illustrated just how romantic Mr. Knightley was.

Just an aside: people always rave over Mr. Darcy, but I've always been a Mr. Knightley fan. I'm not talking about looks, just character. To me, Mr. Darcy is just too high maintenance and is really a "fixer-upper". Mr. Knightley, though, is nearly perfect and aptly named. Just wanted to get that off my chest. Thanks.

So, who is this Lady Gaga? (No, I don't really want to know.) Doesn't Gaga sounds like baby babble.

For those wondering, the newest Duggar baby is reportedly doing well. Josie Brooklyn, born more than three months premature and weighing less than two pounds, is now seven weeks old.

Tomorrow, January 31, at 8pm Eastern Time, a "Special Duggar Delivery" will air on TLC. Here's a sneak peek, courtesy of TLC:

Also, if you use Tivo or a DVR, you will need to update the name of the show, which will now be called "19 Kids and Counting".

Did you view Masterpiece Theater's "Emma" on PBS last Sunday night? When it was shown last year in England, it garnered less than stellar ratings - leading many to announce that the Age of Jane Austen Movie Adaptations was now over. However, after watching Part 1, I completely disagree with the naysayers. I thought the miniseries was wonderful. Though some may dislike an adaptation which strays a bit from its literary birth, I have yet to discover any part of this newest Emma which would make her creator fume. Any writer who begins a story with "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."  is one who keeps her tongue firmly in her cheek. A reason why Jane Austen has never gone out of style is that she was an acerbic wit and much of her novels must be read with a twinkle in one's eye.

Speaking of style, did you experience quite a bit of deja vu viewing while watching "Emma"? I did and the trivia page at IMDB reveals why: I've seen many of the costumes in other favorite movies. One most particular is the lovely gown worn by Emma at the Weston wedding. Formally, it was donned by Edmond's love, Mercedes, near the beginning of "The Count of Monte Cristo". Reusing costumes is, of course, a common practice for period films, but it is still great fun to play the "Where have I seen that dress/coat/bonnet before?" game.

Part 2 of "Emma" (60 minutes) will air this Sunday night and Part 3 (60 minutes) will air on Sunday, February 7. Any missed part can be viewed online until March 9, 2010. Also, a second Twitter Party is on for this Sunday night. Details at PBS.

The PBS website also offers many sweet treats, such as behind-the-scenes videos, an article from the Chawton House Library, a screenwriter Q & A, and much more.

Emma's poor performance has led some to question the BBC's decision to adapt an Austen classic that has been on screen so many times before.

One leading drama producer said: 'I don't think audiences are as excited about Emma - perhaps they are not excited by Austen anymore.'

As if. I think it's more likely that this version just isn't very good. Will I watch anyway? Of course. At least the first episode.

I spent yesterday out of the news loop helping H build a computer desk from scratch. I was thus very surprised last night, as I was relaxing on Twitter, to discover that Iranians were revolting against an obviously stolen election. A bigger shock to me was the lack of news coverage the rioting was receiving from our news channels. In fact, the only place I could get news was on Twitter under the topic #IranElection. Iranians were using camera phones to film the revolts, uploading the footage to Youtube, and tweeting updates. Some were taking photos and linking them to Twitter via Twitpic. Eventually, it was tweeted that the Iranian government was shutting down cell phone coverage and internet connections there to prevent this relaying of information. Through Twitter and Youtube, I was also able to find out that the BBC appeared to be the only news organization not lying down on the job.

This is just another instance lately of the Mainstream Media sleeping while the world gathers its own raw news.

Last night, we watched a new pilot, "Kings". It aired last Sunday night, but NBC lets you watch the two-hour premiere online. I really enjoyed "Kings" and hope it continues. What makes "Kings" different than other shows is its source material: 1 Samuel. I started rereading at 1 Samuel 14 onward after the show and it was humorous to find just how much the show paralleled the Bible. 

From executive producer Michael Green (NBC's "Heroes") comes a riveting new drama about a modern day monarchy. "Kings" is a contemporary re-telling of the timeless tale of David and Goliath. This series is an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances -- and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom.

"Kings" stars Ian McShane as King Silas Benjamin (Saul) and Christopher Egan from "Eragon" as David Shepherd.

If you are not familiar with the 90s teen soap, 90210, this will make no sense. I'm not that lucky and therefore laughed like crazy.

Warning: a girl takes her shirt off in the new Star Trek trailer. This is a remix of that trailer and the mixer obviously enjoyed that scene. A lot.

Tomorrow at 8 Central, TLC is premiering a new show - Real Simple - Real Life

The new lifestyle makeover series REAL SIMPLE. REAL LIFE. helps busy women tackle their daily challenges, sharing strategies to help make life easier. Each week the show features a 360-degree lifestyle makeover, using best-in-class experts to help women identify their day-to-day challenges, offering realistic solutions and "aha" tips so that they can live an even better life. "It's not about making the perfect meal or having the most organized closet," explains Executive Producer Jude Weng. "We're working with women to implement time-saving changes that will help them add more of the fun 'me' time they're craving back into their lives."

Hosted by Kit Hoover, a working mother of three, the series also stars these top experts:

• Ashlee Barnes, beauty
• Nathan Lyon, food
• Gia Russo, design
• Sam Saboura, fashion
• Lana Titus, fitness
• Farnoosh Torabi, finance
• Jodie Watson, organization
• Nicole Williams, motivation

Sounds interesting. I think I'll set my DVR to record it.

I rarely mention the insanity of "The View". Truly, if I blogged all of their crazy talk, I'd never get a chance to blog anything else. Whoopi Goldberg's recent comment to John Mccain, however, requires a response.

Whoopi: Can you just, and I don't want to misinterpret what you're saying, did you say you wanted strict Constitutionalists because that, that...

McCain: No I want people who'll interpret the Constitution of the United States the way our Founding Fathers envisioned for them to do...

Whoopi: Should I be worried about being a slave, returned to slavery, because certain things happened [in] the Constitution that you had to change.

I've heard tell that Whoopi was homeschooled. However she was educated, she is a poor reflection upon her teacher. The United States Constitution never made anyone a slave.

I would expect every American to have a basic grasp of the Constitution; apparently, Whoopi does not.

It boggles my mind that people voice their opinions on national politics and (sometimes) vote, yet lack an elementary understanding of the foundation of their nation.

Even if Whoopi never learned about the Constitution in school, she could at least follow the advice of her predecessor, Rosie O'Donnell, and google it. Subsequently, Whoopi would read these words:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

With a bit more googling, she would find out that similar phrasing in the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 was used sucessfully in Brom and Bett vs. Ashley in 1790 to win freedom for Mum Bett, later known as Elizabeth Freeman.

She would also discover that it was the Dred Scott decision of the U. S. Supreme Court which denied all Americans freedom. Had the U.S. Supreme Court been made of strict Constitutionists in 1857, we might have been spared the death and destruction of the Civil War.

And while we're on the topic of slavery and the Civil War, the Civil War was fought to preserve the Union - not to end slavery. The South seceded because they did not want States' Rights to be infringed upon. My dear Mr. Lincoln, founder of the Republican Party, hated slavery, but loved the Union more. That is why he waited until January of 1863 to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which only freed slaves in states not currently under Union control. It was a late in the game bid to create havoc in the Confederacy. Quite smart, he was.

A modern example of encroachment upon States' Rights is the unconstitutional Federal Department of Education. Education falls under the jurisdiction of each state, not the Federal Government.

Finally, I think if Whoopi were to do some googling, she would find that she cannot be returned to slavery. She's never been a slave, just played one.

I love Sci-Fi. Yes, it's true. My favorite show is Stargate SG-1 and it was canceled (after ten years and 200+ episodes) a year and a half ago. That was terrible, but at least we still had the spin-off show, Stargate: Atlantis. We, meaning H, D, S, and me. We're one big, geeky family. Unfortunately, I just found out that Atlantis will end in January. This makes me sad, sadder than watching the Jane Austen debacle that was P&P3. Alas and alack, how will I get my Sci-Fi fix now? Pardon me whilst I mourn.