Van Gogh is one of my favorite painters of all time. I’ve always felt a connection with him because of his mental health struggles. His work, Starry Night, is my favorite painting of all time. When I heard there was going to be a special Van Gogh exhibit in my hometown of Orlando, Florida I […]
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A couple years ago, I wrote an article about how scientists were using the scientific method (yes, the one you learned about in school) in order to study the Enceladus ice plumes, which were discovered when Cassini was doing its fly-bys of several of Saturn’s moons. Well, they are still at it, and learning even […]
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A couple years ago, I wrote an article about how scientists were using the scientific method (yes, the one you learned about in school) in order to study the Enceladus ice plumes, which were discovered when Cassini was doing its fly-bys of several of Saturn’s moons. Well, they are still at it, and learning even […]
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William Blake may not be the most likely individual to come to life in graphic novel form, but writer and illustrator G.E. Gallas has taken a darkly beautiful look at the 18th-century poet and painter in her latest effort The Poet and the Flea. Gallas’s interpretation of the creative madness of Blake and his nightmarish […]
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Things aren’t looking great for Margaret Beaufort and her new baby Henry Tudor, as seen in the last installment of this series following a young noblewoman on her path through the politics of medieval England. Find out what happens in this last installment of “Margaret Beaufort: The Pain, Piety, and Politics of a Medieval Mother.” […]
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I’m not a huge fan of affirmations because they tend to be very generic and apply to anyone. It’s hard to find personalized affirmations without paying an arm and a leg for someone to zone in on you and what you need. What got my attention with Affirmicious Zodiac Affirmations is that they are tailored […]
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I often wonder whether my offspring will inherit my loves, my passions, my obsessions. When my eldest was a baby we would load the iPod with Beatles albums and play them while he slept. Who knew it would take the Beat Bugs to secure his love, and Star Lord’s Walkman to take him deeper. We […]
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I have commitment issues with New Year’s resolutions. So, last year, I decided to do away with them altogether and instead came up with a list of one-hit-wonder goals to achieve. Out of the list of 32, I ended up completing all but four of them. This year, I’ve upped the ante and instead of […]
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My apologies for not knowing where I heard this following comment, but it sums up what I would think are many people’s opinions of New Year’s Eve: “I don’t understand the big deal for New Year’s Eve… it’s a one-second holiday.” I think it was from a sitcom. Wherever it was from, I can relate […]
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December is a busy month (no kidding) so this first edition of Between the Bookends for 2022 is a little sparse, however, Sophie and Scott have still pulled together a handful of reviews of books they hope you will enjoy. Happy New Year! Please note: This post contains affiliate links. All author/illustrator photos are credited […]
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December is a busy month (no kidding) so this first edition of Between the Bookends for 2022 is a little sparse, however, Sophie and Scott have still pulled together a handful of reviews of books they hope you will enjoy. Happy New Year! Please note: This post contains affiliate links. All author/illustrator photos are credited […]
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A lot of the podcasts I listen to end with the question ”What is saving your life right now?” Taken from a quote by Barbara Brown Taylor, an American Episcopal priest, academic, and author, the question is looking to capture things and ideas, deep and superficial, that are keeping you sane. The hope being that […]
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It’s that magic time of the year again. Since my kids have birthdays that flank Christmas, we are currently finding ourselves in the new toy wave once more. To add to that, both kids are shifting clothes sizes and our youngest is aging out of early reader and picture books. The holidays are bringing new […]
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If you’ve got an interest in birds but also have an irreverent and slightly childish sense of humor (don’t we all?), a new book and calendar are now available to you. Building on the success of his first book in the series—The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America—author and illustrator Matt Kracht has […]
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Starting a countdown calendar after Christmas Day? Well, that sounds a bit anti-climatic. The word “advent” stems from the Latin adventus, which means “coming.” Whether religious or secular, an advent calendar counts down the coming of a special event, like Christmas. Why would someone start an advent after the big day they have been expecting? […]
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Starting a countdown calendar after Christmas Day? Well, that sounds a bit anti-climatic. The word “advent” stems from the Latin adventus, which means “coming.” Whether religious or secular, an advent calendar counts down the coming of a special event, like Christmas. Why would someone start an advent after the big day they have been expecting? […]
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When last we left Margaret Beaufort, the mother of the Tudor dynasty in late medieval England, she was seven years old and had just been married to John de la Pole as a political pawn. This was typical for wealthy, landed gentry of the time. It gave the woman (or child, in this case) security […]
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Sunshine character meets grumpy character in this book about friendship between two unlikely individuals. Cranky Chicken is…well…a cranky chicken. One day, he meets a friendly sunshine worm who just wants to be his friend. It’s a mismatched friendship that just works and shows that everyone can be friends with someone if they make the effort. […]
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My son and I continued our trek through the MCU this summer and into the fall, with phases three and four. We still have yet to see SpiderMan: Far From Home but feel adequately complete having watched through Avengers: End Game. It was rough going through these last movies. The themes get heavier and more […]
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A lot of us have picked up new hobbies and skills during the pandemic. One of my new skills has been starting to learn to be a Tabletop RPG Gamemaster (GM) via some pre-made game sets that have been designed to get our two kids A (a fifth grader) and W (a second grader) into […]
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My son and I continued our trek through the MCU this summer and into the fall, with phases three and four. We still have yet to see SpiderMan: Far From Home but feel adequately complete having watched through Avengers: End Game. It was rough going through these last movies. The themes get heavier and more […]
Continue Reading
A lot of us have picked up new hobbies and skills during the pandemic. One of my new skills has been starting to learn to be a Tabletop RPG Gamemaster (GM) via some pre-made game sets that have been designed to get our two kids A (a fifth grader) and W (a second grader) into […]
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As I have been doing fun advent and countdown calendar ideas this month, I wanted to share a very simple one, that can even be made ahead of time and stored until it is needed. It takes a 24-piece puzzle and a surface big enough to work it. These puzzles are usually around 19″ X […]
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As I have been doing fun advent and countdown calendar ideas this month, I wanted to share a very simple one, that can even be made ahead of time and stored until it is needed. It takes a 24-piece puzzle and a surface big enough to work it. These puzzles are usually around 19″ X […]
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My introduction to How The Grinch Stole Christmas came through a glimpse of the green meanie in Home Alone. An English childhood lends itself more to Beatrix Potter than Dr. Seuss, and it was years before I actually saw this classic movie in full and became somewhat obsessed with the deep tones of Thurl Ravenscroft. […]
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Now that I have your attention, allow me to introduce you to the toys your little ones will clammer to have. I know this from personal experience because my manager’s four-year-old daughter has already run off with several of my review samples. My toy poodle Bakster has claimed at least one for himself (more on […]
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Now that I have your attention, allow me to introduce you to the toys your little ones will clammer to have. I know this from personal experience because my manager’s four-year-old daughter has already run off with several of my review samples. My toy poodle Bakster has claimed at least one for himself (more on […]
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This year, get your gamer a gift that will improve their gaming experience with Turtle Beach’s line of professional gaming products. I’ve picked out my top four items that any gamer will be happy to have under the tree. My son and I tested each of these products and found them all to be worthy […]
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Life Day may be November 20th but the recipes in Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook are sure to be a hit no matter the season. This is a “sequel” to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook. Along with a wide range of recipes, each one comes with an interesting backstory […]
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Life Day may be November 20th but the recipes in Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook are sure to be a hit no matter the season. This is a “sequel” to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook. Along with a wide range of recipes, each one comes with an interesting backstory […]
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