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Carmex Healing Lotion Review

Posted by Professor on December 1, 2010
in Personal Care Products

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

product image

I was very excited about trying this product because I LOVE Carmex lip salve. However, I was NOT expecting the hand cream to smell like the lip salve. The product boasts a “pleasant” scent. The scent is only pleasant if you like the “Carmex” smell. Needless to say I only tried this once and did find it lived up to its non-greasy raves. I ended up giving the product to my husband to use for a few weeks because he did not mind the smell, in fact he rather liked the scent. He noted that the cream was one of the better feeling creams he has used (he is a hand cream addict) and will continue to use this brand in the future!

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Movie Review Monday- Bringing Up Bobby

Posted by Bobbie Gould on November 29, 2010
in DVDs & CDs, Movie Review Monday, Movies

Our family really enjoyed Bringing Up Bobby. It is the type of movie to watch when you just want to laugh. It was silly in places, but it tickled our funny bones. I got just as much fun out of watching my family laugh as I did the movie. The trailers for Bringing Up Bobby make it look more silly than it really is. It’s a nice movie with a realistic plot about the realities of family life, where family members are sinners and don’t always get along. It’s about a family who loves each other deeply but get side tracked by the will of their parents. It is also about what real friendship is all about – sticking with a friend through the thick and ugly days, as well as the upbeat good days.

Another important aspect of Bringing Up Bobby, is Bobby himself who is a teenager on the path of discovering who he is and what he believes.

See more about this family friendly movie here: http://bringingupbobbymovie.com/

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Bringing up Bobby ~ A DVD Movie Review

Posted by Professor on November 28, 2010
in DVDs & CDs, Movies

Bringing Up Bobby was a very entertaining movie. The movie revolves around the Wyler family and their ups and downs of family life. The head of the Wyler is James (big brother and surrogate parent) who trusts in God for help in raising his three siblings. There are some great events within the film, including Bobby’s 16^th birthday, which make the film enjoyable. I enjoyed that the filmmakers were able to present the Gospel in such a way to make it enjoyable and believable, while using real life circumstances. The movie has a solid theme and is cute for the whole family!

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Christmas at Harrington’s – Revell Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on November 20, 2010
in Books

Once again, Revell surprised me. I wasn’t expecting such an endearing Christmas story from the description they sent to me. I loved this little novel, which was less than 200 pages long. It was a story of love, hope and forgiveness.

I loved the emphasis on new beginnings and second chances for the main character, Lena Markham. Her circumstances such as they were – penniless, friendless – reminded me of what some homeless or hard hit individuals must go through.

This past week my husband and oldest daughter volunteered at a food pantry passing out food for a couple of hours. The needs are great not only in the lives of the people going to the mission for food, but also for the food pantry itself. Did you know that families only receive one roll of toilet paper per week? Could your family be so frugal to only use a roll of TP in one week?

Lena Markham was a needy character who had lost her faith in people and in God. When she started her new job, as Mrs. Santa at Harrington’s department store, she met new people who loved her for who she was; she slowly regained ground in the trust department and her heart began to soften as she chose to help others and be the person she was meant to be. I wonder how many lives we could touch for good if we just chose to look beyond a person’s circumstance, appearance or even first impressions? After all, we can’t get to know a person if they are holding back their true self out of the desire to protect themselves.

Lena finds the change she’s looking for and even reveals her true character, yet would that be enough to sustain her new life? When I discovered the answer to this question, I turned the page to realize I had just finished Christmas at Harrington’s. Melody Carlson left me wanting more. I wanted to know the rest of the story – how all the different circumstances played out and what was next for Lena and the rest of the characters. I was left wanting to know if Melody is planning to write a sequel to this book! Please Melody write a sequel. 😉

Christmas at Harrington’s is an inspiring story that not only focuses on the true meaning of Christmas, which is the greatest gift of all, but also what it means to truly give a person a second chance.

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Plantronics Voyager Pro Review

Posted by html404 on November 18, 2010
in Product Guides 2010, Technology/Electronics

It’s been a long time since we had our Back to School product guide, however, we still have this one last product that we need to write up a review about – the Plantronics Voyager Pro. You have to be careful about these phone accessories because they all are not necessarily compatible with all phones. This was the case with us. Then we decided to get new phones with a new carrier and bingo, the Plantronics Voyager is now compatible with my new phone.

While I don’t consider myself tech savvy, I can usually manage to figure most things out for myself over time. I found that setting up the Plantronics Voyager, which is simply an expensiveBluetooth ear piece that allows you to talk on your cell phone handsfree, took me a day or so to understand how this thing worked and I still have not quite figured out one aspect to it that was installed on my laptop.

That said I thought the Plantronics Voyager Pro was very nice, had good sound, and fairly easy to use once set up. However, for it’s fancy price of $199.95, I thought that it should stay behind my ear better than it does. I wear glasses so because the arm of my glasses sets behind my ear causing the Plantronics ear piece to not set well on top of it. Any slight movement and the Plantronics Pro pops out of place. I have been disappointed and the ear piece has been sitting in the pocket of my shoulder bag ever since. So much for keeping up with technology, eh? But I cannot be fiddling with the ear piece trying to get it to stay in place while driving or typing for that matter. It just isn’t safe or productive use of my time.

Plantronics Voyager Pro UC Retail Price $199.95

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Emily’s Chance – Revell Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on October 30, 2010
in Books

Emily’s Chance was an easy read and fairly decent story. In my opinion though, it is a typical romance novel in that boy meets girl and boy and girl get married, with a sprinkling of hope and healing in between. Pretty predicatable.

What I liked about this book was the female lead was not too big for her britches. Even though she was wealthy, she chose to live beneath her means so as not to stand out but be a so-called normal person. She had learned that certain social circles, like the one her wealthy parents frequented, were quite often more about appearances than about what mattered most in life.

I enjoyed how Emily learned that a loving family can exist after growing up in a family who did not love one another and was somewhat “disfunctional”. I loved the protrayal of good relationships with the grandparents, the community the town enjoyed and that Chance and Emily were willing to give up their dreams because of their love for one another.

I didn’t really learn any new spiritual lessons. The spiritual lessons shared with the pages of this book were reminders of what is important in life – family, good relationships, community.

“Available October 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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10 Tips for Planning a Great Bridal Shower

Posted by html404 on October 25, 2010
in Gift Ideas

Faith and Family Reviews received a $100 gift code for writing this post through Brandfluential. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product, as are our sponsored posts.

Fall weddings are beautiful. Well, weddings are beautiful any time of the year, aren’t they? In this post, I’d like to share 10 tips for planning a great bridal shower.

1.) Decide whether or not you are planning a surprise shower or will the bride be informed of this special party in her honor.

2.) Choose a theme. Themed showers are very popular these days and make planning fun. Themes may be according to the brides interests, the host’s or a combination. Theme ideas include: Hawaiian (especially if the bride and groom are going to Hawaii on their honeymoon) or any other country the couple may be visiting, or perhaps a room theme like a Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom etc. This is just the tip of the iceberg and truly the sky is the limit on what the theme could be.

3.) Choose a location. This is very important, as you want to choose a convenient location for most of the attendees as well as have enough room for everyone.

4.) Make a list of guests. Usually the guest list includes close friends and families, but more often than not whole groups of people, like the church the bride and groom attend, will be invited as well.

5.) Order invitations. Once you have your theme and how many guests to invite, it’s time to choose and order bridal shower invites. You can incorporate photos, customize or personalize these invitations to make them look exactly how you want them to. Once you receive the bridal shower invites, all you have to do is send them and wait for the RSVPs to roll in.

5.) Plan activities, games and prizes.

6.) Prepare a menu. Once you decide on the menu then you will have to choose a caterer or shop, cook and bake from scratch. Be sure to recruit some help if you are expecting a large crowd.

7.) Shop for decorations, game and prizes supplies. Quite often the host of the shower will gather information and photos of the bride and groom so that those who are only acquaintances can become more acquainted with the couple, their families, how they met and became engaged.

8.) Set up and decorate. Make sure there is sufficient space for gifts, coats, hats and purses.

9.) Choose a greeter. Have someone greet the guests and put their name in a hat or bowl for a random gift drawing.

10.) Lastly, but certainly not least, have fun and make sure to get lots and lots of pictures!

A bridal shower is a time for the bride-to-be to relax and surround herself with good friends and family. If you were planning a bridal shower, what things would you do to make the day spectacular for the bride to be?

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Code Triage

Posted by html404 on October 13, 2010
in Books

Dr. Leigh Stathos is an ER doctor who loves her work – “Treat ’em and street ’em” – without any emotional attachments. The hard knocks of life had taught her that nothing lasts forever, including her marriage to San Francisco police officer, Nick Stathos. Time is running out for the young couple’s marriage when an act of violence forces Golden Gate Mercy Hospital into a lockdown. As the Stathos manuever their way through the maze of events that rock their world, will their marriage survive Leigh’s confrontation with “the other woman”?

Code Triage is another one of those books that make you take a good look at your marriage and cause you to wonder just what it can survive. This book not only me made go through all the emotions Dr. Leigh Stathos went through, but also those of her husband, sister and patients. The whole gammit and the whole range of emotions of a broken heart.

Candance Calvert kept me on the edge of my seat as I read her book waiting for the whole story to unfold. I loved the faith Nick Stathos exhibited and empathized with him as he struggled to hang onto his marriage. I hurt with Leigh as she struggled through a wounded heart. It was really difficult for me to embrace “the other woman” who seemed bent on being a destructive force in more than just two lives.

If you like hospital drama and police action intertwined with romance then you’ll like Code Triage.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

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The Waiting – Revell Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on October 12, 2010
in Books

Jorie King has been waiting for her beau, Benjamin Zook, to return home to Lancaster County so they can marry. But when news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie finds comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. That friendship ripens into love, and it seems that they are meant to be together. But when the unexpected happens, their worlds are turned upside down once more.

I bawled my eyes out while reading this book and I cannot even blame it on pregnancy hormones! There were humorous moments too, as both humor and tears is what makes a great book in my humble opinion. This story was filled with many of life’s complexities and reveals that the Amish are not immune to suffering and hardships. What it does reveal is their fortitude in life’s trials.

I love reading about the Amish. Their lifestyle, community and family life intrigue me.

The Waiting is one of those books that makes the Amish people’s faith, community and willingness to forgive stand out above what I am use to experiencing. Because the Amish possess these traits they are better able to withstand life’s troubles when they come their way. Grant it, this book is a work of fiction, but it is based on who the Amish are in real life.

Personally, I long for what the Amish have – a close knit community on which to depend through thick and thin. The ability to forgive and be forgiven freely and to love completely without brick walls of emotional barriers being in the way of trusting, godly friendships is a rare gift. A gift The Waiting shows is possible with endurance, more forgiveness and love we are capable of in and of ourselves. It is our relationship with God that makes or breaks our relationships with others.

This was a wonderful story that I recommend as a good read. Thanks, Suzanne!

“Available October 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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The House on Malcolm Street – Revell Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on October 9, 2010
in Books

The House on Malcolm Street is a novel. It isn’t so much a romance novel, although there is a little of that included, just not with the main character so much. Leisha Kelly has written an endearing story of a woman, Leah Breckenridge, her losses, her relationships and her healing.

Leah learns the value of relationships through a godly aunt who takes her invites Leah to visit. Not only that but she heals as she faces her “demons” and starts trusting again.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a great story. So often life’s tragedies are exactly what teaches us the value of relationships. It is easy to go through life with severed relationships, sometimes that is the healthiest and safest in certain cases, but the majority of the time relationships can and should be mended. Carrying bitterness or anger around is very unhealthy for all involved – spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. With God’s help, we heal ourselves when we heal a broken relationship with a family member, friend or with God Himself.

“Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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