Little Women (BBC) Review

I still remember watching the theatrical release of Little Women, starring Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon, when it came out in theaters. The story immediately endeared itself to me and has long since been a classic favorite. Perhaps I was able to relate because I and my sisters grew up, much like the March girls, having a simple life filled with love.

For those not familiar with the original story (if you are, feel free to skip this paragraph), Little Women follows the March family, especially daughter and aspiring author Jo, through the joys and sorrows of growing up, and the turmoils of love and loss. It is set in the northern United States during the American Civil War, and features an array of memorable characters, scenes and settings. Whether you are interested in the movies or not, I can't recommend the book enough.

There have been several adaptations of Lousa May Alcott's classic over the years, some of which I have seen- many, I'm sure, I have not. Eventually, I did read the book which shot it's way to one of my favorite books of all time. As usual, after having read the story, I realized there were some things the movie didn't portray- which is fine, you can only do so much in a two hour time frame, but I always appreciate it when a studio like BBC comes along and does justice to the original work.

So when my best bud tells me I should watch this new (2017/18) Little Women miniseries, of course I was up for it! This production is divided into three approximately one hour parts, which makes it easy to watch over the course of a couple days (or if you're me, over the course of one sleepy afternoon). And, my Great Aunt March, was it good! Of course, sacrifices still had to be made and not every scrap of perfection from the book made its way into this series, but the creators did a fantastic job of staying true to the spirit of the original story. The heart, warmth, and intimacy of Alcott's charming story is all here, portrayed through a lovely cast, including the wonderful Emily Watson as "Marmee".

I always appreciate it when filmmakers respect the intelligent property they are working with, and I offer a heartfelt thanks to director Vanessa Casswill and all the BCC Masterpeace Theater team behind this series, for doing just that. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This series didn't pretend to be anything it wasn't, it didn't dilute its depth and artistry by trying to shoehorn in a forced political agenda, but conveyed its message naturally and easily.

I know there is another Little Women movie in the works with some pretty big names attached to it and, while I will watch and hopefully enjoy it, I can't imagine it will surpass what this adaptation has already achieved- if not perfection, a keen familiarity with and fondness for the work upon which it is based.

Good Morning Life

Hello to all!

It's been a little while since my last post. Life sort of threw a wrench into things- or maybe a lot of little wrenches, and this blog fell to the wayside. But the important thing is that we get back up if life slaps us down like a ferocious cat.

The fact is, I don't feel like getting back up. I don't feel like doing anything. But I'm gonna do stuff. The problem is, I sometimes look at the big picture and think, "Gosh, how can I accomplish this?" but the fact is, things get done in steps. If we make clear goals then take actions to bring us closer to those goals, we will eventually find that we have met or exceeded them.

So, yes, it's a new year and people are all about changing and resolutions. My best friend and I fill out a book every New Years with our hopes for the future and what we accomplished the previous year. This year we decided, "Hey, instead of saying 'I have to do this thing', let's just say, 'Hey, I'm going to work on doing this thing'." And we are working on "doing things". We had a great idea for a podcast last night, so we're going to get some mics and when the kids are sleeping or my husband is watching them, we're going to record. It might not be perfect, but it's a step toward achieving our goals.

So, maybe that's your takeaway for today- don't try to solve the whole problem at once, break it down into steps. You might get it wrong from time to time, that's okay, just go back and work at it until you get it right. Life is all about grace and growth.

So, that's all, just wanted to say, "Hey, I'm still here."

Until next time, bye.

5 Habits of the Wise

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

My husband and I played a game called Wisdom of Solomon last night. The rules state that the wisest player is to go first. Since it may not be wise to debate who is the wisest between you and your spouse, I opted to roll a die instead. But, this has me thinking, what makes one wise? Let's take a lesson from the wisest man in history and the inspiration for our game, King Solomon.

The word "wise" appears 66 times in the book of Proverbs, the word "wisdom" another 54 times. I'm not going to talk about all of those, but we are going to glean from them some key insights as to what we should do to cultivate wisdom in ourselves.

1. Listen before you speak

This might be the most obvious, but Proverbs has a lot to say about the wisdom of listening before we voice our thoughts. How many arguments could we avoid if we would really listen to what the other person is saying and take the time to understand their point of view before jumping to conclusions? When we do speak, we should speak from a place of love and understanding where the other person is coming from .

Key verses:

Pro 10:19 - In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

Pro 12:18 - There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

Pro 14:3 - In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

Pro 15:2 - The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

Pro 17:28 - Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Pro 29:11 - A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

2. Be correctable

It can be a battle to keep our pride in check and receive correction and instruction, but the fact is, sometimes we are wrong, or sometimes we just don't know the answer. It is wise to know when to admit that, accept it, and adjust accordingly.

Key verses:

Pro 8:33 - Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

Pro 9:9 - Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. 

Pro 10:8 - The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.

Pro 10:14 - Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

Pro 13:1 - A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

Pro 15:31 - The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.

Pro 19:20 - Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Pro 21:11 - When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

Pro 22:17 - Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

3. Be diligent 

Giving up is so easy, but according to Proverbs the wise will persevere. If we are to be successful in life, we're going to need to stick with some things and see them through. 

Key verses:

Pro 6:6 - Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

 Pro 10:5 - He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

Pro 14:1 - Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

4. Seek the best for others

Wisdom isn't a hoarder. Share the joy you have in Christ with others, not out of pride or a need to be right, but out of love and a desire for their greatest good.

Pro 11:30 - The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Pro 25:12 - As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

Pro 29:8 - Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.

5. Seek counsel 

If we shut the counsel of others out we are in danger of creating our own doctrine within our own four walls. Without checks and balances it is very easy to be wise in our own eyes. The fact is, sometimes we are the last ones to see our own faults, let alone know how to correct them. The wise will seek counsel from those they respect and can trust to give a hard but honest opinion. Without this, we will not grow.

Pro 1:5 - A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

Pro 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Pro 13:20 - He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Pro 15:12 - A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise.

Pro 18:15 - The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

Pro 24:6 - For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 26:12 - Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

As I was doing this study it occurred to me that all of these attributes of the wise have one thing in common: humility. Pride is the enemy of the wise and we need to keep a sharp eye out for it, because it is a subtle enemy indeed. I don't pretend to be the wisest of all- well, okay, sometimes I do pretend to be, but I don't presume to be. Sometimes my wisdom falls short, and at such times I'm grateful for the manifold wisdom of the proverbs. 

I hope you found this week's 5 list encouraging as well. Until next time, have a blessed week.

5 Bible Passages to help us Stop Worrying

For many, the holidays are a stressful time. For some, life itself is stressful enough with its cares and burdens, with or without the holidays.

So, during this time of celebrating peace and thankfulness with our friends and family, let's refresh our focus, commit our cares to God and purpose to rest in His grace.

Here are five passages from scripture which I hope you will find encouraging, wherever you may find yourself today.


1. Psalm 29:11

"The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace."

The famous poetic book of Psalms is no stranger to the word "peace". Translated from the Hebrew "shalowm", this word "peace" has rich meaning, beyond its more two-dimensional view in English. The word means completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. It is God's blessing to us, and our blessing to each other. To this day "Shalom" is a common greeting among Jews and even some non-Jews. You could say it's the Hebrew equivalent of the Sanskrit "Namaste", but for those of us who believe on Jesus Christ, it goes beyond a mere greeting and serves as an invigorating reminder of our Prince of Peace, and the price He paid to bring us freedom from bondage to sin.


2. Matthew 6:31-34

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

This passage from Jesus' "Sermon on the mount" is rich with reminders of God's "shalom" blessing to us. Completeness. Here, too, we find the key in the answer to the question, "How do I stop worrying?": "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." While it's not wrong to work so that you can provide for yourself and your family, our number one priority is to be seeking the kingdom of God- if our focus has derailed then we've probably found ourselves in the midst of catastrophe. Take a moment to reset your mind. Get back on track, find peace with God through prayer and meditation on His word and you will begin to see God's hands at work.


3. Luke 10:40-42

"But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Here's a practical example of seeking the Kingdom first, and a passage particularly befitting the holiday cares. Martha was miffed that her sister wasn't helping her serve their guests while Jesus taught in their home. She takes the issue to Jesus who reminds her of where her focus should be- invest your time in the eternal, not the temporal cares of life. It wasn't wrong of Martha to serve their guests, but Jesus knew His time to be there and teach would be short and Mary wanted to soak that teaching up while she had the opportunity. Martha could have done the same- their guests weren't there to eat and drink, they were there to listen to the Son of God. Don't forget to take your moment each day to be still and listen to the voice of God. Yes, we have responsibilities we should not neglect, but peace comes when God comes first.


4. Philippians 4:6

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

The phrase "be careful" here is from the Greek "merimnaō" which means "to be anxious". There is a difference between planning and thinking about something, and being anxious about something. When you find yourself overwhelmed and responsibility becomes anxiety, turn to God and ask for His help in the situation. After all, one of His many names is Jehovah Shalom. The Lord our Peace.

5. John 14:27

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Finally, here is the promise left us by Jesus: "I am giving you peace, do not let your heart worry." No matter what is going on around us, no matter what evil reports we are faced with, no matter how much work needs to be done, no matter the state of our bank account- let not your heart be troubled. May we remember this always.

I hope you found these verses encouraging. There are many others I could have shared, but what are some of your favorites?

Until next time, Shalom.

5 Cozy movies to watch when the weather chills

This crisp weather makes you want to grab grandma's afghan and crawl onto the couch with a warm cuppa and a cozy movie. While Netflix will undoubtedly play host to an invading hoard of sappy Christmas love stories (which I will watch without shame or remorse), here are some not-necessarily-Christmas movies that I like to pull out when the cold weather attacks.


 1. You've Got Mail (1998)

If you haven't seen this movie, stop whatever it is you're doing and go watch it. You've Got Mail is the I Ching. The sum of all wisdom. The answer to any question (if you haven't seen it, then you don't get that quote, but don't worry, you will, because you're about to watch it, right? Riiiight?). This movie abounds in coziness because why? A) It's set in New York city, and somehow the movie industry manages to make the yuckiest city in the country cozy; B) Thanksgiving AND Christmas take place during the movie; C) Coffee and books. D) Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. That is all you need to know.



2. Little Women (1994)

You could watch any of the wonderful Little Women films that have come out over the years, but the one I grew up with that is most dear to my heart is the Winona Ryder version, even if it got some things from the book wrong. This film makes you feel like you're wrapped in a warm sweater by the fireplace darning socks with "Marmy". You will not find a cozier wintertime cozy than Little Women.



3. Emma (1996)

Winter probably isn't the first thing you think of when you remember Gwyneth Paltrow's matchmaking mayhem in Emma, but Jane Austen is for all seasons. I chose this one because there is a scene in which the coziest feathery snow falls during a memorable Christmas party. This little gem deserves more attention than it gets with it's hilariously quotable moments and memorable characters. 



4. The Holiday (2006)

After watching The Holiday for the first time I re-watched it immediately afterwards. It was surprisingly fresh and so, so good! You don't get much cozier than a snow dusted English cottage and Christmas fettuccine! Not to mention, anything with Kate Winslet automatically makes you feel at home, though I chose this film over Titanic because we don't typically associate freezing to death with cozy...

I do need to throw a caveat out that this is the one PG-13 film on my list so there are non kid-friendly moments, though nothing too explicit. 



5. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

The  Disney cartoon, not their live action atrocity. I would argue that this is probably the coziest of all the golden era Disney films, if only because Beast has a fireplace bigger than my living room. And the scene where they drink porridge? And the library when the sun bursts through the windows! Snowball fights! Yes, if one cartoon makes the list, it's this one.


Obviously, there are so many films I could have put on this list, but I limited myself to just five. And these are simply my five, you may not agree- but that's what the comment feature is for! What are your favorite wintertime cozy movies? Remember I'm not talking specifically about Christmas films (perhaps that will be a list for another day), but movies that sort of set the tone for cozy wintertime snuggles. 

Until next week, stay warm!

5 Fun, Easy Games for Book Lovers

You knew I had to talk about games sooner or later! Here is a list of 5 great games I think anyone who appreciates books might enjoy.

1. Bring Your Own Book

This game has been a huge hit with everyone I've introduced it to. If you've played the game Apples to Apples it's similar, but gives the plays more freedom because of one awesome twist: each player is using their own book to find the answers to the card prompts. So, I might flip a card that says "A superhero's catchphrase", then all the other players would scramble to look for the best word or series of words they think match that prompt. Once all answers have been read, the current judge picks a favorite answer giving the player who gave it a card, then game play continues with players rotating turns as judge. The game ends once a certain number of cards (depending on how many are playing) have been won by a single player. 

What makes this game great is that you can use any book- cook books, children's books, Shakespeare, and create a unique experience every time.

2. Knit Wit (bonus: this is also a great game for knitters!)

Most people are probably familiar with the classic party game Scattergories, which is a good game in its own right, but for this list I wanted to choose titles you might not be familiar with. The only downside to Scattergories is that, after playing it most of my life, the lists are over familiar to me, even thought they've added a few over the years, whereas in Knit Wit the list of words you create are going to be a little different each game.

Here's how it works: players are given loops of colored string attached to a clothespin, and a numbered spool. During a round each player will draw a card with a word on it, this card will be attached to their loop with the clothespin and laid out on the table so that it intersects, in some way, with a string that has been previously placed, then the player will place their spool within any loop created by the strings. In the end, each numbered spool will be associated with several different colored strings with different words attached to them, so because spool 4 has the words "tired, yucky and beautiful" attached to it, you need to write something down that you think is "tired, yucky, and beautiful". Answers are compared and, if identical to other players' answers, crossed off, or scored if unique. It sounds confusing but it's the type of game that makes sense as you play it and once people see how it works a good time is had by all!

3. Once Upon a Time: The Storytelling Card Game

A hilarious storytelling card game in which players are given a hand of cards and a secret End card. One player starts the story by laying a card on the table which will depict a thing or an action which they must include in the beginning of their story. Other players can interrupt the story by playing the right card at the right time and try to direct it toward their own personal ending. The first player to play all of their cards and end the story with their "Happily Ever After" card wins the game. 

This game can get out of hand, but in a good way. It's not the sort of game you should play if you want the most skilled player to win, it's more of an activity you do when you want to have a good, silly time. It also plays quickly, so there's a good chance you'll play several times in one sitting!

4. Hardback (or Paperback)

In Hardback you're writers competing to finish your books and score the most points! You do this by playing cards with letters on them to make words, which will score you points or help you earn money to buy more cards, to make better words. Each player will start the game with their own deck of 10 cards. From that deck they draw five cards each turn and play those cards to make a word. As you acquire new cards your personal deck gets better and you are able to create higher scoring words.

Hardback is actually the sequel to a game called Paperback, but since Hardback is the one I've played, it's the one I wanted to talk about. If you are new to this type of game, then Paperback might be a better one to start with because I've heard it's the easiest to play of the two.

5. Rory's Story Cubes

Story Cubes are more of a fun activity than a game, but I wanted to mention them here because you can buy them just about anywhere. These are dice with each side showing a picture. Players roll the dice then tell a story based on what is rolled. There are different ways to play and lots of different sets of dice you can buy, so the potential for hours of silly fun is high. There is also a board game that uses these dice called Untold: Adventures Await, which I haven't played yet, but it looks great! 

What about you? What are your favorite "Writelicious" games? Have you played any of the games I mentioned? Let me know in the comments! 

5 Tips for Editing Your Book

There are two types of editing: story editing and technical editing (I don't know if those are the official terms, they're just my terms). Story editing is when you go over your work and make sure the story makes sense- cut scenes, add scenes, clarify scenes, fix dialogue; it's likely you'll do that step several times before your book is ready for technical editing. By "technical editing" I mean going over the grammar, spelling, layout, etc.

For our book, my buddy and I did our own editing and self published. Next time, we might hire someone to do the technical editing because, while we're confident in our writing, we're not pros when it comes to grammar. Even after reviewing things multiple times, typos still made their way through.

But whatever editing you intend to do on your own book, I've learned a few tips that I hope you will find helpful. Here they are:


1. Just dew et!

Editing is like the cleanup after the party. You had your fun writing the story, and now it's time to get your hands dirty. Not so fun. But it doesn't have to be a terrible experience, and if your book really is good, you might even enjoy re-reading your scenes a dozen times (or at least not get too sick of them). But the bottom line is, it needs to be done. You need to make sure this story makes sense. It's easy to put this step off because it's not the fun part, so I'm going to tell you right now, don't do what I've been doing with one of my novels for the last few years-- JUST EDIT.

2. Decide whether you want to do technical editing yourself or hire someone else to do it

I can tell you that after realizing how much work it is to self-publish and polish that final draft, it might be worth it to pay for an editing service or hire a friend or professional (depending on your budget) to do it. So decide what you want to do, and if you decide to do it yourself, it's still a good idea to have a friend (or several friends) look it over in case you missed something, because it's easy to overlook things when you're familiar with the story. Not comfortable sharing your work with others? Refer to tip 5 below.

3. Triple check, then check again

After you've fleshed out the details, get out your fine comb and check again. You will be surprised how many times both of us missed an obvious typo. We're all human and perfection isn't easily achieved, but try to be as thorough as you reasonably can.

4. Work as you are able-- make the most of your time

I have found that for me, I can get a lot done if I just leave my project in plain sight and chip away at it as I am able, but I can get even more done when I sit down for a day and focus. The point is, always try to do something- remember what I said in the writing article? Anything is better than nothing. Your goal should always be to progress, whether it's a few steps or a few miles. It's okay to miss a day now and then, but don't give up, you worked hard for this, now see it through!

5. Let others read your work

Writing comes from our souls and bares a part of us that is vulnerable. As such, it can be difficult to share this most precious piece of ourselves with others initially. But if you intend to share this book with the world someday, it's a good idea to share your finished (or semi-finished) work with a peer first. See how the book makes them feel, get their thoughts. Your first readers don't have to know how to write or what makes a good book -most people don't know why they like or dislike something, so find out how it makes them feel. Take feedback with a grain of salt, of course, because we all have differing opinions, but do consider all criticism and accept it. If you want to be successful you have to be able to take negative opinions and use them constructively.

Whatever you do, enjoy the journey, be true to yourself, and dream big.