Book Review: The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The stories of four women during the Masada massacre in 70 C.E.  According to history, only two women and five children survived the Roman attack.  This is a fictional story from the Dovekeepers' point of view of how the events leading up to that horrific day took place.

I liked the descriptions and some of the relationships between characters.  I had a hard time connecting with any of the women though, they just didn't seem like real people to me.  It was graphic at times and littered with scenes of these "bold, resourceful, and sensuous" women in situations I just simply could not believe, at that time period, they would have acted that way.  It was almost like the author took the ideal modern version of today's woman and threw her into the 70 C.E. world.  I can see some of them being bold in life threatening situations and definitely resourceful... you had to be back then to survive.  The sensuous vibe was just too much, not realistic at all and created a disconnect with me as a reader.  It made the characters more fictional to me than real life.

I did enjoy the cultural references, descriptions were vivid and clear, and there were a few aspects of the story that I really enjoyed. 2.5 stars, not really interested in reading more from this author unless I get a recommendation from a friend.



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Angry Birds Game (Life Size)

Recently, I was in charge of a large activity for the youth of our church.  The 14 and 15 year old girls and I decided to do an Angry Birds night, inspired by THIS and THIS blog.  It was a lot of fun to put together and I think the kids had a good time too.

Reading the scripture trivia questions to earn point for birds to shoot at the other team's structure.

We had a Red Bird team and a Yellow Bird team.  One would be shooting the birds and the other team would build their structure with the pigs.  Then, they would switch roles.  Which ever team had the most points by the end of the night won.

 We asked our ward congregation to donate boxes a couple weeks prior to our event.  We had great response, with more than enough boxes to spare.

Our piggies were balloons with a couple of coins inside (so they wouldn't roll off the boxes) and some taped on faces.

Our sling shot and birds were a water balloon launcher and some kick balls.

It was a little tricky at first, but by the end of the night, we got the hang of the launcher and hit a few pigs down.

At the end of the night, the winning team got their choice of candy bar to take home and then snacks for everyone.  The best part was that everyone pitched at the end to collapse the boxes and hauled them out to the recycle dumpster.  Less than 15 minutes and everything was cleaned up and gone!  A big thanks to everyone to helped, it was a lot of fun!

If you would like more details about this activity, please leave me your questions in the comments section along with a way to contact you.  More than happy to help!

Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl: A Tutorial

I am familiar with T-shirt vinyl or heat transfer vinyl, but I have yet to delve into the world of specialty T-shirt vinyls.  There are patterned, glow in the dark, flocked, and glitter...probably more, but I just don't know about them.  The glitter vinyl sheets are much thicker than regular vinyl, so if you are using a cutting machine, you will have to adjust the blade depth accordingly.

Once you have your image (I cut mine with my Silhouette), how do you get it on the fabric?  Well, you're in luck, cause I took pictures along the way and I will explain it to you.

First off....supplies:

T-shirt vinyl image with plastic still attached

clothing item

clean, cotton cloth (I use my kitchen flour sack towels)

iron and ironing board

 STEP ONE:  Iron your clothing so there are no wrinkles.

 STEP TWO:  Place your vinyl image on your clothing.

Quick tangent:  You want to make sure that you place the vinyl image on correctly.  There is the vinyl image itself (the red, glittery Tootsie Pop Indian in this case) and the plastic sheet that keeps all the pieces of the vinyl grouped together.  There is a sticky side to the plastic and a smooth side.  When you place the image on your clothing to be ironed, you want the sticky side facing DOWN, touching the fabric and the smooth plastic side UP.

The picture above is with the sticky side of the plastic up...DO NOT iron it this way! You will iron the image onto your cotton dish towel instead of your clothing (not that I've learned that from experience or anything, ha!)

 

This picture is with the sticky side down, the correct way to iron it on your clothing.  You can kind of see the sheen of the shiny side of the plastic.

 

 STEP THREE:  Ok, once you've got your image placed where you want it and with the sticky side DOWN, you can place your cotton cloth on top of the image and press the iron firmly down on all the layers.

A few tips:

Turn off the steam on your iron.

Don't use the highest setting on your iron; mine is from 1-6 and I use about a 4, works great.

Press firmly without wiggling the iron around (it could shift your vinyl image) for about 45 seconds.

 

STEP FOUR:  Take off your cotton cloth and let the image cool slightly.  Slowly begin to peel the plastic off.  It should come off easily.  If any part of the vinyl is still sticking to the plastic, place the plastic back down, cover it up again with your cotton cloth, and iron that spot for a little longer.  Try 20 seconds or so and then see if the plastic peels easily.  Repeat as needed.

STEP FIVE:  Once the plastic is off completely, I replace my cotton cloth again and iron it once more for another 30 seconds or so.  It's probably not necessary, but it makes me feel like I'm really "sealing it in".

And that, my friends, is it!  Easy, peasy.  Wash on gentle cycle inside out and dry on low heat.  If any part of the image begins to peel up from the fabric, just get out your trusty cotton cloth, iron, and reapply some heat.  I have had great success with my regular T-shirt vinyl staying on my boys' shirts, they are pretty rough on their clothes too.  We'll see how the glitter vinyl holds up....  I'll let you know after a few washes.

Book Review: Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Before he became Santa Claus, his name was Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman without a care in the world. St. North eventually ends up seeking treasure at the legendary city of Santoff Claussen and the home of the wizard, Ombric Shalazar. But when North arrives, legends of riches have been driven away by terror and nightmares.  Can St. North save the day and find the other Guardians in time?

This was a fantastic book for kids.  I loved the illustrations and the side stories.  It was original and lots of fun.  I love the idea of Santa Claus having a past and eventually becoming who we know him as today.  I'm excited to read the other installments and will perhaps see the movie that is coming out this fall.



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Food!

Homemade Tikka Masala via Pioneer Woman.  This is a new "regular" at our house.  We love it.

 The malt flavor list at one of our new favorite burger joints.  So far, we've tried Creme Brulee, Lime Freeze, Bacon, and Apple Pie.  The Creme Brulee is our favorite so far, divine!

 Garlic fries from the same joint.  Good thing I just ate dinner or I would be starving right now.

Book Review: The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


It's the 1950's in Charlotte, NC and 13 year old Jubie and her family (minus her father and plus their black maid Mary) are on their way to Florida for a family vacation.  On their way, Jubie takes note of increase in segregation and hostilities towards Mary, whom Jubie adores.  The trip does not end well, as manifested in the first couple of chapters, the rest of the book being a flash back of incidences that occur to their family down in Florida and on their way back home. 

I did not like this book at all.  The characters fell flat for me, everyone being one dimensional in their personalities.  Mary was a saint, the dad was a monster, the mom was a complainer, etc.  The book jumped around so much at the end, I didn't know what was the point of all the incidences after they drove through Georgia.  It all seemed a bit far fetched that all of those things (funeral, business law suits, suicide, divorce, etc) would happen so closely together and resulting in the conclusion of the book.  I was told this book was like "The Help", which I loved, and it didn't even come close in my opinion.  I don't object to a sad book that deals with tough issues, but I didn't really see the point in this one.



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Book Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacinda is a draki, a dragon that can change into human form, and there are very few of her kind left on the earth. They are hunted mercilessly and, due to a mistake on Jacinda's part, she and her mother and sister must go into hiding in the human world.  Jacinda is not happy hiding out, but finds solace and romance with Will, a boy that turns out to be the one person she should definitely not fall in love with, for Will is a draki hunter.

I didn't think I would like this book so much by reading the excerpt, assuming it was just another forbidden love/Romeo and Juliet/Twilight copy cat.  It did have those elements at times, but the draki idea was a fresh concept and the author does a good job of describing being a dragon, the feeling of flying, and how much it means to Jacinda.  I could have done with a lot less of the love sick teenager monologue in the middle of the book, and Jacinda's mom really bugged me, but the ending picking things back up for me and I am looking forward to seeing what happens to Jacinda and Will in the upcoming series.  



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