12 Days Schedule of Events & Holiday Wishes

December is here! Though many of us may have begun holiday preparation's before today, December first is the day that we truly feel the countdown to the holiday season.

This year for 12 Days I want to celebrate the joy of creativity, finding calm in the midst of busy times and the joy of Holiday Children's books.

Every Day during the event I will be posting a review of a Children's book I think would make a great gift.

I also will have gift guides, Holiday Movie Reviews and a giveaway!

I also will be taking time to read some magazines. Holiday magazines are one of my greatest pleasures. So I will be spotlighting some great issues that are on the stands. One of my favorite magazines lately is this one:

Flow is a little bit of a splurge but it's totally worth it. The magazine is from Holland so it's $22.50 in American dollars. The entire magazine is in English though. Flow describes itself as a magazine for paper lovers. 

The magazine is also about slowing down and bringing more balance to your life. The magazine has tons of beautiful inserts like stickers, little journals and much more. 

If you would like a sample of some of flows content there is a free app you can download from Google Play or I tunes:

           Learn more about flow HERE

Holiday Wishes

This year I want to have a very low key holiday. I won't be travelling but I want to explore some local attractions: Used Bookstores, museums, local gardens and more. I'm also going to see Star Wars : The Force Awakens many, many times!! So what's your Holiday Wishes?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Days Gift Suggestion :The New Small Person by Lauren Child

I picked up this book because of the racially diverse children on the cover but I fell in love with it because of the art and story. In this story we meet Elmore Green who is enjoying his life as a single child.

Then one day a New Small Person enters his life. All of sudden Elmore's parent's have less time for him. Half of Elmore's room is soon sacrificed to the New Small Person as well as his toys and even his bed.

Lauren does a great job of capturing the spirit of young siblings in this book and it was wonderful watching the two characters relationships blossom into true brotherhood.

A really great read for families welcoming a new child into their home.

Star Wars Memories :1 The First Time

                                        Star Wars Memories

In Seventeen days my life will changeonce again when I sit in the theater to watch this:

Star Wars changed my life. It was and still is one of the great passions of my life. As we come closer to the release of Episode 7 I will share a memory of how Star Wars has affected my life. 

                                                  The First Time
I can't remember how I first heard about Star Wars. Maybe a Television spot or an ad in the paper. Around the corner from me was a one screen theater and once it was playing there I I went immediately. What made this theater so special to me was that I could walk to it from my house without crossing the street. The one rule I had from my summer rambles was that I wasn't allowed to cross the street by myself :) On the first Saturday afternoon of it's opening my two friends and I walked to the theater. We grabbed seats front and center along with a big bag of popcorn and sweets. From the moment the screen darkened and that iconic scroll began, the popcorn became largely ignored.  I was enraptured. Once the lights came up again I wanted nothing more than to see the movie again. My friends however weren't as deeply affected as I was. Sure they enjoyed the film but it didn't touch them like it had me. That next Sunday and every free day I had before school started I waked to the theater and sat through as many showings as possible.  Star Wars opened the door to my Science Fiction fandom. There is something so welcoming about the story and characters. Though meeting  them for the first time each character has mythic elements that endear them to the viewer right away. For a child raised on Disney films and the stories of King Arthur it was easy to fall into a passion for Star Wars. To this day I have the same thrill when I sit and watch Episode IV. Tomorrow I will talk about  bringing the galaxy home. What about you guys? What are your Star Wars memories about the first time you saw it?