JanineThrossel.com

"Happiness is a warm puppy." --Charles M. Schulz

Hey, today I hit 1,000 views.  So, how about a giveaway? How about 1,000 pennies worth of credit at Bath and Body Works? (No worries, I'll do the math for ya. . . $10.00) I would like to mail a gift card to one of you, so enter NOW! :) You could start filling your home with the scents of pumpkin-cinnamon, pumpkin-marshmallow, pumpkin-pecan, pumpkin caramel latte. . . or "Sweater Weather,"which is, apparently, a scent. You can get three mini candles for $10 now online, so who knows what kinds of deals you might find in the actual store? Enter between now and October 3rd, midnight in the Pacific Time Zone. Open to any of you in the 50 US States and with a special consideration to my friends in SCZ, Bolivia, because I still haven't mailed that package. . .   SO, if any of my friends in Santa Cruz de la Sierra win this giveaway, let me know what you want to buy with your $10 and I will try to pick it up for you and ship it down. Any questions? Let...

So, last night, my husband and I went to see the film, "The Identical."   It is the story of two twin boys, separated at birth.   One is raised by his financially strapped biological parents.   The other is raised in a middle class minister's family.   The pastor wants his adopted son to follow in his footsteps, but the son doesn't want to.   Both boys have incredible voices and charisma on stage as musicians and the one who stayed with his biological parents has become a huge star, along the lines of Elvis Presley.   As I was saying in a previous post, more feature films are being made in Christian circles lately, a trend I find fascinating.   Some I've loved and some I didn't.    Opinions are like elbows, as the saying goes.   I have mine; you have yours.   But if you're wanting to hear someone else's opinion before you shell out the cash to watch a flick. . . I don't mind giving you mine.  Opinion, that is.  Y...

I love the beach.  I've been from the rugged coasts of Northern California, to the inlets of Washington State, to the warm white sand in Florida and the sparkling black sand of Costa Rica.  LOVE the beach.  Perhaps that is why these 17 beaches caught my eye.  Check out   www.boredpanda.com/unusual-beaches/ Here is a preview, before you click the link! Look at that purple sand! (picture from www.boredpanda.com)

Did you go to the movies last weekend?   If so, what’d you see?   Guardians of the Galaxy ?   When the Game Stands Tall?   The Giver ?   Not too many years ago, Christians complained that their faith and moral standards weren’t fairly represented on the silver screen. The ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s were nothing like the golden era of The 10 Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959) and The Robe (1953). I wasn't alive in the 1950s, although I did eventually see The 10 Commandments and Ben-Hur with my parents.   I do remember a few big-screen Christian hits, though. My childhood was marked by The Cross and the Switchblade , Joni , The Hiding Place , A Thief in the Night (how terrifying was that one, by the way?), and Jesus .   The 1980s brought the beautiful film Chariots of Fire and the Robert DeNiro picture, The Mission .   Prince of Egypt was delivered to us by Dreamworks in the 1990s, and got rave reviews.   But you have t...

California is known as the Golden State, famous for its sunshine.   But the past three years have brought more sunshine than we're used to.   The entire state is now reported as being in a serious drought.   In fact, more than 50% of the state is listed as being in the top-level category of "exceptional" drought.   Some communities have already run out of water.   Lakes and rivers are low. Wildfires are burning, with 216 reported in just one week.   A fire has even been burning in beloved Yosemite National Park, reknown for its world-class waterfalls.   Last month, California decided on a first-ever statewide rationing program that fines people who use water inappropriately.   Before any panic ensues, that basically means the following: 1. No spraying off your concrete driveway or walkways. 2.   No washing your car without a hose shut-off valve. 3.   No oversaturating your lawn until the water runs off into the street. 4....

And the winner is. . . . . Jon! Congratulations!! I will try to get that out to you this week. Thanks for participating!