Making the Most Out of the Disney+ Release Date

That's right, it's the day Disney nerds like me have been waiting for for months: the much anticipated release of Disney+.  In case you've been living under a rock and don't know what Disney+ is, it's the streaming service that combines Disney, National Geographic, Marvel and Star Wars all together (along with the Simpsons since Disney recently acquired Fox).  Not only does this house all the Disney, Marvel and Star Wars movies you saw in theatres, it includes the DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movies) movies we grew up with, television shows and a whole host of original content.  It's pretty much a one stop shop for anything Disney, Marvel or Star Wars related.

Since Bryan and I are going to Disney World in February, I'm sure you're expecting me to write about how we're going to prepare for our trip and what Disney movies we want to watch before heading to Florida.  Well, that is something I want to talk about, but not today.  Today I want to just talk about Disney+ as a whole and how to get the most out of this new and exciting streaming experience.

Screenshot of Disney+ homescreen via the app

First, let's start with the homescreen.  It looks shockingly similar to Netflix's homescreen with big name releases scrolling across the top.  As you scroll down, the movies and television shows are broken down into a variety of categories: originals, recommended for you, hit movies, trending, out of the vault (referring to the famed Disney vault), inspired by true stories, etc.  There are about 20 or so different categories, and some movies might find themselves in more than one category.

You can also explore titles based on franchise: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.  By clicking on any of these, you'll be taken to titles just for that franchise, so if you want to watch something Marvel related, all you have to do is click on "Marvel" to get a page that looks like this:

Screenshot of Marvel homepage on Disney+.

One thing Disney has been heavily advertising is the amount of original content that will be available on Disney+.  As of right now, there's definitely some unique specials and movies on there that haven't been seen anywhere else, but the big push that I've been excited for are the television shows for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the new Star Wars series.  The sheer number of both has been amazing, and it's giving both the MCU and Star Wars franchise the opportunity to branch out and fill in many different small stories they wanted to explore but couldn't work into movies.  When it comes to these two major groups, the only thing currently available is The Mandalorian.  For those familiar with the Star Wars franchise, you probably know that infamous Bounty Hunter Boba Fett was a Mandalorian, which is a humanoid race.  Since Boba Fett was a Mandalorian, that means the original clones (eventual Stormtroopers) are also Mandalorians.  This deals with a lone ranger type figure at the outskirts of the galaxy we've come to know and love over the past several decades.  Unlike Netflix, Disney+ is releasing one episode a week for its original content such as this.  I haven't talked to Bryan about when we'll watch this, but we'll most likely wait until the entire series is out and watch it all in a few days (which is what we've done with series in the past).  

When it comes to original Marvel series, there are four planned with tentative release dates.  Unfortunately, the earliest one will be released is next fall (Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which follows Bucky and Sam Wilson after Steve's decision to pass along the Captain America shield and stay in the past with Peggy).  The MCU will also expand with WandaVision in spring of 2021, which is the one I'm probably the most excited about, as Scarlet Witch is one of my favorite characters, and I love her with Vision.  Around the same time, Loki will premiere, which will follow our favorite god of mischief (played by Tom Hiddleston).  In the summer of 2021, What If... will also premiere.  This animated series will feature "what if" scenarios in the MCU (What if Uncle Ben didn't die?  What if Tony and Steve didn't part ways during the Civil War?).  Even though it's animated, it definitely looks interesting and worth exploring.  This will also open up a whole plethora of possibilities for the MCU. Finally, in the fall of 2021, Hawkeye will premiere.  As the name implies, this series deals with Clint Barton training the next Hawkeye.  Personally, I think it will be amazing to see Clint's development, especially given the fact he was put through the ringer in End Game.

In addition to all this wonderful original content available or coming soon, I'm also extremely excited about all the older content available on Disney+.  This is pretty much my childhood encapsulated in one streaming service, which is why I was so excited to get it.  First of all, Boy Meets World is on there.  Of course I'm going to make Bryan watch it, it would be a crime not to share one of my favorite childhood shows with him.  All of the Disney Channel Original Movies will be available too, which I'm equally excited about.  I remember Disney releasing a new one every month when I was little, and it was the most exciting thing to do on a Friday night in my mind.  I loved seeing this introduction pop up on the screen, telling me was time for an adventure and an amazing story.

While scrolling through all the content available (and after looking at previews for the past few months), I feel like my hardest decision is going to be figuring out where to start.  Thankfully, it's a half day today, which means once 12:30 hits, I'm free to go home and lose myself in Disney magic.  Check back later for more updates on Disney+.  I don't want to dump everything into one post, it would be way too much.

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Saturdays Are For Wine

This weekend was one of two weekends between now and New Years that Bryan and I didn't have anything planned (which is pretty shocking when you stop and think about it).  Rather than stay in, we decided to venture out and find a new winery to explore.  We have a map of Maryland with all the craft wineries, breweries and distilleries in the state.  When we're looking for somewhere new, all we do is open the map, find a winery, then head off.  Yesterday, we decided to try out Knob Hall Winery.

Photo courtesy of https://www.inspirock.com/united-states/clear-spring/knob-hall-winery-a8130932687

Now, we've tried Knob Hall wine in the past at the Maryland Wine Festival, but we'd never been to the actual facilities (this is pretty common for us, there are a few wineries we greatly enjoy even though we've never actually been to them before).  Knob Hall is about an hour away from where Bryan lives in Rockville.  It's an unimposing property along the side of a country road.  The tasting room itself is in an old barn, which has its perks and drawbacks.  I loved the huge space with the tall ceilings and mismatched tables and chairs.  It was fun and laid back.  On the other hand, the barn is not at all insulated; you can see outside through some cracks in the walls.  In the spring and earlier in the fall it must be nice, but when it's in the 40's, it's definitely cold.  To compensate for this, there are several heat lamps hanging from the ceiling, but that just created an uneven distribution of heat.  We sat under one of the lamps, and part of me was warm while the other part was cold.

The wine itself was decent.  For a tasting, you get to pick six different wines from their list, which also includes two types of sangria.  My favorite wine that we tasted was Make Me Blush.  As the name implies, it's a sweet blush wine.  I really don't know that much more about it I'm afraid.  While we were given a tasting by one of the owners, he really didn't tell us about the wines.  Sometimes he mentioned some of the grapes used, but not that much, which is very strange given that's usually what people talk about at a wine tasting.  The chardonnay was pretty good too.  While it was an oaky chardonnay, it wasn't an overwhelming oak taste, which is what I prefer.  I definitely like stainless steel chardonnay instead of oak chardonnay.

The owner was much more talkative while Bryan and I sat around drinking a bottle of Make Me Blush and ate a cheese platter.  Honestly, I thought the cheese platter was a bit pricey.  For $15, you got a piece of brie, a piece of swiss, a piece of cheddar and a piece of something else, along with a handful of nuts, some crackers, three pieces of salami and two pieces of chocolate.  While the cheese was alright, it wasn't a lot of food given the $15 price tag.  

After finishing up at Knob Hall, we headed to one of our favorite wineries: New Market Plains.  This winery is right off route 70.  You drive to the Adventure Park, but instead of turning into the parking lot, you keep going straight.  The road turns into a gravel one, then you veer right.  It's a very small building, but they're making plans to expand and build a gorgeous property with all sorts of gardens and nature trails.

Photo courtesy of https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g41120-d12496979-Reviews-New_Market_Plains_Vineyards-East_New_Market_Maryland.html

This was the third time Bryan and I went to New Market Plains.  We found it on a whim, and just fell in love with the place.  The woman who seems to work there every weekend happens to be a teacher at the elementary school two blocks from my house.  I don't remember her name, but she's incredibly nice and has an amazing memory (she remembered us the second time we went and now remembers the wines we prefer when we go).  The chardonnay is my favorite there.  They have three different types of chardonnay.  The 2014 comes from the first grapes harvested on the property, but the 2015 is my favorite.  I love tasting both of them back to back, because I find it absolutely fascinating how you can have two types of chardonnay where everything is kept the same except the year the grapes were harvested, and that can make such a huge difference in the taste.  Both the 2014 and 2015 chardonnays are made in stainless steel, which is probably why I love them so much (although I much prefer the 2015).  The third type of chardonnay is called Rich Forest, and the grapes were also harvested in 2014.  Unlike the first two chardonnays, however, this wine was fermented in oak.  Usually wine is fermented in French oak barrels, but there was a shortage of French oak after a massive earthquake in California destroyed many of the barrels and wine bottles there.  As a result, California wineries took most of the French oak, leaving New Market Plains with Russian oak.  Even though I'm not a huge fan of oaky chardonnay, which one is pretty good, it's not an in your face oak taste.  My other favorite wine from here is the Windy Day White, which is a blend of muscat and chardonnay.  Muscat tends to be sweeter, while chardonnay is dryer, which makes this a wonderful balance between the two.  After the tasting, we bought a bottle of Windy Day White and set up shop on the back porch (it's surrounded with plastic and had warm air being pumped in, so it was wonderfully comfortable).

What I love the most about New Market Plains (in addition to the wine that is), is the vibe there.  It's incredibly laid back, and everyone who is there is there to have a good time.  People don't just swing by for a tasting, they usually stay for a while, have some snacks (you have to bring your own, they don't sell any food) and just relax.  The employees there are fantastic as well.  You can tell they love their jobs and want to be there.  They remember who you are, what you order and actually look forward to seeing you again.  

Bryan and I have been to New Market Plains three times in the past few weeks, so we decided to join the wine club.  Now, we get free tastings and discounts when we buy bottles (we already have two bottles at home, but we still bought another bottle of chardonnay and Windy Day White).  This will definitely encourage us to keep going back, and I can't wait to do that.  We might have quite a few busy weekends between now and the end of the year, but I'm sure we can squeeze in at least one more trip to New Market Plains in the next few weeks.

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Is It Too Early For Some Deborah Muller Christmas Coloring?

The answer is no, no it is not.  Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.  First, a little bit about Deborah Muller.  Like Hannah Lynn, Deborah Muller is an artist I stumbled upon on Amazon when I first started my coloring book obsession about two years ago.  Right now, I have about four main companies/artists I buy my books from: Jade Summer, Coloring Book Cafe, Hannah Lynn and Deborah Muller.  Jade Summer and Coloring Book Cafe are companies; they employ multiple artists who do the artwork for them.  Hannah Lynn and Deborah Muller, on the other hand, are individual artists.  While Jade Summer will always have a special place in my heart (they were the first adult coloring books I started actively buying on a regular basis), I tend to prefer the individual artists just a little bit more.  I find they're more personable on social media, they interact with you more, encourage your art more and tend to be a little friendlier.  That's not to say they aren't friendly on Jade Summer and Coloring Book Cafe's social media, but they're a company, they lack a certain personalization.  You become invested in what the individual artists share about their personal lives, you see them on Facebook all the time looking at the artwork, and you feel a real connection to them.  For that reason, I prefer those Facebook groups and social media just a little bit more.

I started by Deborah Muller Christmas coloring extravaganza with this little cutie from one of her new holiday books: Gnome for the Holidays.  At first, I wasn't entirely sure if I would like this book, but the flip through online convinced me enough to check it out.  It's so adorable, I know I made the right decision.  One thing I enjoy about Deborah's books is the little designs all over the place.  Instead of adding regular details n the mountains, she adds circles, little lines, etc.  At first, it was a little intimidating for me, because I didn't know how to color them, but I just went with the flow.  I knew I wanted cool, arctic colors to go with the picture, so I went along with that to make the mountains pop a little bit in the background.  The color I used for the background (Outerspace) is one of my favorites to use for night skies because it's a SUPER dark blue that looks almost black, but isn't.  The problem is that streaks show in the coloring very easily.  The good new is that also blends really easily, so I'm able to fix that problem.

My blending technique is really simple.  Sometimes I use a white colored pencil, but that's extremely rare.  Most of the time, I take little scraps of toilet paper and rub it across the colors I want blended.  It makes such a huge difference.  As I've worked with Crayola colored pencils over the yeas, I've found that the blues blend the best, while the browns blend the worst.  I have no idea why, but it's always extremely difficult for me to blend brown colors (especially when I layer colors, which I haven't been doing a lot of lately).

When I finished this picture, I liked it, but I wasn't in love with it.  I had already flipped through the book and picked a second picture to color for the day.

When I saw this picture, I immediately thought of Santa Clause (even though it's a goat in the background, not a reindeer).  After relying so much on blues and coloring such a dark picture, I knew I wanted something lighter.  I'll be honest, I'm not entirely thrilled with how his outfit turned out, but I struggled a little with how to color it.  I didn't want all red, which is why I added the random light green stripes to break things up a little bit.  Despite that, I really do love this picture.  First of all, I love how bright it is, it's such a huge difference from the first picture I created.  I also like how the face came out on the gnome, I finally got the skin tones down to something that looks good.  Finally, the trees are so adorable.  I wasn't sure how the red circles would look, along with all the different shades of green in the trees.  I've noticed that while I'm coloring, sometimes I think what I'm doing looks terrible.  I just power through it though, as I trust my instincts.  The overwhelming majority of the time, once the picture is done, I'm so thrilled with the outcome because I went with my instincts and trusted my gut.  That's the case with this picture.  Is it perfect?  No.  But I'm pleased with how it came out, and I just think it's adorable.

This picture is from the other Deborah Muller holiday release (she has a third one planned, but it hasn't been released yet), called A Merry Mermaid Christmas.  As the title implies, it's all mermaids celebrating the holidays.  Mermaids are Deborah's specialty, she even calls her company "Chubby Mermaid Art".  Just like the gnome book, I wasn't entirely sure how I'd feel about it when I heard it was being released, but once I saw the flip through, I thought it was adorable.  Most artists show mermaids in warm, tropical environments, but that isn't the case here.  Deborah's are hanging out with polar bears and penguins, bundled up in gorgeous winter outfits and with Christmas trees.  It's definitely a fun take on traditional mermaids.

This wasn't the first picture I picked to do from this book, but it's the one I ultimately decided to color, and the other one would have to wait for another time.  It's a little hard to tell in this picture, but I really messed up the hair.  I attempted to layer some light blue over some timberwolf grey.  I should have known better, I've attempted to do this color layering combination before, and it didn't end well that time either.  To make matters worse, I completely forgot that there's this stunning grey/light blue color already in the Crayola 100 pack called wild blue yonder, and I use it when I want a sky color that's not as bright as sky blue.  I feel so foolish that I forgot about that color, especially because it's one of my go-to colors.

Despite that little setback, I'm pretty pleased with how this picture turned out.  I think it's adorable, and I love the little penguin and seal.  I feel like the splash of color with the starfish and circles in the top left corner is a little bright, but I didn't want it to blend in too much with the rest of the background.

I have two more Deborah Muller Christmas pictures I want to color from her books from last year, but that will have to wait for another post.  In the mean time, her new books are adorable, whimsical and definitely worth adding to your coloring book collection.

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It's Double Digits Day!

I feel like football players after they've won the Super Bowl.  I'm going to Disney World!  Double digits day is the magical day when you are down to double digits for your countdown.  That's right, I'm 99 days away from leaving to go to the Happiest Place on Earth.

To be completely honest, I still can't believe I'm going.  I spent nearly a year begging Bryan, pleading with him, saying how much fun it would be for us to go to Disney World together (it'll be an adventure).  He always rolled his eyes and said no.  On Mother's Day this past year, however, we were at my aunt's, and my cousin kept talking about how much he loves going to Disney World.  After some prodding and showing Bryan that adults can go to Disney without children and still have fun, he very reluctantly agreed.  I couldn't believe it!  I knew I had to jump on this as soon as humanly possible or else he'd find a way to back out.  By the end of the day, we had dates picked and a travel agent selected (it helps that my friend's mom is a Disney travel agent).

This picture came from https://www.shopdisney.com/parks/walt-disney-world/

Unfortunately, even the best laid plans need to be changed up just a little.  I started at a new school, and my new principal was a little hesitant to give me an entire week off school in February to go on vacation.  I completely understood why, she didn't know me and my work ethic, so she feared this would be a week of lost instructional time with my students.  I met with her over the summer, and we came to a compromise.  She gave me four days off, and the fifth day is President's Day.  This meant bumping the trip back a week and one less day in Disney, but that was fine with us.  Now, we're leaving for Disney World after work on Valentine's Day.  I really wanted to spend Valentine's Day at the parks (it seemed so romantic to me) and was upset over the notion of spending the holiday in an airport.  Bryan pointed out that it doesn't matter where we are for Valentine's Day, as long as we're together.  It was so sweet and romantic, and, of course, he's right.  We're celebrating a day later with a nice sit down dinner, but I'll get more into food in another post.

So, we had our dates finalized, now it was time to pick a hotel.  I don't want to get too much into details about our hotel, as I have an entire post planned out to talk about that, but I will say that we are staying at Pop Century, and that wasn't my first choice for a hotel.  I'm a little bummed about that, but I also know that we'll spend so little time in our hotel room that it won't make too much of a difference.  I'm also just excited to stay on Disney property.  I've been to Disney World three other times, and I never stayed on property, so this is a huge treat for me.

This photo came from: https://www.dadsguidetowdw.com/pop-century.html

We have a completely booked schedule in Disney World.  People keep asking us if we're going to Harry Potter World, Universal Studios (I know, Harry Potter world is a part of Universal), etc., and the answer is no.  I want to spend time properly at Disney and not rush through anything.  If we're going to do this trip, I want to do it right.  I don't want to get too much into our itinerary yet, I'll have a separate post about that later, but I will say that we have two days at each park.  We might not need two whole days at each park, which is fine, but I wanted to play it on the safe side.  That way, we don't have to rush through the parks, and if we finish early, we can head back to the hotel for a nap, head to Disney Springs or explore some other hotels.  It seemed like the perfect solution to me.  We can also go back and ride some rides again if we want to.

As if planning an entire trip to Disney World wasn't stressful enough as it is (because it totally is), I've also been having weird dreams about Disney and not being prepared.  I've had two in the past two or so weeks, and I'm hoping this doesn't become a weekly thing, because that will get really old really quick.  In the first dream, I dreamt we got to Disney World, and I didn't make the t-shirts I'm planning on making for us to wear (don't worry, I'll go into more detail about that in a much later post).  This is a huge deal, because I'm working so hard to coordinate our t-shirts and make sure they're perfect for each day at the park.  In my second dream, I dreamt I didn't get us FastPasses for any ride.  This is equally upsetting, as it would mean that I really dropped the ball.  We would still be able to get on the rides, but it would take much longer as we would have to wait in the standby line.  If anything, both of these dreams have gotten me back into my Disney planning phase and encouraged me to stay on top of everything.

My goal is to have a Disney-related post most Wednesdays between now and when we leave in February (I'll switch off between "WIP Wednesday" and "Walt Disney Wednesday", but most Wednesdays will be for Disney related posts for the next few weeks).  Each time, I'll post something about my planning for the trip and how I'm using that to make sure we maximize our vacation and have the most amazing time.  So, if you're planning a trip to Disney World, make sure to keep coming back for more information.

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A Little Hannah Lynn Coloring to Start My Week

The other day the coloring bug set in for me.  As I scrolled through Facebook, I saw some gorgeous pictures from one of the groups I'm in and decided I wanted to color a little bit too.  That's how it works for me when it comes to my many hobbies: I won't do one for ages (weeks or months even), then, one day, out of the blue I'll want to do it.  I've been working really hard on finding a balance when it comes to bouncing between hobbies, and I've gotten a little better, but there are just so many, I can't do it all at once.

I pick pictures to color like I pick books to read: a poke around my collection until something catches my attention.  I usually tend to know what artist or company I want to color, so I pull those books and go from there.  Over the summer and the other day, I was on a Hannah Lynn kick, which is perfectly fine with me.  I get new pages from her once or twice a month, and I have many of her digital and hard copy books.  She does beautiful artwork for a wide range of topics.

The first picture I colored was Jacqueline from Steampunk Darlings.  I'm going to be honest, I bought this book on a whim.  Sometimes I'm drawn to a book because I love every single page, and before I even get the book in my hands I have ideas for many of the pages (more on that later).  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for this book.  Don't get me wrong, the artwork is absolutely stunning (as always), and I definitely appreciate and like steampunk style, but I've struggled so much with how to color these pictures.  I can't pick out color schemes.  In my mind, steampunk is very metallic looking, but I don't know how to properly convey that on paper, especially since my coloring skills are mediocre at best.  I'm part of two different Facebook groups for Hannah Lynn, and I love looking at all the beautiful work there.

I'm going to be honest, that's where I got the idea for the color scheme for this piece.  Part of me feels gross for admitting that, like I stole someone else's idea.  I really hope that artist doesn't mind.  Trust me, mine looks nothing like the original (I can't even remember who colored it, I saw it ages ago and couldn't get it out of my head).  The style and colors for this picture are based on Black Widow from the Avengers, although Natasha Romanov has brighter red hair, while I went for mahogany with red and maroon mixed in to add some texture.  Another thing that really worried me about this picture was the lack of color.  The overwhelming majority of the picture is done in shades of grey or black, with a little bit of red and gold thrown in for accents (not to mention her skin tone).  As I colored, it was hard to get a firm understanding of how the final product would look, but by the time I got concerned, I was already committed to this color scheme, so there wasn't a lot I could do about it.  Well, my worries were for nought, as I absolutely love how it looks now.  I do wish I had done more silver on the goggles instead of gold, but if that's my only complaint, then I think I did a pretty good job.

Another picture I colored this week is called "Leprechaun's Treasure".  Also by Hannah Lynn, this can be found in her Mythical Maidens and Curious Creatures book.  Not only is this her newest book, it happens to be one of my favorites.  I'm fortunate enough to have seen pictures for this book over the few weeks leading up to its release, and I was so excited to get my hands on it.  Seriously, the pictures are absolutely gorgeous, and there's such a wide range of different mythical creatures.  If you're looking for a fantasy coloring book, this is definitely one you should get!  Usually I opt for hard copies of books, but I got a digital copy of this one.  The main reason was that there were a few pictures I wanted to color a few times with different color schemes.  I usually only color a picture once, and if there are double printed (which is common in many of Hannah Lynn's books, along with Jade Summer's), I don't color the picture the second time around until I've colored all the pictures at least once.

This picture was one I had printed a while ago, but it never really called out to me until just then ( I guess I was on a "redheads with one eye covered" kick or something).  Once again, there was a lot of the same color in this picture (I used about five different shades of green), although it wasn't nearly as bad as the Steampunk Darlings picture I colored earlier.  While this picture definitely has some more color than the other picture, I don't like it as much as the previous picture.  That's not to say I hate how it turned out, because that's definitely not the case, I just like the one from Steampunk Darlings just a little bit more.  I think it's because the colors went on the paper smoother on the other one because of the paper quality (the leprechaun one I used my own cheap computer paper).  Part of me is tempted to invest in higher quality printer paper, but I'm just a casual colorer, so I'd rather spend my money on more books.  I don't even use fancy colored pencils, just Crayolas.  It works for me, and that's all that matters.

The last picture I want to talk about is Lanai Time from Maui Mermaids, because who doesn't need a little bit of tropical during the season's first cold snap?  I won a digital copy of this book through a drawing on Hannah Lynn's Facebook page, and while the pictures are gorgeous (as always), they haven't spoken to me until now.  I printed out a few pages, and I originally planned on coloring another one first, but when I saw this one, I knew it was the one I had to color.  This reminded me a lot of Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last queen before America took over (I just glossed over everything, my knowledge on that is extremely limited at best, I haven't learned about it since 9th grade).  Many of the pictures of Queen Liliuokalani show her as being much older, but there are a few from when she was a young girl too (albeit, in black and white). 

I worried about the multiple shades of brown taking up the center of this picture with her skin, hair and chair, but I think it all came out fine since I used very distinct shades, although I did use one of the colors I used as highlights in her hair also for the coconut.  I had a lot of fun coloring the dress, the ferns and the mountains in the background because I used colors I don't use that often.  Pink isn't one of my favorite colors, not by a longshot, but I still use it fairly often.  When I do, I tend to use softer shades like regular pink or tickle me pink.  In this case, however, I went for a brighter pink (I'll admit, I don't remember the exact name if it, it might be blush).  For the ferns I went literal and used fern green, and the mountains are tropical green.  Both are colors I don't use very often, although I'm not entirely sure why.  I guess I don't do too many tropical pictures, so neither of them are particularly useful.  Although, I do use fern green every once in a while when I need another shade of green for something.  I also enjoyed using cerulean blue for the ocean.  Once again, it's a color I enjoy and appreciate, but not one I use very often.  I tend to like my oceans and skies more subdued, to blend into the background (no pun intended), but it seemed wrong to not have vivid blue seas in a tropical paradise.  Plus, I think the cerulean looks absolutely stunning alongside the fern.  That's definitely a color combination I'm going to have to remember for future reference.

When I started writing out this post, I didn't think I'd have a lot to say.  I'd simply show off my mediocre coloring, then say a few sentences about each piece and move out.  Overall, I'm shocked that I had so much to say about something as simple as some pieces I've colored.  I think what shocks me even more though, is the fact that you've kept on reading until the very end.  If you've made it this far, I appreciate it!  Make sure to come back, I'll have more coloring pieces in another post.

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My Thoughts on "Educated" and Discussion Questions

I can't go to book club this month.  I know, that's disappointing, but it's not the end of the world.  I'm doing something just as exciting (if not more exciting) that day with Bryan, and my mom talked me into joining her second book club (more on that later).  Despite the fact that I can't go book club, I still decided to read the book since it was one I'd heard wonderful things about.  This month, book club read Educated by Tara Westover.

Educated is a memoir following Tara's extremely unconventional childhood and journey to Brigham Young University, Cambridge and eventually Harvard.  While this would be impressive for anyone, it's especially impressive given Tara's upbringing.  Her father, Gene, had extreme views about the world, particularly the government.  In an attempt to protect his family from the dangers he perceived from the government, he never got his children birth certificates and never allowed them to go to school.  This never stopped Tara's thirst for knowledge.  After one of her older brothers went to BYU, Tara realized this was something she could accomplish as well.  This was an incredibly challenging task for Tara, as she never went to school or had any sort of formal education (she had to teach herself math in order to pass the ACT). 

Once in college, however, things didn't get much easier, as Tara realized her education was far from complete.  Growing up, Tara learned from her father that African American slaves had a far easier life than their masters, as their masters worried about how they were going to feed and take care of all their slaves.  At BYU, Tara learned that that was the furthest thing from the truth, especially when she saw the famous picture of the scars on the back of a slave from being whipped his entire life.  This was a huge shock to Tara.  She always knew her father was unconventional, but this was a huge slap to the face.

One thing I couldn't quite figure out was Tara's father's true beliefs.  Sometimes he seemed very much set against the government, school and modern medicine, not to mention he wanted to keep his kids away from outside influences and anything that went against their Mormon religion.  On the other hand, there were instances where he seemed somewhat fine with Tara and her older brother going to college (although he was very set against it at the beginning), and he was even fine with Tara performing with local theatre groups.  This seems so counter intuitive, especially given his extreme beliefs.  Part of me wondered if he thought Tara was simply going through a phase when it came to her education, and, towards the end, when he realized that this wasn't the case, he finally snapped and cut her out of his life (although Tara seemed relieved about this as well). 

Another character I couldn't quite figure out was Tara's mother.  She definitely didn't seem to fully embrace her husband's extreme ideologies at first.  She always believed in things such as essential oils to help cure sicknesses, but then it got worse as she started using muscle testing and chakras to cure illnesses as well.  At the same time, Tara's mom seemed to encourage her to leave and get some sort of education, despite her husband's beliefs.  Towards the end of the book, however, Tara's mom became more extreme in her beliefs, especially as her essential oils business grew and expanded.  I really couldn't figure out what she really believed and what she went along with simply to keep the peace.  Towards the end, however, Tara's mom seemed in denial, especially when it came to Tara's brother, Shawn.  She even tried to convince Tara that her memories were faulty, thereby demonstrating that the devil was at work trying to take her daughter away from her.

Tara's brother, Shawn, was another character.  Honestly, it's a miracle Tara didn't end up seriously injured, or even worse.  He was always a bit unstable, but after a series of accidents, brain damage caused him to be even worse, to the point that he threatened both Tara and her sister, Audrey, in separate instances.  What upset me the most about this was the fact Tara's parents were in complete denial and constantly made excuses for him.  Yes, he is their son (I'm not a parent, so I can't sympathize with them in that capacity), but they had to realize that the behavior Shawn exhibited was completely wrong, especially given the fact that they had other sons who weren't anything like him.  I still can't figure out why they made so many excuses for him, why he was chosen as the golden child of sorts, always willing to look past his extreme faults and problems.

I think one thing that stood out to me about this book was Westover's claim that they lived off the grid.  In some ways, I definitely agree, especially when it came to their interactions with the government.  Tara didn't even know when her birthday was, so she picked one for herself around the time family members told her she was born, all because she was born at home and wasn't issued a birth certificate until she left for Cambridge.  In other ways, I don't think the Westovers lived off the grid.  They still interacted with the outside world on a very regular basis, even going so far as to have a booming essential oils and homeopathic remedies business.  Ultimately, Tara's father wanted them to be completely off the grid, but they never got there, as they got distracted by capitalism and their growing business.  I find that extremely ironic, especially given the fact that it was something her father seemed to hate.  It makes me wonder if he didn't like the government and everything simply because he couldn't do what he wanted, but the growing essential oils business gave him the ability to move past his former limitations.

Something else that stood out to me was the role of professors in Tara's life.  While it's not completely out of the ordinary to sometimes have a close relationship with professors, it is rare.  Typically in college, you go to class, you listen to the professor talk for an hour, then you leave.  There were some professors I had a closer relationship with in college, but I was fortunate enough to go to a smaller college (about a fourth the size of BYU).  As a teacher, this really stood out to me and reminded me of the importance of my job.  All it takes is one teacher who believes in a student for them to be put on the path for success.  On my most difficult days, this is what I need to remember.  Tara kept her hardships at home a secret from her professors, and that's something else teachers need to remember; we never know exactly what's going on a student's life or what kind of support he or she needs to be successful.

Despite the fact I can't go to book club, I still came up with some questions that my mom could bring along.  Unlike last time, I wrote the questions as I read the book, that way I could come up with some more specific questions.  This also helped me create a much longer list of questions than last time.  Hopefully you'll be able to use them as well.

1. What effect did Ruby Ridge have on Tara's dad?
2. Do you agree with Tara's speculation that her dad may be bipolar, or was he just eccentric?
3. Tara's dad didn't say anything when she was accepted to BYU.  Do you think it was because he resigned to fate or because he didn't fully believe she would actually go?
4. In what way did the Bishop and several of Tara's professors step in to be the father figure Tara's dad wasn't?
5. Had Shawn not been injured, do you think he would have gone along with his dad's beliefs in the way he did towards the end of the book?
6. Had Tara been a boy or treated a little better, do you think she would have fallen in line with her dad's beliefs or not gone off to college?
7. What did Emily mean when she said Shawn was a spiritual man?
8. Tara's dad saw surviving the explosion as a way "to show people there's another way besides the Medical Establishment."  Given his quality of life, is this true?
9. Do you think the fact he survived his accident helped Tara's dad and her family solidify their beliefs?
10. How did Tara's dinner with her parents at the Indian restaurant near her apartment at BYU represent a shift in their relationship?
11. Do you think Tara didn't want to tell people she never went to school after she won the Gates scholarship because it would lend credence to her parents' parenting style?
12. Tara's dad claims essential oils businesses offered to buy them out.  Do you think this was true or one of his delusions?
13. Tara describes herself as a "woman emancipated from pretense".  Do you agree with this observation?
14. In what ways was Tara's mom complicit with the abuse Tara endured?
15. Who was more abusive, Tara's dad or Shawn?
16. Why were Tara's parents in such denial about Shawn, especially towards the end?
17. Is Tara's academics an example of nature versus nurture?

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My Love For Christmas Music

I seriously love Christmas music; I could listen to it all year round if I could.  It's for this reason my mom created a rule a while back: you can only listen to Christmas music between November 1st and January 6th (Orthodox Christmas).  That's nine weeks of Christmas music, which is a lot to some people, but not to me.  My mom can't take all the credit for this rule, a family friend imposed the same rule on her husband first; it was the only way to stop him from listening to Christmas music non-stop all year round.  After hearing about this rule, my mom decided it was perfect for our family too.  Of course, there's no punishment for breaking said rule, but it's still a rule.  The past week and a half has been especially difficult and challenging for me not to give in, I think because I knew Christmas music was coming, and I just wanted to listen to it as soon as possible.  Now that it's November 1st, however, I can listen to all the Christmas music I want...until January 6th that is.

Every year for the past eight or nine years (at least, possibly longer), I've always started my Christmas music season with the same exact song: "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  It's seriously one of my favorite Christmas songs ever, and the only way to listen to it is as loud as humanly possible, otherwise you can't fully appreciate the rock aspects incorporated into the classic Christmas carol.  The way TSO blends together these techniques while also merging several Christmas songs together to create something entirely new and different.  I had the opportunity to see them perform in high school, and it was an amazing performance with powerful special effects.  When you see them live, the music wraps around you and fills you to your core in a way not possible when you listen to them on your own.  My one tip though: bring sunglasses to wear during the performance.  This might sound strange, but the sheer amount of laser and strobe lights makes it difficult to see.  We saw someone else doing this at the concert and realized that it was a great idea.





My other favorite Christmas song is as different from Christmas Eve/Sarajevo as you can possibly get.  First, a little disclaimer: I've been told by people that I have an old soul.  I'm not entirely sure if I agree with them, but that's what people think.  I was also raised to listen to music such as Neil Diamond, Elton John, Billy Joel, etc.  With that being said, I absolutely LOVE Neil Diamond's version of "Silent Night".  Now, "Silent Night" isn't one of my favorite Christmas songs, not by a long shot.  While I find it beautiful, and the lyrics are gorgeous, it's just not my cup of tea.  When it comes to Neil Diamond's version, however, I can't get enough of it.  The powerful chorus at the end elevates the song to a whole new level, bringing it past the typical somber, lulling version people are used to to something else entirely that causes them to sit up and listen.  Even if you aren't a fan of the song, it's definitely something worth listening to.





For those who know me, all of this must be very contradictory to what you thought you knew, especially if you knew me as a child.  Growing up, my favorite Christmas song was "Little Drummer Boy".  I seriously couldn't get enough of it.  Thankfully, I grew up in a time before parents had the ability to record every little thing their children do, because I used to sit in the back of the car singing along, pretending to play a drum.  It's apparently one of my mom's favorite memories of me as a child.  To me, however, it's absolutely mortifying.  I think this weird obsession with an obviously wonderful song comes from the fact that I used to watch the movie all the time.  That's right, there's a Little Drummer Boy movie.  It's made in the same style as Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer (that super automated stop motion).  I don't know why, but I absolutely loved that movie as a child.  You can even find the entire thing on YouTube (added bonus!).




I have so many more Christmas songs I want to talk about and share, but I don't want to turn today's post into a playlist of YouTube videos with some dialogue scattered between the videos.  So, I'm going to hold off.  I will definitely be back to talk about more Christmas songs, especially given the fact that I bought two new Christmas albums this year and want to let you know what I think of them.  So, be prepared for more Christmas music in the coming weeks, because I seriously can't get enough of it.

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