Linda's Lunacy

Faith, Home, & Family

St. Patrick’s Day Ideas for the Whole Family

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*This St. Patrick’s Day Ideas for the Whole Family post contains affiliate links

 
Even though I do have Irish blood, I don’t remember doing anything special for St. Patrick’s Day growing up. Well, except wearing green to school so no one would pinch me. I always felt sorry for the kids who forgot to wear green, and got pinched so much. I have never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with my kids, either.


Don’t pinch me, ok?

So when my kids were still being homeschooled and requested to learn more about St. Patrick’s Day, I did some research, and we tried a few things.

St. Patrick’s Day Ideas for the Whole Family

Watch this History of St. Patrick’s Day for Kids video. It shares great information, dispels some myths, and is fun to watch.

And of course, my favorite, books!

Now, here’s some fun stuff!

Play these fun St. Patrick’s Day Online Games with the kids .

Throw a St. Patrick’s Day party! Whether it’s a kids party with gold coins, or a whole family party with friends, this party kit is awesome!

St. Patrick’s Day Food Ideas

Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional dish to eat on St. Patrick’s day. If your family doesn’t like corned beef and cabbage, here’s a pancake recipe you can try.  Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake. Irish Soda Bread is also tradition on St. Patrick’s Day. Or try my Cabbage Casserole recipe.

For an easy dessert, decorate a cake or cookies with green frosting. And these St. Patrick’s Day Sprinkles. The kids will love it!

Now it’s time to decorate! Basically, anything green, and shamrock/clover works! lol Give the kids some paper, and let them go to town making decorations. Paper chains, shamrock drawings, leprechauns, pots of gold, and rainbows.

Here are a few cute decorations to try.

Since we all know what happens when we give kids paper to make things. lol Here are some fun craft kits to make with the kids. They will be a little less messy. lol These can easily be added to your St. Patrick’s Day décor, as well

Don’t forget costumes! Kids love dressing up!

Just a few St. Patrick’s Day Ideas for the Whole Family!

What do you do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Disclosure:. This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you from the links above.

A Thousand Tomorrows Review & Pure Flix Giveaway

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From #1 New York Times best-selling author Karen Kingsbury, only God knows how many tomorrows we have left. In the dangerous and competitive rodeo world, how will Cody and Ali make the most of their time together? Find out in the new show A Thousand Tomorrows exclusively on Pure Flix! Keep reading for my A Thousand Tomorrows review of Episode 5, and a giveaway!

A Thousand Tomorrows is a show about redemption, forgiveness, devotion and transformation. Cody and Ali find a love so rare and so powerful and they make the most of everyday they have with each other.

A Thousand Tomorrows stars:

Colin Ford as Cody Gunnar (Daybreak, Murmur, The Hill, Captain Marvel)
Rose Reid as Ali Daniels (Sweet Sweet Summertime, A Welcome Home Christmas, Surprised By Oxford)
Cole Sibus – Carl Joseph (Stumptown, Spare Room)
Anne Leighton – Sarah Daniels (NCIS, God’S Not Dead: A Light In Darkness, S.W.A.T., Unhinged)
Kate Easton – Mary Gunnar (Faith Under Fire)
KC Clyde – Mike Gunnar (Yellowstone, Yes Day)
CK Bolado – Dalton
James Austin Kerr – Trey (A Country Romance, Reagan, Our Dream Wedding)
Triana Browne – Lydia (Walker, Love At The Christmas Contest)
James Healy Jr. – Daryl Daniels (Love At The Christmas Contest, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Love On Repeat, Trial By Fire)
Dari Hayes
PJ Sosko

Watch the A Thousand Tomorrows trailer!

A Thousand Tomorrows Review

A Thousand Tomorrows started streaming exclusively on Pure Flix on February 24. There is a new episode every Friday. Today, I’m going to be talking about Episode 5.

In episode 5, Cody and Ali take leaps of faith for each other and their future. The themes for this episode include salvation, how faith can help us in the worst of times, taking a leap of faith, making a sacrifice, and that Jesus is in control.

Episode 5 begins with Cody and Carl Joseph as kids helping their mom prep for Christmas while their dad is out at the bar. Fast forward to the present – Cody and Ali are enjoying the traditional Christmas celebrations.

They are now spending more and more time together on the ranch. This gives Ali a chance to share her faith with Cody and he starts to wonder and question how can she believe so easily.


Ali, who has cystic fibrous, suffers a major coughing fit. It really scares Cody, because although he knew she was sick, he had never seen her so sick.
Cody asks Ali’s father for her hand in marriage and received his blessing. Then he was shocked to be told she’s dying. Her only hope was a lung transplant.

A Thousand Tomorrows Review


After that, Cody does the only thing he can do. He goes to get tested to see if he’s a donor match for Ali. And he is!
While planning their wedding, Ali urges Cody to forgive his father and invite him to the wedding.

After the successful transplant, they get married!

Karen Kingsbury’s A Thousand Tomorrows is a love story for the ages and shows real sacrifice and loyalty in the face of insurmountable odds.

I loved this episode of A Thousand Tomorrows! Entertaining and heart warming at the same time. Totally family friendly, too! I loved the warm relationships that Cody and Ali have with their families. This episode didn’t have any rodeo scenes, but others do. I’m excited to watch the rest of the episodes!

Watch A Thousand Tomorrows now streaming exclusively on Pure Flix!

For more information, visit the A Thousand Tomorrows website.

Series Recommended Reading

10 COMFORTING BIBLE VERSES FOR ILLNESS

5 FAMOUS FATHERS IN THE BIBLE WHO INSPIRE US

HOW TO EMBRACE OUR IDENTITY AS CHILD OF GOD WITH THESE BIBLE VERSES

20 BIBLE VERSES ABOUT GOD’S LOVE

THE 9 CHRISTIAN VALUES THAT CHANGE LIVES

‘HE DESERVES THE GLORY’: CHRISTIAN AUTHOR KAREN KINGSBURY ANNOUNCES NEW PURE FLIX SERIES BASED ON BESTSELLING NOVEL

HOW TO ASK GOD FOR FORGIVENESS AND LEARN TO FORGIVE OTHERS

The Giveaway

Enter to win a 3-month Pure Flix subscription! The giveaway is open to those in the US who have NOT won a subscription in the last 6 months. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Many thanks to Pure Flix for providing a sample of the product for this review (an online screener). Opinions are 100% my own.

Southern Gospel Movie Review & Giveaway

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Southern Gospel stars Four-time Emmy nominee Max Ehrich. Samuel Wells, whose years of running from his faith catches up to him. Forced to reevaluate his life, he chooses to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a pastor. See Samuel’s amazing story unfold in Southern Gospel on March 10! Keep reading for my Southern Gospel movie review & giveaway.

Southern Gospel Movie Review & Giveaway

Southern Gospel Movie Review & Giveaway

Samuel Allen, a 1960’s rockstar, finds himself in jail after struggling with years of anger and blame toward organized religion that has led him down a road of rebellion. In a moment of divine intervention, the judge dismisses drug charges against him under the pretense that Samuel speaks to local schools and churches about the dangers of drugs. Given a second chance, he follows in his father’s footsteps to become a preacher, overcoming the influence of a powerful church leader with a personal vendetta against his family. Southern Gospel is the story of a man overcoming brokenness and never surrendering the dream on his journey to find the gospel… Southern Gospel.

Content Note: While this is a faith-based, redemptive film, it is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, drug use, some violent content, suicide, and language.

Southern Gospel is based on the true story of Samuel, a young man that was raised by his widower father. He left to become a rock singer. After a horrible car crash, with deaths, Samuel returned to his faith, and home to his father.

He becomes a preacher, like his father, and takes over his father’s church. He marries a young women whose father does not want her to marry him. After his best friend commits suicide, he is removed from his church.

After his father dies, he returns home and finds a scrapbook with the real reason his father left his church. He confronts the church elder that was behind it, who is also his father-in-law. Instead of taking revenge, he is able to forgive the man.

His wife, that was repeatedly abused by her father, is finally able to come to forgiveness. Then the movie shows her father letting go of his vendetta against Samuel’s family, and helping him become pastor of another church.

Southern Gospel has a wonderful forgiveness and redemption message. I really like this movie. It shows how redemption and second chances are attainable. It also shows that forgiveness is not easy, but possible. I highly recommend this movie for teens and adults.

Watch the Southern Gospel trailer!

You do not want to miss this amazing true story of redemption and hope starring four-time Emmy nominee Max Ehrich, Katelyn Nacon (The Walking Dead), Emma Myers (Netflix’s Wednesday) and J. Alphonse Nicholson (P. Valley and Just Mercy)!

Buy tickets today to see Southern Gospel exclusively in theaters March 10!

For more information, visit the Southern Gospel website.

Buy tickets to see Southern Gospel in theaters here.

Giveaway

Enter below to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway open to US only. All entries will be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Many thanks to BMG for providing a sample of the product (an online screener) for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

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*This In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu post contains affiliate links

Last week was an interesting week. We had storms come through. And wind. So much wind. We didn’t have any tornados where I live, but there were some farther West than here. We had a lot of trees down, and that equaled a lot of people without electric. Including us. We lost it Friday evening at 6:45. We got it back Saturday night, for a total of 26 hours and 20 minutes without.

In the days before the storm, we had burgers on the grill. This will be happening a lot now that the weather is a little warmer. lol

shamrock pillows

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

Another night I made oven roasted asparagus with pasta. I put olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and basil on the asparagus and bake in the oven till desired doneness. It’s always so good.

Friday, since we were expecting the electric to go out, I declared it sandwich night. I didn’t want to get in the middle of cooking and have it go out. Even though I am prepared to cook without electric, I didn’t want to have to switch in the middle of the meal. We had tuna salad, ham, 3 kinds of cheese, 2 kinds of pickles, grapes, chips, lettuce, and tomatoes. I don’t mind having sandwich night. Same of these other people don’t like to have it often. Oh well. lol

We had fun Friday night playing Uno Dare. We laughed a lot! Highly recommend this game!

Above, I mentioned that I am prepared to cook without electric. And I did. Saturday morning I made my eggs on this gas burner. It works great, and I highly recommend it.

My son also cooked hash on it. Canned hash is one of the proteins I keep in stock in my pantry for emergencies. It’s hard to keep my son and husband from eating any time, though. lol So they were happy to finally get to eat some. lol

Check out my In the Kitchen with Linda page, where all my kitchen tips, ideas, and recipes are linked!

In the Kitchen with Linda

Dinner Menu

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Monday – chicken or turkey – Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes, zucchini

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pasta with meat sauce, green beans

Wednesday – Taco Night- Chicken Fajitas

Thursday – pork or chicken – pork chops, rice, beets, and peas

Friday – Quick & Easy  – leftovers

Saturday – Quick & Easy or Husbands Choice – Burgers on the grill, pasta salad with lots of veggies

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Soup, sandwiches, or leftovers

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

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*This In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu post contains affiliate links

We had a couple of really nice days last week. Up to 74 one day! So I took advantage of the weather and cooked burgers on the grill!

That’s a white cheddar cheese slice. Before it melted. Yum!

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

We had Jag. A family recipe from my husbands family. They first learned how to make from a woman from Barbados. If you search Jag, it says that it’s a Portuguese rice dish. It’s so versatile. You can use any beans, and any protein, even fish, that you want. You can also add any veggies you want. So basically, it’s rice and whatever you want.

Venison steaks are always welcome here. lol I made oven roasted veggies to go with it this night. Potatoes, carrots, onions, and green peppers.

Ok, so I’m going to share this next picture with you. This is a judgement free zone, right?! Please ignore the peeling drawer. My cabinets are 24 years old. Hopefully, next year I can redo the kitchen! We’ve already got too many projects planned for this year.

The shelf in this cabinet broke, and all my cake pans fell to the front. To mix with everything already on the bottom. Time to clean it out and fix the shelf!

I took everything out, wiped down the inside of the cabinet, and rehung the shelf. Then I used bins to sort the cake pans, and labeled them using my labeler. I only threw away one pan, and an old glass vinegar bottle. Everything else went back in! With the exception of the rolls of vacuum sealer bags. It’s going in the cabinet with the vacuum sealer. Because that makes sense! lol All the other wraps, foils, etc. are on the top shelf between the bins. These are extra rolls, and rolls we don’t use that often, like parchment paper.

So glad to get that cabinet cleaned out!!

Check out my In the Kitchen with Linda page, where all my kitchen tips, ideas, and recipes are linked!

In the Kitchen with Linda

Dinner Menu

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Monday – chicken or turkey – Chicken Cacciatore, green beans

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pasta with meat sauce, asparagus

Wednesday – Taco Night – Beef tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or chicken – BBQ Chicken, potatoes, carrots

Friday – Quick & Easy  – Slow cooker venison with veggies

Saturday – Quick & Easy or Husbands Choice – leftovers or dinner out

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Soup, sandwiches, or leftovers

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you

In the Kitchen With Linda & Dinner Menu

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*This In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu post contains affiliate links

I’ve been trying to keep it simple in the kitchen lately. So that means I’m making basic meals, or throwing something together without a recipe. Pretty boring, actually. I’m bored with the cooking, but everyone is eating the meals, so maybe they aren’t as bad as I think.

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

Here’s a few pictures.

Tacos are a regular on the menu here. This time I made a ranch slaw to put on top. The correct term would be threw together. lol It turned out too saucy for most of the family. But I liked it!

Another night, I wanted to make tacos, since it would be quick and easy with the taco meat I had in the freezer. I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes, though. So I mixed some diced canned tomatoes into the meat. It works perfectly, if you need to try.

One day I bought a couple of large packages of chicken breast while it was on sale. As soon as I got home, I packaged it for the freezer. Two packages with BBQ sauce, and 2 with Italian salad dressing. Italian salad dressing is an awesome marinade for chicken, and other meat. It’s so nice to pull already marinated meat out of the freezer. More quick meals for the win! lol

I had some cranberries left that I had purchased last November, the only time of year you can find fresh cranberries. So I made Orange Cranberry Bread. So good! With lots of butter, of course! You can buy the cranberries, then throw the whole bag into the freezer until you are ready to use them. As long as they are dry when they go in the freezer, they won’t stick together.

I had a birthday this month, so my husband make be a cake. He didn’t’ put the correct number of candles on the cake. That would be a fire hazard. lololol

I needed a veggie side dish one night, so I used leftover veggies! I sautéed some onion and green pepper from the fridge. When those were about done, I added some leftover corn. I added salt, pepper, onion power, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. I sautéed until some of the corn started to brown. I added some of the diced tomatoes that I had left from the tacos pictured above and heated through. It came out great! So great, we ate it all. lol No recipe, because I was literally throwing leftovers and seasonings in the pan. I’ll have to make it again and write the recipe!

My daughter made cheesecake! She makes it from scratch. The kind of cheesecake that you bake for an hour. Then have to wait hours for it to cool. But is it ever worth the wait! Of course, I like it with chocolate sauce! lol

Check out my In the Kitchen with Linda page, where all my kitchen tips, ideas, and recipes are linked!

In the Kitchen with Linda

Dinner Menu

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Monday – chicken or turkey – We had left over chicken and pasta my son brought home from church

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Baked Italian Chicken pictured above from the freezer, baked potatoes, Brussel sprouts

Wednesday – Taco Night- Hamburgers

Thursday – pork or chicken – Jag

Friday – Quick & Easy  – Venison in the slow cooker with potatoes, carrots, and onions

Saturday – Quick & Easy or Husbands Choice – Grill or take out, depending on the weather

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Soup, sandwiches, or leftovers

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you

The Confession Musical Review & Giveaway

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The Confession Musical is based on the New York Times best-selling book series “The Heritage of Lancaster County,” written by Beverly Lewis. Her books have been made into movies in the past, now there is a musical! Check out my The Confession Musical Review & Giveaway below!

The Confession Musical Review & Giveaway

Two worlds collide when a young Amish girl discovers she was adopted by a wealthy Christian family. As she seeks her birth mother, she has to overcome the obstacles of a lost fiancée, a shunning and a crafty gold-digger who seeks the fortune of her birth mother.


The Confession Musical is based on the New York Times best-selling book series “The Heritage of Lancaster County,” written by Beverly Lewis and written for the stage by Emmy-Nominated screenwriter Martha Bolton. Katie Lapp, a young Amish girl, discovers her parents have been keeping a secret from her… she is adopted. Katie decides to seek her birth mother, defying the rules of her Amish village and risking a shunning.

Meanwhile, her wealthy birth mother, Laura Mayfield, battling an illness that might take her life, begins searching for her long-lost daughter to bequeath her inheritance before it is too late. Secretly plotting against her is the gold-digging husband Dylan (played by John Schneider), who is scheming to make sure he inherits her fortune. With the help and prayers of her Christian maidservant (played by Chonda Pierce), they try to foil Dylan’s plan and reunite Katie and Laura.

Watch The Confession Musical Trailer!

The Confession Musical, filmed in front of a live audience, combines drama, mystery, faith, and spectacular songs and sets. A clean film the entire family can enjoy or perfect for a spectacular “girls’ night out!” The Confession weaves together mystery, intrigue, and romance together with Broadway-caliber music. It’s directed by Stephen Yake with Yake Films, produced by Dan Posthuma, and Glue Gate Musicals. Wally Nason’s songs are dramatic, and Emmy-nominated scribe Martha Bolton sprinkles in comedy as the screen is filled with over 20 actors and dancers, supported by spectacular visuals.

The Confession Musical Review & Giveaway

I really enjoyed watching The Confession Musical! The story line is great, of course. John Schneider is great, as usual in his other films that I have seen. Chonda Pierce is excellent in her roll as Laura’s housekeeper. Funny, as per her norm, and an awesome job singing.

The Confession Musical Favorite Scenes

The barn raising featured singing, dancing, and music made with brooms, washboards, and hammers. Very catchy and entertaining!

During the shunning of Katie, the lights, music, and group with their backs to Katie, were very dramatic. You can really feel the heartbreak between Katie and her parents.

After the shunning, we see Katie’s birth mother talking about how much she wants to find her daughter, and Katie making a call to find her birth mother. After, there is a scene with Katie, her adopted mother, and her birth mother, all singing a song, even though they are in different places. The adopted mother starts the song, singing about how much she misses her daughter. Katie’s birth mother joins next, singing about how much she wants to see her daughter. The way they shot them singing, and then super imposing their faces together on the screen, it looks like they are singing together. Then Katie comes to the stage and sings about both her mothers. And all 3 sing together. This scene is very well done, very emotional.

Another of my favorite scenes is when the birth mother, Laura, is talking with the “fake” daughter Katie, hired by her greedy husband to trick her and keep all her money when she dies.. She tells her about her best friend that loves unconditionally. Laure falls asleep, then the fake Katie starts singing about this friend, then picks up Laura’s Bible and starts reading. Afterward she has a change of heart, calls Laura’s husband who hired her, and tells him she quits!

It’s very emotional, of course, when Laura finally finds out who the real Katie is, and Katie finally gets to hug her mother.

Likewise, there are high emotions when Laura dies, and Katie discovers Daniel isn’t dead after all.

The Confession Musical Story Continued

Katie’s adopted parents are over joyed when their Bishop sets aside the shunning after finding out the circumstances of Katie’s adoption and subsequently searching for her birth mother. Her parents are able to be there when Katie marries Daniel.

Since this musical is based on a book, and a movie was previously made, I have not worried about giving away the story line. However this post is long, so I have only touched on what I considered to be some of the highlights.

The entire cast is excellent, the music and songs catchy, as well as heart warming. I highly recommend you go see The Confession Musical yourself!

Buy tickets today to see The Confession Musical movie exclusively in theaters February 20th!

Buy The Confession Musical movie tickets here.

For more information, visit The Confession Musical website.

The Giveaway

Enter to below to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Giveaway open to those 18+ in the US.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Many thanks to Blue Gate Musicals for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

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