Linda's Lunacy

Faith, Home, & Family

These Hearts – Music Review

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Forever Ended Yesterday [+Digital Booklet]
These Hearts
“Forever Ended Yesterday”
Release Date: 6/21/11
About These Hearts
In a time when an infinite amount of genres seem to be concocted daily, it takes quite a bit of creativity to blur the lines across so many.  These Hearts understand that it takes that dash of ingenuity paired with an innate desire to put forth the hard work that comes along with being a band in this day and age.
Among a sea of like-sounding music, These Hearts have raised the bar and then some by bringing a fresh, upbeat rock sound to ears everywhere in strong conjunction with a meaningful, church-based upbringing that has everything to do with the quintet’s musical and writing process.  The band’s unquestionable commitment to their faith in Christ is present in all aspects of their musical journey.  With an urgency to declare to fans, friends and family that “they are loved, and there is hope,” These Hearts demonstrate the ever-present effect that faith plays in the group’s life.
While it’s understood that hardships are an unavoidable bump in the road, These Hearts note that they solely rely on their faith for guidance.  “Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a previous band member leaving, or even being in financial trouble, friendship and having Jesus in our lives has played a pivotal role in getting us through these tough times,” says guitarist Daryl Van Been. 
The group has certainly put their own blood, sweat, and tears into creating and sharing their music with the masses.   “Being in a band is about the most unstable job you can have but we want to glorify God with the gifts that he has blessed us with,” says Van Been.  Impressively touring across the US while unsigned,  they performed with notable acts such as MXPX, Bouncing Souls, The Devil Wears Prada, Silverstein, and Four Letter Lie, and selling over 3,000 copies of their self-produced EP Mistakes and Second Takes on their own gives some insight into the band’s dedication to their craft. 
These Hearts was formed in August of 2007 by way of Fargo, ND. Consisting of Ryan Saunders on vocals, Isaiah Folk on drums, Kyle Colby and Daryl Van Beek on guitars, and Tyler Rice on bass, the band began playing shows in October and quickly began establishing a name for themselves in the upper Midwest.
The Christian, post-hardcore group has no intention of slowing down any time soon; recently signing to the legendary Victory Records, These Hearts will release their debut album Forever Ended Yesterday, produced by Craig Owens (Chiodos), on June 21st.  These Hearts have graced the stages at festivals like Cornerstone, Agape, Ichthus, and Sonshine, and it will be hard to miss the band out spreading their positivity and faith-based values to the world in the coming year, as they intend to continue touring and playing music for fans new and old.



MY REVIEW:


Up until now, I have mostly listened to Christian rock when my kids play it for me. Some I like, Some I don’t like. I can say I haven’t listened to any screamo before. Well, ok, I guess I have listened to it for the 2 seconds it takes me to turn it off.

These Hearts are classified as Christian Rock/Screamo. If you’ve never heard the term Screamo before, it just means they scream a lot. lol

I have to say I did enjoy some of these songs. There is a range to them. They are not all loud screaming. I am not a musician. Well, unless you count clarinet in the 5th grade. lol  I, however, thought the guitar work in some of these songs was amazing. The drums were pretty cool, too.

Do I wish they screamed less? Yes, but that’s just my style. Their style is rock and screamo. Nothing wrong with different styles. And it’s good for us to expand our horizons sometimes, and listen to music that we don’t normally listen to. Plus, I can now talk about it with my teenage and  young adult children.

Here are a few links:

These Hearts on Facebook
These Hearts on Myspace
These Hearts on Amazon (not my affiliate link)

There are These Hearts videos on YouTube. I, however, can not link to them as some of the comments are really bad. So, if you do look them up, please, don’t read the comments!

If you, or your teens, like Christian Rock and/or Screamo, I suggest listening to These Hearts. You just might find some new favorite songs.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. I received one CD w/ paper case for review purposes. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Cutting The Guys Hair

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I’ve been cutting my sons hair for over 15 years. I don’t remember exactly when I started but it was at least that long ago. A couple of years ago, my husband had me start cutting his hair, too.
The nicer clippers that I had broke over a year ago. We didn’t have the extra money at the time to spend on nice clippers, so we bought a cheap set for about $10.
I knew they were bad, but I didn’t realize how bad until I bought a new set. I bought these Wahl Hair Clippers (affiliate link)  from Amazon recently. Oh my, what a difference good tools makes!
My daughter has expressed an interest in cutting hair, so when we cut all the guys hair the other day, I let her help. Here she is doing her older brothers hair. This was her first haircut. Do you think he looks scared? lol

She ended up cutting her Dad’s hair, too. I only had to do the one! I just might turn over the guys hair cutting to her!

You Can Do a Graphic Novel – Review & Giveaway

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**This giveaway is now over.  Click here to see the winner!

 



Graphic novels, a variation of comic books, are slowly but surely gaining popularity with tweens and teens. Thousands who just went to see Thor are eagerly waiting for the opening night of Captain America, Green Lantern and The Avengers. The movies that are expected to generate millions in the box office will also refresh curiosity in graphic novels.
Creating a graphic novel combines writing and illustrating with great creativity. It can be educational, exciting and fun. For young graphic novel enthusiasts the process of creating a graphic novel can be a great adventure that exercises their inner artists and makes a great project for long summer days.
Barbara Slate, graphic novelist and author of You Can Do a Graphic Novel guides readers through the same process she learned in her early days working for Marvel and DC Comics-a process she has simplified for the classes she teaches and for the syndicated column she writes.

The book teaches readers how to:

· Be creative in a way that works for you.
· Find your own artistic style!
· Create characters that get people’s attention … and hold it!
· Develop a great plotline and write believable dialogue.
· Lay out pages to keep the story moving forward.
· Keep those creative juices flowing when you get stuck.

 

About the Author:
Barbara Slate has done it all. Her first character, Ms. Liz, appeared on millions of greeting cards, in a regular comic strip for Cosmopolitan magazine, as a spokesperson for Dupont’s Lycra and as the star in a series of animated segments on NBC’s Today Show. Her big break in comics came when she created Angel Love for DC Comics. From there, she created, wrote and drew Yuppies from Hell, and Sweet XVI for Marvel and put her own spin on the Disney classics Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Archie’s Betty and Veronica, and Mattel’s Barbie. Barbara’s art has been exhibited in many galleries and reviewed by The New York Times.She is profiled in the seminal work A Century of Women Cartoonists. Stan Lee, Chairman, POW! Entertainment and Chairman Emeritus, Marvel Entertainment, calls Barbara “titanically talented.” She is currently busy being a mom, doing a graphic novel titled, I Got Married and Other Mistakes, and teaching. Her website is barbaraslate.com.
You Can Do a Graphic Novel
ISBN: 9781592579556
Alpha Books, $19.95

 

MY REVIEW:


I really loved You Can Do a Graphic Novel. This book is great for kids and adults alike. It’s bright, colorful and full of drawings. With chapters such as Your Story, The Creative Process, Creating Characters, Writing, Layout, and more, this book as everything you need to get started writing a graphic novel. There is even a glossary in the back to help you understand the terms used in the book.

You Can Do a Graphic Novel would make a great, fun way to get your kids writing. And drawing. This would make a great unit for the homeschooler for the middle school and high school. It is possible for younger ages to this book also. As long as your child can read, write, and draw, they will learn a lot from this book, regardless of grade level.

This would also make a great summer project. Keep the kids engaged with their reading and writing while having fun. My 12 year daughter wants to use the book. I think this would make a great family project also. Have the writer in the family write the story. The artist draw the pictures. Even the younger kids could help by giving ideas for the story, and what the characters should look like. How awesome would it be to give books for Christmas (or other holiday) presents that your family has made together?

Sounds great, right? How would you like to win your own book?

The Giveaway:


Enter to win a copy of You Can Do a Graphic Novel.

To Enter the Giveaway:

Do any (or all!) of the following:

1.Follow Linda’s Lunacy with Google Friend Connect and leave a comment on this post saying your following. If your already a follower, just leave a comment saying so.
2. Subscribe to my blog by email, leave a comment and don’t forget to confirm the subscription
3. Follow Linda’s Lunacy on Twitter and tweet the giveaway. You can tweet once per day, just leave the link to your tweet every day.

Sample tweet:
Enter to win the book You Can Do a Graphic Novel at Linda’s Lunacy http://bit.ly/kWaPtj #giveaway

5. Like Linda’s Lunacy on Facebook and leave a comment on this post.
6. Follow Linda’s Lunacy on Networked Blogs and leave a comment on this post.
7. Leave a comment – Do you or your kids like to draw? Has anyone in your family ever tried to do a graphic novel?

That’s right, no mandatory entry. You choose how you want to enter!


*This giveaway ends on Monday, July 6th at 11:59 pm  Open to US only. The winner will be selected by random.org. I will notify the winner by email. The winner must respond within 48 hours to claim their prize, or another winner will be chosen. I will verify entries.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. I received one book for review purposes. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Read the Bible in 90 Days

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Bible in 90 Days

Mom’s Tool Box is starting a new session of Read The Bible in 90 Days.

I participated in The Bible in 90 Days reading challenge last summer, and completed it in October 2010.

I found the challenge very rewarding. It is quite the challenge, though. Every days reading is 12 pages long. Which may not sound too bad and most days it isn’t. Reading the genealogies was the hardest part for me.

Reading the Bible in 90 Days is very doable!

A new session is starting on July 11th.  I highly recommend the challenge for everyone. Visit Mom’s Toolbox to sign up.



Gluten Free Banana Bread

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*This post contains affiliate links.

 

I was excited to try this recipe for gluten free banana bread. Since going gluten free, I’ve tried lots of recipes, and this one is definitely a keeper. Moist, delicious, crispy crust. Awesome warm from the oven, and toasted with butter for breakfast.

I found this recipe for Gluten Free Banana Bread at Budget Savvy Diva but I see she found it at All Recipes. You can go to those links to see the original recipe. I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the recipe, as I like these in banana bread. I’ve also changed the cooking time. It took about an hour to bake, and comments on All Recipes say others have had to bake it for an hour, too. So I changed the time in the recipe.

 

Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe

 

 

Gluten Free Banana Bread

 

2 cups gluten free all purpose baking flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons maple syrup
6 ripe bananas, mashed

 

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F . Lightly grease a loaf pan
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In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, & nutmeg. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Stir in eggs, maple syrup and mashed bananas until well blended. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture; mix until batter is just moist. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

 

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

 

I ate some, set aside a couple of slices to eat and put the rest in the freezer. I froze these with 2 layers of waxed paper between each slice. That way, I can pull out one slice at a time. This was so good, I’m sure I would  have eaten it all very quickly if I didn’t put it in the freezer!

 

gluten free banana bread

 

 

* This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and purchase something, I will receive a small commission.

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