Ornament Review: All Decked Out - Spotlight on Snoopy #24 - 2021 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Creative, fun, Christmassy

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Snoopy as a tree

Fun Christmas series entry

A creative piece

Snoopy’s Substituting for Your Christmas Tree This Year

Since Hallmark’s Spotlight on Snoopy series is focused on Snoopy and not necessarily Christmas, we’ve had many entries that aren’t specific to the holiday.  As a fan of Peanuts and Snoopy, I haven’t minded in the slightest.  However, with All Decked Out, the entry for 2021, we are definitely getting a Christmas themed ornament.

You see, this year, Snoopy has decided to decorate himself for Christmas.  He’s wrapped a string of green and red lights around himself.  He’s holding a red ornament.  Even Woodstock has gotten into the act since he’s standing on Snoopy’s head and holding a star.

This is such a cute ornament.  No, it’s not incredibly detailed or complex, but it doesn’t have to be.  It makes me smile when I look at it, which is one thing I look for when I look at Hallmark ornaments.

It helps that the lights are clear.  While they don’t actually light up, they will let light through, so if you have this ornament in the right light, we can see patches of red and green on Snoopy.

As is usually the case, Snoopy is standing on his own two feet, which means you can set the ornament out to display.  It’s not as steady as I expected, so if the area where you are putting the ornament is going to be bumped regularly, Snoopy will fall over.

Of course, that’s not an issue if you plan to hang the ornament on your tree.  Snoopy tips forward ever so slightly when you go to hang him.  It’s only really noticeable if you are looking for it, and by the time you get some tree branches around the ornament, you won’t notice at all.

Since this is the twenty-fourth ornament in the series (can’t believe the number’s that high), you’ll find the series marker on the bottom of Snoopy’s feet.

I’m really pleased with All Decked Out.  This is a fun addition to the Spotlight on Snoopy series that I’ll enjoy for a long time to come.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Spotlight on Snoopy ornaments.

Disney Pin Review: Stitch Crashes The Lion King - Stitch Crashes Disney #3 - 2021 Release

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Little touches that I enjoy

Cons: Overall, Stitch looks weird

The Bottom Line:

Stitch in Africa

It’s still a weird looking pin

But touches I like

Be Prepared for Stitch to Land in Africa

The third entry in the Stitch Crashes Disney series was themed around The Lion King.  After the disappointment that was The Lady and the Tramp entry, this one looked a little better.  Not much, but a little.  I do wonder how I would feel if I had seen this one first.

This time around, Stitch is mostly yellow with green inside his ears and on his chest.  Again, it’s a weird color on him.  I get it, they are trying to capture the yellow of a lion and the green of vegetation, but still.  Stitch is sitting down, and he has his mouth open in a roar.  His eyes are big and round.  Neither of those help since it makes him look even weirder.

So let’s get to what is fun.  Stitch isn’t just two colors, but there are patterns to them.  The green portions have leave patterns in them if you look closely enough.  The yellow contains triangles and other patterns like that.  They look a bit more Egyptian to me than the savannahs I picture as the setting for The Lion King, but I still like them.  If you look closely, you can find Simba, Timon, and Pumba hidden in the pattern.  And what’s that on top of Stitch’s head?  I believe it is a grub or two.

The card the pin comes on captures the look of the Pride Lands from the movie.  We are seeing it at sun rise, and it looks beautiful.  Really, these cards are definitely part of the magic of this series.

Obviously, there are things I like about this pin.  It’s not as bad as the previous one, but it’s not as good as some of the others.  It’s the little touches that I do like that make this one a bit better.

This is a jumbo pin, so it’s over two inches in size, much bigger than the majority of Disney’s pins.  It helps explain the higher price point for the pins.

I was debating about collecting these Stitch Crashes Disney pins earlier in the year, but I’m glad I am.  Even the ones like this that don’t work like they should have something about them that I enjoy.

July 10th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Between sporting events and the 4th of July, this was a rather light TV week.

The Flash – We at least got a little bit of Iris.  Interesting storyline they have for her.  I’m wondering if they were writing around something and how much we will see her in the final two episodes of the season.  And so great to see Diggle again!  Glad they are going to follow up on his ending of Arrow.  I’m surprised they brought back Ultraviolet just to kill her off like that.  I’m guessing it will have to do with some changes for Allegra, but we shall see.  And I’m guessing we have a meta clone out with Joe, not that she knew about herself.

Lego Masters – Wow!  From first to next to last.  Quite the fall.  Not that I disagree with the judges on either of the teams that were in the bottom two.  I’m a little surprised about the whale and the squid being in second.  I felt there were others that were better, but maybe if I’d seen them in person I’d understand.  Definitely agree with the winning team.  That was an amazing build!

Loki – Not quite as monumental as the previous episode, but still pretty interesting.  I called where they were going to end the episode, however.  Now everyone is looking for the same thing, so we can all come together for a glorious climax next week.

Monsters at Work – Of all the Disney+ series, this was the one I was looking forward to the most.  Maybe it was my high expectations or something, but I struggled a bit with the first episode.  I did feel the second one was better, so maybe it will find its footing as it goes along.  I definitely intend to keep watching it.  Hope it gets a little funnier.

Card Sharks – Both games could have been closer than they appeared.  It took forever for anyone to get traction in that first game.  In the second, if she had frozen, it would have been close.  Couldn’t believe some of the luck the contestants had in the bonus game, but glad at least one of them won a decent amount of money.

Book Review: Pony Up by Sandy Dengler (Valley of the Sun Mysteries #10)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Characters we know, interesting plot

Cons: Dueling plots, content of a couple of scenes

The Bottom Line:

Danger on two fronts

With characters that we love

Still, does not quite mesh

Settling into Married Life with Danger

When I saw two more books in the Valley of the Sun Mysteries late last year, I snapped them up.  I enjoyed book nine earlier this year, but Pony Up was a bit different.  I enjoyed it overall, but it had issues.

The series follows several officers in the Phoenix homicide department.  While Joe Rodriguez is the main character, we have spent time getting to know the others, and they have a strong presence once again in this book.  The original few volumes in the series were released in the 1990’s, and the author has kept that time frame.  That means that Joe has a cell phone, but it’s large, and he’s not sure how he feels about it, and computers are large and slow.  Things like that.

It is absolutely essential that you’ve read the previous book, Wild Horses, before you read this book.    Not only does this one pick up immediately after the ending of book nine, but it carries over a storyline I thought had been wrapped up.

This book opens at Joe’s wedding reception over in Ireland, but it isn’t too long before he and his young wife, Bridgid, are back in Phoenix and settling into wedded bliss.  Well, they would be if it weren’t for Charlie Stegener.  He is still trying to cause trouble for Joe in particular and the entire Phoenix police in general despite the fact that his wife has dropped out of the mayor’s race.  Meanwhile, someone has followed Joe and Bridgid back from Ireland intent on ruining their lives.  Can Joe stay one step ahead of both of these problems?

As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but feel like I was reading the script for a modern TV show.  We’ve got the A story and the B story, one of which is new and the other is carried over from the previous book (episode).  Each are equally important to this particular book.  However, that’s not what I generally expect in books.  Yes, I expect some subplots involving the character’s lives, but not an ongoing storyline.  This is a case where TV and books usually differ.  While I like both media, I like them for different reasons and I like them being different.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the story here.  I was engaged the entire time.  I love the characters, and they were strong once again, which certainly helped draw me in.  There was plenty happening to them, and it was mostly bad, so I wanted to see how they would come out on the other side.

There were a couple of scenes, however, that I could have done without due to the content.  And I have to wonder what one character ever did to the author since she once again is put through horrible stuff.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say.  The storyline here is wrapped up.  But the book’s ending felt abrupt.  I’m used to a wrap up scene in both books and TV shows, and we didn’t get that here.  But again, I did feel like we got a satisfying conclusion to the story.

I did enjoy Pony Up more than it might sound like from my review.  But then again, I already knew and loved the characters.  The flaws with the book are enough to keep me from recommending it to all but the biggest fans of the series.

Here are the rest of the Valley of the Sun Mysteries.

Movie Review: With Six You Get Eggroll

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Laughs, characters, acting

Cons: A bit too much; predictable story

The Bottom Line:

Two families combine

Overall, a funny film

Tackles too much plot

“You Have Forty-Eight Seconds to Get to the Airport.”

I’ve been trying to find a way to watch With Six You Get Eggroll for a couple of years now.   I finally got access to some streaming services in the last year, and while searching them, I discovered that I could rent it on several, so I jumped at that.  I’m glad I did because I had fun with it.

Abby McClure (Doris Day) is a widow with three boys she is trying to raise.  Her sister, Maxine (Pat Carroll), is constantly trying to set Abby up with a man, and her latest effort involves Jake Iverson (Brian Keith).  Jake is a widower with a daughter of his own, and Abby and her husband and Jake and his wife used to be friends before they drifted apart.  Abby and Jake’s first meeting in years doesn’t exactly go well, but they soon find themselves falling in love much to their kids’ dismay.  What will it mean for everyone if they decide to get married?

This movie came out in 1968, and in many ways, it feels like a long 1960’s sitcom.  Which is rather appropriate since it is apparently one of the two movies that inspired The Brady Bunch.  (Yes, I know it was a 70’s sitcom, but it started early enough the comparison works.  Just go with it.)  There is a little more depth to the characters here than in The Brady Bunch, but it is still an appropriate comparison.  This is a light, frothy movie.  There is nothing too deep or serious here.  It’s a romantic comedy, after all.

If you’ve watched romantic comedies, you’ll recognize many of the situations the characters find themselves in.  There’s the awkward first meeting and the misunderstanding that turn out to be about nothing, for example.  The kids do add some new twists on the familiar, but they are still familiar situations.

I also felt that the movie tried to wrap things up too quickly.  If this really were a sitcom, I think we’d have about 5 or 6 episodes in this hour and a half movie.  That means some of the storylines are introduced and brought to a fast conclusion.  And there is definitely an episodic feel to the movie.

But here’s the thing – the movie is fun.  The banter is clever and made me smile and laugh.  And the characters are loveable.  We want to see them overcome the obstacles in their path.  I had the biggest grin on my face at the end.

Much of that goes to the actors, who are all wonderful at making us love their characters even when they are being annoying.  I was actually surprised with how many of the actors in the cast I recognized from other projects.  Don’t get me wrong, the majority I didn’t know, which is usually the case when I watch older films, but those connections I did make were fun for me.  Anyway, the actors really elevated the writing, making the dialogue snappy when it should be, and bringing an overall warmth to their characters.

With Six You Get Eggroll is a light, comedic movie, which is perfect because that is all it is trying to be.  If you are looking for something that will leave you smiling, this movie is certainly worth watching.

Book Review: Pint of No Return by Dana Mentink (Shake Shop Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters, good mystery

Cons: Pacing a couple of times, took a bit of time to fully connect to story

The Bottom Line:

Opening new shop

Must clear a surprising friend

Lovely characters

Delicious Debut

July is National Ice Cream Month.  With that in mind, when Pint of No Return, the first Shake Shop Mystery from Dana Mentink crossed my radar, I knew I had to enjoy it this month.

Trinidad Jones has just gone through a divorce from a man she thought she loved but didn’t know at all.  Turned out he was thrice-married and an embezzler.  Now, he’s in prison, and all he’s left her is a storefront in the small town of Upper Sprocket, Oregon, his home town.  Despite the fact that both of his other ex-wives are also in town, Trinidad decides to move there and open her dream shop – a place called Shimmy and Shake Shop.  She intends to make her own home-made ice cream and create mammoth shakes.

Since getting the shop ready to open has taken up most of her time, she hasn’t spent too much time getting to know anyone in town.  One of the few people she has met is Kevin Heartly, the man who owns the gourmet popcorn shop opposite her new store.  One afternoon, she finds Kevin dead in the back of his shop.  The police are quick to zero in on Juliette, one of Trinidad’s fellow ex-wives.  She just met Juliette, but she doesn’t think the woman is a killer.  Can Trinidad trust her instincts?  If she is right, can she free Juliette?

I was at once drawn into this book but also felt a little on the outside.  Let me explain.  While the setting came to life, I felt like it was missing some details to make it fully real.  For example, we learn early on that Trinidad intends to open her shop on July Fourth, but we don’t get any idea how far away that is.  You know me and timelines, but that is just one example.  Still, it was those little things that kept me from fully getting lost in the world.

On the other hand, the characters are fantastic.  Is Trinidad’s relationship with Juliette believable?  Maybe or maybe not in real life, but I completely bought it in this book.  Trinidad is still meeting people, so as she gets to know those people, we do to.  And I loved those relationships.  The people helped draw me into the book more than anything else, and I loved spending time with them.

The plot is good.  The pacing was a bit off at times, but it all came together at the end and kept my interest as I read.

The book does a good job of balancing the tone.  At times, it is light and fluffy like newly mixed-up ice cream.  But it has more serious moments, too.  It holds together very well.

I enjoyed the slight twist on the classic cozy set up.  Trinidad may be starting her life over again after some disappointments and setbacks, but she didn’t run home.  I’m interested to see how that choice plays out in future books.

Of course, there are plenty of scenes involving ice cream.  I love ice cream, so my mouth was watering as I read.  If you enjoy ice cream, too, you’ll want to sample the key lime ice cream recipe at the end of the book.

Pint of No Return is a solid debut.  I will definitely be back to visit these new friends again.

Save room for more of the Shake Shop Mysteries.

Giveaway:

I bought a copy of this book and then won one in a giveaway, so I’m passing my spare copy on to someone.  To enter the giveaway, leave me a comment telling me your favorite flavor of ice cream and your email address.  Since this is a physical copy, US only please.  I’ll pick a winner on July 14th, so enter before then.

Ornament Review: Go, Dog. Go! - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Captures a well-loved picture book perfectly

Cons: Go, Cons.  Go!

The Bottom Line:

Remembered kids’ book

Ornament that makes me smile

Go get it!  Go now!

An Ornament That Had to Go on My Tree

I enjoy looking at the picture book ornaments that Hallmark produces every year, but I only buy the ones themed around books I loved from childhood.  That’s why I knew last year’s Go, Dog.  Go! ornament was going to go home with me as soon as I saw it.

This ornament is inspired by the easy reader book by P. D.Eastman.  The book is fairly simple and themed around dog of all kinds doing all kinds of things.  It was a book my entire family loved, and we will quote a few of the lines to this day.

The ornament features an open book.  Naturally, it is open to the page the book is named after.  That features a bird telling a line of dogs in cars they can go again because the light is green.  The bird has just finished crossing the street while they waited for him at a red light.  One of the dogs in a car and the streetlight are coming out of the page.  The back of the ornament features the covers of the book.

And it is perfect!  It hits that nostalgia that inspires a bunch of my Hallmark ornament purchases.  I smile looking at it thinking of the book.  Heck, it makes me want to go out and reread the book for the nostalgia of it.

The ornament is built so that it stands up pretty well on its own.  That’s just from the angle the book is opened since the car doesn’t touch any surface.  I’d be fairly confident setting this up in just about any area.

You might notice when you go to hang the ornament that it tips back and to the right ever so slightly.  But by the time you have it surrounded by tree branches you’ll never notice.  I sure didn’t this last year.

Not all of these picture book ornaments appeal to me, but when they do, they are just perfect.  Go, Dog.  Go! is going to make anyone who loves that book smile.

Book Review: Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson (Gaslight Mysteries #17)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters as always

Cons: Mystery not quite as strong as most in the series

The Bottom Line:

Helping family friends

Characters’ lives progressing

Fun for series fans

Poisoner on the Lose

The Gaslight Mysteries are still in transition with Murder on Amsterdam Avenue.  It only makes sense since main characters Frank Malloy and Sarah Brandt are going through some major changes in their lives.  As a loyal reader, I would be upset if we didn’t get to see these moments of transition for them since we’ve been invested in their lives for so long.

If you are new to the series, it is set in 1890’s New York City.  When we first met them, Frank was a Detective Sergeant with the New York City police and Sarah was a midwife.  They kept finding themselves thrown together in cases of violent death, and eventually fell in love.  However, it was only after Frank inherited quite a bit of money that they began to really see a future for them together.

As this book opens, Frank has moved into the house they will share after they get married, but they have to wait until restoration is done on the house to actually get married, and the workers are taking their sweet time about it.  Meanwhile, Sarah accompanies her mother on a condolence call to the home of the Oakes family.  Charles suddenly got sick and died a few days later.  The Oakes have been friends with Sarah’s family for years, and so, on the visit, Charles’s father asks if Frank will investigate the death.  He thinks that something is not right about it.  It isn’t long before Frank confirms that Charles was poisoned.  But who would poison him?

Part of the transition the series is going through is figuring out how Frank and Sarah will find themselves involved in more mysteries since they are no longer employed now that they are rich in their own right.  I’m curious to see how that goes as the series progresses, but I’ve always enjoyed the creativity that author Victoria Thompson has employed in the past, so I’m not worried she will continue to find great cases for them to solve.

While this is a historical series, it’s not often that real history creeps into the book.  Most often, it’s the rich setting that gives us the historical atmosphere, and I’ve got no complaints about that.  Here, some recent events and history plays a part of the mystery and the character’s lives.  I’ll leave you to discover exactly what that is.

I am usually drawn into these books and find myself hard pressed to return to the present when I have to set them down.  That was the case again here.  However, I also felt like the story was moving slowly, which I often don’t feel.  I think the problem was that I guessed a large part of the solution early on.  I didn’t quite have the particulars figured out, but I still was frustrated waiting for the characters to catch up.  Having said that, we do still get some interesting complications on the way to the satisfying climax.

While Frank and Sarah are the stars of the series, I always enjoy it when we see more of the supporting players.  That’s the case here, especially Gino and Maeve.  I loved their scenes and watching how they are developing.

Murder on Amsterdam Avenue isn’t the strongest entry in the series, but fans will still be very glad they read it.  If you are new to the Gaslight Mysteries, it wouldn’t be best to jump in here, however, since what fans will love about this book won’t mean as much to you.

Check out the rest of the Gaslight Mysteries.

Disney Pin Review: Mushu Doing Karate - All Star Trading Cards #7 - 2020 Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mushu striking a fun pose

Cons: None worth mentioning

The Bottom Line:

Mushu, Karate

Make a natural pairing

Good series entry

Of course I Like this Pin.  Mushu Would Attack Me if I Didn’t

We’ve reached the first pin in the All Stars Trading Card pin series that doesn’t immediately connect with me movie wise.  I’m probably forgetting about a scene in Mulan.  I can certainly understand the connection that they made even if it wasn’t in the movie.

For this pin, we have Mushu doing Karate.  This small, red Komodo dragon is demonstrating a move with his feet out in front of him and his arms ready to strike as well.  He’s raised from the main pin.  Behind him, we can see the mountains and tents of the camp where Mulan trained for battle.  Holding on to his tail is Cri-Kee, the cricket.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I like the pin.  And Mushu doing Karate makes total sense.  I just don’t remember him actually doing any in the movie.  There was probably one scene I’m not thinking of, since it has been years since I actually watched it.  I guess that means I need to rewatch it soon.

As usual with the series, the pin itself is a rectangle, so it looks like a sports trading card.  Karate is written in a blue banner across the bottom of the card, and Mushu has signed his name up in the right-hand corner.

Whether or not this moment comes from the movie is irrelevant.  Mushu always makes a fun pin, and this is no exception.

July 3rd's Weekly TV Thoughts

 Legends of Tomorrow – Now THAT felt like a classic episode of the show.  So nice to see them working together as a team for the first time all season.  And on this planet.  I’m interested to see where they are going with Constantine.  And Nate.  Surely, living in the past with his relationship isn’t going to be good in the long run.

Batwoman – Apparently, they are going to leave Jake Kane is prison.  Sorry, but I don’t feel like he’s really guilty and deserves to be there.  That kind of disappoints me.  But what I really don’t get is writing Kate out of the show.  After everything they did to bring her back, I wanted to see the dynamic.  They could have kept Ryan as Batwoman and had Kate doing other things since she no longer had to be Batwoman.  It feels very much like a let down of the show.  Hope they wind up agreeing with me.

American Ninja Warrior – Another group of impressive runs.  Sorry Alyssa isn’t moving on this year, but it seemed like most of the veterans made it on.  And the teens continue to really impress.

The Flash – How awkward was it that Iris wasn’t in that episode.  Seriously, couldn’t they find any other way to write around her absence?  I was surprised by the reveal at the end that they aren’t pregnant yet since I’m expecting it to come by the end of the season.  I’ll be interesting to see where Frost’s relationship with Mark goes.  Although I’m in favor of him becoming a good guy.  Something about that name.

Loki – Now that was a great episode.  Action and it moved the story forward in a significant way.  I’m very curious now where they are going with things.  Hope the next couple of episodes are this strong to finish out the season.

Press Your Luck – That was quite the come from behind win in the initial rounds.  And then the bonus round was up and down and up and down.  I was happy she got a decent amount of money with that final spin since that was the only one that mattered, as it turned out.

Card Sharks – The second game was closer.  I also prefer the closer games than the run aways.  And wow, what a great pile of money that second winner won.

Holey Moley – Three new holes, and all three of them are winners as far as I am concerned.  After all, the purpose of the show is to see people fall in new and unusual ways.  Plus, mud runner that I am, I loved the mud in the first hole we saw.