Steven Helmer Publications

I just heard the sad news a few minutes ago, Jim Nabors passed away last night at 87. He was always one of my favorite actors on The Andy Griffith Show (the show just wasn't the same after he left) and, every time I heard him sing, I was simply amazed by his voice. In fact, his passing is particularly sad since his Christmas songs were among my favorites.

I'm making sure to record A Charlie Brown Christmas when it is on TV tonight, though we probably won't get a chance to watch it until this weekend. It's something I try to do every year (I really should just get it on DVD or something) because it is still one of the few movies that, even as an adult, puts me in the Christmas spirit. My personal favorite from this cartoon is Linus reciting Luke 2:8-14. This has become even more so the past couple of years after having something very subtle but also very clever pointed out to me. Throughout the cartoon, a big deal is made about Linus and his security blanket and how he refuses to let go of it. Yet, when he recites his monologue he casually drops it on the ground as he says "fear not," as though saying he doesn't need his blanket to protect him because Christ is. It's an awesome moment and one that I make sure to remind my kids about every time we watch this now.

It feels like an eternity since I first entered the "I Love Beaver Dam" photo contest. But, after weeks of voting, there are just two more days left. My photo is in the lead. But, there are a couple that are within reach of it so I'm just hoping it can hold the top spot through tomorrow, the final day of voting. As always, if you're interested in casting your vote, you can find the photo here:  http://woobox.com/94ugfu/gallery/2wfmNshhL4U

Synopsis: A demon hunter travels to Mississippi in an effort to recapture a newly-escaped homicidal demon that survives by possessing whoever killed its previous host. Who's in it? The movie stars Dolph Lundgren , Kristina Klebe , Tony Bentley , James Chalke and Miles Doleac . Review: My wife and I had an opportunity to watch a movie last night but, since it was already starting to get late, I needed to pick one that wasn't overly long. As a result, I ended up going with this film, which I had come across on Netflix and thought looked interesting. Since I knew it was a low-budget film, I wasn't really expecting all that much from this movie. Unfortunately, even with those lowered expectations, I found I wasn't overly impressed with this film. I will start out by saying there were a couple things I did like about this film. For one, I liked the fact the demon couldn't get killed and would only continue to possess people until someone was willing to sa...

My boss handed me a flyer for the web site www.volunteerdodge.net  and I had an opportunity to check it out. As it turns out, it looks like it is a great idea. Basically, the idea behind the site is area non-profit groups can post their volunteer needs and people looking to make a difference can fill those holes. It's an easy way to bring wannabe volunteers together with the groups that need them. In fact, I'm thinking about sharing it with our skating rink since we can never seem to find enough help.

I came home yesterday evening and the two cats were passed out on the couch, as though they had run themselves ragged to the point they couldn't move any more. They were like this for quite a while too so I couldn't help but wonder what they had been doing while we were all at work/school.

My daughter's dance team took part in the parade yesterday evening so, while waiting for their float, I watched and took some photos (sorry if some are blurry, I'm not the best night photographer).

We were up early yesterday morning but, apparently, Mouse was just as tired as we were. He was curled up in his bed by late morning and stayed there a good chunk of the day. I think it was because his brother, Echo, kept him up the night before.

My wife and I aren't hard core Black Friday shoppers but we do have one tradition. Every year, we get up early the day after Thanksgiving so we can go to our local Fleet Farm and get the free collectible stuffed toy they hand out. We ended up at the store for about 80 minutes. Some of it was shopping (they usually have good deals in their toy aisle) but most of it was standing in line, both waiting for the store to open and waiting in line at the checkout. That was pretty much the extent of our shopping day. We had breakfast, walked around one other store (we didn't buy anything) and went home. I do plan on going by the local library in an hour (they have a book sale going on) and, later, will shoot down to Costco to do some of our normal grocery shopping.

Synopsis: After Dr. James Sheppard declares a wealthy widow's death a suicide, her best friend, Roger Ackroyd, confides in him and reveals she was being blackmailed for murdering her husband and sent him a yet-to-be-read letter that likely identifies the person behind it. When Ackroyd is found murdered later that evening, his missing cash-strapped nephew becomes the primary suspect. But, with a house full of potential murder suspects, Sheppard, along with his new neighbor, Hercule Poirot, conduct their own investigation. Image courtesy of Pixabay Review: My oldest daughter was at the ice rink for more than 2 hours last night and, because of that, I had an opportunity to finish up this book. So far, ever since I started reading Agatha Christie's novels, I have been impressed. This one, however, was the first one that left me saying "wow." I love "who dunnit" mysteries and this one was one of the best ones I've read. While the missing nephew see...

It didn't take too long for the cats to be up in the window once again this morning. I'm not really sure what they were looking at. But, they were definitely entertained.

His heyday was a little before my time and the Patridge Family is one of those shows that I just never could get interested in watching. However, I do like some of his songs and am sad to see him go at such a relatively young age. RIP

I haven't been going for as many walks the past couple of weeks because I either have something else I need to do or the weather hasn't been very cooperative. However, the weather was halfway decent today so I decided to squeeze one in at lunch. I didn't really see as much as I hoped (I was hoping, with it being deer season, I would see some whitetails hiding out in the park). But, I did manage to get some photos of ducks and geese.

Synopsis: A realtor discovers an old clown suit and decides to wear it for his son's birthday party. There's just one problem, the suit is cursed and, in addition to not being able to remove it, he is slowly being turned into a child-eating monster. Who's in it? The movie stars Andy Powers , Laura Allen , Peter Stormare , Christian DiStefano and Chuck Shamata . Review: This movie has been on Netflix for some time and, while I have considered watching it in the past, I usually ended up picking out a different movie instead. And, when my wife and I finally sat down to watch it last night, I honestly had some doubts about it. However, as it turns out, it was actually a pretty decent film. The movie wasn't quite as scary as I prefer horror movies to be and, because of that, I won't say it was the best clown-themed horror film I've ever seen. But, the movie did have quite a few things going for it. One thing, in particular, I found I liked about this m...

Mouse didn't waste much time this morning. As soon as I had the living room curtains open, he was in his normal spot on the back of the couch doing his best to scare away the crows that were outside.

Synopsis: After finding and shooting the serial killer that had become an obsession for him, a police detective tries to put the pieces of his life back together. However, when his daughter looks in the evidence box and mistakes a set of cursed "worry dolls" for some necklace charms, she inadvertently causes a plague of people imitating the killer. Who's in it? The movie stars Christopher Wiehl , Kym Jackson , Tina Lifford , Samantha Smith and Kennedy Brice . Review : I came across this movie on Netflix a few days ago and, even though I really wasn't expecting much from it (based largely on the fact I didn't recognize any of the stars), decided to watch it with my wife. As it turns out, it was admittedly a little better than expected, though it also wasn't anything overly special. The movie did have some intense moments involving normal people turning into killers because of the doll charms on their necklaces and bracelets. And, since they weren...

Synopsis : Farmer Wilfred James marries his wife, Arlette, largely to gain possession of her family's 100 acres. However, Arlette would much rather move to the city and, when she threatens to divorce him, sell her land and take their 14-year-old son, Wilfred convinces the boy to help him commit murder. Who's in it? The movie stars Thomas Jane , Molly Parker , Dylan Schmid , Kaitlyn Bernard and Neal McDonough. Review: After spending most of our Saturday doing some emergency car shopping , my wife and I finally managed to settle down for the night last night and watch a movie. I had noticed this film on Netflix and, thinking it sounded interesting, decided to watch it. As it turns out, it wasn't too bad. The movie wasn't particular scary and does take a while to get going. But, once it does, it becomes an interesting psychological drama. Wilfred (Jane) successfully murders his wife and convinces the local sheriff she ran off. However, even though he technically...

My wife and I had planned on getting new tires for her Mitsubishi Outlander last night. However, after a set of surprise developments, we will be looking for a different car for her instead. The plan was to get the tires after the girls were done with school. Only, when my wife was picking up our youngest daughter, her car stopped running outside of the school and she couldn't get it re-started so I had to come to her rescue and, eventually, had to call a tow truck (good thing we have towing insurance). The problem was actually a small one, her battery just decided to die and needed to be replaced. It was an easy enough fix. But, after switching the battery, her "check engine" light came on and the mechanic, after investigating, found a bigger problem. Apparently, there are a lot of red flag codes popping up that are an indication the transmission is about to go. As a result, we are following his advice and are looking at a different car. Yes, we could simply get th...

Look, I like Bing Crosby as much as the next person. He was one heck of a singer. But, we still have 6 days until Thanksgiving and, as far as I'm concerned, Christmas season doesn't (and shouldn't) start until after that. And, that includes Christmas music. It's bad enough I have to listen to it at some stores already (and, in their case, they can at least use the excuse they are trying to inspire people to spend more money). But, when it's only November 17th and I can't turn on my car radio without hearing almost non-stop holiday music, that's just too much. Stop trying to rush things.

The holiday wreath we ordered from the ice rink arrived earlier this week and, fearing it would turn brown if I tried to keep it inside for a week or two (not to mention, having to deal with all those needles), I decided to just hang it on our door. It needs to be fluffed a bit but I think it looks pretty nice. Maybe I can convince the rest of the family to just keep that as the only decoration on the house.

My oldest daughter was taking forever to get out the door this morning so, to avoid pacing the floor, I ended up snapping some photos of the cats. Echo was in his usual spot on back of our recliner. And, as always, Mouse was on the back of the couch watching out the window. I'm not sure what he was watching though. I think maybe he was fascinated with the bird feeder swaying in the wind.

Synopsis: When Anthony Cade agrees to travel from Africa to London and deliver a controversial manuscript that may have political implications, he isn't surprised when he encounters resistance. However, when the presumed heir to the throne of a small Balkan country is murdered, he ends up being the focus of the two detectives investigating the crime and must find a way to catch the real killer so he can clear his name. Review: I started reading this Agatha Christie novel a couple weeks ago and, to be honest, when I first started reading it, I thought it would be one I wouldn't enjoy all that much. Part of the reason for this is, with the various political and criminal plot points, ranging from selecting a new king of a foreign country to hidden diamonds and a master thief who was a master of disguise, I was concerned the book would become a little too bogged down and confusing. Plus, there were so many characters involved in this story, I did, admittedly find it hard at ...

Synopsis: After their friend dies unexpectedly from a shock-induced heart attack, a group of five teens accept an invite sent from her phone and download a personal assistant app. At first, the app seems harmless enough. But, eventually, the group realizes it is trying to use their inner-most fears to kill them the same way it killed their friend. Who's in it? The movie stars Saxon Sharbino , Brandon Soo Hoo , Robyn Cohen , Kate Orsini and Jordan Essoe . Review: I had never heard of this movie until coming across it on Netflix last night. And, to be honest, the only reason I ended up watching it with my wife was I was fighting a slight headache and figured we would just end up turning it off after about a half hour anyway. Based on the fact it was a movie I wasn't familiar with and had actors I didn't recognize, I didn't have high expectations for this film. However, after watching it, I do have to say it was considerably better than I was expecting. The ...

In addition to the paper bags being better for the environment, Echo absolutely loves to play with each and every one we bring home and makes sure to take the time to explore all of them. Sometimes, he just hangs out in one (which is why it is very important not to kick or step on any paper bags you might see on our floors).

There's a little over two weeks left in the "I Love Beaver Dam" photo contest and my goldfinch photo is still in the lead after hitting the 1100-vote mark today. This looks to be a 3-way race at this point so, while I have the lead now, there's nothing guaranteed yet. Again, if you'd like to vote for my photo, the link is  http://woobox.com/94ugfu/gallery/2wfmNshhL4U

Synopsis: A squad of British soldiers are participating in a training mission in the Scottish Highlands when they encounter a pack of werewolves. Desperate to survive the night, they take refuge in a farmhouse in an effort to defend themselves against their supernatural assailants. Who's in it? The movie stars Sean Pertwee , Kevin McKidd , Emma Cleasby , Darren Morfitt and Liam Cunningham . Review: I have had other opportunities to watch this film in the past but pretty much found reasons to decline, mostly because werewolf movies rarely live up to the hype. However, I noticed Sean Pertwee was in it and, since I do like him on the show Gotham, I decided to give the film a try. Unfortunately, it just didn't win me over. I'll start out by saying there were a couple things I found I liked about this film. One of the big ones was it didn't make me wait an eternity before the action started. We got a brief introduction of the main characters and, a short time la...

Well, Echo was sleeping. Then, I got some leftover pizza from the fridge and, the next thing I know, he's sitting up on the couch with me. I have honestly never seen a cat that likes pizza as much as this one does.

These two are pretty cute when they sleep. But, I just wish they would do this at night (when we are trying to sleep) rather than wait until they've pestered us for hours and one of us (usually me) get out of bed.

Synopsis: A real estate investor brings his new wife, infant son, teenage daughter and her friend to a small hamlet hoping to close a development deal not realizing the community is terrorized by a goblin that steals young children on Halloween night. Who's in it? The movie stars Gil Bellows , Tracy Spiridakos , Camille Sullivan , Donnelly Rhodes and Andrew Wheeler . Review: I came across this film last night, after watching our family movie together, and decided to watch it while waiting for the kids to get ready for bed and my wife (who has been fighting a bad cold) to decide if she wanted to stay up with me or go to bed early. We have seen this movie once before. But, it was quite a while ago and I couldn't remember that much about the film. However, based mostly on the cast of lesser-known actors, I honestly wasn't expecting it to be that good. As it turns out, while it definitely wasn't the best horror movie I've ever seen, it did turn out to be be...

Synopsis: While out in the forest with her friends, Smurfette encounters a mysterious Smurf and, after being captured by the wizard Gargamel, inadvertently gives him a clue that reveals the location of a lost Smurf village. Against Papa Smurf's wishes, her, Hefty, Brainy and Clumsy head into the Forbidden Forest in an effort to warn the other Smurfs. Who's in it? The animated movie uses voices from Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson , Mandy Patinkin , Danny Pudi and Julia Roberts . Review: My youngest daughter, Summer, discovered this movie in Netflix earlier this week and asked to have a family movie night. My wife and I agreed, despite not thinking we would enjoy this film. But, as it turns out, it was actually better than we were expecting. One thing, in particular, I found I liked about this movie is, unlike some other Smurfs films, this one seemed to be much more family-oriented. The plot, admittedly, was a little simple. But, unlike the other films, there weren't ...

After running through the house and playing with his brother, Echo, most of the night, Mouse was pretty tuckered out this morning and ended up crashing on the back of the couch.

This little critter sure wanted some of that delicious birdseed I have in the feeder outside. It had to stretch out pretty far just to reach it but did manage to get something to eat after a lot of work. Of course, I'm still curious why it didn't just grab something from the pile of seed on the ground below it. Seemed like an awful lot of extra work.

But, I had to cave in this morning and wear my heavier coat when I left the house. The temps were in the teens early today and, with the windchill, felt about 10 degrees colder. Considering I'm already fighting a cold, I figured I probably shouldn't try to tough it out this time around. I just hope it isn't this cold in a couple weeks, when my wife and I are continuing our annual tradition of standing in line outside of Fleet Farm so we can get their free stuffed toy (literally the only reason we get up that early. The girls have a collection of them).

Synopsis: After her archaeologist father dies, a newly "freed" Anne Beddingfeld moves to London in search of adventure. When she witnesses a man fall in front of a train and finds a connection between that and the murder of an unknown woman, she uses that information to obtain a newspaper correspondent job. She ultimately ends up on a ship to South Africa where she learns two important things, she is investigating a case involving stolen diamonds and her life is in danger as a result. Image courtesy of Pixabay Review: I started reading Agatha Christie's fourth novel a couple weeks ago and finally had a chance to finish it up last night, while waiting for my daughter at the ice rink. Overall, I have to say I enjoyed every bit of this one. Normally, I can read (or watch) a mystery and have some sort of idea about who the bad guy is. And, even when I'm wrong, it's usually my second choice. This time around, I have to admit I was completely stumped. I h...

They were watching a crow this morning as it was hopping around in one of the trees in front of our house. Mouse (the one on the left) doesn't like them at all. He gets agitated and tries to growl at them (it comes out as a clicking sound). This is kind of interesting too because he doesn't do that with the squirrels, rabbits or other birds that he sees. I'm wondering if a crow did something bad to him at one point when he was still a stray.

Synopsis: 12-year-old Cole is bullied at school and is afraid of just about everything. One person who helps him get through his life is his attractive babysitter, Bee, who he has a crush on. After one of his classmates tells him Bee is likely having sex with her boyfriend after he goes to sleep, Cole decides to sneak downstairs to see for himself. Only, instead of witnessing Bee having sex, he sees her and her friends commit murder as part of a Satanic ritual. Who's in it? The movie stars Judah Lewis , Samara Weaving , Bella Thorne , Robbie Amell and Emily Alyn Lind . Review: I've saw some advertisements for this film yesterday and, when it was time to settle down and watch a movie with my wife, I decided to give it a shot. I'm not normally a fan of horror/comedy films and wasn't really sure what to expect from this one when we started watching it. But, it turned out to be a fun movie to watch. I think the thing that really stood out for me as I watched th...

I snapped this photo yesterday afternoon while on my lunchtime walk. The geese are starting to migrate and, as is the case every fall (as well as every spring), they take a break in our local ponds.

I don't usually take a lot of photos of the changing leaves. But, I saw this lone park bench with the leaves on and around it and decided to grab a photo of it.

I managed to get a walk in this morning for the first time in a while (this was mostly thanks to Daylight Savings Time resulting in the sun coming up earlier). Shortly after starting, I realized it was colder out than I first thought and, needing a heavier coat and a pair of gloves, I decided to cut it somewhat short. However, despite that, I did manage to get a photo of these geese and ducks.

Yesterday was a typical Monday for our household. In addition to work/school, our oldest daughter had skating practice and her younger sister had dance class and, since that pretty much meant my wife and I would have a very limited amount of time to make dinner, I decided to make something in the slow cooker. I wasn't completely sure what I wanted to make so I ended up stopping at the store yesterday morning in search of something. While there, I had remembered seeing the Stouffer's slow cooker starter kits in the freezer section and, after some consideration, purchased this one for $5.99. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this product, mostly because I have had mixed results with similar products. But, after trying it last night, I did feel as though it was an OK purchase. One of my biggest considerations when making a purchase like this is convenience. I usually start our slow cooker dinners when I'm home for lunch and (at least if I want to actually e...

I was reading about this earlier this morning (as well as some of the comments made by others reading the article) and honestly couldn't help but roll my eyes a bit. Now, let me make this perfectly clear to start. I'm not opposing the bill (or supporting it for that matter). In fact, I think some of the people who are in a full-scale panic over it aren't really thinking things through too much. After all, I doubt you'll see many 3-year-old kids who can even lift a gun, let along aim one. Not to mention there's that whole "you shot Bambi" stage every child goes through. Image Courtesy of Pixabay In my honest opinion, this law will only result in one thing, parents registering their toddlers just so they can get another deer tag they can use. And, I would be very skeptical if someone claimed their young child was the one who shot that 10-point buck. That being said, this effort to eliminate the age limit does make me question our society's pri...

Synopsis: With a mysterious disease wiping out the world's population outside, Paul has secured his wife, son and himself in a remote home. When another man, Will, attempts to break into the house looking for supplies for his own family, Paul reluctantly follows his wife's advice and lets the strangers stay with them. However, even though the new family seems friendly enough, he finds it hard to trust them. Who's in it? The movie stars Joel Edgerton , Christopher Abbott , Carmen Ejogo , Kelvin Harrison, Jr . and Riley Keough . Review: We ordered pizza Friday night and had a free movie rental as part of that. Even though the description for this film was a little vague, it sounded intriguing so I decided to give it a chance. If nothing else, I hoped it would be good enough to make up for the disappointment we felt watching Halloween 5 and 6 . But, as it turns out, this was a terrible film. As I described it to my oldest daughter this morning, this was a monster m...

Synopsis: Six years after Michael Myers and his niece, Jamie Lloyd, disappeared following Myers' latest attack on Haddonfield, Jamie, along with her new-born son, escape the cult that abducted her. However, Myers isn't far behind and, after killing his niece, begins searching for the child, who is the last of his bloodline. Who's in it? The movie stars Donald Pleasence , Paul Rudd , Mitchell Ryan , Marianne Hagan and Kim Darby . Review : Even though I was less than impressed with Halloween 5 when we watched it a couple nights ago, my wife and I ended up watching this film last night, mostly because we were hoping to get an explanation for some of the loose ends from the previous film. Since Halloween 5 was pretty bad, my expectations for this film weren't very high. I'm sorry to say this movie still failed to meet those expectations. One of the biggest problems with movies that have multiple sequels is you will eventually have enough character turnover ...

We had pizza tonight and the leftovers are already in the fridge. Our cat, Echo, apparently didn't know that. He spent quite some time attacking one of the pizza boxes in an effort to get it open before my wife finally did it for him so he could see it was empty. I took a video of this so I could share it. That cat sure loves pizza.

Synopsis: A year after his last killing spree, Michael Myers, having survived numerous police bullets, continues his search for his 9-year-old niece, who seems to have a telepathic link to him. Who's in it? The movie stars Donald Pleasence , Danielle Harris , Ellie Cornell , Beau Starr , Wendy Foxworth and Don Shanks . Review: After watching Halloween 4 the other night and being pleasantly surprised by it, I decided to take the time to watch the next movie in that series, hoping for more of the same. My wife and I did that last night and, unfortunately, this film ended up being a serious disappointment. I've watched a lot of horror movies over the years and have learned, with a few exceptions, film series like this one tend to lose something when they make the plots overly complicated. And, that was definitely the case with this film. Halloween 4, for example, kept things simple. Michael Myers woke up from a coma and went in search of his niece, killing ev...

Synopsis: After being in a comatose state for 10 years, Michael Myers awakens and starts a new Halloween killing spree as he returns to Haddonfield, Illinois in search of his 7-year-old niece. Who's in it? The movie stars Donald Pleasence , Danielle Harris , George P. Wilbur , Ellie Cornell and Kathleen Kinmont . Review: I had never taken the time to watch this movie, mostly because I haven't had a good experience with most horror movie sequels and have serious doubts about pretty much any movie installment that takes place several years after the original. However, my wife and I came across this movie a couple days ago and decided to record it. And, after watching it last night, I have to admit I was much more impressed than I expected to be. The movie, as expected, had some flaws. For example, I'm still confused about how Myers (Wilbur) knows how to drive a truck when he's been locked in an insane asylum since he was a child. Plus, considering what happen...

This poem, which I wrote about four years ago and published in my book A Messy House is a Home , popped in my head this morning for some reason. So, I figured I would take a moment to share it. As I lay me down to sleep, I pray to my heavenly father, My daughters' souls to keep. If for some reason I cannot see You choose to take me from them Please watch over them for me. If someone ever tells them there's no way They'll ever achieve their dreams Help them to try anyway. Image courtesy of Pixabay Teach them it's OK to fall in love and marry. But, they should never settle for less Than someone who loves them almost as much as me. As they spread their wings, set sail and fulfill your plan, Please let my advice whisper in their ears And carry a piece of me with them. Remind them that I will always be with them, even if I'm looking down from up above. And, even on days when I spoke to them with anger, My voice was always al...