If you have Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, CHRISTMAS is NOT OVER, yet!

Tonight, Monday, January 2, 2017 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries at 9pm/8c., you can see Alison Sweeney, Cameron Mathison, Gabe Hogan, Barbara Niven, and Lisa Durupt in...

 "Murder She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery!"

Storyline via Hallmark: The Cookie Jar's busiest time of the year also happens to be the most wonderful time...for Christmas cookies, Hannah's own special plum pudding . She's busy as can be and loving it. She also gets a kick out of 'Lunatic Larry Jaeger's Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot', a kitschy carnival taking place smack-dab in the middle of the village green. Larry thinks he's crazy like a fox with his wild business schemes, but this time, the entrepreneur may have bitten off more than he can chew. Rumor has it that Larry's in the red - an idea that takes a sinister turn when Hannah discovers he's dead in his own office...It seems there are quite a few suspects - including his bitter ex-wife, his ex-partner's daughter, a woman he was wooing, and the Crazy Elf Tree lot's extremely exasperated investors...Now, with so many suspects to investigate and the twelve days of Christmas ticking away, Hannah's running out of time to nab a murderous Scrooge who doesn't want her to see the New Year.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will air two movies that have holiday related scenes.

First, in the movie "A Kiss at Midnight" at 7pm/6c. via Hallmark: "successful professional matchmaker Amy Flowers makes a New Year's Eve resolution to finally find a love match for herself." Stars Faith Ford, Dyan Cannon and Hal Linden.

This movie mostly celebrates New Years. At the beginning, they are actually taking down their Christmas decorations.

Then, in the movie "Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door" at 9pm/8c. via Hallmark: "Patty Duke and Shelley Long are a young couple’s worst nightmare as the mothers who can’t let go of a twenty-five-year-old feud long enough to hear the words - I Do." Also stars Patrick Duffy and Bruce Boxleitner.

This movie spans several holidays... Halloween, in great detail, and Christmas, as I recall, is shown very quickly! Still, it's a hint of the holiday season! I thought you might enjoy these Holiday related Hallmark movies as we unwind from the Christmas season!

In case, any of you sleuthing Mystery fans are curious, Alison Sweeney and Barbara Niven have shared via Twitter - there will be a new "Murder She Baked" movie filmed soon... so stay tuned!

Happy New Year, 2017 ~ Everyone!!!

God Bless You All!!!

Remembering Actress Patty Duke... "To Everything there is a Season..."

I know we were all saddened to hear of the sudden, recent passing of actress Patty Duke, on Tuesday March 29th at the age of 69. She was wife, mother, and actress on stage, television, and film.

- Actress Patty Duke -

Patty was born Anna Marie Duke on December 14, 1946 in Elmhurst, New York, to Frances and John Brock Duke. At the age of 8, her mother sent her to live with talent managers, who changed her name to Patty, hoping for success.

Patty will best be remembered from The Patty Duke show, which aired from 1963-66, where she portrayed the roles of identical cousins. Her rise to fame and notoriety first came when at 16 she played the role of Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker". She received an Academy Award in 1960 for Best Supporting Actress for her amazing portrayal.

At her passing, Patty was married to Michael Pierce for nearly twenty years. She had three sons, Sean Astin, Mackenzie Astin, and Kevin Pearce.

Patty Duke pictured with her two actor sons Mackenzie and Sean Astin

Patty Duke portrayed countless roles on TV shows & movies... including: The Virginian, Valley of the Dolls, Two on a Bench, Hawaii Five-O, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Streets of San Francisco, Captains and the Kings (Mini-Series), The Miracle Worker (TV Movie portraying Ann Sullivan this time as Melissa Gilbert portrayed Helen), The Babysitter, It Takes Two, George Washington (Mini-Series), The Love Boat, Perry Mason, Prelude to a Kiss, One Woman's Courage, Cries from the Heart, Harvest of Fire, Frasier, A Christmas Memory, and many more... plus she won 3 Emmys for her roles on the TV series Touched by an Angel!

Hallmark movie watchers have also been blessed to see Patty Duke in a number of Hallmark made-for-television movies, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame film "A Season for Miracles" in which she portrays, so poignantly now, an angel.

Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie: A Season for Miracles

Patty Duke also starred in the fun Hallmark Channel movie "Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door" with Patrick Duffy, Shelley Long, and Bruce Boxleitner, as well as one of the Pioneer Series "Love Comes Softly" films "Love Finds a Home". Ironically her actor son Mackenzie, had a role in the second film from the series "Love's Enduring Promise" and her eldest son Sean, also an actor, had a role in the last film of that series (so far)... "Love's Christmas Journey".

Actress Patty Duke in Hallmark's "Love Finds a Home"

Patty also worked with her son Sean in 2012 on the faith based film, "Amazing Love", which is a touching story of the Old Testament prophet Hosea.

Following Patty Duke's passing her family released this statement, "This morning, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, matriarch and the exquisite artist, humanitarian, and champion for mental health, Anna PATTY DUKE Pearce, closed her eyes, quieted her pain and ascended to a beautiful place."

"We celebrate the infinite love and compassion she shared through her work and throughout her life. I love you mom" added Sean Astin.

Our prayers go out now to her dear family and friends, as they enter this new season without their beloved Anna "Patty" Duke.

Patty Duke, image via Hallmark Crown Media

"To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven"

Ecclesiastes 3: 1 (KJV)

Love Comes Softly Movies airing on the Hallmark Channel

The Hallmark Channel is playing ALL Eight of the Love Comes Softly Movies on Saturday, February 27th!

Click on the Movie Titles below for Pictures, Plot Information, & my Movie Review of each Movie. Check the Family TV Schedule to see what time they are airing on Saturday.

Here's a list of the Movies in order...

Love Comes Softly

Love's Enduring Promise

Love’s Long Journey

Love's Abiding Joy

Love's Unending Legacy

Love's Unfolding Dream

Love Takes Wing

Love Finds a Home

All of these Wonderful Family Movies are available on DVD...

Love Finds a Home - a Hallmark Channel Original Movie from the Love Comes Softly series!

Love Finds a Home
DVD

MOVIE REVIEW

Love Finds a Home:

This is the Eighth Movie of the "Love Comes Softly" Book turned Movie Series. The books are originally written by Christian author, Janette Oke and brought to the Movie format originally by Michael Landon, Jr. (The son of Michael Landon - Pa from Little House on the Prairie.) However, this story was directed by David S. Cass, Sr.


CAST:

Sarah Jones ... Belinda
Haylie Duff ... Annie
Jordan Bridges ... Lee
Courtney Halverson ... Lillian
Michael Trevino ... Joshua
Patty Duke ... Mary

PLOT:

from Hallmark-

The story continues of Belinda (Sarah Jones), a rare female doctor working in a quaint Missouri town. When her longtime friend and colleague, Annie (Haylie Duff), arrives so that Belinda can watch over her in the last stages of her pregnancy, Annie brings along her mother-in-law, Mary (Patty Duke), a seen-it-all nursemaid whose homeopathic remedies and folksy wisdom are at odds with Belinda’s scientific knowledge.

As Belinda deals with the headaches Mary is causing, she must also address issues at home. While her adopted daughter discovers the joys and pains of a first love, Belinda and her husband (Jordan Bridges) find their own relationship is suffering over Belinda’s inability to get pregnant. Just as the town learned to put its faith in Belinda as their doctor, so too must Belinda learn to accept that the best guidance for her own problems may come from unlikely sources.

Movie Review:

This is one of the last movies in the Love Comes Softly Movie Series. I really enjoyed this movie, however I did notice that this movie held no ties back to the other movies. In all the other movies, either Clark Davis or his daughter, Missie Davis, made an appearance. I missed them in this one, yet it was full of plenty of drama and sweet moments of love and family... I enjoyed it very much!

Patty Duke was full of spirit and spunk! She was a great addition to the movie series. I loved her character! And... they did a nice job casting the role of Lillian... the little orphan girl, who is now grown up... and is the adopted daughter of Lee and Belinda. She had the same pretty red hair and fair skin of the little girl who played the role in the previous film. It was also sweet to see Lillian's relationship with Joshua develop throughout the movie.

Small Cautions- may contain Spoilers: There is a small cave in - in an old abandoned mine. Lillian is hurt, but is rescued and is fine. Belinda's friend and expectant mother, Annie, has great difficulty during her delivery, but Dr. Belinda and Annie's Mid-wife Mother-in-Law, Mary, help her deliver a healthy baby.

Another wonderful Family Film from Hallmark and the Love Comes Softly series!

See or Skip:

See this movie with your family!