Descendants

So tonight we watched "Descendants," as a reward for Madison's hard work lately with piano and elsewhere.  She was pretty happy to get that reward, as it is a movie she said she really wanted to watch.  We of course knew that, so we had it ordered some time ago.  The reward was waiting for her once she figured out a clue - Maleficent was standing there in the guest bathroom (or at least a Disney Infinity statue of Maleficent), and there was a clue that told Madison:  "You can find my family, just look beneath the family tree."

We have a family tree on the main level of our house, one of those Halmark trees where you can hang photos of family members on each branch.  And yep, that's where the DVD was.

Madison was delighted, and we did in fact watch the movie - she was pretty excited about it, along with the popcorn.  Mommy and Madison were sprawled out on the couch, enjoying the music, dancing, and various spells.

The rest of the day was piano class, which went well, and a bit of work, which did not do quite as well, but that's okay - we can catch up tomorrow.  Today, however, Daddy wrote up a message based on "Descendants," one where we'll show a few clips at service tomorrow night.  It's a little rough around the edges, but it should be fun with the kids!

Descendants

CUE SLIDE:  DESCENDANTS

HOST:  “They’re not bad.  They’re just born that way!  How many of you have seen the movie ‘Descendants’ on the Disney Channel?”

Let audience answer.

HOST:  “This is one of those movies that reintroduces you to some of the worst – or some say best – villains around.  There’s Jafar, Cruella DaVille, the Evil Queen – and yes, there’s Maleficent.”

CUE SLIDE:  MALEFICENT

HOST: “This story isn’t so much about them though.  It’s about their kids.  That’s right, each one of them had a child.  And I think it’s time for us to meet them now…”

CUE CLIP #1 “Rotten to the Core”

CUE SLIDE:  "DESCENDANTS”

HOST:  "Yeah, they’re rotten to the core.  Taking candy from babies?  Everything they learned, they learned it from their parents.  Let’s do a quick roll-call.  First there’s Jay.”

CUE SLIDE: “ JAY”

HOST: “ He’s the son of Jafar, who is one of the world’s greatest thieves.  That means he steals stuff.  A lot of stuff.  Like father, like son.”

CUE SLIDE:  “EVIE”

HOST: “ And we can’t forget Evie.  Change that last ‘e’ to an ‘l’ and she’s EVIL.  She’s manipulative and vain – that means it is all about her.”

CUE SLIDE:  “CARLOS”

HOST: “ Yes, and there’s Carlos.  He’s the son of Cruella Da Ville.  He’s off-the-charts nasty, and always a little overdressed.”

CUE SLIDE: “ MAL”

HOST:  “And yes, there’s Mal.  She’s the leader of the pack – trust me, you don’t want to get in her way.”

CUE SLIDE:  “DESCENDANTS”

HOST: “They’re rotten to the core.  And you know something?  You probably know kids like this at your school.  Sure, they don’t cast spells or do song-and-dance routines.  But some kids just seem to be from the wrong side of town, undesirables who everyone is supposed to stay away from.”

HOST: “And that’s what has happened here in this movie.  You see, they all live on this island, and they’re trapped there, and can’t escape to the larger world where the good guys live.  That’s what happens to bad people.  After all, they deserve it, right?”

Let audience answer.

HOST: “ Right.  But then one day, something happened.  Something pretty interesting.”

CUE SLIDE:  “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST”

HOST: “ You remember these two, right?  Well, they’re king and queen of the land where the good folks live.  And they have a son as well.  His name is Ben.”

CUE SLIDE:  “BEN”

HOST: “Ben will be king soon, and Ben has some ideas about what he’d like to do once he’s in charge.  Let’s see what he’s thinking…”

CUE CLIP #2 “Ben decides to welcome the villains, and first tells his parents”

CUE SLIDE:  "DESCENDANTS”

HOST: “Ben’s a good guy.  And he sees something that nobody else sees in these bad characters.  Not even they themselves can see it.  He sees good within each one.  He understands there’s a little rotten in them, sure.  But don’t forget:  there’s rotten in all of us.”

CUE SLIDE:  “ROMANS 3:23”

HOST:  “The Bible tells us that we’ve all sinned.  We're just like those descendants:  we were all born into sin!  No one measures up.  But the Bible also tells us the good news:  God gave us all a second chance.  We sit here in church and are on the good side of things, simply because of a thing called GRACE.”

CUE SLIDE:  GRACE

HOST: “The others don’t know about grace yet – nobody has shown them.  So in they come to the land where everything is good and happy, and as you can imagine, it’s quite a shock.  And even worse, in this next clip, it’s hard to tell who is the good character, and who is not.”

CUE CLIP #3 Mal meets Aurora’s Mom, ‘Good’ characters taunt bad ones at picnic table – cut just before Mal goes through her book.

CUE SLIDE:  "DESCENDANTS”

HOST:  “This is the world in action.  Those who are thrown aside are rarely thrown a lifeline.  Those who are made fun of, those not even given a chance… it’s those who need it most.  And yet, many times, we don’t want to have courage, and be kind.”

CUE SLIDE:  “CINDERELLA”

HOST: “ Isn’t that what Cinderella says?  Have courage, and be kind.  This goes with a story from the Bible that Jesus was talking about.  Jesus was talking about a guy who was robbed and thrown into a ditch, and left to die.  Not one, but two church workers literally walk right by him.  They were too busy.  They don’t want to be inconvenienced.”

HOST:  “It can be like this at school.  If they were school students, maybe they’d think that everyone was looking at them.  Why should I go help someone else – someone might think I’m not cool or something.  What’s the first thing that happens if there is a fight at school – instead of people stepping in to do what’s right, you hear the same old thing:  Fight!  Fight!  Fight!”

HOST:  “Have courage.  And be kind.  Jesus had nothing good to say about those two church-going guys who did nothing.  He did, however, love what the third man did.  The third man helped out the robbed and beaten man.  That man saw need, and went to work.  That man didn’t see anything worthless in the ditch.  He saw someone who needed help.”

HOST:  “Let me share with you something short and easy from the Bible, three words with a lot of power.”

CUE SLIDE:  “1 Corinthinans 13:4”

HOST: “Love is kind.  That’s a simple memory verse for us today.  But it’s so hard for some folks to understand.  We look at people who are different, and sometimes we can’t see anything worth talking about.  But Jesus saw something dying for.  And he is looking to us to show love, and show kindness to everyone.”

CUE SLIDE:  “BEN”

HOST:  “That’s what Ben did with these four.  Despite everyone else giving them a hard time, Ben kept showing love and kindness.  And here’s the part of the story where things get interesting.”

CUE SLIDE:  “MAL and COMPANY”

HOST:  “You see, all along, the plan was for these bad guys to steal a special wand in the palace.  But Ben’s actions throughout this movie were a seed that was planted and taken care of each day with kindness.  And it’s one that we’re about to see blossom.”

CUE CLIP #4:  Mal’s Decision at the Coronation

CUE SLIDE:  "DESCENDANTS”

HOST:  “They chose good.  The very ones who were rotten to the core turned out to be more noble than some of the other characters that called themselves good.  And none of this wouldn’t have happened if not for the kindness of one character, Ben.”

CUE SLIDE:  “BEN”

HOST:  “Here’s the deal.  God wants you to be a Ben.  He wants you to show kindness to others.  He wants you to show His love in schools and elsewhere, and to those who need it the most.  Some people are so ignored, so unloved by the world.  But Jesus died for them too.  And our job is to be a light of the world, and show that love.”

CUE SLIDE: “ DESCENDANTS”

HOST:  “Mal and the others made cookies – they were cooked with bad intentions.  But God can take those things that were bad, and transform them into something good.  That’s why I’m going to give you these cookies – they aren’t for you.  They are for you to share with someone who needs it most.  You might not find someone in a ditch, but perhaps you know someone who needs just a little bit of encouragement, and a little bit of love.  Maybe you know someone who needs a bit of kindness.”

CUE SLIDE:  “LOVE IS KIND”

HOST: “ But don’t stop at giving them a cookie.  You don’t have to be best friends with everyone, especially those who could be a bad influence on your life.  But God doesn’t want us to sneer at them, or treat them with contempt.  God wants us to treat them with love.  And love is kind.”

HOST:  “Let us pray.”

Return to Form

Back to ballet tonight, and this is the big night too.  Each Thursday night one of the parents will be here at Brenau with Madison, or possibly dropping her off and then doing a bit of grocery shopping, or whatever shopping.  It's a long period of dance, something like two and half hours, including jazz and ballet practice.  Madison had a new teacher tonight, and she'll have a new teacher on Monday as well.  She was happy to be back, happy to see friends, and the teachers seemed nice as well.  It'll be a great year, and lots of fun, but we're approaching some major time and costuming commitments, where as each year approaches, the demand for more time practicing increases.  How does it all play out?  We'll have to see what Madison wants.  Currently, she's doing piano and ballet, and of course all the rigors of fifth grade.  Really, there hasn't been too much on her yet - at least, not compared to last year.  From what we remember, the real homework and studies come after the assessment testing.  Still, she's had a few tests, and next week she has one on the Civil War, and another later in Language Arts.  We'll attack those one at a time, but Madison is pretty bright.

We had a pizza tonight, as that was pretty quick and easy for her.  She went to media today, and picked up some of her own books, including a few educational books.  One was about the Emancipation Proclamation.  First of all, there is only one "o" in "proclamation."  Just had to set the record straight there.  Secondly, it didn't free all the slaves.  It just freed the slaves in the south.  When we were raised, we were taught that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, period.  But we were told the whole deal:  slavery was still legal in Delaware, and other states at the time.  The Proclamation was just something put upon the South, and not Kentucky or Delaware.  All this learned from a new kids book from the library at the school.  Madison likes the library there, and the one at Hampton Park too.  We'll be getting books from there soon enough, actually!

Daddy spent most of the day working at the office, and Mommy has been working at home.  We're getting a lot of things done with packing, with cleaning up the house, and with getting this series going at KidPak.  We've got lots of plans for the future too.

Tonight, we read some more from our book, and from our devotional.  Madison is enjoying the ongoing adventure in the devotional, which is good to see.  It was a stressful time writing it out under a hard deadline, but the booklet turned out good in the end.

One fun thing that is developing - almost all by itself - is a cast for an upcoming series for KidPak.  Daddy was reluctant to try something like a "Once Upon a Time" series, just based on the fact that we can't really reproduce all the classics like Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora.  We don't have people that look like those, and it isn't exactly something that gets the fifth grade boys excited to come see a service.  If we went with the children of these characters, however, it is entirely possible.  And that's when the idea of "Descendants" came to mind.  We had at least two people that could resemble the cast members of Descendants enough.  And then a third came up.  And suddenly, one of the more difficult ones to cast appeared out of nowhere, joining us for Free Chapel's college.  We had cast a Mal, a Carlos, an Uma, and now a Jay.  But where to find an Evie?  That's when Mommy remembered someone, and we got with Camille and she contacted this girl who visited with us before... and the end result is that we have four actors and actresses that resemble that Descendants cast enough for it to work.  We're doing "The Descendants" on stage, at least in a limited way.  For sure though, we'll have them taking photos with the kids and greeting.

This is the new thing for Madison.  She enjoys listening to the soundtracks to these movies on the way to school or ballet or piano, and the next book we'll be reading is a Descendants book we're getting from the library, "Rise of the Isle of the Lost."  We mentioned this movie to some of the kids at KidPak, and sure enough, they were all into it:  I think this series is going to be big for us.  We'll make up a lot of other characters that can be offspring of other villains and heroes.  And then we won't have to worry about matching up how people look exactly with their movie counterpart.  That'll be the fun part - we already have a guy requesting to be Jafar's brother, and we were thinking one girl would be a fun daughter of Mad Hatter.

We'll see how that all plays out.  In the mean time, we've got two other series to plan for, starting with Sherlock Holmes.  That one is already written in regards to devotional and sermon booklet.  The scripts will have to be new, which means you may be reading here about us watching more mysteries.  Daddy can't wait to watch "The Great Mouse Detective" again.  For some reason, that's a dark horse favorite amongst the staff, and with Mommy and Daddy.  But we'll be watching some other mysteries too.

"Humbug" is the series for December, which is going to be huge for us.  We have to do a lot of shopping for the Victorian English costuming for the two series (yes, I know Scrooge was pre-Victoria).  We'll be out looking for a lot of stuff at thrift shops.  The messages are done, but one thing that is not done is a devotional.  Daddy is considering doing something interesting:  a sequel to "A Christmas Carol."  Actually, it would be more like an epilogue.  We read about Ebenezer going to church, and him going to celebrate with his nephew, and of course we read about his blessing of the Cratchett family, and Tiny Tim.  The last we hear of Ebenezer Scrooge is:  "Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world."

Wouldn't it be fun to explore this a bit?  Ever wonder what he did next?  I know it won't be as supernatural or fantastic as the events of "A Christmas Carol."  But knowing how Ebenezer liked to sneak up a blessing upon Bob Cratchett's family, perhaps he could be doing similar things with other folks.  Anyway, it should be interesting.

After that, of course, is this "Once Upon a Time" series, which will clearly need a new name.  Madison's suggesting is "Descendants of God," but that might be a bit too similar to the cultural thing we're feeding off of.  Just wait until these messages spill out.  One idea has to do with Snow White, a woman at the well.  Remember the woman at the well?  Jesus visited her there - some day my prince will come.  There are some interesting points we were brainstorming with the story of Snow White.  Of course, there's the scripture about being made pure, as white as snow.  The enemy is after your heart.  Not literally, like the Huntsman.  But figuratively, of course.  And what about that kiss of life? Of course, it's not about the kiss, but rather about us all dead - with a death sentence of sin.  But our prince brings us back to life.  Anyway, there are some interesting parallels to follow, and that's just Snow White.  Hopefully we'll find some more with the other stories.  Cinderella's message was great:  "Have courage and be kind."

Anyway, we've been planning a lot lately.  And Madison has been right there in the mix, helping and brainstorming and having fun with the creativity.  It's going to be great moving forward, and she'll probably want to be a part of some of these series.  She likes it on stage.

Descendants 2

This was the big event of the night, something we were actually able to see on opening night.  It was like the live plays they show on television, where everyone is seeing something for the first time.  Everyone who's interested, of course.  In this case, "everyone who is interested" would be a whole lot of people around Madison's age.  This is the sequel to "The Descendants," which is called - appropriately enough - "Descendants 2."

Madison cooked up a few things of popcorn, and Daddy bought the soundtrack, and we were set.  Madison was thinking about this one for a while today, really looking forward to it.  There was even an after-party, a half-hour special after the movie that featured the actors from the movie.  Madison loved watching all of it, another late night for us here.  She said she enjoyed the movie, but not as much as the first one.  I think that's the general thinking here.  And based on the popularity and amount of people that watched tonight (I think some resource measured around thirteen million viewers), it seems as if there'll be a "Descendants 3."

Until then, there's the soundtrack to get used to over the next few months.  And perhaps another book.  We see that third book still out there, and might be picking up that soon, although Christmas will be here before you know it, and that might be something fun to tell Santa about.

Daddy was working the rest of the day, writing a devotional for Master Builders, the idea that Madison helped out with.  We're on only day five, but starting is the hardest part sometimes.

This morning, Madison was at the doctor's appointment for a regularly scheduled check-up.  But the issue of her skin was also brought up, as she's had a lot of breaking out on her forehead in particular.  A new prescription and cream is being suggested, so we'll go with that next, hoping it clears things up by the school year.

Other than that, it was a day to play piano, fold origami, and play LEGO Avengers.  Madison is Agent Carter on that game, along with her sidekick Angie.  There wasn't an "Angie" in the game, so Madison created that character.

School will be here soon.  We got the pencils and some index cards, so the whole list of school supplies is officially marked off.  We're ready to go there, at least with our supplies.  Mentally, it's still seeming too soon.  But yeah, soon enough we'll be running around with ballet, piano, and who knows what else.  Glad to do it too, as she's really enjoying all of it.  Being a taxi driver for your children is a calling you just answer, because you know that investment is so important, because you're taking her places, farther than ever.

Choosing Good

We had ourselves quite a "Descendants" marathon today, watching the first movie, the second movie, and all the cartoons of season one on top of that.  Basically everything on the DVDs so far, and it was all about coming up with a good message.  I think we got one:

I CHOOSE GOOD

     Not too long ago, there was a girl who lived on the wrong side of town, quite literally.  Her life was rotten to the core, and she was trapped within a city with walls no one could puncture.  She spent her time, chillin’ like a villain with poor unfortunate souls whose only thoughts were of more ways to be wicked. 

     Of course, very soon, all that changed quite quickly.  Soon she found herself amongst the good guys.  They told her about that wall – it’s going down!

     She knew it was time to start hanging out with the good guys.  As you could imagine, this took a bit of adjusting for her, and from everyone else too.  No doubt, they might have thought less of her.  But there is a thing called grace, and this girl named Rahab was given a choice.  The question might have been asked, “Don’t you want to be evil?”  Not her.  She chose good.

     In the book of Joshua, you can read her story.  But you can also read about one of her Descendants, a king named Jesus.  Many years later, he was born in Bethlehem, welcome to our wicked world.  He came as the ultimate hero, here to extend grace, mercy, and show us the greatest love of all.  In fact, you could say his love for us is ridiculous!

      Like Rahab, we’ve all been rotten to the core.  It seems some people are trouble, or that they’re bad.  But don’t forget we’re all descendants of the one who took a bite out of that apple.  Everyone has sinned, so be careful how you look upon others. 

      Fortunately, the king has shown us all grace.  Despite who we are and what we’ve done, God wants the space between us much closer.  He is offering us all His forgiveness, if only we’ll repent, and turn to Him.

      Ultimately, you choose who you want to be.  No matter your past, it’s your choice how you go forward from here.  You can choose to be evil, vicious and ruthless and cruel.  You can look down on others as unworthy of love. 

     But that’s not how Jesus wants us to live. Don’t spend your life with regret, saying, “If Only.”  Be like a hero, and say, “I choose good.”

********     

The day started later, as we all got to sleep in a bit.  Madison was working on her online classes and Daddy was working on a few messages.  Mommy has been on fire lately with her cooking, creating all sorts of wonderful fast-friendly combinations that make us a little less fearful of vegetables!

The snow was still spotty, here and there, as it was still pretty cold.  But you could drive places.  Daddy drove to work for a few hours to get a few things done, such as our script for the upcoming "Elevate" weekend, part two.  Madison was doing piano and classwork, ready to go back to school tomorrow for only her fourth day really.  Yes, tomorrow is only the fourth time this year that she's actually set foot in Chestatee Elementary School.  Daddy will go there too, meeting with a teacher about yearbook design.  Not sure how it will all turn out, but Daddy has also been taking pictures along the way.

One benefit of not being places:  not getting sick.  There is a pretty significant flu outbreak going on right now, and the fact that so many people are not leaving to go places like school or work... that could be a bright side to things.  It's also a chance to catch up on some rest though:  one hour of extra sleep each morning the last few mornings has been nice.  Plus, when it is cold, you don't want to have to leave the safety and warmth of your covers!

We read from "Ahsoka," from the book of John, and also from the fasting devotional before praying and going off to sleep.  Here's the latest from that fasting devotional, day twelve:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 NIV

     You just can’t start climbing a mountain today without any kind of planning. It takes training, and it takes some effort ahead of time. Before you can get to that mountain peak experience, it takes quite a bit of learning and preparation.

     That’s what fasting is all about. Before Jesus began his ministry, he himself went off to the wilderness to pray and fast for forty days. Before getting the Ten Commandments, Moses fasted for forty days. Before getting a revelation from God, Daniel fasted for twenty-one days. The model is simple: fasting is the key that opens the door to something greater.

     But fasting takes effort, doesn’t it? All training does. Saying you want to get to the top is one thing, but if it’s going to really happen, you have to do something about it.

     So get your game face on, and get ready for an incredible training session! Yes, fasting takes effort. It takes sacrifice, and it can be quite a challenge. But once you start taking action, the Lord Himself will be with you for the climb. He’ll be right there alongside you, every step of your journey. He sees the effort you’re taking in every step, and yes, He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Descendants 3

It was a quieter Saturday than recent ones, the decision based on the fact that there weren't as many events out there right now, and we're coming up on a busy season soon enough, one filled with festivals, apple picking, and all sorts of fall activities.  Besides, today we had a bit of shopping to do for costumes and props for our new series, "Toy Box."  We went out to Goodwill, and even checked the Disney Store.  No luck at all with the Disney Store, which seemed to be a bit more crowded than usual.  Goodwill, however, had some items that Mommy can use for costuming.  On our way back home from the trip out there, we also made another stop at Walmart, in order to pick up a few things, including a copy of "Descendants 3" and some popcorn.

The movie premiered last Friday, but we were simultaneously watching the two-hour season finale of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", so we decided to pick up this movie and watch it later, given the fact that we were probably going to buy it anyway.  So tonight, Madison was excited to see the last of the Descendants movies, and this one wasn't bad.  She said she still likes the first one the best, and we'll have to listen to this soundtrack a few more times to see where that stacks up with the previous two.  This has been a big part of Madison's life since 2015 when the first movie came out.  Each October, she's dressed up as Mal, Evie and Uma.  We've had the soundtracks memorized.  We've watched the animated shorts, and everything else related.  We've had our own stage productions involving these characters at KidPak.  And it all wrapped up with tonight's viewing.  It was bittersweet in many ways, a happy ending mixed in with all kinds of goodbyes.  It was somewhat of an event in our house, a big moment!

Earlier today, Madison was doing homework of different sorts.  She's been working on an autobiography, at least the first chapter.  It is all about her first memories, and one of the first things she can remember at this point is dressing up in African clothing and attending a KidPak service, which would have been for our series, "Pridelands."  I'll ask her if we can post what she's written here, but she shared about a scary memory - her first nights in this new house, with her room so far away from our bedroom.  This might be why she'd always get up first thing in the morning and run to our room to sleep in our bed next to us.  She also wrote about her "cute" memories, one of them being her first lost tooth, and the visit from the "tooth fairy."  She put the "tooth fairy" in quotation marks, because ... well, I guess she'll have to explain that one.

Madison did some practice on her piano for quite some time too, this being done while Daddy was taking some ginormous Buzz Lightyear wings over to the church.  You'll have to see these - they're huge.  They don't fit in the car.  I literally drove eleven miles with wings hanging out either side of the car with the windows down.  To infinity and beyond, indeed!

Madison finished chapter one, and we proofed it once - she'll be ready for Monday morning when it is "turned in."  We read from "Dark Force Rising" tonight, and said our prayers once more.  It was a nice day today, starting out with everyone sleeping in, and ending with a part three of one of the last of the big Disney Channel movie specials.

Book Character Day

Today was Book Character Day at the school, and Madison was ready in her Nancy Drew costume.  She brought along a Nancy Drew book, and a magnifying glass, presumably to look for clues.

You can see her in between classes here, a rare view of her in the hallway between classes.  Daddy was on hand because he was taking dozens of photographs of kids in their book character costumes.  Today was Dr. Seuss' birthday, so there were quite a few Seuss characters out there, specifically "Things" numbering 1 to 7 or so.  Seriously, there were about twenty Things or more.  Thing 1 and Thing 2 were not just enough!

Meanwhile, Daddy was working on a new message, and some Summer Xtreme material as well.

Daddy did all the info and the layout, but not the graphic up top.  We had asked our graphics department to do this one, giving it "the general feel of Guardians of the Galaxy 2."  The first version was basically an exact copy of "Guardians of the Galaxy 2."  So we had them tone it down a bit, because it was a little too much.  But even so, you can see above how much our graphics look like that movie's graphics.  It was supposed to be "inspired by," versus "make a copy of it."  But still, it looks colorful, big and bright.

Daddy was also writing messages for May's series.  Madison had a good day at school beyond book character day.  She did say that several teachers knew who she was dressing as before she had to tell them.  Nancy Drew is someone all the girl readers should be pretty familiar with.  Tonight, we even read a few more chapters from our latest Nancy Drew book, "The Thirteenth Pearl."  We end each chapter with a mini-cliff hanger, and Madison sings out with Mommy: "Dum-dum-dum!!!!"

Mommy had been hard at work with costumes, tonight working on the Mal idea.  It's not a copy of a Mal jacket, but rather something you might see her wearing.  You can see she started out with a black leather jacket, dabbing it with purple and green paint.  She added the flourishes up top from a costume of Mal that Madison had a few years ago, and has outgrown.  The beads are the hard part, because Mommy has to poke four holes in two layers of leather for every bead that goes in.  Tedious work.

She's enjoying the process, and we've been in touch with the girl who will be wearing this costume, who is loving it as she goes along.  You can see here Mommy is starting the painting process on the back, with the typical heart-shape and insignia.

All this behind-the-scenes stuff takes place before each series, and it's a lot of set up, from writing to music to graphics and the actual stage itself, which is coming along fine right now, by the way.  Here's the jacket, a little later.

Still not quite done yet, but getting there.  I think Mal would like this jacket, actually.  And speaking of which, we saw there's a "Descendants 3" coming out in 2019.  Madison is looking forward to that. But this series is something that should keep some of the kids entertained in the meantime.  Want a sneak peek at the script?  Take an exclusive look at the first part of our "Legends" series entitled, "Be Our Guest."

KidPak Adventures:  Legends
 Be Our Guest

CUE TRACK 1:  DESCENDANTS SCORE SUITE

CUE SLIDE:  “CASTLE WALL”

NARRATOR:  “Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Auradon, where all the storybook characters and their children lived.  There was also the Isle of the Lost, and this was where the villains and their children must stay.  The two places were kept very separate, until one day when a young King Ben of Auradon decided to show grace to four villain kids.”

CARLOS enters STAGE RIGHT with a broom and earplugs in. 

NARRATOR:  “But how will things turn out when after that, other villain kids are invited in the happy kingdom?  Find out now at KidPak Adventures:  Legends!”

CUE TRACK 2:  BE OUR GUEST (Descendants Version) (START TIME 0:19)

CARLOS hits button on mp3 player, and starts bobbing his head a bit, and then he starts dancing to it as he sweeps.  He sort of gets so caught up in it, he doesn’t initially see MAL and DIZZY enter STAGE LEFT, so he goes on for a bit there.  But then suddenly he sees them, yelps, and obviously stops his dancing.

CUE TRACK 3:  THE CHICKEN

MAL:  “Is that supposed to be a dance, or are you just waiting to use the bathroom?”

CARLOS:  (oblivious) “Oh, hey Mal!  (suddenly realizing the joke)  Hey,  not cool!  (seeing DIZZY and now excited) Wait, is that you Dizzy?”

DIZZY:  “Hello, Carlos!”

CARLOS:  “How did you get over here?”

MAL:  “Ben extended a bit more grace to some other VKs. They’re coming to Auradon.”

DIZZY:  “VKs?”

MAL:  “Villain Kids.”

DIZZY:  “Oh, that’s right!  This is incredible.  First, there was you two and Jay and Evie, and now me, and more?  I can’t believe I’m here – it’s ridiculous!”

CARLOS:  “Yes, welcome to Auradon!  I’d sing “Be Our Guest,” but …I think you’ve already heard that much.”

MAL:  “Okay so what are you doing here?”

CARLOS:  “I’ve got a job!  I’m cleaning up around the castle to make some extra money so I can… uh…”

DIZZY:  “So you can what?”

CARLOS:  “…get a new broom!  Yeah, that’s it.”

MAL:  “A new… broom?  Are you not telling us something, Carlos?”

KING enters STAGE RIGHT.

CARLOS:  “Me?  No, no, no!  (Backing up, his back to STAGE RIGHT, not seeing KING) I’m just wanting to uh… clean up our reputation a bit, you know?”

KING:  “Then you’d better start using that broom more!”

CARLOS yelps, and runs to STAGE LEFT.

MAL:  (as a greeting to KING) “Your highness.”

KING:  “Hello, Mal.”

CARLOS:  (calling out from STAGE LEFT) “Okay, so I wasn’t goofing off on the job, right?”

KING:  “Relax.  I know you’ve been working hard.  Besides, after the last go-round, it’s clear I need to be a little more welcoming to new visitors like you, Mal, and…(looking at DIZZY).”

DIZZY:  “Hi, I’m Dizzy.”

KING:  “I’ll get you a chair.”

MAL:  “King Beast, her name is Dizzy.  She’s from the Isle of the Lost.”

KING:  “Yes, I know.  Bad joke.  Dizzy, my son Ben has extended you grace, and we want you to be our guest.”

CARLOS:  “There’s that phrase again.”

DIZZY:  “If I didn’t know any better, it sounds like a bottom line.”

CUE TRACK 4:  BEAUTY & THE BEAST PROLOGUE (INSTRUMENTAL)

KING:  “It’s more than that.  It’s a way of life for me.  A long time ago on a winter’s night, an old beggar woman in a cloak showed up at my castle door and offered me a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold.  I sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away.  (pause) It didn’t go well.”

MAL:  (explaining to DIZZY) “He and all the people in that castle were welcomed into a wicked world of trouble.”

DIZZY:  “Yes, I know the story.  Fortunately, Belle showed up, and you two fell in love.”

KING:  “Well, it was either her or the teapot.  (Seeing slightly stunned faces)  Kidding?”

CARLOS:  “I wonder whatever happened to that old haggard woman?”

KING:  “Well, nothing personal here, but I’d rather not ever see her again.”

CUE TRACK 5:  DOORBELL CHIMES (end at 0:08)

MAL:  “I’ll get it!”

MAL goes to STAGE RIGHT, and greets OLD WOMAN who enters STAGE RIGHT.

CUE TRACK 6:  REMEMBERING PETTICOAT LANE

KING sees OLD WOMAN

KING:  “It’s her again!”

KING dives behind MAL, CARLOS and DIZZY

CARLOS:  “It’s not her.  Didn’t the old woman have a rose or something?”

OLD WOMAN pulls out a rose and holds it up towards CAST.

CAST screams!

OLD WOMAN:  “Oh my.  (looking around)  I’m not that ugly, am I?”

KING:  (Peeking out from behind MAL and DIZZY)  “No!  Sorry!  You look great!”

CARLOS:  “Yeah, you look enchanting!”

CAST looks angrily at CARLOS.  MAL hits CARLOS, who yelps.

OLD WOMAN:  “I just thought I’d drop by the castle for a spell.”

CAST gasps!

MAL:  “No!”

KING:  (to OLD WOMAN) “Please, you must be tired.  Have a seat!”

KING grabs a chair, and brings it to OLD WOMAN, and then runs back to CAST.

OLD WOMAN:  “Oh, you didn’t have to…”

KING:  “By all means, take it!  You can have the whole set if you want!”

OLD WOMAN:  “You’re very kind, but I just wanted to…”

KING:  “Is it hot in here?  Yes it’s hot in here.  You, Dizzy!  Get one of those fan thingies? (seeing her clueless expression)  Hurry!”

DIZZY:  “Okay, okay!”

DIZZY scampers off, not quite sure where to go.

KING:  (to OLD WOMAN) “Thirsty?”

WOMAN:  “Well, I just wanted to…”

KING:  “Carlos!  Get this woman something to drink.  Fast!”

CARLOS runs off STAGE RIGHT, bumping into DIZZY on the way back in.  She’s carrying a small electric fan.

KING drops to his knees in front of OLD WOMAN, fanning her awkwardly.

OLD WOMAN:  “Oh my.  You people sure are very kind to an old woman like me.  I have just one single red rose to give.”

KING:  “I’ll give you $5,000 for it!”

OLD WOMAN:  “$5,000 for this one flower?”

KING:  “Oh yes, you’re right.  $10,000!”

CARLOS returns from STAGE RIGHT with a drink, which he hands to OLD WOMAN.

OLD WOMAN:  “Oh no, this is too much.  All this for little old me?”

DIZZY:  “So… you’re not going to turn us into furniture?”

CARLOS:  “If you do, I do not want to be anything from the bathroom, okay?  Seriously!”

OLD WOMAN:  “I don’t know about that, young man.  But I do know this:  you people know how to treat others with love.  And yes, even you.”

OLD WOMAN hands flower to MAL, and then takes a drink.

MAL:  “You’re giving this to me?”

OLD WOMAN:  “I didn’t say I wanted to sell this flower.  I merely wanted to give it as a gift, to the future queen.”

OLD WOMAN turns to go, exiting STAGE RIGHT

KING:  “Well, crazy enchantress or not, the rules of this kingdom apply to everyone:  we treat all with kindness.  It’s the golden rule.”

OLD WOMAN:  (NEAR EXIT) “Yes, no matter who a person is, you keep showing them love.”

MAL:  (calling out to her) “Sorry about all that fuss back there.  It’s kind of embarrassing, but we actually thought you were someone else.”

OLD WOMAN:  (turning back to face them) “Who said that I wasn’t?”

OLD WOMAN exits STAGE RIGHT as CAST looks at one another with wonder.

CUE TRACK 7:  REY MEETS BB-8

KING:  “Well… we handled that pretty good, right?”

CAST murmurs affirmative.

DIZZY:  “I’m just glad when King Ben comes back, the whole place won’t be under some sort of weird curse.”

CARLOS:  “I’m just glad she didn’t turn me into a toilet.”

MAL:  (looking at flower) “She wasn’t an enchantress, Carlos.  She was just a kind old woman.  A reminder that we should treat others with love.”

KING:  “And speaking of others, and treating them well, are you ready to meet some of your old friends from the Isle of the Lost?”

DIZZY:  “More VKs?  Who else is coming here?”

KING:  “Come with me.  You’ll find out soon enough.”

KING leads others off STAGE RIGHT.

NARRATOR:  “KidPak, we’re about to meet some new faces, the children of actual villains!  Yikes!  Can we trust them to choose good?  And who are they?  If you want to find out the answer to this question, the only way to find out is to join us here next time for KidPak Adventures:  Legends!”