Two tags and a short announcement

What-ho, friends!  And how's the weather in your neck of the woods?  It's a breezy summer day here, complete with blue skies, fluffy white clouds, and green corn fields (actually, the fields themselves aren't green, they're brown--because of the dirt, you know--but as the corn is unquestionably green and covers the fields entirely, I thought I was justified in using the term "green corn fields."  Don't you agree?  Okay.  I admit, that was a pointless explanation.  Sorry.  I'm afraid I'm in a rather goofy mood today.) Anyway, where was I?  Oh, yes!  The weather.   

Yes, indeed.  It really is  a very nice day here today.  I could probably go out and take a walk if I wasn't so glued to my computer screen.  But anyhow, perhaps I'll do that when I'm done here.   Do you like taking walks on warm summer days? 

Okay.  Hold it.  What am I doing?  I think I just lost myself down a bunny trail.  I didn't come here to talk about the weather.  Dear me, sorry, people.  Now, what did I come here to talk about?

Oh yes!  Tags.

You see, I've been tagged.  And so I thought a post might be in order.  (Brilliant deduction, right?)  And I've decided to do two tags in one post because...well, because I can.  It's a free country.  Isn't it??  Actually, that's rather debatable.   The state of our nation at the present time, you know, is rather...hold it!  Don't worry!  I am not about to go down a political bunny trail.  (Perish the thought!) In fact, I've had enough of bunny trails for the present, so I'm going to get my senses together and go straight to the point of this post.  (About time, right?)

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First, the Just a List of Some Plain Questions tag!  This tag was created by Rachel.  She blogs here, and if you're a fan of period dramas and period drama games you really must check out her blog...because period dramas and games are Rachel's cup of tea!

Thank you so much for tagging me, Rachel!  This should be fun!

The Rules:

~Paste the button onto your blog post

~Answer the questions of the person who tagged you-make it interesting and fun.  :D

~Leave a new list of questions (or just pass the question list you answered) and tag a few people (optional)

The Questions:

1. What is your favourite ice-cream flavor?
Hmm...that's a hard one, because I like so many different kinds.  But for now I'll go with cookies 'n cream, since that's what I've been eating most often recently.  Of course, it must contain lot and LOTS of cookie chunks in order for it to be really good.  ;)

2.  Do you love Period Drama?  Why or why not?
Oh yes!  Indeed I do!  I love the old-fashioned stories and characters.  They're just good.  How could anyone not like them?

3. What is your prettiest book cover?
Probably this copy of Rose and Bloom.  It may not be extraordinarily beautiful, but I think it's pretty.
 

4. What's your favourite series?

FAVORITE?  Seriously?  That's impossible!  I can't pick just ONE favorite!!  *Ahem.  Calming down*  Okay, to answer this question I'll just give you the link to the post I did the other week all about my favorite TV shows.  Here it is.  And yes, I know.  This feels suspiciously like a cop-out answer.  But what can I do? 

5. Do you have a favourite flower?  Which one is your favourite?

Oh my!  I really don't have a favorite, as I hardly ever think about flowers.   But I suppose I'll mention the little rose bushes we have outside by our porch.  You see, my siblings and I bought those bushes for our mother on Mother's Day last year, and the darling things are still blooming.  Which is really rather astounding, considering that we're quite good at killing our flowers off prematurely. 

Yes, I'd  definitely say these little roses deserve some recognition.  After all they've been such obliging little fellows.

6. Do you write?

Well, I try.  Not sure how far I succeed most days, but...we jog along, Mr Clennam, we jog along.

7.  How old is your blog?

I just had my one year anniversary in April!  It's amazing how fast the time flew by...while at the same time seeming like quite an age.  Time really is a funny thing.

8. Do you love Lucy Maud Montgomery?  Why or why not?

Well, I wouldn't call her my favorite author--probably because the Anne books annoyed me a little sometimes--but I do really love her book, Jane of Lantern Hill, so I suppose I must like Lucy Maud Montgomery, too.  ;)

9. Do you like Fashion?

Let's just say I don't get hugely excited over it, especially modern day fashions.  (A lot of the ones out there these days are enough to send shivers up my spine. :P)  However, I do like to be somewhat stylish, so I guess I probably like fashion a little bit.  Or if we're talking old-fashioned fashion...

Yeah.  I could totally go for one of these dresses.  :)

10. What's your favourite colour?

I love pastels.  So sky blue, pale yellow, mint green, and light pink, all have the ability to give me a thrill.  Especially when they're put together.  Oooh! Deliciousness.

11. What's your favourite actress?

I don't have an actual favorite, but I really like Greer Garson. 

12. How many brothers and sisters do you have?

I have nine brothers and six sisters.   Yup, there's a lot of us.

Thanks, Rachel!! That was fun!  :D 

Now, onto the second tag... 

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Tag No. 2
 

Apparently I'm not very good at writing a post in one day.  It is now the second day since I started this post, and I still have a good ways to go.  Ah well.  For your information, the weather's still quite nice.  Warm, but not too hot.  Sky not quite so blue as yesterday, but still very nice, and...right.  You didn't want another weather report, did you?

Moving on...

The second tag I wish to fill out is from Cordy.  She didn't officially tag me for this, but she left it open for anyone to answer the questions, so I thought I'd take her up on that.

Cordy's Questions:

1. What is your favorite song/theme from a Disney animated movie?
How about The Bear Necessities? That's a fun one, and it's the first one that came to mind, so I'm gonna go with it.  :D

2. You have been cast in a live action Disney princess movie, which princess are you playing?

Cinderella.  Reasons?  Um, I wouldn't have to play alongside a beast, and I wouldn't have to have a witch chasing after me, and I wouldn't have to swim in the water with a silly fish tail, and I wouldn't...I just like Cinderella best, that's all.

3. What is a movie you are looking forward to seeing within the next few months? (It doesn't have to be a new release.)
Well, we've been talking about getting Bullwhip Griffin at the library as we haven't seen it in quite awhile, so I guess I'm looking forward to watching that one.  (It's an old Disney film, by the way.)  Also, I really want to see the third season of When Calls the Heart, but I'm not sure how soon that will be available to us.

4. Are you a city or a country person?

I've never lived in the city or even strictly in the country, so I guess I'm sort of an in-between person?  If it came down to one or the other, though, I'd probably choose the country.  It would be nice to live in a place where you have open land to roam about in.

5. What does your life, ideally, look like in five years?

I'd love for it to look something like this... 

...but I have a feeling that might be asking too much.  :(  (Seriously, though.  I love this picture.  It makes me very much want to be a Mommy.  Fussy baby and everything! )

6. In a movie, would you be the hero or the sidekick? (And just for fun, what would your name/nickname be as that character?)

Honestly, Cordy.  I don't have that good of an imagination!  :P  However, if you insist...

I guess I would probably be the sidekick--a well-meaning, but awkward sort of person--and my name would be--I'm making this up on the spot--Hattie Fiddleworth; which leaves a perfect setup for the nickname "Fiddle" which my friends would dub me because of my tendency to fiddle with things whenever I'm in a particularly nervous state.   (There.  Will that do? ;)) 

7. What's your favorite mythical creature? (If you have one.)

I'm afraid I don't have a favorite for this one.  Can hobbits count as mythical creatures?  (Right.  I thought not.)

8. What's your favorite color to wear?

Probably pink.  Leastways, I seem to acquire more pink shirts than anything else.  Red is a good color on me, too, though...which is why I'm really happy with my new red shirt I bought the other week.  The one with the white polka dots.  :)

9. Do you have a favorite fictional character that you would love as a best friend? Who?

Hmm...I've never really thought about this before.  (Honestly, what do I think about??)  But now that you mention it, I think I'd really like to have Gilbert Blythe as a best friend.  Why?  Well, because he's fun, and I just think he would be a jolly good friend to have.  :)
 

10. Do you have a favorite smell? (e.g. vanilla, homemade bread, rain, freshly cut grass, etc..)

Okay.  I'm realizing I don't think in terms of favorites very well.  Favorite smell?  Goodness.  I don't know.  I guess I like the smell of the changing seasons.  Whatever that smell is.  Can't describe it, of course, but I'm sure you all know what I mean.

11. What is something that you never go anywhere without?

My contacts.  They're rather essential.  Of course, I could wear my glasses, but I prefer my contacts.  They improve my appearance.  (Spoken with all due modesty, of course.  ;))

 

Thanks for the marvelously fun questions, Cordy!  I enjoyed them very much!!  :D

 

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And now for the announcement.  (I did say I had an announcement to make at the top, didn't it?)  Well, it's nothing exciting or very interesting, but I just want you all to know that I've decided to take a break from blogging for a week.  I feel like I've been spending too much time on it lately, and I'd really like to try and push it all out of my mind for a time, and not worry about keeping up with commenting and posting and everything.  I guess I just need a slight rest.  Anyhow, it's probably going to be hard to keep myself away, but I'm going to make a conscious effort not to check my blog and all that because I think I truly need a real break.

 

So good-bye for now, dear people!  I guess I'll see you sometime after the 10th of July, (unless something happens to change my plans and I come back sooner, which really is more than likely.) 

 

Toodle-pip!

 

(By the way, we taught my two-year-old nephew how to say 'toodle-pip' the other day, and boy! was it darling!  Cutest thing ever!)

The Beauty of God's Sunset, and the Comfort of His Word

I have quite a few post ideas churning about in my brain at the moment--which I very much wish to write--but unfortunately I'm feeling very tired and dull right now, so instead I thought I'd share with you some pictures I took of the beautiful sunset we had the other day, and intersperse the photos with some of my favorite Bible verses. 

 

So here you are.  Have a blessed day, my friends!

He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.  They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay.  He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because he delighted in me.  ~Psalm 18:16-19

I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.  O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.  O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.  Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.  For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.  ~Psalm 30:1-5

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.  When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.  ~Psalm 37:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.  ~Psalm 139:23-24

The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down.  The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.  You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.  ~Psalm 145:14-16


 

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? 

Micah 6:8



Inkling Explorations~Amy and Laurie

It's time for another Inkling Explorations Link-Up over at Heidi's blog, Sharing the Journey.  The subject for this month is Roses in book or film.  I've chosen a scene from Little Women. I really wanted to do something from a less well-known book, but I simply couldn't think of anything else, so this is what we've got.  :)

     Valrosa well deserved its name, for, in that climate of perpetual summer, roses blossomed everywhere.  They overhung the archway, thrust themselves between the bars of the great gate with a sweet welcome to passers-by, and lined the avenue, winding through lemon-trees and feathery palms up to the villa on the hill.  every shadowy nook, where seats invited one to stop and rest, was a mass of bloom; every cool grotto had its marble nymph smiling from a veil of flowers, and every fountain reflected crimson, white, or pale pink roses, leaning down to smile at their own beauty.  Roses covered the walls of the house, draped the cornices, climbed the pillars, and ran riot over the balustrade of the wide terrace, whence one looked down on the sunny Mediterranean, and the white-walled city on its shore.

     "This is a regular honeymoon Paradise, isn't it?  Did you ever see such roses?" asked Amy, pausing on the terrace to enjoy the view, and a luxurious whiff of perfume that came wandering by.

     "No, nor felt such thorns," returned Laurie, with his thumb in his mouth, after a vain attempt to capture a solitary scarlet flower that grew just beyond his reach.

 

     "Try lower down, and pick those that have no thorns," said Amy, gathering three of the tiny cream-colored ones that starred the wall behind her.  She put them in his button-hole, as a peace-offering, and he stood a minute looking down at them with a curious expression, for in the Italian part of his nature there was a touch of superstition, and he was just then in that state of half-sweet, half-bitter melancholy, when imaginative young men find significance in trifles, and food for romance everywhere.  He had thought of Jo in reaching after the thorny red rose, for vivid flowers became her, and she had often worn ones like that from the greenhouse at home.  The pale roses Amy gave him were the sort that the Italians lay in dead hands, never in bridal wreaths, and, for a moment, he wondered if the omen was for Jo or for himself; but the next instant his American common-sense got the better of sentimentality, and he laughed a heartier laugh than Amy had heard since he came.

     "It's good advice; you'd better take it and save your fingers," she said, thinking her speech amused him.

     "Thank you, I will," he answered in jest, and a few months later he did it in earnest.

[Have you ever noticed the two-fold meaning behind Amy's remark, "Try lower down, and pick those that have not thorns"?  She didn't mean anything other than what she said, of course, but the double meaning is clear nonetheless, "Try pursuing the younger sister, the sweeter one who isn't so prickly."  Haha.  I love the subtle reference to Jo being the rose with thorns, and Amy the one without.  It's just clever, don't you think?]
 

Jack Thornton goes to our church

All right, so maybe it isn't the real Jack Thornton who goes to our church, maybe it's just someone who looks like him, but I liked the above title because it was more exciting.  Don't you think?  (Sorry if I got all you fans of When Calls the Heart excited for nothing.  Ahem...actually, to be honest, that was sort of my intention in choosing that title.  *sheepish grin*  I wanted to get you excited for nothing.  By the way, did it work?  No? Oh, bother.  That lessons the triumph of my joke quite considerably.)

 

Anyway, to get back to my story...there's this guy at our church who really looks like Jack.  I'm not kidding.  I've never actually met him, but he plays on the worship team so I've had time to observe him, and one Sunday I just couldn't help leaning over to my sister and saying, "Doesn't he look like Jack?"  And she answered back, "Yes, he does!"  So it was official. 

After this  I got to thinking about all the other people we've come across who look like characters in movies--and there have been quite a few, believe me.  In fact, at almost every church we attend we inevitably run into someone who looks like a character from a movie.   So, just for fun, I thought I'd share a few examples with you. 

Let's start with the last church we attended.  There we had Lord Dundas from Amazing Grace (you might also know him as Mr. Meagles from Little Dorrit), William Wilberforce, and Frodo Baggins!  Lord Dundas attended the church with his wife, and they were both very nice.  They would often give us eggs from their chickens.  As to William Wilberforce, he came with his wife and four kids, and was very good at playing baseball.  (Bet you never knew William Wilberforce could play baseball!  Haha!) 

And then Frodo.  He didn't actually attend our congregation, he attended the larger one which ours was an offshoot of, so we didn't see him very often.  But when we did see him, we were all in profound agreement.  He looked very much like Frodo.   Big blue eyes and everything...except well, his hair was more trim, not so long and curly, but that was a minor detail. 

Going further back to the church we attended before that one...

 

Here we had Danny Kaye as our pastor, only he was a bit older than in this picture and not quite as goofy as Danny Kaye is in the movies.  (Scratch that.  Not nearly as goofy as Danny Kaye is in the movies.  ;))

 

We also had Messala (from Ben-Hur).  He played on the worship team.  Don't ask me what he was doing in such a position, all I know is the singing time was very nerve-wracking, as we were all terribly afraid for our lives.  (Haha.  Just kidding.  ;))  Actually, once we'd seen him closer up, and more often, we agreed that he didn't look nearly as much like Messala as we had originally thought.  I think it was mostly his dark, curly hair that caused us to make the connection. 

Of course, it's not only at church that we see these familiar faces, because honestly you can run into movie characters anywhere.  For example, just the other month my mom and sisters and I were having lunch at a restaurant when Pancks walked in. 

Yes!  Pancks himself!  (Or maybe it was his younger brother...does he have a younger brother?)  Anyway, there he was with his wife, his little girl, and his teeny tiny little baby.  And oh!  It was so cute.  Pancks with a family?!  Adorable! 

Well, that's about all I've got for today.  I hope you enjoyed this little "what's-it" of a post.  And as a bonus, and just so you all know that I've got an adorably cute nephew, I'm telling you now that he looks quite a bit like this little chap here:

Cute, right?

 

Have you ever come across someone who reminds you of a character in a movie?

Which characters have you "met"?

 

So long, everyone!  I hope you're all having a wonderful day!  :)

 

Here we go again...

No doubt you've noticed a rather pathetic theme running through the posts on this blog recently--something to do with writer's block, and lack of thinking power, and the absence of inspiration, and just plain all around nothingness. 

 

Well, it's true.  Miss March is in a writing funk...again.  (And, yes, I know you're probably sick of hearing about her writing woes, but please bear with her. She must find a vent for her frustrations somewhere.)  

Let me put it this way.  Though Miss March is a very organized person, and generally not prone to misplacing things, yet of late she seems to have acquired an uncanny knack for  losing her head (or brain, or mind, or marbles...whichever expression you prefer), just about every single day.  In other words, she feels on the verge of insanity.  (Not to over dramatize or anything...ha!)

 

This is, of course, very careless of Miss March, as everyone knows a person cannot function too well without a head, nor think very well without a brain, nor reason at all without a mind.  And as to losing one's marbles!  Well, that's just sad...

 

...The game's no fun if you haven't got marbles.  :(

I'm sorry to say that Miss March, while being fully aware of her sad predicament, has as yet no clear idea how to remedy the situation because--obviously--her mind is in such a jumble of a state that there's hardly a clear thought in her head at all.

It's not that she's lacking inspiration, altogether, I mean she has a lot of post ideas--probably too many--but for some reason whenever she tries to write them down she feels like she's hitting her head against a stone wall.  The thoughts just won't flow.  And when she does get something out, it doesn't seem worth publishing so it just sits in the drafts and becomes another of those unfinished projects which loom threateningly over her head like a huge dark thunder cloud.  Then, too, the constant reminder that there are other writing projects aside from blogging which also demand her attention, has a provoking tendency to paralyze her and hinder her from accomplishing anything.

What to do?  Oh! what to do? 

She told her brother the other day that she feels like a "time bomb just waiting to go off."  What she meant by this statement is not altogether clear, unless she was referring to the fact that she could at any moment explode into a flood of tears, and officially become a nervous wreck.  (But perhaps she's that already...)

Anyway, I guess the reason I'm rambling on about all this is because I'd like you to know--to set your mind at ease--that if Miss March suddenly disappears for  a time and you don't hear much from her, it's nothing to worry about.  Nothing serious.  She probably just hit her head against the wall a bit too hard and gave herself  a concussion, or dissolved into tears and drowned in them, or just decided to shut her mouth and stop talking because she's not making much sense at this point and shows very little hope of improving in that area anytime in the near future.

So that's that. 

(Really, though, things aren't as bad as they appear from this rant--or perhaps they are...but, hey, I'm trying to be a little positive here.  ;)  I wouldn't worry about or sympathize with Miss March too much.  She's just having a fit of her usual writing problems, that's all, and she needs to learn to deal with them and stop being such a grumpy face about it.  So now.) 

 

I fear you have long been desiring my absence.  I shall leave you now. 

 

Good-night!

 

10 of my Favorite TV Shows

Because I'm still suffering from a severe case of writer's block (oh! woe is me!),  and because I feel that I must post something or risk giving up on this whole blogging thing forever (ah! dramatic!), I thought I'd go simple today and throw together a list of my favorite TV shows.  Naturally, they are in no particular order (except the one I have been watching most often recently just might be at the top of the list...it just might).  So here you are!  Hope you enjoy this thrown-together little post.  :)

1. The Donna Reed Show
 

 

 

2. The Dick Van Dyke Show

 

 

3. Lark Rise to Candleford

 

 

 

4. All Creatures Great and Small

 

 

 

5. Jeeves and Wooster

 

 

 

6. Hogan's Heroes

 

 

 

7. Disney's Zorro

 

 

 

8. The Andy Griffith Show

 

 

 

...Okay, so maybe this kind of post isn't so simple after all.  I can't even come up with ten favorites!  Grr.  Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm going  loony.  Loosing my brain and all that, you know?  ("Where's my brain?  I want my brain.  Come here brain."  *Ahem*  Sorry.  Private joke.) 

 

Anyway, I guess I'll have to call it quits because I seriously can't think of anymore that I want to include. 

 

So that's that, folks!  You have now received the earth-shattering knowledge of what are my 10 (no, 8) favorite TV shows!   Aren't you positively thrilled?   (Ha!)

 

 

 What are some of your favorite shows?

Have you seen any of the ones mentioned above?