Book Tag

Okay, I saw this linkup (though it's long past) on Miss Dashwood's blog, and found that she had gotten it from here:
It looked like fun. So I am doing it.1. What was your overall favourite book this year? (Yes. Pick one.)*jaw drops* One? Just one? Well… let's just say they mean fiction books. Because otherwise this is impossible. It might be Pride and Prejudice, which I reread a few days ago (how can this question be answered?). But… even though there was some sobbing involved when reading it, The Lantern Bearers was massively awesome.
2. Which books did you reread this year?Pride and Prejudice, The Wide Awake Princess, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Nancy Drew and the Bungalow Mystery, The Prydain Chronicles, Grandma's Attic Series, &c.
3. Favourite cover(s) this year!

4. Worst cover(s)?

Good book, awful cover. Sorry, I just really didn't like this. Bear does NOT look like this, guys!!

5. Which book(s) gave you a massive hangover?Entwined, Lantern Bearers, Squire's Tales. Oh, and I got a I-need-a-horse-to-take-care-of-and-adore hangover from Black Horses for the King.
6. Best standalone you read?Wide Awake Princess (the sequel is appreciated, E. D. Baker, but it doesn't compare and it isn't really necessary).
7. Biggest book(s) you've read this year?Well, Entwined is almost 500 pages, so that might be it. But maybe not. I really don't know.8. Most disappointing book(s) you read this year?Tiger, Tiger. This is one of the books I rewrote the ending for.
9. Favourite leading-female character?Anne Shirley (from Before Green Gables, DEFINITELY not as good as the originals, but it's still Anne Shirley).
10. Favourite leading-male character?Close tie betwixt Terrence and Mr. Darcy.
11. Best romance(s)?Pride and Prejudice.  I got all melty after reading it. Although, I must say, Mr. Knightley is THE ideal man for me. Darcy is amazingness, but Mr. Knightley… there's just no comparison. 
12. What book(s) did you read out of your comfort-zone?Conspiracy of 365 Days, and The Mysterious Benedict Society (a very good trilogy, though I did not expect it to be; Trenton Lee Stewart is hilarious).
13. Which author did you read the most from?Gerald Morris, probably. There was another author but I did not enjoy her books so I choose not mention her.
14. Top 5 books you'd recommend from all the books you've read this year?The Lantern Bearers, Pride and Prejudice, The Squire's Tales, The Prydain Chronicles (yeah, that's not five, but there are quite a lot of Prydain & Squire books so I'll just leave it at that).
15. How many books did you read this year all up?Over a hundred, I'm sure.

AHHHH!!!

I am so so so so so so excited! And I have a whole hour which must pass away before the lovely event can begin to take place. I'm going to a Jane Austen Christmas Ball!!! Oh, oh, oh, oh! At 2 or 2:30, we shall take ourselves to a friend's house to get ready, and then at 4, the ball! I don't know why I'm so excited… but I am!!! Perhaps because I just read Pride and Prejudice (fastest I've ever read it; only a week!). Or maybe because I started Persuasion, or perhaps because I am wearing a lovely dark red dress. Or maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic, as my mother says. And balls are romantic (and that is Anne-of-Green-Gables-romantic, not meet-kiss-get-married-romantic). For whatever reason, I am extremely bouncy and have way too much energy (and way too many butterflies in my stomach).
Fare thee well, sweet comrades!
Oh, and Happy New Year!

Dill stood before the mirror, gazing at her reflection. The elegant white dress had long sleeves, a full sweeping train, and delicate lace. Dill's chestnut hair was twisted back with silver satin ribbons woven in. Her veil was as thin and light as moth's wings, scattered with tiny star-like pearls. . Everything was a beautiful, just as perfect as she had ever imagined.

  Dill groaned and sank to the floor.

   For sixteen years, she had imagined getting married, having children and a house of her own. What woman hadn't spent her childhood thinking such thoughts? But she chided herself anyway. She should have been more realistic.

Review: The Desolation of Smaug

It's been a bit of a while since I posted. Okay, lets be honest: it's been a month and a half. But I make no excuses because life's been crazy and I haven't had anything particular to write about anyway. Wouldn't you much rather read no posts at all, rather than read a pointless post about nothing that was just written to write one?
Anyways. Anne of Green Gables is over now *sniff sniff*. It went so well. Other than spilling tea on myself during the scene where Diana gets drunk on "raspberry cordial".  :)
Moving on to the real point of this post (please be prepared for intense frustration, delight, anger, and quite possibly some screaming).

I've never been to a midnight premier.  I didn't go last year and then regretted not going. So of course I had to go this year. I dressed up, of course, and went with a large group of crazies (meself included, of course).
It was... perfect. And awful. And full of "Huh? That wasn't in the book..." moments.
Thus, I need to vent review it.

Movie review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

One of my friends put it really well when she said "The actors were great, the effects were great, the script was terrible."
Ah, so true. Bard was everything I dreamed he should be. I think the dwarves' personalities were captured very well – showing how Thorin was becoming corrupted by lust for the gold and the Arkenstone (e'en before he saw them) was done very well. Smaug was very good. I liked that they showed what was happening with the Necromancer. Yeah, it's not shown in the book, but it happens in the book. Bilbo wasn't there so it wasn't described, but it was still happening. I liked those scenes – I liked that the Necromancer wasn't a person or a beast but was just a mass of darkness. And the darkness couldn't overcome the light (interesting thing, if you're in a dark room and you turn on the light or light a candle, the darkness is extinguished, yet even if you walk into a darker room, the candle isn't extinguished; I think there's an interesting metaphor in that).
I was so looking forward to the scenes with Beorn and in Mirkwood. I was sorely disappointed in Beorn. Badly done, Peter Jackson! Badly done! (You're a kindred spirit if you get that quote.)
1). I picture (and the book describes) Beorn living in this great big, grand hall. Not a barn. 

2). Did anyone else picture Beorn looking like a wookie? I didn't anyway, but I guess the directors did.

   

You gotta admit, there is some similarity (he also kind of looks like Worf from Stark Trek)

3). In the book, Beorn has a personality and feelings. You get the sense of his incredible fierceness, but also of his fierce love of his animals. In the movie, I don't think he has a personality. No emotions, anyway. In human form, he's like this higher being, sort of like an elf, who has no emotions, and thinks deep thoughts but doesn't care about anybody. And in bear-form, he's a senseless animal.

4). They changed one of my favorite parts!!! Instead of coming to his house in twos while Gandalf is telling Beorn this story (it's a very amusing scene), they just run in. Granted, they were being chased by orcs, but couldn't they have just made the orcs fall behind for this one scene? I think they could've.

Next off, Mirkwood was also disappointing.

1). It was far too short. It felt rushed, to me. They didn't necessarily leave things out, they just sped it up.

2). Ugh. They left the path on purpose, guys! Not by accident! I don't think they should've changed it, and I don't think they NEEDED to change it.

3). Tauriel? Where did she come from? Legolas makes sense (he IS Prince of Mirkwood, after all, so he has a right to be there). The other elves were great – Thranduil was perfect. Just cold and aloof enough. But the girl? I don't think she fits. I don't mind there being female elves (even named, main character ones) but I don't think she would have been out there killing things. I'm not sexist, but the female elves in Lord of the Rings aren't soldiers (at least, I've never seen/read about them). And falling in love with a dwarf? Elves and dwarfs hate each other, peoples. Period. They don't fall in love. (And Kili? What's up with using walnuts as a pillow?)

But what really got me going was the end. Where did the whole thing with the statue come in? That didn't even make sense. They completely change it, when there was no middle-earthly reason too. 

For some reason I didn't feel like this was as violent as Lord of the Rings (although they were being chased by orcs [not in the book, mind you] through pretty much the entire movie). The action was really close-up and choppy, so you (or I at least) couldn't tell what was going on at all. Which was a bit annoying at times. 

Overall: It gets 4 stars. Or 3 and half. I didn't like Beorn, or the scene in the mountain. But I enjoyed the experience, (even though it ended on a horrible cliff hanger) though that was more because we got there early so we had the huge theatre to ourselves, and I enjoyed dressing up. And of course I'll go next year. But I disappointed, all the same.

The Hobbit over and done, I look forward to Christmas (we drew names this year, which we've never done before, so I'm excited about that!). As they said in olden days, Happy Christmas!

My little "thtories"

Ugh. Sometimes I read my past stories or blog entries, and I just go "Ugh. I can't believe I wrote that and thought it was good."
I haven't written for ever so long. Winnifred and Helen alike got put away when school began and homework started. I dabbled with the idea of editing my Arthur story, and I may still do that after a while. But I decided to write Jenatta of France. You may remember her; I did a silly book trailer on the story over a year ago. And proceeded to do nothing with it. Well, Jenatta is changing. It's in a fantasy world, not France. It'll be a little more fun, I hope. I may even change her name!

Our Beautiful Room

I wanted to share some [poor] pictures of our bedroom. It's really coming together; I've mentioned a few of the things we've added already, but I'll say again. Our room was ugly yellow, with a white bunkbed, two mismatched-somewhat-unattractive bedside tables, three white shelves and a tall white dresser. And it was always messy. And there were random things that didn't go with the rest of the room, like butterfly wall decals (though they were quite pretty) and two blue coat-hook-board-thingies.
Now-
It is a lovely pale blue. We have two black iron twin beds. We have this lovely between-the-bed-side-table-windowseat-dresser-thing, and a cream colored desk and a hutch, and three prints and three birdcages on the walls. I suppose I'll just have to put pictures so it makes sense–

Stepping into our room

The two prints above the right bed (mine)

The left bed (my sisters)

Our desk and hutch

Close-up of the cool french cloth in the back of the hutch

Gertrude, the shrewish-looking peacock on the wall between our bedroom door and our closet door.

And Miss Mirab, the cat (duh). :)

Love,

Anne-girl things

So, as some of you may know, I am playing Anne in Anne of Green Gables. It's crazy, but true.
My hair is really dark – and so are my eyebrows. We bought a red wig, but with my eyebrows it just looks awful. Awful.
Yesterday these black boots came in the mail. Ohhhhh! They're so gorgeous. They have a 2 ½ inch heel, which is good since I'm right at 5" and there's a line in the second act about how tall and stylish I've grown (FYI, I'm shorter than everyone in the play except one person). They make me so happy about being Anne.
And I'm going to have like 4-5 costumes. I've never had that many. I've never had so many lines either. I have the first line, the last line, and half the lines in between. And the other lines are about Anne. :) I hope this doesn't sound like bragging– it's just so different from any play I've been in before.
Life is hard sometimes, but I'm so blessed. A few days before the cast list came out, I was feeling insecure in Jesus's love. I had just finished Captivating, and I struggling with feeling like I was the Beauty of the story, the herione, you know? I wanted to be Anne of Green Gables, even for a night. To be the one that the Hero loved. I was just telling God how much I wanted him to tell me I was his Lady, that I didn't mind if I wasn't Anne as long as I was his Anne. As long as he loved me. Friends, God is so faithful. It was the very next day that I found out that I was Anne. I couldn't believe that I was lucky enough to be Anne. The biggest part I had was Mr. Beaver in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (due to a shortage of boys!). And since I was a boy, that I didn't feel as special.
Anyways, I hope his faithfulness is shown to you this week.
Love through him,

Life

Life is hard. And good. I'm frustrated and joyful. This day has been so mixed. Chiaroscuro, you know? Light and dark. The morning was good, at first. After breakfast wasn't as good. I was trying to find a skirt pattern which I just couldn't find, and then I wanted to work on the letter with my sister that we're writing to a friend, but didn't have time because I had to go to Biology. But Biology was good – it was cool to look at the amoeba and the spirogyra and the diatoms. That was fun, and when I came home the weather was just perfect. And we worked on our letter and started making oatmeal butterscotch cookies. And then – the cookies weirdly flattened and burned, at the same time as which our dog peed all over the tile in our basement. And his toy basket. And the door. ACH. I wanted to scream, "Why can't things just work out!?!??!" Yet minutes ago I was praising God because I felt like a princess in a swishy skirt even though I'm wearing a t-shirt, jeans that are slightly too big for me, and my hair is kind of a mess.
Life is complex.
We cleaned up the mess. I added some wheat flour to the cookies and reduced the cooking time and they came out perfect. Perfection amid chaos.
I just took some blueberry cornbread muffins (to go with our leftover soup from last night) from the oven. They're perfectly fluffed. It's so easy to forget all the things that go right amidst the things going wrong.
We are hard pressed, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. (2 Cor. 4:8-9)
I love love songs because when you're unmarried like me, you can sing it like a worship song.

This will be an everlasting love
This will be the one I've waited for
This will be the first time anyone has loved me.

I'm so glad you found me in time
And I'm so glad that you recrefied my mind
This will be an everlasting love for me

Loving you is some kind of wonderful
Because you showed me just how much you care
You've given me the thrill of a lifetime
And made me believe you've got more thrills to spare, oh!

This will be an everlasting love
Oh, yes it will now!

You brought a lot of a sunshine in to my life
You filled me with happiness I never knew
You gave me more joy then I ever dreamed of
And no one, no one can take the place of you

This will be, you and me, yes sir-ee, eternally (literally!)
Hugging and squeezing, and kissing and pleasing,
Together forever throughever whatever.
Yeah yeah yeah you and me

So long as I'm living true love I'll be giving
To you I'll be serving cause you're so deserving
Hey, you're so deserving, you're so deserving
yeah yeah yeah Whoooaaah
Love, love, love, love, love, love
love, love, love, love
love, love, love, love, love love,
love, love, love, love

From now on,
From now on,
From now on....

Celebrate Musicals Week!

Another post during Celebrate Musicals Week! (Okay, I'm not tired of the word "musical" yet, but I am tired of writing Celebrate Musicals Week. Henceforth, I call it CMW.)
As already said, my musical is My Fair Lady. I love My Fair Lady; I love the music, the costumes, the time period, the romance…
But it's been a while since I've actually watched MFL. So I decided not to do a review after all.
I will, instead chatter on about my favorite characters and about the brilliant actors that play them.
And I must show some of my favorite videos. I love this song. It doesn't show the beginning, so if you want to see the beginning you'll have to look here (though it's blurry and has strange subtitles).

I simply love her dress and her hair. Audrey Hepburn is such an amazing actress. She conveys Eliza's character so well. Eliza is angry, sometimes desperate, then haughty, then despairing, then bubbling with happiness, then hurt. Audrey does it all without it feeling awkward.

Marni Nixon, who sings for her in the movie, has a beautiful voice, too, stronger and clearer than Audrey Hepburn's. I can see why they chose her to do it, but I love Audrey Hepburn's voice. It's kind of sad that she didn't sing for herself. However, we have Youtube now! With people who can edit videos!
So, without further ado, Audrey Hepburn singing the song that comes after Rain in Spain.

You can also watch Audrey singing in Just You Wait and Without You!

I love this song. Love, love, love this song. When you watch this, you know why she went back to him. (Even though he did treat her like a flower girl sometimes). Her heart was lonely. No one had given her kindness or love, or even just payed attention to her. 
But being treated like a servant still hurt her. So when she went back to him, he should have humbled himself and ran to her and kissed her. She wanted to be pursued, not taken for granted. Still, after you see him singing "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" you know he does (secretly) wish her back. Secretly wish he hadn't behaved that way. Ashamed of how he acted, yet too proud to ask her for forgiveness. Rex Harrison does such a good job in the role. You don't exactly admire him, but you can empathize with him. After all, we've all succumbed to pride before.
I do admire Colonel Pickering (despite the fact that he gives Higgins all the glory in "You Did It"). Because even when Eliza couldn't talk good grammar, he treated her kindly. Fun fact: In the play Pygmaleon, which My Fair Lady is based on, Eliza marries Freddy, who squanders their money, and Col. Pickering ends up taking care of them. So yay for Col. Pickering! (why don't we abbreviate Colonel as just C. instead of Col.? It's so much faster!)
Anyway, sorry for the lateness and the shortness, but I gotta go eat dinner.
Love,

Celebrate Musicals Week Tag

Celebrate Musicals Week from Miss Dashwood at Yet Another Period Drama Blog. A tag from the said Miss Dashwood!

1.  What musical did you pick to "spotlight" this week and why?
My Fair Lady. For multiple reasons; it's one of my top three favorite musicals, and I looove Audrey Hepburn. I was going to go with Cinderella, but I saw someone else did that one, soooo….

2.  How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as "your musical")?
My mother being also a musical lover, she introduced us to it when I was roughly ten or so.

3.  If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be?
Wouldn't it be Loverly, the Rain in Spain, and I Could Have Danced All Night.

4.  What's your least favorite song from your musical?
I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face. Sorry – It's very sweet and all, but I just can't get attached to the tune.

5.  Who are your favorite characters (choose up to three)?
Eliza and Colonel Pickering.

6.  Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite?
I've only seen the movie (1964), but the CD we have is the Julie Andrews Broadway version.

7.   Is this your favorite musical of all time?  If not, what is?
Yes, possibly. I also really like Cinderella (for sentimental reasons), West Side Story (but it's maybe a little too serious), and The Pajama Game (but it lacks the plot that the others have). And, of course, The Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof. But I think MFL wins out over the rest.

8.   Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most?
It depends on which musical I've seen most recently. :) Right now, it's probably Pajama Game.

9.   What is your favorite costume from your musical?
The Rain in Spain dress (below) and the pink dress at the end (find a few shots of it here)

I love this one best. :)

10.  If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change?
Higgins's last line would be humbler. And I would have Audrey sing for herself. Don't get me wrong – Marni Nixon does a beautiful job. But I just love Audrey's voice...

11.  Which role(s) would you most like to play in any musical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage?
Eliza, with an edited script, would be my top choice most likely.
Or Maria from West Side Story, or Maria from Sound of Music.

12.  If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have them play?
Sorry to be boring…. but I must say I find the cast to be to perfect to be improved.

13.  Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals?
Yes. Definitely a musical fan.

14.  Are you tired of the word "musical" yet?
NO!
15.  Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don't have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up-- no cheating!  How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?
Using Pandora since there is nothing on my iPod right now...
1. Friend Like Me from Aladdin. Ummm… I like it, I guess. But I don't just go and listen to it on purpose.
2. You're the One that I want, from Grease. I hate Grease. That's all there is to say.
3. Honor to Us All, from Mulan. A long time ago, I started watching this movie. We had to stop it, and we never finished. I've never even heard of this song.

Hundred-and-seventh Beautiful People this month

But it's not about Win this time. It's about Finn.
Finn is in her story. He's her one friend. He is NOT a beau of any sort! At least, he's not supposed to be (he's not her love interest in this story, but I can I help it if in years to come…)
I'm doing two, from April (Year of Grace 2011) and May of the same year.

How old is he/she?
Almost seventeen.

What does he/she do with his/her spare time?
He's usually with his family.

Does he/she see the big picture or live in the moment?
Big picture. (Now, Win is is a live-in-the-moment-er, for sure).

Is he/she a perfectionist?
No. (But Win is.)

What does her handwriting look like? (round, slanted, curly, skinny, sloppy, neat, decorative, etc.)
Large, sometimes misspelled words (he only had three-four years of schooling).

Favorite animal?
He loves horses. He loves their gentle strength. And sheep, because they're so dumb (his neighbor has sheep).

Does he/she have any pets?
A flock of chickens, but they don't really count.

Does he/she have any siblings? How many? Where does he/she fit in?
He's the eldest of five siblings (all girls, ages 14, 11, 9, and 6-almost-7). His father is dead and his mother is a semi-invalid, so he mostly takes care of them.

Does he/she have a 'life verse' and if so what is it?
Philippians 4:4, 6-7 : Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Favorite writing utensil?
Doesn't have one.

(My apologies for the comments about Win (since this IS about Finn!). She is very proud and insists that I write about her.)

What type of laugh does he/she have?
Sometimes a quiet chuckle, or a very loud, and long.

Who is his/her best friend?
Probably Winn.

What is his/her family like?
Loud, giggly, a little wild. But he loves them.

Is he/she a Christian, or will he/she eventually find Jesus?
Yes, he is. But the story doesn't really talk about it.

Does he/she believe in fairies?
No. But he tells stories about fairies to his sisters.

Does he/she like hedgehogs?
Yes. He finds them interesting and funny.

Favorite kind of weather?
Sunny and warm. 80s or so.

Does he/she have a good sense of humor? If so what kind? (Slapstick, wit, sarcasm, etc.?)

Yes. He's not sarcastic but he can appreciate sarcasm (Winn can be sarcastic!). He likes teasing his sisters and Win.

How did he/she do in school, or any kind of education they might have had.
He was taken out of school at about 9 or ten, because his father and mother and one sister were all sick. So he had to help out. (His father and sister ended up dying, and his mother is a lifelong semi-invalid.) But he loves learning, so he tries to learn by helping his sisters with their school work.

Any strange hobbies?
Hmm… Not that I know of.  Ask him. :)

More about Win

So, as I've said, I was going to work on Hellen's story. Earlier, I did have to work on Hellen's story. But now I have to work on Win's. It's justs the ways things works.
I'm going to do another Beautiful People (January 2012) for her, and at the end I'll share a snippet, too.

1. If your character’s house burned down, and they were left with nothing but the clothes on their back, what would they do? Where would they go?
      She would never beg. Ever. She would take Lorelle and walk through Covington (her town) looking for work. If she couldn't find work, she'd do anything she could, except ask for help. If she was at her wits end, and Lorelle (her toddler sister) was starving (she'd starve herself first), she would finally humble herself and go to Colin.

2. Are they happy with where they are in life, or would they like to move on?
      She is not content. She is lonely and poor, though she would never admit either. In her heart of hearts, she does want to "move on" but she doesn't talk or consciously think about her needs (she pretends not to have them).

3. Are they well-paid?
    No. She's not dirt-poor, but she almost is. But she was born a noblewoman and she acts like a noblewoman.

4. Can they read?
    Yes.

5. What languages do they speak?
      Just one. This is in a parallel universe, so I don't know what that is. But I picture her with an English accent.

6. What is their biggest mistake? 
      Deciding not to tell Finn certain things (like losing a job, or how dangerous her mystery is getting…).

7. What did they play with most as a child?
      Horses. Her father was always on a horse, and she was always near him.

8. What are their thoughts on politics?
      She doesn't have time for politics. She needs to focus on real life. 

9. What is their expected life time?
      She'd probably answer she doesn't have time to think about that either. She needs to work.

10.If they were falsely accused of murder, what would they do? How would they react?
      If she didn't have Lorelle to think about, she would stubbornly refuse to ask for help. She would deny it, of course, but she wouldn't "lower herself" by weeping or hiring a lawyer or giving them a speech about her innocence. But she would be frightened (though she wouldn't allow even herself to know that).
But she does have Lorelle to think about. So she would go to Finn or (swallowing her pride) Colin. She would borrow money from one of them to pay a lawyer, and she would find a relative who would take care of Lorelle, in the case of her conviction.



It begins:

“...You’re really very lucky. The debt isn’t excessive and you’ll even have some small bit of money left over after the sale of the house.”

“What, are you suggesting I sell the house?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Win, you don’t have much choice. I know someone who will buy it.” My cousin is not a cruel man, and very wise in money matters, I’m sure. At 21, he came into the inheritance from his dead father a year ago, and still has most of it left. But he doesn’t understand emotional things like sentimental houses as well as I would like.

“But where would we live? I don’t know anyone who would take both Lorelle and I in. And I won’t be separated! We’re all each other has, now.”

Colin pushed Father’s chair back from the desk and rose. He took hold of my arm, to stop my pacing, and said slowly,

“Well, you could live with me.”

Confused, I peered into his eyes.

“Live with you? Have you spoken to Auntie? I wouldn’t think she would like that.”

“I didn’t mean with my mother. I meant with me.” He paused, letting his words sink in.

“You don’t mean –”

“Yes. As my wife. Will you have me?” As the full import of his words sunk in, I jumped back, almost afraid of him now.

I forced a laugh. “You’re joking.”

He shook his head.

“Colin, I- I can’t...” I tried to pull my arm away, but he stepped closer. “I’m hardly old enough, I–”

“Why not? You’re almost sixteen; six years is a small difference. As a woman alone in the world without a fortune and without a father to protect her, you have little chance of marriage, and you’re also unprotected.” He paused. “And look at it this way: if you sell the house, you’ll have no house and little money. If you keep it, you’ll have a house but you’ll have no money and you’ll be in debt. You have no income.” He stepped closer. “Think of Lorelle.”

“Colin, that’s not fair!” I cried.

“It’s only true. She needs food and care, and you can giver her neither. I would offer you all of that, and you refuse me without thought. Consider it, Win, before you make such a rash decision.”

Winnifred, Anne, etc.

I know, I know, it's been a while since I've posted. We started school Tuesday, though, and anyone who's ever been in school knows the first week of school hits you like a wave that you weren't expecting. I have Biology every Tuesday (plus homework on the other days), Algebra every day, history, literature, and random miscellaneous thingers. Also, as mentioned in the last post, I'm in drama.

The play is Anne of Green Gables! My sister and I are so excited. One of my best friends got Rachel Lynde! Nan got Marilla! And I... got Anne! It's so unbelievable! I've never had half the lines I had (which is cool, but I'm not sure how I'll memorize them all!). It's so weird to have so much attention when I've always had small parts (except Mr. Beaver - that was a biggish part, but it wasn't as fun because I was playing a boy).

So that's been really exciting. Our first read-through was Wednesday. The script isn't as good as we could wish, but it's not as bad as some. To quote a wise old man, "It's not as good as it should be, but it's not as bad as it could be!"

But also, I'm going to have to either dye my hair (my mother would correct me "color, not die!) or get a wig. I'd rather die my hair, but, although the picture of the girl with the lamb isn't me (obviously), my hair is the same dark black. I just don't know if my hair would go all the way red, without bleaching it (*shudder*). So I don't know.

Yes. The picture. This is Winnifred, from my laundress story. It's the perfect picture. She looks sort of sad, curious, suspicious, and mysterious. I didn't think Winnifred had bangs, but you can't quite tell from the picture whether the girl actually does have bangs or whether it's just the way her hair is parted.

Last weekend we went to my grandma's cabin by the lake, so I'm kind of sunburnt. But it's freckling out. :)

Hand Fans

I was going to work on Hellen's story (due to my own inclinations and the general consensus) but then I went shopping with some friends today and happened to buy a hand fan.
It looks a lot like this:

So now I'm into fans. Did you know, in the Victorian times, they had a language with fans? An open fan on the right cheek meant "yes" (the left fan meant "no"). Fanning yourself slowly meant "I'm married", and so on.

And I thought, Winny is in the time period where she could use fans! And then I thought of this horribly chilling scene where she uses fan signals... so now I have to use fans!

Anyway, it's late and I have to go. Tomorrow – auditions for our homeschool play, Anne of Green Gables!!

Movie Review: Nancy Drew (2007)

I've been going nuts over Nancy Drew recently. Ahh... I wish I could find and solve mysteries like Nancy Drew.
I really recommend the books. I've been reading the old ones, of course – The Bungalow Mystery, The Secret at Shadow Ranch, the The Secret Staircase, etc.
Last night we watched Nancy Drew (2007). My sister and I had watched it once before, a few years ago, but I'd mostly forgotten it, so it was perfect.

Bad picture, I know

We all really enjoyed it! Really funny. Especially if you've read Nancy Drew, because the little references to the books made it extra fun.

 Really, the only thing I have against the movie (besides the fact that she and Ned didn't kiss at the part I wanted them to) is that her relationship with her father was.... confusing. He wasn't much like the Carson Drew of the book. He wasn't very supportive of her, but yet he was... in the wrong way.

The movie starts with him telling her "No more mysteries, you need to be a normal teenager." 

(Maybe I'm over-analyzing this. But I'm reviewing the movie, and this was what I found to be wrong with it.) 

Another bad picture – I really wanted to find one with her father, though

He was wrong to say that. He needed to either (1) support her in her mysteries, since that's a part of who she is, or (2) he needed to seriously talk to her and say, "I'm serious, this is dangerous, no more mysteries, at least while we're in California."

But because he didn't say that, she kind of took his "no more mysteries" as a suggestion. Sort of like he was always saying that, but didn't really mean it. 

And she was kind of right. During the movie, he gives her an early-birthday present for staying mystery-free (she feels rightly guilty, since she hasn't been mystery-free). At the end of the movie (no, this isn't a spoiler  – everyone knows she solves the mystery!), Carson Drew congratulates her and praises her for solving the mystery, helping some people and "doing the right thing even though it was hard for you." 

I felt like that was kind of... confusing.

But other than that, it was great. No weird sexual references, except for one kiss (and I was mentally begging for it throughout the movie, so it didn't bother ME). No language.

These two were funny. The scene in the clothing store? Ha!

And of course, Porky Corky was funny too. A little weird? Yes. But funny. Poor Ned... :)

I highly recommend this movie, and the books as well. I can only complain that there isn't a sequel. :)

Beautiful People

I'm between stories right now, and I'm trying to decide which story to go with. The two I'm deciding between both need some more development, so I'm going to do a Beautiful People thingy for them both. They haven't made a new one for quite some time, so I'm going to use some from the archives.
When I'm finished, you'll have to tell me which one to work on. I'm just not sure...

The first one, which I'm using on Hellen McCoy and her husband, Kenneth, is the March 2012.

1. Do they believe in anything that most people think is impossible?
Hellen believes in True Love. As in, fairy tale, happy ending, no problems that can't be solved by a rescue scene and sword fight, sort of true love.
And Kenneth? Well, Kenneth is Different (but only on his mother's side). So of course, he knows that many things which people think are untrue are really quite possible and real.

2. Are they strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?
Hellen is definitely a damsel in distress, but in her own way, she is strong. She is a wistful dreamer, and longs to be rescued by a knight. That is why Kenneth's strong personality (and arms! Ha ha) appeal to her.

3. Do they have a special place? (e.g. a corner in his/her bedroom, under a tree…)
Kenneth does not, unless it's where his father is not.
Hellen does, because she's that sort of person (easily attached to people and things). In her closet (in her parent's house), behind her clothes, there is a pillow where she sits and dreams.

4. What occupation do they have, or plan on having?
Kenneth was a teacher before he was drafted into the army.
Hellen had no real ambitions – she really just imagined herself living at home for the rest of her life, or getting married and having a passel of children.

5. Describe their current place of residence.
Hellen has just moved into a tiny (no, I really mean TINY)  four room house (bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen). It is very bare, with a comfortable chair and one table in the living room, a bed in – you guessed it! – the bedroom, and maybe a few other sticks of furniture. But she spends most of her time in her parents house.
Kenneth has just been drafted, so he lives in... wherever army people live, I guess. I have no idea. But the story isn't  from his POV, so I don't really care.

6. Explain their last crisis. How had they changed when they came out of it?
When Kenneth was drafted. They found out the day before their wedding day (great timing, right?).
Because of this, Kenneth decided not to tell Hellen that he was Different (to protect her, you see, because he knew the army might find out and then she might be in danger if she knew).
I think Hellen became stronger. I think she stepped into the position of wife/grown-up in general, faster than she would have otherwise (She's only 19, peoples!)

7. If they could drive any kind of car they wanted, what would it be?
Hellen does not actually know how to drive (she learns how to in the course of the book). So she doesn't really care. And Kenneth is not a car person. He's more of a gryphon person.

8. How do they deal with change?
Hellen does not deal well with change. As I said above, she is easily attached to things, so she has emotional trauma over losing even little things (like getting new shoes).
Kenneth is more used to change, and he adapts better to it. He clings to what stays the same (God), and isn't rooted in this world.

9. If they had to amputate one body part, which one would they choose?
Hellen would choose a leg, because, as said above, she's a damsel-in-distress kind of person, so she wouldn't mind not having her legs because it would mean that she would have to be rescued.
Kenneth would, of course, not choose his legs (they're very important to him). He would choose his ears, because he knows how often people lie, and he communicates quite well without needing to hear people.

10. What would their favorite be at the local coffee shop?
Hellen would have a mug of steaming tea to go along with her book. Kenneth would have black coffee.

11. How did they meet?
Well, they live in the same smallish town, so they've always kind of known of each other. They met at a benefit dinner, and then her parents had him and his mother over for lunch one Sunday, and they just hit it off.

12. How do these two deal with conflict?
Kenneth grows quiet. ("What's to be done with a man who just looks?" Congrats if you know that quote.) He doesn't say anything. Just stays firmly, stubbornly, sure of his opinion.
Hellen gets hurt, then defensive.

13. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place that they share?
No.

14. What kind of things do they like to do together?

15. Describe their relationship as a whole in 3 words or less.

Trusting, confusing, shallowish.


This one, from August 2011, is about my laundress, Win.

1.What is their biggest accomplishment?
She would say it was turning down her cousin Colin and moving to town as a laundress. And at the beginning of the story, I would agree. But by the end, I would say solving the mystery is her greatest accomplishment.

2.What is one of their strongest childhood memories?
Her father teaching her to brush her horse.

3.What is their favorite food?
She's not picky. But she likes fried food – not like french fries, you know, but fried greens, or fried eggs, or fried rice.

4.Do they believe in love at first sight?
No. She's not the romantic type.

5.What kind of home do they live in?
A one room cottage at the edge of the town.

6.What do they like to wear?
Practical, no nonsense clothing. But this is several hundred years ago, so even the plain dresses were beautiful. She wears black a lot after her parent's death.

7.What would they do if they discovered they were dying?
She wouldn't be sad for herself exactly (until she really realized that she was dying) but would set about making preparations for Laurelle (her baby sister).

8.What kind of holidays, or traditions do they celebrate?
Her parents used to have lots of grand feasts for no reason at all, but now she doesn't really have celebrations.

9.What do your other characters have to say about them?
Colin would say she's foolish and naive. But he's prejudiced because she refused his offer of marriage. 
At this point in the story, I don't have many characters. I need to bring in another one, as an friend or mentor sort of person, but I don't have that worked out yet.

10.If they could change one thing in their world, what would it be?
She would not have to go to the run-down apartments (to deliver laundry) in the southern part of town, but they pay too well for her to just stop going.

So, which one should I work on? I'm still undecided. 
Ta ta for now, darlings!