Lost in (Jane) Austen

We recently discontinued our DirectTV service, which was about $80/mo, and instead purchased a Roku box for each of our two main TVs, at a one-time price of about $60 each.  I won't go into explaining Roku, as I don't really know all the ins and outs and it would take too long.  But if you'd like to save a lot of money over your cable/satellite, you really should look into it.

Because of Roku and our Netflix and other subscriptions we got to go with it, I've discovered a lot of shows I didn't know existed.  A few days ago I stumbled on Lost in Austen.  Originally a British mini-series, the Netflix/DVD version is a three hour movie.

I am a big Pride and Prejudice fan, as is Amanda in Lost in Austen.  She is tired of her modern-day London life and her unromantic boyfriend.  One evening she finds Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of P&P, in her bathroom; she has stumbled upon a portal from her world to present-day London.  Amanda and Elizabeth trade places.

Does it make sense (even if you believed in time-travel portals)?  No, and Amanda doesn't get it either.  P&P is a novel, not history.  But she finds herself in 19th century England at the very beginning of the P&P story and a guest of the Bennet family as a "friend" of Elizabeth who, she tells them, has gone away to write a book.  

Amanda, of course, knows how the story should go, but her very presence is changing the plot.  Though she tries, she can't get it back on course, and the P&P characters make different choices than Jane Austen originally wrote.

source

If you are a hard-core Jane Austen fan who will tolerate no monkey-business when it comes to her writings, you might not like this movie.  I, on the other hand, thought it was funny and creative and did a good job of staying true to JA's characters while going down a "what if?" rabbit trail.  There are a few surprises that aren't in the book, such as Mr. Bennet's first name and the "truth" behind the Wickham/Georgiana scandal.  To quote Amanda, "Jane Austen would be fairly surprised to find she'd written that!".

Two thumbs up!

Summer Fun: A Final Hurrah

I can't believe that this is the last Friday of summer for us!  That was fast.

Here's a fun, quick project for you and your kids; I'll call it Ziploc Ice Cream.

1.  Fill a gallon ziploc bag with ice about halfway, add 6 tablespoons of rock salt, or regular salt (we used regular).

2.  Mix 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in a pint size ziploc and seal it.

3.  Put the small bag inside the large bag and seal the large bag.

4.  Shake.

5.  Keep shaking.

6.  After about 5 minutes of shaking, the mixture will turn to ice cream!

7.  Dig in and enjoy!

Messy Fun: Oobleck

Oobleck is a non-Newtonian liquid.  Don't ask me what that really means.  It's a liquid and a solid.  You can squeeze it into a ball, but when you open your hand it drips through your fingers. It's really messy, but it washes up easily with water.  If you are a fun mom, you won't really mind if your kids do it in the kitchen.

If you are a control freak like me, you'll send them out to the driveway.

Start with 1 part water and 1.5 parts cornstarch.  We had to keep adding cornstarch.

It's hard to stir.

Just start mixing with your hands.

It's drippy, stringy and gloppy.  You can pick it up.  You can drizzle it.

It's hours of fun.

My kids would still be out there if it weren't for the black thunderclouds that rolled in.

Happily for me, the rain will wash the mess away.  

Now that's fun for everyone!

Laugh of the Day

My kids have watched this video 8,463 times in the last week, and they laugh every. single. time.



Well, okay Craig and I laugh too.

(We also laugh at several more of his talking animals videos.)

Read Any Good Books Lately?

I love to read!  In elementary school, I would have several chapter books going at once.  In my adult life, I tend to go in spurts, because reading can distract me from my real job of keeping my family fed and clothed.  I won’t read anything for quite a while and then when I can’t stand it any longer I head to the library and get a stack of books.

I’ve been in “on” mode lately, so I thought I ‘d share with you what I’ve been reading.

Christian fiction has been on my nightstand a lot.  Sometimes (as with any genre, I guess) that can be hit or miss. But none of the books I’ve read lately have been preachy, and they’ve all had good foundational stories.  By that I mean that the author told a good story that contained Christian elements; it didn’t feel like they created a subpar story to try to fit the Christian message they wanted to get across.

In the last couple of months I’ve read the first two books of the “Kinship and Courage” series by Jane Kirkpatrick.  It’s about a group of women who make the journey from the east to California during the time of the gold rush.  Honestly, it took me a while to get in to the first book.  The story was good, but the characters weren’t particularly likeable.  Even so, I did enjoy the book overall, and by the end and into the second book, I felt like I understood them better.  There’s one more book in the series that I’ll read after a while.  I’ve learned my lesson about reading a whole series one right after the other (read about that here)!

 

Another new-to-me Christian author is Robin Lee Hatcher.  I’ve recently read The Perfect Life and Return to Me.  I enjoyed both of these books, particularly the former, although in both cases it did kind of feel like the story was full of conflict that resolved a little too easily and quickly at the end.  Also, I didn’t realize until now that Return to Me is the second book in a series.  I didn’t feel like I was missing out on any vital information, though.

 

 

On the non-Christian chick-lit side, The Pregnancy Test by Erin McCarthy was a fun read, but I must warn you that there were a couple very graphic and pages-long s*x scenes, which I felt could have been toned down quite a bit without doing any damage to the story.

I’m currently reading Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde (does anybody else want to pronounce that fuh-ford, or just me?).  I’m only a few chapters in, but so far so good.  Plus, it’s about a young woman who is rehabbing an English cottage to flip it for a profit, so it’s got a kind of HGTV thing going on too.

 

What’s been on your nightstand recently?

Top of the Muffin to You!

Enter my One Thousand Followers Giveaway!

I’m working on a little project this morning that is taking longer than I originally thought it would (doesn’t it always?).

So for now I’ll just leave you with a Seinfeld clip that Craig and I watched this morning.  He has a new iphone, and the first thing he does in the morning, before we even get out of bed, is to grab it to “check the weather”.   Not sure how we got from the weather to Seinfeld, but I think we laughed harder than when we saw it the first time!  It’s good to start the day with a laugh!

Old Time Pottery Tour

Ever been to Old Time Pottery?  It’s a huge, warehouse-sized store full of all kinds of home decor, accent furniture, kitchen wares, linens, lamps…you name it, they’ve probably got it, and the price is probably right.

A couple of weeks ago, I snapped a few photos for you.  To give you an idea of the size of this place, there’s still about 1/4 of the length of this aisle behind me as I took this photo.

 

The floral department is one small (relatively speaking) corner of the store. 

 

They usually have a huge table piled with remnants of home decor fabric.  It’s sold by the piece (they don’t cut it for you), but at $4.96/yd, it’s a bargain.  This week, it was on sale for $3.96 a yard, and I’ve seen it even lower.

 

I liked this fabric a lot. The pattern was very large; this photo shows about 1/2 yard.  But, I didn’t get it.  Why, I don’t know.  Kicking myself!

 

Cotton sheet sets, 300-450 thread count, $19.96 any size.  I have a sheet set from OTP, and I like it very well.

 

These Pottery Barn-esque nightstands were $49.96 and came in white, red, black and green

                     

 

There have all kinds of dishes and glassware, including glass domes, for your cloche or mini-cake plate projects.

If you are having trouble finding a cheese dome at the thrift store, you can get one here for just $3.99, not that much more than you would pay second-hand.  The slightly larger one is just $2.99, for some reason. 

Old Time Pottery has 29 stores in 10 states.  If you’re ever near one, it’s a fun place to shop for your home! 

(Nope, I am not being compensated for this post.)

Dear Superintendent of Schools

In light of the weather events of earlier this week, I would like to thank you for putting the safety of our children first.  I was somewhat relieved when the students were sent home early on Monday, as ice had been falling for several hours and the roads were getting slicker by the moment.  Although I’m sure the bus drivers go through a rigorous training, no one should have to drive an enormous vehicle filled with giddy children on roads that could serve as an Olympic speed skating rink.

I fully expected that school would be closed on Tuesday, as the ice had changed to snow overnight and the forecast was for blizzard conditions and 12-18” of snow accumulation.  The whole metropolitan area was basically shut down, and it was comforting to know that my children were safely at home with me as the snow continued to fall all day.

I questioned whether there would be school on Wednesday or not.  Since we actually only got about 5” of snow, and it had more or less ended by Tuesday evening, I figured the roads would be in decent condition by morning.  However, when we got the call that once again there would be no classes, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.  After all, some areas in our district are more rural in nature and it could have been that not all of the roads were clear.

Nevertheless, I was confident that school would reconvene on Thursday.  Imagine my surprise when the phone rang and the automated voice informed us of yet another snow day.  The roads were clear and the sun was shining, so my guess is that you were concerned about the below-average temperature.  Never mind that my kids played outside in the snow for three hours straight on both Wednesday and Thursday; I can see why you would be concerned about them standing at the bus stop for 5 minutes.

Should this ever happen again, please be assured that I, and I’m willing to bet the majority of parents, would be happy to drive the children to school.  I would dress them warmly, so you need not fear frostbite.  I have been under the impression that the school building is heated, therefore I would be comfortable with them spending the day there.  Should the outdoor temperature warrant, I would certainly be in favor of indoor recess, as so often happens in the event of other types of unpleasant weather conditions.

At this point, I am in full confidence that the school bus will be here on Friday morning to pick up the kids and carry them to a joyful reunion with their teachers and classmates.  The temperature is forecast to be 4 degrees higher than Thursday; I trust that you will take that into consideration as you make your decision.

Thanks again for your dedication the children.

Sincerely,

A Grateful Mother

Beauty After the Storm 02/03/11

 

{My bloggy friend Amanda was my inspiration for this post format.  She has written “Dear…” posts several times.  Visit her at Serenity Now.}

{Enter my chocolate giveaway!}

 

 

Breaking out the VCR

Last night we dug out the box of old VHS tapes and hooked up the VCR.  It was like opening a time capsule.  You see, when Firstborn was a toddler, DVD was relatively new, and VHS was still the main contender.  The shows my kids watched as wee ones were mostly in that format.  Many of these shows we haven't watched in years, both because they have grown out of Little Bear and Blue's Clues {sniff}, and because it's kind of a pain to set up the VCR.

But last night, we unearthed a real treasure.  About 9 years ago, my dad gave the boys three VHS tapes that he got at Christianbook.com:  Little Dogs on the Prairie.  They were the only three ever made, and CBD no longer has them, but you can still find them, in both VHS and DVD, fairly reasonably on Amazon. 

These are just all-around good productions!  It's real, hand-drawn animation, the music is well-done and catchy, the stories reference the Bible and have a moral, and they are very funny!  Craig and I laughed through all three episodes of the tape we watched last night.  (In fact, even though we haven't watched them in years, there are still a couple catch-phrases that we will occasionally quote.)

Not only that, the kids all really liked them too, from the 13-yr-old down to the 8-yr-old.  Firstborn just barely remembered it from years ago, but, although he enjoyed them as a preschooler, I'm sure he didn't get all the humor, or necessarily even the lesson.  This time around he "got it", and there were several out-loud laughs from his end of the couch.  The other two were giggling as well.

There's not too much out there on the web, but here's a clip from one episode.



If you're interested in good, clean, quality entertainment for your children, with Christian values, that the whole family can enjoy, I highly recommend you try to get your hands on these.  In addition to Amazon, there were a handful of listings on ebay.  It appears that you might be able to order the DVDs from the Fancy Monkey Studios website, though the website doesn't seem too current, so I think I'd try to email them first before you go that route.

I think we'll be leaving the VCR hooked up for a while!

Design Personality Quiz

Have you been watching the Nate Berkus Show?  I DVR it, and when I have a few minutes I sit down and watch an episode or two.  The other day he had a design personality quiz that was kind of fun (I think it was actually a rerun, but it was new to me).

IF YOU WERE A LIPSTICK, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

A. CORAL
B. SPARKLY GLOSS
C. HOT PINK
D. CLASSIC RED

YOU’RE ABOUT TO SPLURGE ON A NEW PAIR OF SHOES. WHAT DO YOU BUY?
A. MARY JANES
B. SKY-HIGH STILETTOS
C. FLIP FLOPS
D. A NEW PAIR OF LOAFERS 

YOU JUST GOT YOUR FAVORITE FLOWERS FROM A SECRET ADMIRER! YOU GOT:
A. DAISIES
B. A GORGEOUS ORCHID
C. TROPICAL FLOWER
D. RED ROSES

YOU’RE AT YOUR FAVORITE HOME DÉCOR STORE – WHAT CATCHES YOUR EYE FIRST?
A. A ROCKING CHAIR
B. A COLORFUL, TRENDY VASE
C. A BEAUTIFUL WOVEN BASKET
D. A LUXURIOUS THROW

IF SOMEONE GAVE YOU AN ALL-EXPENSE PAID VACATION, WHERE YOU WOULD GO?
A. EIFFEL TOWER
B. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
C. TAJ MAHAL
D. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

---

IF YOU ANSWERED ALL"A's":  VINTAGE PERSONALITY

You like things one of a kind, you’re a garage sale shopper, a thrift sale shopper. you like things to have some age, a patina. If you know you’re a vintage personality, you can shop in places with items that have an aged look or have been assembled over time. You don’t go to the new modern stores and waste your time buying items that you know you’re not going to love.

 IF YOU ANSWERED ALL “B’s”:  MODERN PERSONALITY

You like a clean look, with clean lines, and space to breathe within your home. Every piece you own needs to be special, because you don’t have a lot. Simple, clean lines, special pieces. You save your money and you don’t make impulse purchases. You create a beautiful modern environment.

 IF YOU ANSWERED ALL “C’s”:  GLOBAL PERSONALITY

You like things that have edge. When you go on vacation you’re digging though the local markets. There are pieces that are hand-crafted, you love woven tapestries and animal prints.

 IF YOU ANSWERED ALL “D’s”:  AMERICAN CLASSIC PERSONALITY

Well-tailored pieces and somewhat clean lines. You can feel a sense of history there, there’s something very tradition about it and it could benefit from an infusion of personality.

I answered D (classic red), D (loafers), A (daisies), D (luxurious throw), A (Eiffel tower).  That means that I'm mainly American Classic, with a good bit of vintage mixed in.  That's actually pretty accurate, I'd say.  I tend to go for classic, neutral main pieces with vintage accents.

What's your design personality according to Nate?

Thrifty Gifty 2010 #6: Marshmallow Shooter

A few years ago these were the rage on my homeschool message board…everybody was making them for Christmas gifts.  We made a few and had fun seeing how far we could shoot the marshmallows (surprisingly far!) and also sent a set to my brother-in-law and nephew.

I’m not making a demo this time around, but I’m pulling these instructions from Camper Community.

Visit your local hardware store and purchase (per shooter):

• two feet (24”) of 1/2 inch PVC pipe
• 2 PVC elbows
• 2 three way junctions, also know as T’s
• 2 end caps.

Cut one 7 inch length of PVC. Cut five 3 inch pieces of PVC.

Tip: Place the PVC pipe in a vise and use a hacksaw for cutting.

Once your pieces are cut, assemble the shooter as above.  You do not need to glue the pieces together; that way you can take it apart for cleaning if necessary.

To use, take a mini marshmallow and put in the upper chamber. Blow hard and the marshmallow will shoot out the barrel, hitting your target with amazing accuracy.

These are really fun!  I’m actually thinking we need to make some more as the old ones are long gone.  Paint them if you like, and experiment with different configurations. This family likened it to Legos in that they take them apart and put them back together in different ways,and with different lengths of pipe. They would make a great party activity and take-home favors. 

I found a news segment video which will really help you visualize the whole thing.

Fun Times

Yesterday my stepmom took Pinkerbelle and me to the nail spa for pedicures.  It was a first for P. and only my 2nd one (I posted about my 1st pedi here).

Ahhhh! Luxury!  The girl did a fantastic lower leg massage with scrub, and lotions, and warm rocks.

P. got coral polish, with a sparkle topcoat and a flower detail on both fingers and toes.  My walk on the wild side was choosing this bright teal polish.  I thought I would never buy that color, so I’d just try it for fun.  But I actually really like it, and I think I will pick some up after all.

It was also Firstborn’s birthday.  He is thirteen, and I am officially the mother of a teenager.   Here he is on his first birthday with a scraped nose from a fall, and on his thirteenth birthday with a bandaged nose from wrestling with his brother.

We had a nice birthday celebration with Nana and Papa, a DQ ice cream cake, and several cool presents, all of which he liked, which was a bit of a minor miracle.  One of them was a cell phone.  You can’t be a teen without one.

Have a great weekend, y’all!  (BTW, my email is not working, just in case anyone was trying to communicate with me that way.  Hopefully it’ll be up and running soon.)

Decorating With Candy Corn

Not long ago, I picked up the Oct. 17, 2010 issue of Woman’s Day for 50c at the thrift store.  I guess some people are really organized and disciplined; they read their magazines and immediately get rid of them.  Me, I’m a saver.

Anyway, this issue had several really cute ideas for decorating with candy corn that I’m going to share with you.  You can find the article, photos and instructions here at Woman’s Day. 

If I had any trees in my yard to get branches, I’d make this.   Maybe I’ll send my son out foraging for sticks.

If you’re the party coordinator for your child’s class, this would be a cute and simple craft activity.

Firstborn says this is a waste of candy.

I had the stuff in my cart to make one of these and put it back.  I think I thought I might drive myself nuts trying to get the candy corn to stay on the styrofoam ball.

You can’t get much simpler than this, which is why it’s the only one I’ve tried so far.

My hurricane isn’t as big and beautiful as theirs.  Boo hoo.

Let me know if you try any of these!