A Couple Shameless Plugs

Okay we'll start with a plug for something not related to me...

Charity over at Austenitis is hosting A Week Of Musicals! All sorts of fun posts about her favorite musicals equals lots of fun! Go check it out! :)


Speaking of Charity, she has a sister by the name of Analiese who just recently started a new blog Portrait Of A Maiden. When considering design prospects Analiese came to me and I had so much fun designing her header, blog button, signatures and finding a background image for her. The result is quite pretty and it was a real treat being able to help sweet Analiese out with her blog. I encourage you to check out Portrait Of A Maiden not only to see the design but also to read her interesting posts on period dramas, literary characters, fairy tales, books and much more!


Also, some of you may not be aware that I have a reading/writing blog. I do enjoy writing fiction and poetry, when the inspiration strikes, and I've recently revived posting about the story and characters I'm currently working on over at Rather Bookish. It's nothing grand but 'tis fun.

Period Drama Don't Keep Calm Contest!

Entries are now closed. Finalists have been announced here.

Winners can be found here.

Back in April I post a Period Dramas Keep Calm Contest (check out that post if you're not familiar with Keep Calm Posters). The game this week is a contest similar to that but with a twist. The twist is that there's somethings in period dramas that you just can't keep calm about - whether it's something verrrrrry exciting or something rawther vexing!  

In this contest your entries must be related to your favorite period dramas and they must begin with the phrase "Don't Keep Calm And..." or end with the saying "...and I can't keep calm".  

Here's a couple examples of Period Drama related Don't Keep Calms: 

Based on Anne of Green Gables

Based on Alice in Wonderland

Based on Cranford
Poster made by Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Elegance of Fashion

This is just to give an example of the "...And I Cannot Keep Calm" option.

 Entries & Rules: 

• Create your own witty posters beginning with "Don't Keep Calm And..." or ending "...And I Can't Keep Calm" that are related to your favorite period dramas (related to Austen, Dickens, Gaskell, Alcott, Montgomery, Downton Abbey or other period films). 
• You may enter up to three Don't Keep Calm posters. 
• Post your Don't Keep Calms on your blog or website and leave the link in a comment, or if you don't have a blog leave the image URL(s) in a comment, or you can e-mail your entries to me.
• When you comment please tell which period drama(s) your sayings come from. 
• Contest will be open for entries from now until 12:00 AM (EST) on Friday, November 23rd at which time I will choose my five favorite posters and will post them and a poll for everyone to vote for their favorite. Winners will be posted Sunday, November 25th. 
• Sayings may be related to any period drama but keep in mind that the more well-known or witty the saying the better chance it will have of being generally agreeable.
• Please keep your entries clean and upbeat. 
• Photos on your posters are encouraged by not necessary. 

The Keep Calm-O-Matic is a wonderful tool to use when making your posters but you can also use a paint or another photo editing program. (Note: If you can't make them yourself drop me an e-mail with your three entries ideas and I can make the posters up for you).

And one more thing...have fun! Lots of fun!

I am very much looking forward to seeing your entries! :)

Period Films First Lines Quiz - Answers!

Bonus Photo Question Answer:
In the first scene of the Kate Beckinsale Emma chicken thieves  break into the chicken coops at Hartfield and Emma gets out of bed to look out the window on all the commotion. The next scene is Mr. Woodhouse trying to convince Miss Taylor not to marry Mr. Weston as they ride in the carriage to the church.

These are the answers to the Period Films First Lines Quiz from last week.
This game generated a whopping 23 players with most sending in their guesses within the first couple days! I'm so glad ya'll enjoyed this game, thanks again to Amy and Melody for suggesting it, there will be more games like this in future.

First Lines Clues Answers:

#1

"In a time when one's town was one's world, and the actions at a dance excited greater interest than the movement of armies, there lived a young woman who knew how these worlds should be run."

Answer: Emma (1996, Gwyneth Paltrow)

~*~

#2

"I'll row, Lizzie."  

"No. No father, I can not sit so near it." 

"What hurt can it do ya?" 

"None. None. I can not bear it."

Answer: Our Mutual Friend (1998)

~*~

#3

"What a business this wedding has been, what an expense. You know, sometimes, my dear sister, I envy you your little country parsonage."

Answer: North & South (2004)

~*~

#4

"I baptize thee, Catherine, in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen."

Answer: Northanger Abbey (2007)

~*~

#5

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, this story must show. To begin my life at the very beginning, I was a posthumous child, my father left this world three months before I entered it."

Answer: David Copperfield (1999)

~*~

#6

"My name is Mary Lennox. I was born in India. It was hot...and strange...and lonely in India. I didn't like it. Nobody but my servant, my ayah, looked after me. My parents didn't want me. My mother cared only to go to parties. And my father was busy with his military duties. I was never allowed to go to the parties. I watched them from my mother's bedroom window. I was angry. But I never cried. I didn't know how to cry."

Answer: The Secret Garden (1993)

~*~

#7

"Where is sleep? Over the mountains of the moon? Down the valley of the shadow? 'Neath the waves of the deep gulf stream? Replied the handsome Duke in dark languid tones. In dark languid tones...in dark foreboding tones. He fervently stroked her alabaster brow as she fell under his cloak of darkness."

Answer: Anne of Avonlea (aka Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel)

~*~

#8

"Oh where have you been Billy boy, Billy boy, oh where have you been charming Billy? I have been to seek a wife, she's the joy of my life. She's a young thing and can not leave her mother.  (sings rest of song)"  

"Did mama sing every day? every single day?"  

"Every single day." 

 "And did papa sing too?"  

"Yes, papa sang too."  

"Don't get so close Caleb, it'll heat up." 

"What did I look like when I was born?"

Answer: Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)

~*~

#9

 (sung) "I'll tell thee a tale, now list' to me. With a hey ho, the wind and the rain. But merry or sad, which shall it be? For the rain it raineth every day."

Answer: Twelfth Night (1996)

~*~

#10

"Some people are born more fortunate than others. Such was the case with me. But as a child, I was convinced of quite the opposite. What little girl does not dream of growing up as a princess?"

Answer: The Young Victoria (2009)

~*~

#11

"It's a fair prospect."

"Pretty enough, I grant you." 

"It's nothing to Pemberley, I know, but I must settle somewhere. Have I your approval?"

Answer: Pride & Prejudice (1995)

~*~

#12

"Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?"  

"I didn't think it polite to listen, sir."  

"I'm sorry for that, for your sake. I don't play accurately - anyone can play accurately - but I play with wonderful expression."

Answer: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

~*~

#13

"Oh! Open the windows Matilda while I remove the dust sheets from the furniture."

Answer: Cranford (2008)

~*~

#14

"My parents died when I was very young. I was sent to live with my aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her children at Gatehead Hall. For nearly ten years I endured their unkindness and cruelty. They did not love me, I could not love them."

Answer: Jane Eyre (1996, Charlotte Gainsbourg)

~*~

#15

"There are always skylarks, their songs hanging over the fields of dark gold. As a child it felt like this quiet old country life had always been so and would always be so. My father used to say that nobody ever came to L--- ---- and nobody ever left. But he was wrong on both counts."

Answer: Lark Rise to Candleford, Season 1, Episode 1

~*~

Players Scores:
(Maximum score was 200 points)
Melody - 170 points
Kiri Liz - 130 points
Lauren - 130 points
Petie - 130 points
Rhoswen Faerie Wrose - 130 points
Issy - 110 points
Kayla McK - 110 points
Anne-girl - 100 points
Jessica from WI - 100 points
Laura & Elisabeth - 100 points
Sarah Grace - 100 points
wxroz - 100 points
Hannah - 90 points
Robyn Hoode - 90 points
Hannah Grace - 80 points
Livia Rachelle - 80 points
Tillie - 80 points
birdienl - 70 points
Julia - 70 points
Charity - 50 points
Ella - 30 points
Hamlette - 20 points
Emily Ruth - 20 points


Thanks so much for playing everyone! :)

Today I Am...{8}

This sort of encompasses today, this past weekend and last week.

Pinterest

{writing} 

I've been doing research for my Margaret story recently. What is that you ask? Well, Margaret is a story set in early 1800's England that I've been writing off and on for several years now. I had about half of the story written in first person but the plot had several holes so I set it aside for quite a while. After reading Jane Austen's Lesley Castle recently (my review here)  I took up the story again with new inspiration and started doing Beautiful People (answering personality and story questions) with my characters. It has helped me a lot to get to know my characters better but I'm currently running into difficulties with a couple of the male character's education and occupations so I'm reading up on Regency and early Victorian history for those.

 {reading}

My sister and I just finished reading (re-reading for me) Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke aloud to each other. It is such a good read and I now have a craving to read the rest of the series but don't own them or have a church library at my disposal right now.
On my own (yes, I did just sing those words) I've also been reading Christmas At Pemberley by Regina Jeffers which is a Pride and Prejudice continuation. It's an interesting read for the stories of Georgiana Darcy, Kitty and Mary Bennet, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Anne de Bourgh and the Bingleys but I'm not really enjoying Lizzy and Darcy's part of the story as much as I'd hoped to. They've been married two years but let's just say "their passions have not cooled" so there's some bits I've been skipping over. :-/

{listening}

I've been really into soundtracks and classical music recently, so peaceful and great for reading and writing.
For soundtracks I've been enjoying the BBC Merlin theme song and just found a piano cover that is really gorgeous. Also the BBC Sherlock theme song and other tracks like The Game Is On and Irene's Theme. I also found this YouTube channel that has lovely soundtracks such as Mirror, Mirror, all three LOTR soundtracks and a couple of fun animated ones as well.
For classical music I've been enjoying Chopin and Bach as played by the guy at Achtelnote on YouTube. I especially liked C.P.E. Bach Solfeggietto c minor and then found Drew Henderson's C.P.E. Bach - Solfeggietto on 8 string guitar. Now I've been watching classical guitar videos on YouTube too - when played right the sound is just beautiful!

 {watching} 

Watched Sarah, Plain and Tall with my sister the other night. I forgot how much I love that movie! My family and I used to watch that and Skylark all the time - so many times that the sound of the actor's voices and the soundtrack music is embedded in my memory! heehee
I've also finished re-watching seasons 5 & 6 of Doctor Who (seriously Rory always makes me cry! liked Amy Pond better this time. I desperately need to see season 7 now!), Rosemary & Thyme (British detective show about two gardeners that have a knack for finding corpses and solving crimes, very mild, great guest stars and quite good), watching season 6 of Psych with my sister (tons of fun but the last episode is such a cliffhanger! can't wait to watch season 7!), and have watched the first two seasons of BBC Merlin (not bad, the actors and costumes are amazing, don't like it as much as BBC Robin Hood though). Throw in a few cooking / food shows for fun and you pretty much have what I've been watching for the past couple months. 

 {looking} 

Rain, sunshine, rain, sunshine. That's what it's been doing today.
Inside as I type this I'm looking at two sleeping cats on my bed. They've both taken to sleeping in my room in the afternoons and early evenings. My sister and I enjoy reading to each other or watching things in the evenings (when we're not busy) and Shawn and Gunther always seem to find their way to the bed and steal our afghans on cold nights!

Source

 {learning} 

Well, I'm learning as I'm researching Regency England, so there's that. But in the past few weeks I've been learning a lot about various "Christian" religious groups and what they believe compared to what I personally believe. I've been reminded again how important it is to be like the Bereans (in Acts 17:11) who "received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." And how important it is to not just take people's say so about a portion of scripture but to read it for myself to find out what God is really saying in His Word.

{feeling} 

Special. At church yesterday I met a sweet older lady and when I went to shake her hand she told me "Oh, I'm giving everyone hugs today" so I went to hug her and she continued "and you're so pretty!" I know older ladies tend to say things like that often but it just made my morning to hear her call me "pretty". :)
I also had a disappointment yesterday and it's sort of carried over to today. Nothing life threatening but a bit hard to swallow nonetheless. :( 

 {anticipating} 

Bible study on Tuesday night. For the past few weeks I've been able to meet with a group of young people (most of whom work at AiG or the Creation Museum) and get to know some people my age (no close friends yet just a few possibilities). We have such a great time singing hymns, studying God's Word (we're in 2 Corinthians right now), praying together and chatting.
I'm also really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, there's just so much to be thankful for! :)
Also Christmas! My sister and I enjoyed browsing through the Christmas section at our local Walmart on Friday - it's so fun to see all the different decorations and wrappings!

 {wishing} 

For some energy. Supper is coming and I could use a little bit more steam to get me through the rest of the evening. 

 {loving}
This Fail-Proof Pizza Dough recipe I found on Pinterest and used for the first time last week! It's pretty much the same recipe I've been using except with honey instead of white sugar and different treatment of the dough that makes all the difference!  I made the Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks to go with our dinner last Tuesday night and it was pretty much love at first bite! Definitely a keeper recipe and I highly recommend giving it a try! It is a bit time consuming but the finished product is so worth it, I promise! :)


and I'm adding one more category this time...

{excited about}
400 wonderful followers here at OFC! Thanks bunches!

So what has been special about your day (or weekend)?

Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving?

What have you been learning from God's Word lately?

Period Films First Lines Quiz

Bonus Photo Question:
Can you remember what the first scene of the Kate Beckinsale Emma is?

My dear friends Amy and Melody both mentioned that they would like to see another quote quiz so this game is in answer to those requests. The quotes in this quiz are all the first lines from period films. It was fun  re-watching the first scenes of these films and rather surprising sometimes to figure out how some of these films begin.

To Play: Look at the first lines below and try to guess which period film or miniseries each quote comes from. I've taken out letters of some names and place names to make it a bit more of a challenge (but you don't need to guess these). Leave your guesses in a comment and I'll respond with your score. Guess as many times as you wish. Answers will be posted next Saturday.

Scoring: Ten points will be awarded for each correctly guessed period film. 50 bonus points can be earned by telling me what the first scene of the Kate Beckinsale Emma is (without watching the film to find out). A total of 200 points can be earned.

First Lines Clues:

#1

"In a time when one's town was one's world, and the actions at a dance excited greater interest than the movement of armies, there lived a young woman who knew how these worlds should be run."

#2

"I'll row, L-----."  

"No. No father, I can not sit so near it." 

"What hurt can it do ya?" 

"None. None. I can not bear it."

#3

"What a business this wedding has been, what an expense. You know, sometimes, my dear sister, I envy you your little country parsonage."

#4

"I baptize thee, C--------, in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen."

#5

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, this story must show. To begin my life at the very beginning, I was a posthumous child, my father left this world three months before I entered it."

#6

"My name is M--- L-----. I was born in India. It was hot...and strange...and lonely in India. I didn't like it. Nobody but my servant, my ayah, looked after me. My parents didn't want me. My mother cared only to go to parties. And my father was busy with his military duties. I was never allowed to go to the parties. I watched them from my mother's bedroom window. I was angry. But I never cried. I didn't know how to cry."

#7

"Where is sleep? Over the mountains of the moon? Down the valley of the shadow? 'Neath the waves of the deep gulf stream? Replied the handsome Duke in dark languid tones. In dark languid tones...in dark foreboding tones. He fervently stroked her alabaster brow as she fell under his cloak of darkness."

#8

"Oh where have you been Billy boy, Billy boy, oh where have you been charming Billy? I have been to seek a wife, she's the joy of my life. She's a young thing and can not leave her mother.  (sings rest of song)"  

"Did mama sing every day? every single day?"  

"Every single day." 

 "And did papa sing too?"  

"Yes, papa sang too."  

"Don't get so close C----, it'll heat up." 

"What did I look like when I was born?" 

#9

 (sung) "I'll tell thee a tale, now list' to me. With a hey ho, the wind and the rain. But merry or sad, which shall it be? For the rain it raineth every day."

#10

"Some people are born more fortunate than others. Such was the case with me. But as a child, I was convinced of quite the opposite. What little girl does not dream of growing up as a princess?"

#11

"It's a fair prospect."

"Pretty enough, I grant you." 

"It's nothing to P--------, I know, but I must settle somewhere. Have I your approval?"

#12

"Did you hear what I was playing, L---?"  

"I didn't think it polite to listen, sir."  

"I'm sorry for that, for your sake. I don't play accurately - anyone can play accurately - but I play with wonderful expression."

#13

"Oh! Open the windows M------ while I remove the dust sheets from the furniture."

#14

"My parents died when I was very young. I was sent to live with my aunt, Mrs. R---, and her children at G-------- Hall. For nearly ten years I endured their unkindness and cruelty. They did not love me, I could not love them."

#15

"There are always skylarks, their songs hanging over the fields of dark gold. As a child it felt like this quiet old country life had always been so and would always be so. My father used to say that nobody ever came to L--- ---- and nobody ever left. But he was wrong on both counts." 

Have fun guessing!