Packing My Bags

All the packing I've been doing lately reminded me of Jane and Elizabeth's packing scene in Pride & Prejudice '05. Things have been packed and unpacked all day, trying to fit everything I need for ten days into as few bags as possible. What a puzzle!

So I'm off tomorrow to Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training school. I will be gone for ten days and am not taking my computer with me! So you won't hear from me for a while.

What will I be learning at CYIA? Here's the two big things:

• Main purpose is to learn how to effectively witness to children (and adults) using the Wordless Book method.
• Secondary purpose is to learn how to prepare and teach Bible lessons for children (to be used in Bible clubs, VBSs, and camp).

Other delights found at CYIA:

• Christian fellowship with over 150 other young people and over 50 dedicated Christian leaders.
• Wonderful Bible preaching in chapel twice a day (in addition to other classes)
• Scripture memorization
• Singing the Lord's praises with fellow believers
• Wearing skirt/dresses each day to classes
• Participating in street evangelism on Sunday June 28th - your prayers are coveted at we go out witnessing!
• Teaching and interacting with kids in a four day Bible club June 29th-July 1st - prayers also appreciated!
• Concert on Thursday night (July 1st), the joy of hearing good Christian music
• Time for campfires and testimonies of God's faithfulness
• Fun filled afternoons (CYIA is held at a Bible camp so we can enjoy swimming, hiking, kayaking, sports, camp store and snack shack and the other camp amenities)
• Banquet and graduation service on the last day of CYIA

I will miss blogging and reading all of my friend's blogs but I will be back soon with many stories to tell!

I would ask for your prayers for me and the other young people as we study and learn that God would bless our efforts and that we would have great spiritual growth. Also as we go out witnessing and teaching in Bible clubs that many would come to a saving knowledge of Christ. I'm so excited to see what God is going to do!

Talk to you all when I get back!

Love,

Miss Laurie :)

Honoring My Father

It's Father's Day and I want to just take a moment to honor my father. Have I ever told you about my dad? He's the best! He's very smart and most often has an answer to almost any life question his children come up with. He's mechanically minded and is good at fixing things around the house.

My dad loves music! He has a wonderful memory and often times a phrase or word will get him singing lyrics to a songs I've never even heard of before! He has a pleasant baritone voice and I enjoy singing with him, especially in church. He encourages a love for music in his children, an appreciation of everything from folk to classical pieces such as Bach.

My father was my teacher during my high school years and he let me read as many of the classics as I wanted to. He read Persuasion and Sense & Sensibility with me, and enjoys discussing Jane Austen with me. He introduced me to Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's detective stories. I remember one winter he read Jane Eyre aloud to our family and enjoyed it just as much as I did.

My father is a quiet and laid back kind of guy. He is always there for his family. He is a strong shoulder to lean on. He's the protector and leader of our family. When his children have spiritual questions or questions about God's will, my father always directs us to the Bible. He helps us see the big picture and discussed what consequences of blessings might occur on the different paths we might take. He's very good with number and tries to always plan ahead.

My daddy has a great sense of humor. I love the above painting because it's similar to how I used to dance with my dad, walking on his feet as this girl is doing.

My dad has a sharp whit and can always make me laugh. He has so many great stories of when he was a boy and tells them with pizazz!

A little girl needs a strong father figure in her life. I still enjoy being my father's daughter, even though I'm not little anymore. I'm so thankful to the Lord for matching me up with my father. God knew exactly what I needed in parents and He daily gives them wisdom as they seek His face!

I pray that you are blessed today as you honor your father.

Happy Father's Day! I love you dad!

Miss Laurie :)

Birthday Flowers For Mama

Today is my sweet Mama's birthday!
These flowers represent all the beautiful things that she brings into my life. She has taught me so much and is always there when I need her. I also wanted to share some special hymns and verses.




All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

--Words: Cecil F. Alex­ander, 1848




"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
-- Psalm 118:24



’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

--Words: Louisa M. R. Stead, 1882



"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."
--Philippians 4:4



Jesus is the sweetest name I know,
And He’s just the same as His lovely Name,
And that’s the reason why I love Him so;
Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know.

--Words: Lela B. Long, before 1925



"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
--Psalm 107:1



It's a beautiful day and I'm wrapping presents and making plans. My mama is one special lady and deserves the very best!



I love you Mama and I'm looking forward to celebrating with you today! :)

What I've Been Watching - Horatio Hornblower

This is a series I've wanted to see for quite some time. I remember just about the time that Pride & Prejudice was being released on television in the USA I kept seeing previews for the Horatio Hornblower TV movies. So I was quite excited when I found the series on YouTube and was able to watch all 8 films in the series.

They were quite more or less what I expected, swashbuckling adventures on the high seas. Other things I found that I wasn't expecting: daring deeds, gentlemanly manners, very few ladies (thankfully it was pretty clean that way) and lots and lots of handsome sailors!

I was very surprised at the amount of actors who I recognized. Among the many were:

Jamie Bamber as Acting Lt. Archie Kennedy

Horatio's loyal friend and companion who is easy going and fun loving, he adds lots of humor to the series but is also very honorable and defends his friend on many occasions. Actor Jamie Bamber is good at playing best friends, he played Hugh Dancy's best friend Hans Meyrick in Daniel Deronda (and looks a lot different without mustache and goatee).

Robert Lindsey as Captain Sir Edward Pellew

A very noble friend and a leader worth of respect. This actor's face looked so familiar but I couldn't remember where I'd seen him before. Turns out he was Fagin in the BBC's 1999 adaptation of Oliver Twist.

Robert Brathurst as Lieutenant Eccleston

The newest Mr. Weston from BBC's Emma. Lt. Eccleston is a mild mannered leader who unfortunately didn't last much longer than the first two films. It was a bit funny to see the actor with longer hair and wearing a sailor's uniform!

Samuel West as Major Edrington

A brave and bold military soldier. I have enjoyed many of Mr. West's preformances in films such as Persuasion (as Mr. Elliot), Jane Eyre (as Sinjon Rivers), BBC's Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (as Prince Caspian), and I'm looking forward to seeing him as Dr. Constantine in Murder On The Orient Express. His character in this series is a bit prideful and a tad aristocratic but a good egg over all.

David Rintoul as Dr. Clive

I immediately recognized Mr. Rintoul from BBC's 1980 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice where he tried his hand at Mr. Darcy. I've never been too impressed with his acting skills but this one was fairly believable. Dr. Clive is a ship's sergeant who, although he is skilled in medicine and fixing wounded sailors, mostly looks out for himself and his own interests.

Cranford & adventures on the high seas?!?!

Philip Glenister as Gunner Hobbs

You might remember actor Philip Glenister as the gallant Mr. Carter from Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford. Gunner Hobbs is somewhat of a seedy character who isn't fond of new men like Hornblower barging in on his turf.

Greg Wise as Major Côtard

Another familiar face from the town of Cranford, Mr. Wise has portrayed many characters in period dramas including Sir Charles Maulver (Cranford), Franklin Blake (The Moonstone), and John Willoughby (Sense & Sensibility). It was a bit odd seeing and hearing Mr. Wise portray Frenchman Major Côtard but he was lovely as always and his character turns out to be a brave, wise and honorable soldier.

Julia Sawahla as Maria Mason

Completing the Cranford set is lovely actress Julia Sawahla who plays Horatio Hornblower's sweet love interest and kind Jessie Brown in Cranford. Her other period drama roles include: Lydia Bennet (Pride & Prejudice), Dorcas Lane (Lark Rise to Candleford) and Charity Pecksniff (Martin Chuzzlewit). Talented and lovely as always!

Ioan Gruffudd as Horatio Hornblower

One big attraction to this series was Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd who I've admired for years and had hoped would play Henry Tilney one day, but unfortunately he is now much too old for the part. His other period drama roles include: Pip in Great Expectations, Philip Bosinney in The Forsyte Saga, Lancelot in King Arthur, and William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace.

I was very impressed with the character of Horatio Hornblower. A gallant sailor with sharp mind and kind heart and a good head on his shoulders. Very gentlemanly toward ladies and honorable toward his fellow sailors, even captains who don't deserve the respect. Another great fictional hero.

My final recommendation: If adventures like these are you cup of tea definitely enjoy but watch with caution. It's a fairly clean series as far as sexual content, but it does contain some cursing, some brutality (there is fist fighting, beatings and whippings) and theatrical elements such as storms, cannon and gun shots, and war scenes. I enjoyed the stories, scenery, costumes and learned a lot about the navy and military at Regency times and during the Napoleonic wars.

I recently created this music video with themes and lots of photos from the Horatio Hornblower series. I thought the music from this series sounds a bit like some of the themes from Wives and Daughters. Turns out composer John E. Keane wrote the music for Wives & Daughters (music video here), the Horatio Hornblower series, Mansfield Park (2007) (music video here), and Far From the Madding Crowd (1998)(music video here). A very talented gentleman!

So that's it...one of the many period dramas I've enjoyed lately.

What have you been watching lately?

Edit to add: I totally forgot about this other actor who was probably my favorite of the sub-characters!


Paul McGann as 2nd Lt. William Bush

William Bush's character appears halfway through the series and is a bit hesitant to be bold and brave at first. As the series goes on he starts taking more risks and acting more nobly. If you like Dickens adaptations you might remember actor Paul McGann as Eugene Wrayburn from Our Mutual Friend. Other period roles include: Girard in The Three Musketeers, Dr. Peter Lord in Poirot: Sad Cypress and John Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest (1986).

Sunday Thoughts

One of my abiding interests is good quotes. Quotes from famous personages, heroes of the faith, authors and historical figures; quotes from songs and poems too. I've been collecting quotes for several years now and am working on filling my third journal full.



Many of the recent additions to my collection have come from you! I love reading other people's blogs and finding interesting quotes strewn across their pages! Thank you all so much for passing on quotes and words of wisdom that you have found!



I found these two thought provoking quotes that friends on Facebook have posted in the last few days. Enjoy!

"I shall be supplied with whatever I need; and, if I have not everything I desire, I may conclude it is either not fit for me or not good for me, or I shall have it in due time." - Matthew Henry

Yes, worship of the loving God is man's whole reason for existence.
That is why we are born and that is why we are born again from above.
That is why we were created and that is why we have been recreated.
That is why there was a genesis at the beginning, and that is why
there is a re-genesis, called regeneration. - A. W. Tozer

Praying you all have a very lovely and blessed Sunday!

Fond thoughts,
Miss Laurie :)

Catching Up

Like Miss Elinor in the above photo, I have been redecorating. I'm so excited because after a few weeks of looking for just the right background image for my blog I have found it! I love the brown and cream theme and am very pleased with the simple elegant design of this free background I found at The Cutest Blog On The Block!

Sorry for the drought of posting. I've been viewing too many period dramas lately and not blogging about them or the other old-fashioned things I've encountered lately. And I'm afraid this procrastinating is only going to get worse as the summer comes because I am headed off to work at a Christian children's camp for most of the summer! I'm very excited this opportunity to minister to children and work along side fantastic brother and sisters in Christ! But working all summer means little computer time and hardly any time at all for blogging. Oh well! :(




Oh yes, I wanted to share some pictures of the lovely locket I found at a flea market recently. It caught my eye in a display case and I was very pleased that the lady was only asking $3 for it!




I just love wearing it!


Let me know what you think of the new background. Also, what kind of old-fashioned things have you been doing/watching/reading lately?

Blessings,
Miss Laurie :)

State Fair Costumes

I've been watching a lot of classic musical lately with my mom and sister. We've enjoyed such films as Oklahoma!, Singin' In The Rain, Hello Dolly! and State Fair. I enjoy not only the clean stories, fun songs and talented dancing in these films but also the costumes are always lovely!

I know I haven't posted a lot about costumes on here but they are a major part of what give films and such the old-fashioned charm! Here are a sampling of some of the lovely dresses the main character Margy Frake wears in the 1945 movie State Fair.


House cleaning/trip packing blouse and skirt with cute apron over top. Sweet and frilly.


Date night dress. A little more laced up and looks a bit like a school uniform but very lovely cute.


I love the color and pretty floral embroidery on this pretty feminine dress. The cut is a bit odd but perfect on her slender figure.


Fair dress, this is my favorite! I love the color and design of this sweet dress!


Back view of the fair dress, so lovely!


Pickles and preserves dress. Yes those are cherries on the front of her dress! A bit excentic but so lovely!


Love the cut and colors of this dress and actress Jeanne Crain is just beautiful!

Here's a couple songs from the film that are sweet and fun. Lovely to see some of the outfits the extras are wearing too. I'm not always a fan of more modern 40's and 50's outfits but these are so modest and feminine!

It's A Grand Night For Singing!


Isn't It Kinda Fun


What are some of your favorite musicals?

Announcing...

...Miss Bea's Scrapbook!

My younger sister Miss Bea now has a blog where she is looking forward to posting her photography, art work, and pictures of her craft and baking projects.

Many of the photos featured on my blog have been taken by Miss Bea (including the poppy above). She's only fourteen and has quite an artistic eye. I look forward to seeing what beautiful things she posts!

If you like what you see feel free to follow her at Miss Bea's Scrapbook, I know she'd love it! :)