What's Up With Miss Laurie?

Dear Readers,
It is time to have a chat. I've been partly putting this chat off because I didn't know what to say and partly because I've been too busy to think of even what to say to y'all. Forgive me for my long absence and not keeping up with some things I should have kept up with better.
Below are answers to some questions I am pretty sure y'all would ask me if we saw each other in person. So let's just chat, okay?

What's Up With Miss Laurie? Are You Alright?
The short answer is yes, I am alright. The longer answer involves a recap of the last three years.
So many of you may remember me mentioning that I was a live-in caregiver for my great-grandmother (Gram) starting back in September 2013. My dear Gram passed away in January 2016, shortly after Christmas, and after that my life was in great upheaval. Moving from NY state back to live with my parents in KY meant not only grieving for the loss of Gram but also breaking the ties with family and new friends that I have formed over that time. The rest of January and February my posting increased because I was out of work and had more time to enjoy blogging. In March I began working at Noah's Cafe inside the Creation Museum. It was lovely to be working with my dear friends again and I learned a lot but still had an unsettled feeling like God had something more for me to do. So I applied for a new job and God opened the door much wider and blessed even more than I could have ever expected.

Where Is Miss Laurie Working Now? 
When I applied for the new job I was initially told "no" but given an opportunity to work for the same place in a lower ranking position (still good just less money and responsibility). I accepted the position and decided to step out in faith and see what God had in store. Not even two weeks later I was contacted again and offered the supervisory position I had initially applied for. I accepted the position and life has been a whirlwind of craziness ever since! So you're now looking at a new Supervisor of Food & Beverage at the Ark Encounter, a full sized Noah's Ark themed attraction in Williamstown, KY opening July 7th, 2016! It's lovely and crazy at the same time because I get to help open the restaurant there at the Ark Encounter. My new position means a lot of changes in my life including a possible move to be living closer to my workplace. It also means a crazy busy summer with unfortunately very little time for posting here at Old-Fashioned Charm.

Are You Closing Old-Fashioned Charm? Will You Still Post?
No, absolutely not! OFC will remain right here as long as I can keep it open. Posting at OFC has been a lovely almost 8 year adventure! When I started I certainly wouldn't have believed all the amazing people I would "meet" and all the things God would do through this blog.
I will definitely be posting in future but I can not promise when. After this busy summer I may have more time to devote to my writing but I am unsure what the future looks like right now. Games are the easiest for me to post so hopefully you'll see some of those even during the summer and maybe film reviews.

What About The 2016 Period Drama Challenge?
The Period Drama Challenge is still going on and it is lovely to see your reviews pop up! I am hoping to post a recap post soon and at the very least I'll be posting an ending post when the Challenge ends in July. I am most disappointed with myself for not reviewing the amount of period dramas that I had set as my goal (really the amount of half written reviews in my Blogger account are many and sad). Y'all are doing amazing though, I am so proud of everyone! Please keep up the good work and keep sharing your love of period dramas!

The Happy Tag

The colors in this photo make me happy!

I've seen The Happy Tag on a few different blogs including Wonderland Creek, Hamlette's Soliloquy and Times And Seasons Of A Beautiful Life. The idea alone made me happy so I had to give it a try. For my answers I'm focusing more on things that I've enjoyed and have made me happy recently.

The rules are simple, list things under the categories of Books, Words, Movies & TV, Fictional Characters, Scents, Songs and Miscellaneous that make you happy. You can tag other people specifically but most people just tag anyone who wants to have some fun posting it.

So many books, so little time!

Books: Far From The Madding Crowd // The Secret Adversary // Katherine Wentworth // Celia's House // The Bridge // Miss Buncle's Book // Northanger Abbey - always and forever!

Found this Persuasion (1995) photo on Tumblr, made my day since I'd never seen it before!

Words: Elegance // Elegant // Hope // Joyful // Loveliness // Sunshine // Spring // Delightful // Gorgeous // Exquisite // Melody // Kindness // Pendant // Daffodil // Forsythia // Ostentatious (neat to say) // Sassafras (my kitty's name!)

My sister and I are official Hearties now!

Movies & TV: Foyle's War (TV series) // Far From The Madding Crowd (2015) // Poirot (TV series) // The Importance Of Being Earnest // Rosemary & Thyme (TV series) // Midsomer Murders (TV series) // When Calls The Heart (TV series) // Death In Paradise (TV series) // The Great British Baking Show

Bathsheba's red outfit is so striking!

Fictional Characters: Gabriel Oak // Bathsheba Everdene // Tommy & Tuppence Beresford // Hercule Poirot // Henry Tilney // Elizabeth Thatcher // Jack Thornton // Margaret Lesley

This lamp! I must own one some day! 

Scents: Lilacs // Citrus & Sage candle // Teatime candle // Chocolate cupcakes // Italian food // Coffee // Homemade pizza // Fresh squeezed lime juice // Cinnamon rolls // Dragonfruit Devotion Tea from Teavana

Woman At A Window (1822), painted by Caspar David Friedrich

Songs (with links to listen!): Stepping In The Light // We Have Heard The Joyful Sound (Jesus Saves) // Once Upon A Dream // Lemonade // Wallander Opening Credits (Nostalgia) // The Ballad of Midsomer County (so tragic!) // Let No Man Steal Your Thyme // Poldark Main Theme // Medhel an Gwyns // Annie Laurie // On The Banks Of Alan Water // The Crystal Spring // Up In The Morning Early (Tune: Cold and Raw)

My sweetheart Sassy girl

Miscellaneous: Watching old Disney movies with my sister (who has never seen them!) // A local bookstores I just discovered // Thrift shops // My work // Sleep // Scarves // Crocheting // Pinterest // Audiobook sales on Audible // Playing Sequence with my family // Cinnamon rolls // Writing  // Reading writing inspiration quotes/posts on Pinterest // Snuggling with my kitty!


What things make you happy?

Repost with your happy answers! :)

Life Update

It has been a fabulously busy summer of working and visiting my family. Now I am making the transition back to caring for my great-gram for the Fall/Winter period. I will be back to posting after a bit, but for now I'm going to leave the Gentlemen Of Period Dramas Eyes Quiz up so if you haven't played you have plenty of time. 

I'll be back soon with hopefully several film reviews!

Very Truly Yours,

Miss Laurie

The Bucket List Tag

Evie at A Period Drama Fangirl tagged me in The Bucket List Tag that was originally created by Elizabethany at An Accomplished Young Lady. I thought this was fun, especially as it is my birthday today and I'm thinking of all the things I still want to do someday.

Tag Rules:

• List 10 or more items from you bucket list.
• Tag 5 other people.

I Tag:

Melody

Miss Dashwood

Hamlette

Miss Elizabeth Bennet

Kiri Liz

and anyone else who would like to do this tag!

My Bucket List 

(well, some items from it!)

That means you my blogging buddy!

Visit Jane Auste's House in Chawton. I'd actually love to visit all the Jane Austen related places in England one day! Bath and Lyme Regis would be grand!

A Little Life Update

Hello! 

This is Miss Laurie checking in for a little life update. It has been quite an age since I've let y'all in on what I'm up to and I also thought you might enjoy seeing some photos.

We had quite a long and hard winter in central New York where I've been taking care of my great-grandmother. But it has been a special time filled with learning new things and enjoying extended family who I've nearly always lived away from. It has not always been an easy job, but I have grown closer to the Lord through the hard times. 

This summer I am home in Kentucky visiting my family and back working at the museum for three months. It's a nice break and a chance to get some appointments taken care of and rejuvenate physically and spiritually before going back to care for Gram and her Kittercat in the autumn.

Ain't she sweet? 

I'm definitely missing folks up north but I am greatly enjoying visiting folks down south! 

Not sure exactly what this all means for the frequency of my blog posts since I'm now working full time and have lots of activities with friends and at church but I'm hoping to get back to posting more regularly very soon. I also have some special things to let you know about hopefully next month. 

Hope y'all are doing well!

My Fashion Week Tag Questions Answers

The Period Drama Fashion Week is still going strong over at For The Beauty Of The Earth! Here are my answers to the fun tag questions that Emma Jane posted for this event! :)

1. Tell us five random things about yourself.
- I love yogurt! I've been on a Greek Yogurt craze recently and also am loving frozen Greek yogurt from Ben & Jerry's.
- I successfully did a fishtail braid on my hair the other day and wore it all day long. I love the look but have had a hard time mastering it!
- Besides period dramas I also really love murder mystery films and TV shows, especially the British ones!
- My favorite color is red which I've recently learned was a favorite color of both of my deceased grandmothers.
- I have a new found love of crossword puzzles. My great-grandma and I enjoy doing them together.


2. What are some of your favorite dresses from period dramas? Pick three.

Emma's gorgeous floral print dress in Emma 2009

Catherine's pretty drop front muslin dress from Northanger Abbey 2007

Marianne's lovely yellow dress from Sense & Sensibility 2008

3. How would you describe your own style? 
Modest, practical, simple, comfy, feminine. I don't go in too much for modern styles but I do like to look pretty and classic. I enjoy adding old-fashioned accessories (like a scarf/shawl, necklace or broach) to my outfits whenever possible.


4. List (up to) five of your favorite period drama wardrobes.

#1. Emma Woodhouse from Emma 2009 - I love the Regency styles, the fabrics are gorgeous and the cuts of her gowns are mostly quite modest. Even the less pretty dresses are so pretty and colorful! I definitely would love it if I could wear Emma's dresses all the time! :)

#2. Anne Elliot from Persuasion 1995 - The dresses worn by Amanda Root as Anne Elliot are simple but elegant just like the character herself. They are is pretty pastel tones that reflect Anne's sweet, gentle nature and really make her beauty shine. My favorite is Anne's pale blue drop-front dress, so lovely!

#3. Molly Gibson from Wives & Daughters 1999 - From her charming "tartan" evening gown to her iconic blue "jumper" dress the costumes worn by Justin Waddell as Molly Gibson are gorgeous! It was hard to choose just four dresses for the collage above because all of her gowns are so detailed and pretty! 

#4. Margaret Hale from North & South 2004 - I love the color palate they used for the dresses as worn by Daniela Denby-Ashe as Margaret - the darker shakes of greens and maroons being well balanced with the pale blues and whites. The cut of her clothes is always very elegant and (with the exception of the gown she wears to the Thornton's dinner) very modest. I also like the mixture of dresses with skirt and blouse sets. 

#5. Esther Summerson from Bleak House 2005 - The colors and styles worn by Anna Maxwell Martin as Esther Summerson so perfectly suit her character's modesty and meekness while combining her natural elegance. My favorite is her green dress with the buttons down the front (far left) that she more towards the start of the miniseries and I loved the hairstyles she wore in the beginning of the film too. 

5. What are some of your favorite fashion eras? 
Regency is my absolute favorite because of it's neatness and streamlined styles. There's a passion for details and matching accessories that I really enjoy seeing too.
Victorian is probably my next favorite. There were some weirdly eccentric styles but for the most part it was a very beautiful era as far as clothing.
Edwardian is another favorite, especially the styles worn in Anne Of Green Gables.

6. What are five things that make you happy?
- Crocheting or knitting
- Nutella hazelnut spread
- Receiving packages, letters and cards in the mail
- Watching my favorite period dramas
- Singing songs about my Lord Jesus Christ

7. Do you like to wear hats? 
I like the idea of hats but I often wear my long hair up and it's tricky to find hats that fit nicely or don't overheat my head. I do have a couple hats I enjoy wearing in the winter weather.

8. Do you have a favorite fictional character who has the same name as you? 
Well, sort of. Theodore Laurence "Laurie" of Little Women. I was named after my grandfather Laurence "Laurie" and his mother was fond of Little Women. But I wouldn't say Laurie was one of my favorite literary character even though he is fun in the book. And there aren't any female characters name Laurie that I know of...there's Laurey from the musical Oklahoma! and Laura Ingalls Wilder is pretty close to my name.


9. What is one of the ugliest dresses you've ever seen in a period drama?

The green checked dress (top left above) worn by the Anne Elliot in Persuasion (1971) is hideous as are several of her outfits in the miniseries. 

10. What is the most-worn color in your wardrobe? 
Probably blue in it's various shades but particularly in navy blue (yes, Horation Hornblower Navy blue, haha). Also dark pinks and maroons are frequently found among my tops.

11. What are your sentiments on the subject of tea? 
It's my favorite hot beverage! During the winter and whenever I want to relax there's nothing like a cozy cup of herbal tea! My favorite are fruit teas but mint, green tea and rooibos are also favorites. Black tea might be my least favorite but mostly I just like to avoid drinking caffeine as much as possible.

12. Do historical inaccuracies bother you? 
Oh, very much so! When I'm watching a period drama historical inaccuracies are something I look for. Particularly manners and customs not being observed in period dramas or books annoys me.  I was also reading a novel set in the Regency era and small things like calling a young boy Mr. James instead of Master James, or calling the housekeeper by her first name instead of Mrs. ___ made me have to stop and explain the problems aloud to the absent author. ;)

13. What are some of your favorite eras of men's fashions? 
Regency - There's something quite handsome about the Regency gentlemen - the cravats, the waist coats, the boots, the hats, the jackets and especially the GREATCOATS! And then there's the sailors and army officers in their uniforms! *swoon*
Edwardian - I really like the early 1900's fashions for gentlemen such as Gilbert Blythe in Anne Of Green Gables and Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey.

1920's-1930's - I love the sharp look of the pressed trousers that are slightly turned at the cuffs, with the shined leather shoes neatly sticking out. The sweater vest, tie and jacket is a nice addition. Jeeves & Wooster (TV series), Miss Marple films and Poirot films feature the best in these type of styles!
Victorian - I'm also very fond of some Victorian styles for gentlemen but a lot of the styles went over the top. I enjoy most of the fashions worn in the Elizabeth Gaskell adaptations: Cranford, Return To Cranford, Wives & Daughters and North & South (Mr. Thornton's look is so great!).

14. Have you ever read any books on historical fashion? 
A bit. I actually own The Encyclopedia of World Costume by Doreen Yarwood. It's a thick hardcover with everything you'd want to know about articles of clothing throughout history and it does include drawings! I've also read some articles and chapters in books about Regency and Victorian fashions. Growing up I loved my color books by Tom Tierney and loved reading the historical blurbs that went with each fashion.

15. If you could pick just three fictional characters to have over for tea, who would you invite?
Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility, Margaret Hale from North & South and Amy Dorrit from Little Dorrit. Not sure why, I'd just go with them at the moment. Perhaps because they all three have a good deal of sense.

A Special Valentine's Card For You!

Well hello there my dearest blogging friends! 

It has been a while since I've sent you a personal message and I am very sorry for that. My days lately have been filled with caring for Gram, keeping a squeaky clean house, testing out new recipes, teaching myself to knit and learning many lessons that the Lord has for me along the way! 

Well, it's Valentine's Day again (in case you hadn't heard) and I've been racking my brain on what I could send y'all to brighten your day.

I could send you a vintage Valentine's card from a long ago era! 

But since I didn't remember to send them out soon enough, they wouldn't get to you in time.

I could send you an exquisite bouquet of roses!

But "full many a flower is born to bloom and waste it's fragrance on the desert air..." (a.k.a. they don't last very long). Roses are gorgeous but also expensive. :( 

I could make you some delectable and adorable Valentine's cookies!

But then I'd probably ruin your New Year's resolutions, the same goes for chocolates.

I could sing you a song of enduring love and sweet romance!

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...!" (sorry, Gram and I enjoy watching Gilligan's Island.)

"‘Twas a still calm night and the moon’s pale light shone over hill and dale

Her cheeks that once glowed in the rose tint of health 

by the hand of disease had turned pale

Oh Lily, sweet Lily

Dear Lily Lyle

And the wild rose blossoms on her little green grave

‘Neath the trees in the flowery vale"

Oh, sorry, that's The Tragical Ballad of Lily Lyle. Hardly the kind of romantic song you were probably expecting.

Sorry, I can't think of anything sweet and romantic! And you really don't want to hear me sing a solo anyway... 

I know! I'll give you Mr. Darcy with flowers!

Oops! That's not the right one! Hardly the real Mr. Darcy!

Okay, okay, I've had my fun and showed off some of the gorgeous photos I've found recently. So now it's time to get down to the stack of Valentine's cards that have come in expressly for you (as designed my yours truly)! 

But first a Valentine's Day card made by Mr. Collins!

(What!?!?!?!?)

Now here are some words from some real gentlemen!

A very Happy Valentine's Day to you my dear friends! I hope this post makes you smile and feel as extra special as you certainly are!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

P.S. Some of the Austen Hero Valentine's above have quotes that come from the movies and not the books, and some mix movies quotes too. Feel free to share these Valentine's with friends but make sure to keep my blog address on them. Thanks!