So last week I shared with you a growing new interest called Bible Art Journaling. This week I thought it would be cool to share with how you can use art journaling not only for yourself, but to help the kiddos pay attention and grasp what the Lord is saying through His precious Word too!
This particular project we did while reading through Jonah(I know shocking right?) I always have little projects, or just simple coloring pages ready, when I do the morning devotions with the youngsters. They art while I read.
This project was especially fun as I didn’t critique they’re color choices or placement of their shadow box characters. I simply showed them mine and then read the Bible, while they, completely unchecked, decided how they wanted their masterpieces to look.
This was the 3 yr. olds composition to give you an idea- crazy good right?
The below projects we used to keep interest in a rather boring part(to the kids anyway) the Genealogy of Christ. So we made family trees. We also used it as a review on the stories and characters we had already learned about(we’ve been reading through the Bible for about a year now). So don’t be daunted by “hard” and/or “boring” passages of Scripture.
In the end all that’s really important is that you’re spending time with your kids, rearing and training them in the way they should go. And the most important thing is that they are hearing God’s Word and seeing the importance you’re putting on it by making it a priority.
We’ll look at this I have another new hobby! When will I have the time?
So a friend from my church Bible Art Journaling(and frankly her Bible is gorgeous!!!) And she introduced me to it and roped me into an art event my church is hosting next month. Yikes! I will be giving a 15 minute presentation on how to do Art Journaling with your kiddos as part of your devotions to a projected 100 people… Only slightly nervous.
Hebrews 6
So what is Art Journaling?? Glad you asked! It is exactly what it sounds like. Taking something you learned in your Bible Study and transforming into Art!
Genesis 22
Obviously I love water colors so that’s primarily what I use, but you can use any medium you’d like! The church event is going to cover how to inductively study the Bible and then give you examples on how to express that throw art. To the glory of God and the encouragement and beautification of those around you.
I Thessalonians 1
It’s only slightly addicting as you can tell. And it amazing how once you start looking at what you’re learning as a device to meditate and shape the Scripture into “masterpieces”. (I use the term loosely for my work) And yes kiddos can do it to! (I will be doing a separate post about that)
What do you think? Have you ever tried Bible Art Journaling?
Hello, hello, hello! Who’s ready for a very magical round of cooking? (A very magically delicious week if you ask me) let’s jump to it!
Broccoli Salad 10 out of 10
Broccoli, turkey bacon, raisins, feta cheese and sunflower seeds covered in nonfat Greek yogurt, olive oil and rosemary. Yummy!! Yummy!! Yummy!!
Godric’s Bacon Cheddar Ale Bread 10 out of 10
So soft and sweet and buttery, loaded with bacon and cheese- So basically the perfect loaf of bread!
Yuleball Goulash 9 out of 10
Our first recipe of the week this one is amazing! Such a hearty, comfort food. Thicker and spicer than a soup this beef and noodle concoction will definitely be made again in the future.
Treacle Tart 7 out of 10
This was good but we both agreed not- wow material. Pie crust was heavenly(obviously- do you like my attempt at pie art? Uneven lace work is my specialty) but the thin tart filling was just okay.
Shepherds Pie 7 out of 10
Honestly I don’t know what I was expecting from Shepherds Pie but this version tasted a lot like sloppy Joes with mashed potatoes on top. So delicious just not what I had envisioned. Plus it makes a crap ton! We might be eating Shepherds Pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Hot Cross Buns 10 out of 10
These are so soft and delicious! Especially considering I almost ruined them by almost forgetting the egg- Yeeks! But thankfully these amazing little buns(which are perfect for breakfast by the way) turned out perfectly.
Pumpkin Porridge 6 out of 10
Thicker than oatmeal, but basically oatmeal. This vegan, pumpkin porridge covered in fruity goodness makes a very filling breakfast.
Bangers and Mash 8 out of 10
We ended our week like any good British cook and threw all our leftover bits and bobs into one yummy meal. I mean is sausage, gravy and mashed taters… Can’t really go wrong here.
(Also not pictured here, because I forgot to take a picture is Pumpkin Juice. Which Tay makes every year around Halloween time. So an obvious 10! I am so happy to get a pre-taste of fall.)
And that’s it guys. A day late and yet so worth it. Super excited about the coming week of cooking! Our new word is Caribbean. Just perfect for the summer heat.
So I had an interesting conversation a couple of weeks ago from a mother, who was considering homeschooling and what that would look like for her family. When she found out I was homeschooled and am now helping to homeschool two first graders, she had many, many questions. I thought it would be fun to do a quick interview with myself based off what we talked about and share it here.
Van Gogh Art projects from last week’s art class.
What has your experience with homeschooling been?
So I and my siblings were homeschooled from kindergarten all the way through high school. Some families choose to let their kids to go to public or private high school, and while we were all given that option none of us chose that route. Which I think speaks volumes about our experiences.
So you enjoyed being homeschooled? What do you think you gained by being homeschooled?
For myself I loved being homeschooled! Yes it was super nice to not have to go to school(and therefore get dressed) And it was nice to have your school day go from 9am-1pm. What kid wouldn’t like that? Plus we followed a traditional school year from Labor Day to Memorial Day with a nice long summer break.
However if I was to pick one thing as my chief advantage, or take away from being homeschooled it would have to be: the ability to learn. If I don’t know something both in an academic and practical sense, I know I can learn it. Because I’ve done it before.
Homeschooling requires discipline on the student’s part to sit and get your work done. Especially as we got older our school work became a list of required reading, tests and worksheets, papers written and essays turned in. Our Mom(and Dad) didn’t sit there beside us and make sure we did it. On Mondays we got our assignments for the week and then on Fridays we had to turn it in. This taught us time management and organization in addition to the discipline to learn. I now have the ability to be like, “Yeah I don’t know anything about this subject but I know the steps to learn it.” This is undoubtedly the greatest strength homeschooling taught me.
So what was the biggestdisadvantage?
With homeschooling your topics can play(and normally do play) to your parents strengths. So for instance I can’t play musical instruments or read music, but I’ve written six novels and I wrote three of those in high school. (One for school and two just cause) My history and language skills are very cemented. Can you guess which were my parents’ strengths? Yep history and language. Neither of my parents are musically talented and so we had a disadvantage there. These of course can be supplemented outside the home.
What’s one stereotype of homeschoolers that you’ve run into the most?
Do you feel like you’re socially inept? I have been asked this sooo many times.(which frankly I find the question quite rude) And the answer is no… Do you think I’m socially inept? Being a homeschooled kid doesn’t mean I was locked in the basement until I turned eighteen. We went to church, AWANA, I was a Girl Scout, my sister played softball, etc. So no I am not socially inept.
Anyway I hope this was informative! If you have any additional questions please feel free to ask me.
Book recommendation time! So this is my Mom’s go to graduation gift. She’s given it to everyone we have ever known, who has graduated high school and/or college. It was a book that had helped her in a difficult time in her life and has always stuck with her. And boy can I see why. Sometimes the truths drawn from God’s Word and presented in this book were convicting and uncomfortable to read, but they were always exactly wanted I needed to hear. (Funny how God does that- Cool how He does that)
This book was especially timely for the year 2020 in general. Drawing my attention away from this world and it’s many problems to the Lord and His perfect solution. Namely His Son and my Savior Jesus Christ.
So if you are looking for a good book to add to your daily devotional and add to your Scripture reading look no further than My Utmost for His Highest. It’s an oldie but a goodie.
Another possible title for this post could have been “Shout-out Book of the Month: Imagine a Forest”. If y’all follow me on Instagram(which you should be doing by the way) then you saw my post about dabbling into the realm of Folk Art painting. I know, I know I don’t need another hobby. What with writing, knitting, sewing and watercolors, who needs one more art stimulus? Well apparently I do. I keep telling myself that folk art will not just be an excuse I use to buy paints. (Though I did have a ridiculously fun time at Hobby Lobby yesterday arranging my color pallet- look below)
Before we get into discussing the actual book by Dinara Mirtalipova(you should follow her on the gram as well) I thought I would give you my brief reasons, or reason, for choosing folk art as my next creative outlet.
So it basically boils down to the fact that my Mom(my chief inspiration for all things art and creativity) was first hooked on art by taking a folk art class back in her twenties. When I was growing up my Mom had this black, wooden box in which she kept all of her paint supplies(brushes, paints, etc.) On the box were these beautiful, colorful and delicate birds and flowers. This was the box my Mom painted while taking her folk art class. And she has kept it(still has it) through moves and even downsizing into an RV. So she suggested that I look into this style of art. (She’s an enabler what can I say)
A day of research later and I purchased Imagine a Forest on Amazon and eagerly awaited it’s arrival!
This isn’t the first art book I have purchased(and won’t be the last… seeing as how I bought one yesterday) And one thing I am learning about art books is that not all books are created equal. There’s one particular watercolor art book that springs to mind when I write this. The book is great don’t get me wrong- As in there is nothing wrong with it. But it doesn’t inspire my to paint or stretch my wings. It’s just kinda… blah. The author/artist’s tastes run opposite to mine. She is very modern in her style and color pallet, while I am learning I like art inspired by nature and history(shocker) From the colors and tones to the subject matter. Birds, beasts and especially flowers get my creativity juices following.
Naturally(I mean I think you can tell from the title) Dinara is heavily influenced by nature and the fairytale aspect of it. She is just a super captivating artist and her instructions are laid back and allow you a lot of room to improvise. Once I start a project from her book I can’t put the brush down! (Below are a few of my beginner creations- I can’t stress beginner enough)
If you’re wondering what I am painting all my little doodles on(you should follow my Instagram) it’s a wooden box I purchased on Amazon to keep my water paints and brushes in. Like Mother like daughter, what can I say?
A little random right now but I actually have a plan to tell a whole story through the sketches on the box. So they may seem random but by the end they will all be tied together. I think that might be one of the things I love most about folk art, the ability to tell stories and emotions.(Yes I know you can do that with all art, but for some reason folk art is just a more natural way for me to tell stories… I don’t know)
Anyway I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you are inspired to try out folk art yourself. Or maybe if you are already a folk art artist!! Also for you artists if you have any great art related resources(in any medium) please leave below!!
I’m so behind with posts- My apologizes but here is a quick run down of what I have been loving this month.
Tv Shows/Series
The Mentalist- Sometimes I do think it’s sad how many TV shows I haven’t seen and other times I don’t. (lol) I very rarely watch a show when it’s coming out because I am too impatient and want the entire story arc right away. I’m a binger. This show has been on my watch list for a long time and I am loving it.
Reign– So I’m gonna be honest with this one… I watched two episodes and then could stomach it no longer. While I loved seeing Megan Follows and loved her sarcasm I couldn’t get over the CW cheesiness of it all. Yes I know that’s the appeal of CW shows, but I love historically accurate(both in clothing, costume, speech and events) TV shows. This one is a no from me.
Movies
The Matrix– Just the first one so far. I have seen the first one before and parts of the second one and I think the ending of the third one. So yeah it’s like watching it for the first tine.
SCOOB!- Growing up watching Hanna-Barbera cartoons this movie hit my sister and I all in the feels. Just a cute, heart warming movie about a Shaggy and his Scoob.
Music
Summer Feels by Lennon Stella- Probably my go to song for this summer. (Note this song and the next are both from the soundtrack of Scoob)
I Fly by Galantis(featuring Faouzia)- I’m so proud of this girl! She has one of my fav voices of all time and I am so glad she has been expanding her music. This is her first song on a feature film and it is so upbeat! Another great summer song.
Blinding Lights by The Weekend- Just a fun song to dance and sing to(sorry neighbors) Reminds me of the 80’s or 90’s. I don’t know why.
Books
The White Horse King by Benjamin Merkle– Just one book this month, but that’s because I am waiting on a fresh shipment from Amazon. That being said this book is awesome!! If you are even remotely interested in learning about Alfred the Great(shout out to you Last Kingdom fans) then start with this book. Even if you’re not interested read this book! It is so good. Alfred has officially become one of my favorite heroes of history; right up there with King Nebuchadnezzar and Queen Elizabeth. Yes I know these people were not perfect- Not even remotely so- but such fascinating character studies. Seriously Alfred deserves some attention people. He was a really cool guy. Anyway I’ll shut up now.
Hello guys! Here’s what I have been wasting my time on(lol) this month. Enjoy!
TV Show/Series
48 Hours- My sister and I have been watching an episode a night and have almost got through one whole season. On to the next season!
The Last Kingdom- I think it was last month when I talked about how obsessed I had become with English history and this show has definitely fueled my obsession! The first two seasons were spectacular. But the third season has almost been too gory for me. I’m going to push through as Netflix released another season just this month. (Though it’s supposed to be the goriest season yet so we shall see)
TheHollow Crown- We just started this series and it is so beautiful. The scenery the costumes the acting… The actors. I feel like they do William’s plays justice.
Movies
This Beautiful Fantastic– Which is currently on Prime and just barely made the list. My sister and I watched it last night. It is just a sweet, feel good film with many actually meaningful moments. Jessica Brown, Tom Wilkinson and Andrew Scott make the film with their little family unit. And I think it should be a definite watch for acozy late night watch.
Star Trek Reboot- You know the ones by J.J. Abrams. Anyway I hankering to watch them and so I did. I mean I had the time. It was weird seeing a yet unknown Chris Hemsworth as Chris Pine’s dad.
Independence Day- An oldie but a goodie. I remember watching this movie as a kid and thinking it was so cool.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels– This movie is so funny! We watched it the other night and about died from laughter. Steve Martins facial expressions and physical humor were hysterical. Though I think the twist ending made the film for me. So if ya need a good laugh this one is a gem.
The Book of Eli- Now this is not a feel good film. But kinda flowing our end of world movies we rewatched this film and it is still very good. Not necessarily a movie you’d watch several times in a row but definitely a very good movie.
Music
Easy Lover and One More Night by Phil Collins– Or anything by Phil Collins really. This month he has been my go to late evening, dinner cooking partner.
Complicated by Avril Lavigne– I feel like this song was everywhere when I was a kid(in a lot of movies anyway) I heard it on the radio the other day and have been jamming to it ever since.
Wake Me When it’s Over by Faouzia– Faouzia was first mentioned here on my site and has been a favorite of mine since then. She has been very activity these quarantine days and released two songs this month. But this first one is my fav of the two. (I like the other song Secrets too)
Greatest Hymns by Selah- If Phil has been my nighttime tune than old hymns have been my morning go-to. While breakfast for the kids or making coffee for myself I have been listening to all the old church songs. Definitely starts one day off right.
Books
A Short History of England by Simon Jenkins– I cannot recommend those book enough! Ah man it is so good!! It is exactly what it claims to be a mad gallop through English history. So if you’ve wanted to know what order the kings and queens of England fall into than this book is for you.
Empires of the World: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler– So I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this book(it is academically above my head and very technical) But from what I can understand it is a fascinating idea. Telling the history of great empires through their languages. And why some languages survived and spread and others died out. I’m gonna keep toughing it and see if I can’t finish it.
The Great Mortality by John Kelly- So I just started this book this week(along with two other English history books I will mention on next month’s post) but this book is amazing! With the pandemic it got me curious about the most infamous Black Plague. If you’re interested in learning more about that sordid time in history than I can already recommend this book.
So what have been up to this week?? I’d love to here down in the comments below.
With the wonderful adaptions of Little Women and Emma that have come out recently, my mind has once again turned towards my favorite Jane Austin novel Mansfield Park. I believe(and I think few would disagree with me when I say) that it is the only(or at least one of the few) Austin novels that has never gotten a fair shake as far as Hollywood goes.
The reasons for this are many, but they basically boil down to the issue the novel had when it was first printed; Fanny Price is not Elizabeth Bennet. In fact she’s the exact opposite. Where Elizabeth is out spoken and strong willed, Fanny is quiet and seems to bend to everyone else’s will with little or no fight. I’m sure her character is a puzzle to many. But where most people see her being a door mat to introverted, people-pleasures like myself I see someone we can relate to. Did I mention she’s also very perceptive? She saw the faults in the Crawfords, where everyone else only saw their beauty and charm. Fanny takes the belittling of her extended family and never stands up for herself against personal affronts, but she won’t compromise when it comes to principle. (Case in point marrying Mr. Henry Crawford) Despite her ill treatment she still seeks the good in everyone, even her rival for Edmund, Miss. Crawford and her aunt Mrs. Norris. She refuses to participate in the play even with intense peer pressure(for those of you who have read Mansfield Park you know of which play I speak) She faithful takes care of all those around her with no regard for repayment.
Another reason Mansfield Park has trouble is because Edmund Bertram is not Mr. Darcy. Poor Edmund held up to such high standards. Edmund is presented as this upstanding, uncompromising figure of virtue that is until Miss. Crawford arrives. Then he seems to lose all reason and falls head over heels for a lesser woman. But he’s a young man(and last time I checked men can be stupid) And remember we are largely seeing him through Fanny’s eyes and she’s desperately in love with her cousin, so his faults aren’t as apparent at first. Besides in the end Edmund finally sees the light and stands up when it counts. I think people have a hard time with the male lead not being perfect, but this makes him human yes?
Another thing is people try to make Miss. Mary Crawford a villain, which she’s not. She’s just beautiful, self obsessed, worldly minded and of small character with no figure of virtue to model her life after. She even admits this to Fanny and how she wishes she was more like Fanny. She’s not wicked or intentionally after the shattering of Fanny’s heart. I honestly think she loves Edmund as much as she can share her heart with someone other than herself and her brother. So she’s not a villain.
Basically Fanny is ignored by her whole circle until by the end of the book they find her the most faithful, loving and sweetest of them all. She’s intelligent and thoughtful, resourceful and unselfish. In the same way Fanny is ignored and overlooked by her family and friends, she has been overlooked by Hollywood. They can’t seem to leave her fully rounded character alone. They have to make her spunky or sarcastic. They have to add a sex appeal or… something! She can’t be quiet and faithfully diligent in good, cause no body gets what they want by waiting for it. She has to be assertive! But in doing this they ruin her. They ruin the people around her and they ruin the whole story.
Anyway I have always thought, since first reading and falling in love with this story when I was fourteen, that this book had the tremendous potential to be a great film! Thus below is my dream cast and crew of…
Mansfield Park
Let’s kick it off with the chief protagonist, Fanny Price played Ella Fanning. Casting the lead was hard for me but when I finally thought of Ella I was like, “YES!” I think she could definitely pull off the sweetness of Fanny and her face is so expressive she could convey a lot with saying little. Audiences would instantly be drawn toward her and be unable not to care for her out come. Or at least not be able to ignore her.
Fanny Price played by Ella Fanning
Next up is our male lead Edmund Bertram played by William Moseley. When casting Edmund I needed someone the audience could/would like easily. And after watching Carrie Pilby a while back I thought William would be a perfect fit. He could give Edmund a sense of maturity and yet keep that playfulness of youth most actors have failed to bring to the role. (In my personal opinion)
Edmund played by William Moseley
Mary Crawford was a little harder to cast. As I mentioned above a lot of people try to make her the villain of the story, so I needed someone you couldn’t all together dislike. Someone charming and of course beautiful. When I hit upon Caitriona Balfe I knew instantly she’d be perfect. She would add sophistication to the role, while keeping Miss. Crawford not all together bad and not all together good.
Miss. Crawford played by Caitriona Balfe
So this is a shout out to one of my fav actors(Merlin fan here! #notashamed) Colin Morgan. Again I wanted you to not totally hate Henry Crawford at the first and almost pity him at the last. I needed someone(like Mary Crawford) who could be charming and attractive, but with actual character so you could see what Fanny saw; that glimmer of potential. Even if that potential is sadly never realized.
Mr. Crawford played by Colin Morgan
Sir Thomas Bertram had to be intimidating and frankly I could think of no one else than Charles Dance. I thought since he is so serious and… Well scary. That his overbearing personality would throw some humor into the pompous character of Sir Thomas.
Sir Thomas played by Charles Dance
Lady Bertram had to be lovably idiotic and Imelda Staunton has pulled off that kind of character off before. I draw your attention to Sense and Sensibility– love her in that movie! I think she could pull off the hypochondriac Lady Bertram with her little pug dog and needlework very well.
Lady Bertram played by Imelda Stauton
After casting William Moseley as Edmund I had a hard time finding someone to play Thomas Bertram. Someone who wouldn’t all together get lost in the thus assembled cast. In the book Tom is a gambler and a drinker and has a very redemptive story arc. He’s actually one of my favorite characters in the book. I finally settled on Eddie Redmayne. Knowing he had the kind of range it would take to pull of Tom’s evolving character.
Tom Bertram played by Eddie Redmayne
I think I had the most fun casting the Miss. Bertram’s. I knew I needed two young ladies, who could play the ugly-step-sister role without being ugly nor unsophisticated. They needed to be handsome, well breed but as mean and cunning as sneaks. AnnaSophia Robb as Maria Bertram is absolutely the best! I think she’d have fun playing the vain and pretentious Maira.
Maria Bertram played by AnnaSophia Robb
Casting Maria’s fiancé(and future husband) Rushworth was very important to get right in my opinion. As a rich, imbecilic bore Rushworth is a side character, who I felt could add some of that outlandish humor. Harry Melling almost instantly came to mind and I love him as Rushworth.
Rushworth played by Harry Melling
Julia Bertram as played by Bel Powley. She could hold her own against AnnaSophia and add some of the air-headed silliness to any conversation. Can’t you just picture the afore mentioned cast traipsing about Rushworth’s estate? I certainly can.
Julia Bertram played by Bel Powley
Ah Mrs. Norris who could ever play your cruel, gossiping, miser of a character? (The true villain of the story by the way) Glen Close… I mean I think it’s perfect. As the sister to Lady Bertram and Fanny’s mother, Mrs. Price, I think Glen would be absolutely phenomenal!
Mrs. Norris played by Glen Close
William Price was my final character to cast. I needed someone heroic that could be everyone’s older brother, so I choose Dean-Charles Chapman. He could pull of that lovable rogue, who pops in everyone once and awhile to keep poor Fanny sane.
That brings us to Mrs. Price the youngest sister to Lady Bertram and Mrs. Norris. I needed a strong willed woman. Having just finished Sherlock I thought Amanda Abbington would be just that woman. Marrying a penniless soldier just to spite her family, Mrs. Price is the poor mother of many children. Her character is super interesting to me and would be fun to flesh out.
Mrs. Price played by Amanda Abbington
Mr. Price needs to be somewhat laughable and yet not all together repulsing. I think Mark Heap would be perfect. He could add the whimsical goofiness to the role and yet also be somewhat depressing as being a penniless man, who will never amount to anything.
Mr. Price played by Mark Heap
Finally if I could choose anyone to direct this film, who I would trust to do an amazing job and to do justice by Jane Austin’s story and characters, it would be Greta Gerwig. She wouldn’t see Fanny as some weak heroine, who’s character needed to be added to. She would see her quite strength and faithfulness and would finally give Fanny and Mansfield Park the justice in film it deserves.
Directed by Greta Gerwig
Yeah so this is how I’ve been spending my isolated hours. I hope you enjoyed this post. Do you agree with my casting? Who would you have casted differently? Would you see this movie? I’d love to discuss!
Hello everyone! Hope you are happy and healthy. This month’s media favs is gonna be a bit extensive, which is to be expected when one is stuck inside. I hope you enjoy!
TV Shows/Series
A Letter for the King- Let me first state that I have never read the book this show was based of off. So I have no preconceived notions or attachment to the original story. Maybe that is why I liked it so much. The biggest complaint I could find against this Netflix original was that it was a huge departure from the afore mentioned book. I would give this show a 7 out of 10. There were a few times that the horse chases(there are a handful especially in the first episodes) that got a little monotonous. But the characters were interesting and well rounded enough to keep me interested. Plus Netflix put some money into the production and there are a few surprise cast members I wasn’t expecting to see.
Sherlock- Don’t hate me but until this month I have never watched Sherlock. I know, have I been living under a rock? I greatly enjoyed the show- It’s obviously beautifully edited and shot… Plus Benedict and Martin are amazing. However the last season… It was great… But different… And I’m not sure I totally liked it. Does that make me evil? Does that even make sense? I’m still not totally sure how it rubbed me. I mean, cause the stories were so well thought out and you can tell they weren’t half baked… But yeah I can’t say I loved them.
Movies
Mary Queen of Scots- This movie was brilliant! If you remember last month I was on a Queen Elizabeth kick and so it was only natural to let that follow of history connect to Mary Queen of Scots. I think the story capsulized both Mary and Elizabeth perfectly. Saoirse Ronan was brilliant(as she normally is) but Margot Robbie I felt really stole the show. However that might just be because I am a Queen Bess fan. Anyway if you haven’t seen it; it’s a great film.
Emma- So my sister and I saw this in an empty theater when it first came out, ya know before the world ended, and it is superb. I went into it with low expectations however it is now my official favorite Emma adaption. All the cast was pitch perfect but Anya-Taylor Joy just steals all the attention with her unique and beautiful looks. Johnny Flynn who I hadn’t heard of before this is so charming and exactly what Mr. Knightly should be. I’m kinda obsessed with him right now, as you will see him appear later on in this list. This will be a definite purchase of mine when it comes out. However I still think $20 to rent a movie for 24-hours is a bit pricey. So I will leave that up to you, however it is a great movie.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy(extended edition)— Stuck inside? Nothing is better then watching the 5 hour long editions of these masterpiece films. If you have never seen the extended editions than you’ve never seen these movies at all. Sorry not sorry. I am not going to go into depth here cause ya’ll know these movies are great. Next we are going to start on the not as great, but still pretty awesome Hobbit Trilogy.
Music
Wonderful World by Butterscotch- So this month’s music has definitely gone to the ladies. Probably my favorite find this month came from watching a Wired YouTube video(here) about beatboxer, super awesome woman Butterscotch. I’m not gonna spoil it but watch the video and then get this song. Now if she would only keep mixing up old blues and jazz songs.
Better Days by OneRepublic- I am slowly becoming a OneRepublic fan. And one of their newer songs is so relevant to what’s going on now. So here’s to better days!
The Game of Cards by Maddy Prior&June Tabor- Remember the movie Emma from up above? Well the soundtrack for that movie is so folky and adorable. This song is been on repeat this month.
Fever by Peggy Lee- Told you this month went to the ladies. Peggy Lee is a fav of mine and I love her take on Fever.
He’s a Tramp by Peggy Lee- But this song from Lady and the Tramp is my jam!
Head up High by We McDonald- An old school sound that just makes you walk a little taller. It’s been my workout track this month for sure.
Queen Bee by Johnny Flynn- Here’s Johnny! (sorry for the movie reference. I’ve never actually seen the Shining) He’s charming, good looking and can sing. He definitely deserves a few looks.
Strong Tower by Kutless- If I could pick one song to sum up this whole month… This would be it. It puts everything that is going on into perspective. God is still King.
Books
Bridge Over River Andau by James A. Michener- This book was recommended to me by my boss, who lived several years in Budapest. It’s a great book and gives you a peek into the Cold War, Hungarian culture and communism. It’s also gotten me hooked on world history books. Which isn’t too much a departure for me, but this has gotten a bit crazy… Even for me. You’ll see next month on media favs what I mean.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring King by J.R.R. Tolkien narrated by Rob Inglis- Stuck inside? Never read the Lord of the Rings? Now is the time. I read the books and the Hobbit when I was in junior high, I think and I got a hankering to reread them. However I can’t very well have five books going at the same time so I turned to audible, which is totally acceptable and counts as reading a book. And this unabridged reading of the Fellowship is… beautiful.
Far From the Maddening Crowd by Thomas Hardy- I have got like 15, 17 chapters left to go and I am still enjoying, it’s just… World history and Lord of the Rings.
Board Games
Funko POP Strategy Game- Yes my sister and I have been playing with kids toys but this game is actually lots of fun and can get somewhat complicated. It’s not a half baked game concept. So it’s worth a try.
So what are some of the things you guys have been enjoying? What’s been your distraction these weeks? I might need to check it out. Until next time…
anannysnotebook.wordpress.com 