Lovely Photo Wednesday Does Indeed Get Lovelier Each Week...

... and it also does get quicker! Have you noticed how the older you get, the faster time seems to go by? Really, it's amazing. As a 5 year old, a year is the equivalent of eternity. Now, a year doesn't seem that long. Crazy, huh?

And that leads us up to this photo...

Time. This bench embraces--for me--the essence of time. Once, the varnish on this bench was new and golden, and it was proudly displayed in our house. Sticky fingers touched it, small children sat on it to open presents at Christmas time--it was a well-loved article of furniture. But then, Momma decided that it would be nice as a garden bench outside. And so, it was brought out of the warm comforts of the house and left out in the wind and the rain, the sun and the sleet.

Now, this bench is worn and splintered. The paint is cracking, and the wood is warped. And yet, there is beauty in the bench--the beauty of dreams and hopes, of laughter and smiles, of tears and sadness, all wrapped up in this small wooden bench. When I glance at it, I am suddenly overcome by past emotions, all linked to this piece of furniture.

This bench is the essence of beautiful memories of days past.

Miscellany Monday!

Click the button and link up for Carissa's Miscellany Monday at lowercase letters.

{one} I'm saving my first kiss for my wedding day. I believe adamantly that this is what the Lord wants me to do. Is anyone else saving their first kiss? I'd love if you would leave me a comment and tell me why this is your choice.

{two} I won Bree's giveaway for a blog makeover by Awel. So... do you know what that means? Southern Belle Photography is on it's way to becoming a real photography blog! I can't wait for it to be all set up!

{three} I am writing this post to the lovely background music of my father making carrot juice in the juicer. Not to mention the animated comments of my siblings as well. And actually, this is far more entertaining than any music on my iPod. :)

{four} I have only attended two sleepovers in my life. I'm serious--this is no joke. And frankly, I'm okay with that. You see, my family is aware of the fact that at sleepovers, VERY LITTLE SLEEP ACTUALLY HAPPENS. This results in grouchiness, and frequently the catching of some virus. And so, we have never hosted one at our house, and I have only attended two. We tend to shy away from the whole ordeal. I mean, why have a sleepover when you have so many wonderful siblings already in the house? Each night is like a sleepover! 

{five} Peril on the Sea will be receiving a new title. It turns out that WAY too many books are titled "Peril on the Sea," and also, the theme of my book is more than just peril on the sea. It involves Violet and her family, her new life in America, her many letters to Lillian, her friendship with Ethan Clarke and Mary O' Neale, not to mention many others in America, and the fact that her friend is coming over to America on the Titanic. See what I mean? And so, even though it will be still called "Peril on the Sea," that is not the permanent title, and as soon as a new title is installed, my book will be referred to by that new title.

{six} I have to go now, because school is starting. Adieu! 

Lovely Photo Wednesday :: Walking in His Ways

Lately I have been thinking a lot about what it means to walk with Jesus. Is prayer simply a tool used to get one out of a tricky situation? Or is prayer your guide and your strength? Do we say we believe only in church on Sundays, or do we really live it out each day? 

Do we walk with Him at all times, or only when it comes in handy?

And that's why I'm choosing to share this photo for Lovely Photo Wednesday:

Sure, my sister isn't exactly walking in this photo, but you get the idea. I love the vivid contrast in this photo between the creamy yellow of her skirt and the vibrant green of the grass. And of course, the sun-dappled light filtering through is gorgeous as well. :)

Movie Quotes Quiz Answers ~ September 17th

This quote quiz seemed to be much easier than the last one, and maybe that's a good thing. My sisters certainly had fun lying on my bedroom floor, discussing all the quotes and trying to guess them. They were actually very good guessers, seeing how we normally watch movies as a family, and so they have seen all the movies these quotes are from. That's not an unfair advantage, though, right? *wink* 

And now for the quotes answers... (remember, the names have been re-inserted into the quotes)

#1 "I hope you appreciate the sacrifice I am making."
      "You have no choice."
      "I know. That is why I am making it."

--Max and Captain Von Trapp, The Sound of Music

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Jo March

#2 "Look! Just what we ordered!"

     "I'm a little scared about all of this..."

     "Me too. Do you think we shouldn't eat it?"

     "I'm not that scared!"

--Sara and Becky, A Little Princess

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Bree

#3 "Quiet, woman, before I get angry, because when I get angry even flies don't dare to fly!"

--Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Hannah, Jo March

#4 "Here's your breakfast."

     "But I'm still in my nightgown."

     "You can dress after you've eaten. Your clothes are on the chair."

     "Who's going to dress me?"

     "Can't you dress yourself?"

     "Of course not. My ayah dressed me."

     "What did they do with you in India? Carry you around in a basket?"

     "How dare you speak to me with such disrespect!"

--Mrs. Medlock and Mary, The Secret Garden

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Stephanie, Lady Helen Mar, Amanda, Bree, Queen Lucy, Jo March

#5 "I don't know what to make of you! You're too purty to be a skunk! Too thin to be a snake! Too little to be a man, and too big to be a mouse! I reckon you're a rat!"

      "That's logical."

--Will Parker and Ali Hakim, Oklahoma!

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Bree

#6 "You will order the finest gold chopsticks."

     "Your Majesty, chopsticks? Don't you think knives and forks would be more suitable?"

     "I make mistake, the British not scientific enough to know how to use chopsticks."

--The King and Anna, The King and I

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Lady Helen Mar, Stephanie, Bree

#7 "But Mama, the men she finds! The last one was so old, and he was bald. He had no hair."

     "A poor girl without a dowry can't be so particular. You want hair, marry a monkey."

--Tzeitel and Golde, Fiddler on the Roof

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Hannah, Bree, Jo March

#8 "Hair is dead."

    "If it's dead, why does it keep growing all the time, even after you're dead? Well, maybe not your hair. You'll probably be bald."

      "Don't be daft. I'll die before I'm ever old enough to go bald."

      "I hate the way you talk about dying."

      "Everyone thinks I'm going to die."

      "If everyone thought that about me, I still wouldn't do it."

--Colin and Mary, The Secret Garden

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Lady Helen Mar, Bree, Jo March

#9 "May I take your sweater, miss?"

     "Will I get it back?"

--Annette (the housemaid) and Annie, Annie

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Hannah, Bree

#10 "How many have I had?"

      "Two."

      "Make it an uneven three."

--Max and the maid, The Sound of Music

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Stephanie, Jo March

#11 "Grandmother Tzeitel! How did she look?"

       "Well, for a woman who has been dead thirty years, she looked very good."

--Golde and Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof

Movie Lovers Who Guessed Correctly: Hannah, Bree, Jo March,

GRAND TOTAL:
Amanda -- 1
Queen Lucy -- 1
Stephanie -- 4
Lady Helen Mar -- 5
Hannah -- 7
Jo March -- 14
Bree -- 15


And the winner is...

BREE!

Congratulations, Bree! You just won a free button made by Hannah. Email her at aspireblog@hotmail.com, and she'll give you all the details you need to know.


And to everyone else: thank you so much for entering, and I hope to "see" your faces next month! 

LPW... southern style

According to the lovely comments I received on my Miscellany Monday post, many of you would love for me to make a photography blog. And I am deciding to oblige you. Introducing...

Southern Belle Photography!

Yes, it is only a name, flat on a sheet of paper (it actually happens to be a blog as well, but not a blog that you may care to see--no posts yet, and the background is not great. I really would love to win a custom blog makeover for it, and that's why I have been entering a lot of giveaways lately. *wink* *wink* Hannah :). But, one day, it will be a blog, and then I will give you the link so that you can visit and tell me what you think! But anyway...

Here is my photo for LPW (Lovely Photo Wednesday):

This is my precious little sister at the park. Don't you just love the sunkissed tone?

Click the button to link up at Hannah's blog! There's a special twist this week... 

Linchpins of Liberty

I would like to introduce you all to a wonderful organization, especially if you are interested in learning more about freedom, truth, and the Constitution--and all from a Biblical standing point. Linchpins of Liberty is a nonprofit organization, "an American leadership development enterprise." It was started by a gentleman by the name of Kevin Kookogey, author of The Inheritance . I highly suggest visiting this site, especially since there will be some very big essay-writing contests going on sometime in Spring 2011. The prizes range from $100 to $10,000! Does that catch your interest?

Please visit the site and leave me a comment letting me know what you think! Gracias! :)

Miscellany Monday!

Monday... and miscellany... hmm, what do we have? Miscellany Monday!

{1} This is my 100th post! How better to spend it than writing up all the miscellany things I can think of?

{2} I am finally getting the hang of Spanish! And when it gets easier,  it also becomes much more fun. Buenos dias, amigos. Como estas? *wink*

{3} I love cereal. Seriously. I could have it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

{4} I am considering starting a photography blog. Thoughts? I already have a name picked out, but that shall be a surprise. :)

{5} Writing is such a joy. I love getting caught up in the story as I write. I love feeling as though I am living it. The scenes seem to act themselves out before me, and all I can do is copy it down as quickly as I can.

{6} Fall is my favorite season. I just love it. The crispness of the air, the start of  a regular school scedule, dance starts again... mmm. I love jumping into a big pile of leaves and hearing the crunch as the leaves crackle under my feet.

Sorry, this is not my best miscellany. :( I'll do better next time. Click the button above and link up with sweet Carissa on this lovely Monday morning!

On This Day, 9 Years Ago...

The Twin Towers were bombed.

So many brave men and women sacrificed their lives to help save others.

May we never forget their sacrifice. May we never forget that day.

It's Lovely Photo Wednesday!

Hannah's post was a bit late today, and so mine will be as well, but that doesn't really matter--better late then never, right?

And today, I will go wordless... or, not-so-wordless, as it seems I am still typing something underneath this photo. :) Anyway, I'm not going to describe MY emotions about this photo--rather, I want YOU to experience it. Drink in the richness and the beauty. 

Book Review: Anne's House of Dreams

This Anne of Green Gables novel is my absolute favorite. I really, really love it. I loved finally getting to read about Anne and Gilbert's wedding, and the fact that they live in a precious little cottage right by the sea... mmm. Just a delightful setting. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Here is my review:

Anne's House of Dreams

By L.M. Montgomery

Under the shaded seclusion of the trees at old Green Gables, among old friends near and dear, Anne and Gilbert are about to speak their vows. Now man and wife, they will move to Four Winds Point together, close to the small village of Glen St. Mary, and into their "dear little house of dreams" by the sea. 

New friends, such as Captain Jim, a retired sea captain, and sharp-tongued, Methodist-hating Miss Cornelia, will enter their lives, and many evenings in the lighthouse room will be spent together, full of fun and merriment. They will all attempt to reach out to beautiful and tragically miserable Leslie Moore, but only Anne can break through to Leslie's heart. 

Many other topics of interest, such as the birth of Anne's first child, the budding romance between Leslie and Owen Ford, and the writing of Captain Jim's life book, fill this delightful read.

Oh, words cannot describe how happy I was to finally read of Anne and Gilbert's wedding! Was I the only girl who felt as though it seemed to take forever for them to get married? And their wedding was oh-so-sweet and oh-so-perfect. Marvelous, just marvelous. :)

Leslie Moore... ahh, she intrigued me. Her character was very unique. Anne has reached out to bitter spinsters, to stiff older people, and to young, childish people, and yet they all seem so small compared to the depth of Leslie's misery and sadness. Her history just broke my heart. And in the most unexpected of ways, when everything else seems to have failed, Anne finally understands what Leslie is going through and becomes a truer friend because of it.

I love Captain Jim. Don't you just love him? Sitting up in the lighthouse, "telling old yarns" -- he's such a wonderful character. And he, too, is unique. That is, perhaps, one of the reasons I love this book. It is so filled to the brim with new and original characters, and the plot is so full of such depth of emotion. And the descriptions of the sea... oh, is that not the icing on the cake of dreams? (sorry, that was horrible of me--I couldn't help it!)

Do you know now why I love this book? This book speaks to my heart in ways that are tragic, wonderful, and beautiful. But emotions so beautiful and precious cannot be explained or pushed upon others. I will only say that this is one of the best books you will ever read. Perhaps it is just me. :)

A BIT O' READING FOR THE DAY

"The woods are never solitary--they are full of whispering, beckoning, friendly life. But the sea is a mighty soul, forever moaning of some great, unshareable sorrow, which shuts it up into itself for all eternity." ~Anne's House of Dreams

P.S. This is my 99th post! And I have 99 followers! Should I do something special when I reach 100 followers and 100 posts? 

Yet Another LOVELY Giveaway That You Should Enter!

Sorry for the lack of substantial posts lately, but there has been so much going on (school, homework, etc.) and between that and all the fun blog makeover giveaways going on, I haven't had the time to write up a book review. Anne's House of Dreams is not forgotten, and it will be up ASAP. Now for the topic of this post...

Olive Tree at (of)HorseFeathers is having a giveaway! And a very exciting one at that! The prizes are as follows:

This is a very original giveaway, for I have never entered one in which you have the chance to be featured on the giveaway host's blog. Sounds exciting, does it not? So hurry up and enter! Click the button *above* for more details. (Yes, I know, I say this a lot...)

A New Addition

There has been a change of plans involving Movie Night. From now on, the winner of the quotes quiz will receive a button made by Hannah of Vivid Design Studio! 


I hope this new change has given you all even more initiative to join the quotes quiz! The next one will be next Friday, September 10th. I hope to be getting lots of guesses! 


For those of you who don't know what I mean by "Movie Night" or "quotes quiz," click here.

Join LPW!

What is LPW? I'll tell you what LPW is--Lovely Photo Wednesday over at Hannah's Aspire! Click the button to link up, and see Hannah's beautiful photo!

Now here is my entry:

I don't know why I love this photo so much, honestly. Maybe it's the beautiful vibrancy of the colors. Maybe it's the simplicity. Whatever it is, this is one of my favorite photos. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Remember to link up! Just click the button above.