Hope is the thing with feathers...

Hope.
Is it an elusive thing, there one moment, gone the next?

Or does it remain, steady, constant, a slowly enduring flame in the embers of our hearts?

Read the rest of the post here:
As We Hope In Thee.

Funny Jane Austen Buttons

I made these up for Miss Dashwood's contest over at Yet Another Period Drama Blog. :)

I'll smile if you leave a comment with which JA movie each quote I used comes from! (except for picture #2) :D *Hint* - it's not the same movie as each picture.

And PLEASE do not take these without asking! Thanks. :D (except, of course, for Miss Dashwood)

Which was your favorite?

Little Letters...

Dear Laptop... I am so grateful for you. You are my portal to the outside world, my canvas, my outlet for creative expression... my friend. ;) Also my addiction and time-vacuum. But we won't go there. :D Time certainly flies when you're having fun...

Dear Lounge Chair... I immensely enjoyed our date together on Sunday afternoon when the weather was fine and I was able to soak up some sun. I'm so glad I brought you back from my trip to Florida. I think we're going to have many good times together as the weather grows warmer... ;)

Dear Jewelry Pliers... hang in there with me. The craft shows will come and then they will be done, and then you may return to your happy place in the tin pot with the other tools on my worktable, and the days of overuse will end!

Dear Gym... I am looking forward to seeing you today. And Wednesday. And Friday. I need you, for my energy is shrinking and my .... uh.... I'm not 'shrinked' in areas that need it....

Dear Bath & Body Works... what would I ever do without your body cream, (so wonderful for super-dry winter skin) fragrance mist (a tasty uplifting of the senses, with 0 calories) and shower gel? (bubbles! I love 'em!)

Dear Perry Mason DVD... How in the world did he figure out that case?!? I had no idea that guy that looked like the murderer was actually an F.B.I agent.... Thank you for being a great stress release...

Dear Fuzzy Socks... Bless you.

Dear Crochet Hook & Yarn... I promise, I have not forgotten you! And my cousin liked her afghan, you did your job well. :D I will return to you when my 3-part Quest with a capital Q (otherwise known as Homeschool Conventions) ... is over.

Dear Hair... I'm thinking it's time for a trim. I know you just got down to Mid-Thigh, I'm happy for you, you look great... but it's for your own good. Those split ends won't be ignored for long. And could ya lighten up a little? One of my online blogging friends mistook you for "Dark" and we both know you're a natural blonde. :D

Dear Inspiration... Please, don't go away.

Dear Dirty Dishes... Where in the world did you all come from? You'd think there were fifteen people living in this house, not five...

Dear Adobe Photoshop CS5... I WILL CONQUER YOU. Be warned.

Dear Novel... You darling thing! Wait until we finish editing! It was the most thrilling moment of my life when I wrote your "The End" five minutes before this year began. :D

Dear Baby Chicks... Welcome to the world, you five new, precious babies. I can hardly believe we hatched you with only the aid of a broody hen, and in the middle of freezing January temperatures, too. It's a good life, I know you'll enjoy it. Wait until you find your first grasshopper - yum-yum! :D

Dear Driver's License... I can't wait until you arrive in the mail. I'm making do with your counterpart printed on a folded piece of paper, but it won't seem "final" until I hold the real plastic card in my hand.

Dear Wal-Mart... Yeah! You saw us! Me and my (younger) big bro's paid you a visit all on our lonesomes, without hide nor hair of a parent figure. I drove through your parking lot without even a scratch, nor chance of getting one. I am so proud of me. Were you?

Dear Daffodils... Spring hasn't sprung yet. Don't die! You came up early but if you can just hold in the blooms for a few more days, I think we might get some warmth and you can blossom unhindered. Be patient.

I saw this fun idea over at "A Butcher, A Baker, A Candlestick Maker" and thought it was too cute to pass up! :D Hope you enjoyed it.

Driver's License Test Results:

 The news you've been waiting for... the result of Julia's Driver's License Test! Well... it was a rainy, drizzly, cold, grey day and Daddy and I went down to the DMV and the person took my picture before I was ready (thankfully it didn't look too awful) and then the instructor and I went out to take the test, leaving Daddy waiting inside.

Oh all right! Long story short - I PASSED.

Thank. You. God.

Incidentally, have you ever tried parallel parking an 18-foot F-150 truck in an 18-foot parking space? Me neither. :D I didn't quite pass that part. Which sort of bummed me out - I practiced so much on that parallel parking (using a 21-foot space and caution cones) and I had it down cold, and then to go knock over three (out of maybe 12?) cones on the test... sigh.

 My score was 80, and I only needed 75 to pass. Double *whew*!!! :D

I sort of feel like this little fella:

"One... small... step... for... Mankind, ... one... huge... leap... towards... Julia's... future."

Here I go! :D

My Floridian Adventure

Hey Readers!

I had a great trip down to FL with my dad. We listened to music on the way down, cruising along in the truck. I edited my book all the way down and all the way back, with my little laptop sitting in my lap. (I reached page 190!)

Here is my trip, in photos:

An orchid bloom on the living room coffee table in my grandma's house. The cot where I slept was right next to this pretty blossom.

 A hibiscus flower in the front yard.

Sunny palm trees...

Happy little milkweeds...

 The afghan.

I crocheted this afghan for my cousin Katie for her wedding present. I gave it to her early so that she could snuggle up with it this winter and get some use out of it... the wedding is in March and she won't need a warm blanket very much by then, in Florida.

It features 3-D flowers, a ruffled border, and a color scheme of lavender, warm grape, chocolate brown, peanut-butter brown, creamy ivory, and a light khaki.

Katie and her afghan... She liked it. (YES!) Whew! :)

My shades. There's a funny story behind these cool sunglasses.
I forgot to pack any.
And on the trip down, I squinted the entire day, resulting in a wrinkle between my eyes! Aaaagh! I am way too young for wrinkles.
So the next morning of the trip we took a little jaunt to Wal-Mart and I picked these up. They worked really well on the way back from Florida, and I am happy to say that the wrinkle in my face is no more. At least until I turn 90 or so. ;)

 I decided to model them for you. ;)

 And I am thrilled to say that my grandma finally has a computer. We helped her pick it out. It's a smart little HP laptop, to be precise. I even called to set up her internet and talked with a live Verizon representative. (That was rather nerve-wracking. The representative was a sweet lady but I have a mild phobia of calling complete strangers on the phone...) :)

Today Daddy and I went down to an empty school parking lot and practiced parallel parking. Again and again and again... etc. I think I finally have the hang of it! Before we headed home I parallel-parked five times in a row in a fashion that would have passed the test. I just hope I can do it for the driver's license test!

The test is Tuesday, the 10th, if you wouldn't mind praying for my success. (Please do!) :D

Have a lovely week!

Tally-Ho! I'm Off...

I'm off to Florida to visit my Grandma. Daddy and I are taking the truck down to her city, stopping on the way to go out to dinner with my Uncle Russ and his family. I'm also going to be giving my cousin Katie her wedding present a bit early. :) (Pictures will be coming soon...)

Sadly, the weather will not be conducive to swimming at the beach or basking in the sun. It's going to be a little chilly, just like it has been here in north-ish Georgia. Perhaps this will allow more time for me to take pictures! :D

Uh, speaking of chilly, it was 27 degrees when I woke up this morning. A little COLD. I grew up in Florida, after all, and when it dips below freezing, I begin to feel like a cold-blooded creature that desperately needs some warmth flooding into it's veins!

Anyway - Daddy and I leave tomorrow morning at no later than 8:00 AM, leaving Mama and the boyz to hold down the fort. (hey, that'd be a good band name, Mama & the BoyZ.) ;) Don't worry, we went grocery shopping today and picked up a couple new movies and some special snacks (Oreos, anyone?) to keep them happy while we're gone. :D

I will be internet-less for three days. So if you're expecting an email from me (as several of my friends are at the moment) I'm sorry, it might not happen until Saturday! :(

See you when I get back! Oh, and there will be a post popping up from me on Meditations of His Love on Friday morning that I'd love for you to read! Check back then to see it. :)

2011- It's been good.

I almost let the last day of the year slip by without a blog post to mark it. But then I noticed some of my sweet friends doing posts and thought it would be a beautiful experience to write my own on the last day of 2011. :D

First, a neat picture I snatched that perfectly captures the changing tides of these years...

This year, I.....

• Became a better blogger! My total of posts for this year (including the articles I wrote for MOHL) is 102! Counting this post. :D Last year I only wrote 34 posts for Julia's Journal, mostly due to my old XP computer that didn't work very quickly.
• Got a new very cute laptop that helped greatly in becoming a better blogger, email-er, and writer.

• Nearly finished my novel, Lissie, set in Jane Austen's Regency world and with a similar but completely different plot line than Miss Austen's works. (I almost finished it this year, but I'm not quite at The End yet... but I'm only about 5 pages away, which is pretty close!) I'm very excited about it and have lots of ideas for the sequel swimming around in my mind.

• Went to two beautiful weddings, my cousin Kristen's on January 1st, and my friend Lauren's on December 3rd.
• Learned of two delightful engagements, my cousin Katie and my friend Allison H.
• Crocheted an ENORMOUS - thing. For Katie's wedding present. :) I will share pictures of it after I give it to her... don't want to spoil the surprise. :D

• Became even closer to my infinitely sweet friends in the group of MOHL writers! They are the sisters I never had. The weekly IM chats we've started doing refresh my soul and make me laugh so hard that tears run down my cheeks. There's nothing like Godly sisterhood.

• Improved my homemaking skills!
• Enjoyed fresh produce from our garden all year long!
• Hid under my bed while my parents butchered our first batch of meat chickens. ;)

• Went to the GHEA convention, and ran a booth in the exhibit hall for my jewelry and ebooks, which was such an amazing, thrilling, tiring, enriching experience. Met so many nice people that I don't even remember them all - sigh.
• Began regularly homechurching again with a great group of friends 30 minutes away from us.
• Found more fun blogs to follow and read! A list might be forthcoming.

• Discovered Perry Mason! ;)
• Started reading the "At Home in Mitford" series aloud to my family in the evenings, and reading the Bible and discussing it for a short time every morning at the breakfast table. I have so enjoyed this and I feel like my family is more closely-knit than ever... such a warm and cozy feel! It's truly wonderful.

•  Turned 20 years old in the lovely, fresh month of April. :)
• Gave my bedroom a stunning makeover to celebrate my birthday. Thanks for doing such a stellar job on my curtains and pillows, Mama!

• Watched a million (or so) movies with my brothers. :D Love you guys. I am so glad I have brothers who enjoy an intelligent movie (like a Jane Austen) as much as a just-for-fun one (Like Cars 2)
• Helped abovementioned brothers sort their vast collection of lego bricks by color.
• Went to see Courageous in the theater! (It was awesome.)
• Improved my frisbee skills with a lot of practice and sweat and dirt, spending quality time with my brothers and our friends up in P.T. city.
• Read a bunch of books, finding a few new favorite authors and a few authors I didn't care for. Dee Henderson was one of the authors whose books I liked tremendously, especially the Uncommon Heroes series about Navy SEALs.

• Drew a little closer to God, for which I am unutterably grateful and thankful.
• Began rising earlier in the mornings, and discovered I get much more done in the day when I do.
• Went through 2 months of Daddy not having any work, and learned to trust that the Lord's provision will always be there for the things we really need.
• Kept scribbling in my current little real-life journal, continuing the record of my life thus far that I started at age 11.

..... And did many other things that I don't have room to share. (Well, technically I do, but super-long blog posts get a little old...)



Winter is here, but so far it's been mild. I am looking forward to the coming of Spring, and yet knowing there are some hard days ahead sprinkled among the easy ones. January's frosts and February's cold winds are coming, but so are March's blossoms and April's soft breezes.

 Next Year, I'll....

•  Take my driver's license test on January 10th. And finally be able to go places and run errands on my own. A sobering, yet exhilarating thought.
• Go to three homeschool conventions to sell my jewelry! I'll be in Spartanburg, South Carolina for the Teach Them Diligently convention, Atlanta, GA for the GHEA convention, and North Carolina for the NCHE convention. If you're going to be at any of those, I'd love to meet you!
• (hopefully) start going to a ladies' gym with my mom. We're still waiting to decide on that, weighing the pros and cons.
• Play some more Ultimate Frisbee.
• Visit my Grandma in Florida
• Get to meet my sweet friend Rachelle in person! Still working on the hopeful details of that, but I am praying 'extra hard' for it to work out.
• Participate in the His Word in Our Hearts challenge that Meditations of His Love is doing this year, all year!
• Read more,
• Work more,
• Laugh more,
• Love more,
• Live more.

I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be another beautiful year.

 Happy New Year!

FUN Literary Tag

I found this tag over at Austenitis and immediately knew I had to try it!

I'm so glad I did, it was SUCH fun!

You should try it too.

Really.

First name 12 literary characters and then answer the questions.

Okay, so here are mine...

1. Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice)

2. Polly Milton (Main character in An Old-fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott)

3. Doctor Dolittle (the Doctor Dolittle series by Hugh Lofting)

4. Robin Hood (The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood)

5. Rose Campbell  (Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott)

6. Black Beauty (haha, it doesn't say the characters have to be human)

7. Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
8. Emma Woodhouse (Emma)

9. Reginald Bridgewater (One of MY literary characters in my novel... Lissie)

10. Diana Barry (Anne of Green Gables)

11. Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes books)

12. Cynthia Coppersmith (from the At Home in Mitford series by Jan Karon)

There, that looks like a fun group of people! I tried to pick a really random assortment to see what unusual adventures would ensue. :D But like Charity suggested, you could do 12 characters from a Jane Austen novel, or several of her novels, or all Anne of Green Gables characters! It would make the results totally different.

Questions...

1. Who would make a better college professor, 6 or 11?
Black Beauty or Sherlock Holmes? Uhhh... well, Black Beauty is a horse. So anybody would make a better college professor than him... but wow, Sherlock Holmes would make an awesome college professer! I want his class! "Deduction and Observation" ;)

2. 12 sends 8 out on a mission. What is it? Does it succeed?
Cynthia Coppersmith sends Emma Woodhouse.... to.... try and make a match for her with Father Tim, but Emma only ends up muddling the poor priest's mind and frightening him away. But thankfully we all know what happens in the end. (That is, if you've read the At Home in Mitford series)

3. What is, or what would be, 9’s favorite book?
Reginald Bridgewater! My character! Hmm... well, despite his impulsive, outgoing temperament, Reginald is actually quite intelligent and well-educated, so he reads well even if he would rather be riding his horse over the beautiful grounds of Swanwick Hall. I think his favorite book would have been one of Miss Austen's novels, since they were published during his lifetime... probably Northanger Abbey.

4. Would it make more sense for 2 to swear fealty to 6 or the other way around?
Again, poor Black Beauty can't speak the King's English. But then again, I have a hard time imagining the sweet, sensible Polly Milton swearing fealty to a horse. I think Black Beauty would have sworn fealty to Polly, especially if she was his dear owner.
5. Number 5 is looking for a roommate. Should s/he room with 9 or 10?
Rose Campbell would definitely room with Diana Barry over Reginald Bridgewater. Actually, I think Rose and Diana could have been fast friends.

6. 2, 7, and 12 are going out to dinner. Where are they going, and what do they discuss?
Polly, Willy Wonka, and Cynthia Coppersmith? Hmmm... They don't have much in common! I think they would go to the Wonka factories and dine on chocolate soup... and they would probably discuss candy, as it would be everywhere and I can imagine Willy Wonka dominating the conversation... ;)

7. 3 challenges 10 to a duel. Who wins?
The amiable Doctor Dolittle would never challenge Diana Barry to a duel! He was too much of a gentleman! But he would have won, because Diana would never have picked up a sword... she'd have fainted first.
8. If 1 stole 8’s most precious possession, how would s/he get it back?
Hahahaha! I cannot imagine Mr. Darcy stealing anything from Emma Woodhouse. But since her most prized possesion would be Mr. Knightley... Emma would probably pay a ransom to get him back, since she was very wealthy.

Or then again, perhaps she would have just taken careful aim...

9. Suggest a story title in which 7 and 12 both attain what they want.
Wow. Willy and Cynthia again. I think Cynthia wants a happy life with Father Tim, but what does Willy Wonka want? An heir to his chocolate factory? A golden elevator, instead of a great glass one? *thinking...* THE GREAT GOLDEN ELEVATOR, inside of which Cynthia is proposed to by Father Tim. Wow.... can't get much odder than that, can you?

10. What kind of plot device would you have to use to get 1 and 4 to work together?
Mr. Darcy and Robin Hood? *Swoon*
Well, Mr. Darcy would need a time machine, or Robin Hood could find the fountain of youth and live until Jane Austen's era... and then they team up together riding the countryside on great black horses wearing sweeping capes, searching for Elizabeth Bennet and Maid Marian, who are imprisoned in a tower owned by the Sherriff of Nottingham... ;) Hey, sounds good to me!

11. If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would it go?
Willy Wonka? I suspect I would gain weight if he brought any of his delicious chocolate with him. And he's a little weird for me to spend that much time with!
12.  If you could command 3 to perform any service or task for you, what would it be?
Doctor Dolittle - Well, I would dearly love to know how to speak the chicken language so I could communicate with ours. I would ask him to teach it to me. Although, come to think of it, they seem to already understand me.....

13. If 2 had to choose sides between 4 or 5, what side would s/he choose?
Polly Milton choosing between Robin Hood or Rose Campbell? Well... since she and Rose were both created by Louisa May Alcott, she would probably pick Rose.

14. What might 10 shout out while charging into battle?
Again, I really cannot imagine Diana Barry charging into battle! Unless Anne Shirley was leading the charge, in which case she might cry "Anne, let's stop imagining this now, you'll tear your dress!"

15. If you had to choose a song to best describe 8, what would it be?
Emma Woodhouse. Hum. This is hard. Perhaps "I'm not who I was" by Brandon Heath? Emma being no longer a busybody and matchmaker? It's a stretch at best.



16. 1, 6, and 12 are having a dim sum at a Chinese Restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left , and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets it?
Mr. Darcy, Black Beauty, and Cynthia Coppersmith? Goodness, I have no idea. I suppose Black Beauty, the other two would have had better table manners...




17. What would 5 most likely be arrested for?
Rose Campbell? The soul of innocence? Probably for being an unknowing accomplice to something her mischeivous cousins had done.

18. What is 6’s secret?
Black Beauty... Hmmm. I can't think what. That he actually prefers oats to barley mash?

19. If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first?
Sherlock Holmes and Reginald Bridgewater! "The Game's Afoot, my dear Reginald." I think Sherlock would probably win as he's so experienced at chasing down badguys, especially if they were racing through London. But Reginald is definitely a man of action, nonetheless.

20. If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, who would you be more comfortable walking with, 7 or 8?
Willy Wonka or Emma Woodhouse? Both would be practically useless... I guess Willy, he might have some kind of secret candy weapon up his sleeve, like a gun that shoots exploding gumballs.

21. 1 and 9 reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4's sinister secret organization. 11 volunteers to help them,but it is later discovered that s/he is actually a spy for 4. Meanwhile, 4 has kidnapped 12 in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of 5, they seek out 3, who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fiction?

Mr. Darcy and Reginald Bridgewater (My stars, what a handsome pair) team up to save the world from Robin Hood (GUFFAW - actually, he did have a secret organization, the Merry Men).
Sherlock Holmes volunteers to help them, (His help would indeed have been invaluable, I can't see Robin Hood evading Holmes as easily as the Sherrif of Nottingham)
...but it is discovered that he is a spy for Robin. (Hmm, come to think of it, he had a sympathetic streak, did Sherlock. He might have seen Robin's side of the issue.)
Robin Hood kidnaps Cynthia Coppersmith (Oh dear! But just the thing to spur Father Tim to action, at last...) Following the wise advice of Rose Campbell (Who must have been acquainted with Doctor Dolittle... maybe he was friends with her seafaring Uncle Alec) They seek out Doctor Dolittle.... who gives them... um, a translated message from a deer living in the Greenwood forest, who tells them the whereabouts of a secret glen where Cynthia is hidden?
Sheer craziness, but so enjoyable to imagine. Now, for a title...

THE ZANY ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, as related by Doctor John. H. Watson.

My Secondary Jane Austen Character Quiz Results

I get Elizabeth Bennet as my answer when I take a Jane Austen personality quiz, but when I took a quiz on which *secondary* character I was, I was rather surprised...

Julia's Result: Jane Bennet on quiz: Which Jane Austen Secondary Heroine Are You? You are Jane Bennet of Pride and Prejudice! Sweet, loving and compassionate almost to a fault, you have great difficulty in seeing anything but the best in people. You are quite five times as pretty as any of your sisters and most definitely your mother's favorite. You want to marry for love and not money, but somehow you manage to catch the eye of the richest bachelor in the neighborhood. How on earth did that happen? :) Quiz Maker Take this quiz & get your result

Which Jane Austen Secondary Heroine Are You? » online exam

Actually, I do look like her, in that picture anyway. :D Especially the flyaway wisps of golden hair around the face. I've looked up into the mirror to see those many times.

But I would have to say that I am not as sweet as Jane. My temperament is not so good and angelic, but neither am I quite that gullible. :D

It is quite true that I am five times as pretty as any of my sisters... for I do not have any!! Lol! I think it would be quite easy to say that I am prettier than my brothers... for they are handsome, not pretty.

But on the results, I was actually 43% Jane Bennet, 32% Jane Fairfax! :) Who'd have thunk? The remaining percentages were small increments of the other possible answers on the test, the least small being 12% Charlotte Lucas... because I can be calm like her sometimes if I put my mind to it. ;)

If you take the quiz, let me know who you get! :D

Also, there is a giveaway over at A Butcher, A Baker, A Candlestick Maker! It ends at midnight December 22. And she's having a feminine fashion week, you should check out her modest outfits! :)

Writing Day, All Day

I'm thrilled to be writing all day today with my dear girlfriends from the MOHL blog! We've set aside today to just write! I am hoping to actually finish my novel today! We'll see how that goes. ;)


Oh, and I found these and just HAD to share. You know all of those "Keep Calm and Carry On" signs around blogworld? Check these out.

YES! :D I especially love the 'calm' colors in the above pic.

While this one might be more difficult to achieve, some of us might be able to swing it. Lol!

I've been on an Austen kick recently. If you're not an Austen fan, I should be posting other things soon. (But if you're not a fan of Jane Austen, all I can say to you is... what is your problem?!?!?) :D

Off to write! Happy Monday!

A Jane Austen Tag and Birthday Card

Calling All Jane Austen Fans!!!

I am participating (albeit late) in Miss Dashwood's blog party over at Yet Another Period Drama Blog!

First we have, for your reading pleasure, my answers to the Jane Austen Tag questions.

1 - What was the first JA novel you ever read, and who introduced you to it?
Actually, my very first introduction to the wondrous world of JA was the shorter Keira Knightley version of P&P. Which, at the time, I thought was great! I loved the costumes and the story was amazing. Now, that movie is one of my least favorite adaptations. My childhood best friend Rebecca Y. and I watched it together, it was her movie.

The first book I read was.... naturally... Pride & Prejudice. :) My mom had a paperback copy that we'd owned for years, and I finally read it when I was (I think) 16. It might have been age 15. I'm not sure. :)

2 - Which is your least favorite JA novel, and why? (Everybody posts about their favorites... I want to know what's at the bottom of your list!)
Dear me! It's so hard to choose my least favorite, as I like them all. Hmm...

3 - Who do you think is the funniest character JA ever created?
Goodness, these are great questions. I think my top 3 choices would be Mrs. Jennings, (whose portrayal by Elizabeth Spriggs in the 1996 S&S was simply hysterical!) Mr. Bingley, (Crispin Bonham-Carter from the long BBC P&P was the best) and Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey. Although Henry wasn't quite as 'funny' as he was witty and amusing. :D

4 - Which JA villain[ess] do you love to hate?

Oooh, there are many whom I really love to detest. I'll share three. :D 1. Mary Crawford would have to top my list. I really hate how she turns Edmund's head through 80% of the book. 2. Fanny Dashwood (ugggghhh!!) possibly the worst sister-in-law in literary history, and 3. Elizabeth Elliot, Anne's older sister, who wasn't a villainess, per se, but soooo annoying, pretentious, preening, and proud! She's perfectly awful in all the movie adaptations.

Of course the infamous W's, Willoughby and Wickham, are fun to despise too. :D (Ohh, and I cannot stand Mrs. Elton!!) Sorry. That was way more than one. ;)

5 - What's your favorite JA quote?

I have a t-shirt that reads "'There is no enjoyment like reading' - Jane Austen" and that is one of my very favorite quotes. :D I also (like Miss Dashwood) love the first lines of P&P.

6 - If you were to "start" someone on JA, which book would you recommend to them first and why?
Pride and Prejudice, for obvious reasons. :D It's really the most clear-cut, classic Jane Austen story. But they're all good! I would recommend Persuasion and Emma next, then Northanger Abbey, then Mansfield Park. :D

7 - What is your absolute favorite JA film adaptation and why?

The BBC (Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth) version of Pride and Prejudice comes in first, because I find it the most faithful adaptation to the book - which is the first qualification a movie adaptation has to pass, for me, to be really good. :D
I also loved the Romola Garai/Jonny Lee Miller BBC version of Emma. Although Emma really wasn't my favorite heroine, (And Romola was just a bit too giggly and undignified to really be Emma) That adaptation really fleshed out the complex plot and backstories in a beautiful manner.

8 - If you could authorize a new film adaptation of one of JA's novels, which would it be and why?
While I would absolutely LOVE to see a new Pride and Prejudice with a Jennifer Ehle-esque Lizzy and better music than the BBC version (it reminds me too much of a foxhunt in places) I think I would choose Mansfield Park (Which nobody, of course, has 'gotten' even halfway decently, my favorite old BBC version has become outdated) because it deserves to have a good movie made of it! Also, I would re-film the Felicity Jones PBS Masterpiece Northanger Abbey and cut out some of the "Oh my WORD!" scenes that were so objectionable and not even insinuated in the book.

9 - Which JA character do you most identify with?

Do you know, I have absolutely no idea. I would say Elizabeth Bennet (for actually, I love to read, can be sarcastic... :( working on that... and am critical of humanity, in general, also I suspect I have a small degree of wit) except that everybody seems to think Elizabeth Bennet is the quintessential PERFECT woman. Which I certainly am not. I do get her for results when taking JA personality quizzes, though.

Otherwise, I have slight Marriane-ish tendencies, a little of Anne Elliot now that I've reached the ripe old age of 20, and a dash of Jane Fairfax.

10 - If you could have lunch with JA today, what question would you most like to ask her?
*gasp* I would love to luncheon with Miss Austen!! I would like to ask her about the novel I am writing, inspired by her stories, and ask her opinion of it. I wonder if she would approve, or think it a cheap imitation? Also, I would desperately like to ask about the Mysterious Seaside Romance, which I just learned of through Miss Dashwood's blog... but I fear she would think me impertinent.

11 - Is there any one thing that you think could have been improved upon in one (or all) of JA's books? What is it and why?

Hum. Well, they were all nearly perfect. I do agree with Miss Dashwood that the proposals could have been better. Also, I would have preferred just a tad more story after the weddings in nearly every book... especially Emma!

12 - If you could have lunch with one of JA's characters today, who would it be and why?
I think I would have to choose Elizabeth Bennet. I think we would be great friends. :) But it would be fascinating to meet Mr. Darcy or Mr. Knightley.

I loved doing this tag! Thank you for putting it together, Miss Dashwood!

And because Jane Austen's Birthday was yesterday, I am writing her a birthday card as part of the Birthday Card Contest at Yet Another Period Drama Blog. :D

The catch to this contest is that the card has to be 'in character' as one of Miss Austen's characters! (I personally think that is shockingly brilliant.) :D

I am writing in the character of Anne Elliot from Persuasion.

Dear Miss Austen,

I would like to wish you the happiest of birthdays. It was certainly a joyous occasion when you entered the world, and I hope the day brings you many delights.
Captain Wentworth and I have just returned home to England from a voyage to India, and we saw many curious things in that strange and foreign land. Traveling with my dear husband has brought me such joy. We now have one son, Frederick Jr, and I will soon be expecting another small blessing. I hope to have a girl this time, for it would be such a joy to have a daughter to love... although I am very fond of little Frederick. I am slightly concerned about taking him to visit the family at Uppercross, for his older cousins continue to be like young demons and I know they are a bad influence on him. I cannot begin to express my thankfulness to you, Miss Austen, for reuniting my dear Frederick (Sr.) and I, although Frederick jokes that you could have made the 8-year separation rather shorter to suit his taste. I also am exceedingly glad to have met my husband's friends and sailors under his command, who are all such friendly and honest people. And of course Sophie Croft, Frederick's sister, continues to be one of my dearest friends. I am delighted with her sweetness of character and the happy way in which she is content to live with her husband aboard ship - which was an excellent example for me to see before I married my dear Captain Wentworth. She will be our next child's godmother.
I must close, for my husband has asked me to come and walk with him upon the shore. (We are at Lyme, and I am very happy to be here once more, for despite the unhappy occurence of Louisa's fall - which had wonderful results! - the place holds many joys for me.) We plan to dine with the Harvilles and the Benwicks this evening at the Benwicks' new home, that I hear is a sweet cottage, which I am very much looking forward to seeing.
Ever your devoted,
~Anne

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! It was so much fun to write. :)