Homeschool described in Anne of Green Gables GIF's

Muahahaha...This is going to be fun! I homeschool and I love Anne of Green Gables (the book, mostly, but the movie is good too. :) 

1. You look up from reading your book in the morning and realise...you should have started school ten minutes ago!

2. You open your Algebra and see what you have to do today. (This is seriously accurate. :)

3. When your sibling is trying to get your attention--and distract you from your schoolwork--and you must focus.

4. When your mom says you're going to go to town (or somewhere else) and so you don't have to do school for the rest of the day. Anne and Diana, my siblings. Gilbert is me because I am not going out, I am going to do school. :)

5. This happens often enough during school time around here...just with notebooks or textbooks, not slates. (Okay, so when it's textbooks we only pretend to smash it hard.)

6. When someone you thought was your friend makes fun of homeschoolers...and they know you're homeschooled. 

7. When you and your (public schooled) friends are arguing about homeschool and you win the argument by pointing out that you've homeschooled for many years and they've never homeschooled and so you would know, not they. (This has happened to me before.)

8. When you tell a half-truth (about something school related, such as that pineapples grow on trees :) to one of your siblings and wink at another of your siblings about to correct you so they will know you're "joking". 

9. When someone says homeschoolers aren't socialized and you want to react like this, 

but you are socialized and civilized so you react like this:

10. When you find out someone else is homeschooled too, and they understand.

I hope you all enjoyed it! 

Are you homeschooled? Do you like Anne of Green Gables? Or both? Could you relate to this post?

Hallelujah!!!

It's Easter! (Easter week/Holy Week, anyway!) One of the most joyous celebrations we have is (almost) here! This week--and always!-- we celebrate the wonderful fact our Saviour, Jesus Christ, broke the bands of death and rose from the dead! 

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah is such a marvellous, expressive exclamation of joy. It says it all. It expresses the joy, hope, wonder, and love that we feel, knowing that Jesus Christ lives.

For Easter this year, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah--but they've done that before. This time, however, it was extra special. They invited anyone and everyone to send in a video of themselves singing the Hallelujah chorus, and they chose the best parts and put them all together in this spectacular video:

Wasn't that simply breathtaking? It sent thrills all throughout me.

Jesus Christ lives! Hallelujah!

Because He Lives, we can live again. Our deceased loved ones will live again, and we will see them again. I will see my beloved "adopted grandma" again.
Because of Him, we can be forgiven of our sins.
He is the Gift Heavenly Father gave for us.
Follow Him and find new life!
Hallelujah!

Here is another amazing video about Christ and His Atonement. Just watch it; it expresses everything so much better than I ever could!

This Easter, remember--we have reason to rejoice! Our Saviour lives!
Go to FollowHim.Mormon.org

HALLELUJAH!

Now you should go check out this lovely blog post about Easter by a friend. :) 

Jane Austen "Would You Rather" from "Write On, Cordy!"

Cordy at Write On, Cordy! has a game and here are my answers! I love Jane Austen, so this is fun!
To play the game, you can go here.
Here goes:

Who would you rather have act as your matchmaker, Lady Russell (from Persuasion) or Mrs. Jennings?

-I think I'd have to go with Mrs. Jennings because she bases her matches off supposed--or real--attraction, where Lady Russell was all about connection and equality. I wouldn't like Mrs. Jennings' constant teasing, though...I really hate to be teased about things like that. 

Who would you like as a pen pal from Jane Austen's works?

-I'd like to exchange letters with Marianne Dashwood, because I feel like it would be amusing. Haha.

Who would you rather go on a walk with, Colonel Fitzwilliam or Captain Benwick?

-Probably Captain Benwick because I feel like I wouldn't have to keep up a friendly chat and it would be okay to say serious things as well as be quiet.
Who would you rather have to befriend, Mrs. Elton or Lucy Steele?

-Ack! I can't stand either of them! Oh, dear, perhaps Lucy Steele because I would not feel as strongly an urge to slap her. Well, maybe I would. But I think she has a little more sense and so I could be just as falsely polite as she and she would actually notice that I was inwardly seething, so it would have some affect on her. Mrs. Elton doesn't even notice anyone but herself.
Who would you rather have as a sibling, John Knightley or Mary (from Persuasion, not Mary Bennet)?

-John Knightley. He cracks me up with his grumpiness. :)
Who would you rather dance with? (Very open book!)

-I would like to dance with Mr. Tilney, because he has a very delightful way of making conversation. 

"Now I must give one smirk, and then we may be rational again."

Who would you rather refuse, Mr. Collins or Mr. Elton?

-Eehhhmmm...Probably Mr. Elton, because he knows what "no" means.Who would you rather match-make for, Miss Bates or Mary Bennet?

-Mary Bennet; I feel kind of bad for her and actually I feel that there are some single men in literature that she might be good for...Can't think who, but there's someone.
Who would you rather have as a best friend?

-Probably Elizabeth Bennet.
Who would you rather argue with? (Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine, Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Woodhouse, Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Jennings, Fanny Dashwood, Captain Wentworth, Mr. Darcy, ect.) 

-Maybe Lady Catherine because I feel like I'd start laughing at her shock at my boldness in arguing with her, and then she'd be even more shocked. And then I'd just imitate her--"I am most seriously displeased." "Obstinate, headstrong girl!" etc. (I can already say those things very well. :) And she'd probably have a heart attack--okay, so maybe that wouldn't be good. But I have a terrible sneaking suspicion that I would love to shock old ladies if I were brave enough. :D

Would you rather wander the grounds of Pemberly and risk being 'discovered' or wander over the downs surrounding Barton Cottage in the rain and twist an ankle?

-Oh, Barton Cottage for sure. A twisted ankle is better than my rejected suitor seeing me at his house *shudder*. Where would you live in Austen's works?

Probably Longbourne. It seems like a happy medium; not too poor, not too rich. You know?

Thanks for the fun, Cordy! 

A Golden Picnic Tag

Over at my other blog, I'm having a "Golden Picnic" to celebrate Spring! Here are my answers to my questions!

1. "What a lot of elephant's ears," exclaimed Diana. "I'm going to pick a big bunch, they're so pretty." 

"How did such graceful feathery things ever come to have such a dreadful name?" asked Priscilla.

Have you thought what Priscilla thought? What is something you love but hate the name thereof?

-Okay, this is somewhat difficult. Let me see...Why are hostas called that? I think hostas are lovely flowers, but with a not-so-lovely name. 

Perhaps this does not do justice to L. M. Montgomery's description...but it might come close.

2. "Oh, girls, look at that!" 

"That" was a shallow woodland pool in the center of a little open glade where the path ended. ...it was a glimmering placid sheet, round as a saucer and clear as crystal. A ring of slender young birches encircled it and little ferns fringed its margin.

..."Well, we must name this place before we leave it...Everybody suggest a name and we'll draw lots"

The names suggested were:

Birch Pool (Diana),

Crystal Lake (Jane),

Glimmer-glass (Priscilla), and

The Fairies' Mirror (Anne)

Which name would you choose for this lovely dimple of water? One of these? Your own name? (It ended up being called Crystal Lake.)

-I am no good at coming up with names. I think I'd have to go with Anne's "The Fairies' Mirror"

3. "I wish there really were fairies," said Jane. "Wouldn't it be nice to have three wishes granted you...or even only one? What would you wish for, girls, if you could have a wish granted?" 

-Ooohh...I don't know. Hmm. Perhaps always being able to have whichever book I wished. 

4. "I wonder what a soul...a person's soul...would look like." said Priscilla dreamily.

..."I read somewhere once that souls were like flowers," said Priscilla.

If your soul was a flower, what do you think it would be? 

-I think of a violet. But not "a white violet, with purple streaks in its heart," like Priscilla said Anne's was, but a deep purple violet with a touch of yellow at the center.

5. What is your favourite thing about Spring? You can choose as many favourites as you need; I understand how hard it could be to choose a favourite.

-Warmth, warm rain, flowers, green, Easter...

6. Do you have a favourite kind of flower? What is it, if so?

-No, I don't know if I have a favourite. I suppose if I had to choose a favourite it would be a rose.

7. Do you prefer rain or sunshine?

-Both, at the same time. 

8. Is Spring your favourite season? Why or why not?

-Yes. It's just so beautiful! 

9. Is it Spring where you live?

-Ye-ess...I guess so. It was really warm up until the first day of Spring yesterday, and then it got cold, but it's going to warm up again and varying temperatures is just part of Spring. Thank goodness it's not snowing!

10. Do you like what season you were born in? Do you wish you were born in Spring or some other season?

-I was born in Spring, for which I am eternally grateful. :)

I had a lovely time doing this, and you can play too! Just go over to "A Golden Picnic" at my other blog, and see instructions! Anyone can play!

Judy Plum

The cover of this book contains one of the two pictures of Judy (the other is on a very similar cover of this same book) that I could find.

Judy Plum: the wizened old Irish servant of the Gardiner household in Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat by L. M. Montgomery. She had seemingly endless energy (at least for most of the sequence), a never-ending supply of stories, and always a word of wisdom in her Irish brogue. She is one of my very favourite characters in all of literature.

"Judy had been about the world a bit in her time. Born in Ireland she had 'worked out' in her teens . . . in a 'castle' no less, as the Silver Bush children heard with amazed eyes.", and she told stories about "little green folk" and witches and other creatures, and the children believed her for a few years. 

So, for St. Patrick's Day, in honour of leprechauns and magic and the Irish part of Judy are some snippets of the things Judy (and some others) said concerning such things as leprechauns and magic, written as L. M. Montgomery wrote them in Judy's Irish brogue:

"'Sure, a leprachaun touched her the day she was born wid a liddle green rose-thorn,' answered Judy mysteriously. 

Judy knew all about leprachauns and banshees and water-kelpies and fascinating beings like that."

"If ye don't be belaving innything what fun are ye going to get out av life?" asked Judy unanswerably. "There may niver be a witch in P. E. Island but there's minny a one in ould Ireland even yet. The grandmother av me was one."
(She later admitted the bit about her grandmother wasn't exactly true, "but she cud see things other folks cudn't.")

"Hadn't Judy herself seen fairies dancing in a ring one night when she was a girleen in Ould Ireland?"

"Now, if there was a wishing well here like there was in me home in ould Ireland sure and ye cud make it all right in the twinkle av a fairy's eye. All ye'd have to do is go to it at moonrise and ye'd get yer wish."

"I don't believe there's either witches or fairies," cried Sid, just to make her madder. It was always fun to make Judy Plum mad.

"Oh, oh, indade! Well, I knew a man in ould Ireland said the same thing. Said it as bould as brass, he did. And he met some one night, whin he was walking home from where he'd no business to be. Oh, oh, what they did to him!"

"What . . . what?" demanded Sid eagerly.

"Niver ye be minding what it was. 'Tis better for ye niver to know. He was niver the same again and he held his tongue about the Good Folk after that, belave me. Only I'm advising ye to be a bit careful what ye say out loud whin ye think ye're all alone, me bould young lad."

"Judy, did you ever really see a fairy drinking the milk? Cross your heart?"

"Oh, oh, what if I didn't? Sure the grandmother of me did. Minny's the time I've heard her tell it. A leprachaun wid the liddle ears av him wriggling as he lapped it up. And she had her leg bruk nixt day, that she had. Ye may be thankful if ye niver see any av the Grane Folk. They don't be liking it and that I'm tellin ye."

"Sid says we'd be scared to death back there," she [Pat] said. "But we won't. Not even if the wee green folks of the hills Judy talks about came to our tent door and peeped in."

"But I'm going to keep on believing in fairy rings and horseshoes over the door and witches on broomsticks. It makes life so thrilling to believe in things. If you believe in a thing it doesn't matter whether it exists or not." (-Pat)

Judy really is a dear and I enjoyed finding these little gems. I often flip through Pat of Silver Bush, just picking out Judy's stories or reading the little things she says. St. Patrick's Day was the perfect excuse to read more about my favourite Irish character!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Do you "know" Judy? What other Irish characters do you like?

Rebekah

Rebekah of the Old Testament is someone I really admire. She showed faith and dedication and generosity, but I want to just point out something very important that she showed a good example of: Choice and Accountability.

I am doing women in the scriptures for my Personal Progress projects, and for Choice and Accountability I chose Rebekah. Why?

Rebekah had to make a very difficult decision: to marry a man she had never met, going with a servant whom she had just met. But that wasn't the only choice I want to focus on. She made choices before then that led to her being able to make that eternally significant choice. 

1. Rebekah obviously had grown up in the Covenant, as she was a daughter of Abraham's kinsman and she was considered a choice wife for Isaac. She made good decisions her whole life, following the Lord.

2. One of the most important choices Rebekah made was to help the stranger and his camels at the well. Rebekah could have ignored him, or refused to give him water. She could have given him water, but left his camels. She could have even decided to stay home that day. But I think she was in tune with the Spirit and He helped her make that decision. This example showed that Rebekah was hard-working, kind, and faithful. Because she decided to help that stranger, she was able to make a huge impact on "thousands of millions" of lives (Genesis 24:60) by being led to marry Isaac. 

3. Rebekah was faced with a huge decision after she welcomed the servant into her family's home and he told her and her family his mission in coming to their land. She was asked to leave her family and travel very, very far away to marry a man she had never met, simply because the servant told her it was the will of the Lord. I'm sure when she was first faced with that decision she prayed, and received her own confirmation that it was right. I think, as I pointed out before, that she was in tune with the Spirit and she was able to receive an answer. Her faith in the Lord enabled her to be able to say, "I will go." (Genesis 24:58)

The choices we make matter a lot. Little choices--and big choices--can have significance eternally. I learned from Rebekah that we need to strive to always make good decisions with the help of the Holy Ghost, and try to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do.

Here is a video, partly about Rebekah, about how our choices can affect future generations.

What are your thoughts about Rebekah or how choices can have an eternal effect?

Pride and Prejudice 1980: My Review

I was a little skeptical of Pride and Prejudice 1980 for a while, but I had heard good things about it and I knew at least that it was pretty accurate, so when I (sort of) had some extra time, I decided to watch it. 

It was good. 

Not quite "Pride and Prejudice 1995 with Colin Firth" good, but still quite good. 

Its main fault was being made in 1980, so it was not very great quality and the actors and actresses spoke a certain way that was just--you know, like a movie made in 1980. But that was a small fault, and it was really quite good besides that. 

What I Liked

Mr. Darcy

Sadly, it's hard to find a good quality picture of  him because, like I said, not the greatest quality made movie...

I really, really liked David Rintoul as Mr. Darcy. (Okay, so still not as well as Colin Firth, but for a little while I almost thought so...Much to the shock and horror of my sister...And then I watched a P&P'95 clip and I remembered that Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy.) He did the Mr. Darcy thing really well. He was properly proud and stand-offish, and he was handsome, and he spoke as Mr. Darcy quite convincingly. I think he was really good. 

Mr. Collins!!!!

This was one of two actors that I liked better in this one than the '95 one. This Mr. Collins WAS. PERFECT. Malcom Rennie did a perfect job. I liked this Mr. Collins because he portrayed the Mr. Collins of the book perfectly, it seemed to me. He was young, and ridiculous, and tall (yeah, the Mr. Collins in the book was tall, which we forget after watching '95. But I still absolutely LOVE the Mr. Collins in '95!! He's sooo hilarious and he still does the Mr. Collins thing really well, it's just that, well, he was too old and he was short and he was a little bit too slimy and not just pompous. Still love him, though.). This Mr. Collins just was the perfect combination of everything about Mr. Collins in the book. He made me laugh sooo much, just as much as he does in the book. This Mr. Collins gets a 10/10. 

Wickham

I liked this Mr. Wickham for the simple reason that he seemed to me to be much closer to the Wickham of the book. He was completely friendly and gentlemanly--you know, at least at first--and he did a better job of being convincing in telling his story and making one feel sorry for him. The Wickham in '95 seemed a little too shifty and slimy and insincere (not to mention being a little too old, which this one was not at all). It was funny, though, because Peter Settelen, who plays Wickham, also played Charlie Sloane in the 1975 "Anne of Avonlea," which I've seen many times. So it was a little weird seeing "Charlie Sloane" as Mr. Wickham. :) He was really good, though. I liked him as Wickham because he seemed a lot more like Mr. Wickham in the book. 

That's really about all I liked better than the 1995 one. The accuracy was about the same as the '95 version, except that a couple of teeny tiny details in conversations were more accurate. So as far as that went, it was good. None of that "let's change anything we can think of to make it seem like a modern American drama" stuff that's in 2005. 

What I Didn't Like As Well

The Bennet Family

Elizabeth, left; Jane, right

Left to Right: Lydia, Kitty, Mary

Mr. Bennet

Mrs. Bennet

Each member of the Bennet family was done better in 1995. They were all still good, but none of them was nearly as good as the ones in 1995, in which they were all absolutely perfect. I still liked this Bennet family, though, and they did a far better job than 2005 and I think they still did a good job of keeping it like the book. So it was good. 

(One more thing--Jane Bennet, too, was familiar: Sabina Franklyn (Jane) played Phillipa Gordon in the 1975 BBC "Anne of Avonlea." It was interesting to see "Phil" as Jane. :)

The Ending

I didn't like the ending nearly as well. That was the main thing they kind of messed up. They kept a lot of the same conversation Mr. Darcy and Lizzy had in the end of the book, but they changed it so that it finished with Elizabeth talking to Mr. Darcy. They didn't do the wedding, which I suppose was just fine as far as book accuracy goes, but I really liked that scene in P&P '95. It was fine, though. 

The Bingley family was pretty good. Still definitely not as good as the Bingleys of 1995, but tolerable, I suppose. :) 

The other minor characters were either not as good or about the same. 

Overall, I would say if you like Jane Austen's book Pride and Prejudice, then you would probably enjoy this movie. I would recommend it with the understanding that it's not as good as P&P'95. 

Have you seen Pride and Prejudice 1980? Do you want to? What do you think?