Ask Me Anything Answers--Esther's Questions

Darling Esther asked me so many questions I decided to do a separate post for hers alone, because I believe it is close to equalling everyone else's put together! Hope y'all don't mind. :D

Esther asks:

How many siblings do you have?

-Five

What is the best (as in prettiest, or whatever) name you've ever heard?

-Oooh, let's see. I've always loved the name Peter for a guy. That's pretty much the only "favourite name" I've had. I also think the name Esther is very pretty. 😉

Why are you so awesome?

No seriously. How did this come to pass? Is this like an inherited thing or can anyone do it?

-What a fine bit of nonsense coming from you! 

That's it. That's my answer.

Did you really think I could make it through a Q&A post without using this picture? Well, it probably didn't occur to you. But this is quite possibly my most oft-used P&P face pic in question-answering posts.

Advice for someone who feels like even amongst friends they are alone?

-I wrote up a long answer for this, and decided it was so long I'd make it into its own blog post. So here's that.

Favourite song at this moment?

-Battle Hymn of the Republic (it's a fun one on the piano, y'all).

Least favourite song at this moment?

-Oh, now that's interesting. Hold on, I do have an answer for this. There's this one song that my siblings (or sometimes myself, sadly) will start singing and I'll get annoyed with them...you know what, I think it's Let It Go. I think it's always Let It Go that's the annoying song at our house. Now, I don't really have anything against the song itself, or the words, it's just that it is far too catchy and annoying at this point.
(To anyone for whom this triggered it getting stuck in your head, I apologize.)

If you only had 3 days left to live, what would be the most important things for you to accomplish?

-Question for you: did you expect a serious answer? I don't feel like taking this one seriously. :p
I would eat all of my very favourite things because I wouldn't have to be worried about the long-term effects on my health. Lots of chocolate.
I'd declare my undying love to the man of my drea--what? What did you say? Oh, he doesn't exist? Dangit. Well.

If you could steal (okay fine HAVE) any fictional character's wardrobe, whose would it be?

-Oh boy. You know what, I think it would be Emily Star's. Yep. Edwardian, and there are some simply divine descriptions of her clothes in the Emily books. (L. M. Montgomery, to those who don't know. What a shock, I know.)

Forest, ocean or mountains which is the best?

-What about forest and mountains? Though if I have to choose, I'll go with forest. I love trees too much.

Favourite piece of jewelry (if you have any)

-Probably these:

Describe your bedroom (hehe a demand, I know, but just pretend it's in question format)

-Oh, you want pics? I took some when I was decorating it, being a new room and all.

(The book is "What Would Jane Do? A book that disappointingly includes movie quotes and attributes them to Jane Austen, a pet peeve of mine. :/)

(I think they're a little blurry. :/)

Favourite type of tea? (if you drink tea)

-Nope, I don't!

What do you put in your tea (again, if you do drink it), milk, sugar, etc.

-See above :D

Favourite instrument

-I play the flute and the piano, but my favourite to listen to might be the harp. 

Best instrumental music you ever heard

-Ooooh...That's hard. I love a lot of instrumental music. I might have to go with "The Firebird" by Stravinsky...not sure if that's the kind of answer you were going for, but there it is.

Favourite movie soundtrack

-'Kay, this is, like, realllly weird, but it's the old animated "The Hobbit". The sound track is. Ah. May. Zing.

The rest of the soundtrack

Favourite candle scent

-Ohhh, hmm...I've not thought about it. Probably the vanilla-brown-sugar-y type.

Which is better- straight or curly hair?

-Dependdsss...I like my hair better straight, it's so much easier to manage and it doesn't tangle nearly so bad. 

Favourite hair color?

-Auburn

What was your first word?

-Mom says it was "thank you". Didn't know that before, huh.

If you had to read one book for the rest of your life (besides the Bible) what would it be?

-Aaaah, what??? Okay, Pride and Prejudice. Because it's been proven by my best friend that one can read it, like, 15 times in 2 months and not get tired of it. And then read it two more times a month later. Yep.

(Photo cred: me)

Do you know of any songs about siblings?

-There's song that I've heard a couple of times...Hey Brother, by Avicii.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cp6mKbRTQY

Name a song you want played at your wedding
-Ooh, I don't know... Maybe Can't Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis

Name a song you want played at your funeral
-Whoa, okay. Um...Lead, Kindly Light?

Pick a song you wish someone would do a cover of. (who totally won't be me, why would you ever think that??)
-Hmm, a song I want you to do a cover of? I'd love to hear something from the Broadway Cinderella musical.

When is your birthday?
-End of May

Favourite constellation?
-What? Hadn't thought about that either. How about the Little Dipper.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?
-Night owl

Name a book you thought would be terrible but was actually good
-I don't read books that I think will be terrible. :D

Name a book you thought would be good and was terrible
-Hmmmm I really can't think of any.

What is a song that always makes you happy?
-El Grillo, by Josquin. :D

What is a song that can make you cry/be really sad?
-Oh, boy. A lot of the songs from Les Mis.

What is the worst song you have ever heard?
-Ugh, there are a lot of awful songs. Lots of pop songs and (how many people would I offend if I said I really don't like country music? Sorry).

Who is your favourite youtuber?
-Jordan Taylor/Blimey Cow

What is the latest title for a song/story/essay/whatever that you made up?
-The last thing I wrote...I think it was an essay. I took an English Comp class this summer. Let me look. Okay, the "Saved As" title on Microsoft Word is "Final Exam (!!!)" but the title is "From Passive Agreement to Active Obligation". I'm really bad at coming up with titles; I really don't like it.

What is the last book that made you laugh out loud?
-It was one of the "Wide-Awake Princess" books by E. D. Baker. They're fun, easy reads. :D

When you are old, what memory do you want to be the one you tell your grandkids over and over? (example: I want mine to be when I get engaged [if/when that ever happens])
-Oh boy, I don't know. I like your example. That could very well be it.

What fictional character do you think you would be best friends with in real life?
-Okay, the first people that came to mind, I really don't think I'd be best friends with. Like, not Elizabeth Bennet or Anne Shirley. Not Margaret Hale. Not Amy Dorrit. Like, none of them are quite the kind of person I, personally, would be best friends with. I adore them all, but y'know.
Okay, y'know, I think I could actually get on quite well with Molly Gibson.

She needs a good best friend, anyway.

Whew! There we go! Thanks for all the questions, Esther!

The rest of y'all's question answers are coming soon! If you haven't and want to, you can ask questions here.

Alone Amongst Friends

Esther asked me this question in my "Ask Me Anything", and my answer was so long that I decided to make it its own blog post.

This is for everyone, though.

Advice to those who feel alone, even amongst friends:

I am oh, so familiar with this situation. So, a little bit of background. In the church group I was part of for the last 9 years before I moved, this was a constant thing for a while. When I first moved there, it was all fine and fabulous; I was thrilled to have girls my age where in the last group there were only boys. There were several of us that were all pretty good friends, and I felt like I fit in. Then we got older, and at a certain age the girls would move up to the next group. I was very close to the youngest, so that was the beginning of the problem. I was behind in the younger group, and the other girls were all super close, in the older group. I naively thought that once I joined them it would all be well again, and we'd all be the jolly bunch we were before. Naturally, I was wrong.

You see, I was different. I always had been, and it was becoming clearer. Not all the differences were good, but some were.

One particular difference was that each other girl, at an unnecessarily young age I might add, had themselves a "boyfriend". Me, I've never had one of those things and I don't want one just yet, thank you very much. But here another difference came to view, too. I was pretty darn tactless. And pretty naive. (I may as well add here that I was the only homeschooled one of them all; take what you want from that. :D) I was, frankly, a little "goody-goody" and not very polite about telling the other girls they shouldn't have boyfriends. I don't really blame them too much for telling me "who cares" and "shut up", and I really am not surprised that I was pretty pointedly excluded from the group and definitely from conversations after that.

Of course, I felt dreadfully alone. And among those who were supposed to be my friends. 

Around this time, however, I made a couple of other friends with girls my age who shared my view of things in many ways, and we became very close. Since then I have made many good, uplifting, kindred spirit friends.

That isn't exactly the solution, though; not the whole solution. Though I do 100% recommend finding friends who really make you feel like you belong.

So, of course, part of not feeling alone, and feeling like you belong, is fitting in. And I think we all have a natural desire, at least a little bit, to fit in. Right? We want to belong. I don't know what your situation is, but in my situation at least, fitting in would require lowering my standards. In dating, as well as in things like clothing and music. I was faced with a choice: fit in, or keep my standards where I wanted them. It. Was. Hard. Until, over time, I realized something.

I don't want to fit in. 

Standing out is not a bad thing.

And once I realized that I realized that, things began to change. I realized that even though I didn't agree with the other girls' decisions, I could find other things to talk about with them, and still be friends with them, and such.

And you know what? Those girls, those same girls, are some of my very best friends in the entire world and I love them all with all my heart. I cried to move away from them. 

Now. I can't promise that this will happen for you. I certainly can't. And I don't know your situation. But to sum up my advice, I have two things:

One, find people with whom you feel you belong. People who make you feel loved. 

Two, know that it's okay to not fit in, and instead of focusing on fitting in focus on how you can be friends with and love people just the same. If that makes sense.

I wish you all the best, my dears. And if you're ever feeling particularly alone, feel free to email me. My email is over there on the sidebar. I love you all, darlings! My heart goes out to all of you who have been or are in this situation. Keep smiling.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

All right, ladies. I think I've at last decided I can follow the example of so many others of you and do an...

Ask Me Anything!

I think I can handle the responsibility of doing a follow-up post. As in, I think I have time to write one up. So...give me your questions! You can ask absolutely anything you like, any personal questions, any theoretical questions, anything, and in return for that gracious favour I shall retain the privilege of refusing to answer questions if necessary or if I simply feel like it. But still, like I said, ask absolutely anything you want and I shall answer (or not answer) as I please.

Ask away!

~Tempest in a Teacup~ (Pinterest)

Little Dorrit...Take 2

I'm rewatching Little Dorrit, and goodness me, I'd forgotten how much there was that I didn't like! To be sure, the ending left me with such a happy image last time that I have always thought of it as a marvellous series. This time, however, watching it, I'm reminded of how dark and evil it is.

I think part of the difference is because last time, I was reading and watching it at the same time. I would read a section, then watch the corresponding segment. Which was somewhat helpful for keeping track of the plots and characters. I think that helped keep it balanced, too. Because dark as Dickens may be, the book wasn't as dark as the movie. For one, at the very least, there wasn't the creepy music. Also, I think that Monsiuer Blandois Rigaud is exaggerated more in the movie. Or maybe it's the actor. I'm not sure, but while he is still pure evil in the book, he seems so much more evil in the movie. He feels so evil. I think his theme creepy music has something to do with that, too. Whatever it is, it feels like pure evil whenever he's onscreen.

I think I'd also forgotten how much that wasn't good besides Rigaud. There are a total of about...seven characters off the top of my head that are actually good whom I actually like. And a whole lot more than that that aren't.

Like Amy's family! They bother me soooo much. Auuuuuggggghhhh. I want to slap them all in the face frequently. JUST SHUT UP. LEAVE AMY ALONE. GO THROW YOURSELF OFF A CLIFF FOR SPEAKING TO HER LIKE THAT.

Aaaaggghhh.

(Side note. Is anyone shocked to hear Rae speaking in such a manner? If so, I do hope you do not find it too vulgar and inappropriate.)

But really. They are SO unjust and unfair and so blind and they treat Amy horridly. They blame her for everything. They oppress her. They emotionally abuse her. And what does she do? She smiles, loves them, bears it like the perfect saint she is. She deserves so much better than that horrid family of hers, and fortunately she gets her happiness in the end but FOR TWENTY-ONE YEARS she had to put up with that.

Aaaugghhh.

It just makes me so mad.

*Deep breaths*

Flintwinch. What on earth?! I don't like him a bit. 

Mrs. Clennam. More dark scenes and creepy music. I don't like it.

(Also. In the book it just said "D. N. F." so it was not quite so blatantly obvious what it meant.)

Oh, and this time watching it, I skipped the first four episodes. I know what happens enough, and I remembered the second half being better than the first (I know the first 4 isn't nearly half; that's just how much I skipped). 

I just finished episode 10. I'll finish watching it, I just wanted to stop and write down my thoughts so far before I forgot it all in the happy ending. 

So.

I believe I shall finish watching, and then continue this post, and who knows? Perhaps there may be some good in this post after all.

*finishes watching Little Dorrit and comes back a couple days later and finishes post without rereading above*

 Okay, I adore Edmund Sparkler. He is absolutely hilarious.

And Mrs. Finching--Flora--!!! She cracked me up. For real. I laughed aloud in a couple of her scenes (and those were the only times I laughed in the movie) (maybe) (no, I laughed aloud at Edmund Sparkler, too). Especially the first scene where Amy goes to her house. I couldn't stop laughing. She's a riot. I adore her. She has a very good soul and heart, too. I wish her the best. She has absolutely no malice in her. She's a dear. And she's hilarious.

And JOOOHHHNNNN.

*cries*
You know the scene where he's talking to Mr. Clennam as soon as he comes to the Marshalsea? (I feel like I spelled that wrong, please correct me.) That was the only scene in which I cried. And I mean, like, sobbed, like John. And I never sob in movies. (So we can blame this phenomenon either on John or on the fact that I became a crybaby this summer.) But stiiiiilllllll!!!!!!
I adore John and he deserves the absolute best.
 ((SIDE NOTE:
HERE'S SOMETHING that I posed to Naomi that I'm kind of unsure about BUT--
If you've read Rilla of Ingleside, hear me.
Una
and
John Chivery
???
Okay so I'm kinda shipping it right now. Hear me out. They'd both understand each other perfectly when it comes to losing the person they've loved since children. And that would always be part of their relationship, that understanding. BUT they're both so sweet and Amy and Una are not dissimilar and while John and Walter aren't very similar, I think Una would learn to love him quite well. It may seem like a step down after Walter, but hear me out (some more). John is actually like, perfect. He is the perfect gentleman. He'd do literally anything for those he loves. Maybe he's "not as good as Walter"??? but I'd say let's not compare them, and just recognize each for their individual perfection. Because they're both perfect in different ways. And I think John Chivery would be perfect for Una. And Una would be perfect for John.
One more thing. Someone, maybe it was Naomi? Ok fine I'll go see if I can find it...(Oh hey, Naomi has a marvellous new blog look, love it)...*goes and looks for the thing*... It wasn't Naomi, great, let me see...
Okay was that boring enough?
Let me continue.
Someone made a dream cast of Rilla of Ingleside once that cast Claire Foy (who plays Little D) as Una. That's all I was trying to say. But I have no clue who it was.
Okay. *sighs and goes to Google* I'll find it.
IT WAS AMY AT Yet Another Period Drama Blog IN 2012 okay.
Here you go.
She even mentions Little Dorrit but I didn't remember that because I had barely heard of it when I first read this.

Okay, END LOOOONG SIDE NOTE))

(Does something that long count as a side note?) (Maybe it should be its own post?) (Too bad.)

Okay, so I think this post is a dreadful enough mess. Perhaps I should wrap it up?

Oh, one more thing. I do LOVE the ending of Little Dorrit. In fact, I find the entire last episode to be marvellous. Which is good. What's the point of watching something if it doesn't leave a good taste in your mouth?

Now, tell me what you think. Of all that.

Summer Photographs

Here's a collection of some of my favourite pictures I've taken this summer. They were all taken with my phone camera, so excuse if some show up as poor quality on a larger screen. I shall hope for the best. 

July 4th fireworks

daylily

daisy

pine branches in the evening

my great-grandmother's barn

Scrabble with my sister

a kiss in the rain (Rae must have her humour) (it was really raining)

rays of sunshine

purple clover & daisies

sprinkler

dandelion

sunlight & leaves

wineberry

morning sky

countryside walk

wheat

by the river

cornflower

sun & trees

(I'm sure the labels were immensely helpful :p )

Hope you all enjoyed this!

New Header!

I've finally made a new header! I rather like this one. I do enjoy designing things. Putting pieces together to make something nice. 

Anyway, here it is! This will do for late summer and fall if it has to...we'll see if I make another fall one. :)

(Oh, and the photo credit for the third picture goes to me :)

And I'm afraid my background is both a) one I've used before and b) one of the Blogger stock backgrounds, but I was having a simply dreadful time trying to find something better. And this one looks quite nice, I think, so it will do. Perhaps I'll change it...but knowing me, that's not likely.

How has y'all's summer been? Who's going back to school soon? How's life? Etc. :D

This Title Is Deceiving

Indeed

But here's the thing, I can't really title a post like this. So we'll see how it goes.

YOU LADIES ARE AMAZING.

YOU GUYS ARE SERIOUSLY THE BESTESTEST.

SERIOUSLY.

HERE IS THIS GIF BECAUSE YOU ALL DESERVE MR. DARCY'S SMILE

You ladies who frequent my corner of the blogosphere are some of the sweetest, most supportive, understanding, amazing people I know. Your comments have made my day so many times. Your blog posts (if you have a blog) have made me laugh or cheered me up on many occasions. But seriously, I just want to THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.

(Sorry, sorry, she just describes that emotion too well... *sigh*)

You guys have been super supportive when I've complained, which has been all I've done at times. When I've done a "pop in" post simply to say "sorry I haven't been here in forever" you all have been "so happy to see me!" and so very understanding of being busy with school. You've shown sympathy through my school, especially Calculus as I complained about that quite a bit. You've all been such understanding dears and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS HAS MADE MY DAY. I don't know if you guys know how much your sweet, darling comments have made me smile, laugh, say "awwww" or all of the above (Miss March, your comments have made me do all of the above without fail, at least as far as I can remember) (SO HAVE SO MANY OTHERS). You guys are seriously the sweetest and the best. 

**Hugs to you all!!!**

And then with this move, that I narrated in my last three posts, YOU GUYS ARE SO GREAT. Your comments have been so sweet and supportive and understanding and sympathetic and your comments made my day many times over. Seriously. I almost cried at some of them. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. 

Aaaaaaahhh. I don't know how to express what I want to say.

I am so grateful to be blessed with the friendship of so many dear ladies.

Okay.
Next.
I have not read y'all's blog posts these past couple of months. And I'm quite sure that you all have delightful posts I hate to have missed. So here's what I want you to do.
Pick 1, 2, or 3 of your posts from since my official taking leave, or if I missed it before then, that you want me to read, and link to them in the comments. I'll read and comment on the ones you link me to. I look forward to reading y'all's posts again!!!

Another thing. Check this out. It isn't my best post, I wrote it a great while ago, but you should go read it anyway. To support the P&P'95 forever club which isn't a very active blog, but WE ARE ALL MEMBERS IN OUR HEARTS are we not, whether officially or not.
So.

Also, I just want to say, I watched both Pride and Prejudice (I would say 1995 but isn't that redundant by now?) and Wives and Daughters this week and I LOVE BOTH OF THOSE SO MUCH. (Obviously P&P is the best movie ever and I love it a little more than W&D, but I still LOOOVE Wives and Daughters. If you haven't seen it, go do it. Now.)

I think that's all...
AGAIN YOU ALL ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST AND I LOVE YOU
And don't forget to comment with those links!
Have a marvellous week!!!