just bookin it.

Liza got me thinking about some of the fictional books I read as a kid that have just STUCK. Like the ones that have been passed on to the next 2nd grader for enjoyable consumption, and are a fast favorite. Here are some of those sorts of series:

 

All of a Kind of a Family Series

The Orphelines Series

The Railway Children

The Moffats Collection 

The Betsy-Tacy Series

What series did you enjoy as a little kid? 
-Sarah

Celebrating Musicals Blog Party: Wicked

Miss Dashwood (Or Gertie, as I'm privileged to call her), is a lovely young lady who runs Yet Another Period Drama which has a whole fandom of its own. Seriously. Like fan-girls and fans of fan-girls, etc. She's witty and funny and knows far too many lines of musicals for her own good. You can't read a post without either a song lyric or a movie-quote coming out a couple times. And you know how Sarah and I (and all the rest) love Broadway musicals!
So when dear Gertie went ahead and announced the Celebrate Musicals Week, in fine detail, I knew we had to participate! This blog has been absolutely dull as powder when it comes to "Audience Participation", you know, so we are hoping that if we come to the party, y'all will join us. ;)
The directions for Celebrate Musicals Week are that we, as the bloggers, were to choose one musical (go ahead and cut off my other arm and legs, m'kay?) and write several posts about it throughout the party. (There are to be tags and such as well.) Sarah and I really wanted to do Newsies, but after some thought we changed our minds and we will be focusing on the Wizard of Oz-inspired Broadway musical: Wicked.

Wicked is one of those musicals that you would find yourself humming before you even knew the story behind the show because the music is just that catchy and just that good. I have heard that the books Wicked is based off are no good at all--rather skanky in parts--so please don't trot off and get them from the library. But: "the music! ahhhh, such music..." as Mr. Tumnus would say. It's brilliant. From "Dancing Through Life" to "For Good", from ""Defying Gravity" to "Popular", Wicked is stuffed with the best of Broadway. As far as plot goes, the show follows the lives of Glinda, and the Wicked Witches of the East and West as well as the Tin-Man, the Scarecrow, and The Cowardly Lion of Wizard of Oz fame...but with a definite twist that will leave you on the edge of your seat with a lump in your throat. A must watch for fans of Oz!

 

So to kick off the party, let's start with some facts about this brilliant, passionate show!

• During the first big "quick change" of the show, 17 actors change from the mob to students in 1.5 minutes (including costumes, wigs, and shoes).
• In one year, the costuming department on Broadway used 1,000 feet of steel cable to restring the flying monkeys' wings.

 

• There are 179 different types and finishes of leather used in shoes, gloves, hats, and costume trims in the show.
• The show (on Broadway) uses 250 pounds of dry ice per show, while the traveling casts use 200. 
• The dragon's wingspan is the same as a Cessna 172
• All 90 wigs are made of human hair and specially crafted to fit the hairline of the actor wearing it for the most realistic look!
• Wicked was Broadway's #1 show for nine consecutive years.
• Wicked recovered it's $14,000,000 investment in 14 months. (Most shows take 2-3 years)

  

Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth started the roles and, in my humblest of Broadway-fan's opinions, think that there will never be a pairing quite this amazing. Kristen really is Galinda ("It's Guh-Linda..."), I'm quite certain, and for passion and heart and the ensuing bitterness when that heart is shattered, no one can match Idina Menzel. All you have to do is listen to "Defying Gravity" and hear the pathos in her voice.

In the week to come, stay tuned for our review of seeing the show live, The Modern Girls' Guide to Glitz by Galinda, The Introvert's Guide to Falling in Love and Flying With It by Elphaba, and more! So get your sparkle on, tame a flying monkey, and get ready for a week of  Oz-someness! ;)

Movie Quote Contest!!! Come one, come all!

Since It's been FOREVER since we've done one of these, Sarah and I made a movie quotes challenge for you! The rules are simple: Don't Google it (or any other search engine for that matter), but you MAY ask family members for their opinion. For each quote you have two choices of movies. (The correct movie is shown, be assured.) Leave your answers in a comment and we'll announce a winner when we return from our family camping trip on Wednesday! We have chosen quotes from movies spanning from the 40's (or earlier) to movies that have come out quite recently. Your job is to choose which are which. :)

Ready?

Set?

Go!!!

1.) "Who's got worts?"

Pride and Prejudice 2005                                or The Sword in the Stone

2.) "What is this mania with the Oriental?"

Cranford

The King and I

3.) "Fried chicken just tend to make you feel better about life."

The Help

Gone with the Wind

4.) "Look, genius, you're part of a TV show."

Bolt

I Love Lucy

5.) Character One: "We read five times that you were killed, in five different places."
Character Two: "As you can see it was true every time."

Casablanca

Davy Crockett

6.) Character One: "Is that all you've got? A cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner?"

Character Two: "Sweetheart, that could be the name of my autobiography."

Iron Man 3

Star Trek

7.) "I'm a concert pianist...that's a pretentious way of saying I'm unemployed at the moment."

Singing in the Rain

An American in Paris

8.) "Cuz I out-rank you, that's why. Now stop beatin' your gums and sound the attack!"

Sergeant York

The Aristocats

9.) Character One: "Beautiful house. Sweet little...rabbit."
Character Two: "It's a hare, actually."

Amazing Grace

Miss Potter

10.) Character One: "...I fear you have burdened me with a debt I can never fully repay."
Character Two: "Nonsense. Name a shrub after me. Something prickly and hard to eradicate."

The Swiss Family Robinson

Master & Commander

Movie Review: War Horse

War Horse (2011)

Starring: Jeremy Ervine, Emily Watson, and David Thewlis

This film tells the exciting story of a horse and his boy. But unlike those normal animal/man bonds, this tale is not nice and pretty. Set in 1914, it follows the journeys and trials of a thoroughbred horse, Joey through World War I. Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) lives in Dartmoor, England on his family's quiet, working farm. When his father unexpectedly buys a young, spunky thoroughbred horse, Albie gets the opportunity to train and raise it as his own. The two become inseparable buddies, but that's when the war starts. I won't spoil the movie for any of you (I know even Rachel hasn't watched it yet!) but here's a layout of the characters:

Albie Narracott: The so-called hero of the movie. He's about 17 or so when the movie starts, and learns so much about courage, bravery, and friendship through the tough surroundings of war. 

Joey (the warhorse): Just a spirited horse, he sees a lot, and befriends a special boy. Follow his trail, and experience the war through his eyes.

Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan): Albie's dad. He's a pretty heavy drinker, but is trying with all his might to keep his farm, against all odds.

Rose Narracott (Emily Watson): Albie's mother. She is a very opinionated, but very kind English lady, who's heart is to support her family. 

Andrew Easton (Matt Milne): Albie's best friend. A tad simple, but sticks with his chum through thick and thin.

Lyons (David Thewlis): I guess he'd be one of the villains in this story. The stingy, mean, and cold-hearted landlord of the Narracotts, he just has to make life hard for them.

Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) : A young cavalry officer, he's real good fellow. :) Not your average army captain---he's kind-hearted and brave.

Major Jamie Stewart (Benedict Cumberbatch): May I just say that Benedict made a great British cavalry guy? :D But really, he did a great job, and....well...I won't say more...*hint of a sniff*

Lt. Waverly, left

Lieutenant Charlier Waverly (Patrick Kennedy): A pretty minor character, but I had to stick him in here somewhere, because of the love/hate relationship I got with him through watching Bleak House. ;) 

(couldn't find a film still of him)

Sergeant Fry (Eddie Marsan): :P He's totally minor as well...but I was very surprised to see Pancks in a uniform and 

Emilie (Celine Buckens): This young French girl has lived with her "grandpere" since her father and mother's deaths. She certainly is the "boss" but crack open her slightly bold shell and you find a girl who just wants to know the truth.

Grandpere (Niels Arestrup): Emilie's grandfather, he's a pretty worried man.

By shielding his granddaughter from the ugly truths of life, he isn't quite on the right track. But the love he has for his daughter's child is quite sweet.

Haha! Sorry these are going on and on! There are just so many great characters in this awesome movie! :D 

Pros: This movie is such a fantastic, gripping and sweet story! The characters really grow on you, the plot moves along nicely, and the whole war side of things is done very tastefully. The acting is superb! A great film to watch with a middle to older audience. (It shows a realistic view of war, which means there is some violence-- some of which is off-scene, but it the content is still intense) And the soundtrack! It's soooo beautiful!

Cons: There is a little bit of language (the officer, when in the midst of battles use the "h--" word a couple times) and of course violence with the whole war subject. I wouldn't recommend it for a entire family film, but for a mid-range group (11ish up) it's a remarkably done movie.

My all over opinion is this: The film is stupendous! I've already watched it twice and won't tire of it easily. The soundtrack's been on this blog since before I even saw the movie, and will stay on. ;) I loved seeing familiar faces throughout, too!
                    Hope this was entertaining, and make sure you get a chance to watch this soon!

-Sarah

p.s. are you all interested in more movie/book reviews? Please leave a comment and let me know. :)

Spreading Oodles of Holiday Cheer :)

I woke up this morning to the ground covered in a thick, white, layer of....

Frost. :)

We are timidly remembering that by this time last year we had had one very large snowstorm and another one coming up right on Christmas....this year? Let's just say it was almost 70 degrees till a week ago. Truly, I can sing with a boy I used to know:

 "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....just like the ones we never have!!!" ;)

So what's a girl to do when the weather outside is positively sweaty, yet Christmas is bloomin' in her heart? Let me name just a few things...

We can bake gingerbread men by the dozen and sigh over how darned cute they are...

We can drink gobs of hot chocolate and fish the last chunks of marshmallows out with our fingers... :)

We can sing "Jingle-Bell Rock" at the top of our lungs and dance around the living room in a manner that would astonish and delight you. ;)

We can wrap Christmas presents and pile them under the tree yelling, "Don't squeeze yours!!!" at the top of our lungs to anyone in hearing.

We can walk in and out of the front door just to smell the greenery...

We can lick our candy-canes into sharp points and have mock duels with them until they break and we have to eat them...

We can all wear Santa-hats and run around the house yelling "Mewwy Cwissmas!" at gale-force volume...

(crazy girl!)

We can wear diminutive wreaths on our head and wander around the house looking angelic and saintly and altogether useless. ;)

 

We can re-read A Christmas Carol and scare ourselves deliciously, knowing there's a smashingly happy ending by the last page...

We can sip egg-nog and try to like it...

We can stand outside on the frostiest of nights when the stars are just pin-pricks and our breath hangs white on the air, and hum "Carol of the Bells" to nobody in particular.

We can mull cider and try not to swallow the cloves as we drink it...

We can fling Christmas Cheer to everyone we meet, even if that everyone is limited to our cat...

We can watch Eloise at Christmastime and half-way wish were 6 years old and living at the Plaza Hotel...

Did I mention that my sister, Gracie *is* Eloise? I mean, a real Eloise. :)

Yes. All these things and lots more are do-able, even if there isn't any snow on the ground. After all, we Virginians are well-versed in combined New England Christmas charm with Floridian temperatures. :P

~Rachel