My O-PIN-ions

And yes I just stressed the "PIN" in "Opinions" because I wanted to share my thoughts on a few pins and I just realized that "opinions" has the word "pin" in it.
Ahem. Yes, I'm a little bit of a dork, thank you.

~*~ 

I found this pin rather interesting. Where is this girl at, where's she headed, what is her situation? Is that a graveyard? It is early in the morning, and she looks quite distressed. Maybe her step-family hates her. Maybe her step-sisters make her do all the work. Maybe she shall meet a handsome prince in the woods. 

Just maybe. What do you think?

~*~

From 'Giphy'

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Let me take a second to appreciate this gif, which is from one of my favorite I Love Lucy episodes (actually I lied. They are all my favorite). It is "Lucy Wants a Paris Gown". It is one of the episodes when the Ricardos and the Mertzes are in Europe. Needless to say, Lucy and Ethel decide they want designer dresses from Paris, so Fred and Ricky stick fancy labels on potato sacks and feed bags and tell the girls they're designer gowns. 

So in the gif, Lucy is flouncing proudly around wearing her 'designer Paris gown' in public, while Ricky is relishing this moment of his deception. I LOVE her earrings, btw.

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This adorable picture from 'The Sound of Music'. I never really enjoyed that movie too much, to be honest. Which is surprising, as I'm supposed to be the huge WWII fanatic and all that. I don't know. Maybe I just don't absolutely LOVE Julie Andrews. 

But this picture! His smile is so nice, and her dress was my dream outfit as a child. Look at those walls too! Is he rich or is he RICH?

Still, it's been awhile since I've seen the movie, so maybe I ought to watch it again now that I'm a little older before I go around saying I dislike it. Ah well. :P 

~*~

From 'Buzzfeed'.

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So let me tell you something funny: When I first saw this pin on my feed, I thought that it was one of those old-fashioned dance card thingies, like they have in the Anne of Green Gables movie. So I thought, what kind of question is that for a dance card? Who wrote that anyways? Is he/she trying to propose in a really weird way or something? "Here's a dance card for you. DARLING. Now before you even ACCEPT my proposal, just lemme ask you this question." 

And then I saw my error and realized it was an idea for a wedding. :P  There's me for you. I know I've got a funny little brain.

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From Photobucket

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THIS GIF. AHAHHAH. I find this immensely hilarious. I don't even watch Doctor Who. Sure, I know it's British and timey-wimey, and all that jazz, but it's just not my thing, you know? But I still manage to know all about it because some of my siblings watch it. 

Just look at the way the Doctor's ears stick up over the hat. XD And River's hair... it's so curly and gorgeous. She always reminds me a little of Sharona from Monk in appearance. And Rory is just standing there being cute.

I feel like no one even knew what a fez was until this show came along. *puts on fez because fezzes are cool*

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From El Ojo Lector

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This painting intrigues me. It makes me think of the Scarlet Pimpernel (which I NEED to read again... *bangs head on table because I have little time to read these days... much less things I've ALREADY read*). I always like paintings if they speak to me somehow, or if I like something about them. For example: I really like the tulle-looking-stuff on her hat. And her little cat. Or is that a dog? *shrugs* She's obviously out for a pleasure walk. 

And the man there, gazing at her. Or is he just glancing? What do you say? Is he gazing or glancing? Perhaps he is in love with her, but afraid to say so to her face. Or perhaps she has rejected him, and is now ignoring him, which pains him mightily. Or perhaps they are just passing by each other and he tipped his hat and is now about to return into his home.

Say, what's the name of this painting, anyways? I don't know. :P

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I must say I appreciated this pin when I saw it because now I will never have to wonder why ghosts pass through walls. Isn't that the most handy piece of information? Seriously, I could use this for a story or something. Even though I don't write ghost stories. : / But still.

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This gif.

From The Lord of the Rings.

Which is amazing.

Because that guard person looks completely amused.

And Viggo is looking very serious.

And Peter Jackson is wearing a pink boa. A PINK BOA.

And these people obviously had WAY TOO MUCH FUN on the set during the making of these movies. 

Yep, I'm a fan. Such a fan.

~*~

From FanPop

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Melting into a puddle of sparkling happiness because I found this pic of Mr. Firth being made into Mr. Darcy, and he's even got his serious face on. 
 ~*~

Ok, one last pin. For the Queen of England's birthday, which was a few weeks ago.

From Quickmeme

You're welcome, Queen. Now pardon me while I go have tea and crumpets.
~*~

So yeah. Now my secret's out and you all know what I like to do in my spare time when I'm not reading books or working on my novel or doing crafts.
 It's called PINTEREST, and WE GOT IT.

Have a nice day. 

-Phoebe

~April is my Favorite Month~

So, you might as well know, April is my favorite month of the year.

To me, April means:
The anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, on the 14th. It was a very sad event. But, I remember it every year. This year, I am listening to Adam Young's RMS Titanic album in remembrance of it.Click here to listen to the album.  My favorite tracks are probably "Distress Call", and "Lifeboats". I also really like "Maiden Voyage", because it sounds so pretty and energetic and Irish-y with the pipes playing. :) It also has some piano playing, which is very pretty. Anyways, listening to the songs just remind me of the sinking in 1912.

So yeah, I'm going to be listening to the album while I finish writing this post, do you mind?
Oh, and one more thing about Adam that I will mention at the end of this post. :)

Flowerrrrrrrs! And birds! And green grass! I'm just so ecstatic that the green color has now returned to the world, at least for awhile yet. Until September or so. Thankfully I'm not one of those people who get really allergic to the fresh wildflowers or the pollen, so I enjoy taking walks with myself and seeing the flowers (or weeds... if there are dandelions. I like to think that they're flowers. : / ). It was a bit rainy today, but I got to take some nice flower pictures. :)

 They look pink rather than purple, because of being so unhealthy last year.

We have a lilac bush in our yard, and last year we were upset because we thought it was dying. The leaves had a strange powdery texture, and there were no blooms on it. Fortunately, we have had some lilacs this year, but only a few. As you can see, the color isn't very vivid or bright, and it's a little brownish in some places, but hopefully the bush is almost through with whatever disease it had last year.  

And then of course, we have those romantic little purple flowers that cover the ground like a carpet.

  
I always look forward to those. :) Don't mind my fingernail in the picture, I went to the store earlier and was testing some nail polish out. 

Rain! I just love rain. Rain is romantic. It sounds amazing, it smells amazing, it feels amazing. Seriously, have you ever gone walking in the rain before? In the olden days, people thought you got a cold by being in the rain (Jane Bennet, anyone?), but that's absurd. Well, not absurd. It's true that being in the rain lowers your immunity, or some other such fact that I don't remember. :P Ah well. I just love rain, people.

 
 And no, I did not take this lovely picture. I find it very difficult to take pictures of rain. :P 

School is almost over! And I will miss it, like I do every year. Yes, it is a thing to be had, for here is one who enjoys her schoolwork! I know I'm not the only one. Shout out to you if you're reading this and you miss your school mid-summer. Well, at least when I miss it too much I can work on my book to stave off the feeling. 

Sure is.

 Ok, one little last fun thing about this April being special, that I mentioned up at the top, is that Adam Young  just came out with a new worship song, Come Thou Fount! I don't know about you, but that was always one of my favorite hymns. I like how he didn't mess with the lyrics like a lot of artists do nowadays. He also sings In Christ Alone , and , How Deep the Father's Love For Us, if you like those. 

Anyways. That's my post. :) I am almost finished with the HUMONGOUS Circle series by Ted Dekker, and if I can possibly write my thought on such a huge series in under 50,000 words, you should see a review up on the Ol' Blog pretty soon. :) 
Bye! 
Oh, and here's a pic of Vivien Leigh. :)

 

Not My Typical Journal Entry...

Dear Journal:
I know it's been awhile since I've written in you, and I apologize for that. : / But you know how it is. Anyways, I decided to write about today, because I did something I'd never done before, and had a splendid time of it. That's worth writing in a diary, isn't it?

You know how I love "The Book Thief". I got it for Christmas because it was recommended to me, and at the time I was beginning to be interested in the WWII era (and I still am). To be honest, however, the first chapter I found a little boring. And I was wondering if I had made a mistake by putting it on my Christmas list.
Of course, I kept at it (persistent reader that I am), and a few more chapters into the game found me interested. And it just kept getting better, and better.
I read it slowly, savored every word (except for the OCCASIONAL swear word. :P), and devoured the book whole.
By the end of the book, I was SOBBING. I mean, wow. What a book. What. A. Book. It was a work of art, really. I started to respect that guy, Markus Zusak, who wrote it. You don't read a book like his every day. And for that, I'm grateful to him.

Um... actually, in Nazi German she would NOT have been dressed that nice. That coat... those shoes...nope. It wouldn't have happened. Just sayin'.

Well, diary, you know I've never met a famous person before, or else I would've written about it.

It just so happens that Markus Zusak came to a library in my town. Thank heavens for my friend who told me, or I never would've known about it at all.
The event started at 7 pm, but the little flyer thingy said that 'early arrival is recommended'. Well yeah, the guy's famous, for Pete's sake. So, I grabbed my Book Thief (and my camera), and we headed to the library. We got there quite early, so we were almost at the beginning of the line. As we waited for the doors to open, the line of waiting people behind us became longer, and longer... and longer. We got a seat up front thankfully, because we were one of the first ones in, but even 45 minutes after we got seated, I kept turning around to check the empty seats, and every time I looked, fans just kept on filing in.
And filing in.
And filing in.
There were over a thousand fans.
To see the guy who wrote The Book Thief.

Again, her clothes are WAY too nice for the era.

Time wore on, the fans kept filing, and the anticipation built. By this time, I'd been waiting for 2 1/2 hours, and I was pretty sore from staying in the same place for so long.

Finally, the whole board of whatever director of the library came up, and did her little shpeel about "being so grateful blah blah for our sponsor.... and these great blah individuals who blah blah made this event possible blah blah blah..."
...until FINALLY.
The guy came on stage!
And I set my own eyes upon him in person! And he had the most glorious Australian accent... which I enjoyed immensely... and he told funny stories... and he talked about the book thief (of course)... and he answered our questions. It was a great presentation. I really, really enjoyed myself. I brought my little notebook, to write down my inspirations from his speech.

"People think you have to have a good imagination to be a writer.

Not true. You just have to have a lot of problems."

-Markus Zusak

"I've written five books. Four of them mean something me, and one of them 

means everything to me. And that's The Book Thief."

-Markus Zusak

(When asked which character from the book he actually loves the most)

"I love Rudy more than anyone in the book. By no means would I let him live through the end.

I know that may sound cold, and hard, and evil. Well, that's just because... I am."
-Markus Zusak

That one brought the house down.

I also finally realized that his last name is pronounced with the z sound, and not the s sound. There is no s sound in his name, in case you ever wondered.

If you can't tell, dear Journal, I had a wondrous blessed time listening to his presentation. But that wasn't even the best part!

After he finished speaking, and we finished asking our many questions, we all got to stand in line and get our books signed, one group at a time. Since we arrived pretty early, not only did we get in the building first, and get our seats first, we got in the book-signing line sooner than most. We were in group 2 out of 17, which isn't bad.

I have to admire that guy Markus because HE PROBABLY SIGNED OVER A THOUSAND BOOKS AND HE DREW A LITTLE PICTURE INSIDE EACH ONE.

I saw each person in front of me get their books signed, and then, finally, it was my turn! I gave him my book, and while he signed it and drew his little thingy inside, I mentioned how much I enjoyed his book.
I know he probably forgot about me by the time I walked out of that room, I mean, he was probably just focusing on writing... writing... writing... WRITING IN A THOUSAND BOOKS! Still, I was glad to tell him how much his book meant to me. Even if he'll never remember what I said for the rest of his life. :) Well, at least he knows that his fans love him. :)

And then, after all that, we finally went home. Occasionally, in the car, even in the dark, every so often I would open up my little book, and gaze at the title page:

It made me so happy, and I was beaming all the way home. :)
It was a splendid time, and the whole thing really was like a dream.
But after all, I'm very glad that it WASN'T a dream!
Signing off now...
Yours Truly,

p.s. This is my only signed book other than the one my friend signed, which I talked about in THIS post!

The Struggle is Real for Writers

Me: *taking a deep satisfied breath* Aaaahhhh a whole evening all to myself! What shall I do today, on this fine Sunday evening? I think I'll work on my book. Yes, that's what I'll do. 

Computer: Wait. What did you just say?

Me: I said, I'm going to work on my book.

Computer: Oh. That's what I thought you said.

Me: Leave me alone, computer. I have important work to do.

Computer: Are you kidding me?

Me: No, I'm not, now go away!

Computer: I will not! You love me, remember?

Me: Nevermind that. Just keep quiet. *turns back on computer*

Computer: Oh come on! Let's hang out for awhile! You can finish that stuff later.

Me: No.

Computer: C'mon, pleeeeeaaaase?

Me: No.

Computer: But you know writing is TERRIBLY hard on your brain. You need to relax. Just come over here and spend some time with meeeeeeeee.

Me: But my brain ISN'T tired.

Computer: Why not?

Me: BECAUSE I HAVEN'T WRITTEN A SINGLE WORD YET.


*Pause*


Sister: *walks in* Why are you yelling at the computer?

Me: ...

Sister: ...

Me: I-

Sister: Sometimes, I think you have some serious mental issues.


THE END

And that's the story of my mental shortcomings.
Ahem. That's all I have for you today, because, well, I gotta go write now. Today, I'm setting aside distractions. Meaning YOU, computer. (which is really quite strange because I'm on the computer right now. Fancy me talking about getting off the computer while I'm on the computer).
Ok, now I'm seriously getting off. BYE, PEOPLE!
-Phoebe

Books, Writings, Happenings, etc...

What am I doing with my life? I'm making (and saving) memories. I do that everyday.

 

 ~Listening to the Cinderella soundtrack and being able to name every scene that goes to each song.

*listens to the music* Oh yes, this is when her mother dies. Such a sad scene. I always loved her mother. Never cared too much for Ella's father, actually. He's awfully ridiculous to marry someone so heartless and self-centered like Tremaine. What? He wants another chance at happiness? With HER? What's the matter with that guy, anyways? *scoff*

~Wishing it was Spring. *sigh* And I know everyone is wishing that just as much as me. But still, I can't help looking forward to it. After all, seeing the little sprouts of green around the yard after a long, grey winter has GOT to be one of the best feelings in the world.
Wouldn't you agree?
Moving on.

~This video:

 

Gets me every time.

~Finally getting up the nerve to start my latest reading project: The Circle Series, by Ted Dekker, which I got for Christmas.
It's actually four books in one, but the whole series together is HUGE. I can't even hold the thing to read it, I have to set it on a table or my bed because this thing is bigger than Bleak House and it's bigger than my Study Bible, which are the two biggest books I own.

Aaaaaand here's a pin I created from one of the quotes! Hopefully the forest picture is ok to use. : / But hey, if you've seen one forest picture, you've seen 'em all, right?

So, I just finished the first book in the series, "Black", and I'm on to the second book. I don't usually read thriller/suspenseful novels, but this one is actually really good. A little weird, a little scary, but quite interesting, yes.
And while I'm still on the subject of books... wait, aren't I always on the subject of books? o_o

~Getting especially excited/passionate about writing my story after taking a long break (and it's been going pretty good so far).
Hey, I'd love to share an occasional scene with you all. But first, I would have to share the basic context of The Hidden Queen. Writing all that would take a post all for itself, but here's just a small smidgen of context for you:

The Hero: Lillian, the Queen.
The Plot: Lillian's brother, the King, is captured, so she feels obligated to find and rescue him because it was her fault that he was captured.
So, she obtains the help of a former kingdom spy, and together with his team, they set out to find the lost King.

 I'm really excited about this story, as I'm sure you can understand if you're a writer. The work is going slowly, but I think it will make a great story when it's all finished.

 ~Working on my list of 100 memory verses. I sense that God has been telling me to store more of his Word in my heart lately, so right now I'm just focusing on a simple goal: 100 verses. I'm combining a few verses of my own with a list I found online. It's going pretty well so far. I forgot how easy/fun it was to memorize. Here's my most recent verse:
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

Hooray for me.

~Watching BBCs North & South once again. Seriously, I love this series. Watching it for the third time, I realized that it is very similar to both Jane Eyre and Bleak House. So if you like either of those two, you'll probably like North & South. I sure do. :)

I mean look. The guy has a top hat. How can it be a bad series?
 And I can't WAIT to read the book (which I'm going to get with some of my Amazon money from Christmas. Yay.)! Which brings me to my last point in this post (wait, does this post even have a point? *shrugs*):

I'm going to buy one more book with my leftover book money from my birthday and Christmas. But I'm not sure what book to get. Do you have any suggestions? If so, do tell! The comments are open!

That is all, friends. :) Goodbye for now! I shall speak to you again, perhaps, when Spring is finally upon us. Or maybe sooner. 
Bye!

Just a Cute Little Tag...

I was grateful when Cordy tagged me because I've been looking for something to blog about, but strangely, I wasn't having any good ideas. It always happens that way.  :P
So. Here are the questions.

 1. Do you have a favorite fictional couple? (If so, why do you like them?) Well now, this is difficult to answer. I'm not really the type of person to go around squealing over fictional boyfriends and girlfriends ("Shipping", is what it's called, I believe). To be honest, I think I could probably find a better use for my time than that.
However, I like to read books, and I do love characters, so I have to say that over every other team of characters in a book, I enjoyed reading about Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester the best. I read the book for school, and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Yes, I am one who enjoys her school-work). Unlike period dramas by Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte is a much deeper storyteller. Jane's story is very dark and deep. It isn't a continual question of 'who will fall in love with who'. It is a tragic tale of the dark mind, of forgiveness, of decisions.

2. If you could have any animal (safely), as a pet you would have a...
A fennec fox. I heard about these things a couple of years ago, and decided I wanted one. People actually do keep them as pets.  They are like a combination of a dog and a cat. The only set back is that they're nocturnal, which would make it hard for me to sleep if they went around playing at all hours of the night. :P

3. You get to live in Middle Earth, what race are you a member of?
That's easy. I'm an elf. Back when I first became a Lord of the Rings fan, I even took a bunch of internet quizzes, and they all said 'elf'. I haven't the slightest doubt of it, either. Elves are quick, light-footed and agile, they love the trees of the forests, the sea and stars, they hate evil and they love arts and music. So yes, I am definitely an elf. 

4. In an ideal situation (you don't have to worry about living too far from family or money concerns) where would you live? (It can be fictional.)
Well, when I was a kid I always wanted to live in a big, fancy mansion, with my own swimming pool and movie theater and chauffeur. I guess in an ideal situation, I would want to live somewhere similar, but I would want halls and halls of books. Beautiful books. It would still be a mansion of course, set in the middle of some quiet forest (see? There's my elf side coming out again...), and there would be lots and lots of windows, and the ceilings would be very high (I've always adored those high ceilings. Quite majestic, they are.) It would be a very beautiful house. Complete with a springy pinky vintage-y wardrobe, and a place to do my crafts, and all that good stuff. I could go on and on but I don't want to make this answer be the longest. 

*clears throat*

5. Do you have a favorite 'vintage' movie? (As in, filmed before 1960.) What is it?
Well now, it would be hard for me to narrow it down to only ONE favorite. :P I enjoy lots of old movies. A few that stick out in my head are: It's a Wonderful Life, Forever Darling, Harvey, Roman Holiday, Singin' in the Rain, Ben Hur, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Fuller Brush Girl, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Charade. I also really enjoyed Gone With The Wind. :) And anything that Jimmy Stewart plays in is good, just saying. :) Harvey is especially my favorite.

6. When you were a little kid what did you want to be when you grew-up?
*reaches down into the deepest crevice of my brain in an attempt to recall those particular sensations as a child*
I think it changed a lot. I'm sure it does for everybody. I can't seem to pin point anything for a good answer. :P Hm.

7. You can be 'the best' in any sport (e.g. gymnastics, curling, synchronized swimming etc.) what do you choose?
Well now, that wouldn't work out at all because I don't do any sports at all whatsoever. The closest I ever come to 'doing a sport' would be to go ice skating whenever it's cold enough. But not for sport, actually. Just skating round and round the rink. But if that counts, then I would like to get better at ice skating, yes.


8. List three things that you wish people knew about you but will never ask. (Or just three random things. ;))
1. My mom had a revelation one day while reading her Bible, and it was God telling her she was going to have me.
2. I don't like fanfiction.
3. I know a family with 17 kids (no adoptions). And no, it ain't the Duggars.

9. Share a favorite quote!
I'd love to. I'm not a huge quote person, actually, but when I read/hear a good one, I like to remember it if I can.

"It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time others waste."

-Henry Ford

 There you go. :)

10. What is your favorite thing about wintertime? (Besides Christmas.)
I would have to say snow and cloudy skies. I just love cloudy skies, I don't know why (I don't have a cold soul or a black heart or anything like that, I promise).
 

I hope you enjoyed my answers! Here is the list of questions if any of you want to do it.

1. Do you have a favorite fictional couple? (If so, why do you like them?)
2. If you could have any animal (safely), as a pet you would have a...
3. You get to live in Middle Earth, what race are you a member of?
4. In an ideal situation (you don't have to worry about living to far from family or money concerns) where would you live? (It can be fictional.)
5. Do you have a favorite 'vintage' movie? (As in, filmed before 1960.) What is it?
6. When you were a little kid what did you want to be when you grew-up?
7. You can be 'the best' in any sport (e.g. gymnastics, curling, synchronized swimming etc.) what do you choose?
8. List three things that you wish people knew about you but will never ask. (Or just three random things. ;))
9. Share a favorite quote!
10. What is your favorite thing about wintertime? (Besides Christmas.)

If you like, you can think up ten of your own questions to post at the end of all of your answers. I hope you have fun with this!

How My Little Birthday Went...

So, yesterday was my birthday. I was born. All those years ago. Yay.
It was a splendid time, really.
I made a little cake for myself, I went to a quaint little French restaurant for lunch, I went and explored some little antique shops, I got some new 1940s style gloves with fur on them (thanks, mommy...), I listened to all of my Owl City albums, and as always, I was able to reflect on the incredible life God gave me 18 years ago.

(FYI, I didn't go to the French place in this picture specifically, you know. The one I went to wasn't pink-y like this. :P Ah well. But they did have pastries, which added to the Frenchy-ness! :D )

Then I got on my little computer of course and checked out all my friend's birthday wishes (thanks so much, friends!). Y'all are so nice. :)
Then I did some crafts, and made myself a necklace...

And I did a little bit of writing (yes, even on my birthday, on my free day, because I'm a good little writer...) and it turned out pretty good.
Halfway through a scene, my sister walks in, and asks the horrid question that every writer dreads: "So what's your story about, anyways? Why's it called 'The Hidden Queen'?"
Me: "Well, it's about this queen who has to go undercover to save the brother that she hates."
Sister: "Why does she hate her brother?"
Me: "Because she thinks he killed her husband."
Sister: "... well did he?"
Me: "No."
Sister: *stares into space for a second*
Me: "So are you intrigued?"
Sister: (still staring at the wall. Smiles slowly.) "Yeah..."

So if I finish my book and it turns out crummy, I'll know that at least my sister likes it. *smiles smugly* Hehe. :)

Speaking of books, the best thing about my birthday is that everyone (meaning, all of my family) knows that they must get me books.
You'll never see me buy a book for myself around December or January, because that's when people are supposed to give me books.
That's why I didn't do a post or anything on the books I got for Christmas, because I knew I'd get some more for my birthday so I'll just do a post on them all together. :) I'm having the rest of the fam over in February, and they'll probably give me some more books then, so I'll do my little 'Books I Got' post after that. Ok? Think you can wait that long? Wonderful.

Oh, and here's my cake. :) I was trying to make them look like hydrangeas. I think I made the leaf icing a little too bright, but over all I think this year's birthday cake turned out nice. I might do a post on my other blog about the cake, so stay tuned. :)

I would show you a pic of the cake I made last year for my birthday, but I didn't take a picture of it! Can you believe that?!

So after a nice long day of cake and books and Frenchy-ness and vintage stuff... I went to bed quite satisfied with my life. God's in His heaven, and all's right with the world (almost).

Till next year. :)
-Phoebe

Ah, January. We meet again.

Well, I didn't post a thing for Christmas except for on Christmas day, and I'm only now getting to my new year's post on January 3rd. If I don't hurry, the year won't be new anymore at all. Let me take this opportunity to say first off:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Yay 2016!!!!!

It's been a great year. Yes, I know everyone says that but I'll say it too, thank you. It's been a GREAT year. 

In 2015: 

I started my blog!!!

...and I have a grand total of: two followers! Not much, I know. But it's quite a lot, considering I expected none. I wanted to start this blog for like 2 years, because I just loved all the sweet blogs out there, and I wanted to be a part of it all. Because talking about books and movies and pretty things is my favorite thing.

I saw a whole heap of movies that I'd been meaning to watch for the longest time. Such as War Horse, The Book Thief, and Testament of Youth. The highlight for movies this year is Gone With the Wind, which I had never seen before. I suggested to my family that we see it, seeing as how it was so popular and all, and I'm not really sure if they liked it or not because the whole thing ended up in a torrent of tears after that last scene. But I suppose they did because we did end up getting it for Christmas. :) 

I also finally saw Pride & Prejudice 1995, and I perfectly agree, it is the one and only BEST version out there. Almost every single scene was exactly how I pictured it in my mind when I read the book. All in all, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Oh and I saw Cinderella when it came out back in March. GORGEOUS movie, people. If you haven't watched yet, you're missing out. 

I went ice skating for the first time in like 4 years with a lovely homeschool family, and then we all went to some vintage/antique/novelty shops during Chrismastime and I bought meself an old hat and we ate cookies and got hot chocolate and GOSH it was a swell time. Definitely one of the highlights of my year. 

I got my first job. :) And I do enjoy working, I really do. Much more than I expected, I think.

I really enjoyed this scene. I enjoyed every scene. I love this movie.

I read the longest book in my life (so far): Bleak House, by Charles Dickens, and enjoyed it very much. In fact, I read a lot of good books this year. It was a good year, book-wise.

The most notable besides Bleak House is the Ascendance Trilogy, by Jennefer Nielson (I'm tempted to write a whole post on those books because I just want to go on and on about how good they are and how much I love them and GAH I love the characters so much and I've never SEEN such amazing plot twists in a single book before). 

 Also a highlight was 'Son', by Lois Lowry, which I got for Christmas, and had it finished within 3 days. It's supposed to be the conclusion to her other book, The Giver.  I really, really enjoyed 'Son'. It read kind of like a fairy tale, but it was just like the Giver in a lot of ways, so it's hard to describe it. You just have to read it to see what I'm talking about. But you'll have to read The Giver first to understand it, though, even though that one isn't as good, in my opinion.

I met a friend from Pinterest...by accident. I was at a conference and I just happened to run into someone who had the same name as a profile on Pinterest who I enjoyed commenting with, and she turned out to be the very same person! It was really neat meeting her. So now I just want to meet everyone I follow on Pinterest because I know you're all just so interesting in real life as well as in your, shall we say, internet life. :)

Last, but CERTAINLY not least: 

  

Jesus taught me so much this year. So. Much.

One lesson that sticks out in my mind is a certain verse that He showed me in John. 

While it seems that the world is chaotic (and getting to be more and more so), and the darkness of evil and sin is all around us, I was encouraged in 2015 by a promise He gave to His disciples (and to us) in John 16:33. 

"These things I have spoken to you , so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (NISB)

Did you read that? You want me to say it again? HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD, PEOPLE. There's nothing we need to worry about because He's got this.         

He's ready to guide our steps into the coming year, just like He did in 2015. Are you ready?! I certainly am! :D 

-Phoebe

Do you have any resolutions for 2016?

Merry Christmas Everyone

Wow. I just realized that I haven't written a single Christmas-related post until now. Good going, Phoebe.
MY APOLOGIES.
But here's a video for you, and I hope that this year you don't forget to see the Gift.

Merry Christmas, Everybody.

-Phoebe

Lucy Maud Montgomery {Tag}

Eva from Coffee, Classics, and Craziness is hosting a very lovely blog party to celebrate the birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote the beloved Anne of Green Gables series (and so many other books)! :D
In her first post of the week, she wrote a little tag for us 'partyers' to do, so here's my answers. :D You can click on the link above to see Eva's post on it. :) (I feel like I've been doing a lot of tags lately... Ah, who cares. They're fun!)

How did you first discover LMM's books?
Well, a couple of years ago, we decided to rent the first Anne of Green Gables movie from the library. We watched it, and I really thought it was darling, so I borrowed the book from my friend.
I really liked it (and was sad to give it back to her), so I decided to buy my own copy. THEN I realized that there was a whole series! Since then, I've been collecting them, and I love all of them. :)

What's your favorite LMM book?
I have only read the Anne of Green Gables series (book 1-6), so I choose my favorite among those books, which is definitely Anne's House of Dreams. I just really enjoyed reading that one. It's so lovely to read, and I loved reading about Anne and her new married life and her new friends. I love it so much, I laugh and cry whenever I read it. (Captain Jim... *tears*)
I really liked Leslie too. She is like a mysterious princess from a fairytale. Or that's the impression I had. *shrugs* I always like mysterious characters.

What's your least favorite LMM book?
 I have to say Anne of the Island. I just didn't feel like it was written as well as the others.

~*~

*SPOILER* I guess what bothered me was the way LMM finally got Anne and Gilbert together at the end. After waiting for so long for Anne to love Gilbert back, I was expecting something better.  The way it was written, how Gilbert got sick and almost died, and Anne realizes that she loves him, it just seems sort of... old. Or something. Cliche, almost. *END OF SPOILER*

~*~

I really liked some of the characters in this one though. :)

Who is your favorite character in allllll of LMM's works?
Well, I don't really want to say 'Anne', because she's the most popular and I wouldn't be surprised if EVERYONE said that she was they're favorite. So, even though I really love her, I'll say that my favorite character is Leslie Moore from Anne's House of Dreams.
It's kind of funny, but there are so many new characters in each Anne book that I can't remember them all. :)

What couple is your favorite?
Even though I'm repeating myself from the last question, I have to say that I like Leslie Moore and Owen Ford. I really like Anne and Gilbert too. :)

What is your favorite quote from LMM (either a quote from one of her books, or from her personal life)?
I've always liked this one which is on the back of my Anne of Green Gables book:

I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does.

-Anne Shirley 

I like it because it's so true. I don't know what the future holds, but I MUST believe that God has the best in store for me, to grow me and strengthen my trust in Him, because HE holds the future. 

That's what I think of whenever I read the quote.

  

How many LMM books have you read?
Let's see..... six. From Anne of Green Gables to Anne of Ingleside. I have Blue Castle and Rilla of Ingleside on the top of my 'to read' list, because I've heard such wonderful things about both of them, and I've been wanting to read a good book lately. :)

Which LMM book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Anne's House of Dreams! Can you imagine it?! With the beautiful seaside, and Captain Jim in his lighthouse, and a lovely flowery house for Anne and Gilbert, and the list goes on and PLEASE HOLLYWOOD MAKE THIS.

Well, I've got the scenery, now all I need is a dreamcast. :)

Have you found a kindred spirit?
I've been waiting for this question. :)
I have found a kindred spirit. She's been that even before I knew what a 'kindred spirit' was. She's my best friend of six years, she's my pen-pal, my encouragement, my smile when I'm depressed.

To my kindred spirit, you know who you are. :) I love you.

-Phoebe

p.s. Before you go, check out this, this, and this. You're welcome.