Bread and Movie Trivia!

It has been so unseasonably cold here! When I got up at 7 am, it was only 50 degrees Fahrenheit out. Brrr! It's 66 right now, which is still pretty cold for the last day of June. o.O

I felt like baking, so I made not one, but two loaves of bread. The banana bread had to bake for an hour, so I decided to just bake a loaf of oat bread as well, since it bakes for only 15 minutes. The house smells sooo good right now!

I also cleaned parts of the house, and I think I've figured out why cleaning can be so therapeutic. You can feel like this, at least, is something you're in control of. And often thoughts will start spinning out of control, but when you clean, you can actually see something become orderly.

And now for the Movie Trivia Game!

I thought it would be fun. Some of my friends have done it on Facebook and I've seen it on a few other blogs lately, so I thought I'd give it a try!

Here are the rules:

1. Pick 20 of your favorite movies.

2. Go to IMDB.com and find a quote from each movie.

3. Post them for everyone to guess.

4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.

5. NO cheating.

I'll give you until next Wednesday to guess. :)


1. Character #1: - "Look at me. What did you see?"
Character #2: - "A tree. There was a white tree in a courtyard of stone. It was dead. The city was burning." Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, guessed by Christina and Vicki

2. Character #1 - "If I can't win, I won't run!"
Character #2 - "If you don't run, you can't win." Chariots of Fire, guessed by AutumnRose

3. Character #1: - "Reckon I'll leave my brains at home, then." North and South, guessed by Jessica

4. Character #1 - "I'm sorry I said anything about it now. I'll try to find a more agreeable piece of news."
[pause]
Character #1: "Old Marjorie at the lodge is dead." Wives and Daughters, guessed by Jessica

5. Character #1 - "The fact that you rescued me, unnecessarily, hardly wipes out past wrongs." Anne of Green Gables, guessed by Vicki

6. Character #1 - "Some day it'll just end. Everyone will go home, get on with their lives. Tall grass will cover the battlefields. And all the pilots we've lost won't mean a d--n thing." Flyboys

7. Character #1 - "I was so tall."
Character #2 - "Well, you were older then."
Character #3 - "As opposed to hundreds of years later, when you're younger." Prince Caspian, guessed by Jessica

8. Character #1 - "A bird may love a fish, signore, but where will they live?"
Character #2 - "Then I shall have to make you wings." Ever After, guessed by Jessica

9. Character #1 - [holding Character #2's cat] She's so soft. And she's vibrating.
Character #2 - She's purring, David. I Am David

10. Character #1 - "No one of our age has ever taken power."
Character #2 - "Which is why we're too young to realize certain things are impossible. Which is why we will do them anyway." Amazing Grace, guessed by Christina and Vicki

11. Character #1 - "Monsieur! You are now addressing the second most celebrated balloonist in Europe."
Character #1 - "And who is the first?"
Character #1 - "He is not available. He was, uh, buried last Tuesday." Around the World in Eighty Days, guessed by RoseinFaith

12. Character #1 - "Oh, er, do you mind if I ask you a question, frankly? Do you love my daughter?"
Character #2 - "Any guy that'd fall in love with your daughter ought to have his head examined."
Character #1 - "Now that's an evasion!" It Happened One Night, guessed by RoseinFaith

13. Character #1 - "How many have I had?"
Character #2 - "Two."
Character #1 - "Make it an uneven three." The Sound of Music, guessed by Jessica and Vicki

14. Character #1 - "Never again will I allow WOMEN to wear my dresses! " Top Hat

15. Character #1 - "That's it. Out you two pixies go - through the door, or out the window. " It's a Wonderful Life, guessed by Vicki

16. Character #1 - [exits study, finds four of his daughters eavesdropping] "Good heavens. People." Pride and Prejudice (2005), guessed by Christina and Vicki

17. Character #1 - "I've been sitting right here since seven o'clock."
Character #2 - "Yes, with your back to me. When I invite a woman to dinner I expect her to look at my face. That's the price she has to pay." A Night at the Opera

18. Character #1 - "She saves me from an inferno and she's glad she happened to be awake." Jane Eyre, guessed by Audrey

19. Character #1 - "I'm fighting for something that's real for the first time in my life! " Step Up

20. Character #1 - "I feel as though someone's handed me the moon... and I don't exactly know what to do with it." Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, guessed by Vicki

One of those days...

It's one of those days...one of those days when you just feel sort of out of it...and depressed...and like doing something interesting...but there's nothing to do. :P I think I'm feeling people deprived - I wasn't able to talk to any of my friends after Mass today! So I will try and cheer myself up by writing a long, random, rambly post. ;)

I think I have finally figured out what my temperament (for more on the temperaments, here's an article I wrote on them) is! At various times in my life, I've thought I was choleric, melancholic, or sanguine (but never phlegmatic). I now think I'm melancholic-choleric, because of my mix of introversion and extroversion, and, well, I think I have a lot of traits from both temperaments. *sighs contentedly* For some reason it's so nice to know these things! I also found out that my Myers-Briggs personality is INFP (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceptive), and the descriptions I've read sound very much like me.

* * *

I read (actually re-read) a very good book yesterday - The Borrowed House, by Hilda van Stockum. The first time I read it, I was about the age of the main character - 12 - and, like her, many things just went over my head. But with this reading, I was able to really appreciate what a wonderful book it is. It's set during WWII, but from an angle that is seldom heard from - 12-year-old Janna is a member of Hitler's Youth, and believes fervently everything they indoctrinate her in. After she is sent to live with her actor parents in Amsterdam, however, things begin to change. She sees more clearly what the Nazis are doing, and the foundations of her world begin to tilt. I sort of fell in love with this book...I remember loving it when I was 12, too, but I think I love it even more now. It truly paints a vivid picture of what things were like during WWII, and brought tears to my eyes by the second chapter. And **SPOILER** I just know that Janna and Sef will find one another when the war is over! I wish there was a sequel. :) **END SPOILER** Hilda van Stockum is such a talented writer and portrays her characters so sympathetically and well that you feel their pain and suffering as though you were suffering it yourself. Much as I love this book, I find books about WWII to be so disturbing...it happened not so very long ago, and it could happen again. God grant that it won't.

* * *

I just experienced a really cool weather phenomenon! It started raining about 15 minutes ago, but before long I saw the sun shining through the window. It was still raining, however, and it looked so beautiful that I just had to go outside. As I stood in the sunlight in the front yard, raining pouring on my head, I could see the sky was blue on one side of the house and full of gray clouds on the other. As the clouds moved over my head the rain lightened up and eventually stopped, but when I ran over to the sidewalk it was still raining! It was so strange, but really cool.

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And with that, I shall leave you. Today wasn't the greatest, but I know it won't stay like this. Ohhh! I forgot to mention - we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the other night, and I must admit I loved it! :) It's so crazy...and weird...and hilarious ("Even I am edible, but that is called cannibalism. And cannibalism, my dear children, is something that is frowned upon in most decent societies.")...and Johnny Depp is my favorite actor, I've decided. My family has also been having far too much fun watching the Marx Brothers lately...our favorites so far are A Night at the Opera and Room Service. :D

Nightwatch

This is a poem I've been wanting to write for months. The first two lines came to me one day last winter, but then I could not think of any more! I was finally able to finish it last week, however, and here it is.

Nightwatch

I have written of such beauty in the dark watches of the night,
When all the world lay silent, and shrouded with the dreams
Of the sad and lonely heart, torn asunder by its fears,
Dreams of battles fierce, as of yet unseen.
Dreams of a troubled heart, wet with tears and torn with strife,
Darkness leads to nameless terror, which misery alone will bring.

But some dreams were illumined with the light of the stars,
They shone in the darkness, they brought forth the joy
Of the heart full of peace, that seeks God even in dreams,
Dreams of purest beauty, with the strength they bring.
Dreams of truth and goodness, of hearts beating for a life -
Darkness leads to nameless wonder, which Truth alone will bring.

And I sat in silence wondering, my pen held in my hand,
Wondering how to tell it, this dark song of life.
Of the pain and the beauty, seen only when all is still,
Of the wonder grand, its perfect melody.
A song of peace and courage, a song of fear and strife -
This, all this I saw as I watched in the darkest night.

The words came to my heart and told of the watches of the night,
And I knew my gift was true, I knew my pen was strong.
I told of the beauty, of the glory of our life,
Told of the wondrous pain, the suffering of a wrong.
And the dreams came unto me, and they filled me with their joy,
And I wrote of their beauty in the dark watches of the night.

A lovely day.

Today was a marvelously beautiful day (and still is)! It started out with fog, which was absolutely breathtaking as it blanketed the alley. An infusion of sunlight turned it to the softest sort of gold. We walked to Mass (about a mile through a residential area of our town) through the mist and gray, so it was rather a surprise to find it completely sunny and clear when Mass was over! But it was that sort of brightness and blueness you only see on very hot, humid days, when it looks like there's a piece of gauze stretched across the sky.

But geez...it's true, no good deed goes unpunished! heehee My mom, sister, and I were taking a walk around church (long story, but we had some time to kill after Mass). We passed the antique store that's on the corner, and noticed a sad sight. There was a big pot of petunias completely upended and smashed on the grass! The stand they had been on had blown part way over and they had fallen to their doom. :( :P So I went and tried to pick them up, but the stand fell over on me and hit me on the bridge of my nose! It hurt rather badly, and almost knocked me out...probably would have if it had fallen on my head, as it was very heavy! I was slightly dazed for a moment, and then asked my mom, "Is my nose broken?" She assured me it wasn't, and now I just have a bruise there that basically looks like a huge freckle. Ya just can't win...haha.

I also learned the joys of playing Solitaire on my laptop from my sister. It really is very fun, and way too addicting! She won two games and I won one (with her help, I must admit!). I also took some pictures...the timer setting is so much fun! Here are a few of them.



You can see where the evil plant stand attacked me. haha

I also had a prayer answered, so thank you very, very much, God! :) I knew that all would be well.

"Wives and Daughters", and fathers too

We watched Wives and Daughters (BBC, 1999) this past weekend. That is SUCH a good movie! It's also a wonderful book. And I must admit, it has just about eclipsed Pride and Prejudice in my affections.

So...what were some of my favorite things about it? Well, one thing I loved was how real it all seemed. I could really relate to Molly, particularly at this time in my life. When it begins, she's barely 17 (like me), and things are definitely changing even though she may not notice it. I could also relate to her personality, particularly her mix of reserve and openess, tendency to care very deeply about people even though they didn't know it, and inability to conceal her emotions (my mom remarked, "She reminds me of you, Ivy!", as Molly glowered at Mr. Preston at the ball. heheheh).

The romance between Molly and Roger also seemed very real - it was such a natural thing for it to grow out of their brotherly-and-sisterly friendship. Even though Roger was in love with Cynthia for a time, he was, as he put it, in love with a "hypothetical Cynthia". He was always honorable during the entire affair, and afterward thought how silly he had been to not see all along that Molly was the one for him.

I actually think that Roger Hamley is now my favorite hero from classical literature...sorry Mr. Darcey and Mr. Thornton! The two latter gentlemen are charming and very likable, that's for sure, but when you come right down to it it's very unlikely that one would meet one of them in real life. And even if you did, you might not like them as much in real life as in stories - at least I don't think I would! Roger, on the other hand, is pleasant, sensible, and very sweet and caring right from the start. He shows himself to be first and foremost a true and devoted friend to Molly, and that's what I really like about him. He's the sort of guy I hope to marry someday! And he actually seems real. He's not drop-dead gorgeous (*cough*Mr. Thornton*cough*), he doesn't always do everything right (such as falling in love with someone as flighty as Cynthia), he can sometimes be awfully stupid/blind, but he does always try to the right thing. All in all, he is awesome. :)

The acting was excellent in my opinion, particularly Squire Hamley. I really liked his character, flawed though it was in some regards. I was very fond of Osborne too, even though at first he can seem unlikable (well, I liked him from the start because I knew his secret since I'd read the book, but my mom and sister weren't so sure). The part where he dies is so sad, and so well done. You can truly feel the Squire's pain.

Cynthia is aggravating yet likable, and you can't help but be glad that her twisted affair with the suitably attractive but sinister Mr. Preston turns out well. She's just one of those incredibly shallow people, who, even more incredibly, is pretty content to be that way. Her mother on the other hand...agh! I just wanted to slap her. :P

Lady Harriet was one of my favorite supporting characters, both in the movie and in the book. She's so feisty and goodhearted, and I love the part where she saves Molly's reputation. That is definitely using your power in a good way!

Well, that was certainly not a very good review, per say...they've never been my strong point. It was more just a random conglomeration of all the reasons I now LOVE Wives and Daughters! :)

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And now, happy Father's Day to all the fathers of my readers and any fathers who may be reading this! May God bless you and St. Joseph guide you!

I'm really happy that our church records every Sunday's sermon and puts it online, because today's was particularly good! Click here to listen to it. It's about marriage and the role of the father and mother, and it really cleared up a lot of confusion I'd been having. I advise you to listen to it if you have time!

"Voyage of the Dawn Treader" Trailer!!!

Here it is...the official trailer for "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"!!!!!!!!!



I CANNOT WAIT FOR DECEMBER 10TH!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

One of these days, I'm going to have to write a post about why exactly I love the Narnia books SO much. For now, suffice it to say I've loved them since my mom read them to me when I was 8 years old. And the movies are doing a wonderful adaptation, in my opinion!

Of storytelling.

I mentioned in my last post that I absolutely love performing because of the storytelling, but as I wrote it, I was thinking, "I know that I love telling stories...but for the life of me, I can't put my finger on what exactly it is about it that is just so beautiful!" And then I received a lovely comment from Addie, part of which said: "YES!!! I'm soo glad you made that point about telling stories-that's why I love acting! We're mirroring God's creative act by telling stories-it's absolutely beautiful. :) :) :)"

And in that moment, it clicked! That is the reason I love storytelling in all its forms! It mirrors God's creativity, as Addie so succinctly pointed out. He is the Supreme Storyteller, Who is writing each of our stories, Who is the Author of all the best stories the world has ever known, and Who has given us the wonderful privilege of participating in this beautiful work. I am so, so grateful that He gave me, and so many others, this incredible gift. Storytelling, be it through writing, acting, dancing, singing, or anything else, has a power to communicate a desire for the good and noble and true, glimpses of beauty (and therefore, God), the knowledge that we are made for something more, like almost nothing else. And of course, since it is such a powerful medium, we have to be careful to guard it and use it only for good. It can do so much harm in the wrong hands.

This whole train of thought reminded me of a scene from a fantasy story I started writing a few years ago. I haven't worked on it in months, but I plan to soon. It's spoken by Duma, who is one of the Drooka, a people from the land of Druckacorn (which, by the way, is a name I invented when I was about 5 and just had to put in a story!) who are very small in stature and were given the gift of music and storytelling.

“Night was closing in on Milovia. It is still closing upon her. There have been dark days, but I can see even darker ones ahead. It is so easy to lose faith, to forget why we are fighting, to completely miss the point. That is why the Great One Who is Above All told Flight to give the gift of storytelling to the Drooka. Without the stories, the wonderful times of peace would have been forgotten. They would be lost forever. No one would remember them - no one would care. But they have been remembered, and will continue being remembered and told and re-told until the last of the Drooka perish. Those times cannot be forgotten. They can’t be lost! That is why you are fighting, Epono, son of a long line of High Kings of Milovia. That is why you have been called here, Henry, son of another world. This light that has been kept alive by the old stories must be kept alive by you as well. It must never be allowed to go out. Milovia as it once was shall return. But the future lies in your hands. You have a great and noble task. Carry it out faithfully and well. We cannot let evil conquer all worlds for all time. It cannot! It shall not. The time of peace shall return to our world, and in time it shall return to every world and solar system and star, everywhere in the great universe of Him Who Is Above All. It will call for such very great sacrifice, but it will be worth it.”

The last dance...and a new start.

So, yes. The recital on Sunday was my last ballet performance. It's bittersweet...I'm definitely ready to move on, but at the same it's very hard, since it's been such a huge part of my life for three and a half years now. And when you dance, it really becomes a part of your identity...it's going to be such a change to not be "Ivy who does ballet" anymore.

But, it had to be done. It was getting way too expensive (especially since my sister is in it too), it took a lot of time (I was busy almost every night of the week, and most of the weekend as well), I just wasn't enjoying it as much as I used to, it was getting very stressful and I'll have enough stress soon as it is (more on that in a bit!), and it was getting hard because of my physical issues (asthma, and tendinitis in my ankle and knee). I guess this is another growing-up experience...prioritizing. I'm so thankful that God has let me see that ballet would just be a hindrance to what I really want and need to do, and He even helped to not love it as much as I used to! In the past, I knew I should probably give up ballet, but I felt like I just couldn't. Now, though, even though it makes me sad, I know with my mind that I should give it up, and I'm at peace with that.

Something that I've realized in the past few weeks, however, is that it's not so much dancing that I love, but performing. I love being in front of an audience, telling a story, and it doesn't really matter if it's through speaking, singing, or dancing. Telling a story is the part that really matters, and I guess it's an intrinsic part of my personality, seeing as my main passion is writing. That really hit me when we were performing the skit at the reception for Msgr. Wach a week ago. About halfway through one of my very long lines, I realized, "I love doing this! And I'm getting almost as excited about this, a short little skit that's not even on a stage, as I do about ballet performances!" That was when it really hit me that the part I love about performing is telling the story, and that realization was strengthened when I noticed I wasn't particularly excited about the recital, mainly because the dances were just simply dancing. They weren't trying to communicate anything other than looking nice.

So, I'm not entirely disconsolate. I know that there will be other stages, other places for me to share a story with the world. The main things I'll miss about ballet are doing grand jetes (they are my specialty!), turns across the floor, especially pique turns (they used to be my nemesis, but I finally caught on and began to adore them, especially on pointe), and doing pique arabesque (which is just fun). I'll miss being on pointe...I always loved it, even when it just about killed my feet. And I'll always be sad I never did learn how to do fouette turns! I can sort of do them on pointe, but I never did get very good.

However, I won't miss the pain, the sweat, and the smell of sweat-logged ballet shoes. haha

So that was one of the "announcements". The other one is that I am definitely going to apply at Christendom College this fall! After a lot of thought, research, and prayer, my parents and I both agree that Christendom seems like it would be a great fit for me, and I really think that is where God wants me after high school. However, that's also where the added stress will come in! Three little letters... S. A. T. *dies* Now, the English section looks absolutely mindlessly easy and even fun, but the MATH?!? Oh my goodness...that's what I'll be doing much of the rest of the summer. We do know someone, though, who might be able to tutor me, which would be a lifesaver.

This summer looks like it's going to be pretty quiet...not much planned aside from working on math and going to girls' camp in early August, but that could change in the twinkling of a eye, and probably will. ;) But that's fine with me. In the fall, I'll really get cracking on my schoolbooks, and take six weeks of swimming lessons. I'm also thinking about taking tap. It's a dance form that I've always thought looked like a ton of fun, and now I would have time and money to try it! I'd also really like to/need to get a job this summer or fall, but we'll see how that goes.

Nothing much...

I really feel like posting something...but I've no idea what to write. I've been pretty busy lately, but mostly with things that aren't exactly blog-post-worthy (helping at church, working like crazy on math and science, writing like crazy...oh dear, I'm starting to sound like I'm actually going crazy! haha).

However, I will have a few sort of announcements to make, probably sometime next week. *dun dun dun* *looks mysterious*

So, 'til then, I will leave you!

Week of Style, Day 7, and Birthday # Diez y Siete

I didn't have much time this past weekend to get on the computer, so here is Saturday's outfit! That's the last of the Week of Style...I hope you didn't get too bored by it! ;) Oh...and this is a terrible picture of me...but I love this outfit! I really like all black with one colored accent.

SATURDAY

Shirt: a lady at church gave it to me, and she got it from Goodwill. Tank top: part of an outfit from Younker's. Sweater: from Goodwill. Skirt: from some store in the mall, can't remember the name. It was about 75% off, and it is the COOLEST skirt ever! You can't see too well in the picture, but there are two layers of tulle over the underskirt, and the middle layer has sequins! It's quite pretty.
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I turned 17 on Saturday, and it was such an absolutely wonderful birthday! Thank you to all of my friends who emailed me, wrote on my Facebook wall, messaged me on the forum, and wished me happy birthday in person, and especially thank you to Kathryn, who wrote such a lovely, sweet post about me on her blog! I feel very loved, and I know I love all of you!!! :)

I also got two wonderful gifts from my parents.

My claddaugh ring!

And...*drumroll*...a LAPTOP!!!!!!!!!!!!! My preciousssssss! :D I'm so happy, because now I'll be able to write whenever and wherever I want!
And I loooovvvveee the desktop background...isn't it gorgeous???

Okay, I'm going now...time to go drive the car for my third time! :D

Week of Style, Days 5 and 6

I didn't have time to post yesterday, so here are two!

THURSDAY
Shirt: from Goodwill, and I wore it earlier this week. Skirt: I made it a couple of years ago.

FRIDAY
Sweatshirt: from Goodwill. It's actually from Ireland, and I love it! :D Skirt: from a garage sale. It's a circle skirt.

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I just noticed I have THIRTY-EIGHT FOLLOWERS!!!!!!!! :D Thank you SO much! Seeing that people enjoy my writing makes my day! :)

Week of Style, Day 4

WEDNESDAY

Shirt: from Aeropostale, via Nice as New. Sweatshirt: from Goodwill (I really like it because it has three-quarter length sleeves!). Skirt: from Goodwill. It used to be my mom's, but she got tired of it and gave it to me. It's super long...almost drags on the ground...but it's so comfortable! I actually cleaned a house in it today! I always get compliments on it, too.

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Thought for the day! ;)

I was just looking through the little notebook I keep in my notebook to record random things (stuff for stories, phone numbers/email addresses, awesome things people say, good songs on the radio), and came across this paragraph. Fr. F. said it in a sermon (I think...) once.

"Happiness is a choice we must make that is within everyone's grasp. Complaining just doubles the problems. Strive to be a person who says in the face of adversity, "It doesn't matter. I'll find some good to come out of it," and always remain joyful. A person like this is a beacon to society, because no one is drawn to someone who always complains."

Week of Style, Day 3

TUESDAY

Shirt: from Goodwill. Tank top: from Target, and I'm actually wearing two. Skirt: the first skirt I ever made!
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The June Ink and Fairydust is out!

Open publication - Free publishing - More russell crowe

The I&F website was also launched today... visit it here! And if you have a Facebook, please join the group!