Sink Me Submissions

That fabulous blog Sink Me! where humorous nonsense meets period drama is holding a CONTEST!! 


Here are my three entries (and yes, I'm a little obsessed with The Lord of the Rings):

Photo: Emma (2009)
Caption: The Fellowship of the Ring

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Caption: The Fellowship of the Ring

Photo: Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Caption: Toy Story 3

And just because I couldn't limit myself to just three posters, here are my extras:

Photo: Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Caption: The Return of the King

Photo: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Caption: The Fellowship of the Ring

Today I Am... {1}

{writing}

This blog post, obviously. And I'm also feverishly working on my novel which is part of the June Crusade (a.k.a. Camp NaNoWriMo). My goal is to accomplish 1800 to 2000 words a day so that on the days I cannot write, I don't have to feel badly about missing them. I'm at 14,500 words so far!! :)

{reading}

The Scarlet Pimpernel! Yes, indeed it is so! I am reading the beloved book by Baroness Orczy! I apologize for me tardiness in taking so long to getting around to reading it, but 'twas near impossible to find a suitable bookmark! ;)

{listening}

To the Miss Potter soundtrack that my sister just got out of the library. The music on it is beautiful! I couldn't find snippets of just one song, but here's the first part of the soundtrack! I love the two first songs: Miss Potter and The Park! 

{watching}

My family is stuck on watching musicals right now, and the overwhelming urge to randomly burst into song is ever upon me! The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and In Search of the Castaways (not technically a musical, but Enjoy It! is a fun song!) are a few we've watched in the last three or four weeks. Please note that while I enjoy these films, I don't endorse all their content.

{sewing}

Betcha didn't know that I sew as well as read and write... and everything else that I do! But, yes, I sew, though I cannot boast of great talent, I'm the only one in my family who knows how to effectively (emphasis on the word effectively) use a sewing machine. Currently, I am working on sewing medieval costumes for a movie that my cousins, siblings, and I hope to be filming sometime this summer. I may post pictures.... sometime... :)

{looking}

At my sister packing. There are clothes all over our bedroom as there are five girls to pack for. My family is leaving town for a few days to visit a very dear friend, K. Barrett, and her family!! I'm so excited!! I'm not so excited to clean up all these clothes....

{learning}

That God is amazing. That His love is infinite. That He has the power to do the impossible. That His strong hand will never leave you to stumble. That little blessings from Him are beyond description. So, a lot! :)

{feeling}

Tired after having a cold this last week. Ugh, I still have the sniffles and the sneezes, but I'm hoping to rid myself of those detestable things very soon. :(

{anticipating}

Getting allergy shots this afternoon. Not so pleasant. Yes, every week I must succumb to falling under the doctor's needle. It's actually not so bad... it's the waiting that kills you. Something pleasant I'm anticipating? Seeing my dear friend very soon!!! :D

{wishing}

 Specifically? That I had more time in June to write. The story I'm working on for the June Crusade is a story that I am really enjoying writing. It's almost as if I'm not making it up myself, instead the story is pulling me along for the adventure. I can't determine what happens in the plot anymore than I can change the results of last year's Super Bowl. Have you ever felt that way about a story? One that you are always thinking of, and makes you wish you could dedicate every waking moment to it? Oh, it's a terrible feeling. Especially if you're a writer. ;)

{loving}

Strawberries! When you must live without chocolate, these heart shaped red berries really fill in the gap! This was a dessert I ate this week... chopped strawberries, whipped topping, and a pancake... and voila! Homemade strawberry shortcake! Yesterday, Mom came home with a bunch of strawberries and we made strawberry jam for the first time ever! I think we may not have done it quite the right way, as the jam didn't jell as much as we'd like, but it certainly tastes delicious! We're having a hard time keeping out of it!!

Not Royal Academy, I Suppose...

This beautiful weather of spring is perfect for going outside and drawing with chalk! Yesterday, two of my sisters (Teddy, age 9, and KT, age 3) and I had fun coloring the short sidewalk between our kitchen door and driveway. Here are a few of the pictures that we drew...

This was my attempt at the kingdom's sun Rapunzel draws in the movie Tangled.  

And here's the real one... much better, in my opinion. :)

And Teddy drew a scarlet pimpernel! Sink me, m'dears! Isn't it divine? :)

Of course, they're not Royal Academy, I suppose... not even close to Bert's sidewalk drawings from Mary Poppins. Bert's were definitely better than a finger in the eye!! 

Oh, by the way... Don't forget to enter my Disney/Pixar Keep Calm Contest!!

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

Sink me, I've finally seen it! And now I can understand why everyone loves Sir Percy Blakeney so much. 


Please note: major spoilers ahead. If you have not seen The Scarlet Pimpernel and do not wish to know what happens in the film, you may want to stop reading here.


For years, I have avidly avoided anything that had anything to do with the French Revolution. The bloody beheadings and the killing terror never held any appeal for me. Who could ever find something to enjoy during that time? It was always my least favorite part of history. I've never relished seeing innocent death and gory scenes in movies. So, naturally, when I discovered that The Scarlet Pimpernel was set during the French Revolution, I wrote it off as a movie that I wouldn't want to watch. 


You may be screaming, "Why?!? Why didn't you want to watch it?!?" And now after viewing the film, I would have to agree with your screams. 

What possessed me to give The Scarlet Pimpernel a second chance and watch it? Well, wonderful world of bloggers and blogs, it was you. In the many blogs that I follow, more than once Sir Percy's name came up as the name of a well loved hero. When I first saw it, I scratched my head. Sir Percy Blakeney? I hadn't heard his name before. Who was he? I was familiar with all the other heroes, such as Mr. Knightley, Gilbert Blythe, Arthur Clennam, and Mr. Darcy. But Sir Percy Blakeney? Interested, I read more. Sufferin' cats! He's the Scarlet Pimpernel!

Contrary to my previous views of the French Revolution, I was not turned off when I learned of Sir Percy's identity. Oh, no. Rather quite the opposite. I had to see if this Scarlet Pimpernel was worthy or not of everyone's praise. So, I looked the movie up on youtube. I watched probably an hour's worth of the Scarlet Pimpernel and decided. Yes, he was worthy. And now I just had to see the whole movie.


And, of course, I couldn't watch it without my family. My mother and father had seen it many years ago, and they were both eager to see it again. In fact, they quote it quite often ("Oh, the English and their stupid sense of fair play!"). My sisters (Beth Grace and Jessa Bri) were excited to see it, too, so after hearing my praise of the movie, they ordered it from our state electronic library system. My brother was easy to convince into watching it. I showed him the scene in which Sir Percy and Paul Chauvelin meet ("Why look you here, sir, at this limp cravat!"), and he spent the next forty consecutive hours quoting the Scarlet Pimpernel even though he had not yet seen the film.


The movie took a full two weeks to arrive at our home library. It was agony waiting that long. But  somehow, we managed. 

When the opening scene of the movie came on, we were all ready for it. As the plot unfolded and the characters became more real, every moment added to my opinion of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Yes, I confess, I did glance away at some of the guillotine scenes, and I obviously and mentally cringed when profanity crossed the screen. But the daring antics of Sir Percy kept  me on the edge of my seat! His costumes were, at the same time, unbelievably and outlandishly unique! The way he risked his own life to save the condemned lives of others, some of them people that he didn't even know, was greatly commendable. 


Then the conflict thickened. The evil Chauvelin obtained the letter Percy sent Armand St. Just and discovered that his own assistant was working for the Scarlet Pimpernel! And there were only 40 or so minutes left to watch! What was going to happen? I'll tell you what happened. The disc we were watching cracked up. 


Yes, it cracked up. I suppose the movie had been lovingly watched and handled a few too many times and was becoming too scratched for proper viewing. Oddly enough, the sound still worked and we were able to hear everything that was going on, but the picture was no longer clear. We could only see stuttering images and pixels and static. Disappointed, we listened and imagined the last 40 minutes. 

We were thankful that my dad had seen the movie before, and he obligingly filled us in on what there was to see, if we could see it. The ball at which Marguerite plays a double agent and alternately helps Chauvelin and the Scarlet Pimpernel; the foolish decision of Armand; the moment at which Marguerite discovers who the real Scarlet Pimpernel is; the escape of the young French heir; the epic duel between Percy and Chauvelin. It all sounded so wonderful! And I'm certain it looked wonderful, too.




Needless to say, my sisters ordered another copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel and we must now wait another two weeks to actually see the end of the film. 


However, you will understand me when I say that I am not Sir Percy's biggest fan. You may credit it to missing 40 minutes of seeing him onscreen, if you wish. I thoroughly enjoyed watching The Scarlet Pimpernel, but I cannot say that, due to profanity and my usual dislike for the French Revolution, it has become my absolute favorite movie. Sink me, I do apologize to Percy's avid fans. But can you count me in the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel? Odd's fish, m'dear, I ask you: how could I be counted otherwise? :)