Susan Boyle - Semi-final

Susan Boyle - starts at 1:30 into the video

Wow.
(For whatever reason, I can't link to just the song from You've Got Talent.)

Picture of Snail Mail

This is a fun pattern to stitch and I think it turned out cute. I was worried about the colors, but it all came together. Back to Luck.

Finish

Woo hoo! I finished a project. It is a small project, done on white perforated paper. It is a freebie from Lizzie Kate called "Snail Mail." It turned out really cute. I am going to Wonder Under some fabric on the back and attach a ribbon at the top. It is for the receptionist at work. No one knows where to put outgoing mail, so I thought this would be fun for her.

Because it was a freebie, I can't find the picture on the web. I will drag out my camera and take a picture of it to show off. I'm so proud of myself. :)

Jane Austen fan

I am a big Jane Austen fan. I own 3 versions of Pride and Prejudice (the movie, mini-series, and movie), 2 versions of Persuasion, 2 versions of Sense and Sensibility, and 2 versions of Emma. And other related books, movies, spoons, stitching, etc. I was kinda looking around and found a Jane Austen action figure. I must have this. But not for awhile.


I was watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice several years ago with my sister. Lizzie and Mr Darcy were strolling on the grounds of Pemberley. We both thought what lovely lives we would have had we lived back then. However, we probably would have been the chambermaids, not Lizzie strolling with Mr Darcy. Hate it when reality strikes.

Here is what Amazon.com says about the Jane Austen action figure:

This 5-inch tall Jane Austen action figure is made of hard vinyl and comes with a mini 'Pride & Prejudice' and a writing desk with a removable quill pen. Despite a rather sheltered life, Jane Austen was able to capture the subtleties of human interaction so perfectly that her novels continue to be immensely popular. Born: December 16, 1775 - Stevenson, England Occupation: Novelist Died: July 18, 1817 - Winchester, England Weapon of Choice: Character Study Accomplishments: Six major novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Emma, Mansfield Park and Persuasion. Interesting Fact: Over 40 sequels to Pride and Prejudice have been written by other authors. Jane Austen, an enduring and much-loved English author, wrote novels which reflected universal and timeless truths about humanity. She wrote about the times and people she knew without using popular plot devices such as kidnappings and class struggles used by other authors of the period. Her light irony and humor earned her a devoted and consistent following. To this day, readers appreciate the way she captured the tranquility of a more leisurely era, combining cleverness and morality with poignant depictions of English country living. She died and was buried in Winchester Cathedral in 1818 with the inscription: 'She opened her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness.'

I really like the inscription "She opened her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness." I'd like to be remembered like that.

Graduate!!!

My nephew graduated last weekend in graphic arts, with a minor in Japanese. He is with his wife, who has 2 more years to go in pharmacy school. You made it!!!

Cute great-nephew

As I promised, another picture of my family. This is my nephew, who is almost a year old (11 months.) Such a cutie and so laid back. He is making a picture for his mom for Mother's Day.

Phew!

Fixed the picture of my nephew and niece below. Very cute, I must say. Watch for more pictures of my family, there's lots of us.

Family

My nephew and my niece. He is five and is playing T-ball for the first time. I love the sheer look of happiness on his face. My niece is the coach.

I forgot to say that the picture in the header of this blog is how I think of the atmosphere in M M Kaye's books.

Blog changing

Changed the theme of my blog today. Not quite sure I like it.

One of the books on my top ten list of favorite books is

It is an epic story of Ash and Anjuli, written in the times of the uprisings in India (1857 and the 1870s.) Anjuli is an Indian princess, Ash is a British officer and they fall in love. Excellent story with a lot of historical background. I highly recommend it (and yes, my blog name is from this book.)

M M Kaye has also written several other books:

Shadow of the Moon
Tradewinds
Death in Berlin
Death in Cyprus
Death in Kenya
Death in Zanzibar
Death in the Andamans
Death in Kashmir
The Sun in the Morning
Golden Afternoon
Enchanted Evening

I daresay M M Kaye's mystery novels are every bit as good as Agatha Christie's (and I am a huge Christie fan.) I promise you won't go wrong reading M M Kaye's books.