Feature Friday: Barn Light Electric’s B.L.O.G. Giveaway

So…you remember our kitchen, right?

If not, then make sure you check out my big kitchen reveal for all the details.

In that post, I told you that I am pretty happy with its current state. It truly is my dream kitchen…

except…

(isn’t there always an “except?”)

If I had my heart’s desire, I would reeeeeally love to replace those little amber globes above the island with some truly amazing pendant lights.  The kind that make you go, “Shooo-wee, look at ‘em there fancy lights” (or something like that; it’s possible that my boys have watched Cars recently, and my current vocabulary has become a bit “Materized”).

I’m thinking something with a bit of pattern-interest, like this:

Maidstone Exterior Pendant

Or something a wee bit industrial for a fun contrast with all of the wood-tones I have going on in the kitchen:

Baylor Pendant

Or maybe a classic schoolhouse silhouette like this one (in copper, of course, to play off my pretty copper-bottom pans on my pot-rack):

Bermuda Pendant

OR—and I must admit that I experienced a few heart palpitations when I saw that they carried such a pretty light in my favorite pale aqua—this beauty, which would tie in nicely with the other touches of blue-green throughout the space:

Ivanhoe™ Sinclair Industrial Porcelain Pendant in jadite

I’m in a bit of a quandary, and since there are so many other things on the list that trump kitchen lighting that I don’t need right now, I’ve been shunting this little pipe-dream to the side…

That is, until I saw that Barn Light Electric was hosting a fab.u.lous giveaway for bloggers (can we say brilliant marketing?).

So, I bet you can’t guess where I found all four of the gorgeous pendants above.

Whoa! You guys are good! And totally RIGHT!

It was Barn Light Electric!

I honestly could have included (and had made a list of) about 15 other lights that I would love to own from their fantastic selection for various other rooms in the house (they have some of the best/unique options around and at good prices, and, no, I was not paid to say this!).

But I didn’t think BLE wanted to read a blog novel, so I limited myself to four.

The wonderfully fantastic bit, though, is that if I win the giveaway, I won’t have to narrow my choices down so much because:

Barn Light Electric is giving away one $1,000 Grand Prize and one $500 2nd Place Prize to two lucky winners who enter their homes. The two winners will each receive a Barn Light Electric Gift Certificate to purchase new lighting for their homes or to finish off that lingering renovation project.

The Challenge: Take a look at the Barn Light Electric website and pick out lights that you’d love to own. Then feature your choices on your personal blog and at the bottom of the post, include directions for your followers to enter too!  Barn Light is hoping to let as many people know about the giveaway as possible and hope to do even more in the future!

SO once you’ve posted and submitted your link to Barn Light, that officially begins the contest. Everyone has until October 12th to enter.

Again, here’s how you can enter Barn Light’s Online Giveaway:

1. Look around online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own
2. Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
3. Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog article
4. Once your personal article is up, you must email your blog link to: contest@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win. The contest ends October 12th, 2011.

Don’t have a blog? That’s okay!

Find out how you can enter by visiting the Barn Light Electric homepage!

Head on over and check out Barn Light’s great site, even if you’re not in a buying state of mind (just don’t send your husband to my blog to yell at me if browsing turns to buying, please : )).

And now here comes the part where you help me out…pretty please.

Would you vote for the option you like best? Also, if you want to tell me why you chose it, so I can weigh pros and cons, I would love that too.  Feel free to leave any other suggestions you might have in the comments section. You can include pics if you want.

Here’s another kitchen shot to get you headed in the right direction:

Which pendant would look the most incredible in my kitchen?P.S. Don’t forget to jump in on the Lisa Leonard Designs $75 Giveaway and The September Giveaway if you haven’t already. Comments close tonight @ midnight…winners announced Monday!

P.P.S. Have a fantastic weekend, okay? Be sure to check in at our Facebook page for updates of mine as it progresses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Five Things Thursday: Favorite Dramas

So, are you tired of our movie discussion yet?

I’m not, but then, as I told you last week, I’m a bit of a movie freak.

After this week, I think I’ll take a movie-breather and branch out a little for Five Things Thursday (I already have a topic in mind for next week, and I’ll tell you more about that a little later).

But for today, I thought I’d share with you 5 of my favorite film dramas, this time in no particular order.

1. Chariots of Fire

Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Chariots of Fire is one of those movies I’ve been watching since before I can remember not watching it, if that makes sense (although there were several scenes that I never got until I was probably 12). I love it for its rich storyline that has everything and nothing to do with running, its complex characters, its historical accuracy, and the fact that it’s a mainstream movie that realistically portrays a relatable Christian character who stands up for his beliefs without being preachy or holier-than-thou about it (or caring whether anyone thinks he is).

2. Beauty and The Beast

This “kids’ movie” (only one of three animated films ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar) stole my heart when my mama took me to see it on Christmas day 20 years ago, and it’s kept it ever since. I love everything about it: the music, the characters, the incredible artwork, and the surprising chemistry between an animated girl named Belle and the big furry lug who falls for her.

3. All About Eve

Another Best Picture winner (I didn’t realize I was such an Oscar snob until I starting writing this list), All About Eve features powerhouse performances from Bette Davis and Anne Baxter and crackles with smart, catty dialogue.  They don’t make ‘em like this anymore!

4. Mostly Martha

Mostly Martha is in German with English subtitles, which might have some of you saying, “Nein, danke,” but subtitles or not, this is a great movie! And the soundtrack? One of my faves of all time.

5. Persuasion

 

Did you think I was actually going to make it through a movie list without including a Jane Austen flick? Surely you know me better by now! This one isn’t nearly as well known as some others, and it’s a bit of a slow-burner, but I still ♥ it big time!

Runners-up: Hoosiers, Slumdog Millionaire, I’ve Loved you So Long, The Big Sleep, The Spitfire Grill, The Maltese Falcon, The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio.

I mentioned yesterday that I had an announcement to make, and now seems as good a time as any to make it…

I propose to start a  Five Things Thursday linky party this coming week. It’s very simple. You link up a post about whatever five things strike your fancy that week (5 recipes from Pinterest, 5 cold medicines you can’t stand the taste of, 5 projects you’ve completed or goals you have in mind, 5 shades of blue you love, 5 life lessons learned, etc.), and we get to read your lovely thoughts.

Now, I will post a theme for the week that you are welcome to use as a guide, or you can veer off into a themeless wilderness of endless possibilities if you prefer.  I just thoroughly enjoy hearing about you (oh, and making lists) and thought this might a fun way to do both as we share more of ourselves, our ideas, and our accomplishments.

It’s also super-easy to participate in the comments section as well. You don’t have to write a post about it—just list your five things, and voila! You’re done.

The theme for next week’s link-up is:

c/o Pinterest

I’ve already got mine all planned out (and am grinning as I think of it : )).

I hope you guys have fun making your Five Things Travel list and take the time to link up. I’m looking forward to it!

P.S. If you haven’t seen the results of yesterday’s Thrifted or Grifted yet, but sure to check it out!

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Thrifted or Grifted (Polka-Dots) Results

I must say that I get way too much enjoyment out of this little game. It’s like watching y’all think out loud on a computer screen, which, it turns out, is seriously entertaining!

Case in point: Rebecca said, “A is 100% thrifted..... unless it's actually B but it only looks like A, and you're trying to trick us, then I don't know! But I'm going with A.”

Way to overthink it, Rebecca! (Totally something I would do). This comment made me smile.

Though, honestly, several of you accused me of trying to trick you. You guys apparently think I’m one smooth operator, but let me assure you that I have a hard enough time putting together two separate but similar outfits that fit the criteria of 100% secondhand and 100% retail to worry about pulling a switcheroo on you guys.

So, did the majority prevail again?

Yup.

It was A.

Top: Agaci/Goodwill ($1.50), Shorts: Forever 21/GW ($2), Belt: GW ($1), Heels: Cami/GW ($3)

TOTAL: $7.50

Top: Ross ($11), Shorts: Target ($5), Gladiators: Decree/JcPenney ($11)

TOTAL: $27

Out of 173 who voted, 65% said that Outfit A was 100% thrifted, and you were right.

Bravo!

So, that means that the majority’s record is 2-2. But y’all have nailed the last two, so we’ll have to see who gets the upper-hand next time. Now, I feel all kinds of pressure to actually get sneaky and try to best you. But I promise that’s never been my goal to begin with. And the best part is that some of you chose B because you thought it was cuter and therefore must have been thrifted. Now, that’s my kind of reasoning!

So, who gets the 5 free giveaway entries?

I chose Amanda who said: “I'm going with exhibit A. I must be getting good at this because this was the FIRST time I voted in the majority. Of course, that doesn't mean that the majority is right, but hey - I'm feeling better about my not-so-amazing fashion sense.
I went with A because of the shoes. Quite honestly they look like shoes that I would have bought at GW back in the ol' dress up like a princess days. Don't worry - that was twenty years ago. But since flesh colored high heels are so prevalent at GW (do they breed there or something?) I had to go with A.”

She hated on my “flesh colored high heels” (I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to wear them again after that description + the breeding reference) and made me laugh all at once. Gotta give the girl props (and free giveaway entries : )).

Leave me a comment, Amanda, letting me know which giveaway you prefer the entries to go toward, and I’ll hook you up, girl!

Coming soon: the continuation of our movie discussion on Five Things Thursday.

 

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Thrifted or Grifted: Polka-dots

Happy Humpday, everybody!

It’s time again for Thrifted or Grifted, the fashion game where you test your thrifting savvy by deciding whether an outfit is:

100% Thrifted: (adj.)—previously loved and therefore ridiculously cheap…aka Secondhand

OR

100% Grifted: (adj.)—swindled or cheated…aka Retail

(Disclaimer: No, I don’t actually think that you’re getting ripped off every time you pay retail, but I do believe that if you can’t tell the difference, you shouldn’t have to pay for it).

So, do you think it’s:

Exhibit A

OR

Exhibit B

Hmmmm?

Okay, folks. Hit it!

Which outfit is 100% thrifted? Don't forget to leave me a comment explaining your reason for choosing what you did (either a real reason or a silly one...I’m good with either) if you want to be automatically entered into the giveaway of your choice. The commenter whose explanation I like most will receive 5 free entries into the Lisa Leonard Designs giveaway (unless you prefer The September Giveaway, in which case, you can let me know when you win ; )).

I hope you all have a lovely Wednesday! I have something fun to announce tomorrow for Five Things Thursday.

Linking up with:

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Try-it Tuesday: Emersonmade Starched Flower Clone

If you haven’t yet encountered the work of the incredibly talented Emerson of Emersonmade, I highly recommend browsing her site…just as soon as you get done reading about how I cloned her starched linen flower, of course.

Her originals are all kinds of elegant, and I’m thoroughly convinced that she uses some kind of special, kick-tail kind of starch not available in normal stores since I used heavy starch, and mine still weren’t nearly as stand-at-attention stiff as hers.

I also cut out my petals on the drive down to San Antonio during our weekend away using my memory as my guide, and when I went back and looked at the Emersonmade version, I discovered that mine were…different.

But you know what? I’m good with that. It means that mine has its own personality. And I’m all about personality.

Remember this lovely movie bathroom mirror shot?

Or maybe this one…yeah..that’s a little better.

Well, here’s what you’ll need to make your own (in fact, making your own seems to be your only option anymore; I just checked Emerson’s website, and I can’t find the flowers anywhere).

• Linen, or heavy-weight cotton (I used this lovely aqua linen that I snagged from a friend for $2/yd)
• Starch (I used heavy)
• Felt
• Scissors
• Needle/thread (I used gold to add a decorative touch)
• Brooch pin
• Flower petal template

1. Using your templates…(which I had laser-cut by a professional, obviously)

…cut out a pile of large and small petals.

I cut mine into a heart shape with a squared-off base. My large petals were approximately 2 1/2” X 2 1/2” (at the widest point), and my small were 1 1/2” X 1 1/2” (at the widest point). I used 10 large petals and 4 small.

2. Treat and iron your petals according to the directions on the starch bottle (I starched mine twice for a little extra stiffness).

3. Cut out a 1 1/2” square piece of felt (I just used craft felt)

4. You guys know how fond I am of my Glen the glue-gun, but he is getting pretty decrepit, so I gave him a break and actually sewed my brooch pin on the back of my piece of my felt. What can I say? I was feeling fancy today. (Glen, you know I still love you, right?)

5. Once your petals are starched, make a crease in the bottom center portion and iron it in place. This will give the petal a bit of a curve so that it doesn’t just lie there all flat and stiff when you put it on.

6. Begin stitching your petals around your felt square (feel free to play with the arrangement before you commit to a spot, but the actual process is pretty forgiving). I used 6 large petals for the base, 4 large petals for the second layer, and 4 small petals on top. You can, of course, add more layers for a fuller flower.

7. (Optional) Cut a very small strip of fabric (maybe 1/4” X 1”), roll it up, then stitch it to the center of your flower to add a center “bloom.” Notice that I used my gold thread to sew decorative “X’s” to hold my petals in place. Not necessary but a nice touch. And it’s how Emerson did it. So…who am I to argue?

I think I’m going to experiment with various petal shapes and make a few more to wear on a blazer or a sweater (plus I scored two more colors of linen from my friend…I love variety!).

And the best part?

One of these beauties is going into the October Giveaway (coming soon)!

Speaking of giveaways—if you haven’t yet entered to win The September Giveaway or the Lisa Leonard Designs $75 Giveaway, make sure you get right on that. Entries for both close on Oct. 1!

That’s it for me this Tuesday. But I’ll be back tomorrow with another round of Thrifted or Grifted. Are you up for the challenge? Make sure you comment and make it lively because the commenter I pick as my fave will get 5 free entries into the Lisa Leonard Designs Giveaway!

Linking up:

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Try-it Tuesday coming soon…

Hi there, folks!

Just wanted to give you a heads-up that the long-awaited starched flower tutorial (after all, I did promise it to you over a week ago; that’s loooong-awaited in my five-year-old’s opinion) is coming very soon. 

But in the meantime, I wanted to give you a heads-up that I’m guest-posting for the adorable Cori of La Vie Petite today. Remember her fun tutorial about transforming a not-so-gorgeous bridesmaid dress into a pretty pencil skirt?  Well, she has lots of other fun style features and a couple of great giveaways in progress right now, so if you haven’t checked her out yet, make sure to pay her a visit!.

Also, I had every intention of letting you know that I also guest-posted for the lovely Julia of Pawley’s Island Posh last Friday, but apparently, I got sidetracked by the necessity of getting out the door in no-time-flat and let it slip my mind. Be sure to stop by and do some snooping around Julia’s blog. Her photography is beautiful. And her living room (well, actually her former living room, but…I’ll let you you read about it for yourself) is one of the most put-together, drop-dead gorgeous rooms I’ve seen anywhere, home décor magazines included (just click on her “house tour” button at the top of her page).

So, there you go…some reading material while you wait for the long-awaited starched flower tutorial. (Not too much longer-awaited, promise).

See you soon! 

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Move-it Monday: Fit and Fab (#2) + Punches

Okay, so you guys were a wee bit shy about our first ever Fit and Fabulous from a couple of weeks ago…which I totally understand.

It’s a bit daunting to link up pics of yourself in workout gear if that’s not already your thing.

So, here’s the deal: I’m going to show you my favorite workout outfits and what I do in them, and I will provide a linky for you to join in at any point that you feel up to it. The linky will stay open all week. If it helps you to be held accountable this way or you feel like you can motivate others by linking up, I would love, love, LOVE (subtle, right?) for you to do it.

If you don’t want to post pics but do want to tell us about your exercising adventures in the comments section…also fantastic.

If you just want to read, well, that’s also good. 

Between this week’s outfit and the last one, you’re probably thinking that all I do is wear screamin’ bright colors to get my sweat on. But, actually, the opposite is true. The Les Mills instructors at our gym sort of, kind of have a uniform for the different formats we teach. Body Pump = mostly red + black, Body Combat = more red + black + maybe a pop or two of dark green thrown in for wild craziness.

So, while lime green is usually so far off my radar that I wouldn’t even consider pairing it with my pasty white skin, when I saw this little number at Academy for $5 (originally $50!!), I decided I would buy it and ask my skin for forgiveness later.

Also, these long shorts are what I wear pretty much every time I kick-box (the better to not flash anyone when I whip out a roundhouse), but hot pink doesn’t exactly say, “I’m tough and will kick your tushy into shape,” and I’ve got a reputation to uphold, y’all. At the gym, anyway. Here, though, I’m just that girl who likes to thrift and talk a lot. So…blindingly pink shorts it is.

Today, I thought I’d show you the four punches you would see over and over again if you took my Body Combat class (and do over and over again if you already take my class; hello, lovely gym-girls/guys!). If you’ve read along for a while now, then you know that BC is kind of my happy place exercise. It puts a huge smile on my face every single time.

So, if you want to join in from your living room, here are the basics:

1. The Jab

From Combat stance (what I’m standing in in the first pic with one leg forward and feet apart), punch straight forward with your front arm, twisting your fist so that your thumb is down and your knuckles face up.

Fully extend your arm without locking out your elbow, then pull the fist back to your chin, which is your “guard.”  If you try this in the mirror, you should be aiming for your own mouth, nose, chin. Keep your chin tucked and your elbows in close to your body.

You can also do a jab from Front stance, which is just what it sounds like—a front-facing stance with the legs apart where neither leg is farther forward than the other.

2. The Cross

The cross is essentially the same as the jab, except that it is only performed in Combat stance because it must come across (hence the name) the body. As a result, it always comes from the back arm.  Rotate the body, pulling the back shoulder to the front, and extend the arm straight forward, again cork-screwing your fist so that the thumb is down. Your aim is still for the nose, mouth, chin.

Your back heel will lift, and you will pivot on your toe to protect your knee. After you punch, return to guard with your fists to your chin.

3.The Hook

The hook is a power shot to the jaw, cheek, or temple. Starting from guard (fists to the chin), make a right angle (corner) with your elbow and push your fist to the side of an imaginary opponent’s head (I like to personify the dirty dishes and imagine knocking their lights out!). Return your fist to guard. You can perform a hook from the back arm (like I’m doing above) or from the front (like below).

4. The Uppercut

The uppercut is the only vertical punch we do. From Combat stance, drop your front shoulder, squeeze your fist, and…

…drive it upward into your (again imaginary) opponent’s chin. Finish the punch somewhere around your nose and then come back to guard.

Avoid “swooping” which means that you drop your hand down and swing it up (if you were in a real fight, this would leave you completely “guardless” and vulnerable to being hit).

You can also do an uppercut from the back arm with all of the same principles.

Make sense? (All of it…not just the part about getting hit).

I hope so because I have yet to encounter anything else (that I enjoy doing) that has toned my arms (shoulders especially) like these four punches. 

So, here’s my challenge for you:

Try 3 sets of 5 reps each of these 4 punches in right Combat stance and then switch and repeat on the left. Do it 3 days this week. That’s a total of 120 punches each day (just as a point of reference, there’s a particular Body Combat release that has 128 jabs in one section of one song, so if 120 sounds like a lot…trust me…you’ll make it).

It’s totally normal if you feel awkward at first (and by awkward, I mean: complete-and-total spaz!). I did!

You can check out Youtube videos (just search for the punch’s name) if you feel like you’re doing something really wrong or just aren’t getting the hang of it.  Also, if this is not something you normally do, you will feel sore. Take a Tylenol and hit it again the day after.

So, there it is. Your fitness challenge for this week. You had no idea I was gonna get all bossy on you, did you?

I would love for you to tell me how it goes.  Oh, and ask questions. Lots of those. Hmm…what else? I think that’ll do it for now.

Do you have a favorite results-producing exercise that does it for you?

Now…time to link up (if you want). Be sure to link up to your specific fitness post and grab my Fit and Fab button from the sidebar so people can join in on the fun.

 

 

 

 

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Feature Friday: Randomness

Okay, folks. Today’s Feature Friday will be about as random as they come since it will be featuring the bits and bobs floating around in my brain.  I had something more specific planned in addition to the randomness, but then my husband drove off with two essential items in his car (but only because I left them there) without either of us realizing it, so that’ll have to wait (I bet I’ve made you curious now, though! *insert evil chuckle*).

Plus, I thought this might be kind of, well, fun since I always have something specific I’m *supposed* to be writing about for each day of the week and therefore rarely get a chance to just “chat” with you guys. (By the way, it makes my day when you chat back).

1) Did you know we have a Facebook page for Five days…5 ways? (Search name: Five days 5 ways). I update with my posts each day, but I also add some pics that don’t make it on here and have status updates which are beyond interesting, I assure you. Um…yeah. It’s a work-in-progress, but I’d love to have you jump in on the fun if you haven’t already!

2) I am singing on the worship team this weekend with some really talented peeps, and I’m really hoping that my voice doesn’t crack when I lead “Hosanna” like it did last time I sang it. (I tried to pass it off as an “artistic thing,” but nope, it was just a crack).

3) We live in the boonies and don’t have 4G, so even though I blog, and my husband's a computer programmer, we never have enough bandwidth to watch videos or movies. I know. My life is super-hard. Did you know there are people who don’t have enough food in many parts of the world? It’s true.

But in my sheltered little corner of the world, because our internet doesn’t have enough oomph to handle videos (without completely devouring our month’s allotment of web usage…it’s a boonies’ thing), I couldn’t use Netflix Instant to get any of your lovely miniseries suggestions from our discussion after yesterday’s post. That’s okay, though, because I already ordered Downton Abbey and Lost in Austen from Amazon using my husband’s Prime account. Have I mentioned how much I like you guys and your wonderful ideas?

4) Apparently, whenever I stray from my morning routine of Raisin Bran for breakfast (yes, I am a Senior-Citizen-in-training), my body gets really confused and thinks it hasn’t been given any food, no matter how many calories I supply it. I can seriously eat a big country breakfast and…my stomach will roar at me like a hungry lion…ess. Because, of course, my stomach is a girl.  So far today, I’ve eaten two muffins and two pieces of fruit leather, and I might as well have not eaten at thing for all the good it’s doing.  Grrrr…  (That was me, not the lioness).

5) I have half an hour to get out the door (including dressing all three of my kids + myself, feeding the baby, and getting my things together for errands + taking a friend out for a birthday lunch + racquetball later with my hubby and brother). And I’m typing a post to you guys. You think I’ll make it? (Check out the Facebook page tomorrow, and I’ll let you know how it worked out…whoo, I’m sneaky!).

I hope you guys enjoyed our little chat and have an absolutely amazing weekend. I plan on doing the same. After all, God has given me breath in body, people who love me, and Himself. How could I do otherwise?

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5 Things Thursday: Magnificent Miniseries

I had such a good time reading all of your suggestions and thoughts on Chick Flicks with Brains last week (I even found out about a few new ones! Whoo!)  that I thought we might go another round, but this time with miniseries.

I kind of love miniseries. They have movie-quality production values with a much longer running length (usually), which makes them better done than a TV show and gives you more time to enjoy the story/get to know the characters than a feature film does. Score!

So, here is a list of my favorite miniseries of all time…in a very particular order (#1 = my favorite, #2 = next in line, etc., etc.).

1. Anne of Avonlea

Yes, I know that this is the second installment in the series, but, while I love A of GG, for me, A of A edges it out by just a tiny smidge.

Dorky side note: I spent hours drawing Anne’s face/hair from this VHS cover art. Obsessed much? Yeah, a bit.

Awesome side note: I’ve been to Prince Edward Island and seen all of the original sites for the series. Honestly, as much as I loved the movies, the preserved sets and such were all a bit too shrinish and touristy for me. But the island itself is even more breathtaking in real life than it is on film.

2. Anne of Green Gables

Obviously, I couldn’t adore A of A so much without loving its precursor as well. Last week, Kelli, my real-life friend and bloggy buddy, jokingly chided me for not including Anne-girl in my list of chick flicks I love.  But honestly, the only reason I didn’t was because Anne stars in a miniseries, not a movie. I know it’s a silly distinction, and no one most people wouldn’t think twice about my calling it a chick flick, but sometimes my brain gets all picky like that, and I can’t get it to stop saying things like, “Well, technically…”

So, yay, for correct categories and long-time favorites in them.

Confession: there’s a possibility that I’ve seen both A of GG and A of A at least 50 times each.

Oh, and here’s a challenge for all of you fellow Anne devotees. I named my daughter Adelaide after hearing the name on either A of GG or A of A. Can anyone tell me which character is named this and on which installment she appears?

3. Pride and Prejudice (the BBC/A&E version)

While I have no (okay, few) objections to the 2005 Kiera Knightly film version, I don’t think that you can properly claim to have *experienced* Pride and Prejudice until you’ve seen this amazing 1995 miniseries. I saw Contagion this past weekend with my hubby in which there is a scientist with a much-too-perfectly enunciated American accent...it took me a minute or two, but I finally figured out that it was Jennifer Ehle, who captures the many nuances of the fascinating Elizabeth Bennett character with such perfection that I will never be able to see her in another film without smiling and thinking, “Hi there, Lizzie.”

4. Wives and Daughters

Adapted from the unfinished Elizabeth Gaskell novel (she died before she could write the ending) by Andrew Davies, the same screenwriter who adapted Pride and Prejudice (and helped to adapt the Bridget Jones series, oddly enough), Wives and Daughters centers around a sweet, level-headed, motherless protagonist named Molly who spends most of the film navigating the tricky waters of family tensions, secrets, and even a stepmother/sister combo. And she does it all with a grace and poise that I envy.

5. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Whoa! Where did that come from? Here, I’ve spent the last 4 entries bragging on female-centric, old-fashioned, coming-of-age and/or love stories from centuries gone by, and then I whip out Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog?!

Um…yes?

While this little series by Joss Whedon has its share of issues (including a 3rd Act whose tone veers wildly away from that of the first two and leaves enough loose ends lying around to tie up an elephant…can you tell I just went to the zoo?), the first two acts are undeniably brilliant.

It’s the story of a wannabe villain with a heart of gold who, no matter how much he thinks he wants to be part of the Evil League of Evil, would really be perfectly content with living happily ever after with the girl from the Laundromat.

Oh yeah. And the actual sing-along part? It’s good. And catchy. Like the kind of catchy you go around humming for days afterward. (I’m doing it right now).

Honestly, I only recommend the first two acts, which are all things clever, hilarious, and well-acted…oh, and almost entirely clean (I can think of one notable exception in the form of a really crude comment). The last act…eh, not as much.

Still, if you must watch it all, you can search for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on YouTube and find all three acts readily available for viewing.

Oh, and you can probably find plenty of petitions to sign that ask/demand that a 4th act be filmed ASAP!

Well, that’s it for me and miniseries (I have plenty of runners-up, but I want to hear what you have to say).

So, you know what I’m going to ask. What are your favorite miniseries of all time? (Wow, that sounds momentous!)

P.S. I am sad to announce that the results of yesterday’s poll on whether my top was red or orange (yes, we actually did vote on such a thing) were that 69% of you thought it was orange. Which is what my red-green color blind husband said. Thanks, guys. I thought you were supposed to be on my side.

P.P.S. In case you can’t tell from last week’s and this week’s post, I’m kind of a movie-junky. But did you know that I spent two whole years writing a weekly blog about them? Yup. Check out Picky Flicks if you want a few more of my recommendations (and to see…sort of…what I looked like with short hair : )).

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