14): Zombies, Jane Austen & BBC

By bobbi
February 28, 2014
1 Comment

Today is Day 5 of my participation in Jen’s 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge and I am linking up with her 7 Quick Takes.

~ 1 ~

This cold and stormy night has me in the mood for hot chocolate and zombies. But before I start my wild Friday night (snort) I just remembered I forgot to make a post today. So let’s see what I can get done in 20 minutes. Ready. Steady. Go!

~ 2 ~

Speaking of zombies, Cari was talking about starting a TV recap of The Walking Dead. I’m all for it! TWD is about as opposite as you can get from Downton Abbey but I love them equally. Besides the show is not so much about the zombies but the human spirit, overcoming incredible obstacles and the relationships and interactions of the survivors, with a little zombie gore thrown in. 😉 Anyway, I’m looking forward to reading it and adding my two cents.

~ 3 ~

Speaking of The Walking Dead, the show has ruined the 2008 Sense and Sensibility for me. I used to love this version but it is painful to watch Colonel Brandon because all I see is the psycho Governor (and poor Hershel). It is also weird to see Downton Abbey’s Matthew courting Elinor as Edward. Oh, well. What are your favorite Jane Austen adaptions?

~ 4 ~

Speaking of Jane Austen, have you read the book Death Comes to Pemberely by P.D. James? Amazon says:

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.

I read mixed reviews of the book and was debating whether or not I should read it. But then I found out that the book was made in a BBC TV mini series staring Matthew Rhys as Darcy and Anna Maxwell Martin as Elizabeth. I am not sure if I would have chosen her as Elizabeth even though I absolutely loved her as Esther in Bleak House. Anyway, the mini-series will be coming to PBS’ Masterpiece this year so I am going to go ahead and read the book before I watch it.

~ 5 ~

Speaking of the actress Anna Maxwell Martin, Brian and I really enjoyed her in The Bletchley Circle. It is a mystery/thriller story that takes place in 1952. Four women who worked at the wartime code-breaking center, Bletchley Park, reunite to track down a serial killer. The show will re-air Thursday, March 27, 2013 on PBS. In spring, they will be showing Season 2 of The Bletchley Cirlce as well as Season 3 of Call of the Midwife. Lots of good stuff!

~ 6 ~

Speaking of watching a movie, Brian is ready to watch the movie so my time is up.

~ 7 ~

Have a great night. See you back here Saturday. (Ack! Two more posts to go!) 😉

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉

{pretty, happy, funny, real} vol. 83 & Theme Thursday: Fences

By bobbi
February 27, 2014
5 Comments

Today is Day 4 of my participation in Jen’s 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge.

It’s also a photo mash-up as I link up with Cari for Theme Thursday: Fences (refer to {pretty}) and Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real}.

{pretty}

I’m linking this photo with Theme Thursday: Fences.

When I saw that the topic was fences, I immediately thought of this older photo I took when we visited the Santa Cruz area. I loved the look of the fence with the daisies but this was from a few months ago so it technically doesn’t follow the rules of being a photo from this week.

So to cover my bases, on the way home from picking up John-Paul from pre school I pulled to the side of the road and snapped this fence that separates the road from the walking trail I frequent. I would have tried for something more artistic but I was pressed for time.

{happy}

My mom has been visiting us and she insisted on babysitting the kids so Brian and I could go out to dinner. Well, you don’t have to twist my arm. I actually planned two dates. One with Bella for a mom-daughter night out at the movies. (We went to see the Lego Movie.) And my second date was with this sweet man.

{funny}

This guy. (Do your kids hate getting out of their pj’s??)

{real}

The other night as we were getting the kids ready for bed one of the toilets was backed up so we told the kids to just use the other bathroom until we fixed it. However, the other two toilets were backed up too. Then we noticed dirty water in our tub and shower. With a quick google, we realized that we had a sewer line clog. Thank goodness Roto-Rooter works 24/7! The young guy that came to help us was great. It was not an easy fix and he had to go through a number of pipes until he was finally able to find the cause of the problem. We’ve got some old plumbing so it looks like we’ll have to do some replacing. But at least for now we have working plumbing again. You never appreciate the conveniences of our life until they are taken away!! 😉

Day 3 of 7: An Update on Brian (2/26/14) & Embracing the Cross

By bobbi
February 26, 2014
5 Comments

Today is Day 3 of my participation in Jen’s 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge and I am rethinking my decision to participate because right now I am exhausted and I am too tired to think. LOL. There is a rain storm outside and we are thanking God for it since this is only the third time we have gotten rain all winter. I forgot what it sounded like to have the rain pounding and the wind shake the windows. On nights like this Brian always wants to watch a mystery for movie night so I am sure he will want to tonight too.

Speaking of my sweet man, today Brian had his outpatient surgery to put a port in his chest for his chemo treatments, which start March 10th. (If you are squeamish or afraid of needles this may be TMI.) Basically, the port is small medical device inserted beneath the skin. A catheter connects the port to a vein and it is used to inject the chemo or draw blood. It looks like this. Just picture it under the skin.

Source

Thankfully the whole process only took about 3 hours and he was back home resting by late this afternoon. After the procedure I helped him get dressed and as I was kneeling on the floor putting on his socks and shoes for him, I looked up at him and he smiled at me and my heart was filled with love. I know I am selfish and I complain a lot and I get bent out of shape when things don’t go my way, but in that moment, I was happy to be on the floor helping him dress. It was my little way of telling him that I loved him and that I appreciated all the love he gives to me and the kids. And that we value every moment that he is here with us. Yeah, a lot to say over a pair of socks but the grace must have been flowing. 😉

This whole fight with cancer is something that we never wanted. However, in the last month there have been emotional and spiritual things revealed to us – as individuals and as a couple that have brought us closer to God and closer to each other. I know Brian has been through a lot this past month and physically the cancer had weakened him and made him sick, but he has fought bravely and grown stronger physically and spiritually. When I was talking to him this morning before his surgery he was joking around with me and I saw a look of happiness and playfulness that had been missing for awhile. I can see God working in him and I pray and hope and trust that God will continue to strengthen Brian and heal him.

But isn’t that how God so often works. Something terrible happens and suffering is endured but when we trust in God, we allow him to do amazing things. He can take the ugly and make something beautiful. He can lift us up off the floor and help us to walk once again. He can take our weakness and make us strong. He can take our doubt and replace it with faith. He can perform miracles. It is not easy since it requires us to first kiss the cross but with it comes the embrace of the resurrection.

Once again, thanks for the continued prayers. Please keep them coming. Brian is ready to watch that mystery movie so time to sign off. 🙂

Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 19): Banana Honey Oatmeal Cookies

By bobbi
February 24, 2014
No Comments

This is Day 2 of my participation in Jen’s 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge.

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

* * * * *

THE PIN: Banana Honey Oatmeal Cookies

We continue our journey to cut down/cut out the processed food and eat “real” food and I am cooking from scratch more. I have been looking for baked treats I can make the kids that don’t use white flour or sugar and yet doesn’t taste like sawdust. My sister sent me a recipe of cookies that her family loves. We tried them and they were delicious. Here it is.

Banana Honey and Oatmeal Cookies Preparation

Mix in large bowl…

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup honey

Cut in…

1 cup coconut oil (you don’t need to melt it first)

In a separate bowl mix…

2 eggs (room temp)
2 cups mashed bananas

Add egg mixture to flour/coconut oil mixture.

Stir in…

3 1/2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup of chia seeds

Scoop them with a little ice cream scoop and bake for 8-10 mins at 375 degrees.

Yum!! I followed the directions except that I landed out using 1/2 coconut oil and 1/2 canola oil. They still came out fine and everyone loved them. Thanks for the recipe, sis!

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for 10 days. Have fun!

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

An InLinkz Link-up

TV Talk: Downton Abbey, Season 4: Episode 8 (Ep 9 in the UK)

By bobbi
February 24, 2014
No Comments

This is Day 1 of my participation in Jen’s 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge. Sorry it came so late. I have been gone most of the day and then had a mom-daughter night out with Bella so I’m barely posting now. But I have two hours until midnight so technically, I’m good. 😉

Source: PBS

This is it! Our last Downton discussion of Season 4. It has been quite a season too. I was approaching the finale with a little trepidation after last year’s depressing ending and then the heavy topics covered in Season 4. I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, it was a fun two hours with a number of comedic moments.

I actually watched this episode earlier in the week. Brian bought me the Season 4 Blu-ray for Valentines and we had a date night watching it together. I didn’t have my laptop with me or take any notes and simply enjoyed the story as it unfolded. (Not to mention that the detail on the Blu-ray was amazing. It made everything more grand!) Yesterday my mom arrived to spend a few days with us so last night we watched the episode together and I was able to take my notes and record my favorite quotes etc. 🙂 So here we go…

Edith – It took a few minutes to realize that we were fast forwarding the time line by 8 months. Edith already had her baby girl and left her in the care of The Shroders in Switzerland. With the return of Gregson less likely, Edith found it even harder to be away from her child. Of course, I desperately wanted her to go back and get her baby and raise it as her own but I have to view this in the mindset of the time and understand why she felt she could not let anyone know the baby was hers. I am glad that she worked it out so the Drewe Family could raise her child close to her. At first I was suspicious of Mr. Drewe, wondering if he could be trusted but in the end his kindness won me over. I am assuming he figured out it was actually Edith’s child and he wanted to repay the family’s kindness by helping Edith and the baby. Now whether or not I am right or whether or not Gregson returns from the dead is to be seen.

Rose – Rose was the central figure as everything revolved around her royal presentation. It was humorous to see how quickly she recovered from her broken engagement with Jack but I must admit that it was fun to see her in her element in the jazz night clubs. The whole Prince of Wales and get-the-letter-from-Sampson plot line was both a little weird and a little hilarious. It was interesting to see the Crawleys interact with historical characters that will later make (notorious) news. I would have also loved that Bates saved the day if we didn’t have that darn Greene plot still hanging over our heads…

Anna and Bates – It was lovely to see Anna back to her old self with a smile on her face. I am glad she was able to heal from the whole ghastly ordeal. On the other hand, what were the writers trying to do with Bates. He went from sweet, noble, romantic hubby of Anna to lying, forging, stealing murderer. Granted, he saved the day at the end but it was sort of a weird way they played up his darker side. I just hope this whole Green/Bates plot is put to rest and never spoken of again.

Tom – Poor Tom. He is getting the Edith stoke of luck these days and can’t find his bearings. I was a little unsure about Miss Bunting at first but she has steadily gotten on my nerves. Why is she always just popping up? Why is she so pushy? Why didn’t she realize how uncomfortable Tom was at the house? I don’t see her as evil, like that nasty Edna, but she is not what Tom needs – a lovely girl that loves Tom for who he is (past and present) and doesn’t make him feel bad for being a part of the Crawley Family now. I am not saying she can’t change her tune in the future but the writers will have to do some tweaking to her character to please this fan. (The only thing more annoying was Thomas doing his usual lurking in the hallways. I don’t think he will rest until he brings Thomas down.)

Mary – I had fun watching Blake and Lord G constrain themselves and not go to blows over Mary. But I have to give Lord G big points for wanting a fair fight and telling Mary about Blake’s prospects. (I never saw that one coming!) Blake seems to be the Mr. Darcy to Lord G’s Mr. Bingley. Some may complain that they are dangling this story and Mary should choose but I am glad she did not. It seems only fitting that Matthew be given a whole season of remembrance before we are ready to fully embrace a new love in Mary’s life. And my stance is still the same. I dearly love Lord G but I am still Team Blake when it concerns the best match for Mary.

Miss Allsop and Harold – I enjoyed watching their interactions and it was refreshing to see them take off their masks and just be open and honest with each other. In doing so, they seem to bring out the best in each other. It is interesting that in this episode two “underdogs” (Harold and Molesley) met women who brought out their better side and gave them confidence they did not have. In return, Harold and Molesley gave Madeleine and Baxter strength to stand up to an overbearing man that was controlling them. It was very touching. Which brings us to…

Molesley and Baxter – The character that I have most grown to love this season is Mr. Molesley. He went from a complaining and whiny little Eeyore to a unexpected knight in shining armor to the troubled Baxter. I do hope she is able to get out of the clutches of Thomas and find a happy home at Downton with Moseley. Sigh.

Slade, the American Valet – It was hilarious to see the difference between the reserved English and the forward Americans. It was definitely a clash of cultures. One of my favorite scenes was when Slade wanted to speak to Carson “man to man.” The look on Carson’s face was priceless. It was also wonderful to see someone fall for Daisy and for her to get the romantic recognition that alluded her all season. It is interesting that Ivy is out of the picture now. Perhaps this will make it easier for Daisy to find a man next season.

Random Thoughts

Watching Martha in action actually made me like Cora more because she had such an overbearing mother yet was able to turn out as such a kind lady, with the capability to have a strong head, at least when she is not falling prey to people like Thomas.

My favorite couple of the show? Violet and Isobel. BFF.

Fave Quotes:

Slade: Are you excited? — Daisy: I’m never excited.

Tom: Losing Sybil was hard. Compared to that, everything is easy.

Carson to Slade: You’re a footman not a traveling salesman.

Mrs. Patmore: All women need someone to show a bit of interest in them, preferably in a manner that in not entirely proper.

Violet: “Can’t you even offer help without sounding like a trumpeter on the peak of the moral high ground?” —Isobel: “And must you always sound like the sister of Marie Antoinette? — Violet: “The queen of Naples was a stalwart figure. I take it as a compliment.” — Isobel: “You take everything as a compliment.” — Violet: “I advise you to do the same. It saves many an awkward moment!”

Mrs. Hughes: “You can always hold my hand, if you need to feel steady.” — Mr. Carson: “I don’t know how, but you make it sound a bit risqué.”

What were your favorite moments? Any predictions for Season 5? Please dish. 🙂

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Monthly Archives: February 2014

7 Quick Takes (2/28/14): Zombies, Jane Austen & BBC

{pretty, happy, funny, real} vol. 83 & Theme Thursday: Fences

Day 3 of 7: An Update on Brian (2/26/14) & Embracing the Cross

Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 19): Banana Honey Oatmeal Cookies

TV Talk: Downton Abbey, Season 4: Episode 8 (Ep 9 in the UK)