VBS, Photo Contests, and Other Randomness :)

Well, I'm back to the normal, slightly-less-hectic schedule. :)  Sorry I didn't pop in before this.  The weekend was spent recovering from last week. ;)

VBS was really wonderful.  As always, I learned a lot and felt blessed to be a part of things. I think my main lesson this year was humility.  

I'll admit it...I'm pretty much a spotlight type of person.  I rather enjoy being the center of attention (in some circumstances...unless you're asking me the answer to an algebraic equation or something). ;)  For several years, I was in charge of the opening and closing programs, as I've already mentioned.  When that got to be a bit too much with Hubby's busy summer schedule, I passed the responsibility on to another, but I still have been involved.

At the beginning of this week, I was feeling as though there was really no need for me to be there.  I wasn't in charge, I wasn't in the skits, I was basically just another singing voice.  Maybe they didn't need me anymore.  Throughout the course of the week, though, I realized that this insecurity was basically because I wasn't the center of attention.  "A" is a great leader and has a magnetic personality, especially when he's around children, so the kiddos flocked to him.  Our other helper up front was young and pretty and helping in the classroom. so she was adored.  I felt like an old, boring background voice that no one cared about.  Not that I would have admitted this highly unspiritual attitude to anyone!! :}  It was honestly how I felt, though.  And then, I was convicted of my selfish attitude.  I wanted more attention while still having less responsibility.  And good grief, VBS is never about the person up front anyway, or at least it shouldn't be!  It's always about God, about glorifying Him, sharing His message of salvation, and pointing others to His truth.  

I felt a bit sheepish about my inner attitude, especially when I thought about the theme of this year's VBS:  choosing "God's way" instead of "my way".  Hmm, which way was I choosing?  Apparently you're never too old to learn. ;)  I think that's one disadvantage of being involved in a ministry that is more visible (such as singing or public speaking).  It's very easy to make it all about you, even when you tell yourself you're doing things "for the Lord".  

Once I got over this silly and immature mindset, I was able to focus more on why I was there and Who it was all about.  And when I moved the focus away from myself, I was able to really enjoy the week.  

One of the major blessings from this year's VBS was being able to see so many of the young people I'd watched grow up taking part in VBS as helpers or leaders.  Many of them were children I'd taught in Sunday School or VBS when they were little.  One of them was a boy I used to babysit.  Now they are all young men and women, and it was so encouraging to me to see how they have grown and matured.  I saw their genuine love for the kids, their willing servant's hearts, and their eagerness to please the Lord with their lives. 

There were even a couple of times during the week when the Lord very graciously helped me through my insecurities, even though they were based on a selfish need to be noticed.  Once was when I was able to add an ad lib at the end of one of the skits to bring out the spiritual application of what the boys were saying a little more clearly.  And once was at the end of the week when another young man I've watched grow up specifically thanked me for singing up front.  

All of us have a part to play in serving the Lord.  We may not think what we're doing makes a difference, but  no matter where we serve, we can be used by Him.  And when we keep our focus in the right place (on Him and not ourselves), the "size" or "importance" of our job won't even matter to us.    

I know I probably seem really shallow, but I like to keep it real here on the blog.  I think as Christians we're often afraid to show our faults and failings.  But the truth is, we make the same mistakes everyone else does.  We're no better than anyone else, and the more we remind ourselves of that, the better.  Nothing we do has any merit in itself.  It's only by God's grace and through His power that we can accomplish anything worthwhile.

But I digress.  You probably didn't stop by for a sermon. ;)

I thought I'd share a few pics from the stage where I spent the last week.  Several of our church members did a fantastic job decorating it.  We were supposed to be on a tropical island this year.  (Next year, we'll be in outer space!)

As you can see,  Mermalade came along one day to capture a few photos. ;)  This was the "God's Way", "My Way" sign that we used to remind the kiddos of the theme of the week.

Cuddling with one of the many monkeys that graced the stage.

Here's the music stand I used all week.  (For those of you who are curious, the microwave in the background was used for one of our skits.) ;)

Mermalade testing out the music stand.

All of the workers were given this cute little card wrapped around some candy. :)

And in another complete bit of randomness, I present to you:  TARDIS bread!!  Mimi made this for me, and it made a great snack during VBS week when I was low on time. :)

In other news, I've joined the Miss AGPT photo contest on AGPT.  I've really missed being involved on the forums there.  Somehow, time keeps getting away from me and the forums I've been a part of have had to go by the wayside.  (I lurk more than anything.) :}  I thought that being involved in the photo contest would be a fun way to plunge back in.

I decided to use Emma as a contestant this time around.  It's been a while since I've done photos with her. :)

The first round was "Patriotic".  I actually completely spaced the deadline and didn't realize it until about twenty minutes before I had to have the picture in!!  I grabbed Emma and a few things I had lying around, did a quick setup, took a few photos, added some edits, and sent it off...with three minutes to spare! ;)

This photo was for Round 2, due yesterday.  The theme was "Forever".  I couldn't help but think of the new "BeForever" title for the Historical line and the new "choose your own adventure" books where characters from our time will get to meet the AG historical characters.  I added some softness and faded the color a bit on Felicity to make it look like she was traveling through time...or something. ;)  Unfortunately, this may end up counting as too much image-alteration (which is mentioned in one of the rules), so I have a message in to the moderator of the contest to see if this one needs to be disqualified.  Moral of the story:  Reread the rules before each round of a photo contest. :}  Come to think of it, my first photo had a vignette around it, so maybe that one shouldn't have been used either.  All I know is that I'll be sure to cool it on the editing with my last two rounds. :}

I think that's about it on the updates.  I have quite a few comments to publish and respond to (on ALL the blogs), but I probably won't get to those until tomorrow.  We're meeting my sister-in-law and her daughters this afternoon for some swimming, and then I have my writers group meeting tonight.  Plus, it's supposed to be 110 degrees today, and it's already unbearably hot in our little swamp cooler-cooled house. :}

I have more to share and more to post (and yes, Maggie will be posting on her blog by the end of the week...I promise!), but I'll save that for another time.  My daughters are chomping at the bit to leave, and I still need to take my shower. :}

Until next time!!  Hope you all have a wonderful week. :)

Coral and Saige Photo Shoot

Hey everyone!  I'm almost done with my review of Toddler Elsa and Anna from the Disney Store, but it's been a rather stressful couple of days, so I needed something less involved to post for tonight. :}

As I mentioned briefly in my Caroline review post, my particular Caroline is going to be renamed Coral Brenna Copeland and is a sister to my mom's Saige Copeland doll (GOTY from 2013).  Sigh.  I'm so very behind on Jane Austen and Unicorns...I was hoping to have a post about them on that blog first.  Since I haven't gotten my act together over there, I thought I'd share some of the photos here.  Both dolls have gorgeous coloring and will make perfect sisters. :)

Coral and Saige 

As I was taking the pictures, I noticed that they had similar coloring to Elsa and Anna from Frozen. :)  I'm still "getting to know" both dolls (Mom doesn't usually work out the personalities of her own dolls, so I get to figure out all of the details about Saige as well as Coral), ;) but I think Frozen might have to be one of the things they're into. :)

So far, I know that Coral likes Lalaloopsy, Mary Engelbreit, and period dramas.  She loves the "Heart of India" series by Linda Chaikin and is named after the main character.  I haven't a clue on Saige yet. :} 

Here are the six cousins I had available for the photo shoot (Piper was at Mimi's and Ruthie was at my mom's still).  From left to right, we have Alice Ellison, Hayden Hathaway, Coral Copeland, Saige Copeland, Emma Hathaway, and Charlie Hathaway. :)  Quite a gorgeous group of girls, if I do say so myself. :)

I'll have my Elsa and Anna review up as soon as possible, but it may be at least a couple more days.  I'll see what I can do. :)

P.S. Completely unrelated and random, but have any of you seen the newest My Little Pony Friendship is Magic episode starring Fluttershy?  It has to rank up there with one of my all-time favorite episodes.  (Big McIntosh sings? What?) :D  If you'd like to see it, right now it's on the Hub's website HERE.  It should only be there for around a week or two, so watch it quick! :)

P.P.S.  Since I ended up with so many nice photos from this shoot, I decided to play around and make a header or two.  So as always, here's a copy of my current header (I'll miss this one!). ;)  

18" Doll Regency Dress from eBay Seller marcotsgirls

While browsing through my draft posts, I found this review post waiting to debut.  I don't normally publish two posts in one day, but I wanted to get this one up before the eBay seller's current auction ends. :)

Marcotsgirls is one of my favorite sellers of handmade historical doll dresses.  I've purchased from her twice through eBay, and both of her dresses have become some of my favorites.  You can see my previous review of her work HERE.  

When I saw this beautiful blue Regency dress listed earlier this year (it might have even been last year...yikes!), I fell in love with the color and the lovely lace details.  I was so excited when I won the auction! :)  Since I'm a Jane Austen fan myself, I've made some of my dolls fans as well. :}  And of course, any Jane Austen fan loves to have a Regency Gown of her own! ;)

Here's Emma, modeling the newest of the Regency dresses. 

A look at the back of the dress (sorry about the coloring in this pic and a couple of the others...just my camera being stubborn, as usual). :}

I think this blue is a great shade for Emma. :)

One of the things I love about marcotsgirls is her attention to detail:

From the contrast of the pretty white lace against the blue of the material, shown here on the dress's bodice...

...to the neat, even stitching and lace trim on the sleeves...

...to the finishing touch of the blue beads, this dress is just stunning.  By the way, her dresses normally come with pretty handmade jewelry of some kind.

A closer look at the print of the material. 

I added this white flower hair clip (purchased at Claire's) for an elegant touch.

Sweet Emma.

I would highly recommend marcotsgirls' work for anyone who loves historical dresses for their dolls at an affordable price.  You can see her two current auctions HERE.  To get an idea of some of her other work, you can see a list of her completed listings HERE.  I would definitely recommend saving her as a favorite seller, even if you miss out on these auctions. :)

I hope you're all having a great December so far.  Mine has actually been fairly stress-free up to this point.  Of course, the fact that I haven't started my Christmas cards yet and that I'm trying to ignore my overflowing pile of socks to be sorted is probably helping my stress level considerably.  (Blogging beats sorting socks any day!) ;)

Talk to all of you again soon! :)

Emma Week Tag Questions

Miss Woodhouse of Elinor, Elizabeth and Emma and Abi of Miss Emma Woodhouse Blogspot are hosting Emma Week over at their blogs.  Part of the week's festivities include some tag questions.  Since this is one of my all-time favorite Jane Austen stories, I had to be involved. ;)  

1.  Did you read the book or watch an adaptation first?

     I watched the 1996 movie adaptation with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam first.  It instantly became my new favorite movie!  I was completely in love with Mr. Knightley. :D  It actually took me several years and several attempts to read the book. :}

2.  How many times have you read Emma?

      I think I've read it about 3 times.

3.  Your favorite adaptation is?

     It's a tie between the 1996 version with Gwyneth and Jeremy and the new version from 2009 with Romala Garai and Johnny Lee Miller.  I will always love the 1996 version because it's the one that introduced me to the story, and to me, Jeremy Northam IS Mr. Knightley. ;)  That, and the fact that  I believe that Jeremy Northam is the only one who has nailed the "Badly Done, Emma" scene emotionally.  But I also loved the 2009 version, especially since it included so much more from the book.  I liked the fact that it told more of Frank and Jane's story without sacrificing Harriet's. I also loved that it included more of Mr. Knightley's brother John and Emma's sister Isabella. :)

   My favorite Frank and Jane are actually Raymond Coulthard and Olivia Williams from the 1996 version with Kate Beckinsale, but I didn't like how this version skimped on Harriet's part of the story to bring us more of Frank and Jane.  Plus, I really didn't like Mark Strong's Mr. Knightley AT ALL!!

4.  Do Emma's matchmaking "skills" annoy you?

     Yes, sometimes.  They annoy my Hubby so much that he has a hard time watching the movie!  But sometimes, she just makes me laugh because she thinks she's got it all together and she's so clueless!  (I don't usually try my hand at matchmaking, but I am often tempted to want to know everyone else's business, and many of Emma's mistakes and failings remind me of my own.) :}

5.  List three minor characters you like in the story.

     Miss Taylor/Mrs. Weston, Robert Martin, and John Knightley

6.  Which character is the most annoying of the three:  Mrs. Elton, Mr. Elton, or Miss Bates?

     Well, they're all annoying, but I think that Mrs. Elton takes the cake.  She's so horribly insulting and full of false modesty and disguised self-praise.  Although I think the other two come close behind her.  I despise the way Mr. Elton treats Harriet at the ball, and honestly, though I don't condone Emma's actions at the picnic, I can understand her frustration with Miss Bates.  I've been around people like that who won't stop talking, and it's very hard to treat them the way you should sometimes!! :}

7.  Have you seen any Emma spinoffs?

     I've seen "Clueless", which I did not appreciate for its content, and a Bollywood version of Emma called "Aisha" (another movie I did not enjoy for its content).  I think with Emma, it's best to just stick to the original story. ;)

8.  The perfect sum-up of Mr. Knightley is?

     A caring, honest gentleman of integrity who is not afraid to confront you when you're wrong, but loves you in spite of your flaws.

9.  Describe what you think of Emma herself in three words or less.

     Spoiled, clueless, lovable

10.  Harriet Smith receives a proposal from __?

     Robert Martin

11.  Your most enjoyed scene is?

     -In the 1996 Jeremy/Gwyneth version:  the "badly done" scene after the picnic, the archery scene, the dance scene, and the proposal scene 

     -In the 2009 version:  the dance scene, the proposal scene, and the scene where Emma is going off about Miss Bates right after Jane leaves Donwell, and Mr. Knightley just gives her this look and she stops...that is SO me and my husband! ;) (Honestly, that's why I like this story in general:  Emma and Mr. Knightley's interactions remind me a lot of the way my husband and I interact.)

     -In the book-the proposal scene (do you sense a theme here?)...and I know there are others, but it's been too long since I've read it! :}

12.  The villain is?

     I don't think there's really a "villain" in this book as much as there are just people being rude and unkind or making unwise decisions.  Mr. and Mrs. Elton are basically just bullies, lashing out at everyone else because of their bitterness and insecurity.  Frank Churchill, while not as vile as Henry Crawford, Willoughby, or Wickham from Austen's other novels, is still portrayed as a young man lacking in common respectability and decency.  However, I think he's simply young and immature in the way he interacts with Emma and Jane, not someone I'd characterize as a "villain".  Miss Bates is just a big softy who can't keep quiet and therefore annoys Emma.  I guess you could consider the gypsies that attack Harriet the villains... ;) 

13.  Jane Fairfax is engaged to be married to __?

     Frank Churchill

14.  Miss Taylor was Emma's __?

     Governess

To take part in this tag yourself, you can view the original post HERE. :)

And just because it gave me a good excuse, here are some fun Emma pics to enjoy! :D

"Try not to kill my dogs." :)

The best "badly done" scene of all the adaptations, hands-down (at least in my humble opinion!). :}

The newest Emma...

...and the newest Mr. Knightley.

My favorite Jane and Frank...although Frank and Jane from 2009 Emma are definitely growing on me. ;)

I used to just swoon through this entire sequence, starting when Mr. Knightley danced with poor Harriet.

This part always cracks me up. :)

And the best part of all.  Yay for happy endings!! :D

P.S.  For those of you who are interested, when Emma (my doll) found out about this week, she wished she could join in too.  She didn't have time to do a newer post, but she politely requested that I add a link to her previous "Tea with Tess" post from Tess and Maggie's blog.  In this post, she and Tess discussed their thoughts on their Austen favorites.  While some other stories besides Emma were thrown in, Emma the doll went into a quite lengthy discussion of her thoughts on the various Emma adaptations.  Interestingly enough, she and I share a lot of the same viewpoints. ;)  So if you're interested in checking out Emma's thoughts on...Emma, :} click HERE. :)

Charlie and Emma's Outdoor Photo Shoot

Here's a fun, photo-filled blog post for all of you to enjoy. :)   

First off, as you most likely noticed, I changed my header, so I wanted to preserve this in a post for posterity. ;)  I really love how this one turned out!

I had the opportunity to visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law a couple of times in the past couple of months.  They live in a beautiful area in the mountains, so I took Charlie and Emma with me for some photo shoots. :)

Here's Charlie, enjoying the beautiful scenery.  These photos were from our first trip. 

There's a little creek that runs through the front yard.  It's the perfect size for the dolls. :)

Charlie, the science lover, observes some of the local flora. :)

Charlie loves her boots, but she also loves squishing her toes in the muddy creek. :)

This photo started the shoot from our second visit up there.  I had lots of fun taking sister pics. :)

I had lots of fun taking photos of my photogenic girls. :)  Hopefully next month there will be a third sister to photograph!! :D