What I've Been Doing - December Edition

As it often happens I had this entire month planned out in turns of being productive.
I was dog and house sitting for my parents while they were on vacation so I had planned 2 glorious weeks filled with me-time and getting my winter projects started.

And what do you think happened other than I caught the flu on the very first day and when I had finally recovered enough to actually want to do stuff again, I had only three days left! It's an unfair world!

What I ended up spending most of the time doing instead was watching Christmas themed cooking shows galore. I now know the optimal way of melting chocolate and how to properly glaze a ham (I have since had use for one of those skills. You guess which one...)

                                   

A few other things I've been doing this month is:

Watching

A bunch of Disney movies! I have gone into utter Disney nostalgia mood, and have spent the last week watching a lot of the classic movies. Those movies from the 50's just have a special feel that the new ones don't, and also it's like my entire childhood revisited every time I watch one. This far I've gone through: Cinderella, Bambi, Robin Hood, Aristocats, Lady & The Tramp 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Beauty & The Beast and Mulan, so there's still a few to go.
So don't be surprised if one or two Disney themed posts pops up in the near future;)

                        


Also..I watched the new Star Wars movie in the cinema! That was quite an experience, and the movie was just epic!

Reading

The Fault in Our Stars (Yes, it is as good as the hype says) and The Maze Runner Trilogy. A friend of mine recommended them heavily and I really wanted to get through them before starting my Classics Challenge in January. Also, I'm trying to get into a good reading habit - kind of like warming up before a marathon.

I'm also still trying to get through Hamlet..but only one act to go now!


Planning

The best part about being on the brink of a new year is planning all the things I will do! I do feel a lot like Anne on this subject: "Isn't it nice to think that 2016 is a new year with no mistakes and broken resolutions in it yet?"
A lot of my plans concerns this blog as I plan to have some exciting events here in January and February. Planning blogging events is, in my experience, 95 % planning all the amazing posts I will write and 5 % writing them at the last possible moment, but that doesn't diminish the fun of it!
You will hear a lot more about these plans when I get them into cohesive formed sentences!

                        

That was the highlights of my December.
Do you have any exciting plans/resolutions for the new year?

The 12 Months Classics Challenge

As 2016 is rapidly approaching so is all the resolutions about all the things I will use that year achieving. Besides the regular ones: eating healthier, be more organised etc. my main goal is to read more classics - more specifically; I plan to read one classic each month.
Just when I had decided that, I stumbled upon the wonderful 12 Months Classics Challenge at Lois' blog You, Me and a Cup of Tea

                       

The excitement of a new challenge!! I can barely wait to get started!

My reading choices this far are the following:

January- A classic you've always wanted to read
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

February- A classic you've always dreaded reading
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

March- A classic you've been recommended
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

April- A classic you've seen the movie/miniseries/TV show of
The Code Of The Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse

May- An American classic
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stove

June- A British classic
The Hound Of The Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

July- A European classic (non-British)
Still undecided...

August- A modern classic- Up to your interpretation
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

September- A children's classic
Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne

October- A classic by a female author
Northanger Abbey or Persuasion by Jane Austen

November- A classic by a male author
Peter Pan by J.M.Barrie

December- A classic written under a pseudonym- 
Ivanhoe by Walter Scott (apparently he wrote this particular novel under a pseudonym so people would nøt expect it to be like his other works)

The Awesome Food Award

I was recently tagged by Miss March to do The Awesome Food Award, and for once I actually managed to fill it out before an embarrassing amount of time had passed. Thank you very much Miss March for helping me prove to myself that I can do things without procrastinating once in a while.

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, as well as link back to their blog. 

2. Answer the 10 questions provided.

3. Come up with 10 more questions that relate to food.
4. Nominate at least 5 people.

5. Let those people know they've been nominated.

The Questions:

1. Which do you prefer, salad or bread?

A hard choice...I think I'll choose salad, not because that's what I eat the most but it's the one I couldn't live without.

Nothing beats a really good Greek salad 

                

2. As a child, were you a picky eater or did you like to try new things?

I didn't see myself as picky as I liked most things. The things I didn't like, however, were basic things there were in every meal, such as onions. (My parents always joked that I should be a surgeon with the skills I showed in picking every bit of onion out of my food before eating it)

3. What was one meal you abhorred as a kid?

Lasagna. Yes, I know, it's an ultimate children favourite and all. But I once got sick after eating it and that convinced me I must be allergic! to lasagna, so the next 8 years or so I never even dared get close to it. Today I love it:)

                                

4. Do you prefer cooking or baking?

Baking, definitely baking. I love to bake: cakes, pies, cookies, bread. The only thing holding me back is thinking of who shall eat it all. That's why I love my job (I work in a kitchen); I get paid to do my hobby, and they are always happy to get home made cakes.

                         

5. Are you the sort of person who always has your meals planned out, or do you tend to toss things together at the last minute?  (Or if you don't have your own home yet, how do you imagine you would be?)

I do next to no planning in advance. My biggest fear when moving out was how to make varied meals (and cooking in general) and at first I really tried planning and making big portions, but now I am one of those who don't start to think about what to make before I get hungry. That again means I often end up eating some pretty weird combinations. (who said a can of mackerel with lots of mayo followed by a box of ice cream doesn't constitute a meal?)  

6. What is one of the worst (or most hilarious) food-making blunders you've ever made?

Well, there was the one time I baked a banana cake, and when it was almost done baking I realised I had forgotten to put the bananas in!! 

The cake luckily wasn't ruined, just transformed into a sponge cake, but I think that is my funniest food-gone-wrong story. 

7.  Would you rather have steak or ice cream (or both together, like Pollyanna)?

Ice cream, always ice cream!!

                               

8. What is your favorite kind of cake?

That is an impossible question to answer! Cakes are my life, how can I choose between them? I do love cheese cake though, and apple pie and brownies and cinnamon cake and banana cake and a traditional layered cake...and the list will keep growing as I think about more cakes. 

                         

9. Do you eat combinations of food that other people think strange? 

My mother think it a little strange that I always put jam on top of my peanut butter...I like to see it as an open peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  

10. What is your favorite meal of the day?

Breakfast. I usually take a lot of time eating it, and nothing beats making big breakfast in the weekend.

                      

Now is the time that I ought to nominate new people, but as I honestly don't remember which of my blogging friends have already done this tag I will leave it open. Have you not yet done The Awesome Food Award? Well, consider yourself tagged! (If you don't want to do an entire post you can also simply answer the questions in a comment. Everything counts.)

And the new questions:

1. What is your favourite dessert?
2. Do you enjoy cooking?
3. What is your favourite type of bread?
4. Do have a favourite recipe to make yourself?
5. Do you and your family cook together?
6. When cooking do you need to follow a recipe, or do you like to "feel your way"?
7. Do you prefer to bake cake or bread?
8. What is your favourite type of food when eating out?
9. What are your thoughts on bacon?
10. Do you have a favourite food memory? (Or a favourite memory involving food)

Projects For Winter

One of the things I love to do when winter approaches is planning how I will spend all my indoor hours. With so many hours to look forward to, I surely can be productive and get so many tasks done that I plan to do but always end up postponing.

I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong with this plan!!

Well, being a realist I know I will probably only get a fraction of it all done, but I like to think planning to keep busy during winter keeps me from going completely into hibernation.

Here's what I have planned for this winter!!

Baking

Did I ever mention how much I love baking? Cooking in general is really not my favourite pass time, but baking is a completely different story.

And for some reason every December I get these uncontrollably urges to bake lots and lots of cookies.

                         

I think my parents love it when I do that, for I always end up giving them most of the cookies (to have so many cookies at my own place is just a temptation too great to withstand)

This year, as I am quite in love with England, I am making shortbread by the dozen - which is the easiest cookie ever to make, but  so delicious!

I am also running quite amok with danish Christmas cookies like "finskbrød" (basically danish shortbread, but with chopped almonds on top) and "brunkager" (a kind of gingerbread, but again with almonds in it).

                        

Drawing

I always promise myself I will spend more time drawing, but never do - but THIS winter it will be different.(just like all the other times) But really, it's just the whole setting time aside and actually sitting down and doing it - when first started time seems to fly and I am in a little bubble with my pencil, the paper and the picture I'm drawing from. It's just amazing!

                          

Embroidery

I recently remembered how much I loved doing embroidery when I was younger and thought: why not start doing it again? And what a perfect winter activity! I only know cross-stitches for that is what I learnt in school. Fun story: I had lessons in needlework at school and it was always the last module of the day, where we weren't very motivated. To solve the problem we (the girls, that is) made it into our very own embroidery club, each sitting with our animal themed projects (bears were very popular), having lemonade and crackers and sharing imaginary gossip. Good times...I hope to recreate something like it when I start again.

                        

Writing

I normally have quite a lot of writing projects going on in my mind, but have so much trouble writing them down - a writer's curse, I guess. I have one in particular that I really want to write and it's moving forward very slowly, but at least it's moving. But to not discourage myself too much, I will put my main focus on writing blog posts this winter - that at least, is something I know how to do.

                     


Reading
Reading more is always a project, so much that sometimes I doubt even adding it to my lists because it is that obvious. However, I have been really bad at reading lately so now I have made a project of reading one classic book every month - starting January. Something I'm really looking forward to and I surely hope I will stick to it.

                     

Puzzles
Nothing kills hours like solving puzzles. I mostly do it when I am sick or on holiday but those long winter nights are perfect for it too. And as I feel for puzzles what other girls feel for shoes I have quite the collection, making sure I won't run out of projects for a while.

                

Sewing
No, I can not actually sow at the moment. But I seriously intend to use this winter to learn. Since I am gradually switching my entire wardrobe to 40's/50's style, and dream of someday soon to wear dresses everyday as a natural occurrence, I though: how hard can it be to make such things myself? At the moment, pretty hard as I have no idea how. But I'm trying to goad my mother into teaching me the absolute basics and have bought some funnily patterned fabric to practise upon, so all I need now is a sewing pattern and lots and lots of patience.

                   

Watching Period Dramas

At last, my favourite one. Even if everything else fail I should be able to fulfil this project: watching all my favourite period dramas again. I used to watch them all the time, but the problem with Netflix always adding new movies and series that I need to see is that it makes me forget about all the great movies I already own.

            

Those are my ambitious plans so far. I may do them all, I may do none of them but the fun in planning remains!
Do you have any projects for the winter months?  

The Lucy Maud Montgomery Tag

This week Eva has a lot of L. M. Montgomery themed posts on her blog. One of the first was a L. M. Montgomery themed tag so how could I ever resist filling it out?

Here are my answers 

How did you first discover LMM’s books?

A friend of the family gave me Anne of Green Gables when I was 14, and I've been hooked ever since.
                                            

What’s your favorite LMM book? 

That's a really hard question! I think Anne Of The Island. I really love all the adventures she has with all her friends while at university. Also this is the book she realises what everyone else have known since book one; that she and Gilbert belongs together.


What’s your least favorite LMM book?

Emily's quest. I just found the plot a bit messy and there were way too many strange occurrences.


Who is your favorite character in allllll of LMM’s works?

Do you even know what you are asking of me? How can I choose? I'll go with the obvious choice and say Anne Shirley.

                         

What couple is your favorite?

Definitely Anne and Gilbert.

                         

What is your favorite quote from LMM (either a quote from one of her books, or from her personal life)?

There are so many to choose from... but this passage from Anne Of Avonlea has always been a favourite of mine:

“Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps . . . perhaps . . . love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.” 


How many LMM books have you read?

I have read all the Anne books and all the Emily books, so that makes 11.


Which LMM book would you most like to see made into a movie?

Rilla Of Ingleside!! It is such a moving story that would make a great movie. 

                                              

Have you found a kindred spirit?

Yes, I think I have:-)

For much more LMM related goodness, don't forget to pop over at Eva's blog, the party goes on until Sunday.

Just A Few Laughs

On a dark and cold November day such as this, we could all use a little something to brighten up the day. 

And what does that better than a laugh? 

Here's a few things from the internet that has made me laugh a lot recently, so I thought I would share it with you:

                                        
Those pictures are a very fitting description of my life at the moment:-)

                                                                                         

Just rewatched Singin' In The Rain - even though Lina is kind of the villain she has the best lines ever!

                                  

                                        

Oh...to be able to politely insult people like Jeeves!

                           

The struggles of an introvert!

And for the finale!!! If this video doesn't make you laugh or at least smile, I don't know what will.

5 TV Shows I Follow Avidly

The fall season has been upon us for a while and we all know what that means:

NEW SEASONS OF ALL MY FAVOURITE SERIES!!

A more appropriate title for this post might actually be: TV Shows I am completely obsessed with that make me look forward to certain weekdays, and don't mention the title unless you are prepared to talk lengthily about it!
But I thought that would be a bit long...

Back on track - these are the series I follow with big interest this season.


Doctor Who

I might have mentioned it once or twice before, but Doctor Who is my favourite TV Show EVER! Where else can you find a series that have heartfelt drama, traumatising monsters, uncontrollable laughter, iconic quotable lines, tears, confusion and all that in the span of a single episode (no, I am not even exaggerating).

Why you should watch it: if you like science fiction, London, an alternate take on history, impossible science, characters with surprising depth or just Britishness in general this is definitely a show you will like.

Side effects of watching it may be: An irrational fear of certain everyday items (such as angel statues, shadows and broken clocks), emotional outbursts when someone mentions random words like ponds, roses or bow ties, listening for the TARDIS sound at all times, considering "Aliens" a plausible explanation for everything.

But if you can live with that (and I can), you should definitely watch it - life will never be the same again.



Once Upon A Time

                             

 I have always loved the adventure genre, especially when inspired from fairy tales, and this show certainly embodies all that. It's so well thought through and has so many twists that you will never be bored. To say that the premise is fairy tales with a twist would be quite an understatement.
Let's just say that you will never look at your favourite fairy tales the same way again.

Side effects may include:  not trusting that the original fairy tales tells the full story, being overly attached to the villains of the stories.

So if you like fairy tales, daring sword fights, complex characters and a world where everyone is related, you should definitely watch it.


Sherlock

                           

If you like the Sherlock Holmes stories you will love this show. The visuals are great, the plots are cleverly adapted to today's world while still keeping the spirit of the old stories, and don't get me started on the brilliantness of the actors. Once I rewatched the series just to enjoy every minute of the acting.

The only downside I can think of is the long wait between seasons, but with only a little more than a month left until the Christmas special, my enthusiasm can't be curbed.

Side effects may include: trying to deduce things from strangers (and failing miserably), hiatus induced craziness (don't worry though, most of the fandom has it).



Agents Of Shield

                         

You might as well know: I'm a big Marvel fangirl! So of course I would love a TV-show made by Marvel, filled with references to the Marvel universe that ties in with the Marvel movies.
As I don't really know anything about the comics every twist and turn this series take is a surprise to me, and it has changed so much since the beginning. The suspense, the plot twists and the moments that leaves you speechless are, however, the same.

If you like Marvel, superheroes or an action packed series filled with suspense you will also like this series.


Agent Carter

                                     

Another Marvel show - it probably doesn't come as a surprise that I love this show too. But that is not the main reason for my love of it. The reason I adore this show is that it's set in the 40's!! It's so rare to find movies/TV-shows set in this time period that does not revolve around WW2. But here it is! Filled with gorgeous 1940's fashion, brightly coloured diners and one of my favourite female heroines: Peggy Carter. I could keep talking about this show for hours, but it won't suffice.

All I can say is: watch it! If not for the suspenseful plot, then just for the dresses, the setting and the many one-liners.


So, that was a few of my favourite TV-shows.

What are some of your favourite shows?

Movie Wardrobes: Emma (2009)

3 blog posts in on week - no I have not gone on a crazy blogging spree! But I had this post in the works and the theme fits so well with Naomi's Jane Austen Week that I thought: "Why not get it up early?"

 But enough chitchat - on to the post.

Emma Woodhouse's wardrobe in the 2009 series is my favourite period drama wardrobe ever. Besides, studying Emma's outfits in depth also gives a good lesson in how to get a versatile wardrobe with some good key items. Don't believe me? Then look at all the evidence collected below.

(As this post is gonna contain every dress worn by Emma in a 4 episode series, it will be quite lengthy. Consider yourself warned)

I think Emma is supposed to be around 16 when she wears this dress, and the simplicity of the dress beautifully underlines the youthfulness and innocence of a girl not quite out in society yet. I love the little details in the embroidery on the fabric, it really gives the dress a little something.

I love the pattern and colour scheme of this dress that Emma wears to Miss Taylor and Mr Weston's wedding. Very festive and elegant. And is it just me or does it not just signal autumn?

This is one of my absolute favourite dresses. It's just so summery with the pale yellow and the flowery pattern. Also notice how it can easily change between a dress worn in summer and in winter by simply wearing long sleeves underneath it. 

Here's a lovely everyday dress, Emma often wears around the house. It seems quite simple but when you look closely the fabric actually has a beautiful golden shimmer in it. And it has a little bit of puff in the sleeves, what's not to like?

I really love this dress. It might have something to do with my love of anything blue at the moment, but I also really like all the little details in the neckline, and how you can change the appearance by wearing different ribbons/sashes.

This dress is a beautiful example of an autumn/winter dress. I just love the colour contrast the sash gives. And again, it can be dressed down for everyday use by wearing a shirt underneath.

Emma sadly only wears this dress once, at the Westons' Christmas party, but I would have enjoyed to see it more. It's a really lovely green shade and isn't the little bow on the back adorable? On another note I also just love the red ribbons she has weaved into her hairstyle.

Who says you can't be elegant just because it's cold outside? I love the details on the front, for some reason it makes me think of a military jacket of some kind. And look how it billows!! I've always dreamt of having a long coat that billows dramatically in the wind as I walk.

Another gorgeous winter coat! The cut is completely timeless, I for one, have been looking for a coat exactly like that for winter. I also love the way the colours coordinate.

Apparently those little detail at the front was a general fashion thing at the time- Emma sure has it on a lot of her clothes. I really like the colour and simplicity of this dress. Perfect for those cold winter months.

I know, this is technically not a dress, merely a shawl, but look at it! It's so gorgeous. The pattern is so pretty. Emma wears it a lot over her party dresses when going outside, making it double as a coat, I imagine, on those tricky nights where it's too warm for an actual coat yet too cold to go without.

Another pretty party dress. The miniature checkers pattern is really pretty and gives the colour a little more life. And I love the way the belt/sash accentuates the waist.

Is it too much to dedicate 2 pictures to a spencer? Not if it's this one. For one it's the only black thing Emma wears, we could really use that advice today - only have a few black items in your wardrobe and focus on pastels instead. Did I mention the fastenings? I love the fastenings.

Finally, the ball gown! It's just so beautiful and dreamy and shimmery that I don't think I can find words to do it justice. Let's just agree that it's amazing.

Ahh..another one of my favourite dresses. The colour, the red ribbon, the little details at the front - it's just gorgeous! And again, take notice how it is easily transformed into something to wear in the colder months.

Here's a light little summer dress. It's relatively simple but still pretty and very suitable for a picnic or just sitting in the garden. Also, that hat she wears! Isn't it pretty?

Again, one of Emma's more simple dresses. I like the little details in the neckline, but otherwise it is not very noteworthy among all the other dresses in her wardrobe.

And here's Emma's dress for the Box Hill party. Again - love the colour, and the gold at the waist and neckline - so beautiful. It's also a really pretty little spencer she has, it changes the look of the dress completely.

Another pretty dress in pastels. I especially like it with the red toned sash, but it is also pretty in its own right.

At last, Emma's honeymoon dress. It's a much deeper colour than her other dresses - maybe to signal a new chapter in her life has started. Nevertheless it is a lovely dress, with the sleeves and the trimmings - I really love it.

And that my dears, was the last dress Emma wore. I never realised just how many different dresses she owned until I started this post. But they are all just gorgeous.
And because this post just isn't long enough, let's take a moment to appreciate all Emma's hats:

I really wish people still wore hats today for what an amazing accessory it would be.  And they are so versatile - just switch the ribbons and you have a brand new hat all at once.  My favourites are the ones with the wide brim, especially the one down to the left.

I actually had also planned to look at some of the dresses worn by the secondary characters, but that surely needs a post of its own.

Which dress is your favourite?