Austen Challenge Update

The list I made for The Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge at the beginning of the year is below in black.  As you can see, I've only watched the two movies and started on one of the books.  However, all of the books added in blue have been read since my original post, bringing my total to 6 selections.  According to the details of the challenge, I have completed my goal of reaching the Disciple level!  If I finish everything currently on the list, I will reach the Aficionada level of 9-12 selections.  We're only halfway through the year, so it's possible...

• Pride & Prejudice on DVD (2005 Kiera Knightly version)
• Pride & Prejudice on Blu-ray (1995 Colin Firth version)
• The Pemberley Chronicles: A Companion Volume to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by Rebecca Ann Collins
• Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues by Linda Berdoll *in progress
• Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley by Sharon Lathan
• Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan
• Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen by Sybil Brinton
• Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange (It was okay)
• Impulse & Initiative: What if Mr. Darcy Didn't Take No for an Answer? by Abigail Reynolds (It was okay)
• Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds (I liked it)
• Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter (I liked it)

A Pair of Scarves

My recent favorite knitting pattern is one I found on Pinterest for an "Easy Scarf."  These are the two latest knits in this stitch, both using Red Heart yarn.  The Team Spirit Yarn in "Orange/Navy" is for Bears fan friend, Elizabeth, as a very belated birthday present (but it will be in time for football season!)  The other is in a variegated yarn called "Earth and Sky" for former co-worker Sheryl's birthday to match her favorite Java Blue purse.

June Blessings

June was a busy month despite my lack of employment outside the home. It was also a month that ended with a lot of prayer requests, which helped me realize how blessed I am to have a family in relatively good health. On to the list of blessings:

• To start off the month, Dave and I attended our third Eucharistic Congress together and heard wonderful speakers on out faith, including Dr. Scott Hahn.  There's nothing quite like a spiritual boost to get you feeling more optimistic!
• We celebrated our third anniversary in June. Sometimes it seems like we just got married, and sometimes it seems like we've always been together.  Since our anniversary, I have been driving out to have lunch with Dave once a week, which has been something to look forward to for both of us.
• Dave really *really* REALLY wanted to see Gustav Holst's orchestral suite "The Planets" performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and with me at home, it's easier to get last minute tickets.  The hassle of getting these tickets was worth it when I got to watch the joy on Dave's face as he saw his favorite symphonic pieces performed. 
• Our townhouse went on the market the first week of the month, and less than three weeks later we were under contract! Closing isn't until the beginning of August, so please say a prayer that things continue to go smoothly.
• Last, but not least, we signed a lease on a cute rental house that will reduce Dave's commute from an hour (one-way) down to around 20 minutes. I don't know which of us is more excited about the shortened commute--Dave because he gets to sleep later in the morning and save a ton on gas, or me because scheduling dinner will be a lot easier and he'll be home more.
 

At the grand opening of the local Steak 'n Shake with friends

Gaudi

Since today's Google logo is celebrating Antoni Gaudi's 161st birthday, I dug up some pictures Mary and I took when we were in Europe in 2005.  Gaudi was a Spanish architect who produced some very unique works (think Salvador Dali with buildings).  On the left is the perpetually incomplete church, Sagrada Familia, on the right is is Park Güell, and in the middle are a couple more examples of Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona.  I would love to go back some day to take more time to see these again!

Welcome to Summer

May Blessings

Yes, I'm running a week late on this post for May.  I've kinda been busy getting the house ready to sell, so without further ado, here are the blessings I'm counting from last month:

• Mother's Day brunch hosted by my sister Mary and her fiance Paul with lots of enjoyable conversation on the back porch on a beautiful afternoon (plus entertainment provided by one particularly adorable dachshund and her pink racquetball)
• My last day of work (May 17) and the beginning of voluntary unemployment, which for the first two weeks consisted of back-breaking work like painting, yardwork, packing, moving boxes into storage, and cleaning just about everything in our house.
• Girls' Night Out at the Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta and lots of fun comments about taking Hot Hamlet home in our trunk...
• A pleasant birthday afternoon spent stitching with the ladies at PINS and a birthday date night with my husband to see Star Trek: Into Darkness in 3D on the IMAX screen.  Yes, I am not ashamed to be a Star Trek fan!
• Brunch with my in-laws at Ray's on the River (my first time there) to celebrate the May birthdays of me and my SIL--any excuse to get together with family and to see our three adorable nieces!

Dad's Pin Win

Researching advice for selling a home, I ran across one recommendation to have your address numerals somewhere near the front door for potential buyers to remember.  I immediately thought of something I'd found on Pinterest earlier (originally from the blog 9 o'clock Dance of Joy!), so I showed it to Dad to see if he'd like a small project...

The inspiration

Dad's version (before adding the hook)

The finished product

Dad even added little rubber feet on the bottom so it won't sit on wet concrete when it rains!  I was originally going to use metal numbers, but the hardware store didn't have any small enough to fit the sign.  I decided to go with chalkboard paint instead (and since I had an entire can of it, I painted the base to match), which makes it super easy to update when we move!