Thursday, February 28, 2013

Farewell to February.

It's the last day of February, People! Well, golly-dang, this month was pretty much gone in a blink! And I'm like, "Wait a second! I'm still working on my New Years bucket list!" *Blush.* Yeah...

This is a rather perfect description of February. (If you've never seen the Pirates of Penzance, you should really get a copy and watch it. It is hilarious.)
No copyright infringement intended. Link to original video here.

Actually, February has been a rather pleasant month. It's even been sunny.


Anywhoosle.


This is really just a quick post to promise you all that the next installment of the letter game will, AND I PROMISE, be posted tomorrow. *Nods firmly.*


So stay tuned. (Cause I know you're all secretly dying to read the next letter, right? Good.)

Goodbye, February. You were swell. And I really do mean that. You impressed me with how un-February-ish you were. So thank you.

Hello, March. You have many nice things to offer. Mainly, Easter. Looking good, my friend. Please, oh please, do something exciting for me, eh? I'd appreciate it. Exciting, not inconvenient, capice?

Oh, don't forget to enter the giveaway if you haven't already. Time is almost up! *Wink*

And now, because one cannot simply do a goodbye to February post without posting this song, I give you....*Drum roll*....Josh Groban's February Song! Like, duh. :D

I love this song so much. The lyrics are just fantastic...*Sigh.*

Cheerio, my good people!

God Bless,
Amy


Saturday, February 23, 2013

Saturday Style~

I was thinking, it's been months since I did a Saturday Style post and I thought, "What-ho! I think I'll pull it together and do one today." :)

I'm going to afore warn you that the pictures are not the greatest quality, but I think they're good enough for you to get the general idea.

So, first, just divide your hair in half and do two french braids.

Then your going to take one of your braids and pull it across to the other side...

Now, gently tuck the end up under the other side.

Find the end with your other hand and pull it through.

Now, use the leftover bit for a bun.

Then do the same thing with the other side.

And that's that!

I didn't use a mirror at all and my buns turned a bit lopsided. I was in a bit of a hurry. ;p

Oh well.


It was a really cold day today. Like, really cold. Wind can be a cruel thing. But I had this grand idea of going to the lake and taking a few pictures. I can't decide if it was a a good idea, or a really bad idea. The wind coming off that water was un-bee-lievable. *Shivers*

And being the clever person I am, I thought, "What a good time to take a few photo-shoot pictures. Hang on, let me take off my coat so I look better." 

Can anyone spell pneumonia?
Still, I was a really beautiful setting for some pictures. *Cough, cough, sneeze.*

Something I like about this hairstyle is, I can wear hats with it. I love my little red beret. It's my 'Lebeau hat.' Brownie points if you get that. *wink.*

And since I was freezing a little by this point, I threw on the shawl my Mummy made for me.
(My arms froze this way.)


And then I went home and made muffins for tomorrow. They turned out quite nicely.
Almond poppy seed! Yum.



Have a lovely Sunday, everyone!

God Bless
Amy

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Plumbing, cookies and movies.

It's amazing the things we take for granted. Seriously...

Like good plumbing. There is nothing quite so lovely as a properly draining bathtub.
I live with one of my sisters in a very cozy little cabin and for the most part I have no complaints with this set-up. It's fantastic.

But it is a very old cabin and the plumbing in the bathroom is pretty rotten. I hate to say that, but it is so.

There seems to be a continual contest between the toilet and the shower to see which can clog more. They never do it at the same time, either, which makes it very frustrating when the plumber comes because he'll fix one thing and then a few days/weeks later the other has to prove it too can be a bother. And then the plumber has to come 'round again.

Now, I can handle a slowly draining shower much easier than a clogged toilet for reasons I'm sure you'll all be able to figure out. :) However, I don't really enjoy the way the water just sort of pools and laps around my ankles. Still, I've lived through worse things. No biggy.

But for the past week/week and a half, the shower has been un-bee-lievably slow. It took the blasted thing three days to drain. Not cool.

So the plumber came, fine fellow that he is, and fiddled around in the bathroom for about 10-15 minutes and proclaimed the 'all-clear.'

So then I showered. *Aaaah!* Bliss.

A draining shower is a truly remarkable thing.



Also, food. Yes, I said that. Food.

 I love food all the time. I have a great appreciation for good food and I absolutely love baking and cooking.

But I usually only realize this during Lent.

Lent is a time of penance before Easter and as such Catholics try to give up things they like, maybe make some extra sacrifices or say a few extra prays.

That usually means no sweet things...no baking cookies. (Though Sunday is a day of rest, a day 'off' so to speak and cookies are definitely in on Sundays. Just so you don't think I'm super-human or anything. LOL.)

Anyway, I was making a batch of cookies for a friend of the family as a sort of 'just because' thing and I was merrily whistling and measuring the sugar, butter and peanut butter into a bowl. I creamed them together into a grainy, fluffy mass. Then I pulled out the oatmeal and measured in a nice amount of that in as well. And I paused, looking at the way the golden sugar and the oats complemented each other and I said, "You know, oatmeal is a beautiful thing." *Nods* I actually said that. I thought about what I said for a second and snickered. "You know it's lent," I added, "when you say things like, 'oatmeal is a beautiful thing.'"

My sister, siting out in the living room agreed and put in her two cents. "You also know it's lent when you can smell the ingredients being put into a bowl and think, 'my! That smells fantastic!'"
It is definitely Lent.



I am forced to admit that I may have another 'favorite' actor. :D I want to point out first, that I went for years without ever having any actors that I was all that partial to.

That has changed. I have a handful of 'favorite' actors now.

I'm just trying to show you that I don't like lots of boys. I'm not boy-crazy. *Snicker.*

Anyway, last Sunday a few of my sisters and I settled down and watched 'The Eagle.'


That. Movie. Is. Awesome.

I am a tiny bit infatuated with it. Don't believe me? Check out my Movie Board on pintrest. ;)

I really liked Marcus. He was a cool Roman soldier and all that. There really wasn't anything un-likeable about the fellow.




But the second this fellow came out I was on his side. :) Jamie Bell. You, Sir, did a great job as Esca.



Jamie Bell. New favorite actor.

This movie has a really good friendship story, and I'm very pleased to say, there is absolutely no romance. There isn't one female character. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of romance. What girl doesn't? I just like my action movies to concentrate on the mater at hand. *Wink*


There's loads of riding. *Happiness!*

"The invasion of the hot Italians." 

Since I'm a bit rubbish at doing movie reviews other than saying how awesome I thought they were, I'm going to make this easy and just post the trailer. It sums things up quite nicely.

There is some swearing, (though I don't remember there being much) and it's a bit violent, but tactfully done violent. Kind of like the Lord of the Rinds battle scenes. And there is one kind of strange bit with the Picts doing a dance thing around a fire. Not bad, just weird. :)


Sorry for the rather alarming length of this post. It kind of got away from me a bit!

Don't forget to check out the Giveaway!

God Bless.
Amy


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Giveaway!

Are you ready? This is it! The Giveaway! *Clapping.* I know you've all just been dying for this moment. *Wink*

First, I'd just like to say thank you to my lovely followers! You're awesome. <3 Your comments make my day...truly. So thank you all! *Hugs!*

Here's what you have a chance to win:
This lovely earrings and necklace set made by me....

Complete with matching hairpins! (You'll get six of them...also made by me. :)

Ta-da!



Here are the rules. It's pretty easy, all you need to do is:
1.) Be a follower.
2.) Leave a comment on my blog.
3.) Leave me a way to contact you in case you do win. :) You can either just leave your email address in the comment, or send it to my email at adpunchpanda@gmail.com. Please just title your email 'Old Fashion Girl Giveaway,' so I don't delete it.
4.)You can only enter once. However,  you can earn to more entries by blogging it about it, pinning about it, or any other way you'd like to spread the word. Leave me the link in a separate comment.

You have until next Saturday, March 2nd to enter. The drawing will be held on the 3rd! *Whee!*

Good luck to all of you!

God Bless.
Amy



Sunday, February 17, 2013

Letter game

Here's the next letter. It's a good one! Things are going to start getting exciting now...

From: Miss Joan McTavish
To: Miss Peggy Douglas
November the fourteenth, 1924


Dear Peggy,

I am sorry to have not written sooner. I have no excuse really.


You expressed concern for my well-being at the palace... and well.... I'll admit, it has not been a perfect dream. (There's a certain member of my co-workers who insists that I should not be there because I will slow everyone down. Ha! He's forty-five! If anyone is going to slow the Security down, it's him, the bugger.)


I arrived at work on Monday, at seven-twenty-five, because I always like to be a little early for appointments and such. I was met at the front gate by Father's friend, Benedict Stewart, Chief of His Majesty's Security. Mr. Stewart is a rather stern individual of around sixty-five, with thick white hair and a mustachio to match. He is definitely ex-military and carries himself like a man in his thirties.
"Miss MacTavish?" he asked. I nodded. He introduced himself and immediately led me to the staff quarters. Apparently I am to live at the palace, as well as work there! This took me aback-- Father had certainly not mentioned anything of the sort to me, and I said so.
"Oh, indeed?" Mr. Stewart replied over his shoulder, leading me through absolute gads of hallways which were covered in lush red carpet. "Well, it's part of the position. It wouldn't help the Prince much if his security lived across town, now would it?"
I blushed and looked down. "No. I suppose not." we were silent for a bit. I did not realize the Palace was so large, you wouldn't think it to look at it, but there you go. I don't think I flatter myself when i say that I have a fairly good sense of direction, but by the time we reached my quarters, even I was completely turned around in the vast maze of hallways. Mr. Stewart indicated a stained cherry wood door, identical to the twenty others which lined either side of the long hall, save for the fact that it had J. MacTavish emblazoned at eye level. "This is your room. The lavatory is at the end of the hall, though you do have a private bath in your living space." (well, that's a relief, I must say!) "Here is your schedule," he handed me a type-written piece of paper, "You'll be expected to be prompt, you understand. Tardiness is not acceptable when the Prince's life may depend on you."
"Yes sir." I agreed.
After that, he showed me around the rest of the palace, marching quickly and pointing with his thumb. "Left is the servant's quarters. The kitchens are on the right. Linen rooms all along this corridor. Cellar's through there. Washrooms. Practice Hall for weapon's training and hand to hand combat." (I made a mental note to look in there the next chance I got.) "Down these stairs are the Royal Family's chambers, as well as the guest rooms." I looked and saw that the carpets had changed to a bluey green color, and the wood panels were darker. Art and tapestries hung from the walls. There was a massive landing edged with an oak rail. Mr. Stewart forged on, "These are all guest rooms. Near the end, those two massive sets of doors? Prince's chambers and the Royal Suite for their Majesties."
We descended another flight of stairs, these much wider and grander than those before. We were in the main part of the palace now. I saw the private dining room, the dining room for private parties, the official dining room.... as well as the several different lounges, music rooms, art rooms. They seem to have three of everything! One for the private use of the Royal Family (which I will refer to as RF from now on) another for the semi private use of the RF's closest friends, and another for the public nobility. Talk about excessive enjoyment!
Anyway. After my tour, Mr. Stewart told me that we were going to meet the men whom I would be working with, in the Practice Hall. "Any questions?" he asked while we made our way there.
"A map?" I said dryly. "It's a bit much to take in."
"Nonsense. The Palace is enchanted. Anyone who has permission to enter can find their way around without a problem. Too many maids got lost."
"Oh." I said and pondered this.

It turns out that I was not officially on duty until the next week, until then I was just shadowing a more senior member of the Prince's security detail. His name is Dominic Rolando, and he's a bit much, honestly: seems to think he knows everything there is to know about security. Oh well.
There are six members of the detail including me. The eldest retired just before I got there which is why I was hired so quickly. It wouldn't do for Prince George to be one security guard short, now would it? There's only three of us attending to the Prince at once, we rotate shifts every two days. Now that I've been here for a fortnight or so, everything's very metronomic. My schedule never changes and nothing ever happens. I just stand there... being a shadow for the Prince. (Who by the way, is the most boring young man I've ever met. He does not speak to any of us except the head of the security. [To do so would be beneath him, I suspect] He never rises until after eleven, eats his breakfast so slowly it's cold by the time he's done, and after that meanders about his duties. He's a pansy, really. Let's hope he grows up a touch before inheriting the throne.)


I do love my room though. It's quite nice. It's painted in muted tones of brown and green, which are the Royal Colors. The bed is wonderful and now that I've moved in, it is fun to be on my own.


The Practice Hall is amazing. Since the Prince doesn't rise until after eleven, and it would be inappropriate for me to be near him while he sleeps, (thank goodness. He probably drools. Ahem.) I have a few hours free time do what I want. The PH is stocked full of my favorite weapons, there's a rock wall which I climbed triumphantly, and.... well there's everything Uni had and more. And it's heaven to hack at a life sized dummy with a sword when I'm upset. Ha!


You have every right to be utterly infuriated. It was most unjust of the School Board to expel you without even considering your side of the story. Personally, I think that sounds a bit extreme. It was just one baby-grand, after all. And you did offer to replace the dratted thing. Call me suspicious, but I really think that expelling you over an instrument (baby-grand or not) is just.... excessive.
Anyway,
I think if I hadn't grown up in such an excitement packed environment, I could quite like living quietly in the city. You know I've always had a weakness for coffeeshops. I think it's all the warm colors and smell of coffee. I do love a cup of coffee. (that's another thing my room has. A coffee brewer! It's all pipes and valves and steams the most delightful aroma when the coffee comes down.)


Hmmmm. I've never heard of a power shift. I'll look it up. (There is also a massive library here, with an entire section dedicated to magic.)


As for the magicians and philosophers of Parliament, it's not like they can do much without the King's approval. The sillies. They think they own everything. But you're right, if someone does not put a stop to their bickering one of the councils is sure to have a casualty. I think they are upsetting His Majesty. I've never seen someone inhale Stomach Relief pills so frequently!


Right. Well. Dominic has ordered me down to the Practice Hall to see how my weapon's skills are. (As if signing my name with an M.A. wasn't enough proof that I know how to handle a revolver.) That twit will end up with my fist in his jaw if he doesn't stop giving me a hard time. I am just as good as any of his men, so there!


I do need to trot though. Cheers!


Joan.


P.S. I tested the palace's enchantment. Mr. Stewart was correct. I haven't gotten lost once.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Roses are...yellow. Definitely yellow.

Happy Valentine's Day!
And now, some pictures that make me feel a bit romantic. ;)

Yellow roses are my favorite.

Just because it's lovely.

Robin Hood has always been the best!

Yeah...This is perfect. *Sigh*

If you haven't seen the extended Lord of the Rings, my sympathies. This scene is fantastic! I cry every time.

This scene is just so beautiful.

James J. Braddock.- The Cinderella Man.

This movie is one of my favorites. (Be warned, the is some language, but otherwise it's totally clean. ;)

If only Eugene was real... 


*Smile*

I. Love. This. Song.
                                                  


I've been in a bit of a blogging slump lately which is a bummer. I hate blogging slumps. :) But I think I'm coming out of it now. Yay!
Coming soon....my first giveaway! So stay tuned for that. *Mrhrhrhr. Rubs hands together gleefully.*
I hope you all have a lovely Valentines Day. <3

God Bless!
Amy








Thursday, February 7, 2013

Tagged!

Every now and then I re-read some Winnie the Pooh quotes and remember all the reasons why I love Pooh so much. A.A. Milne was such an under-rated author. He wrote some brilliant stuff...

“You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.” 

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” 

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”

“It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"So it is."
"And freezing."
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately.”
A.A. Milne--Winnie the Pooh.


Anyway, moving on. I've been tagged by Treskie at Occasional Randomness. Thank you, Treskie. :D


Rules

*Acknowledge the person who passed the award to you and provide their link.
*Include the award logo on your blog.
*Answer the ten questions posted below.
*Make up your own ten questions for the next people.
*Nominate blogs and link those you have especially enjoyed reading. The number you can select is up to you.
*Notify each individual that you have nominated them


Now for the fun stuff. 

1.) Do you like waffles?
Occasionally I enjoy having waffles, but they're not my favorite. I prefer French toast...with strawberries.


2.) What does, "DoooWEEEEEOOOOOO!" mean to you?
It makes me think of a mad man with a blue box. 


3.) How tall are you?
I am 5' even. And quite proud of it!


4.) On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the greatest, how much do you need coffee?
Probably a six. I can live without the stuff, but I really don't like to.


5.) Would you like a Hiddleston hug?
Defo. Bring it on! :D  Come on...He's awesome. 
6.) On an average, how many books do you read a year?
That's a hard one. You see, I tend to read in spurts. I'll have a month or two where I read something crazy like 5-8 books, but then I'll go a month or two without even picking up a book. It's strange, no? I do that with art and beading, too. *Shrugs* But back to the question...er, let's go with  20-ish books a year? How pathetic does that sound!

7.)Who's your favorite musical artist?
Aaaauugh! That's an impossible question! I'd have to break it into categories or something. I love so many different kinds of music...
Josh Groban is my go-to artist. I love all his music and I think he's probably my favorite.
But that being said, I am also on a Mumford and Sons kick right now. (Minus two songs which are a bit on the naughty side.)
Then we slide into the world of musicals and, and, and.....*Sigh*
So much music!


8.) How do you feel about black and white movies?
I love them. I grew up watching tons of the classics and for the better part of my life was more familiar with movie stars like Bob Hope, Ginger Rodgers, Cary Grant, Doris Day and Jimmy Stuart than with any of the modern stars. :D

9.) Favorite type of food? (Italian, American, Chinese..?)
Hmmm...I love ALL THE FOOD! But for the sake of the question, I'll go with Italian.

10.) Can you count to five?....In Swahili?
Moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano!!!!
So there! *Thank you google translate. You are ever so useful.*


Alright, now for my questions.

1.) Rain or Snow?
2.) If your friend asked you to go bungee jumping with them, would you?
3.) If you were a criminal, what sort of criminal would you be the most likey to be? (Thief? Con-man?)
4.) Airplane or train?
5.) Have you ever broken a limb?
6.) Where you a tomboy or more of a girly-girl?
7.) If you had to pick your weapon of choice, would it be a sword, bow and arrows, or daggers?
8.) Do you prefer long hair or short?
9.) Do you have a historical hero? If so, who? If not, why NOT!!??
10.) What's your favorite time-frame in history?

I'm going to tag:
Elizabeth
Natasha Marieh
Anna Grace
Kimberly

Have fun! And thanks, Treskie, for the tag.

*Pssst* I've finally got an 'About Me' section on my blog. *Pats self on back.* I have a really hard time writing about me...so I put if off for quite a long time. But I finally got around to it. :)

God Bless,
Amy