What Ana Does

Audiobook : Austenland by Shannon Hale Ready by : Katherine Kellgren Genre : Chick Lit While strolling the shelves at the library, this audiobooks was sticking out a little and I remembered I had read they made this into a movie coming out this summer with Felicity, er, Keri Russell -- and that was all it took. Popped it into my bag. Kinda wished I hadn't. The idea is super. A women is so completely caught up in Mr. Darcy that no other man will ever stack up. So, her eccentric great-aunt bequeathes her a trip to the English countryside and a manor that recreates the Regency era, as a kind of therapy. I'm a Darcy-lovin'-gal myself, so I can get into this. And the manor is crawling with actors roll-playing to help "guests" believe they are in "Pride and Prejudice" or "Emma." But poor, pathetic Jane Hayes, cast as Ms. Jane Erstwhile niece to the residents of the Park, has a hard time relaxing into her role. It's all too fake. And i...

Audiobook: Delirium by Lauren Conrad Read by: Sarah Drew Genre: YA Lit, Dystopia So the plot sounds a little fantastical: A future world where love is a horrible virus. When you turn 18, you're given a cure -- a seemingly "gentle" lobotomy that makes you immune to feeling love and all that comes with it -- passion, intense joy, etc. You're paired, married and asked to procreate and "care" for the children you have no capacity to love. Kinda crazy, right? Love cure? Gimme a break. That's nuts. Why would anyone want to surpress that. Love is all you need, right? I couldn't help investigate. And so glad I did. The story is about Lena, who is just weeks away from having the cure when she meets Alex and becomes "infected" with the love virus. But she now understands a world without love sucks. She isn't a radical, but she's willing to give up everything to be with Alex in the "Wilds" -- the place outside the city bo...

Every once in a while I get a quote so lodged up in my brain that it haunts me. I hear it over and over again, in the speakers voice, and I wrack my brain trying to come up with the name of the movie it comes from. The latest quotes was "...keen to be near you.." -- said in a low, melancholy British man. Of course, I assume Austen, but can't come up with the movie. I did more searching tonight and found the source of the quote. Hooray hooray! It is Austen. Well, movie Austen. From "Emma," the version with Gwyneth Paltrow. It's said by Mr. Knightly played by yummy Jeremy Northam. (Knightly being one of my fave Austen men, though the age difference grosses me out a little.) Watch the quote here  from YouTube. And from the script: Mr. Knightley, during the proposal scene: " So, I rode home anxious for your feelings, keen to be near you. I rode through the rain and I would ride through worse than that if I could just hear your voice telling me...

It was a big weekend for Leah -- her first ballet/tap recital! I got some pictures at the Friday dress rehearsal and Nana came for the Sunday performance. "I love being on stage," she said. Alice came to both in full costume, as well. We'll have to enroll her in next session's classes. Leah did amazing job. She remembered much of the dance and it never even crossed her mind to be nervous on stage in front of an auditorium of people. We're so proud!

Audiobook: Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maude Montgomery Read by: Shelly Frasier Genre: Classic I think it is (or should be) universally acknowledged that if you're feeling stressed or that the world is spinning too fast and you've grown so out of touch with patience or goodness -- the best solution is Anne Shirley. I completely believe in her powers to heal. So it's after an especially hectic week with out-of-control kids and clients that I picked up this audiobook from the library. And in the end of it, I felt more centered and at ease -- and yearning for the time when we walked to school through the woods and had tea with neighbors. This is the second book in the Anne series. It centers around the two years she teaches at the Avonlea school. As usual, she gets into jams, scrapes and meets kindred spirits. She's a founding member of the Avonlea improvement society, which is a popular trend among the young folk. And she helps out when Marilla adopts twin 6-ye...

Nothing prettier than spring irises. Glorious! These came up in the perennial bed and neither Mom nor I remembered planting them last fall. The daffodils are already done and dying back. The hostas are on their way and the asiatic lilies are making their comeback. I've got a lot of space to fill this year and have been thinking about creeping, crawling ground cover for around the perennial bed tree. Maybe a some russian sage for some height. Boxwood? Just down from the perennial bed is a spot at the edge of the yard that's mulch and weeds. I'll need to make a plan for that area, as well. So much to do this summer! Updates to follow.

So apparently when Mom babysits, she now offers a gardening service. While we were skipping all over Paris, she planted the veggie garden in my backyard (oh, and took care of the kids). Highlights of the veggie garden include onions, peas, cucumbers and carrots. I can't wait! The herb garden was left for me to do. This weekend I prepared the bed for seed. Hoping to get it planted by Monday.  More to come! The Veggie Bed, Hard at Work Germinating Herb Bed, Ready for Seeds

When we were in Paris, we were blown away by all the padlocks attached to the bridges. We spent time reading them; they seemed so romantic. So when we discovered the nearby street vendors were selling the locks, we decided to buy one and add our own to the collection. I wrote all our names down on it and attached it to the Pont de Arts near the first lightpost on the south side. Our lock is near the art institute and has views of Notre Dame. Lucky lock. Instead of tossing the keys off the bridge, as is tradition (which is not environmentally sound, seriously) we kept the keys and made a promise to return to Paris with the girls someday to retrieve it. Our Padlock in Paris

I've visited a lot of cities, but Paris remains one of my absolute favorites. Here's my top 10 list of why. 10. My fake French accent sounds awesome there -- and it improves with each visit. 9. The butter. 8. It's an easily walkable city. 7. Abundance of bistros with sidewalk cafes. 6. There are museums everywhere and dedicated to almost everything. 5. I can attest firsthand that Paris is a kid-friendly city. 4. Every street is beautiful: A photo waiting to be taken. And all landscape photos from Paris look professionally done. 3. Movie settings abound; "5:30 p. m. Paris. Today. Pont Neuf. You come alone..." 2. You have to love a city that has a passion for BREAD. 1.  Paris is for lovers, romantics, and me! Not to mention all the history, the fashionable people, the village-like feel of all the neighborhoods and the friendly Parisians I've met while spending time there. I'm starting to plan my next trip, of course. Who's coming ...

A big crazy party ended our adventure in Paris. It was held at a museum for 19th century carnival games. It was over-the-top and a lot of fun. We did sooo much in our week of Paris, and there is so much left to do! I'll have to start a to-do list for our next visit. Paris City Hall, on the way to the Party The Carnival Museum, Several Buildings with Courtyard

Got to see Impressionist -- a whole floor at the beautiful D'Orsay museum. Might be my favorite stop of the trip.

I've been in love with the Louvre after seeing it the first time with our kids two years ago ( see old blog post here ). Well ... it likely started years ago in art history class. Anyway, I've been waiting to walk into this famous building for way too long. One of the best part of this Paris trip was we walked right in with a tour guide, got to the big "masterpieces" and heard some interesting facts about a few of the pieces along the way. A highlight for Dave was seeing the basement with the original structure of the medieval castle -- including the moat. After the tour, we were given the option to stay in the museum -- OBVIOUSLY we stayed. We headed up to the Dutch wing waaaaaay on the other side of the museum on the third floor. After enduring the crowds that were just there to see the Mona Lisa , we found the Dutch wing nearly empty. And the hall of Peter Paul Rubens was worth the walk up there. WOW! Heading into the Louvre

I've become the queen of "selfies"on this trip to Paris. Here's a few I took today from several location. We walked around quite a bit and the weather was absolutely perfect. Notre Dame - We Walked Right In At a Bistro Near Notre Dame Night at the Eiffel Tower

Pretty Excited to Be Here The evening started with a short bus ride out to the Palace of Versailles  just 20 miles out of the city. We were welcomed into the Palace by 18th century trumpet players and a couple dressed in costume. Then, we got to tour the rooms that are usually packed with tourists but were just open for us, including the magnificent Hall of Mirrors. There were professional photographers standing by to take our picture, but I took a bunch of "selfies" along the way, to prove I was HERE. I had to pinch myself several times. I just couldn't believe where I was standing! My Place Setting Then, we wandered into the "war gallery" for a sit-down dinner with the entire group -- about 600. Several French actors were walking around with large Marie Antoinette hair-dos and fans, flirting and telling stories. They handed out beauty marks and explained what they were for. I couldn't sit still and ended up walking to the bathrooms, just to s...

Rainy, little streets in Montmartre Day 1 was officially a travel day -- we arrived Sunday morning and spent the day treating our jet leg and getting our Paris-legs. So, in the morning of Day 2 we headed up the hill to Montmartre. Although the forecast said sunny skies and 50s, we met with chilly temps and lots of rain. But a great tour and got pictures of Renoir's and Picasso's studios. This was a highlight of the trip for Dave. He loved the small square of artists selling their paintings and doing caricatures.  I bought a little blue umbrella with "I Love Paris" written all over it. Appropriate.

Lots of fun seeing Leah's classroom and everything she's working on at this year's Open House night. I just love the smell of a public school -- why is it so universal? Alice Checking Out Music Class Flat Stanley Came Back from Grandma Adjectives That Describe... Leah!