Everything Austen Challenge II

It's so nice to know that I'm not the only one obsessed with all things Jane Austen. I've read the books several times, seen most of the movies (except for Emma with Paltrow, because I can't ignore that snotty smirk that she usually has on her face) and last year I even started reading the 'sequels' and other books inspired by Jane Austen.
So obsessive am I, I am going to sign up for Everything Austen II

So you are thinking 'What  is that? You Jane Austen geek'
'The details! The Everything Austen Challenge will run for six months (July 1, 2010 – January 1, 2011)! All you need to do is pick out six Austen-themed things you want to finish to complete the challenge. You have until Thursday, July 15th 2010 to officially sign up.'

So I can either read books, see movies or create an Austen inspired item to participate. Easy! Especially since it is Summer and I already have some Jane Austen set aside for reading while laying in the sun.

I'm not going to pick all 6 of my items right now, because they might change or I might find something else in the next 6 months.
1. 'Mansfield Park' - I just started re-reading this
2. 'Jane Austen's Sewing Box: Craft Projects and Stories from Jane Austen's Novels' - I just purchased this and I'm hoping to be inspired to do at least one of the craft/sewing projects in it.
3. 'Jane Austen's Letters'
4. 'Becoming Jane' - I've already started reading this one too.
5. 'Mr. Knightley's Diary' - I just picked this up at the Strathmere Library today 6/19
6.

I've got to add some movies to that list too.

Hydrangeas and used books

You know that I love my hydrangeas, and they are starting to bloom this week. Here are two bunches that I cut for the cottage. So pretty. They make me happy.



Last week the Strathmere Library had their book sale. I didn't get there until the last day of the sale,  so everything was kinda picked over, but they were clearing out what was left for $2.00 a bag. I only got 5 books to buy including Eve Arden's autobiography (love her) an Ellery Queen mystery book from the 1940s, a collection of mysteries, 'A Play of Lords' is also a mystery. Plus one of the ladies knows that I love Jane Austen, so she set aside a Jane Austen related book for me 'The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen', plus I checked out 'Mr. Darcy's Daughters' which one of the other ladies pulled for me too.
I just finished Darcy's Daughters, it was a good read, predictable, 'borrowed' story lines from real Jane Austen books - except they didn't mention 'sodomites' and foot fetishes in real Austen books! It was a good  casual Summer read though.

It's Harlow's 2nd birthday! This photo was taken when she was just 2 days old!

The cast of House does Pride & Prejudice

Clip stolen from Jane Austen Today blog

Persuasion

Happy Birthday Jane

Today is Jane Austen’s 234th birthday.
'A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of' - Mansfield Park

'I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them.' - Jane Austen

'We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be. ' - Mansfield Park

'I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other.' - Emma

Giveaway - 'Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict'

Hey, how about a giveaway?
This one is for a book that I recently read (I wasn't asked to promote it)

The book is 'Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict' by Laurie Viera Rigler and it is the follow-up book to 'Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict' which I gave away last November .
In the first book, modern day gal Courtney Stone wakes up in the body of Jane Austen era gal Jane Mansfield and has to deal with the vast differences of living in that time. Now in 'Rude Awakenings' we have the other half of the story with Jane Mansfield waking up in the modern day life of Courtney Stone. Jane has to deal with the problems that Courtney left behind (man trouble of course) plus she has to learn how to use a phone, a computer, drive a car etc. all that modern day stuff.

If you'd like to sign up for the drawing for this book, please comment below or send an email to dvintage@comcast.net
A winner will be chosen on August 10th.