Austenland: It's a Good Thing

I like to read. But I especially like to read Jane Austen's books. And watch the movies made from the books. And any movie based on the books, even remotely so (Clueless, anyone?). Also any book that even so much as mentions Jane Austen or one of her more prominent characters (The Jane Austen Book Club, Bridget Jones' Diary, etc.). So it should come as no surprise that I loved, with a capital L, the book Austenland by Shannon Hale.

Although Hale has written a few other books (The Goose Girl and Princess Academy, for examples), this is her first foray into Adult Literature. And it was such a treat! Austenland tells the story of Jane Hayes, a 30-something woman who has a somewhat unhealthy obsession with Colin Firth a la Mr. Darcy from A&E's Pride and Prejudice. I mean who wouldn't? If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. The storyline, the dialogue and the looks, oh the looks! It's enough to make a girl swoon.

Anyway, back the book...

So when Jane's great-aunt dies, she leaves Jane a non-refundable three week vacation to Pembrook Park, an English resort where guests come to experience 1816 Regency England just as it would have been in Austen's time. Vacationers dress in empire waist dresses, talk the talk, take turns in the park, dance the dances - just like Austen's characters did in the books. Jane, whose love life is an abysmal mess and who is contemplating on giving up on men entirely, goes to Pembrook Park where she hopes to get over her unhealthy Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth obsession and perhaps move on with her life. Of course there are gentlemen. And a possible romance. If you're looking for a fun, easy read, definitely give Austenland a go.

Perfect for reading by the pool or on the beach!

Eastery Finery

We had a fun-filled Easter. Everett helped dye eggs, we dressed the kids in their Easter best, ate a yummy Easter dinner and enjoyed Easter eggs (of the regular and chocolate variety).

To make up for the lack of pictures of Juliana last week, here she is in all her Easter dress glory (with bow courtesy of Dainty Couture):

*As a side note, I am fully aware that this post is pretty lackluster. I apologize. I wanted to make sure to post pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits, but I just was out of ideas on how to make it interesting. I promise better, funnier and more entertaining posts in the future.

Vote 2008

We added a poll and I'm curious to know the answers. So don't just sit there - Get out and vote!

All About Will

In all of my daily blog snooping, I've come across this post quite a few times and I think it's cute, so here I go...

What is his name? William Riley Giddens

How long did you date? We dated for two months before we got engaged. Almost to the day. Our first date was August 2nd and we got engaged on October 4th. After that, we were engaged for four months, again almost to the day. We were married on February 6th.

Who eats more sweets? Definitely Will. He has quite the sweet tooth. Especially for chocolate. And ice cream.

Who is taller? Will. He's 6'3", I'm 5'5"

Who is the better singer? Will by a mile! I can admit that I'm hard-press to carry a tune. Will has an incredible voice (although he plays it down) and I'm always trying to get him to sing in some sort of public forum (like in Sacrament meeting). Will always does spot-on impressions. I've heard him sing Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks and George Strait with eery accuracy.

Who does the laundry? I do. I'm better at getting it done and folded and put away than Will is.

Who pays the bills? We both do. We definitely employ a teamwork strategy to make sure all the bills get paid each month.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? We don't have set sides of the bed. In the four years we've been married we've switched sides probably 8 to 10 times. It really depends on which way our bed is facing, where the baby monitor is (was), who needed to be closer to the door (for whatever reason. Work, baby, etc) or the bathroom (me with pregnancies). Right now, Will sleeps on the right side.

Who mows the lawn? What lawn?

Who cooks dinner? Usually me simply because Will's at work or school. But on the weekends it's usually the both of us in there.

Who drives when you're together? Usually Will, but sometimes I do. I'd say it's probably a 60/40 split. Or maybe 70/30.

Who is more stubborn? Probably me. Will's always telling Everett that he gets his stubbornness from his mother.

Who kissed who first? Will DEFINITELY kissed me. On our first date too. I was one of those girls who had no problem kissing on the first date. Should I be admitting that?

Who asked who out? Hmm, well Will got my phone number at a YSA dance on Friday and I told him about a pool party the next night and said he should come. So I guess we both did?? He put forth the effort of calling me the next day and getting directions, driving out and staying out until the ungodly hour of 3 or 4 in the morning. So I like to give him the credit for the first date.

Who proposed? Will did. He surprised me at work (I only had like four co-workers) and three of them were out of the office. We had talked about getting married, but I knew he didn't exactly have tons 'o funds since he was still re-cooping from his accident. I wasn't expecting a ring until Christmas, at the earliest. He came into the office wearing a suit and holding a dozen red roses, so I knew something was up. He said some sweet things and then got down on one knee and popped the question. It was incredibly sweet and afterwards we went to The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate.

Who is more sensitive? It's a tie. We're both pretty sensitive, but not in a constantly-getting-our-feelings-hurt kind of way. More of a that's sweet-you're wonderful-we're lucky-I love you kind of way.

Who has more siblings? We both have three - two brothers and a sister.

Who wears the pants? This question is dumb. We're a team. No one's "in charge".

One Wedding and a Choo Choo

Will's cousin, Amanda, got married this weekend. We were honored to be a part of all of the festivities, which made for a very busy Saturday! But the kids were troopers, especially Everett who had to forgo any type of nap as well as us dragging him all over town. I decided to let the kids wear their Easter outfits a week early, since they were the dressiest/springiest things they had. And how I managed to NOT take one single picture of Juliana, I don't know. Oh well, all the better to show off her Easter outfit on Sunday.

As Friday night was when tornados hit downtown Atlanta, the weather on Saturday had a little bit of everything. Seriously, we had sunny skies, overcast and muggy, a nice breeze, rain, pouring monsoon rain with pea-sized hail and then the evening ended up being quite cool. I guess that's about right for weather in March.

I always love going to sealings at the temple and Saturday was no exception. The ceremony was just beautiful. I always tear up and/or cry during sealings. There's simply so much emotion and tender feelings in the sealing room. Plus, Amanda's grandpa performed the ceremony, so talk about special! Afterwards, during the picture-taking extravaganza, Everett played around with anyone who would humor him. As we made our way to the car, Will's grandpa, Papa, made sure Everett made it there safely.



Their luncheon was at a really quaint restaurant called The Old Mill Restaurant. It used to be a working mill by the railway line that runs through downtown Acworth. It was converted into a restaurant, but the train still runs by there every 15 minutes or so. Everett was in little boy heaven every time the train passed. And of course, he had to excitedly announce "Choo choo! Choo choo!" to everyone in the room. Mostly it was cute, but there was that one time when the bride and groom were trying to give toasts. Oops!

By this time we were pushing 6:30 and the reception was just about to get started. Like I said, since Everett didn't have a nap, he was pretty wired. There were other little boys there and they had a blast running around the pool (the reception was at a clubhouse in a very expensive neighborhood). They had a bubble machine set up on a balcony and it was neat effect to have bubbles floating throughout the outside of the reception. Everett was definitely a fan.

The food was yummy and the company was fun. All in all, it was a great day and we were thrilled to help Amanda and Steve celebrate. Yea for weddings!!

A Class Act

Like Miss Manners, Miss Juliana could write her own etiquette column. For starters, she advises that whenever you sit down to dinner, you always bring the food on the utensil to you. None of this slouching over your plate stuff!

If you happen to spill food on your clothing, don't be alarmed.

But whatever you do, please, please, don't use the back of your hand to wipe off your face!

Meal times should be an enjoyable time for you and those with who you choose to break bread.

Finally, always remember to chew with your mouth closed.

Miss Juliana promises that if you'll follow her sage advice, you too will have a wonderful dining experience. Remember, when dining good manners are just as important as good food.

Shout Out for Super Cuteness

Unlike some media which vows to remain neutral, I'm totally not above stumping for worthy businesses. And boy do I have a good one today! I love a good, inventive product. And let me tell you, Dainty Couture, the brainchild of a friend of mine, has products that are incredibly cute. Dainty Couture offers custom-made products for babies, kids, moms and the home. I'm getting a little guy tie for Everett (see below) and I can't wait for him to wear it to church. If you're looking for your basic, no-frills type of stuff, then Dainty Couture is not for you. But if you want things with a touch of class, then seriously, check out some of this:

Black and white burpcloths

Monogrammed bibs and burpcloths

Embroidered dinner napkins

A nursing cover-up

Blankets for boys

And socks for girls

Ties for little guys

And for all you Cougar fans out there, I'm sure you could get this in Cougar blue too.

Dainty Couture operates off an Etsy site and they have 100% positive feedback. Consider this my official endorsement for Dainty Couture as the place for you next Internet purchase.

Busy as a Bee

Whew! Everett had a busy week this week. In between not napping or sleeping very well, he also...

Played with choo choos,

Got a boo boo, (Which if you ask him is all Bailey's (the dog's) fault.)
tried on Mom's shoes,
jumped up and down in the crib WHILE Juliana was in it. This was a particular favorite as it was repeated every day this week. And no, it's not the same for him to jump without Juliana as a would-be target.
Taught Juliana the finer points of watching "Toy Story". Again, he was insistent that she sit in the chair with him. And no week is complete without trying on cool headwear. Everett loves this pink headband Jessica. Loves it! He may even wear it more often than Juliana does. Hmm, should I be worried?

A Modern Day Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, in a land that could be considered another country, a lovely, smart, bright young lady bore her first child. "A boy! A boy!" was shouted throughout the land. The new mother and father were overjoyed by the birth of their new son. As he lay sleeping peacefully in the hospital, the boy's parents were content.

As time went by, the boy grew. And as he grew he learned all sorts of new and wonderful things. He learned to sit up, eat from a spoon, crawl and even walk. "Our son's a genius," the parents thought. "There isn't anything he can't do." And the boy's parents were content.

The boy's lovely, smart, bright mother did all she could to ensure her son's proper development. She devoured parenting books and magazines, diligently fed him foods for proper nutrition and ensured his sleep habits were healthy. All of this led to the boy being extremely well-adjusted. He was a happy boy. The parents sighed to themselves, "Our son is awesome." And the boy's parents were content.

Although the boy's parents knew better, they let their wonderful little boy use a pacifier. "It won't hurt," they thought. "Plus, it calms him when he's fussy and helps him to take wonderfully long naps and sleep so well at night." The parents agreed they would stop the boy's use of a pacifier at his first birthday. Well, the boy's first birthday came and went, and yet the pacifier remained. The boy's parents were beginning to be anything but content.

The boy's wise father knew that the best way to rid their lives of the pacifier was simply to stop. The boy's lovely, smart, bright mother was too scared to stop cold turkey. "No, no," she said. "Let's gradually wean him off the pacifier. Since I'm home with him all day, I can do it." To the father's dismay, the boy's SECOND birthday came and went and yet the pacifier remained. The boy's parents were not happy at all.

A few months after the boy's second birthday, the small family decided to take a short journey. While they were in a land only three hours away, the boy's extremely persausive grandmother encouraged the young boy to simply "Throw the pacifier out the window!" To the great astonishment of all those present, the young boy took the pacifier out of his mouth and threw it out the window! The boy's family was more than content - they were estatic.

In the days that followed the young boy's sleep suffered. The thing he had relied on for more than two years was suddenly gone! The boy's parents, especially his lovely, not-so-smart or bright mother, were not quite content since their sleep was suffering as well.

But the boy's father knew the boy would be better off as a result of his throwing the pacifier out the window. And the boy's mother could only hope.

**(We hope this explains any crabbiness any of the Giddens' have exhibited over the past few days!)**