Monday, December 27, 2010

Baking :)

Meaningful Monday-December 26th 2010

So about 1 hour ago I decided to bake a spice cake with buttercream icing :))))
YUMMY!


As you know baking is meaningful to me in many ways!

1. I love to bake....therefore it always puts a smile on my face :)
2. Other people love to eat....therefore it puts a smile on their faces too.
3. People make me angry and I take my anger out on people through baking <3


Now seriously, I only have 5 minutes until my cake is done :)))

I hope you can think of things on Mondays that are meaningful to you too.



Optimistically, Bethany Lea


Thursday, December 23, 2010

:D p&p

Remember my other post?? About this Saturday?????
WELL.................

Change of plans...I will not be posting Pride & Prejudice discussion questions this Saturday but next Saturday (Jan. 1st) we will discuss up through chapter 25!

I'm giving you tons of time to read these chapters.

You have over a week! :)))




I know you can do it, and I can't wait until discussion!!!
 I love this book (: As you should too <3


REMEMBER:

JANUARY 1st!!!! Discussion through chapter 25!

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Optimistically, Bethany Lea


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Meaningful Monday/Talkative Tuesday---Christmas!

Yes. This is a combined Meaningful Monday & Talkative Tuesday :)
Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, and I couldn't wait until the 25th to post about it.

For my Meaningful Monday....I wanted to talk about my dad and what he does on Christmas.

After going to my grandparent's house on Christmas Eve, ( which consists of reading the Christmas story, eating, and of course...opening gifts) that evening we come back home and sit in our living room. We sit there waiting for dad to tell us whether or not we are going to open gifts now or wait until tomorrow. &&& We always  know what the answer is :) We take our time putting the other gifts away and dad starts handing out the other Christmas gifts from under the tree.  We each take a turn opening a gift (Mom opens a gift, Ronnie opens a gift, Becca opens a gift,  and so on...) and by the time we are done opening all the gifts, it has probably taken over two hours. Now, I asked my dad one time, "Why do you make us open our gifts one at a time?" He told me we open gifts that way to make it seem like we are getting a lot of presents even though we aren't.
The truth is, it doesn't matter how many gifts we get on Christmas or who gave them to us....but why we give gifts is what is important!

I love the Christmas season sooo much, and I hope you guys enjoy your Christmas this year also!


Now, for Talkative Tuesday...






Somehow, not only for Christmas,
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others,
Is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing,
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing,
Returns to you glad.
John Greenleaf Whittier



Giving is more important then receiving!
Most of you should already know that :)
I love Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all my followers! <3


Optimistically, Bethany Lea

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Pride & Prejudice: Discussion, Chapters 11 & 12 & NEW CHAPTERS!

So, short and sweet...here are key points from chapters 11 & 12 :) ENJOY!

 

Chapter Eleven

  • That night after dinner, Jane is well enough to come down for a few hours. Mr. Bingley is so glad to see her, he hardly pays attention to anybody else.
  • Miss Bingley tries to keep Mr. Darcy’s attention and fails. She pouts about Mr. Bingley’s plan to give a ball at Netherfield – balls are so boring when the people who attend are so beneath you – but she fails to dissuade him from the idea.
  • Miss Bingley asks Elizabeth to parade up and down the room with her. She wants to show off her fine figure to Mr. Darcy.
  • When Miss Bingley asks Mr. Darcy to join them in walking up and down the room, he refuses, saying that would ruin her reason for walking back and forth – that is, she is either sharing gossipy secrets with Elizabeth or they realize that their figures look best when they are walking about and are trying to get attention. How could he possibly notice their fine figures if he joined them?
  • Much to Miss Bingley’s disgust, the conversation soon grows into banter between Darcy and Elizabeth. She tells him his main fault is his inclination to hate everybody; her defect, he tells her, is to intentionally misunderstand them.

Chapter Twelve

  • Elizabeth is anxious to get back home; she is afraid they are overstaying their welcome. Yet her mother is anxious for them to remain, hoping that the longer Jane is at Netherfield, the greater the chances are of a proposal from Mr. Bingley. To this end, she refuses to send a carriage to bring her daughters home.
  • Elizabeth and Jane ask if the Bingleys will send them home in their carriage. They are induced to stay for one more day, for the sake of Jane’s health, and then they will be allowed to go home.
  • We learn that Miss Bingley likes Jane, but she is jealous of Elizabeth.
  • Knowing that he only has to control his passion for one more day, Darcy avoids Elizabeth like she has cooties. Or the plague. When they’re left alone for a half-hour in the study, he pretends to be absorbed in his book.
  • The next day, Mr. Darcy is glad to see them go. He is too attracted to Elizabeth and Miss Bingley teases him too much about the young lady for his comfort, especially since there is some real truth in her teasing.


So.....these chapters were very easy to follow.
As you know, Darcy and Elizabeth are starting to become attracted to each other and it happens to have a great impact on more than just the two of them.
Some people are jealous, and others are overjoyed.
While others don't even realize that it is happening.

The one question I wanted to ask, is......

Do you truly think that Darcy & Elizabeth deserve each other?The way that they act can sometimes be seen as rude or at times  prideful......{Pride & Prejudice} *cough cough :)
I don't want comments answering this question, I just want you to think about it as you read the novel.





Anyway, this discussion, was mostly just a catch up discussion for those of you who have not been able to follow along with the rest of us, and since this week has been a slow one, I'm going to go ahead and assign the next chapters! :D

So, next week is Christmas, but I'll still be posting!

We should read chapters 13-20.
I know! I know! 8 Chapters is too many!
But, the story moves along at a good pace and
I don't want us to get too far behind.

This book is going to take much more than 1 month to read, but I hope not more than 2 months! :)


KEEP READING!

I love this book, hopefully you'll love it too <3

Optimistically, Bethany Lea :)))

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Beauty and The Beast.

Beauty and The Beast Illness...

So due to the fact that I have been sick since Monday, I have not assigned new chapters for Pride and Prejudice yet.

As far as I'm concerned, we have read up to chapter 10...and that seems pretty good so far.
However, I know that if I take a break from discussion or reading Pride and Prejudice, that my break will last longer than planned :)

So....as far as assigning discussion chapters goes.....
This Saturday we will be discussing chapters 11 & 12.


These are two easy chapters and it is a good discussion point for how the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth is growing :)

Keep Reading!

Optimistically, Bethany Lea


And for your enjoyment...
some great pictures from Beauty and The Beast.










<3



Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Talkative Tuesday-December 14












I found this picture from the National Geographic Website.

They have sooo many good photos, and my quotes usually come from The Quotations Page.



I think this quote is important because so many people today complain about their problems, instead of finding a way to solve it. I truly feel that if something is important enough for you to complain about, then it should be more important enough for you to solve :)


Optimistically, Bethany Lea <3



Monday, December 13, 2010

Meaninful Monday #2

OK...so as most of you know, I missed the Meaningful Monday from last week....
I decided since the last Meaningful Monday was my brother, how fitting would it be for my sister to be this week!

Rabecca Danielle Jean Hicks.

Beautiful.
Artistic.
Cute as a Button.
Funny.
Sweet.
Loving.
My Sister.
My Friend.


I absolutely LOVE my sister...just in case you missed it! <3


She has seen me at my best and seen me at my worst! Either way, she still loves me...and that is what I love about her.



She is B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. in every single way :)))


Her artwork, is so unique and what she doesn't know is that I keep all the ones she throws away. I'm collecting them, because I know one day they'll mean something to her :)

We have had so many too many fun times together, and no matter how many mistakes I've made...I would never want to go back and change them; in fear of losing all of those wonderful moments with her.


She is my favorite sister...
well I guess she has to be...
seeing that she is my only sister.





These moments with Rabecca will never be forgotten.....

I know it is a possibility that I might go away to college.....

and if that happens,


I'll just have to find a way to take her with me :)


Optimistically, Bethany Lea







Saturday, December 11, 2010

Chapters 7-10; Discussion- Pride & Prejudice

 Pride and Prejudice Discussion-Week 2 :))))

Can you believe today is Saturday?! The week went by really fast (for me anyway) <3


So, if you didn't have a chance to follow along... here are some of the key points from chapters 7-10

Chapter 7:
  • A militia unit arrives at Meryton for the winter. Meryton is a mile from Longbourn, where the Bennets reside.
  • The two youngest Bennet girls, Catherine and Lydia, amuse themselves with the soldiers. Their father claims that their infatuation makes them the silliest girls in all of England.
  • Let’s put it this way: if the military was a rock band, Catherine and Lydia would be the groupies plotting ways to sneak into the band's trailer.
  • Jane is invited to Netherfield to have lunch with Mr. Bingley’s sisters, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst.
  • Mrs. Bennet schemes for Jane to go on horseback, rather than in the carriage, so that if it rains, she will have to stay all night.
  • Jane gets so sick from getting wet in the rain that the Bingleys urge her to stay until she is better.
  • Elizabeth is determined to help her sister. She walks three miles in the rain to Netherfield to take care of Jane.
  • Everybody at Netherfield is surprised by Elizabeth’s sudden arrival, and Mr. Darcy thinks to himself how pretty she looks after exercise.
  • Jane is glad to see her, and Elizabeth begins to like Mr. Bingley’s sisters when she sees how affectionate they are towards Jane.
  • The Bingleys encourage Elizabeth to stay overnight so she can take care of her sister.
Chapter 8:
  • Elizabeth’s dislike for the Bingley sisters returns when she realizes that the only time they care about Jane is when she’s present. They forget all about her while she’s upstairs in bed, sick.
  •  Miss Bingley is preoccupied with capturing Mr. Darcy’s attention.
  •  As soon as Elizabeth leaves the room to attend to her sister, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst begin abusing her. They declare it is absurd that she would walk three miles to help her sister. On top of that, horror of horrors, her petticoat was dirty when she arrived because she walked all that way through the mud.
  •  Mr. Bingley defends Elizabeth, saying she shows pluck, independence, and an admirable regard for her sister
  • Mr. Darcy says the exercise brought out the brightness in her eyes.
  • Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley laugh at the fact that the Bennets have relatives who live in Cheapside, an unfashionable neighborhood in London. It makes them less than desirable spouses, the women say. Because of their relatives, the Bennet girls are doomed to marry men with little money.
  •  When Elizabeth returns, they resume other conversation. Mr. Darcy’s little sister is mentioned, especially her many accomplishments.
  • The conversation then moves to what it means for a woman to be "accomplished." Mr. Darcy suggests that very few women are truly accomplished – he himself knows of only about half a dozen that fit the definition. Miss Bingley defines such a woman as able to sing, draw, and dance, while Mr. Darcy adds that on top of all of that, an accomplished woman should have a mind developed through reading.
  • Elizabeth states that he must not know any accomplished women then, for she does not know any women who combine capacity, taste, application, and elegance all together.
Also, I do apologize for the formatting, it highlights in white, and I'm still working on trying to get that fixed :)
Chapter 9:

·         Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Jones, the doctor, examine Jane in the morning. Although she is not in real danger, both agree it is best if she remain at Netherfield for the time being.
·         Mrs. Bennet is delighted that her daughter has to stay there for a while longer.

    Everyone congregates in the breakfast parlour, and Mr. Bingley discovers that Elizabeth studies people to discern their characters. They talk about how complex people are the most interesting to study.
         Mr. Darcy remarks that complex people must be difficult to find in the country and Mrs. Bennet takes offense.

·         Elizabeth tries to save her mother from her own foolish talk, but Mrs. Bennet inevitably reveals her social climbing tendencies at the same time that she tries to ingratiate herself with the Bingleys.
·         Next, Mrs. Bennet makes a fool of herself by going on and on about Jane’s beauty.
·         When the Bennets leave to go to Jane’s room, the Bingley women start to gossip about them, but Mr. Darcy refuses to disparage Elizabeth.

Chapter 10:   -Very Important!


·         The next evening, Elizabeth is amused at the conversation between Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley throws a steady stream of compliments and requests at Mr. Darcy, who replies with his own dry sense of humor or ignores her.
·         Elizabeth observes that the banter between Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy proves that Mr. Darcy notices the reasons why people behave the way they do.
·         Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth discuss the merits of changing your mind because a friend persuades you to. Mr. Darcy says that you’re a fool if the only reason you yield to a friend’s opinion is because they have that opinion. In other words, don’t act just to please somebody else. Elizabeth, alternatively, argues that a trusted friend’s opinion should be enough to sway you.
·         Not to hit you over the head with it, but this discussion is foreshadowing later parts of the plot, when Mr. Bingley will be persuaded by Mr. Darcy that Jane doesn’t care about him, even though his own heart says otherwise.
·         Elizabeth notices how frequently Mr. Darcy looks at her and she wonders why. She assumes he can’t possibly be interested in her and decides that the only reason he keeps looking at her is to find things that are wrong about her. When he looks, she thinks, he looks to judge.
  • The group listens to Mr. Bingley’s sisters play the piano and Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth if she would like to dance. She ignores him and he repeats his request. She responds that she would rather not give him the pleasure of mocking her, so no, she will not dance with him.
  • Miss Bingley gets jealous, realizing that Mr. Darcy is beginning to get really interested in Elizabeth.
  • As for Mr. Darcy, he is "bewitched" but thankful that Elizabeth’s social status is so beneath him that he can’t possibly be tempted into any kind of serious relationship.

---------------------------------------------------------
So, as you can see....Chapters 7-10 are very important & detailed chapters in the book. 
One thing I like about these chapters is how much the characters are developing.

To get us started on our "discussion".... I thought it would be easier today if we only made our discussion about one question or topic from Pride and Prejudice.

What I would like to know is....
Who is your favorite character, why, and how is their character developing?
(So far from what you read <3 )

I know there quite a few characters (and still more to come) So for your convenience, I copied this character description chart, to help you remember who is who :)

Mr. Bennet -  The patriarch of the Bennet family, a gentleman of modest income with five unmarried daughters. Mr. Bennet has a sarcastic, cynical sense of humor that he uses to purposefully irritate his wife. Though he loves his daughters (Elizabeth in particular), he often fails as a parent, preferring to withdraw from the never-ending marriage concerns of the women around him rather than offer help.

Mrs. Bennet -  Mr. Bennet’s wife, a foolish, noisy woman whose only goal in life is to see her daughters married. Because of her low breeding and often unbecoming behavior, Mrs. Bennet often repels the very suitors whom she tries to attract for her daughters.

Jane Bennet -  The eldest and most beautiful Bennet sister. Jane is more reserved and gentler than Elizabeth. The easy pleasantness with which she and Bingley interact contrasts starkly with the mutual distaste that marks the encounters between Elizabeth and Darcy.

Elizabeth Bennet -  The novel’s protagonist. 20 Years old. The second daughter of Mr. Bennet, Elizabeth is the most intelligent and sensible of the five Bennet sisters. She is well read and quick-witted, with a tongue that occasionally proves too sharp for her own good.

 
Mary Bennet -  The middle Bennet sister, bookish and pedantic.
Catherine (Kitty) Bennet -  The fourth Bennet sister. 17 Years Old. Like Lydia, she is girlishly enthralled with the soldiers.
Lydia Bennet -   15 Years Old. The youngest Bennet sister, she is gossipy, immature, and self-involved. Unlike Elizabeth, Lydia flings herself headlong into romance.
Fitzwilliam Darcy -  A wealthy gentleman,  and the master of Pemberley,  Though Darcy is intelligent and honest, his excess of pride causes him to look down on his social inferiors. Over the course of the novel, he tempers his class-consciousness.
Charles Bingley -  Darcy’s considerably wealthy best friend. Bingley’s purchase of Netherfield, an estate near the Bennets, serves as the impetus for the novel. He is a genial, well-intentioned gentleman, whose easygoing nature contrasts with Darcy’s initially discourteous demeanor. He is blissfully uncaring about class differences.
Miss Bingley -  Bingley’s snobbish sister. Miss Bingley bears inordinate disdain for Elizabeth’s middle-class background. Her vain attempts to garner Darcy’s attention cause Darcy to admire Elizabeth’s self-possessed character even more.
Charlotte Lucas -  Elizabeth’s dear friend. Pragmatic where Elizabeth is romantic, and also six years older than Elizabeth, Charlotte does not view love as the most vital component of a marriage. She is more interested in having a comfortable home.

 
I admit this is a tricky question and your favorite character might change between now and when we finish the novel. I know my favorite character probably changes each time I read it.


I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Optimistically, Bethany Lea


P.S. I'll let you know my favorite character and why only after I get some comments :)

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

New Chapters :)

This week has gone by a little slow....
Last weeks book discussion was off to a good start. 
We discussed a question for each chapter from 1 - 6.
I'm going to assign the next chapters! :)

So since last week we discussed chapters 1-6, this time we should do a little catching up. This book has quite a few chapters and will probably take more than a month to read, dealing with the holidays and other events :)

So I'm assigning chapters 7-10!
I know what you're thinking, and it is only 4 chapters...but we won't start discussion until this Saturday, so that should give you plenty of time to read all 4 chapters :)

This discussion will be much like the previous one... I'll post a few discussion questions and let you know my opinion. I'll also post a summary to keep you updated, in case you didn't have time to follow along :)

I expect lots of comments :)



Keep Reading!

I know we can do this <3

Optimistically, Bethany Lea

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Discussion: Chapters 1-6, Pride and Prejudice

How exciting! It is the end of "Week One"! I can't wait to start discussing the book!

So... Pride and Prejudice is one of my very favorite books! Which I am sure that you already knew :)

For those of you who didn't have time to read along, I attached a link of a very good summary :)

Hahaha! Just Kidding!
Why would I do that.

To make it easier, I copied and pasted the summary from Chapters 1-6 right here so you could go ahead and read it.

This summary is one of my favorites, very short and to the point!


ENJOY!!!



In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen tackles a common reality in England in the early 19th century – women who lack a fortune need to marry well. And by "well," we mean wealthy. So any guy from a good family with large, steady income is fair game on the Marriage Hunt. Rich but unintelligent, unattractive, boring men? Mrs. Bennet says, "Bring it on!" To be fair, she does have five daughters who lack a fortune. When a certain (wealthy) Mr. Bingley moves into the neighborhood and is interested in her eldest daughter, Jane, Mrs. Bennet becomes deliriously happy and (to the extreme discomfort of her family and innocent spectators) tries to push them together in every way possible.

It’s not all roses and champagne just yet, however. While Mr. Bingley is easygoing and pleasant, his sisters are catty snobs whose attitude is encouraged by a certain Mr. Darcy. Good-looking, rich, and close friends with Mr. Bingley, Darcy is also insufferably proud and haughty. The Bennets are beneath him in social stature, so Mr. Darcy is proportionately disagreeable, particularly to Jane’s younger sister Elizabeth. When Mr. Bingley suggests that Mr. Darcy ask Elizabeth to dance, Mr. Darcy replies that she isn’t pretty enough. The two men accidentally carry on their conversation within earshot of Elizabeth. Ouch.

It’s clear to everyone that Mr. Bingley is falling in love with Jane, but Jane’s calm temperament hides her true feelings (she loves him too). Elizabeth gossips about the situation with her close friend Charlotte Lucas, who argues that Jane needs to show affection or risk losing Mr. Bingley. Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy has finished maligning Elizabeth, and starts becoming attracted to her. Something about her "fine eyes."

So I tried to make a discussion question for each chapter:


Chapter 1 :
Mrs.Bennet loves her daughters very much but this chapter describes her as "the business of her life was to get her daughters married." How would you like a mother who only thought of marrying you off?

...If I had a mother like Mrs.Bennet, I would be happy that she cares for me but if she kept forcing me to think about marriage she would probably become overbearing. I wouldn't want our relationship to suffer just because a "fine gentleman caller" came to town :))) I would try to convince her that I'll get married when I feel the need is right. I would also try to convince her to take up other hobbies, such as knitting.

Chapter 2 :
 In this chapter Mr.Bennet plays a trick on the ladies of his household, did you find his trick terribly rude or rather amusing? :)))
 I suppose that it was fair for Mr.Bennet to play a trick on his family. They were putting so much pressure on him to make a visit to Mr.Bingley that it would seem like the end of the world if he didn't. Having the stress of trying to get all your daughters married, it seems that it was fair for Mr.Bennet to have some sort of amusment while his wife was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off :)



Chapters 3&4 :
Imagine you are Elizabeth and your oldest sister Jane  was getting all the attention. she even danced with one of the most eligible bachelors, not once, but twice. While you, were just tolerable. In chapter 4, Lizzy express happiness for her sister about this situation. Would you be able to express the same happiness?

If I were Elizabeth and my older sister were getting all the attention, I think I would be very jealous. I wouldn't be able to share her happiness.  I would keep my jealousy to myself, so as not to hurt her feelings. However, If I had gotten some attention, it would probably be easier for me to truly share her happiness.

Chapter 5
In this chapter Charlotte Lucas mocks Elizabeth in front of her sister, Jane. If you were Jane, would you defend your sister? And if so, how would you defend her differently than Jane did?

If I were Jane, I would not be able to keep such a  calm manner, I would probably be yelling and defending her in such a way that I would embarrass not only myself, but my entire family also. I would not only defend Lizzy, but truthfully, I would probably start insulting Charlotte :) What can I say? I know that isn't the best way to respond, but if we were being honest....that's most likely to happen.

Chapter 6
"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."
-Charlotte Lucas
In what ways do you agree or disagree with this statement?

I disagree with this statement completely. Charlotte Lucas has no idea what happiness is. I understand that in that time, marriages were sometimes arranged and mothers and fathers forced their children to marry for social status. Also, some people {still today} only care about money and try to marry wealthy. However, if Charlotte Lucas really knew what happiness was, she wouldn't have such a hard time believing in it. Marriages should be based off both love and happiness. I f you are not happy with the one you love, then do you really love them? Charlotte Lucas may have a lot going for her, but thinking in a negative way will not get her anywhere. You'll see <3

------------------------------------------------------------------------
So....I cannot wait to hear your thoughts! I'll be sharing mine  through comments this morning and late this evening and I'll go over them all on Sunday :)))


 P.S. I love the movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice {with Keira Knightley} and therefore use most of my pictures from the newer movie :)))

Optimistically, Bethany Lea